Chapter 5 [A Smart Chinese]
"This kid has the potential to become a key piece of the championship puzzle and needs to be nurtured." George Karl sighed softly.
Assistant coach Bob Weiss responded: "Yeah, we are running out of time, after the end of next season, Gary (Payton) must sign a big contract. In another year, Sean (Kemp) will sign a big contract. contract."
"In the past two years, we must win the championship." Karl attaches great importance to Yang Jian, which is related to the current situation of the Supersonics. The team is about to change blood because of the salary, and the current situation creates heroes.
The SuperSonics are a recognized powerhouse in the West. They have been eliminated in the first round for two consecutive years, mainly because the strength of the role players is insufficient, and the coaches have few cards to play.
The Sonics currently have three All-Star starters, and two of them are underpaid. If you don't win the championship in these two years, it will be difficult in the future.
The core of the team's perimeter is the super point guard Gary Payton nicknamed "The Glove", one of the 50 greatest stars in league history. He was good at offense and defense, liked to talk trash during games, and challenged Jordan several times. As a point guard, he has never averaged double figures in assists per game in a single season, but is a regular on the All-Defensive Team.
Nicknamed "Rain Man", power forward Sean Kemp has amazing athletic ability. He dunks when he hits the rim, never layups.
Because the dunk was so hard, he hit his head over the backboard and got a few stitches. In addition to breaking through and dunking, Kemp also has the unique trick of shooting in the face of the basket, which is straight and neat.
There is no nickname, but the strength of the German striker Detrev Schramf.
He is currently a two-time All-Star, averaging 19.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6 assists per game.
In the 1990s, it was difficult to see the "Big Three" teams, because the league's salary cap was so low that it was impossible for a team to pay high salaries to three stars at the same time.
The SuperSonics and the Bulls are the only teams with three All-Star players. What they have in common is that a star signed a long-term contract before raising his salary and became a "model worker". The Bulls are Pippen and the Sonics are Camp. Kemp was the Western Conference All-Star starter last season, but his annual salary was only 1 million.
The Sonics can't offer high salaries to shooting guards, they can only improve their strength through trades and drafts. Yang Jian's physical talent is bursting, and a young rookie is the most suitable for the team's signing needs.
Carl intends to train Yang Jian. On the premise of not dragging his feet, he will be qualified by playing 15-20 minutes per game, and the team will earn blood by playing 30 minutes. The Sonics don't need him to be a star, they just need him to put the ball in the open and defend hard.
As soon as Yang Jian's shooting test was over, Karl called him to his side, with a gentle smile that didn't look like himself.
Steve Oldman stood aside calmly, afraid that Yang Jian said something wrong, and was ready to try his best to remedy it.
"Crazy Carl" applauded several times, obviously having a good impression of Yang Jian. As long as Yang Jian doesn't talk nonsense next, he is likely to become the team's key training target.
"I'm very curious, why didn't you put up good stats in college? Didn't the coach at Harvard give you a chance to perform?" When Carl asked Yang Jian, he already had an answer in his mind. The coach of the Harvard basketball team must have something wrong.
Yang Jian explained with a smile: "Because I am a Chinese student, I was not used to the life here when I first came to the United States. I did not communicate well with coaches and teammates at Harvard, and I did not have many opportunities to play and did not cooperate well. I will gradually get used to it. At that point, the season is over."
"Why don't you try to make more shots yourself? This allows the coach to see your talent." Karl asked again.
Because the one before was not me at all, but a tool man without a soul. Yang Jian thought to himself.
Of course he couldn't tell the truth, and no one believed him.
"The coach has arranged tactics, and I have to obey the arrangement. He didn't let me take more shots. If I attack freely on the court, I will be replaced." Yang Jian thought for a while, and implicitly expressed that he did not dare to take responsibility, but He could only obey the tactical arrangement and was suppressed by the coach.
If he wants to become a star in the NBA, he must continue to improve instead of hiding. In these years, the NBA discriminates against foreign players very seriously. White Europeans are discriminated against, not to mention the Chinese? If he doesn't fight, he will never be able to get ahead.
Yang Jian is an ambitious person who is not satisfied to become an ordinary NBA star in the future. If the Lakers invite him to try out, he must be thinking about how to replace Kobe at this moment. He wants to build a dynasty with O'Neal, get rid of the fat man in a better way, turn the Lakers into his own team, and then build a dynasty again to surpass Jordan.
If he joined the Sonics, he wanted to win a championship in his rookie season.
The original Supersonic team can reach the finals, and Yang Jian firmly believes that the team will be stronger after he joins. Who would want to sit on the bench and watch teammates lose in the final? He has to get playing time, preferably a starter and help the team to the top!
The game that sent him across is called "Basketball God", not "Basketball Role Player". In order to maintain a good image in the minds of the SuperSonics coaching staff, he had to let the head coach at Harvard University, who he had never met, take the blame. In short, George Carr cannot be made to feel that he lacks enterprising spirit.
He dares to take responsibility, and the coach may not dare to let him do too much. The system's evaluation of his basketball skills is "rough brother", which is not a problem. There are three All-Stars on the team, and Karl is crazy to arrange for his rookie to handle the ball.
Karl and the two assistant coaches were very satisfied with Yang Jian's answer and were convinced that the Harvard basketball coach had a problem. Yang Jian speaks so neatly, not like someone who is not good at communicating with people. Maybe he encountered racial discrimination and was unwilling to speak out here and save face for Harvard coaches.
Karl even made up the reason why Yang Jian took the risk of participating in the draft after only one season. "If he stays at Harvard, the team is too bad to make it to the championship, and the coaches won't reuse him. He might as well take a gamble on his talent, 19-year-old physical fitness is very attractive. Once you meet my kind of eye A good coach who knows Kim, he might be on his way."
"A smart Chinese" is Carl's evaluation of Yang Jian in his heart. His IQ is still unknown, but people who are not smart can't get into Harvard. The NCAA underdog Harvard University doesn't have a basketball scholarship, and there will be no fools who go to school just because they play well.
Julius completed his shot test in the fourth, shooting too low from outside the restricted area and unable to shoot 3-pointers. His hook and post-up footwork is fine, but it's not something the Sonics desperately need. The coaching staff did not comment on him and lost interest in him.
In the final static talent test, Yang Jian is still the best.
He wears 193CM shoes and plays No. 2, which is not very high, but his wingspan is very good, his standing reach is 255CM, and his body fat rate is 7%. In addition to his super strength, he will not be a weakness at the 2 position. If he gains weight properly, he can also play as a small forward.
Yang Jian is definitely unwilling to gain weight. Too much weight will turn into a devilish muscle man, and the style of the game will not be so elegant.
The static talents of the other three people are very ordinary, and Sherel is not as tall as Yang Jian at 201.
After the test, George Carr made a direct decision. "We have to sign Yang Jian as soon as possible, we can't delay. He is an undrafted rookie, and we don't have the right to sign him, so we don't have to wait for the summer league to end."
Knox laughed: "I think so too. The four of them will be in Seattle for a few days, and from here they will go to the Salt Lake City Summer League."
Carl nodded. "Let's do it like this. Bob, you have worked hard for a few days. Take time to come to the arena to investigate them further. In addition to setting appropriate tactics for them, focus on guiding Yang's offense and defense."
Bob Weiss is the lead coach for the Sonics this time, and George Karl won't go to summer league.
"Leave it to me, I will report the situation to you at any time." Weiss smiled.
In the coaching circle, the 53-year-old Weiss is also a veteran. He is a retired white player from the NBA as a coach and has previously served as the head coach of an NBA team three times.
From 1986 to 1988, Weiss coached the San Antonio Spurs, with a record of 59 wins and 105 losses; from 1990 to 1993, he coached the Atlanta Hawks, with a record of 124 wins and 122 losses; in the 1993-94 season, he coached the Los Angeles Clippers, Get a 27-55 record.
Beginning in 1994, Weiss, who led the team with a poor record, stepped back behind the scenes and served as the assistant coach of the Sonics, assisting George Karl. Such an experienced old coach as an assistant makes the SuperSonics' coaching lineup look very luxurious. Their goal in the new season is only the championship.