On September 30, 1997, the Knicks training camp officially opened.
Stingy Jeff Van Gundy drove his Toyota car to the training facility in Upper Oster County.
Just looking at the various luxury cars in the parking lot, the bald young man subconsciously grinned. His own car is really not enough...
Even the atmosphere team in the team will buy a decent second-hand car just to save face. Benzi's small car is parked here, which is considered the biggest exception.
Just looking at the crisp suit on his body, Jeff Van Gundy was in a good mood again. He renewed his contract for two years, and he deserved to win the league's best coach award.
The coaching staff did not undergo many changes during the offseason, and his popular assistant Thibodeau is still with the team:
"Jeff, the players are in good condition. We should be able to achieve good results in the new season."
After the training camp started, Thibodeau watched the players complete their physical examinations. Except for a few veterans who gained a little weight, the new players were all in excellent physical condition.
The atmosphere in the training hall gradually became lively, with the players spanking each other and sharing their offseason life experiences.
"Very good. We have added big men and forwards in the offseason. They are all players with more experience in the game. This can help us go further in the playoffs!"
Jeff Van Gundy pretended that "all the new players are what I want", while Don Chaney on the side raised his eyebrows. In fact, everyone knew that Grunfield did not consider the bald young coach's opinion at all. .
Logically speaking, the general manager needs to consider the head coach's arrangements, but for the Knicks, even though he is the "best coach in the league", Grunfield did not say hello in advance, but simply strengthened according to his own expectations.
The Knicks' salary this season has reached $53.97 million, ranking second in the league.
The first place is the defending champion Bulls with $61.33 million.
With the second highest salary in the league, Jeff Van Gundy is lying when he says there is no pressure!
Salary represents strength. The Knicks are the second strongest team in the league, and their goal this season is the championship.
There were also some changes in the Knicks' shares during the offseason. Charles Dolan's Cablevision acquired all the shares and now fully owns the Knicks.
Considering his advanced age, James Dolan will most likely take over in the future.
Jeff Van Gundy is not stupid either. The management will definitely change by then. If he, the head coach, does not achieve impressive results, he will most likely be fired!
The two-year contract extension is the management's time to give Jeff Van Gundy time to prove himself and lead the league's second-highest-paid team. If he still cannot win the championship, dismissal will be the only result.
"How's pat doing? Don't tell me there's bad news!"
Jeff Van Gundy immediately asked about Ewing's situation. Don Chaney shrugged and responded casually:
"It's still the same, but considering that I'm one year older, it's inevitable that my physical condition will decline."
The 35-year-old Ewing's salary this season is as high as $20.5 million, which accounts for almost half of the Knicks' salary.
As one of the top four centers, Gorilla does have a niche, and there are not many players in the league who can get this salary.
"Lee is in very good condition, and the young man is getting stronger. Obviously he spent a lot of time in the off-season to polish his body."
Don Chaney cheerfully introduced Li You's situation. Ewing may be declining, but Li You is on the rise. In this way, the strength of the Knicks will not be compromised. It is a kind of replacement between the old and the new.
Jeff Van Gundy nodded, then followed the coach to the center of the field, clapped his hands and greeted everyone:
"Okay, guys! Good to see everyone healthy and showing up to training camp."
"There's a new face here, welcome to the Knicks!"
"We have only one goal this season, and that is the championship, so I will be strict with everyone."
"After the training camp starts, don't let me see the news about you appearing in nightclubs to spend money. We must be nervous at the beginning of the season!"
"..."
Li You, who was wearing a white training uniform, watched the bald young marshal talk endlessly, and shrugged helplessly for a while. Starks, who was in a good mood, patiently listened to the chicken soup before whispering:
"The contract was only renewed for two years. It seems that the coach has not won the trust of the management."
The league's best sixth man, Starks got his wish and completed a contract extension with the Knicks during the offseason. This season's salary has also reached $5.11 million.
"It's not a trust issue, it may be that the next boss doesn't like coach Van Gundy!"
After hearing Li You's words, Alan Houston on the side added:
"Not only does he not like the head coach, but the future owner also doesn't like the team's current style of play."
"Maybe he took the "Show time" proposed by the New York media seriously!"
Larry Johnson feels that the opportunity has come. The gorilla is one year older. "Auntie" expects Van Gundy to change his tactics:
"In order to perform in front of the new boss, it's time to adjust. To be honest, I don't like to play positional offense. It's best to play like the Jazz."
The back injury caused "Aunt" to lose a lot of explosive power, and the previous style of attacking the inside was completely unworkable.
Only with more transition attacks can we get better data. Easy scoring is Larry Johnson's biggest pursuit at present.
Li You and the others were chatting happily on the side, while Ewing was also happily communicating with the coaching staff on the other side.
This year's offseason, the New York media didn't work hard or consume anything. Instead, they kept praising Ewing and almost blew Ewing to the sky!
Personal data and team performance have improved across the board, and the media who like to read Excel naturally sang their praises.
Oakley's contract is in the last year. The veteran planned to sign a big contract with the Knicks in advance during the offseason, but the two sides failed to reach an agreement.
Grunfield refused to provide a big contract to the short inside man who was about to turn 34. As the team's general manager, he had to save money for the boss.
The current salary space has almost caught up with the Bulls, and the opponent has recently won two championships. The Knicks only won the Atlantic Division championship once last season.
As the general manager of the team, he has built the lineup with his own hands. If he fails to win the championship again, the result waiting for Grenfield will be his dismissal.
"Charles, don't worry about the contract. As long as our results are good enough, the team will offer you a big contract, and I will help you get it done!"
Ewing gave his old partner reassurance. The Gorillas still take good care of their old teammates, and he also contributed to Starks' contract.
"I really don't want to leave New York, but I really want to get a bigger contract. At our age, it's time to think about life after retirement."
Oakley felt a little depressed for a while as he watched several new players show off their physical condition with great energy.
The Knicks didn't put him in their plans and signed an inside player just to make fun of the old guy:
"No one is irreplaceable!"
"..."
In the afternoon training session, Li You once again showed his excellent physical condition. During the routine practice, he never missed a shot.
Jeff Van Gundy nodded repeatedly after seeing this, and this state can be trusted again.
On the first day of the training camp, most of them were about moving their bodies, playing a few simple scrimmages, and then the running tactics were over.
Ben Wallace is currently Oakley's follower and is particularly active in training, but the coaching staff doesn't pay much attention to him. New aid Chris Dudley will become the backup center in the new season.
Sensing that he had been ignored, Ben Wallace, who entered the team through the back door, was depressed after the training session and sat on the bench alone.
In order to earn an extra $200,000, choosing the Knicks doesn't seem to be the right choice...
"Let's go, Ben! Do you want to stay and wipe the floor? Don't worry, as long as you can grab more rebounds, I guarantee you will get playing time."
After changing his clothes, Li You patted Ben Wallace and encouraged the newbie.
In the team, the old guy may still take care of Ben Wallace, but everyone else is interested in isolating this backdoor player.
Several new players who joined the team even looked at Ben Wallace:
"Do you want to play in the NBA if you are an undrafted player?"
Smiling gratefully at Li You, Ben Wallace stood up and whispered:
"Thanks, Li! Next time I come to treat you, there is no need to help me pay the bill."
Although his salary is not much, Ben Wallace spends money happily. Black players cannot lose face!
Li You shook his head. Most players spend money lavishly. Seeing that the opponent was in a low mood, he joked:
"Actually, our salaries are about the same. This season, I can only receive US$900,000. Don't underestimate yourself."
"..."
Entering October, the Knicks, in addition to daily training, also have to prepare for the following preseason games.
There is no overseas training these days, and the preseason games are based on the principle of proximity. Most of the Knicks' opponents are Atlantic Division teams.
After the training session on the 3rd, assistant coach Don Chaney looked at the latest physical test data in his hand and said with a smile:
"Li has grown one centimeter taller and his wingspan is almost 2 meters, 199.5cm. It's great to be young!"
Jeff Van Gundy also noticed changes in Li You, but what he saw was confrontation and shooting stability:
"It is indeed a good thing. Pat is in good condition. Compared with last season, we may have a chance to go further this year!"
The coaching staff were all happy after hearing the bald young coach's words. Pippen had just had foot surgery, which meant that the other player would miss many regular season games.
After seeing such news, everyone knows that the internal strife in the Bulls has become more and more serious. There is a high probability that the salary increase will be fruitless, and Pippen will embarrass the management.
The championship no longer seemed out of reach, the Bulls were distraught, and every team in the league saw an opportunity.
After the training session, Li You didn't go anywhere, and soon returned to the apartment. There was something wrong with the team atmosphere. Oakley was not happy because he didn't get a big contract, and Ewing was also unhappy.
This makes everyone go back to their homes early after the training session every day.
Li You will not mess around with contract matters. If he plays for another two years, his rookie contract will also expire. If he wants a big contract, it will definitely compress the salaries of other players.
General manager Glenfield has naturally taken this into consideration. The Knicks' lineup is gradually getting younger, and Li You will benefit the most.
After a long offseason, Li You looked at the golden [Allen Iverson's excellent physical fitness] on the simple talent panel and felt quite comfortable.
With a thought, the [Stamina] value also appeared on the panel: 97.
Other attribute values also emerged one by one, and Li You quickly noticed his changes:
[Sports] increased from 84 to 88,
[Breakthrough] increased from 80 to 86,
[CIC] increased from 90 to 91.
Touching his chin, Li You felt that his speed had not changed, and the [Motion] value had increased, which should be the change brought about by agility;
The three abilities of breakthrough layup, breakthrough dunk, and drawing fouls are improved, which increases the [Breakthrough] value;
The final shot was a natural feedback.
The large number of games last season and the physical training in the offseason ultimately yielded positive feedback.
"Scottie Pippen will be traded before the All-Star break!"
The voice of the ESPN ball commentator came from the TV. Li You leaned on the sofa and started eating melon happily.
"The Michael Jordan era is over and the Bulls will rebuild this season..."
qAq struggled all afternoon, and Dian Niang finally blocked me!
And it still can’t be solved!
These two chapters are free, so book friends will not be allowed to spend more money qAq
