Carrying an old science teacher with him

Chapter 26 Nobody is To Be Messed With

"Some players are very good. They have tactical execution ability, courage, and can understand my tactical ideas. But some players are unteachable. They don't understand my tactics at all. I would even say that their tactical understanding is zero. I don't need players like that in my team."

Following their victory in their first home game of the new season, Warriors head coach Montgomery's remarks at the post-game press conference sparked heated discussions throughout the league.

It was almost no guessing; the media immediately understood who this renowned NCAA coach was referring to.

In an instant, news spread that the Warriors had failed in the draft and that the Chinese high school players were major busts.

"Haha, unteachable, that's a great phrase. I was called that by someone back in the day. Haha, kid, you've earned it too. Congratulations."

Kobe remained calm when Wang Kai faced difficulties because he knew the Warriors would not give up on him.

Although Montgomery was hired by the Warriors as their head coach with a four-year, $4 million salary, while Wang Kai's rookie contract totaled only that amount, for the team owner, the players are his assets, and the coach is what he uses to manage those assets. The owner is very clear about who is more important.

The conflict within the Warriors team caused a huge uproar, immediately drawing criticism from some league legends and college coaches towards the high school players.

As a representative figure of the last batch of high school players in the league, Wang Kai faced immense pressure from public opinion.

"You have to get used to this. What's a little bit of trouble? Let me tell you, kid, the pressure I faced back then was much greater than this, but I made it through. So hang in there, kid. As long as you get a chance to perform, you can prove yourself."

Lao Ke wouldn't just keep "mocking" Wang Kai.

"Kobe, the problem is that I'm finding it hard to get playing time right now."

"Don't worry, kid, Chris will come to you. Just tell him what you want, and he'll agree to it."

As expected, after the first home game, team general manager Chris Mullin came to "appease" Wang Kai.

"Wang, I know you're very angry right now, but I hope you can be patient. The team won't abandon you easily, and the management will coordinate with Montgomery."

"Mr. Mullin, I have only one request: either let me play, or trade me. I can't keep putting up with this. This isn't the first time he's caused me trouble."

"I know, Wang, Coach Montgomery's behavior was a bit excessive. The management will step in. There's an old Chinese saying, 'Things don't happen more than three times.' I can promise you, it won't happen more than a third time."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Mullin, I've never listened to these 'old sayings' since I was a child, and there won't be a third time."

Facing the general manager, Wang Kai did not compromise. He knew that if he compromised at this point, there would be a fourth and a fifth time.

Chris Mullin was actually very angry about Montgomery's behavior because the unspoken rule in the NBA is that locker room problems must be resolved in the locker room, not taken directly to the media. This is not something a coach who understands the rules should do.

Montgomery's performance after taking over as coach of the Warriors in 2004 was mediocre. In the 04-05 season, the Warriors had a record of 34 wins and 48 losses, ranking only eleventh in the Western Conference.

The Warriors had hoped that Montgomery, a renowned NCAA coach, could bring about change to the team, but it now seems that the coach has only brought trouble and conflict.

Baron Davis, who played the second half of the regular season with the Warriors last year, had raised objections to Montgomery's training methods, believing that Montgomery's high-pressure approach was not suitable for the current Warriors team.

However, the team management believes that Montgomery has only been coaching for a year and should be given some opportunities.

As a result, at the very beginning of the second season, Montgomery had a major falling out with the team's future prospects.

After his communication with Wang Kai failed, Chris Mullin quickly convened a meeting with the team's management.

The contents of the meeting were not made public, but Coach Montgomery appeared very gloomy as he left after the meeting.

On November 4th, the Warriors hosted their second regular season game at home.

Baron Davis was sidelined for this game due to discomfort in his left ankle, and the Warriors' starting point guard was Derek Fisher, a familiar face to Kobe Bryant.

Wang Kai remained on the bench, and Montgomery still didn't interact with him at all.

Facing the challenge from the Jazz, the Warriors struggled at the start of the game.

Without Baron Davis's control, the Warriors' offense failed to produce the desired effect, and their defense was riddled with turnovers.

The Jazz roster is gradually becoming complete this season, and Coach Jerry Sloan continues to use his traditional pick-and-roll tactics.

Midway through the first quarter, Montgomery sat on the bench and didn't move. The assistant coach walked over to Wang Kai and gestured for him to come on.

As Wang Kai walked past Montgomery, he clearly heard the other man give a disdainful "humph."

"Don't get too excited, you little rascal. Don't rush to shoot once you're up there. Find your own rhythm."

Wang Kai is finally able to play in the game. Coach Ke is a little excited. He recalled his own experience back then and felt as if time had come full circle.

Wang Kai came on to replace the underperforming second-generation player, Dunleavy.

After high-fiving Dunleavy, Wang Kai walked confidently onto the court.

Jazz's Gordon Giricek is taking free throws. He makes the first one, but the second one bounces off the rim.

Wang Kai, standing under the basket, immediately blocked Kirilenko, who, despite his height and long arms, was very thin. Kirilenko also underestimated Wang Kai's ability to box out and grab rebounds.

Wang Kai, who had completely blocked Kirilenko behind him, successfully grabbed the rebound and then dribbled the ball up the court himself.

Kirilenko immediately chose to follow Wang Kai from the side. He didn't think Wang Kai would keep dribbling forward. When Wang Kai made the pass, Kirilenko intended to show this controversial rookie the intensity of NBA defense.

However, to Kirilenko's surprise, Wang Kai dribbled the ball all the way past the halfway line.

The Warriors' fast breaks failed to materialize, and the Jazz's defense quickly set up.

Wang Kai dribbled until he was about a meter outside the three-point line, then slowed down slightly. Kirilenko, who had been following him closely, immediately positioned himself to block Wang Kai's weak side.

Wang Kai dribbled with his left hand and made a crossover move. Just as Kirilenko was about to make his move, he twisted his wrist and changed the crossover to a left-side drive.

Kirilenko's one-on-one defense is outstanding. He adjusted his center of gravity and immediately moved to block Wang Kai.

However, to Kirilenko's surprise, Wang Kai immediately dribbled behind his back with his left hand and moved to the right again.

Kirilenko lived up to his reputation as the Jazz's defensive ace, once again keeping up with Wang Kai's movements.

However, before Wang Kai finished dribbling behind his back with his left hand, he dribbled behind his back with his right hand again, turning to move to the left.

In a flash, a series of behind-the-back dribbles and crossovers completely shook Kirilenko off balance.

Wang Kai dodged Kirilenko and immediately jumped to shoot.

The basketball traced a beautiful arc and nestled precisely into the net.

"Shit, you really managed to pull it off."

Old Ke was very indignant because his performance back then was terrible and could not be compared to Wang Kai's performance now.