Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 881 Being the head coach is really troublesome! The big liar Lin Tian again

After an initial group training session, the Bobcats players quickly split into groups and began their training with the team's assistant coaches and trainers, based on their individual needs.

For example, Yao Ming and Carlos Boozer, these two big men, one practiced corner three-pointers and the other practiced mid-range catch-and-shoot jumpers after pick-and-rolls.

Odom practiced how to grab a rebound and immediately pass the ball or dribble the ball up the court himself.

Hayward, Barnes, Brown, Fields, and others followed Stevens to run plays, practicing positioning methods and various off-ball cuts and reverse runs.

These players will be important rotation players for the team in the new season. Their cuts and off-ball movement are very important to the team.

At this point, it became clear why Stevens wanted Hayward.

This guy may not be that great in terms of absolute talent, ball-handling skills, or imagination, which limits his potential and ceiling to becoming a top star in the NBA.

However, in terms of awareness, fundamentals, understanding of tactics, and intelligence, he is truly among the top tier in this league.

He not only understands tactics incredibly quickly, grasping the coach's intentions and needs immediately, but he can also guide his teammates and help them understand the tactics.

This guy may not be suitable to be the team's main offensive player or one of the top two players, but as a support and all-rounder, he is absolutely excellent!

In addition, Rose is practicing using pick-and-rolls to attack. He wants to improve his accuracy in shooting after taking a step after a pick-and-roll, and also his ability to find teammates who have been left out after a pick-and-roll.

As for DeRozan, Lin Tian simply handed him over to Jordan, letting Jordan train him alone.

DeRozan was ecstatic to receive Jordan's personal coaching and extra help before training even began.

Lin Tian could only pray that Jordan would still be this excited after training, and at the same time hope that his depression wouldn't be triggered prematurely by Jordan.

Also worth mentioning is Jeremy Lin. Lin Tian assigned him the task of being Derrick Rose's sparring partner and having him guard Rose. When Rose was practicing pick-and-rolls, Lin Tian had him match up against Rose.

But if you only defend and have no chance to attack, to put it bluntly, you're just a human punching bag.

Jeremy Lin didn't say a word about this purely dirty work and just stepped up to it.

He knew he was an undrafted player and that his role on the team was to be at the back of the bench waving a towel.

All he can do now is to perform to the best of his ability, do everything the coach asks him to do, show his energy and ambition, and finally try to make his contract fully guaranteed so he can officially stay with the team.

Yes, Jeremy Lin's current contract is non-guaranteed. To motivate him, Lin Tian gave him a training camp contract that was completely unguaranteed. So, strictly speaking, Jeremy Lin is not even a formal member of the Bobcats yet.

But Lin Tian knew that this guy would become a full member!

The training session on the first morning was basically like this: improving the players' basic skills, providing targeted training on what they currently lack and what they need to perform in the new season, filling in the gaps and building a solid foundation.

At noon, the group went out for lunch together, rested for a while, and then began the afternoon's strength training and shooting practice.

After all the training was over, it was already 5 p.m. Lin Tian glanced at his watch and gathered all the players together to play training matches in three groups.

The training match lasted for almost two hours. By seven o'clock, almost everyone was exhausted and completely soaked, as if they had just gone swimming. Only then did Lin Tian announce that today's training was over!

Of course, Jordan, that old guy, doesn't need to practice with the team for the whole time. If you really made him practice with the team now that he's almost 5, he would most likely die suddenly on the court.

So he just went with everyone for the morning physical training and focused on training DeRozan. In the afternoon, he basically just played around and occasionally took on the role of assistant coach, giving guidance to a few players on minor issues and details.

Even in the final practice session, this guy only went up and ran a few rounds before quickly coming down.

The current Jordan is fine for one-on-one games or casual matches, but he really can't play a full-court NBA game like this anymore. His physical abilities have long since started to decline, and he is completely unable to adapt to this level of competition and games.

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to leave so they could go home and rest for the next day's training, Lin Tian suddenly spoke.

"Jeremy, you stay here, everyone else can go first."

Jeremy Lin paused for a moment, then remained silent, somewhat nervously staying on the court. Only after everyone had left did he nervously ask, "Coach, did I play badly?"

"Not good. I'm very dissatisfied with part of your training today," Lin Tian said sternly. "To be honest, you've disappointed me quite a bit."

"Coach, I..."

Just as Jeremy Lin was about to speak again, Lin Tian interrupted him, saying, "No need to explain. I can only say that if you continue with today's training attitude, you definitely won't be able to stay on the team. You might even be cut before the preseason and replaced by someone else."

"But I've given it my all! I didn't hold back, I didn't slack off, I was playing like my life depended on it from start to finish!" Jeremy Lin's voice even sounded a little like he was about to cry. Any guy struggling on the fringes of the team would feel despair if he heard the coach say that on the first day of training.

"I believe you gave it your all, but I didn't see you risking your life." Looking at Jeremy Lin's expression, Lin Tian knew it was about time. If he continued to bully this guy, he might really end up crying.

"Do you know why I didn't assign you any tasks this morning, like having you match up against Derrick? You don't need to say anything; I didn't ask you to practice defense."

"I want you to learn from him, to see how confident he is on offense! Whether it's passing or shooting, whether his shot is accurate or not, whether his pass is a good one or a turnover, have you ever seen Derrick frustrated? Have you ever seen Derrick complain or hesitate?"

"No! This guy is incredibly determined. He always believes he's making the right choice, he always believes he's right and he's the best. He maintains boundless energy and unparalleled passion."

"Did you see those things in him?"

"Coach, I..."

"No. During the practice matches tonight, I put you against him, and you were paired against DJ, right? And what happened? You got completely destroyed by those two, right!"

"Getting crushed is fine, I've been crushed before. The important thing is how you respond to the person who crushed you."

"The next possession after Rose got past you, did you try to drive past him? No."

When the DJ started trash-talking you, did you talk back?

"Carlos elbowed you several times during the pick-and-roll, didn't he? Did you retaliate?"

"But coach, I'm just a fringe player, my contract isn't even guaranteed. If I..."

"There are no ifs." Lin Tian interrupted him again, saying, "Actually, we're quite similar. We have the same background, both played for four years at schools that aren't traditionally strong in basketball, and both were overlooked in the draft."

"I was just a tiny bit luckier than you; I barely got selected."

"The contract I signed back then was also a two-year contract with no guarantee."

"We started exactly the same way, and then? On my first day of training camp, I took down three bastards who tried to cause me trouble, and I spent the entire training camp trash-talking Michael."

"Back then, I couldn't beat him. He beat me to a pulp countless times, but I was never afraid. I never thought he was someone you couldn't mess with. If he dared to elbow me, I'd give him an even tougher one next time!"

"If he dares to play dirty tricks on me, I guarantee his nose will be crooked."

"This is how people like us survive! Understand? We must be ruthless than everyone else, we must be fiercer than everyone else, we can't be afraid of anyone, we must show our attitude, let everyone know that we will fight with all our might to stay in this alliance!"

"Hard work won't keep you in this league; you have to fight tooth and nail."

"Alright, that's it. Go now. When you get home, think carefully about what I said, and then tomorrow, show me how you've changed."

"Oh, and also, come an hour early before training starts tomorrow. I'll be waiting for you here. We'll train one-on-one for an hour. I'll teach you a few things. You'll have enough stamina, right?"

"Absolutely not!" Hearing this, Jeremy Lin realized that he wasn't being abandoned, but that Lin Tian was going to give him special training!

Only an idiot would say something like that they lack physical strength or are not prepared.

Jeremy Lin knows very well that this might be the best opportunity of his life!

"Being a head coach is really troublesome." Lin Tian stretched lazily as he watched Jeremy Lin walk away.

Then he took out his phone and called DeRozan.

"Demar, have you left? If not, come to the training gym. I'll be waiting for you here. I have something to tell you."

A few minutes later, DeRozan, who had changed his clothes, walked up to Lin Tian with a curious look on his face.

"Demar, let me get straight to the point. I'm very dissatisfied with part of your training today," Lin Tian said sternly. "To be honest, you've disappointed me quite a bit."

"Coach, I..."

DeRozan was about to speak when Lin Tian interrupted him, saying, "No need to explain. I can only say that if you continue with today's training attitude, you definitely won't be able to keep your starting position, and you might even be pushed to the bench before the preseason."

"But I've already given it my all! I've given it my all today, I haven't slacked off at all! I've been working like crazy all day!" DeRozan's eagerness to explain made Lin Tian realize: the fish had taken the bait!

"I believe you tried your best, but you weren't playing with your life on the line," Lin Tian interrupted DeRozan. "Do you know why I had you spar with Michael?"

"Because you want me to learn better post-up skills and mid-range shooting," DeRozan said honestly.

"Bullshit! What did you learn from Michael? We all know he's definitely not a good teacher. His temper is completely unsuitable for teaching anyone any technique."

"I'm telling you to learn his playing style and mentality! Or let me ask you another way: tonight when Michael elbowed you and started trash-talking you, did you fight back? Did you talk back?"

"You need to let Michael know your stance!"

"On my first day with the Bulls, I took down three bastards who were trying to cause me trouble..."

"My rookie season training camp was all about fighting with Michael every single day..."

"You have to be more ruthless than everyone else to earn the respect and status you deserve..."

"Hard work won't make you an All-Star; you have to work your ass off!"

"And another reason I put you and Michael together is because he once told me that the reason he drafted you was because he saw a younger version of himself in you!"

"Demar, the one who has faith in you isn't me, it's Michael."

"He believes you can take over his mantle and become the best shooting guard in the league after him!"

"But you don't need to ask him. That bastard will only deny it. You just need to see how much effort he puts into you to know if he really thinks highly of you and really sees you as his successor."

"Alright, if there's nothing else, let's go. Oh, by the way, after training tomorrow, let's have an extra hour of practice, just you and me, the two of us together, to give Michael a surprise!"

"Understood!" DeRozan nodded quickly, his eyes full of excitement and anticipation.

When Lin Tian was alone in the training hall again, he glanced at the time and muttered to himself, "That's enough for today. Tomorrow, I'll get two more guys to get their badges stamped. In a week at most, these guys will be completely fired up and going all out!"

"Being a coach is really tough," Lin Tian muttered as he left the stadium. He had barely moved all day and hadn't sweated much, so he didn't go to the locker room but instead turned and headed straight for the parking lot.

Over the next few days, Lin Tian talked to two people a day, selecting two people each day, and soon he had talked to all 14 players gathered there, giving them a good dose of motivation.

Lin Tian used almost the same approach with everyone.

First, intimidate them, then criticize them, then offer encouragement and praise, expressing high hopes for the player, and finally promise them a great reward—that's how everyone is happy!

Everyone has their own path.

For example, Derrick Rose.

"Derrick, if you continue like this, your career will be very short. One injury will ruin it!" This is intimidation.

"You were too focused on dribbling through the box in training, and your passing was too careless, which led to a lot of unnecessary mistakes." This was the criticism.

"But your mid-range shooting has improved so fast, I didn't improve that fast back then! I really think you are the one who can take over my mantle and become the league's best point guard, MVP and champion!" This is praise and high expectations, while also making a promise.

Although it follows a set pattern and order, Lin Tian's rhetoric still varies significantly depending on the person he speaks to! Different ingredients are needed for different people to create different flavors.

In order to improve the team's strength quickly, Lin Tian even prepared a total of 14 different sets of speeches according to this script and process!

Of course, Lin Tian didn't have that much time to help the players with extra training before and after regular practice. Most of them, Lin Tian let them find their own ways to do extra training.

It all depends on self-discipline.

After talking to all 14 people, Lin Tian realized that his method of finding people to chat with had become an assembly line, and the routine was incredibly monotonous!

But thankfully, despite its simplistic design, it's really useful!

Throughout the mini training camp, all the players were incredibly motivated and trained like crazy. Everyone's progress was clearly visible!

This training camp was absolutely outstanding!

As time went by, this mini training camp quickly came to an end, and the players dispersed again. Some took the opportunity to rest, while others continued to train hard without letting up.

But whatever choices everyone makes, the 2010-2011 season is getting closer and closer.

Then, the day that marked the official start of the new season arrived.

Media Day!

On this day, each team will be interviewed by reporters in the training facility, looking ahead to the new season, setting some goals, and then showing their spirit and confidence.

The Bobcats' media day is destined to be very busy.

They have too many new faces this year.

From the head coach and general manager to the team's main players, almost the entire team has been replaced. This year's media day alone had several sessions just for the new signings' introductions and jersey displays. Lin Tian, ​​Rose, and others are also high-profile figures, so there are many reporters interviewing them.

In short, there were a lot of reporters at the Bobcats' media day this year!

In the entire history of the Bobcats, probably only their first year in the team's formation saw this many reporters present! (End of Chapter)