novelhk Chapter 178 The Last Piece of the Indiana Puzzle, Passionate
Chapter 178 The Last Piece of the Indiana Puzzle, Passionate
Chapter 178 The final piece of the Indiana puzzle: Jordan's passion for sending gifts from afar!
More than two months later, in the Indiana Pacers' training facility, Bird moved a chair and sat in the center of the facility.
Since retiring, he had been looking forward to an opportunity to become a team's head coach and management. He first worked as an assistant to the famous "Red Auerbach", and then gradually became Auerbach's most capable assistant.
Whether it's Boston fans, Auerbach himself, or even the Celtics' owner, everyone hopes that Bird can become the next leader of this Celtics team.
But Auerbach is in such good physical condition! Nobody knows when he will retire, and Bird couldn't wait any longer, which is why he took over the Pacers this summer and became both the team's general manager and head coach in one fell swoop!
Even a renowned figure like Pat Riley waited 20 years, building two teams into top contenders, before finally acquiring what Bird now possesses.
His starting point was absolutely top-tier in the industry!
What he did this summer can definitely be described as shocking the league.
Not only did they immediately dismantle almost the entire core team of the Pacers from the past few years, but they also gave Lin Tian the biggest 7-year, $1.41 million super contract in history. They also poached a large number of capable players from teams such as the Rockets and Pistons, forming a brand new team that Lin Tian called the "Avengers"!
Bird had boundless hopes and dreams for this team, a perfect blend of veterans, middle-aged players, and young talents, brimming with a desire for the championship.
He's confident he can turn this Pacers team into the next Bulls! To create a dynasty for Indiana!
Today marks the first time this team has assembled at full strength!
Today is also the annual media day for each team.
Media Day is the day each team meets with the public before training camp begins!
Regardless of whether this team underwent a restructuring or had almost no personnel changes during this offseason, and regardless of whether their goal is the championship or tanking, on this day, all members of the team will officially meet their fans through the media!
For a team like the Pacers, which underwent a summer rebuild and brought in several high-profile stars, their media day was bound to be incredibly exciting and sensational!
Without a doubt, the people waiting to come in at the door right now are a huge number of reporters! They've been waiting all summer and can't wait to interview the Pacers!
While Bird sat on the bench lost in thought, the first player walked into the arena.
"Reggie, I've heard that you're always the first one here." Bird looked at the skinny guy who didn't look like a basketball player at all, but had a really smug smile on his face.
How to describe that smile? Bird wanted to punch him now. This guy gave off the feeling that he owed everyone in the world $200 million but had no intention of paying it back.
"I just changed clothes quickly. Today is the first day of our training camp, and everyone is very enthusiastic." Miller shrugged, not saying much, trying to hide his excitement.
Even now, he still can't believe that his team could assemble such a dream lineup!
He has never believed the team could win the championship as much as he has this season!
Almost as soon as Miller finished speaking, a handsome Asian man and a black iron tower who looked like Li Kui, with bulging muscles all over his body and a striking retro and exaggerated afro, followed behind him, looking like bodyguards protecting the house.
"The bodyguard Lin found looks pretty good, at least!" Miller said sincerely, looking at Lin Tian and Ben.
"Bodyguards? He fucking needs bodyguards?" Bird couldn't hold back, his foul mouth flaring up. "Protect him what? Hold him back during a fight so he doesn't beat his opponent too badly?"
"You're right, Larry. Ben isn't just my bodyguard; he's the future of our team! He'll become the best defensive center in the league! Even better than Mutombo!" Lin Tian smiled as he walked over to the two men and said to Ben, "Come on, Ben, show them what you've learned after a whole offseason of hard work!"
"Roar! Ho! Hey! Waaaaah!" Upon hearing this, Ben immediately pounded his chest with both hands, his expression turning ferocious and terrifying, and then let out a series of angry roars.
"Fuck! What are you guys doing? A circus?" Barkley's fat figure came out of the locker room at this moment, greeting him as he walked: "Silly bird, have you thought about the tactics for the new season? I have a lot of faith in you."
"Shut up, you fat pig! I'm the coach and the general manager!" Bird snapped. "If you call me that again, I'll suspend you from the team! I only promised you a starting position, not that you'd definitely get to play!"
"Ben, that's not what I meant," Lin Tian continued, instructing Ben. "Didn't you watch a lot of Mourning's videos? Show off your muscles! Claws, triceps, and your teeth, yeah, show your teeth, yell at them! Okay, swear! Swear louder! Even louder! Imagine the person on the other end is your father's killer!"
"It's so lively here." Pistons legend Joe Dumars, who also agreed to join the Pacers this year, walked into the arena and, looking at his old buddies and new friends, smiled and said, "Everyone looks great."
"Welcome our team's only gentleman," Barkley said, applauding first. "Our team's public image depends on you, Joe! Everyone here is a scoundrel except you! Hopefully, you won't catch our bad habits."
"Are there more thugs here than in Detroit?" Dumas shrugged, nonchalantly saying, "I wasn't assimilated into a bastard when I was hanging out with Isaiah every day, let alone you guys."
"By the way, since we're talking about Isaiah," Bird coughed and said, "I heard that after we gathered this group of people to snipe Michael, he decided to come and help. We originally wanted to give you a surprise, but I think he couldn't sit still after hearing Joe curse him."
As soon as Bird finished speaking, a guy stood up from the shadows behind the training facility, cursing under his breath, and walked towards the group.
"Isaiah, what a coincidence? You've made a comeback too?" Dumas continued to wear his warm, sunny smile, as if he hadn't just spoken ill of the "Smiling Assassin" Isaiah Thomas.
Another cunning old fox!
Lin Tian suddenly gained a completely new understanding of Dumas.
To be honest, the scheme I orchestrated... had a lot of cunning and scheming people involved!
From the coaching bench to the players' bench, from the head coach to the assistant coach, from the starters to the substitutes.
Either you have to be good at fighting, or you have to be foul-mouthed, or you have to be both good at fighting and foul-mouthed...
As the big shots chatted idly, the other Pacers players entered the court one by one, and finally, with 30 minutes left before the scheduled time, all the players had arrived!
Centers: Rick Schmitz, Ben Wallace, Mark Pope
Power Forwards: Charles Barkley, Dale Davis, Mark West
Small Forwards: Jalen Rose, Austin Crosher, Eddrick Bernanke
Shooting Guards: Reggie Miller, Joe Dumars, Fred Hoiberg
Point Guards: Lin Tian, Travis Best
Currently, the Pacers have 14 players with official contracts. In addition to these 14 players, there are 7-8 other undrafted players without official guaranteed contracts participating in training camp. These 7-8 players will actually be the ones who fight the hardest, work the hardest, and cherish the opportunity the most in training camp!
Because they have the same goal, and only one goal!
That's the Pacers' last regular season roster spot!
They will absolutely do everything in their power to get this spot!
Among these players, the ones most likely to make the team's regular season roster are undoubtedly the point guards, because, as everyone knows, Lin Tian will be unable to play in the first 22 games of this season!
That means the Pacers desperately need a third point guard to consume Lin Tian's playing time in the first half of the season!
This kind of opportunity is absolutely rare and hard to come by!
After all, this is the Pacers, a team that has gathered many top stars, attracted the attention of the entire league during the offseason, made the most big news, and is known as a dream team with the goal of winning the championship!
Although the broadcast schedule for the new season hasn't been announced yet, it's safe to say that the Pacers will definitely be among the top five in the league in terms of the number of nationally televised games! Playing for such a team will likely result in a significant amount of playing time!
This is absolutely the best opportunity that every minimum-salary player and fringe player could dream of!
Lin Tian glanced at this group of dreamers.
Hmm... I don't know any of them, so never mind, let's just cheer them on!
After everyone had assembled, Bird said a few encouraging words and then had his staff open the doors, letting in all the impatient reporters who had been waiting outside.
As the door opened, Lin Tian saw a huge crowd of reporters rushing in from outside!
That feeling... it looks as terrifying as a zombie apocalypse!
In particular, when at least two-thirds of the reporters rushed towards Lin Tian, Lin Tian almost wanted to turn around and grab the folding chair next to him for self-defense.
That's terrifying!
It's all that weird Bird's fault. This guy insisted on saying that the new team should bring a new look and that they should do something different. Instead of using the traditional press conference or roundtable format, he just had the players change into their clothes in the arena and started media day.
If you like excitement and want to show off your basketball skills and take photos, go dunk a couple of times, do some fancy dribbling, and take lots of pictures.
I don't like crowds...
Well, there isn't anyone like that among the Pacers' key players. Even Ben Wallace, who usually seems quiet, was invited by reporters to perform a few slam dunks, raise his arms in a roar, and flex his muscles.
Miller and Dumars, those two reserved guys, chatted while showing off their shooting skills with three-pointers.
As for Barkley, he's a real character; he'd break into a street dance on the court, wiggling his fat belly.
Where is Lin Tian?
He couldn't do anything; he was surrounded by at least 6-70 reporters and squeezed into a very small corner.
Show off his talent? Lin Tian didn't even have time to show his jersey number before he was surrounded by people.
Speaking of jerseys, Lin Tian chose the number 7 jersey for the Pacers, for no particular reason, just because he liked it.
As for the other new additions, Barkley wore his favorite number 34 back, Dumars did not choose his number 4 from his time with the Pistons, saying that number 4 had disappeared from his world and he chose number 1 instead, while Ben Wallace picked his favorite number 3.
"Lin, what do you think about Michael getting contracts worth over $3000 million for two consecutive years? Who do you think has the best contract in history, his or yours?" In the midst of the chaos, the loudest reporter got the upper hand, his voice drowning out everyone else.
After he finished speaking, everyone looked at Lin Tian.
Since someone has started, let's take turns!
They've prepared a whole day's worth of questions to interview Lin Tianyi!
"Every penny Michael earns is worthwhile; he certainly deserves such a huge contract," Lin Tian said with a smile. "But I also have to say, the Bulls don't dare to give him $1.4 million, do they? He's getting old! The future belongs to us young people."
"So, is that why you left the Bulls? You think Michael is too old and the team has no future?" Another reporter asked quickly. Clearly, Lin Tian couldn't avoid questions related to the Bulls today.
"No, I think I'm no worse than Michael. I deserve better. I believe I can become a champion even without Michael, and I can lead my team to victory!" Lin Tian didn't shy away from these pointed questions that other players would likely avoid answering.
"I wanted to prove that I was an MVP-caliber player, so I came to the Pacers! I felt their sincerity and their desire for a championship."
"So, you think you'll win the championship this year?"
"Look at our roster, guys! Charles, Joe, and Reggie, they've all been waiting for so long! They're incredibly hungry for their first championship, which is why we've all come to Indiana."
"With this group of people together, why wait another year? This year, we're going to win the championship!"
"So, you think you'll beat the Bulls, right? The Bulls still have... "
"I don't need you to remind me who's on the Bulls' roster," Lin Tian interrupted the reporter with a smile. "I've fought alongside them for two years; they're all my best buddies! I know each and every one of them inside and out!"
"Therefore, we will absolutely not lose to the Bulls, and we will not lose to any team in this series!" Lin Tian said confidently. "We will defeat all the opponents who stand in our way this year! And then win the championship for Indiana!"
"Alright everyone." Seeing that another reporter was about to ask a question, Lin Tian raised his hand to stop them, saying, "Please don't ask any more questions about the championship, because no matter what you ask, my answer will be the same: whether it's the Jazz, Lakers, Heat, or Bulls, we have only one goal this year!"
"So, to avoid being boring, let's ask some fresh questions."
"Lin, you signed a 7-year, over $1.4 million super contract this offseason. What are your thoughts on this record-breaking contract?"
"I deserve it, so I took it. I will prove to everyone that every penny I received was well worth it!"
"Some say that because of your contract, the league will face significant difficulties in labor negotiations after this season. What's your opinion?"
"I believe everything will turn out the right way. After all, whether it's the players or the owners, they all share the same goal: to serve the fans and give them the best viewing experience and the best games!"
"Your salary for the final year of this contract exceeds $3000 million. What are your thoughts on that?"
"Didn't I already answer that question?" Lin Tian looked at the reporter, indicating why he was asking such a stupid question.
"What I mean is, there were rumors that Michael initially signed a one-year, $32 million contract with the Bulls. After the details of your contract were revealed, and it was made public that you would receive $3277 million in the final year of your contract, Michael changed his contract with the Bulls less than two days later."
"After the revisions, his salary this year reached $3314 million. What do you think?"
"Only petty people would care about whether they can outbid someone else in terms of contract amount, and by such an obvious little bit. I have to say, Michael didn't even answer my calls after I left. I think he must have cried."
"But we're still good buddies, really good buddies, so I'm happy for every penny he gets!"
Lin Tian's words caused another uproar among the reporters, who once again marveled at how outspoken this kid really was!
No wonder he's known as the "Jesus of the media"!
Lin Tian's every interview satisfies countless media outlets and reporters, causing their sales to skyrocket and driving countless fans crazy!
In the following time, the reporters finally shifted their focus away from Jordan and the Bulls and began asking Lin Tian questions about the Pacers team itself.
For example, reporters asked one question after another about the lineup, tactics, playing style, the playing style of each player, and how a newly formed team can integrate.
It has to be said that Media Day was a real treat for sports reporters across the United States. They surrounded Lin Tian from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.! They only gave Lin Tian an hour to eat and rest in between, which means they surrounded Lin Tian for a full 5 hours!
Finally, the Pacers and the league's media officials couldn't stand it anymore and called a halt to the interview. If they continued asking questions, whether Lin Tian's stamina could hold up was another matter, but another major project of media day would be missed.
Taking official photos!
Most teams in the league are interviewed in the morning and photographed in the afternoon.
But when it came to the Pacers and Lin Tian, they spent most of the day interviewing them, leaving the players only about an hour to take photos.
No wonder they are one of the most watched and followed teams in the league this year!
Lin Tian was clearly not the only one being bombarded with questions by the media.
Barkley, Dumars, and Miller—these are all former powerhouses and top-tier stars in the league. Although Barkley is nearing the end of his prime and Dumars is on the verge of retirement, the media certainly won't miss this great opportunity to bring them together!
Therefore, the intensity of the interviews they faced today was only slightly less than that of Lin Tian.
When shooting the official photos, Bird first had Lin Tian, Miller, Rose, Barkley, and Schmitz stand together to take a photo of his ideal starting five.
What caught everyone's attention was that Lin Tian was standing in the very center of the photo, next to two basketball stars, Barkley and Miller.
This photo directly demonstrates that Bird, Miller, and the newly arrived Barkley, among others, have fully accepted that Lin Tian is the leader of this team.
For the next hour, the entire Pacers team was photographed from top to bottom, in various combinations, positions, and poses. Finally, seeing that time was running out and under strong pressure from the media on site to work overtime, Bird had to extend the end time of the media day by an hour.
Take pictures! Keep taking pictures as long as you want!
.........
After the media day event, Lin Tian felt like he had been skinned alive. To be honest, he would rather have another eight-overtime battle with the Jazz, or have Theron, Bellucci, and Julie appear together at his home, than be surrounded by reporters like this again. It was absolutely agonizing!
When Lin Tian got home, he practically collapsed onto the bed. Just as he was about to close his eyes and rest for a while, his phone rang.
I won't answer; I'll pretend I didn't hear it!
Lin Tian closed his eyes immediately. He was too tired. Even if the Virgin Mary came to him for a hookup, he wouldn't want to pay any attention to her.
The person making the call had no sense of propriety; he wouldn't hang up, and even after the call ended, he would keep calling. After making seven or eight calls in a row, Lin Tian finally couldn't take it anymore and answered the phone while cursing.
"No matter who you are, unless you have something extremely important to do, you'd better die."
"Hmm? Is this Lin Tianyao? Can you speak Mandarin?" The person on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, indicating that they couldn't understand each other's languages, and then requested to switch languages.
"Who?" Exhausted, Lin Tian wasn't going to adjust his attitude just because of the language barrier; he was really tired.
"I am Director Xin, Lin Tian. We hope to invite you..."
"Screw you."
After Lin Tian finished cursing, he hung up the phone immediately.
Whether you're Director Xin or someone else, I don't know you, so why bother talking to you?
Let's talk about it after we wake up.
To Lin Tian's surprise, the phone rang again immediately after he hung up.
Damn it!
When I invest in Pony Ma in a few years, I'll definitely make sure he implements the feature that allows users to hide their online presence from him! It's so annoying!
"No matter what kind of director you are, I'm only giving you one minute to finish what you have to say."
"Um, that, Lin Tian, it's like this, I..." The person on the other end seemed to be taken aback by Lin Tian's rudeness, and their voice trembled slightly.
"You have 40 seconds left."
"I am Director Xin from the Basketball Management Center. On behalf of the Chinese Sports Association, the Chinese Basketball Association, the Chinese Men's National Team, and all Chinese fans, I invite you to join the Chinese National Team next summer and contribute to our country!"
Upon hearing that there were only 40 seconds left, clearly afraid of being hung up on again, the other person suddenly spoke faster and stopped stuttering, delivering everything as if rapping.
"Is that all?" Lin Tian asked after hearing what the other person had said.
"Yes, that's it." Director Xin's voice was incredibly docile.
"I understand, bye-bye." Lin Tian said and then hung up the phone.
I'm so sleepy! I'll talk about what happened after I wake up!
Lin Tian slept incredibly well that night! He didn't have a single dream and slept straight through until dawn.
After waking up, Lin Tian began to think about why Director Xin had suddenly become so humble last night. Why did he suddenly become like he was begging him to join the team?
Could it be because the Chinese men's basketball team, which was highly anticipated in September of this year, suffered a crushing defeat against the South Korean team in the semifinals of the Asian Championships in Riyadh, not only finishing third but also losing its qualification to play in the 1998 World Championships? Could it be that the higher-ups were angry with Director Xin and forced him to invite him to join the team in order to guarantee their qualification for the 2000 Olympics?
But it shouldn't be that fast.
It's still 3 years...
Lin Tian stroked his chin. Even if the pressure from above was immense, based on his understanding of Director Xin, he knew he would never be as humble as he had been last night, practically begging to join the team.
His previous unruly nature just vanished like that?
If you can't figure it out, just ask!
Lin Tian simply picked up the phone and called the person he knew who was the most well-informed.
"Good morning, Editor-in-Chief Su." Lin Tian was, of course, calling his own man, Su Qun.
"It's getting late, it's already 10 pm." Su Qun said with a smile, "What's up, Xiao Lin? Need me for something? Don't worry, about the All-Star voting, even though the season hasn't started yet, I've already begun the hype. Once the voting officially opens, I guarantee there will be sections in the newspapers for two consecutive months about how to vote for you! This year, I'm going to make sure you get the top vote!"
"That's not it," Lin Tian said. "Has anything major happened in our country recently?"
"Something big?" Su Qun thought for a moment and said, "No, I haven't heard of anything big. Does the men's football team failing to qualify for the World Cup count?"
"I was talking about some big news in the basketball world." Lin Tian then recounted how Director Xin had been calling him frantically last night, insisting on inviting him to join the men's basketball team.
Upon hearing this, Su Qun immediately burst into laughter: "Hahaha, it seems the rumors are true!"
"What rumor?" Upon hearing that there was something to it, Lin Tian's gossip spirit immediately ignited!
"I did hear some very shocking news today. This morning, which is last night on your end, two elderly men rushed into Director Xin's office and said something to him inside, because the office door was closed at first."
"But as they were talking, the office door opened, and many basketball association staff members could clearly see that the two elderly men each slapped Director Xin across the face!"
"However, although the news was spread in great detail, and in less than a day, everyone in the sports circle in the capital knew about it, the Basketball Association did not release any news or make any move."
"Either this matter is completely fabricated by my son, a baseless false report, or Director Xin will swallow his pride and bear it! I was initially inclined to believe the former, given Director Xin's vindictive and petty nature, could he really tolerate it?"
"But now that you say he invited you to join the team, I feel like he really put up with it. It seems the person who beat him up is someone special, someone he absolutely can't afford to mess with!"
As Lin Tian listened to Su Qun's words, his mind raced.
The two old men were someone Xin Lancheng couldn't afford to offend; they even went to the Basketball Association to beat people up for their own sake...
Lin Tian immediately understood who it was based on this keyword and this style of doing things.
If it weren't for his own father and his old boss intervening, Lin Tian would have been doing a live-streamed hair washing by doing a handstand!
No matter how you look at it, it's just like those two old men's style of doing things.
"Xiao Lin, who are those two old people? What's their background? They're not people you know, are they?" Su Qun asked tentatively over the phone.
"Editor-in-Chief Su is joking. I'm just an ordinary citizen. How could I possibly know someone with such influence? If I did, I would slap him myself. I don't need to trouble you, old man, to do it for me." Even though Su Qun was one of his own, Lin Tian still kept his options open and didn't involve his own father in the matter.
Anyone who flaunts their connections or background is an incurable idiot!
"Maybe it's Director Xin's own grandfather? His grandfather might even be a fan of mine. He's probably going to teach his grandson a lesson. With his own grandfather giving the order, how could Director Xin possibly back down?"
After laughing it off, Lin Tian let the matter drop. The shrewd Su Qun naturally didn't ask any more questions. However, Su Qun didn't believe a single word Lin Tian said.
Ordinary people? Can ordinary people live in mansions these days? Can they invest millions so easily, and send you to study in the US during high school? You're kidding me!
However, regardless of whether he believed it or not, Su Qun was very clear about his sugar daddy: he shouldn't ask a single question about things he shouldn't ask, or he might be the one getting slapped next.
"By the way, Editor-in-Chief Su, should we just publish this story? Just write it as a rumor that Director Xin got slapped a few times in his own office?" Lin Tian quickly changed the subject and joked with Director Su.
"Please spare me, do you think I'd dare publish this? If I publish it today, all the money you invested will be wasted tomorrow, and my name will be forgotten in the media the day after. I'd rather focus on figuring out how to get more fans to vote for me in the All-Star game than publish this."
After exchanging a few more words with Su Qun, Lin Tian hung up the phone. He felt he had to treat his family to a nice meal today! It was definitely a good day.
.........
The days in the training camp were tedious and boring, yet they flew by.
For Lin Tian, his greatest joy in the training camp came from Jordan!
The reason...
All the things he said on Media Day were published by the media.
Many of them were on the front page!
Lin Tian bluntly states that Jordan is no longer at his peak, and he wouldn't be able to get a contract of his caliber!
"A historic first! Lin Tian says a 7-year, 1.41 million contract is harder to secure than a 1-year, 3314 million one!"
"If it weren't for the Bulls, I would have won MVP! Lin Tian frankly admits he was held back by Jordan!"
Best Partners Turn Against Each Other? Lin Tian Shows No Respect to Former Friend at Media Day!
"Aiming for the Championship! Lin Tian states the Pacers have only one goal!"
Lin Tian stated that he is extremely familiar with everything about the Bulls and has absolute confidence in a head-to-head battle!
Lin Tianming criticizes Jordan for being petty and says he would never change his contract out of spite!
"Looking for a team with the Bulls? Lin Tian says no, the Pacers don't care about any team!"
Three details hint that Lin Tian is already tired of the Bulls! Lin Tian looked impatient when asked questions by reporters!
Is it not liberation but escape? The true relationship between Lin Tian and Jordan may be very bad!
Shocking revelation: Lin Tian suffered repeated bullying within his team in Chicago; Jordan and Pippen led the isolation against him!
These news headlines, which Lin Tian found very interesting and creative, were mostly clickbait! It just goes to show that the American media really knows how to play the game and are adept at mastering the secrets of generating buzz.
Of course, the joy these reports brought Lin Tian wasn't just a few jokes, but also the joy that Jordan brought him!
"Michael Jordan's emotions have fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 30 experience points!"
"Michael Jordan's emotions have fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 70 experience points!"
"Michael Jordan's emotions have fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 50 experience points!"
"Michael Jordan's emotions have fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 20 experience points!"
……
The happiness experience points kept falling from the sky for about a week. Lin Tian could imagine that during that week, every time Jordan saw any news related to himself, he would roar like he was constipated.
And then... the rest of the Bulls team suffered.
I wonder, after he left, who was Jordan looking for in a fit of rage to challenge in a one-on-one fight?
Pippen? Cole? Or Hubble?
My old buddies!
I, Lord Lin, am so sorry!
Lin Tian calculated that this wave of experience points dropped was about 500 points, which made him a huge profit!
However, throughout the entire training camp, Lin Tian was the only Pacers member who was as relaxed as he was.
A brand new team naturally needs a lot of time to gel, and everyone has to make certain sacrifices and changes in order to quickly integrate into the team.
The one who suffered the most and felt the most pressure was undoubtedly the team's head coach and general manager, Larry Bird!
Watching nearly 20 players train hard and sweat profusely every day in the training camp, Bird had to constantly adjust his game plans and training methods, while also keeping notes in his notebook.
During the team's training camp, Bird's workload as general manager and head coach was absolutely enormous!
He has to develop entirely new tactics for the team, test whether his ideas from the summer can be realized, and constantly fine-tune the details of the tactics. With so many star players on the team, he also has to consider the thoughts and feelings of each player. He needs to constantly adjust the focus of the tactics.
At the same time, he also needs to identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing players during training, and see whether to fill the 15th man spot on the team through internal discovery, find a third defender through a trade, or leave the roster empty and see how things go in the middle of the season.
In short, Bird is under tremendous pressure right now. His once-proud thick blond hair has begun to fall out noticeably, and his hairline has started to recede relentlessly.
Fortunately, the team's cohesion is getting better and better. The Pacers have a lot of veteran players, and with their leadership and rich experience, the Pacers' cohesion is actually faster than Bird imagined!
There are actually two main problems troubling him right now.
One issue is that when Lin Tian is playing, the team's offense is incredibly beautiful, but what about when Lin Tian is not playing at the beginning of the season? Who can take on the responsibility of organizing the team's offense?
Dumas could fill in, but he's almost 35.
The team's third-year point guard, Travis Best, has plenty of energy and can be used in chaotic situations, but what about when he's the team's starting point guard organizing the offense?
Last season, the Pacers lingered outside the top ten for a long time. Wasn't that because of him?
Jalen Rose, who is versatile, can also play point guard for a while, but his position is obviously more suitable for scoring and driving to the basket.
But aside from these part-time point guards, what about the other rookies Bird signed with non-guaranteed short-term contracts...?
Let's not talk about it anymore, let's not talk about it anymore!
Bird didn't find any of them suitable; if all else fails, he'll have to look for them among free agents.
Bird rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on, and reopened the free agent report that the scouting department had given him.
Let's watch it one more time!
Bird was increasingly confused. After all, by this time of the season, any player with even a little bit of skill would have been snapped up by all the teams long ago. How could there be any left now?
While thinking, Bird looked at the team's current roster.
How about we trade away this year's tenth overall pick, Crosher, and get a point guard in return?
But this guy has very high talent and basketball IQ. Bird always liked him very much, so it's a bit of a shame to sell him like this.
So, how about trading a future draft pick for one? But Lin Tian was only out for two months, so giving away a first-round draft pick like that would be a real loss.
Or should we wait? We can grit our teeth and let Dumars and Best hold on. Anyway, the team has Barkley, a top power forward, this year, which is much stronger than last year. Besides, Lin Tian will only be absent for two months. As long as the record isn't too bad, that's fine.
Unfortunately, signing Lin Tian left the team with limited salary cap space. The only thing they could use was the minimum salary, which no free agent with any ambitions would be interested in. And Bird didn't want the players who were willing to pay the minimum salary.
Just as Bird was feeling frustrated, his phone suddenly rang.
(End of this chapter)