After the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the New York Knicks continue to face their next opponent. Perhaps because head coach Norman Thomas had new considerations, in the next game against the Charlotte Hornets, coach Thomas did not send the returning DeMarcus Cousins onto the court.
From the beginning to the end of the game, Cousins sat on the team bench. Even though he expressed his desire to play to Coach Thomas several times, Coach Thomas never agreed to his request.
On the contrary, it was different for Dwight Howard. Coach Thomas gave him more trust and allowed him to cooperate with substitute forward Mitchell Robinson in the inside.
This arrangement also made Cousins very dissatisfied.
But no one paid attention to him!
There were no problems in this game against the Hornets. The Knicks won the opponent with little effort.
Although the opponent's core player Kemba Walker played for 40 minutes and took advantage of Zhao Feiyang's rest, and finally scored 31 points, this performance still could not help the Hornets find any chance to turn defeat into victory.
On the contrary, the Knicks' performance is very stable.
After there was no dispute inside, Howard and substitute striker Mitchell cooperated fairly well. One of the two is responsible for the pick-and-roll screen, and the other is guarding the basket to compete for rebounds. There is no trace of Cousins' previous appearance of not cooperating with Howard on the court.
After the inside line stabilized, the outside line performance became extremely good.
Zhao Feiyang and Zach LaVine's three-pointers are hot, and Adrian Ennis on the wing has repeatedly threatened the opponent's offense.
It can be said that the performance of their three main players alone is enough to crush the Hornets.
The game was basically over before the fourth quarter ended, with the score tied at 90 to 110, and the Hornets were stretched to 20 points.
For New York fans, it was another hearty victory.
After this game, more and more fans realized that the situation of the team without Cousins was not too bad.
As a result, there are more and more voices about the outside world thinking that Cousins can be traded.
One evening a few days later, in the Knicks training facility, after the players had finished training for the day and left, Cousins appeared alone here.
He rarely enters the training hall at this point, and "working overtime" doesn't suit his style, but he still comes.
This lonely figure continued to practice shooting in the gym, and also performed various skills and movements that he was most familiar with.
boom.
After throwing a basketball that failed to hit the rim, a sweaty Cousins shook his head helplessly and sat on the floor.
"Old! Maybe I am really old!"
Just after Cousins said these words, there was a sound of footsteps behind him. Although it was very soft, Cousins still heard it!
He turned his head to look at the figure behind him. When the other person approached, he saw clearly through the lights that the person coming was the team coach Thomas.
Cousins wanted to say hello, but when he thought about Coach Thomas not letting him play before, his bad temper got worse. He turned his head towards the basket and ignored Coach Thomas.
"DeMarcus, I rarely see you here practicing!"
"It's not easy to meet you even just once..."
Cousins still didn't speak.
Coach Thomas was not angry. He picked up the basketball from beside him, stood there and threw it directly towards the basket.
Uh-huh.
A solid two-point shot.
Coach Thomas's skillful dribbling skills and skillful shooting movements stunned Cousins.
"I haven't played ball for a long time!"
"If I were of the same era as you, I would definitely be able to defeat you in a duel..."
Coach Thomas' words made Cousins burst out laughing.
"Come on! Norman, can you beat me? If you could beat me, you would have played in the NBA long ago... But I have never heard that you can play in the NBA... ..."
Seeing Cousins finally speak, Coach Thomas walked over to him and sat down next to him.
The two sat opposite each other, and Coach Thomas spoke seriously, "DeMarcus, there are still many things you don't know! I wonder if you have heard of it? I graduated from the University of Connecticut, and yes, I trained Ray Allen’s famous basketball school..."
"At that time, like you, I was also the core player of the team. My three-point shooting level was once the top in the NCAA, and my breakthrough also made it difficult for many players to defend... The cheers I received at that time You are no less sought after than you were in college..."
"Unfortunately, I was injured in the semifinals of my junior year... Before that, I was already preparing to land in the NBA! Even scouts from New Jersey had contacted me, and they told me that if I participated in the draft, I would have a chance to enter the NBA. Top six positions..."
Cousins was entranced by Coach Thomas's words, and it took him a while to react.
"and after?"
"Later, my injury ruined my career! I couldn't play in the NBA anymore... So a few years later, I became an assistant coach for the college team. After seven or eight years of hard work, I switched to coaching college ball. The team’s opportunity…”
"Then it's a story you know. I went to the Timberwolves by accident, and together with Zhao and the others, I helped the team win the first championship in team history..."
Cousins froze for a moment when he heard this, not knowing what to say.
Coach Thomas noticed his emotional change and changed the topic to Cousins, "DeMarcus, I actually admire your skills and your various performances on the court... .....You are a bit like me when I was young. Although we have different tempers, our love and judgment for the game are the same..."
"I sometimes wonder what my life would be like if I had a talent like you and used it to my advantage...I can't find the answer! But I see something in you that I look forward to ......."
"You know what? There are many people outside now trying to persuade me to trade you, even the fans think so... But I still can't make a decision. I don't think you are hopeless! It's just that I can't make a decision. The environment in which you grew up has affected you, but there is nothing wrong with you..."
"So I really want to communicate with you, and I want to know what you think... If you are unwilling to curb your temper and change yourself, then I can respect your choice and let the team Management traded you..."
"But if you are willing to change, then I hope we can work together... You do have great talent! But have you noticed the injuries on your body? Young man! Don't be like me, When you actually get to that point, I'm afraid you won't even have a chance to regret..."
