In order to reduce the winning rate, under the instigation of Yuanfei, after the concessions of Tang Shuai and Maddie, the rocket announced that Maddie was injured and absent from the battle. Pen ~ Fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info Rocket, which already lacks an offensive organizer, naturally starts a losing streak. The immature Parker was unable to take on the responsibility of playmaking, resulting in the Rockets even losing to two weak teams - the Grizzlies at 2-12 (Grizzlies' two rookies, Gasol and Battier, each played well) and the Bulls with a 2-13 record.

Yahoo Sports, which hacked the rocket many times, couldn't help but speak again: "The rocket's losing streak is due to Dawson's arrogance. With Francis and Mobley sold off one after another, and Dawson stubbornly not stocking up on more point guards, the team was completely reliant on the inexperienced Toney. Parker and Terry. Brown. Dawson's idea of building a team proved to be a failure. ”

Yuan Fei couldn't help but be happy when he saw this report. But it's not good to lose too much, after a wave of 7 consecutive defeats, Alexander feels a little embarrassed, and Maddie can't help but make a comeback.

Maddie's comeback isn't entirely because of the loss. The next game for the Rockets is at home against the Washington Wizards, and the star of the Wizards is the team owner who has recently returned - basketball god Michael Murphy. Jordan. The opportunity to face his idol on the court is rare, and Maddie naturally doesn't want to miss it.

So the Rockets announced Maddie's return from injury in a high-profile manner. Maddy started the Rockets' home game against the Wizards on Dec. 6, with Olajuwon, Thomas, Jefferson and Parker on the court.

But to the disappointment of Maddie and the fans, Michael. Jordan (who is nearly 39 years old, after all) was in terrible form, playing 33 minutes and finishing with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists on 9-of-23 shooting. Maddie only played 23 minutes before cutting 25+5+2 under Jordan's defense, and couldn't bear to continue to play and sat on the bench. The Wizards' interior line is also very bad, and the performance of "parallel import" Kwame Brown is miserable. However, the No. 20 pick signed by the Wizards through a trade Haywood performed well, and he played 30 minutes off the bench against Little Pony and basically did not suffer.

In the end, the 85:90 Rockets narrowly defeated their opponents at home. After the game, Maddie took the initiative to find Yuanfei and chatted.

"Jason, seeing Jordan's appearance today, I seem to understand more about what you said to me earlier." Maddie said hurriedly.

"Oh? What have you learned? ”

"When he had unmatched athleticism and explosive muscles at a young age, he could have relied on back-to-back singles and a steady mid-range shot to eat up other defenders. But as he gets older, his athleticism will definitely decline, and he hasn't played for a few years and hasn't maintained good training, so the current level is much lower than before. Maddie paused, thought about it for a moment and said, "Shooting ability is the guarantee of outside players, especially long-range shooting after aging." ”

"Very good summary. But I'm going to correct you a little bit. Yuan Fei smiled and said, "Jordan is still a great basketball player, but you are too demanding of him." If you don't measure the 38-year-old by the standard of a superstar, as an ordinary star, his level is still quite good. ”

Maddie smiled awkwardly, "Who made him Michael. What about Jordan? Who can tolerate Jordan being reduced to an ordinary star? ”

"So what do you do next?"

"Practice hard shooting, I'll take Reggie. Miller's shooting ability is working towards the goal. Coupled with my physical condition, I should be able to take a completely different basketball path from Jordan. Maddie said firmly.

Yuanfei smiled again.

***

Soon the fans forgot about the 4-2 start of the Youth Army Rockets, the 6-14 Rockets continued to lose, and they gradually became a "bad team" in public opinion. On December 8, the Rockets, who couldn't hold back, beat the Timberwolves by 20 points at home to end the losing streak. But the next back-to-back losses were to the Pistons, followed by another wave of six straight losses.

An unknown young man was the first to discover the unusual place of the rocket. On December 21, a signed letter was signed "John. In an article published on the website Alleyoop, the youth of "Hollinger" analyzed various data on the rocket, arguing that the rocket was systematically rotten. Hollinger pointed out in the article: "In the games where Maddy played, thanks to the powerful three-point shot, the Rockets averaged 100.1 points per game, which can rank fourth in the league, behind the Mavericks, Kings, and Lakers. The Rockets, on the other hand, are generally young, have good physical fitness, and are close to the league's mid-table defensive end. If Maddie plays 38 minutes per game, this team is definitely a playoff game. What's even more terrifying is that he has quite a lot of young players. Even if there is no new blood to replenish, relying only on the growth of young people, the Rockets can form a new force in the next 3 years to impact the dynasty status of the Lakers. Hollinger even boldly asserted: "The Rockets have a clear three- or five-year plan, and they are losing in moderation and planning, which blinds most people's eyes." ”

Hollinger's argument sparked a heated debate in the fandom, and a draft expert soon came forward to refute Hollinger's argument, arguing that 2002 was a relatively small year for the draft, and that the Rockets were not a smart choice to play it out in that year. The expert asked rhetorically: "The top 10 superstars in NBA history - Hakim. Is Olajuwon's contract extension with the Rockets just to see this team mess up? ”

Yuan Fei not only laughed secretly after seeing this discussion, Hakim really led the whole team to mess up after reaching a consensus with the management.

But Alexander didn't think so. Although there was no concept of online public opinion and online public relations at the beginning of the 21st century, a shrewd businessman like Alexander did not want his team to cause controversy. He asked Yuan Fei and Tang Shuai if they should consider winning more balls to face doubts.

"Of course not, boss." Yuanfei did not hesitate to reject the proposal and explained: "Although I am ostensibly a data analyst, you all know my true identity. I'm not just thinking about the quality and development of this team like the fans, I'm also thinking about the wallets of the shareholders. And now there's an opportunity to fill your wallet. ”

"What? Say it. Alexander, who was slamming the door, was immediately interested.

"Didn't we talk about bringing in majian before? Although it failed, you are well aware of the huge market in China. Next summer, China's best basketball prodigy, Yao Ming, will be in the NBA Draft (Yao Ming almost made the 2001 draft, so he's a Wizard), and he'll gather the attention of all of Asia, far more so than the Parker and Turkoglu we have now. We, the Houston Rockets, will be the parent team of 1.3 billion people. Hakim is half Nigerian, Turk and Oku are Turkish, Parker is French, and now we have fans in West Africa, Western Europe and the Middle East, and if we get the world's most populous country, we will be the number one guarantor of overseas ratings in the league, far more than the Knicks and Lakers. Yuan Fei smiled: "Are you still afraid that the money packaging is not satisfied?" ”

"Sure enough, it's a good plan!" Alexander felt that Wang Yuanfei had spoken to his heart, and in a comfortable mood, he happily agreed: "Okay, we will take down this young man at all costs." By the way, Jason, what is the approximate pick of the draft market at the moment? I'll let Dawson trade this sign. ”

"Here's the problem, boss...... Yao Ming was likely to be the top pick in the 2002 draft. ”

“…… are！ you！ kidding！ me！ "Alexander is so full of cows, what about the full wallet that he said? Can this really be done? "Can we trade the champion lot?"

"This ...... It depends on which team gets the top pick, after all, each team has different needs. ”

“￥#%#*& "Yali has a black line on the door of his head.

"So back to our previous topic, it is necessary to put it badly, and it can improve the probability of us drawing the champion." Looking at Alexander's embarrassment, Yuan Fei barely held back his laughter, and insisted on saying seriously.

"There's got to be an alternative, right? What if I don't get it? Tang Shuai, who was old and serious, finally couldn't stand it anymore and forked.

"There's also a very good interior player named Stoudemire, and based on the current market, he's probably going to be in the top 10, and it's not a big problem for us to get him." Yuan Fei is confident about this, "The two people are very different in terms of playing style, Yao Ming belongs to the traditional center of the standing pile type, with the characteristics of Asian players, with delicate skills and can shoot, but the athleticism is average; Stoudemire has a well-rounded offensive and can run and jump, but lacks frontal defensive ability. If we can't get the top pick, it's also good to choose Xiao Si. Yao Ming was wanted mainly for business reasons. ”

Is it just a business idea? Of course not. Yuan Fei is a Chinese student and a local fan of Rockets, and his feelings for Yao Ming are quite deep. From a purely technical and tactical point of view, Stoudemire is probably more suitable for the fast-paced tactics of basketball in the future. But emotionally, Yao Ming is of course the best choice!

"In the second round, we can pick an Australian or a South American and spread the fans of the Rockets players all over the world." Yuanfei continues to imagine a better future for Yali pear.

"It's a great plan to have Rocket fans on every continent in the world!" Alexander was completely convinced, "Since there is such a grand plan, it doesn't matter if there is a little doubt at the moment, just let the fans say it." ”

"By the way, that John. Hollinger is an amazing figure in the future. If the owner is interested in him, he can be poached to be the team's second data analyst. Yuanfei said with a grin.

(Quick fact: Hollinger became a core contributor to ESPN in '04 and wrote NBA analysis articles that are world-renowned, making him one of the biggest names in the basketball media industry.) The PER efficiency value he invented is also one of the most authoritative indicators to measure the strength of basketball players. In '12, he was poached by the Grizzlies and became vice president of team operations)

"Based on the ability you've shown so far, we don't need another data analyst at all." Tang Shuai gave a high evaluation, and he was convinced of Yuanfei's work performance.

"Data is used to reflect basketball games that have already taken place, and it can also be used to analyze and predict future basketball. Mastering data is like giving birth to an eye for the future. "Far Flying opens the river.