NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 404 GOAT does not require customization (daily chapter)
ESPN's many mainstream media followed up on the Knicks' news, and many players were also interested.

Gary Payton, Sam Cassell and Jason Caffey recently faced charges, with the trial postponed until next Tuesday due to the Independence Day holiday.

When the three were still Bucks players, they got into a fight with dancers and security at a Toronto strip club.

Payton has been charged with wounding with intent to cause bodily harm and aggravated assault, while two other men face the same charges and face up to 18 months in prison if convicted.
But after hiring a well-known criminal lawyer with the help of American Knife, Payton paid no attention to the accusation.

When a reporter from the "Boston Globe" interviewed Payton, the veteran showed his aggressive attitude.

When asked if he planned to renew his contract with the Celtics, Payton gave an ambiguous answer:

"I love playing with Paul, and I really appreciate the Celtics team culture, but at the end of my career, what I long for more is a championship."

"I am open to renewing my contract, in fact I can adapt to any system."

"My agent told me that the Knicks had extended an invitation to me. I can indeed play next to Lee and I have the ability to support the bench."

"I'm still hesitant at the moment, Paul is my brother, but sometimes business is business and I trust my agent to make the right choice."

"Ron, we all know that many fans are still worried that you will not be able to control your emotions and punch the fans again."

At the end of the morning training session, looking at the excited New York reporters in front of him, Mike Malone was not disappointed and followed suit:
"We never worried about Ron's status. He continued to train with the team during the second half of the season."

The Tarrytown Training Center was already busy at this time, and 19 players participating in the summer league had gathered here.

"My body is still recovering and I will spend more time in the offseason to get back into shape."

However, people who have plenty of time can't wait. Everyone wants to see how Artest has evolved after not playing for a season!

It was a rare occasion when the Knicks opened up interviews, and most sports reporters gathered around Artest.

"For me, the new season has begun!"

On Friday, July 7, while the weather in Manhattan was still good, Li You drove out his family's black Cadillac XLR convertible.

"I have become more mature and I will not let my bad temper ruin the team's championship."

The New York media didn't care about this, and the next day's newspapers wrote about the championship:
"DPOY evolves, the versatile Hill returns, and the Knicks will continue to defend their title!"

Mike Malone knows the team better. Although he is no longer a part-time scout, he knows the status of these 19 players.

"."

In the next half month, Heinz and Mike Malone will lead the team to Minneapolis to coach the Knicks together.

In the next more than a week, they will work hard for the summer league.

On the training ground, Varejao and the newbies are naturally not the focus of the media. Artest, the biggest player in the summer league, is today's popular figure.

"I know myself, I'm a smart player and I can lead the bench."

Even though General Motors’ stock price has plummeted, it still gave Li You a car of its own this year.
At 10 a.m., Li You drove slowly to the Tarrytown Training Center, avoiding the rush hour.

"The summer league will allow him to get back his game feeling earlier. After experiencing the events of last season, Ron has become more mature and we all believe in him."

“Players – have some backbone!”

Noticing that everyone was looking at him, Artest was in a good mood and took the initiative to speak again:
“I’ve gotten wiser as I’ve gotten older, and coming from Queens and growing up in the ghetto, that’s always going to be the same.”

As the biggest player in the training camp, Artest showed his absolute strength in the morning training!
Not only did he show off his tank breakthrough, but in some offensive rounds, Artest also played as a point guard, killing everyone, which made the New York media excited:
"Evolved!"

On the morning of July 7, after the "Boston Globe" broke the news about Payton's "dog-licking" remarks, the veteran faced strong resistance from Celtics fans:

"After winning the championship, many children admired me. I feel honored. I will be a good role model like Li!"

By the afternoon training session, Grant Hill dunked in the competition, and the New York sports media were already delighted.

The organizers of the summer league also joined in the fun and directly turned Artest into a selling point of the game. They shouted loudly and attracted more fans' attention.

After the day's training, Hill was very humble when being interviewed:

Artest answered with a smile and the New York media applauded.

Heinz has been in the NBA since 96. He previously served as the head athletic trainer of the Mavericks. He is very happy to return home this time and join the championship team:
"I've always wanted to come back to New York, where I grew up, and it's always been a dream of mine to give back to the team."

As the Knicks' most courageous player, Fisher also accepted an interview with the New York media after the start of training camp the next day:
"We won the championship again in my first season after joining the team. I feel that I have done a good job."

A reporter from the "Washington Post" saw Artest being the first to step forward and joked:

"In the Lakers, we played the triangle offense, and when I came to the Knicks, Coach D'Antoni unleashed my talent."

"Next season, my performance should be even better. I have completely adapted to the team's tactical system."

In addition to focusing on Fisher, sports reporters also did not forget about this native of the Big Apple.

Thanks to the underdeveloped social media and short videos at this time, the footage was not circulated on the Internet, and rational fans did not follow the loan.

Roger Hinds, who just joined the team, will become the Knicks' head athletic trainer next season.

"."

Fisher, who was still preparing to show off in training camp in New York, cursed Payton for being a softie after seeing the news.

"In critical rounds, I can form the strongest backcourt in the league with Lee, which can help the team win the championship."

"I will help Grant get back into shape this offseason. He is recovering very well, thanks to the medical team in New York."

Hill didn't say much. He came to the training camp today mainly to communicate with the head sports coach and determine the training plan in advance.

Having almost shaved his head, Artest was full of energy and looked very motivated.

Although it is a convertible sports car, its comfort is not bad, and it has some additional options. The small car with a top configuration of 10W has not sold many in the United States, so it is considered a super unpopular model.

Sean Forman, who was sitting in the passenger seat, looked at the vehicle configuration curiously. Although he is only 34 years old, he would never consider a sports car that is not practical.

The traffic in Manhattan sometimes makes people unable to complain. Forman watched the speed of the car hovering at 50 and sighed:

"That's why I don't like Manhattan, the traffic in Philadelphia is much better than here."

After earning a PhD in applied mathematics and computer science from the University of Iowa, Foreman became a tenured professor of mathematics and computer science at St. Joseph's University.

The two had been in contact through email before, and during this visit to New York, Forman planned to attract some investment for his website.

Since its launch, Baseball Reference has become one of the most popular statistics websites in the dial-up era.

In addition to baseball business, statistics from other sports are also following up. His hobby has turned into a job, and Forman is a little uneasy.

Li You, who was wearing sunglasses and a large white T-shirt, glanced at the bearded white man wearing glasses next to him, and drew a pie again:
"Man, believe me, there will be more and more basketball fans in the future!"

"Professional statistics websites can not only serve fans, but also relevant practitioners. The market value of the NBA will increase. Compared with baseball, the viewing experience of basketball in front of the TV will be better."

“Although the website will not give you complete financial freedom, it should exceed your current salary.”

When they talked about a familiar topic, Forman, a super baseball fan, immediately complained:

"ESPN's broadcasting the past two days was terrible. If they don't care about baseball, they should give up the business."

"If the broadcast conditions are like this in the future, I will unite with the fans to launch a protest." During the chat between the two, the speed of the car finally increased. When they arrived at the Tarrytown Training Center, it was already close to 11 o'clock.

Foreman followed Li You around and even went to the ice hockey team next door out of curiosity.

Since the Knicks were still training, Li You simply took his partner to the restaurant for dinner in advance.

After ordering some meat at will, Forman looked at the bright restaurant and said with envy:

"I thought athletes' diet would be very monotonous, but I didn't expect your food to be so rich."

Li You just smiled and did not explain too much that many players were not here:
"I like the data model, which can better help players, but it seems that it is not perfect now."

Box Plus/Minus, which estimates a player's contribution to the team based on his statistics when he is on the court.

BPM, which will be widely used in the future, is not yet complete.

His idea was recognized by professional basketball players. Forman said happily:

"In my opinion, this number can show whether a player is above the league average."

"It's flawed, but the math doesn't lie. It makes sense. My concern is that fans won't buy into this metric. A lot of basketball fans are still against win shares, which is very different from baseball."

With the development of social media, Li You knows what cloud fans will be like in the future, and he also knows that the majority of football commentators will value Excel more:

"Don't worry, modern basketball is constantly improving, and so are the fans."

"The NBA is actually a basketball reality show. Fans like the stars. Not only their performance on the court, but also their data will become the object of comparison."

"How to judge whether a player is better depends on these indicators. After all, there is only one championship every year, and most players do not even qualify for the conference finals."

"So, our website will definitely be loved by professional fans, and it is also a good choice to cooperate with ESPN, who are also launching their own advanced data."

I always felt that Li You was more confident than me. Foreman nodded and said tentatively:

"Li, if the website operation is not ideal"

"Don't worry, I will acquire it directly when the time comes and I will never let your team have any financial problems. This is a win-win choice."

Li You interrupted the other person's words, raised his eyebrows and raised the happy water in his hand. Forman also smiled and nodded. He plans to resign next year and devote himself to running the website.

The two had a pleasant conversation, and Foreman, who had a huge appetite, suddenly whispered after eating half of his meal:

"How about having my team customize some special metrics for you? You know, the sports media would love these."

Li You did not expect that this seemingly upright university professor also had crooked ideas, so he refused with a smile:
"In fact, without any special customization, I think my data should already be ahead of the current players."

"Maybe only Michael Jordan and those older stars can beat me in some aspects, but that doesn't matter."

"It is enough to follow the plan and derive a data model suitable for most players in the league."

Foreman breathed a sigh of relief. He thought Li You would have special requests to expand his influence.

After thinking about it for a while, I felt a little regretful. In fact, as long as the money was increased, the entire team was willing to compromise. Forman, who regained his energy, praised again:

"GOAT's confidence! Li, let's have another drink for our future!"

"."

The news that Li You took Foreman to visit the Knicks training camp was quickly revealed.

ESPN is looking forward to the cooperation between the two parties, but TNT, its neighbor next door, is different and seizes the opportunity to start a criticism meeting.

In the program on Saturday 9th, Charles Barkley vowed to talk about his conjecture:
"I have long said that Li likes data, and now that he is involved in related industries, this will destroy the atmosphere of the league."

"Those incomprehensible basketball indicators are ruining the game. If one day players play for the pursuit of good-looking statistics, I can't imagine what the league will become."

"When everyone talks about the NBA, they talk about statistics. This will ruin basketball. The true sportsmanship is disappearing. This is all the influence of Lee."

These words made the other two people in the studio confused. Kenny Smith did not expect why his partner would have such a big idea. He turned around and asked tentatively:

"What's wrong with pursuing statistics? Lee is the best in history. He is the most successful player in modern basketball."

"If these indicators can restore the true strength of the players, there is no doubt that this is a good thing."

Worried about his partner's nonsense, Ernie Johnson also showed a serious expression and immediately took over the conversation:

"Kenny is right. What's more, we haven't received the relevant information yet. Maybe Li was discussing football with the other party."

"Manchester United is about to delist and we all know that this off-season Lee will focus on the UK."

"The birth of win shares is a good thing. Basketball is improving, and we should also embrace the future!"

Charles Barkley did not expect that both of them would contradict him, and immediately retorted loudly:
"I would never pay attention to these boring indicators, I just trust my own eyes."

"Data can deceive people, but my eyes will not deceive me."

"Lee should focus on basketball itself instead of cooperating with these so-called statistical websites. Basketball is not baseball. It cannot be calculated. He should respect this sport more."

I don’t know when it started, but my old partner beside me started to talk about “spiritual attributes” more and more.

Kenny Smith was not in a hurry to refute. He waited until the other party finished speaking and then said calmly:

"Chuck, if a high-level data indicator applies not only to Lee, but also to Michael Jordan and other 50 superstars, do you think there is a problem with it?"

Charles Barkley immediately laughed, losing his previous irritation, and said with a smile:

"If it reflects my true level, I'll accept it. As an MVP, my data is also convincing."

"Damn it! Why should you be used as the standard? Who wants to customize the data? Do you also have 7 champions?"

When Ernie Johnson saw the two people suddenly quarreling, he suddenly looked helpless. Before the director switched the screen, he said to the audience again:

"TNT will be bringing fans back with the latest coverage soon, and maybe we're about to usher in a new era."

"."

On Monday the 11th, Li You, who was bidding farewell to Foreman, was surrounded by media reporters at the Tarrytown Training Center.

After a weekend of fermentation, the news about the investment data website triggered heated discussions among the people who eat melons.

Yahoo Sports' report was the most positive. Seeing that Li You was in a good mood, he immediately asked:

"Li, as far as we know, it is difficult for data statistics websites to make profits. Is there another purpose for this investment?"

Regarding the statement of customized data, Li You didn't bother to correct it. Instead, he mentioned another news:
“I just want basketball fans to be more aware of the game.”

"But you are right. I actually plan to invest in a forum website to facilitate fans to chat about football. This should be an opportunity to make money."

The sports reporters around him began to chirp and ask questions. Li You, who successfully changed the subject, answered them one by one with a smile. Thinking of those boring remarks over the weekend, he still found it a bit funny:

"GOAT does not need to customize data!"

(End of this chapter)