Zhiba NBA

Chapter 187 (180) The goal of the new season

Adelman felt very uncomfortable when he first arrived in the Rockets.

I have never seen a team that pays so little attention to summer preparations. The players are playing what they should play, and the management is almost as if they are on vacation.Even Carol Dawson was not busy negotiating like other managers. In the end, Turkoglu was still a matching offer from the Bucks, which was not negotiated by the Rockets themselves.The scouts were idle at work. I heard that every year the draft is decided by Jason Wang and Dawson. Therefore, the opinions of the scouts were not taken seriously. On the contrary, they were laid off a lot, and the remaining few had no enthusiasm for work.Besides, the draft of these two people is really strong, and no old scout dares to really raise objections.

What's even more frightening is that the Rockets hardly train any players, and they don't mind the rotation of the bench. They put on a posture of "I have 13 people now enough to win the championship" and "everyone else is superfluous". NBA teams usually don't fill up the 15-man roster in the summer, but leave 1-3 spots for short-term contract players at the end, let them try their hands, and finally leave a few people before the start of the game.While most will be laid off, they won't occupy the salary cap.Like this summer, the Clippers signed 6 short contracts to free agents (of course, these are small roles that no one cares about, such as undrafted rookies), and these marginal players in the NBA are also working hard.

Fortunately, Adelman is not a talkative person, and he is not too nosy.The Rockets are two-time champions. Although he is well-known in the league, he has never been involved in a championship. Why should he meddle in the team's business when he first arrives?Just do your job well.

But there will always be opportunities to ask questions.After the Rockets started some work, Adelman got acquainted with the team initially. At this time, Wang Yuanfei's dinner invitation also arrived.Wang Yuanfei gradually discovered that for some Americans, many communication methods in Chinese culture are also common. For example, it is easier to talk about work at the dinner table.

That night, Ah Shuai came to a high-end hotel in the center of Houston as scheduled.The hall is very grandly furnished, and the combination of Chinese luxury and Western modern facilities is seamless.The waiter led him into an elegant and comfortable large box, but there were not many people in the huge room, and Wang Yuanfei and Dawson had been waiting inside for a long time.

"Mr. Adelman, please sit down. Waiter, please serve." Dawson greeted courteously.Yuanfei took the initiative to pour wine for Ashuai.The clean white tablecloth, exquisite wine glasses, and scarlet wine all indicated that the meal was expensive.

"What are we going to talk about this time?" Ashuai was also a smart person, and went straight to the point.

"You have also been in contact with the team for a while, and you want to know Mr. Adelman's views on the team, players, and thoughts on the new season." Yuan Fei also said happily.

"This team is very good. It is the best team I have ever taken over. I am very satisfied with every player." Adelman said politely: "The only goal for the new season is the championship, and we must achieve three consecutive championships."

"I just want to discuss this issue with you. First, the goal of my plan is not just the championship." Yuan Fei said with a smile.

"Huh?" Ashuai was taken aback.How ambitious is this little boss? "What do you think?"

"73 wins, this record was created by the Bulls in 1996, and it will be exactly 10 years after this season. It's time to be broken." He still smiled peacefully.

A Shuai took a sharp breath and said, "This is really difficult. I know that the Rockets have absolute strength, but in the long season, it is inevitable that there will be ups and downs in the state, mental slack, fatigue from consecutive away games, and player injuries."

"That's right, but the strongest thing about our Rockets is the rotation. We are a super team that can win the championship without an MVP. Compared with the depth of the bench, any team in the league is inferior to the Rockets." Dawson said: "As long as the rotation is sufficient, injuries and fatigue are not a big problem, so I also support Jason's idea."

"If the goal is to win 73 times, I have to come up with some ideas." Ashuai's eyes lit up, and he seemed to be in a working state: "First, the 4th position is still relatively weak. The only pure [-]th player is Chris Bosh, and Amir Johnson is not strong enough."

"Well, I have also considered this issue. Amir is still too young." Yuan Fei pondered: "I think so, let Heaton play more at the 4th position, and give Tracy the rotation vacancy at the 3rd position, so that there will be more time for Michael and Brandon at the 2nd position."

"This is indeed a solution. I originally wanted to try Andre Varejao to partner with Yao." Adelman said, "However, both Varejao and Johnson lack shooting range. Only Turkoglu has the ability to contain the outside line and create space for Yao."

"Besides Amir, Mr. Adelman has to train the other two rookies." Yuan Fei said.

"In recent years, there is a saying in the league that a product produced by the Rockets must be a high-quality product. I believe that the management's choice must not be wrong." Adelman said with a smile: "At first I didn't understand why the management chose Brandon Roy, but now I completely understand. This player is too hardworking. He is the first to arrive every day, the last to leave, and he is always training. He will definitely become an excellent NBA player."

"And what do you think of Spanoulis?" Dawson asked.

"I have coached Divac, Stujakovic and other famous European stars, and I have a lot of experience in using European players. Don't worry, I can see that the management let Parker go to create opportunities for Spann. I will make good use of him." Ashuai suddenly frowned: "I have a question, why didn't we try out more players? After all, there are only 13 players in the squad."

"It's like this. Our total wages are already very close to the luxury line. It's always good to save some money. After all, the net worth of a small upstart like me is incomparable with the Bass family." Yuan Fei laughed at himself: "In addition, most of our substitute players are very young and very talented. Like Michael and Heaton, they can be top starters, and they can even be used as stars in other teams. There is no problem with our rotation, and there is no chance to play supporting roles, so it doesn't make much sense."

"I really admire this point. Not to mention McGrady and Yao, two MVP-level players, Billups and Reed both have the ability to serve as the first star in a weak team. Jefferson and Bosh are no problem as the second master." Adelman sighed: "The Rockets' management is the best in the league."

"Thanks to the praise, I wish us to achieve the set goals and achieve good results in the new season!" Yuan Fei raised his glass.But he was slandering in his heart. You must know that Bosh is not just a second-in-command material.

(End of this chapter)