Chapter Twenty-Four: O'Neill Returns
The two sides entered a stalemate, and this is when the bench team's five-point advantage in the first quarter was reflected.
Kobe Bryant was not in a hurry, firmly controlled the pace of the game, and pressed every offensive time to the end. I'd rather shoot some balls that don't hit well than make mistakes and let the starters fight back.
At the end of the two quarters, the starting 43:47 substitute. Bryant won the internal training match.
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"Hahaha, boss, do you see how dark the faces of those Lakers' so-called stars are." After the training, Kobe Bryant and his party went out to eat. Fisher shouted.
"That Cebaros, who said he was going to teach us a lesson, was repaired by Big Ben." Bruce Bowen is also a little excited, from a draft pick who played overseas to a starter who has now beaten a playoff team, and only he knows the ups and downs.
Ben Wallace smiled heartily, and he contributed two steals and four blocks in just two quarters.
"It's all bosses." Tyrese Snight flattered that he and Kobe Bryant's group were not so close, and after a series of games, he knew that if he wanted to gain a foothold in the team, he had to hold Kobe's thighs firmly. Especially when he learned that Rob Pelinka got Bowen and Ben a 25W contract, he wanted to change the broker.
"The guys did a great job today!" Rob Pelinka appeared in the restaurant. The group that had not yet received their wages and was not wealthy chose a burger joint. The appearance of a group of strong men feasting made passers-by look sideways frequently. They don't have many fans at the moment, and they don't have to worry about anything when they walk on the road.
"Good, to celebrate our performance today! After eating, go to the strength gym to train! Kobe Bryant said happily.
"Boss, can you change the way you celebrate?" Fisher has a big head, this boss is good at everything, he just loves to pull everyone to practice non-stop. The problem of smashing the ball on the head if you are disobedient really needs to be changed.
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Del Harris gathered the coaching staff after the game and had a brief meeting about the game.
"Bryant was fantastic, he totally deserved to start." Rambis supported Kobe, and in two quarters, Kobe Bryant scored 14 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists in front of the Lakers' starters.
"I think it remains to be seen how he can develop when he just turns 18. Whether he can adapt to the frequent schedule of professional basketball is worth worrying, and who will he replace? Another team's assistant coach said.
Del Harris admired the performance of the bench team, but he also had some doubts that Kobe's performance was based on the ball almost alone in his hands, and the core of the starter would not be him. After starting and sharing the ball with those stars, can Kobe Bryant adapt?
Especially with O'Neal about to return to the team in preseason, will this championship-seeking player tolerate the mistakes of a rookie?
Harris thought about it, but he was still not ready to adjust the starting lineup, and he intended to use Kobe Bryant in the role of sixth man. In his opinion, last year's starters were very experienced and their goal this season is to play better.
'The physical condition of the starters is worrying and Gaviotti needs you to lead them through the recovery drills. Harris thinks that Kobe Bryant's victory over the starters is very big because these players are not in shape.
Los Angeles can make you famous, and it can make you invisible. Kobe Bryant and they are back in the arena for training, and where will the Lakers' stars appear?
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"Hi my guys. The big diesel engine Shaq is coming. The tall O'Neill finally stepped into the team's training gym before the start of pre-season.
It's finally here, and Bryant looks at O'Neal, my comrade. In this life, let's create brilliance together.
The name Shaquille was given to him by his biological father, Joseph Tony. Since Joseph was serving his sentence in prison when O'Neill was 9 months old, O'Neill had to follow his mother, Lucy O'Neill, to marry Philip Harrison.
O'Neill's stepfather, Philip Harrison, joined the U.S. Army when O'Neill was two years old as an army sergeant. As a young man, O'Neill was taller and bigger than other children of the same age, and was very naughty, so he was often taught by Philip with a leash.
After graduating from high school, O'Neill attended Louisiana State University. When O'Neal was on the basketball team at Louisiana State University, he won two NCAA All-American Southern Player of the Year. In 1991, O'Neal was named the NCAA National Player of the Year. On December 3, 1990, O'Neal scored 17 blocks against Mississippi State University and broke the NCAA single-game block record.
He was drafted by the Orlando Magic at the time. During that summer, before relocating to Orlando, O'Neal sharpened his basketball skills under the tutelage of Magic Johnson and spent considerable time in Los Angeles. With teammate Terry Catlich refusing to give up the No. 33 jersey, O'Neal opted to wear the No. 32 from his high school days.
In four seasons with the Magic, he made the playoffs three times. Knocked out the Bulls once, but was swept by the Indiana Pacers and Bulls twice. The Magic offered O'Neal a seven-year, $69 million contract in hopes of keeping the All-Star center. But at that time, O'Neal expected to get a contract with an annual salary of $20 million and a jump option for the third year, but the contract offered by the Magic was not even $10 million, and there was no jump option.
For this reason, O'Neal once asked Magic general manager John Gabriel why the team's top management knew his value and potential, but refused to pay him a salary that matched it. But he gave the answer that they couldn't disappoint Anfinley Hardaway and couldn't offer O'Neill a higher price than him.
So O'Neal launched a poll in the Orlando Sentinel, the most influential local newspaper in Orlando, and the first question asked was whether the Magic should follow if the dismissal of head coach Bryant Hill was a condition for his return? 82% of fans chose "shouldn't". Another question in the poll is: "Is O'Neill worth $115 million?" As a result, 91.3% of fans chose "not worth it". The poll strengthened O'Neal's resolve to leave Orlando. He finally learned that team management and Orlando fans believe that Anfinley Hardaway is the core player of the Magic team, and that he is just a supporting character.
So O'Neal announced to the outside world that he would sign a seven-year, $120 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and officially join the Lakers.