against the front

Chapter 20 The Status of the King

On October 2008, 10, it was less than half a month before the NBA opener of the 15-2008 season, so after finishing all eight preseason games, the Sacramento Kings team did not disband directly for vacation, but entered into more intense training and preparations.

As soon as it was dawn, Yan Hua left his residence and came to the training hall of the Kings Club. After a set of strength training, other Kings players rushed to the training hall one after another. After all 15 players arrived After Qi Qi, head coach Reggie Toyce called everyone into the locker room. Even Brad Miller, who had just had surgery this summer and was still recovering, came today. training hall.

As the king's main center last season, Brad Miller underwent left knee surgery this summer and is expected to miss most of the season. This is very bad news for the king, but Brad Miller Le's absence is good news for Yan Hua, who wants to play, and for backup center Spencer Hawes.

However, as the No. 10 pick last season, Spencer Hawes did not regard Yan Hua as a competitor, because in his opinion, Brad Miller was injured, so it was only natural for him to be the starter. , after all, Spencer Hawes had started more than a dozen games last season.In the preseason games of this season, Spencer Hawes has always been the king's starting center, and in terms of statistics, Spencer Hawes is also significantly better than Yan Hua. In the game, Spencer Hawes averaged 8 points and 28 rebounds per game in 15 minutes of playing time, while Yan Hua averaged 8 points and 20 rebounds per game in 10 minutes of playing. rebounds, so Spencer Hawes doesn't think that Yan Hua can compete with him for the starting position in the new season.

The king's locker room can be said to be a mess now, because the team's two cores and locker room leaders Ron Artest and Mike Bibby were all traded away by the management this summer, so there is a lack of locker room The king, the leader, was in chaos in an instant. Although the management of the king and the head coach Reggie Toyce have made it clear that the new season will revolve around Kevin Martin to build team tactics, but Kevin Martin, who was the boss at the beginning - Martin, there is no way to completely control the locker room for a while.

In the messy locker room, as rookies, Yan Hua, Dante Green, Sean Singletary, and the "newcomers" who were traded to Sacramento this summer are now out of the picture. Who is the boss and who the team revolves around is not what they need to care about. Everyone is a "newcomer". As a newcomer, the first thing he thinks about is naturally how to gain a firm foothold here.

Before the reunion for the new season, Yao Ming, who had just returned to Houston after participating in the Olympics, specially called Yan Hua and told Yan Hua some things to pay attention to in the rookie season. In the NBA, the tradition of veterans bullying rookies is It has always existed, and there has always been an unwritten rule in the NBA, that is, no matter how big a rookie is, they must obey the arrangements and management of the team's veteran players. This phenomenon of seniority is very serious in the NBA, even if It was Yao Ming, who was the No. [-] pick in the draft, and when he first entered the Rockets, he was often arranged by the old players.

However, after the Kings team started training, Yan Hua did not encounter this kind of situation, because the old players of the Kings last season are very few left this season, and those old players who have just been traded naturally do not dare to come here. It was too much in the new team. As for the king’s current nominal boss, Kevin Martin, he is very kind and easy to talk to, so the old bird bullying the rookie did not appear in the king’s locker room. That is, running errands, helping out with shopping or something.

"Guys, it is not a few days before the new season. I think everyone must have their own views on the new season. Many people think that if the management sent Ron and Mike away this summer, then our team In the new season, are we going to fight for the No. [-] pick?"

"Now I can tell everyone with certainty that the reason why the management made the decision to send Ron and Mike away is because they cannot lead the team to move forward, and Sacramento wants to return to the playoffs , we must make changes. As for the poor performance, sorry, we do not have this tradition, and our goal in the new season is still the playoffs."

After everyone was here, the head coach Reggie Toyes made an impassioned opening speech. Reggie Toyce didn't come here to show off, and the King's management hired him, but also It's not for the No. [-] pick, so when setting goals for the new season with the management, Reggie Toyes and general manager Geoff Petrie's goal is very consistent, that is, to enter the playoffs, regardless of ranking , As long as he can make the playoffs, it is a success for the Kings this season, but Reggie Toyce also knows that if he can't lead the Kings to the playoffs this season, then he will be in the king's coaching position. The career must have ended there.

"I hope you won't let us down." While speaking, he did not forget to stare at Kevin Martin's Reggie Toyce, and said something secretly in his mind, sending Ron Artest away Being with Mike Bibby is not only the decision of the Kings management, but also the request of Reggie Toyce. Te, or Mike Bibby, they can't lead the Kings back to the playoffs, and they will even become a stumbling block preventing the Kings from moving forward, so Reggie Toyce tends to send them away and help Kevin Martin , However, this decision by Reggie Toyce and the management also has great risks, so Reggie Toyce hopes that Kevin Martin will not disappoint his hopes for him.

"And you, little guy, grow up quickly." After Kevin Martin, Reggie Toyce stared at Yan Hua sitting in the corner for a long time. If Kevin Martin is the King's Now, Yan Hua is the future of the Kings. Yan Hua's performance in the summer league and preseason really made the Kings' management have high expectations for him.

(End of this chapter)