Cole visited the Clippers' tactical training in the morning and came to the conclusion: unremarkable!
Kim Hughes is right. They are all old. Dunleavy, Lao Kim, Lucas and others still only have the understanding of tactics from the previous era.
Their training methods are still relatively old, relying on experience, focusing on confrontation, and emphasizing spirit, but lack enough data and details.
The data statistics tables they hold in their hands are still paper tables, marked with limited data and providing limited dimensions for viewing the problem.
Although the new era has not yet fully arrived, it has already begun to emerge. Cole had a deep experience with the Suns last season.
As the general manager, he introduced more data analysis to provide the coaching staff with more dimensions and perspectives to support Gentry's work.
He encouraged the coaching staff to open up their minds, pay attention to details, make tactics more free and flexible, and give players more choices and freedom.
It's just that as the team's general manager, Cole is separated from the players after all, and he has to spend a lot of time dealing with reporters, owners, and business affairs.
Rather than wearing a suit and leather shoes and interviewing reporters in the reception room, Cole prefers to wear a Polo shirt or T-shirt in the training hall to watch videos with the coaching staff and players, study high-level data, and run tactics.
The Clippers' mediocrity in training allowed Cole to sense an opportunity for reform, but he had to make sure that the Clippers were suitable for him to reform?
If he applies for the job, he will only be an assistant coach after all, and there will be Dunleavy above him.
As someone with no coaching experience, transitioning from assistant coach to head coach is a good idea.
But Cole needs enough power. At least he has his own ideas on offense and doesn't want to be dictated by Mike Dunleavy.
In the morning's communication with Dunleavy, Cole expressed his thoughts tactfully.
Unexpectedly, Dunleavy said: "I know what you mean Steve, you want to have complete dominance in the offense, I agree! I completely agree! Leave it all to you, you lead the team to practice offense, and then ask Smart Mr. Te is responsible.”
Cole knew Dunleavy well. This old vulture always had a bad temper and was as hard-tempered as the rocks in the pit.
Although his coaching ability is not top-notch in the league, it is still very good, and he is senior and has indeed achieved some results.
Unexpectedly, he easily promised to give up half of his power to Cole and let Cole lead the team's offense.
Cole said: "My transformation of the team's offense is not just a little bit. According to my ideas, it will be a very big change. Of course, this season is excessive, and the offseason is the time for key changes."
Dunleavy said: "It's up to you, really, it's up to you. You can make any reforms you want, as long as Smart agrees."
Listening to what Dunleavy said, Cole found that the focus seemed not to be the new tactical system itself, but to satisfy Smart?
What's happening here? Is this so-called new tactical system just a "performance project" that only needs to satisfy the leaders?
Doubts arose in Cole's mind again, and he felt more and more that the second rumor about Min Congda was true.
Smart has controlled the entire Clippers team. He is good at wielding power and making everyone below him revolve around him.
In fact, he understood it wrong. Dunleavy said this because he was really at his wits end.
There wasn't much hair on his head originally, and he had to make new gadgets, so the little hair he had left had to be sacrificed.
Dunleavy knew that Cole had real talent and knowledge, and he wanted to let Cole come to the Clippers to tinker with a new tactical system.
As the head coach, he takes command from the center and survives this season, but he doesn't want to do it next season.
The dream of winning a championship is important, but he is too old to endure the hardship, and his scalp is numb when he thinks about the trade deadline approaching.
No matter what signings or transactions the Clippers make, he will be scolded, and his reputation in the league will be ruined.
Now Lao Deng is becoming more and more Buddhist, there is no pressure on his performance, and his relationship with the players is quite harmonious.
There is no need to yell at the players during training, just communicate normally.
Although the team's training level is not great, the atmosphere is very good.
There is no cancer or thorn in the side. Randolph and Ricky Davis have both corrected their evil ways and returned to the right path.
Curry, Harden, George and other young people are all very motivated and work hard every game.
White players like Gasol, Milicic and Bonner are even more conscientious and don't cause trouble.
Oh, there is also a Chinese-American Jeremy Lin on the team. Apart from playing basketball all day long, he just wants to save Smart's soul and wash away his sins.
Dunleavy supported him very much. He really felt that Smart needed to be cleaned up. This man was a devil.
Otherwise, why would he allow that stingy, control freak Sterling to ignore the Clippers for two seasons and spend all kinds of money without blinking an eye?
Can celebrities and ordinary fans in Los Angeles be willing to watch Clippers games, and the box office continues to hit new highs?
Therefore, Dunleavy knows that the current Clippers are full of hope.
At the end of the morning training, Dunleavy blew the final whistle to let everyone take a break and eat.
The team did not arrange training in the afternoon because there will be a game tomorrow and the players will be unable to handle too much training and too much intensity.
But no one left the field immediately. Gasol, Harden, Randolph and others were still there to discuss some issues in training.
Curry wore a protective ring on his foot and walked carefully over to discuss with everyone. They were discussing a very important but easily overlooked technical detail in pass-and-cut tactics: how to make good use of screens.
Screening is the core of pass-and-cut tactics. Without good cover, any pass-and-cut tactic cannot work.
Because the Clippers have recently begun to play pass-cutting, the number of screens has greatly increased during the execution of tactics.
However, the quality is relatively average at the moment. Sometimes a tactic cannot be executed because the cover is not good and it fails to help teammates create good opportunities.
A center like Gasol, who is thick and thick and can cover for his teammates all the time, is okay, but a low-post master like Randolph is very bad at covering.
These few games have made Fatty Blue very irritable and he always has to cover. If he had been a cancer in the locker room before, he would have gone berserk and confronted the coaching staff.
But Randolph's temper has improved a lot since he stopped drinking. Smart extended his long-term contract in advance last year, so he can't embarrass the general manager no matter what.
So I endured it, asked for more advice during training, and thought more about it, maybe I could get it right.
Steve Kerr saw that the Clippers players were so serious, especially that a cancerous player like Randolph could be so focused on polishing small skills. It was simply incredible.
He finally believed what Lao Jin said. The Clippers players all voluntarily asked for progress.
He watched for a while and then stepped forward and said: "Zach! Improving the coverage is not just your business, the running players also have to do something. Any tactics must cooperate with each other, I will do it Teach you."
Cole couldn't restrain his inner genetic urge to be a coach and wanted to give some pointers to the Clippers players.
(End of chapter)
