69novels Chapter 65 The Formation of the Mad Legion
Chapter 65 The Formation of the Mad Legion
"Tang, why can't we let Wang continue to develop at the power forward position? His height and wingspan are suitable for the power forward position, and his rebounding awareness is very good."
"Chris, do you think the team needs a power forward who's decent at rebounding, scoring, and passing, or do they need a superstar like Kobe, or even Jordan?"
"Uh... you mean Wang has great potential? He can become a superstar like Kobe?"
"I didn't say that. But I think Wang's playing style is more advanced than most people of this era. And look at Kohan's (Warriors' owner) smiling face? Haven't some Eastern sponsors come knocking on the door recently?"
"Tang, putting aside whether it's advanced or not, the team at least needs to make the playoffs, and maybe even go further to the Western Conference Finals. Do you think that's possible?"
"Yes, but we need to make some adjustments to the current roster."
On Christmas Day, Warriors' new head coach Don Nelson and general manager Chris Mullin did not spend the holiday with their families, but instead watched this year's Christmas Day games.
The 2005 Christmas Day game can be described as a super hot topic deliberately created by the league.
Spurs vs. Pistons, Lakers vs. Heat.
One matchup is a rematch of last season's Finals, and the other is a showdown following the Lakers' internal strife.
These two games received a lot of attention, even though the Spurs and Pistons had record low viewership ratings in last season's Finals.
A day earlier, Wang Kai tried to tell Don Nelson that his mentor was Kobe Bryant. He did, and Don Nelson believed him. Unfortunately, Don Nelson only thought that Wang Kai was a Kobe fan and that he had become self-taught by watching Kobe's games.
When Wang Kai tried to go further and give Don Nelson a more in-depth introduction to Kobe Bryant, he found himself "amnesiac" again.
Kobe Bryant squatted back in the corner to continue "healing," while Wang Kai could only talk to Don Nelson about his future development.
Don Nelson frankly expressed his hope that Wang Kai could play more at the point guard and shooting guard positions in the future, and not spend too much time on the forward position.
Wang Kai wanted to know the reason, because before communicating with Don Nelson, Kobe had always hoped that Wang Kai would play more comprehensively, while not neglecting the task of scoring.
Don Nelson stated that Wang Kai has a strong height advantage at both the point guard and shooting guard positions, and his agility is also quite good. Furthermore, Wang Kai does not need to gain more weight for these two positions. Based on Nelson's own understanding of the physique of Eastern players, more muscle does help protect their bodies, but higher weight will definitely limit their future careers.
Therefore, Nelson did not want Wang Kai to sacrifice his long-term development for his current achievements.
Don Nelson astutely recognized that Wang Kai's most important talent was his ball control. Instead of increasing his muscle mass and physical strength to compete with a bunch of brutes on the front line, it would be better to delve deeper into Wang Kai's true talent and bring it to its full potential.
This is probably the difference between a famous coach and Kobe. Kobe considered Wang Kai's basketball career based on his own experience and personality, and made many changes. With Kobe's stubborn personality, even after he retired, he always felt that a player should be omnipotent on the court. What he couldn't do back then, Wang Kai now has the opportunity to achieve.
Although Don Nelson never won a championship, the sheer number of stars with distinctive playing styles and tactics who emerged from among the players he coached demonstrates his foresight in planning for individual player development.
Imagine if Nowitzki were placed twenty years from now, he would be such a strong contender for MVP.
Don Nelson is very dissatisfied with the current Warriors roster. Although the Warriors' current record looks like they have a great chance of making the playoffs, Nelson knows that even if such a Warriors team makes it to the playoffs, they will probably be eliminated in the first round.
The aging Foyle earns an eight million dollar annual salary but averages less than ten minutes of playing time per game; Jason Richardson, though lacking in height, has enough weight and strength, and always stays on the perimeter shooting three-pointers, leaving Wang Kai, a rookie, to fight for rebounds inside; and then there's Troy Murphy, who has height and weight, but his three-point shooting percentage is less than 35%, yet he often goes to the perimeter to shoot three-pointers, so it's better to let Wang Kai do that job.
The Warriors also had terrible wing defense. Jason Richardson was passable, but Dunleavy was completely useless. Not only was his defense poor, but his offense also frequently faltered. In many games, Dunleavy scored single digits.
While defense is secondary in Don Nelson's basketball philosophy, it's nonsense to completely ignore defense. In this era, what team doesn't play defense at all? Even the Suns have Raja Bell and Shawn Marion to carry the team.
Don Nelson believes the Warriors don't need as many scoring options right now. Baron Davis, Jason Richardson, and Wang Kai are enough. For other positions, especially the interior, they just need to be able to protect the rebounds. The forwards just need to be able to shoot open three-pointers, and their defense needs to be able to hold off the opponent's key players.
So while watching the Christmas Day game with Chris Mullin, Don Nelson also made his own demands regarding the team's roster. Players with serious flaws like Troy Murphy had to be traded, and as for Dunleavy, Nelson felt that he wasn't Dunleavy's father and didn't need to give him face; it would be best to trade him as soon as possible.
In two Christmas Day games, the Spurs, who rested Ginobili, and the Pistons once again engaged in a defensive battle. However, Popovich clearly didn't give the league much face. Duncan, who nearly recorded a triple-double in the previous game, played very cautiously in this game, and the Spurs ultimately lost to the Pistons 70-85.
In another Christmas Day game, the home team Heat emerged victorious, although Pat Riley showed no mercy to the league, with O'Neal and Wade both only playing for 30 minutes before being substituted.
O'Neal scored only 18 points but grabbed 17 rebounds. Kwame Brown looked more like a rookie than a rookie when facing O'Neal.
Payton, who failed to find a way to ride the coattails of the Lakers, went to the Heat to do the same. In this game, Payton himself became the star player, leading the Heat's scoring team.
Kobe played 44 minutes and scored 37 points, but he missed all 8 of his three-point attempts, resulting in a field goal percentage of just over 0%.
Apart from Kobe, only Lamar Odom and Brian Cook scored in double figures for the Lakers; no other player scored in double figures.