Big Q was selected by the Clippers with the 18th overall pick in the first round. He couldn't wait to sign the contract the next day. Before the contract officially took effect on June 30, he went to the Clippers training facility to report. His attitude was very positive. Full of expectations for the future life.
Two days later, teammates who played in the summer league together came to report. Big Q was very proactive in making friends with his teammates.
He was then bullied by Olowokandi.
Olowokandi asked him to treat him and took him to a restaurant. As a result, after eating, Olowokandi suddenly took out a packet of peanut butter and poured it on his pants. He also yelled: "Why did you poop your pants?" Is it in? Are you incontinent? It’s so disgusting!”
The comments and looks of people in the restaurant at that time, as well as the waiter's action of pinching his nose and taking a step back when he came up to check... For Big Q, this is the psychological shadow that will last his entire life!
But he didn't dare to say anything other than go home, hug his pillow, cry, and curse a few words behind his back.
But tolerance did not help him get rid of the teasing. Instead, the other party got worse. Olowokandi bullied him every day in those days.
So that day Li Ao pushed Olowokandi to the ground and beat him. To Big Q, not only did he not feel scared, but he turned into Li Ao's fanboy on the spot.
But before he could reach the dock, Li Ao's fist was broken by Olowokandi's face, and he went to the infirmary for treatment.
At that time, he was worried that Li Ao would be traded away, but he didn't expect that it was Olowokandi who was sent away!
It’s self-evident what this means.
He was very much looking forward to meeting Li Ao again. After waiting for a long time, he finally met him!
However, he has passed the initial most exciting period. He did not kiss Li Ao's shoes like in the movie, but settled the relationship first.
When taking Li Ao to the room, Da Q introduced the situation of this summer league.
There are 10 participating teams in the Southern California Summer League this time.
The other nine teams are the Lakers, Mavericks, Rockets, SuperSonics, Warriors, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Raptors, and the Canadian National Team.
Their Clippers currently have five consecutive wins and are ranked first.
Li Ao thought, they have Odom, O'Neal Jr., and Corey Maggette. If they can't even win the first place in the summer league, the Clippers really should go to the CBA.
Including him, Big Q, Chris Mihm, and Kenyon Dulin, they have a total of 7 players who will definitely play in the NBA next season.
Kenyon Dooling, the Clippers traded last season's scoring leader Maurice Taylor and Troy Hudson for the rookie point guard selected by the Magic with the 10th pick.
With this deal, why does Li Ao feel that Baylor is helping the logo man pay off his debt to the Magic?
Power forward Maurice Taylor, the 14th pick in 1997, had just averaged 17 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in the season. He also added a high-quality backup point guard who averaged 8.8 points and 3.9 assists per game. He actually only got 10 points from the Magic. Sign number?
If it weren't for the fact that the Magic had made an additional salary adjustment in order to maintain three maximum salary spaces, the Clippers would have suffered a total loss from this deal. Kenyon Doolin probably would never have been able to average 17+6 per game in his life. .
The addition of this salary balance is Corey Maggette, who killed everyone in the summer league and dreamed of returning to college.
Chris Mihm, the center selected by the Clippers with the 15th pick in the first round, was also acquired in exchange for good players.
At the end of the 1998-99 season, the 1994 class of Ramond Murray had the last year of his six-year, $16 million rookie contract left. The Clippers sent him to the Bucks in exchange for the former 13-year-old in 2000. With draft protection, the Bucks just made the playoffs last season.
Lamond Murray was sold by the Bucks to the Cavaliers. Last season, this strong, balanced offensive and defensive high-quality small forward averaged 15.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
Li Ao felt numb when he thought of this.
What is the Lakers star doing?
When they arrived at the room, Da Q introduced Li Ao to the bathroom, restaurant, gym, the location of nearby convenience stores, etc.
Li Ao looked at Da Q's fat and silly appearance and was in a good mood, and said, "Thank you, Quentin."
name!
He called my name!
Da Q is about to burst into tears.
It's been a long time since he heard someone call him by his real name. He has been called Big Q since he was a child. After he showed his basketball talent in junior high school, no one seemed to remember his original name.
Now someone asked him why he was called 'Big Q'. He said it was because the first letter of his name was Q, and his name was difficult to pronounce, so others called him that.
But in fact, this was the name that others laughed at when he was a child.
His skull has been oval since he was a child, and he was missing a tooth when he was in elementary school. At that time, he was darker than he is now. With facial defects, he kept his mouth open without deliberately closing his mouth, and his single front tooth was always exposed. His classmates made fun of him because he had a Q on his head, or a big Q.
Later, when he showed his talent on the basketball court, he couldn't get rid of the nickname Big Q.
After more than ten years, he has become accustomed to others calling him this.
But suddenly someone called him 'Quentin' instead of 'Big Q', and he broke his guard...
…
After putting away his luggage, Li Ao went to choose a jersey. No one was using No. 0, so he continued to use it. Near noon, nutritionist Jack and his girlfriend came to stay at a nearby B&B and prepared nutritious meals for Li Ao. .
When Gentry came to ask Li Ao to have lunch, he saw that someone actually brought a nutritionist... Their team only has one nutritionist, and they will be on vacation after the season! Work will resume in October!
After lunch, it was time for Gentry to test Li Ao eagerly.
He feels miserable when he thinks about it. Three weeks have passed since the draft for the players who were selected with the third overall pick, and the Clippers didn't even have a chance to try out the opponent.
Gentry is full of expectations. This is the genius that allowed the Lakers to risk affecting the team's morale during the Finals to negotiate a draft pick trade with the Magic.
Although there are business reasons, they are not enough for the Lakers to take such a big risk.
Just his static physical fitness makes Gentry's eyes light up!
He is 201 centimeters tall and has a wingspan of 218 centimeters, but his weight of 94 kilograms is too light. Gentry estimates that confrontation will be a problem and he will have to find a solution this summer.
When it came time for the speed, strength and other tests, Gentry quietly found a corner where no one was and slapped himself in the mouth.
In the strength test of the equipment, although Li Ao was not as good as Maggette and Odom. One of the two is a muscle monster and the other is a body that can match the center, but compared with the team's Big Q and Piakowsky, who are similar in height. , Li Ao, who is more than ten pounds lighter, has even better test results!
Moreover, the speed is at the same level as Maggette and Big Q. You must know that the athletic ability of these two people is considered outstanding among black people.
When it came to the technical test, Gentry took Li Ao and the trainer to the small square.
Yes, it's so popular, the Clippers' summer league training is in the open air.
First is the shooting test.
Teammates who were practicing in the square came forward to watch.
They were afraid of returning, but they were all curious about the strength of this No. 3 overall pick.
Especially the newcomer O'Neal, whose four-year garbage time career has not dulled the fire in his heart.
Now he finally has a chance to stand out, and in a weak team like the Clippers, his goal is the boss!
There are two competitors in his mind. One is Odom. In his just-concluded rookie season, Odom averaged 16.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. He is an all-around player like Grant Hill.
The other one is the flower show in front of you.
In view of Li Ao's outstanding mid-range shooting performance in the third stage of the madness, Gentry arranged a large set of mid-range shooting tests with 100 shots, one step inside and outside the free throw line, five fixed angles, and 10 shots at each point.
Then, the teammates heard the sound of "swish, swish, swish", and occasionally heard a "哐", but then it was "swish, swish, swish" again...
The trainer next to him was counting every hit.
When he reached 99 shots, Li Ao had already hit 89 goals. The last ball hit the basket with a "clang", and he let out a "屮" in annoyance.
This performance exceeded the expectations of his teammates!
Is this the kind of mid-range shot an 18-year-old player should have? They heard that Li Ao turns 19 next month!
But this Thousand Swordsman still looked very dissatisfied.
But they felt that this guy was really dissatisfied with his training performance.
Gentry was ecstatic. He stepped forward and said, "Leo, you performed well."
"It's still a little bit worse. I could sometimes score 90 goals a few days ago."
Gentry completely forgot about the brutal appearance of the opponent before, patted Li Ao on the shoulder and said: "Haha, by the end of this summer, you will definitely be able to score 90 goals stably, or even more, and you are already the mid-range shooter on our team. The best player ever."
Li Ao questioned: "Isn't that true?"
Gentry was a little embarrassed by this question.
The teammates cursed in their hearts, but did not dare to speak out.
Although embarrassed, Gentry still had to let the players know that the team's reality was not true. He replied: "That's right."
Li Ao's mood at the moment was very hesitant!
Suddenly his eyes lit up and he asked Gentry: "In other words, our team doesn't even have an excellent mid-range scorer, so I can get a lot of opportunities?"
Gentry swallowed.
This is what happened, but it doesn’t need to be said so directly, it’s very hurtful.
He responded: "Yes, based on your playing style and performance in college, I plan to make you our first choice in the mid-range.
Your midrange shot is better than I thought.
Lamar is the best all-around fighter in the world.
Jermaine, God, I have never seen a center with such outstanding talent. It is a pity that he wasted 4 years, but it doesn't matter, he is still young, not yet 22 years old, and there will be plenty of time to improve in the future.
I have discussed it with other coaches and management. Leo, Lamar, and Jermaine are our core trio in the future. In my opinion, you may become the strongest frontcourt combination in the league! "
In front of everyone, Li Ao likes Gentry's operation of confirming who the team's most important player is and clarifying his training goals.
It will dampen the enthusiasm of some players who aspire to become the core of the team, but at least there will be no such outrageous thing as Poole asking the team to use the best player in team history as a trading chip.
But Li Ao found a leverage point: "Coach, if Duncan goes to the Magic, they can send out a frontcourt combination of McGrady, Hill, and Duncan."
Gentry closed his mouth and snorted, his nostrils widened, and shouted: "I just think the three of you will be better than the three of them in the future!"
Teammates: Yao Shou! Their head coach yelled at the violent handsome guy! Will he be beaten?
what to do? There is still a little expectation!
Li Ao picked his ears and responded: "Yes, yes, yes, I know you are optimistic about us. Why are you so fierce? Come on and continue the test. Isn't there still team training later? Hurry up! Is there a three-point test next?"
His reaction greatly exceeded the expectations of his teammates.
"Henry gave me the video clips of all your college games. I watched them all. I remember you don't know how to three-point, right? New to training?" Gentry inquired about some of Li Ao's training with the Lakers and knew This genius doesn't want to test things he doesn't know how to do.
"Yes, I specially developed the three-pointer for the draft training before, but I didn't expect it to be used."
Gentry: (￣┏＿┓￣)
The teammates had different ideas at this time, their talents were average in the NBA, and they just wanted to curse;
Odom is a careless person who doesn't care about other people's talents;
Like O'Neal Jr., he doesn't believe that someone can develop a three-pointer in two months. If you practice three-pointers in preparation for trial training, the NCAA season will end on April 4, and you will participate in NBA trial training in early June. It will take two months to complete the game. ;
There are also people who admire him - Big Q.
Soon, the three-point Test began.
The first time Li Ao caught the ball and made a three-point shot, Gentry was stunned and his eyes lit up at the same time!
Why is the action of three-point shooting different from that of mid-range shooting?
Oh, it must be because mid-range shots always need to face the defense, so they need a higher release point; and three-pointers after catching the ball are often open three-pointers, so you practiced a faster release action?
Oh shit! Is this something ordinary people can do?
However, this action is perfect for catching the ball and making three-pointers!
Gentry couldn't think of anything else that was more suitable for catching a three-point shot than this.
Watching Li Ao catch the ball and shoot three-pointers feels like a pleasure!
The disadvantage is that this action is not suitable for single three-pointers.
Li Ao plays without the ball, at least now that he is 18 years old, he still plays without the ball. There is no need to consider three-pointers in isolation with the ball for the time being.
Gentry put away his distracting thoughts and focused on Li Ao's three-point shot.
72 out of 100, Li Ao made the last ball, and the joy on his face was visible to the naked eye. He was better than usual, with a hit rate of over 70%.
Gentry recalled that Li Ao didn't make a single three-pointer in the Crazy Three finals on April 4th. It had been three months since he had played full games, right?
Figure out a new shooting motion and develop a smooth and complete release.
The training three-point score of 72 out of 100 is definitely not that accurate. There are many in the team who are more accurate than this.
But it’s only been 3 months! By now the foundation has been laid, and going from scratch to being able to shoot is one of the most difficult stages of developing a shot! Next comes the growth stage!
Gentry has only one thought now: Leo, who else do you want to fight? Just fight! After he was beaten, I immediately went to the general manager and begged the boss to drive him away!
…
Physical condition and shooting talent can be displayed very intuitively.
In terms of passing and control, technical tests, etc., Li Ao's performance was mediocre. In singles, except for back hooks when facing shorter players under the basket, there was almost no one. But this Gentry doesn't care much about test data and pays more attention to Li Ao's performance in the NCAA. The support talent shown in the game.
Next, it was time for the team to practice together. The content of the joint practice was an intra-team training match, which was divided into two teams. Kenyon Dulin, Big Q, Li Ao, Odom, and undrafted Darko Anderson were assigned to one team.
After the game started, teammates frantically passed the ball to Li Ao, and they passed it when they saw Li Ao was free.
After playing for a while, Li Ao stopped the game.
He was just puzzled at first, but later he realized something was wrong, but he chose to endure it first and stopped the game because he couldn't bear it anymore.
He yelled at three teammates: "Lamar, you shouldn't have passed it to me just now. I moved to the high post and the defense followed me. Darko has already reached that position. If you pass it to him, he can take one step and shoot."
Kenyon, why did you give me the ball in the previous round? Lamar attracted Jermaine's defensive attention on the baseline, but Chris couldn't make up for it. Quentin and I pulled people away from the outside. You can score directly from the free throw line.
You two should have this sense of competition!
Quentin, stop holding the ball, passing blindly, and breaking through is not as good as mine. Long-range shots and air-cut counterattacks are more suitable for you..."
Suddenly, the teammates came up with an idea: Could this new violent man really want to cooperate well with his teammates?
Especially the three teammates who were accused by Li Ao felt very complicated.
They pass the ball without thinking, and their ideas are actually different.
Odom had something in his mind. He was worried that Li Ao would find out that he was the one who set him up and let him go alone, so he wanted to pass more passes to Li Ao to improve the relationship, but he didn't make good passing choices.
Kenyon Dulin, who is also a rookie in the lottery, is not convinced. The team values you so much, so they will give you the ball and see what you can do.
Big Q is - give the ball to the boss!
They didn't expect Li Ao to react like this.
After Da Q calmed down, he felt a little aggrieved. He felt that his breakthrough was better than Li Ao, but he still responded: "I understand."
The other two people didn't speak, but after Gentry signaled to continue training, they all focused and devoted themselves to the team training match.
A few more rounds passed, and the teammates, who had no longer had those distracting thoughts, had different views on Li Ao.
He moves diligently, gives priority to passing the ball, and always appears at the right receiving point. If the person holding the ball wants to pass the ball, he can always find someone...
In a team training match, and it was his first time participating in a team training match, their prospect didn't care at all whether he had a chance to take action!
Is this a high level of self-confidence? Or is he just that selfless? Or both?
Gentry, who was watching, also sighed - he is indeed a super genius who can enter the NCAA and lead his team to victory.
When he had a dinner date with Henry Bibby, what he said and what he analyzed when he watched the video were all correct!
Li Ao's court awareness is so good!
Make full use of your strengths and avoid your weaknesses.
There's also passing. Why did Gentry feel that during the game, their genius Tan Hua Lang passed the ball more accurately than in the test just now?
They all have point guard-level accuracy!
His thoughts have changed now: Leo, do you want to hit me? Hit me if you want, just be gentle, but don't drive me away...
Gentry was startled when this idea came up, and he quickly got rid of the distracting thoughts. He had no masochistic tendencies.
However, Gentry was mentally prepared for Li Ao's performance on the offensive end and was pleased, but not surprised.
Li Ao's performance on the defensive end surprised him!
The target of Li Ao's defense was Maggette. Maggette's brutal breakthrough was difficult for Li Ao to handle, but his performance in the confrontation was not as unbearable as when other college students faced Maggette in the summer league, and it could even exert some necessary restrictions.
The most eye-catching thing is that Li Ao can guide Maggette to a breakthrough line that he is not good at, creating defensive opportunities for his teammates inside. However, Darko Anderson lacks the ability and does not use it well. When he swapped the centers of the two sides, the situation changed. It's different. With Mim's help, Li Ao can restrain Maggette!
The choice of confrontation timing during single defense, awareness of positioning, defensive steps...Li Ao's performance in this aspect, in Gentry's opinion, is even more impressive than his offensive end!
…
In just one day, the teammates' perception of Li Ao has undergone some subtle changes.
His violent image was deeply engraved in the minds of his teammates.
But Li Ao's attitude towards the game and the way he played today were admired by his teammates.
After the team training was over, when everyone else was going to have fun, Li Ao stayed and practiced three-pointers and mid-range shots for half an hour, letting his teammates see his efforts.
Based on the above, the teammates' attitude towards Li Ao has changed somewhat.
Like Odom, he thinks Li Ao is very violent, but he just doesn't provoke him. If he is really scared, he just doesn't have contact with him outside of games and training.
The next morning, Li Ao followed the team to an open-air stadium on the outskirts of Santa Ana.
Although it is open-air, the specifications are still that of a formal stadium. The stadium is surrounded by stepped auditoriums in a circle with more than 3,000 seats. There are many drive-in restaurants, convenience stores, etc. outside the stadium.
Clippers players are excited today!
Many reporters came!
And the audience was packed! This is the first time after playing 5 games!
Almost all reporters came for Li Ao.
Kenyon Martin and Swift, two triple-A rookies, performed disappointingly.
Kenyon Martin's athletic ability, defensive awareness, and offensive rebounding are remarkable. However, in the 6 games of the Boston Summer League, he averaged only 8.5 points per game. Jan Martin had almost no independent offensive performance.
Swift, on the other hand, couldn't make a difference in the summer league. Kenyon Martin managed to get 11.7 rebounds per game. Apart from blocking shots and dunks, Swift only averaged 7 points and 4 rebounds per game.
At this point in the summer league, the best performer is Jamal Crawford. He played 7 games in the Rockies Summer League in Salt Lake City, averaging 25 points per game in singles, like a superstar. But a 40% shooting rate is dismal.
The Bulls selected DeMar Johnson with the seventh overall pick and sent him to the Cavaliers in exchange for Jamal Crawford, a future second-round pick, and some cash.
Another high-profile rookie, Mike Miller, is in a similar situation to Kenyon Martin. No one feeds the ball and his ability cannot be shown.
Both of their teammates are similar to Crawford. If they can do it alone, they can do it alone.
At present, the performance of the 2000 rookie class in the summer league can be described as annihilated. The media had thought that this rookie class would be very poor, but they did not expect that the summer league would be as bad as this.
Now only Li Ao is left, and the media are looking forward to Li Ao's performance.
No matter if it’s a standout or everyone is rubbish, it will always be a hot topic!
(End of chapter)
