At the end of September, when Link stepped onto the training ground at the Federal Express Arena again, he couldn't help but smile.

It's been a long time!

As always, it smells of hard work and sweat. It was the same place, bare, and there were no pennants of honor to decorate. Here, as always, the giant Grizzlies logo is right in the middle of the court, reminding everyone of their villains.

Of course, not everything has been the same this year.

For example, Rudy, who is always swaggering. Guy has become Andre who has brought a small gift to each of his new teammates. Iguodala.

For example, there is a walking meme and fashionista in the training gym. Poplar.

Another example is that the team has a big man named Aizeli. Jimmy. Butler stared at the big guy who was drafted at the end of the first round like himself, and secretly rejoiced in his heart. In the future, someone finally did it for him.

The most important change, of course, is that before training camp began, the people who gathered the Grizzlies players were different.

"Guys, it's a great pleasure to see you! My name is Brad. Stevens, the next season will be up to me and everyone to go on! Stevens wore a dark blue suit today, which looked like a good match for the Grizzlies' primary color.

He looked at everyone with a smile, it was his first time coaching a multi-millionaire, which was certainly very different from coaching college players. But Stevens wasn't nervous at all, and remained calm.

"I know, you might be wondering, what can a coach who hasn't played professional basketball do at such a young age. I have to say, I don't know anything, I don't even know what it's like to play professional basketball, and the worst shots among you are better than me. But I'm going to use my efforts to make everyone and the team better, and that's what I can do. I trust all of you, so I hope you can trust me too. ”

Stevens' attitude is very humble and does not have the slightest managerial pretension, which undoubtedly adds to the players' good opinion of him.

There are many ways to build trust and authority, you can be harsh, but you can also find another way.

Although Stevens is very young and is coaching the NBA for the first time, his resume in the NCAA is well known. As a result, the Grizzlies are looking forward to working with the NCAA coach.

If the Grizzlies really put a 35-year-old coach with no resume on the training ground, it is estimated that the players would have exploded long ago.

Therefore, the essence of competitive sports is to win. If you win, people will respect you. Stevens' achievements in the NCAA will make him respected in the NBA.

Link looked around, at his familiar and unfamiliar teammates, as if his blood was stirring.

The new season is coming!

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On the first day of training camp, Stevens focused on recovery training and did not schedule any tactical training.

Jean Elster. Turner and Dave. To the surprise of the two assistant coaches, Stevens almost single-handedly completed the Grizzlies' entire program for preseason training camp, and they could barely help.

With so many players in the team, it is a lot of work to make training plans for them one by one. But Stevens just did it, and God knows how many game tapes he watched and how many nights he stayed up for it.

That alone gave Joggle and Turner immense respect for Stevens. The coach who has brought a small school like Butler to the NCAA Finals for two years in a row is truly extraordinary.

At the same time, on the basketball court, Link is also very happy with his new teammates.

Especially with Andrey. Iguodala.

"When you came to Manchester, I didn't expect us to play in the same team this year. Iguodala, who was really stretching his ligaments with the help of his trainer, joked with Link on the side.

"yes, so, the world is amazing. By the way, Andrey, is it still used to it in Memphis? How prepared are these for housing? Have you bought all the furniture? I can put you in touch with someone if you need to. ”

Link may only be a third-year player, but as the core of the team, he also has to build relationships with everyone on the team. Especially for new players, sometimes a little care will make the new players feel extremely warm.

Allowing new players to find a sense of belonging is the most important step in the early stage.

"Thank you for your concern, Link, I've got it all figured out. If I have time, I'll take the time to visit your house and find out. ”

"Hahaha, welcome at any time, Andrey."

"By the way, Link, did you read ESPN's new season preview article yesterday?" As she spoke, Iguodala turned to basketball.

"Not yet, after such a big change this summer, we should have a good reputation."

"No, quite the opposite. This year, we are very under-favored. In the words of an ESPN columnist, we are the 'pseudo-favourites' this year. Iguodala smiled, because in the article, his joining was also considered to be a thunderstorm and a little rain.

"Not favored again? We've reached the Western Conference Finals two years in a row, and we've made so many additions this summer. Link was speechless, the small ball market really has no human rights.

"In our opinion, our reinforcement program is great. But in the eyes of the media, our reinforcement is just a waste of effort. ”

Iguodala's words caught Link's attention, and after returning to the locker room after practice, he also read ESPN's new season preview.

Sure enough, there are no human rights in the small ball market.

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"It's a fantasy for a team with a bad market to risk paying the luxury tax for years to come and spend money on a squad that's hard to go any further. Their salary space is completely locked in, and it will be difficult for them to make significant additions in the future. Perhaps amnesty for a highly-paid star on the team could get the Grizzlies out of trouble, but it's hard to avoid a fluctuating record. The future of grizzlies is really a 'bear market.'"

The first sentence in the preview made Link shake his head. Sure enough, as soon as it came up, it made a fuss about the small ball market.

"Grizzlies in 2011 without a leading power forward Rudy. In Guy's case, he miraculously reached the Western Conference Finals and seems to have become the favorites for the championship. But last season they didn't make any progress, and they almost couldn't even get past the Spurs. It can be seen that the attributes of the Grizzly Bears pseudo-strong team are exposed. This team has never had championship genes, and their players are all a mouthful of bad luck. ”

Link patted his head, could it be that his memory was out of order? Are you sure the Grizzlies didn't almost knock over the Thunder to reach the Finals, but they almost couldn't get past the Spurs?

"Is Link a core who can take the Grizzlies to the next level? No, as you can tell from the Grizzlies' lack of improvement last season, Link is not a leader. People thought that being named to the All-Star starter last season was just the beginning of him, but it could quite well be the pinnacle of his life. Next season will be Link's third season, which means he's 24 years old! That's right, as a senior, Link's age has always been a big issue. It's hard for a 24-year-old player to make a big breakthrough. Andre. Iguodala? He may not be as useful as Rudy for the Grizzlies. Guy. On top of that, the Grizzlies also paid for Poundset, a bench bandit who didn't perform well last season. ”

Link shook his head, who said that if you finish your senior year, you will definitely not be able to type? Didn't Duncan also finish college before being drafted? In addition, Iguodala hasn't played a game, so you say he's not as good as Guy?

Also, the most stupid thing is that the Grizzlies didn't renew the contract of the experienced Hollins and instead signed Brad Brown, who shone in the NCAA. Stevens...... It's an unbelievable operation. I'll admit that Coach Stevens has done a great job in the NCAA, but there are countless examples of college basketball coaches going to the NBA to test the waters and failing! Coach Stevens has no experience coaching professional players, and he is too young to convince players. Can you imagine, Zach. What is the picture of Randolph obediently listening to a young coach? It's hilarious! Stevens could change the Grizzlies' already well-established system, which could most likely lead to a decline in the Grizzlies' record! ”

"Grizzlies' new owner, Robert. Pera is also very young and he is a little too rushed. He spends a lot of money, but there is a good chance that he will not see a return. With no big-name stars willing to play in Tennessee, it is difficult for the Grizzlies to go further with a high-paid team led by Link and Randolph. ”

In the end, at the bottom of the article, the author gave the Grizzlies an overall rating of only C+. He thinks the Grizzlies might be able to finish in the top five in the regular season, but this year, with the Lakers forming an F4 combination, the Grizzlies may not even be able to make it past the second round.

After reading this preview, Link was indeed a little angry. So he looked up at the top and wondered who the author of the article was.

ESPN Data Analytics Specialist – John Brown. by Hollinger. ”

Link threw away the magazine and laughed playfully.

Data analytics expert? Lao Tzu will let you know that basketball is not just about using data to analyze.

The start of the new season is only a month away!