Mountain Peak System: a Path to NBA-Chapter 509 - 169: The Strongest Villain, Breaking Through to Rebuild! (5,000-word - , begging for subscriptions and monthly votes!)
Chapter 509: Chapter 169: The Strongest Villain, Breaking Through to Rebuild! (5,000-word Chapter, begging for subscriptions and monthly votes!)
In August, the Warriors officially released Will Bynum.
Signed by the Warriors in the summer of 2005 as an undrafted player, Bynum had been the team’s third point guard for the past several seasons.
Standing at 183 cm and weighing 85 kg, Bynum left the Warriors fans with the most profound memory of that flying kick aimed at Parker for Qin Yue during the Western Conference Semifinals.
In the new season, due to the Warriors already having a crowded backcourt, Bynum was doomed to be let go.
However, as things took a turn for the better, as soon as Bynum became a free agent, the Timberwolves offered him a four-year contract worth approximately twelve million US dollars.
The Wolves appreciated Bynum’s experience as a two-time championship player.
With Rubio temporarily unable to join the NBA, they urgently needed a point guard to bolster their roster.
Thus, upon parting, Bynum didn’t forget to vent to Qin Yue over the phone: "Oh no, I’m really being exiled to Minnesota now."
Bynum will become a member of the Wolves in the new season.
Meanwhile, Yi Jianlian, who has consistently been held in high regard by domestic fans in recent years, may likely be the biggest beneficiary as a result.
Because in Qin Yue’s previous life, during his tenure with the Guangdong team, Bynum was Yi Jianlian’s teammate.
On the court, the two collaborated seamlessly, to the point where domestic media once wrote an article saying: "The strongest Guangdong is born, Yi Jianlian is inseparable from Bynum!"
With Bynum released, the Warriors’ fifteen-man roster for the new season is basically set.
Centers: Brown, Foyle.
Power forwards: Qin Yue, Murphy, McRoberts.
Small forwards: Wallace, Hill, Barnes.
Shooting guards: Bell, Deng Liwei, Moro, Green.
Point guards: Nash, Jack, Curry.
Although on the surface it appears that, besides Brown, the Warriors only have Foyle, who has already started transitioning to coaching, as an option for the center position.
Considering that Qin Yue will play center in many instances and Murphy can also fill in at the five position when necessary, the Warriors’ frontcourt rotation for the new season remains adequately stocked.
After seeing the team’s new season roster, head coach Mike Malone, having returned from vacation, was moved to tears and said: "I haven’t fought such a well-resourced battle in nearly two years!"
For the past two years, the Warriors had suffered from a never-ending injury list, and there wasn’t a single day when the roster was complete.
During his vacation, Malone had not refrained from reflecting on himself.
But the more he reflected, the more Malone felt it was simply bad luck.
After all, with the main players succumbing to major injuries one after another, even a different coach would find it troublesome.
Of course, this period of reflection was not without its gains for Malone.
Because he realized that Phil Jackson, whom he had always looked down upon, indeed was skilled at managing star players’ injury risks.
Is the "Zen Master" really a useless head coach?
The answer is obviously no.
If Jackson was useless, how could one describe those opponents he had defeated, except as dimwitted and incompetent?
In fact, as a head coach who had successfully established a dynasty three times, Jackson was not only adept at managing players’ psychology but also knew how to control star players’ injury risks.
Especially during his time with the Lakers.
Comparing Kobe’s playing time from the 00/01 season and 01/02 season, and from the 09/10 season and 10/11 season, it’s not hard to see that after each two-peat, Jackson would intentionally reduce Kobe’s playing time in the following season.
Additionally, after each championship win, even if players overindulged during the break, Jackson wouldn’t overly blame them.
Because for a championship-contending team, wanting to win requires playing at least a hundred high-intensity games each year.
Therefore, Jackson would even intentionally indulge players’ holiday lifestyles, waiting for the regular season to start to gradually help them regain their form through games.
Despite this, the Lakers often lost some games that seemed ridiculous to outsiders.
But in Malone’s view, if he wanted to establish a dynasty with Qin Yue under the Warriors, Jackson’s coaching philosophy was certainly worth considering.
...
In September, Qin Yue, having rigorously drilled Curry and Green for nearly two months, brought them to the Warriors’ preseason training camp.
In the locker room, looking at the empty lockers, Qin Yue realized melancholically that, aside from a few remaining players, most of his teammates had unknowingly changed almost entirely.
"Stephen, you’ll use this locker from now on."
Pointing to a locker slightly towards the middle, Qin Yue said to Curry.
Seeing this, after Qin Yue left, Curry turned curiously to Deng Liwei, who had been with the Warriors for many years, "Is there something special about this locker?"
In response, Deng Liwei’s expression also turned melancholic, "This was a locker of a past friend."
"A past friend?"
"He’s already dead."
"..."
Turning to look at Curry, Deng Liwei said, "Since this locker became vacant, Messiah never allowed anyone else to use it. But now he’s given it to you, Stephen, you can’t let him down."
At this moment, Curry’s feelings could only be described as extremely complex.
Although abroad death isn’t as taboo, Curry thought that since this locker is so special, why would Qin Yue assign it to him?
Moreover, what baffled Curry even more is...
Having decided to wear the number 12 jersey for his rookie season, he was surprisingly informed by the team’s general manager Chris Mullin on the opening day of camp that he could choose the number 30 jersey that Qin Yue once wore.
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