When it was Wei Guo's turn to attack, he took a simple step back and launched a three-pointer.
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
Stockton said, "This isn't a one-on-one fight; it's like bullying a child."
Mourning laughed and said, "Fortunately, Tyron has grown up, otherwise this one-on-one match would have ruined his basketball dream."
The two veterans were still happily discussing the one-on-one match between Wei Guo and Tyronn Lue when nightmares soon befell them.
Apart from Cummings... Weiguo spared no one.
Stockton and Mourning didn't dare to rely on their seniority, and they both challenged Wei Guo to one-on-one duels. The result was predictable... everyone was completely outmatched by Wei Guo, and not a single one of them could score against Wei Guo's defense.
The key is...
They had already warmed up their bodies, but Wei Guo, wearing long sleeves and trousers, started fighting without warming up at all.
After a pleasant one-on-one match, the players returned to the locker room to shower and change before heading to the conference room.
Wei Guo went straight to the conference room... He didn't even break a sweat in this one-on-one match.
...
All the Nets players came to the meeting room (except Hill, who was recovering from an injury in China).
Head coach Gentry, assistant coach Scott, and other assistant coaches also came to the meeting room for a pep talk before the start of the regular season.
The Nets currently have thirteen players.
......
Point guards: Stockton, Cummings, Tyronn Lue
Shooting Guards: Armstrong, Kiddles
Small forwards: Hill, Jefferson, Rodgers, Zoran
Power Forward: Kenyon Martin
Center: Mourning, Collins
........
This roster was compiled by Gentry, and it contains twelve players, each with a confirmed position. This roster also shows that the Nets are not a weak team.
The point guard position is occupied by the aging Stockton and two benchwarmers, Cummings and Tyronn Lue.
The shooting guard position is weaker. Kiddles is barely a qualified starter, but he is far inferior to players like Kobe, McGrady, Iverson, and Carter. Armstrong is more of a benchwarmer.
The small forward position is decent; Jefferson is in his prime, and once Hill recovers from his injury, he will be a very strong asset to the Nets.
There is only one player at the power forward position: Kenyon Martin.
The center position is the weakest link; Mourning is getting old, and Collins is not up to the task.
This lineup...
Scott, on the contrary, didn't see any problem.
That's how they played last season, with a starting lineup of Kidd, Kenyon, Jefferson, Kidds, and Collins, and they still made it all the way to the Finals, only to be swept by the Rockets in the Finals.
Now only Kidd has left, but Wei Guo, Stockton, and Hill have arrived.
It's unclear how much fuel Stockton has left in the tank, and it's also unclear whether Hill will be able to return this season.
but...
Even if Wei Guo plays point guard, he's still better than Kidd. So the Nets are much stronger than last season. It's no wonder that this roster isn't the biggest favorite to win the championship. Scott is very unhappy!
The reason why Wei Guo chose the Nets was also related to Scott.
Although many head coaches have expressed their willingness to serve as Gentry's assistant coach, if it were to actually have Gregg Popovich, Larry Brown, or Jerry Sloan serve as Gentry's assistant coach, Gentry wouldn't be able to control them.
At that time...
If an assistant coach interferes with the head coach's decisions, it could affect Wei Guo's chances.
Just like how Gentry could tolerate and even make excuses for Weiguo not playing in the preseason, such undisciplined behavior would be absolutely unacceptable in other teams. Even if you only played for three minutes, it counts as playing in the preseason, but it's too much if you don't even see the player.
Although Scott led the Nets to the NBA Finals.
However, he was also a rookie coach. Scott entered the league in 1983. His performance as a player was remarkable. His coaching career began in 2000, and his first team was the Nets.
They lost to Gentry in the finals.
Scott respected Gentry. During his time with the Nets, Scott didn't quite understand some of Gentry's nonsensical behavior, but he didn't publicly challenge Gentry.
........
After Gentry waited until Wei Guo finished reading the notes, he said, "I'm very angry..."
"Um???"
These nonsensical words drew everyone's attention to Gentry.
Gentry said, "Most of you here have played in the Finals. Last season we were either champions or runners-up. With such a lineup, we are not even the biggest favorite to win the championship."
"Yes!"
Scott was very agitated. "I've wanted to say this for a long time. What trash media! They actually ranked us behind the Lakers."
Gentry said, "Our roster still needs to gel. My consistent philosophy is that only through actual games can a roster gel. So I told Wei Ge not to participate in the preseason. Let's use the regular season to train. Our goal is the championship!"
"I see..."
Stockton suddenly realized!
No wonder Wei Guo didn't appear in the preseason games; it turns out it was Gentry's deliberate arrangement. So, Wei Guo was actually the one who suffered the most, as everyone else was playing in the preseason games while he was alone at home.
No one would question Gentry's ideas.
It's like...
Once a person achieves success, anything he says becomes the truth.
Gentry was undoubtedly a successful head coach. He was Coach of the Year last season and led the team to the 2002-03 championship. His coaching style must have been unique.
The players began to believe in themselves, and Gentry seized the opportunity, saying, "I read a story the other day that I'd like to share with you all."
........
The story goes that there were two fishermen, one with superb fishing skills and the other with mediocre skills. The fisherman with superb skills was called the Fishing King by the villagers, and the Fishing King had three sons.
The fisher king was very troubled because his three sons were mediocre fishermen. One day, the fisher king met a wise man.
He complained to the expert: "I started teaching them to fish as soon as they were old enough to understand, starting with the most basic things, how to weave nets to catch fish easily, how to row a boat without disturbing the fish, and how to cast nets to catch the most fish. Even though I taught them step by step, their fishing skills are still not as good as the sons of fishermen who are less skilled than me!"
After listening to the fisherman's story, the wise man asked, "Have you been teaching them step by step all this time?"
"Yes, I taught them very patiently so they could learn top-notch fishing techniques!"
"So they've been following you?"
"Yes, to help them avoid detours, I always have them follow me closely, never leaving my side."
Upon hearing this, the expert said, "You are the one who is wrong. You only taught them the techniques, but not the lessons. Without lessons, there is no experience, and it will be difficult for them to achieve great things!"
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