"Coaching the Grizzlies? That's not impossible."
In the conference room, Tom Thibodeau was chatting with Memphis Grizzlies general manager Dale Clifford. After hearing Thibodeau's answer, the latter also knew that the other party must have conditions, so he was not in a hurry to speak, but waited for him to say it.
"If I were to coach the Grizzlies, then everything would have to listen to me. I don't care if there are star players on the team, in short, they must listen to me on all kinds of things about the game... If If this cannot be met, then there is no need to discuss..."
After Thibodeau finished speaking, Clifford, who was sitting opposite him, couldn't help laughing.
"Tom, I can see that you must have suffered a lot in Minnesota! If I'm not wrong, I guess you have a conflict with a certain star on the team!"
Thibodeau was noncommittal.
"I promise you!"
"The team will be handed over to you from now on, and you will be responsible for all the internal matters of the team. Of course, issues involving transactions need to be discussed with the team management. I guarantee that you will also have the right to know when the time comes. Certain voting rights..."
"make a deal."
Thibodeau took the initiative to stand up and shake hands with Clifford.
That afternoon, the Memphis Grizzlies officially announced that they had signed Tom Thibodeau as the team's head coach for the rest of the season.
This news attracted the attention of many people.
Among the first to notice this incident were Timberwolves fans.
"Thibodeau signed with the Grizzlies? Oh! No! The Grizzlies are now only one spot below us, so it seems entirely possible that we will meet in the playoffs..."
"It seems like Coach Tom still hasn't given up! It's very possible that he signed with the Grizzlies just to take revenge on us! Very good, this is kind of interesting! If he is not targeted, then the next game will undoubtedly become very boring. !”
"This can verify Coach Thibodeau's strength! If he can lead the Grizzlies to defeat us, then maybe he is right. But if he can't, then there is no problem with him leaving the team... ..”
The Timberwolves quickly learned the news.
After learning that Coach Thibodeau had a new home, the players didn't have much interest. Many players don't hate this former coach, but they don't feel grateful either. Even if he knew that the other party would continue to be the head coach of another Western Conference team, he basically didn't react much.
Until the team's interim coach Eric Stotts "accidentally" revealed something to them during everyone's training.
"You have three more games on the road against the Grizzlies."
As soon as these words came out, the players in the entire team became excited.
"What? We're going to challenge the Grizzlies?"
"Three games left?"
"Or away from home?"
Just the thought of facing their former head coach makes the Timberwolves players feel as if they are getting excited. Especially many substitute players, they were not reused in the team at the beginning. Even if their performance last season was not bad, they were still not favored by Thibodeau.
As a result, once Thibodeau left, they got more playing time. I can't say they played very well in these games, but they were definitely worth the price the team paid to sign them.
Now the two sides still have the opportunity to meet and compete on the court as opponents. Many substitute players hope to perform well to prove themselves.
"I'm so looking forward to this game! I must kill the Grizzlies! Not for anything else, just to prove that I can do it... Coach Tom has always said that my performance is not worthy of playing in the NBA. Then I have to tell him: You were wrong!"
"Me too. Coach Tom criticized me and said that my skills are not enough to play in the NCAA. I think he is insulting me! So I also have to prove myself. Isn't it the Grizzlies? I really want to play well with those guys now Let’s fight…”
"We can't lose to them. The Grizzlies were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last season, and we won the championship. If even the Grizzlies lose, I can't imagine that we can make it this year. What will it look like in the playoffs..."
The players seemed excited and looking forward to the upcoming game.
As the core of the team, Zhao Feiyang is also looking forward to the next showdown, but for him, defeating the Grizzlies is not something that deserves too much attention.
After losing to the Warriors, Zhao Feiyang has been reflecting on the reasons why the team lost.
If the problem cannot be found and solved in time, I am afraid that the Timberwolves will not be able to make it to the Western Conference finals this year to compete with the Warriors.
the other side.
Since Coach Thibodeau officially entered the Grizzlies coaching staff, he has once again returned to his previous serious state.
First of all, Coach Thibodeau dealt a severe blow to the disobedient players on the team. On the first day of the meeting, he gave those players who were late on purpose a penalty run. After the penalty runs were completed, Thibodeau refused to count. The coach asked them to continue to do physical training, and in short, he found all kinds of things that could torment them to torture them.
Unlike the Timberwolves, the atmosphere of the Grizzlies is not as enthusiastic and the team is not so united.
With the team's lineup already unstable, there is some intrigue among the players. Even if it looks okay on the surface, it is actually unrealistic to work together to fight against the team's head coach.
Therefore, even if these players are dissatisfied with Coach Thibodeau's torture, they can only show patience.
Especially for some core players, they have certain privileges as stars. However, in the contract year, if they dare to mess around, some of them may not be able to sign with the right team, and they may not be able to receive the treatment given to them by the Grizzlies.
So when faced with the torment, most people choose to obey.
After a "meeting ceremony", coach Thibodeau also took the initiative to introduce himself to the players. Then without any nonsense, he took the assistant coaching team and began to re-adjust the team's lineup. Some players who were originally in the main lineup were also placed on the bench because they did not work hard enough.
"The performance between you guys is so bad! I really can't stand it, so from now on, I'm going to help you become a better team..."
"What I am best at is defense, so I will adjust you from defense first..."
After several days of tossing, the Grizzlies players were complaining endlessly. Mike Conley, the team's biggest star, trains quite seriously, but even he can't stand it under Thibodeau.
The same goes for Marc Gasol.
The only one who didn't seem to have much resistance was Vince Carter, who was entering his twilight years.
The 39-year-old Carter has already reached retirement age, but he can still exert some residual energy in the NBA, so he signed a three-year veteran contract with the Grizzlies.
As a substitute veteran, he is definitely qualified now.
Not only can he accomplish something on the court, he can also serve as a locker room leader off the court to lead these young people and teach them more growth experiences.
"This amount of training is nothing... We all came here like this back then..."
Carter said with a nostalgic look on his face.
At that time, he was a superstar in the league, and he played against Iverson in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals from 2000 to 2001. At that time, he was so strong that few people in the entire east could match him.
He was also the one that fans paid the most attention to in the slam dunk contest in those years. Especially the scene where he jumped 360 degrees for a windmill dunk has become an eternal scene in NBA history.
Perhaps this is why Thibodeau respects this almost 40-year-old veteran. Not only did he take the initiative to reduce his training volume, but he also gave him some tasks of caring for young people.
The regrouped Grizzlies will soon usher in their next game.
This time the Grizzlies face the Sacramento Kings at home.
The opponent is ranked lower than the Grizzlies, but the strength gap does not seem too big. Compared to the Grizzlies' recent two-game losing streak, the Kings have won two games in a row in recent games.
Under such a situation, the two sides started playing at FedEx Arena, the home of the Grizzlies.
As the first game after changing clubs, coach Thibodeau attaches great importance to it. On the day of the game, he came to the scene wearing a crisp black suit. Not only was he wearing a delicate tie, but he even had hairspray on his hair, which he never paid much attention to.
"Defense!"
"Mark, and Randolph...don't let them get into our basket easily..."
"What are you afraid of? If you collide with them, don't be afraid of physical confrontation! You are a group of men, there is no need to cower like a sissy..."
Thibodeau personally stood on the sidelines and shouted.
The Grizzlies' forward line was originally pretty good, but with his adjustments, the Grizzlies' defense quickly improved by an order of magnitude in a short period of time.
Although Thibodeau is not that good at offense, it does not mean that he cannot arrange his troops. On the offensive end, he handed more of the ball to Mike Conley as the core, who organized the team's offense and seized the opportunity to play in isolation.
In addition, the Grizzlies put all their energy on the defensive end. They used their impenetrable defense to beat the Kings almost to isolation in the first half.
In the second half, the morale of the Kings, which continued to make offensive mistakes, collapsed. The Grizzlies took advantage of this opportunity to continuously play defensive counterattacks, and managed to open up the score little by little while playing steadily.
In the end, they defeated the Kings at home, ending their two-game losing streak and winning by as many as 14 points.
Although the main lineup of the Grizzlies is exhausted, it has to be said that in Thibodeau's first game after coming to the Grizzlies, he relied on his own method to deliver a qualified answer.
After this battle, Thibodeau's prestige in the team greatly increased.
The Grizzlies also lived up to his expectations and made persistent efforts to win two opponents in the next two games. After three consecutive victories, the Grizzlies finally waited for their next opponent, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
