Chapter 30: The Season Begins
September seems to come very quickly, and it is also very hurried, and I hurriedly packed my bags and came to the world.
Addison, who has not been in the public eye for more than two months, is resting ...... Or maybe after enough self-abuse, I packed my bags and returned to Miami to rejoin the training camp.
It's no longer just the boys and the trainer in training camp, the rotation players who have finished summer league, and the players who have just been signed to the team and don't know when they will be cut on non-guaranteed contracts, all of whom are desperately trying to get a spot on the Heat's roster for the new season.
by David. Fitzdale and Juvan. Howard's assistant coaching staff was responsible for the training of these insecure players, while Addison only trained with the team during group training, and the German Roggers continued to guide him in individual training for most of the rest of the day.
Such a highly valued treatment makes the players in the training camp look hot, but who made Addison the focus of the uniform group? Who made him hold a 2+2 guaranteed contract in his hand?
In the training camp, the boy also saw several players who signed the same guaranteed contract as him, such as Josh, a power forward who had just moved from Charlotte to Miami. McRoberts, Shaun, who was waived by the Lakers. Williams, and the former All-Star swingman who never found his form again after a serious injury, Daniel. Granger.
These people came to the training camp early in order to be able to get back into shape as soon as possible through training, to add more points to their rotation time for the new season, and by the way, to let the coaching staff see that they still have the strength to continue to be reused.
Like Daniel. A former first-class wing player like Granger, even with a rapid decline in form and physicality, his awareness of on-court experience is unmatched by others in training camp now, including Addison.
And Granger doesn't seem to have the same frame as a veteran of the league for many years, and is more than willing to share his insights on the game with Addison. Granger is a smart guy, and he can see that the highest status in the training camp at this time is not his veteran, but the Chinese rookie who the uniform team did not hesitate to trade for the starting point guard last season.
Permission not to play in the Summer League, and team boss Dwyane. Wade trained together for almost a month and joined Dream Team training camp as a rookie as a sparring partner...... These are what make Daniel. Granger sees very well that at least Addison will have a solid position in the team at the beginning of next season, and he is also an absolute focus on training.
Now is the best chance for him to get closer to Addison, Granger basically stays with Addison during training, and insists on being in a group with the boys when he plays in groups.
Addison was not at all averse to this, and Daniel at his peak. Granger is an amazing player in the small forward, and his understanding of shooting skills really benefits the boys.
Heat management hopes to expand the roster to 20 players, then watch the players through practice and games, and plan their 15-man roster before the regular season begins.
In mid-September, Addison traveled to New Jersey alone for a three-day NBA rookie program...... Actually, it's with Jabari. Parker huddled in his hotel room and played video games for three days.
When the boys returned to Miami, the management signed two players in a row - veteran Chris Brown, who returned from the Chinese league. Johnson, as well as Addison's former teammate at Duke University and this year's undrafted rookie, Andre Brown. Dawkins.
The 6-foot-4 Dawkins is a great three-pointer and showed excellent outside firepower on 12-of-20 three-pointers for the Heat in the Orlando Summer League. The uniform team also signed him to make up for Sean. Battier, Ray. Allen, the team's lethality from 21 feet after the departure of veteran shooters, also made a supplementary attempt to add to Wade's bench position.
So far, the Heat's 'Duke College Gang' has basically taken shape. Deng, Josh. McRoberts and Andrea. Dawkins, as many as four of whom are from the Duke University Blue Devils, form a column of new and old students with an age span of nearly ten years.
As the end of the month draws closer, more and more key players are returning to training camp. Old captain Udunis. Haslem is back, England small forward Ruhr. Deng is also back and has finished enjoying the Hawaiian scenery of Chris. Bosh also appeared at the training camp...... Finally, Dwyan. Wade is also back in training camp.
The first thing the Heat said when they returned to Miami was the first thing they said to the team and the media: "Addison is covered by me, he is our future." ”
***
On Sept. 30, the first day of the Heat's training camp, a video of an interview was posted on the IPad that head coach Spoelstra gave to the players.
Last season's Heat's backup point guard Norris. Speaking to the media, Kerr said: "We've had a lot of changes this season and each of us will have a bigger responsibility than we did last season. I've learned a lot in my three seasons with the Heat, and I've learned a lot about how to work with my teammates on the court and how to get the most out of my point guard position. I'm sure I'm the one who did the best job in this position and I proved it last season as well...... Yes, I think I'm going to be the most suitable starting point guard for the new season, and the best. ”
"What do you think of this year's No. 8 rookie drafted by the team, Addison. Quiet?? The reporter then asked.
Norris. There was a smile on Cole's face, a mixture of egotism and disapproval: "He's a very talented player, but there's still a lot to learn, and I think I'll be willing to help him grow." ”
No one knows why such an interview video appeared on the IPad given to everyone by the head coach, but Addison still had a calm face and no reaction after watching it, and continued to immerse himself in training.
However, his lack of reaction does not mean that others have not reacted, and the next moment the video was revealed, Jabari of the Bucks. Parker and NFL supernova Jersey. Granger fought back on Twitter and Facebook.
"He's the best point guard for the Heat?? What are you kidding, this guy probably hasn't woken up from his dream!! Let me tell you clearly, Mr. Cole, even if you mix in the NBA for another ten years, Eddie's strength and IQ are more than 100 times your strength!! Wait until your average efficiency per game reaches 15 or more one day before challenging Eddie, or you will honestly sit on the bench and accept your fate!! —Jabari. Parker.
"I remember that Eddie has been training masochistically since the end of this year's NCAA Finals, and he hasn't stopped until now. And what are you going to do after the season, Mr. Cole?? Let's see how much fat you've gained because of the vacation, and hopefully your uniform team hasn't forced you to lose weight!! —Jersey. Granger.
Naturally, such a highly directional text was not exhibited in public by Spoelstra, but Norris. Cole couldn't have been out of sight. Being slapped in the face in public by two major league rookies made him angry, and he just wanted to take revenge on Addison as an old bird, but Wade returned to training camp at this time and left a sentence of "Addison is covered by me".
Although Wade, the boss of the team, cannot show his favoritism towards anyone, his actions are undoubtedly implying that he is on the side of the Chinese rookie.
Now Norris. Kerr is not good at making any more moves, after all, he himself knows very well that the reason why he replaced Chalmers as the starting point guard in the finals last season is only because the Heat are really unavailable at the No. 1 position, and his form is not much better than Chalmers......
The battle for Miami's starting point guard, which erupted without warning, once again attracted the attention of the media, and also brought some attention to Addison, who had been low-key for a summer and had never been found by the media since leaving the Dream Team's training camp.
Faced with issues that could cause conflicts within the team, no one in the Heat's uniform team spoke up, whether it was Spoelstra or Pat. Riley has allowed the media to add fuel to the story.
On the day of training camp, Spoelstra officially announced the Heat's goals for the season. The outside world has almost unanimously expressed pessimism about the prospects of the Heat, with the departure of LBJ, the only one of the 'Big Three' to maintain peak form last season, and the addition of Ray Brown. Aaron, Sean. Battier, Rassad. Lewis is a powerful player who will retire and transfer, and many ESPN experts even believe that it is difficult for such a Heat team to even break into the playoffs.
However, the Heat's uniform team has set a playoff ticket as the team's minimum goal, and it is also a task that must be achieved. Whether it's Spoelstra or Pat. Riley is very optimistic about the current team's lineup, and it seems that there is no such serious concern and pessimism from the outside world.
In such a calm and harmonious atmosphere, the Heat ushered in their first preseason game of the new season, and the team traveled to New Orleans, French territory, to challenge Anthony Brown. The Pelicans led by Davis.
***
Last season it was Anthony. Davis officially began a season of transformation, starting from a potential rookie to advance to the league's hottest All-Star power forward, averaging 20.8 points, 10 rebounds and nearly 3 blocks per game, and shooting more than 50%.
With his explosive physique, long arm span, projection ability and basket breakthrough skills that are rare among big men, he looks very much like Kevin in his prime from the perspective of his style expertise. Garnett, and ESPN also saw the 'Wolves King' as a template for his development when he entered the NBA.
Unlike most rookies, Anthony. Davis can contribute a lot on both ends of the floor, and his ability to protect the basket and his awareness of helping to defend are extremely good, as evidenced by his nearly three blocks per game.
This summer Anthony. Davis represented the U.S. national team at the FIBA World Cup. Faried's interior athleticism topped the entire World Cup, and the Dream Team won the title without incident.
Now that the Pelicans have been rebuilding around Davis for two seasons and their roster is nearing completeness, it may be difficult to make the playoffs in the Western Conference, but no one can deny the talent and energy of this team.
"I need you to do a little bit today, Addison." Half an hour before the start of the game, head coach Eric . Spoelstra found the boy alone, "Or maybe I need you to do that in these preseason games......"
Addison looked at the Filipino's somewhat serious face and blinked in confusion.
"I know your shooting has improved a lot, but I need you not to be seen by anyone in preseason. These games minimize your shots from 10 feet away and make all opponents feel like you're the same person you were at the NCAA Finals a few months ago......
"Can you do it??"