When Grover and Xu Yong said they wanted to spend time with their families, they actually wanted to observe whether Xu Yong was worth cooperating with.
Now that he took the initiative to come to Tempe, it shows that he has made a decision in his heart.
However, after the two actually met, Grover said that he would conduct a two-day test on Xu Yong. Only if Xu Yong passed the test would he decide to come out.
You are the master trainer and you have the final say.
Xu Yongyi responded.
And this so-called test is actually training.
Practice three times a day, 90 minutes each time, the earliest one is before breakfast, then two o'clock in the afternoon and ten o'clock in the evening.
In terms of time, it is relatively close to what Xu Yong did before, and 30 minutes of the 90 minutes are shooting training, and the remaining hour is very intense.
Even during training, Grover kept a medical kit next to him. After the training, he would come over to test Xu Yong's heart rate and other physical indicators.
If there is no problem, then the training intensity will continue to increase in the next training.
This is a very special training method that even Xu Yong has never experienced before, even if he is a reborn person.
The training intensity continued to increase, and on the second night, he felt that the intensity had reached the limit of his body.
When the training was over, he gasped and put his hands on his knees.
He felt that Grover would be good as a prison guard instead of being a trainer.
"Don't do that. The weight of your upper body will compress your knees, which will cause too much damage to the knee joints. Also, clamping your arms inward will compress your lungs and make it more difficult for you to breathe." Grover said. While walking towards him.
Xu Yong straightened his body after hearing this. He didn't care whether it would hurt his knee joints, but he felt what Grover said about difficulty breathing.
For such a small detail, this guy is really not comparable to ordinary trainers.
"If you are really tired, when you bend down, hold the lower edge of the sports shorts with both hands. This way you can get a rest without hindering your breathing." Grover continued to demonstrate.
Xu Yong nodded. Although he knew what Grover said should be right, this action was too small, so he still had difficulty breathing.
"So you have decided to be my personal trainer?" Xu Yong asked. If not, there is no need for the other party to waste these words.
Grover smiled and nodded, then put away his smile and sighed: "You are the best among all the players I have tested."
Xu Yong smiled, Grover's words were quite pleasant.
"I'm not flattering. I never try to please my clients. I tell the truth." Grover said seriously after seeing Xu Yong's reaction.
His words are full of gold. You must know that the people he has cooperated with, from Jordan to Hill, to Kobe, McGrady, and Wade, are all super giants.
"So I will also ask you with a higher intensity than ever before. You have a chance to become a better basketball player than anyone else." Grover continued.
Xu Yong also put away his smile and nodded.
Whether this was Grover's words or whether it was true, he was ready to continue to become stronger.
Because Xu Yong had just finished training, Grover motioned for the two of them to sit on the bench and chat.
When Kobe teaches the puppy's footwork, it's more of an experience, but trainers are different. They will have their own theoretical basis.
Grover is no exception, but his theory is also completely different from others.
Because in his theory, he would first classify athletes according to certain types, from low to high: passive, controlling and dominant.
Grover did not define them precisely, but he gave some examples to distinguish them.
For example, a passive player can have a great game from time to time, a dominant player can maintain outstanding performance throughout the season, and a dominant player has a career that is always at the top.
For another example, passive people rely on others to evaluate their success. Controllers believe that completing the task itself is the best reward for their efforts. Dominators are never satisfied and feel that they can do better.
"This is the purpose of my test on you, to see if you have the potential to become a controller, or even a ruler." Grover continued.
Judging from the results, Xu Yong clearly has that potential.
After talking about theory, the next step is specific practical training.
Grover will develop a strict training plan for Xu Yong.
The intensity of the training plan is the same as Xu Yong's previous training limit, because Grover's training goal is to help people break their physical limits.
As for the specific training content, he does not generally talk about training the strength of the lower limbs or upper limbs, but will focus on muscle groups.
For example, the triceps calf muscles are closely related to breakthroughs, and the biceps brachii muscles are closely related to shooting.
He believes that only by strengthening these muscle groups can he perform more simply and efficiently in the game.
Of course Xu Yong will also have doubts, such as the biceps. Training specifically for this will greatly affect the shooting feel.
But Grover's explanation is that the feel can be maintained through other balance training, and the explosive power of biceps training will not only make shooting easier, but also the finishing ability can be greatly improved.
Even including shooting training, he is different from others.
Generally speaking, trainers will simulate the passing methods of teammates to pass the ball to clients, so that clients can perfectly connect with team training.
But Grover is not like this. The balls he passes are very difficult to catch, and even require the client to move to catch the ball.
His reason is simple. In a real game, you cannot receive too many comfortable passes. Most of them are interfered with or destroyed.
Only by getting used to this in training will you be able to perform as you wish in games.
These are all new to Xu Yong and a bit shocking, but he knows that they will definitely be useful to him.
Finally, regarding the plan to gain weight, Grover said that Xu Yong does not have to worry, because he will not only arrange Xu Yong's training, but also have a strict diet plan.
Gaining weight is always part of the plan, but it will be gradual and last throughout the season, rather than explosive weight gain.
Xu Yong: You have the final say, let’s sign the contract quickly!
The two finally signed a three-year, 2 million contract.
Generally speaking, the price of top trainers in this era is only 450,000 per year, and Grover's price is half as much as them.
But people are worth the price, not only in terms of ability, but also generally trainers will have several clients, but Grover is one-on-one, and his mobile phone is on 24 hours a day, so he is on call at any time.
So the money spent is definitely worth it.
…
Time flies so fast, and it is already mid-September. The training camps of each team are about to start one after another, and several people in Tempe are also preparing to start their own new seasons.
When Xu Yong returned to Chicago, Yao Ming had already arrived and had found a house in the suburbs.
Then, he couldn't help but complain to Xu Yong.
"I originally thought Houston was already congested enough, but after living here for a few days, I realized that I am still young."
Xu Yong couldn't help laughing after hearing this, otherwise, why do you think I would choose the city center?
Los Angeles is congested, and Kobe uses helicopters as transportation in order to rush for training, but Chicago is the most congested city in the United States.
The two met to reminisce about old times, and Xu Yong became a guide and took Yao Ming around Chicago.
After waiting for two days, on the day when the team training camp officially started, the two of them went there early.
When they arrived, there were already people training inside.
When I went in and took a look, who else could it be but Rose who was throwing three-pointers like crazy there?
"Derek, you just spent the whole summer here?" After watching Rose's shooting percentage for a while, Xu Yong couldn't help but said.
Rose's three-point shooting is pretty good. If nothing else, he's definitely more accurate than he was at the same time.
Rose smiled and put down the ball in his hand, asked the trainer to wait for him, and then came over to say hello to Xu Yong and Yao Ming.
Although he didn't say much, you could tell he was very excited.
But everyone is excited about this. Last season, they were a playoff-level team. This season, they are directly competing for the championship, and they are full of motivation.
After a while, other team members arrived one after another.
Artest was the first one to arrive besides them. Seeing Yao Ming was like seeing a real brother. He hugged Yao Ming and laughed there.
At this time, Artest had not yet won a championship. His coming so early shows that he is also extremely eager for the new season.
After Artest, the next one to come turned out to be "Shark" O'Neal.
O'Neal first gave Yao Ming a bear hug, and then smiled and bumped fists with Xu Yong.
This is different from when I saw Xu Yong on the court last season. O'Neal's smile was from the bottom of his heart.
For him at this stage of his career, happiness is already the first priority. As for him, would he mind playing as a substitute? He's not Allen Iverson.
While we were chatting, Allen from the team came, Tony Allen.
Allen seems much more low-key and humble, and he looks more like Rose.
But with James Johnson in front of him, Xu Yong knew that people like this were generally ruthless and talkative.
Then there is O'Neal, who is very big but also relatively introverted.
At this time, three big men stood together. These three people were on the same team. It was really a scene that had never been imagined before.
In less than an hour, all members of the Bulls team arrived one after another. In addition to those with formal contracts, there were also some veterans who came to hug them, as well as some young players and undrafted players.
Basically, Xu Yong can already see the team's 15-man roster for the new season.
Point Guard: Rose, Hinrich, Rafer Alston
Shooting Guards: Tony Allen, Kyle Korver, Bill Walker
Small forward: Xu Yong, James Johnson, Jerry Stackhouse
Power forward: Artest, O'Neal Jr., Ty Gibson
Center: Yao Ming, O'Neal, Asik
What stands out about this lineup is its strong soldiers and horses.
Of course, there are actually many problems they may face.
For example, when it comes to interior rotation, there are only two interior substitutes at most in a game, but all three of them need playing time.
Kwame Brown's status last season was achieved by playing time. If there is no playing time, regardless of Big O'Neal or Little O'Neal, they will end up being reduced to mascots on the bench.
Another example is the tactical issue, whether we are really sure to play one senior and four juniors, or let O'Neal Jr. play the starting four position.
And Tony Allen has no shooting ability at all. How to fight positional warfare is also a big problem.
No matter how good your defense is, you can't have a defensive counterattack every round, and Thibodeau is not a coach who is good at offense.
The team members were still getting acquainted, and soon Thibodeau arrived late.
Xu Yong was stunned for a moment when he saw it.
It's not because of Thibodeau, but because of the assistant coaches who are closest to Thibodeau.
Isn't that Mike Malone?
Malone is no small figure. Although he is not well-known in the NBA, he became a coach in college as soon as he graduated. He has been an official assistant coach in the NBA for seven years.
He had previously been an assistant coach with the Cavaliers.
But it makes sense if you look at it this way. James is gone, Brown is unemployed, and Malone will definitely have to find another way out.
Now it seems that his professional ability is indeed good, and Thibodeau directly recruited him as the chief assistant coach.
With Malone here, the Bulls should have fewer problems.
On the first day of the training session, Thibodeau did not arrange tactical matters, but asked the players to do some regular training to find their condition.
And like his former boss Jeff Van Gundy, he holds a small notebook in his hand, observes the players and records what they have done.
Ma Long exchanged something with him from time to time.
After the day's training was over, the team members went back to rest one after another.
Xu Yong has extra training at ten o'clock in the evening.
When he stopped the car, he happened to find Ross arriving.
Rose is really going all out for the new season.
The two entered the elevator while chatting, and then went to the locker room to change into training clothes and go to the training gym.
Training is a very boring thing, but having teammates as companions is a lot more fun.
They laughed and pushed open the training hall door.
The training hall was extremely quiet at this time, but when they pushed the door in, they saw someone sitting on the sidelines busy with something, and they didn't notice them.
The bald forehead reflected the light as brightly as a mirror, and it was clearly Thibodeau.
The two made eye contact for a while, then walked over.
Thibodeau raised his head when he heard footsteps approaching.
"Are you coming to practice extra?" Thibodeau asked after seeing their outfits.
The two of them nodded one after another.
"You are busy with your business, I won't disturb you." Thibodeau said with a smile.
He looked so gentle.
"Coach, why are you still busy so late?" Xu Yong couldn't help but poke his head curiously.
Ross also leaned over like a curious baby.
"I originally wanted to edit some pick-and-roll material, but the wires in the office were short-circuited, so I moved here." Thibodeau said and continued to work.
When Ross and Xu Yong saw this, they didn't ask any more questions and went to train on their own.
More than an hour later, the two ended the training, and Thibodeau was almost done with it and was packing up his computer.
After seeing it, the two people went over to help.
After helping to move the computer back to the office, Thibodeau asked with a smile: "Have you had dinner? If not, I'll treat you to dinner."
dinner?
Xu Yong and Ross were both stunned when they heard this.
Co-author Thibodeau has been cutting material here since the afternoon training session? !
Even Xu Yong was a little shocked after realizing this.
Thibodeau is simply a social animal among social animals.
And he suddenly remembered that Thibodeau, a man in his fifties, was not even married yet. This was because he was really focused on work.
It’s hard not to be awe-inspiring for such a head coach!
(End of chapter)
