Basketball Terminal

Chapter 14 Perfect
The trial training ended, and the Nassau Stadium gradually returned to quiet.

If it weren't for the special circumstances, the tryouts wouldn't be held here; they would be taken in a much more dilapidated, ordinary gymnasium. Because many large events have been canceled, the tryouts are being held in the large gymnasium, since it's empty anyway.

For Brett and his coaching staff, the selection process is only halfway complete. Of the 10 players, only two, or even just one, can ultimately remain. Whether it's one or two depends on any changes to the existing roster.

Teams in the Development League always experience a lot of player changes. The Brooklyn Nets recently completed a major trade, and as the parent team of the Long Island Nets, they are likely to recall a rookie or short-term two-way contract player when they are short-handed. This would leave the Long Island Nets without backup options.

However, as an affiliate team, the Long Island Nets have a limited budget and want to sign as few players as possible. Therefore, in this local tryout selection process to fill gaps in their roster, the management hopes that the coaching staff can make the best choices.

This is what gives Brett a headache. When he was an assistant coach for the Cavaliers and Nets, he only needed to focus on his assigned duties and didn't have to worry about anything else. But with a lower-level small team like the Long Island Nets, the head coach has to do everything.

In the coaches' office at Nassau Arena, Brett and his three assistant coaches were organizing trial data, videos, and notes. On Brett's simple desk lay a biography, "Phil Jackson," a book he had been reading frequently lately.

It's not Jackson's Eleven Rings, which boasts about his Eastern philosophy and 11 rings, nor is it a memoir about Jordan's Last Dance in 1998. Instead, it's a simple summary of Jackson's early experiences as a player and coach.

Brett's favorite part of the book is Jackson's time coaching in the Puerto Rican league. The chaotic and brutal lower league honed Jackson's skills, and there he learned all the skills a head coach needs, including driving a bus to take players to the arena.

As Jackson said, those tough years honed him, enabling him to navigate the complexities of team dynamics as a rookie coach when he later led the Bulls, ultimately allowing Jordan to reach his full potential and create an unprecedented dynasty. For Brett, Jackson's experience was the greatest inspiration in his role as head coach of the Long Island Nets, and he believes this period will become one of the most important memories of his basketball career.

"Alright, the data, videos, and notes are all organized and I've sent them to everyone's emails. Let's have a quick vote first: who should be the top priority among the 10 people? Let's eliminate those who are definitely not in the selection pool, and what's left... there are actually only four people. Xavier Moon, Nate Bradley, Dylan Smith, and Victor Lee."

The coaching staff of four, plus team general manager Matt Ricardi, voted by show of hands. Xavier Moon was the first to be ruled out, not because of his ability, but because after his tryout he told Ricardi that he had already received an offer from another team and was not considering playing for the Long Island Nets at the moment. Nate Bradley and Dylan Smith remained, each receiving four votes.

Finally, it was Victor Lee's turn. Surprisingly, all four members of the coaching staff raised their hands, except for General Manager Matt Ricardi. Just now, Nate Bradley and Dylan Smith had members of the coaching staff who hadn't raised their hands, but Ricardi had.

He was surprised that the coaching staff had all raised their hands and unanimously voted to select Li Wei, an Asian player, as their top choice. The coaching staff exchanged glances; they hadn't discussed it beforehand, and their unanimous vote meant they truly recognized Li Wei's abilities.

"Oh my god, you all raised your hands for this Asian guy? Why? What's the reason? Is it because he's the same ethnicity as the boss?"

“Matt, tell me your reasons for not choosing him,” Brett asked.

"It's simple, because we need a shooting guard, not a forward. We already have eight forwards! Eight! But we only have one shooting guard, so we need a backup, it's that simple. Tell me your reasons for choosing this... uh, Victor Lee? His name sounds Italian."

A general manager's perspective on players is clearly different from a coach's. Ricardi prioritizes roster completeness and experience. One point he didn't mention in his explanation was that he didn't believe an unknown Asian player could bring victories to the team. The pressure to achieve results was immense. In the NBA, sometimes losing is a victory, for the sake of draft picks, for the anticipation of a future star; the more you lose, the happier everyone is. But that's impossible in the G League. You must win to gain recognition and attention; the pressure to achieve results here is even greater and more intense than in the NBA.

But Brett told him clearly: "My reason for choosing Victor is simple. He was the best player in the trial, and he is a player who can bring victory. I am sure of that."

"Perfect? ​​Don't be ridiculous. Look at his stats, shooting percentage, and... what else? Efficiency Rating, PER, basically all those messy stats, you guys should have all compiled them. Take a look, I don't believe he's ranked the highest."

"Besides points and assists, he ranks first in many other stats, especially shooting percentage, efficiency, and plus-minus, which are far ahead," assistant coach Jim O'Kman responded.

"He memorized the tactics best and most comprehensively in 3-on-3 drills, and his screens and picks are top-notch, with incredibly smart defensive positioning. If he were in Europe, he would be a starter for the team," praised assistant coach Luca Banchi, an experienced veteran of European football.

"Of all the players, he had the most positive and upright attitude in training and matches. There was never any complaining or cursing, and he didn't show any negative emotions. He would even encourage his teammates, applaud and cheer for their goals, even though everyone is a competitor. These details can be seen in the video." Assistant coach Shesen Allen played a short video clip in which Levi was very positive during the match, encouraging his teammates and cheering them on.

Brett looked at Ricardi and said, "So, is this a perfect trial under our conditions?"

Ricardi waved his hand, somewhat annoyed by the coaching staff's rebuttal, and said, "Perfect, perfect! Since he's so perfect, why not just recommend him to play in Brooklyn? Isn't it a waste of his talent to keep him on Long Island?"

Brett shrugged and said, "If Brooklyn is short of interior players, he might be an option. I think he can play center or forward."

After acquiring James Harden, the Brooklyn Nets were short-handed in the frontcourt. They traded away Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince, who were originally the team's center and backup power forward, respectively.

The Nets currently suffer from a severe lack of height. DeAndre Jordan is practically useless in the paint, forcing Kevin Durant to play power forward and smaller players like Joe Harris to play small forward. This is why Novan Pelle was able to secure a contract; they desperately need more players.

Brett's words resonated with Ricardi. As a subsidiary of the Brooklyn Nets, the Long Island Nets had an obligation to provide the parent team with the role players it needed.

If he can truly provide a quality interior player to solve his team's immediate problems, it would be a huge achievement for Ricardo. Ricardo, who is interested, only has one question: is this Victor Lee really that good?
"If he's so perfect, why isn't there any record of his outstanding performances before? High school, college, other leagues. I looked at his resume, and as someone who's just average, I wanted to give him a little red flower to console him."

"To be honest, I don't know either. I'm just giving my conclusion based on his performance in this tryout. He's the number one pick, no doubt about it. And I'd like to say that he has the ability to create his own offense, but he's just not very willing to show it, which is more in line with our requirements. If I had to point out any shortcomings, it would be that he lacks imagination and talent, and his physical fitness is slightly lacking. But that's the standard in the NBA. This is the G League, and he's good enough."

Ricardi sat there thinking for a while, then stood up as if making up his mind and said, "OK, that's him. I'll let him know. Training camp starts the day after tomorrow. Once everyone's assembled, we'll head out. Get ready, guys, let's go to the G League."

(End of this chapter)