A PK between Hayes and Artest, which caused the Bobcats to lose two games. Such a senseless loss made Hayes hate Artest.

The Bobcats lost to the Hawks, and Hayes also discovered the problem that a team must have an absolute core. The Bobcats roster looked strong, and Hayes thought he could win the Eagles without himself, but that wasn't the case. When Hayes wasn't on the floor, the players didn't have a good chance of distributing the ball. Wallace is the oldest on the Bobcats, and Billups is the most experienced and talented man with Durant. Gerald Wallace is not convinced by anyone except Hayes, so he naturally wants to be the main attacker, in fact, when he was the offensive core of the team, he averaged 18 points per game at most, and his scoring ability was not too strong. Billups, who started the game ahead of Deron Williams and Chris Paul in the Dream 8 and has been playing well in recent games, also believes that Hayes is the team boss in his absence. Durant is the most capable scorer other than Hayes, but his teammates don't pass the ball to him, and he doesn't dare to say anything.

Hayes' role in the team is not limited to statistics, as long as he is present, the players are very clear that they have to pass the ball to him first and attack from his point. Hayes was out of the box when he wasn't attacking. Lynx Hayes is the boss, but it's hard to say who is the second in charge. Last season Gerard Wallace was the clear second-in-command. But he can't be said to be better than Billups, Durant became the team's leading scorer, and when he was in Los Angeles, he was invited to participate in the event with Hayes, which was a signal, and most fans felt that Durant was the second man of the Bobcats. If you can't fight for the boss, you have to fight for the second, and everyone will inevitably have selfishness.

The relationship between the other players is not particularly harmonious, Brook Lopez is playing more and more, and the veteran Camby is playing less and less, Camby is starting to have some opinions about the arrangement of the coaching staff, Lopez is young and has potential, and it is understandable that the coaching staff will focus on developing him, but Camby's contract is more complicated, consisting of annual salary and bonuses. As long as Camby plays more than 60 games this season and can get 10 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks, he can receive an extra 3 million. So far, Camby's stats have dropped to 5.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks, and his playing time has been reduced from 35 minutes last season to 26 minutes. As a result, it was very difficult to meet the contracted figures, which made Camby a little unhappy.

Also on the inside who are not satisfied with playing time are Bagnani and Marc Gasol. Bagnani also played as a Bobcats main player last season, and after returning from injury, his playing time has been reduced to just 18 minutes, which is really too little for a top pick. He feared that his career would be doomed if he continued like this. If it weren't for the Bobcats' chance to win the championship, he would have wanted to ask for a transfer now. Mark Gasol has played too little time in the Bobcats, and sometimes he can't make it into the rotation, and there is no player who doesn't want to make a name for himself in the NBA, not to mention Gasol, who has been on the NBA gold rush from Europe, and he has been on the bench for a long time.

Van Weaver and Anthony Morrow don't have a good relationship either. If Morrow wants to get into the rotation, he usually replaces Weaver. Weaver, who was also nominated for Sixth Man of the Year last season, has been reduced to a fringe this season, playing less than 10 minutes per game and mostly in garbage time, scoring just four points. Weaver was a proud man who wanted to be put to good use. Morrow has a three-point stunt, has a performance of more than 20 points in a single game, and as the season progresses, he is less and less willing to be a marginal man.

Also there are Rajon Rondo and George Hill. Rondo's shooting has been criticized, and the coaching staff often praises Hill for his good shooting, which makes Rondo feel threatened. Rondo has a very good passing sense and is a pure point guard, but he has few opportunities to play because of Billups' presence. When Rondo went to church, he prayed that Billups was injured, which shows how much he wanted to be on the throne. (Is this a prayer?) Hayes found that the relationship in the locker room had become a little strained. Although no one dared to challenge his central position and spoke to him politely, the players in the same position have already begun to fight openly and secretly. No one obeys anyone, and they don't talk much to each other. At some point, the dressing room became more and more deserted, and there were very few people talking before and during breaks, let alone joking.

Basketball is a team sport, and to win, you need not only the stars, but also the team. Many teams have a good configuration on their books, but it has always been difficult to achieve convincing results, which is inseparable from the temperament of the team boss and inextricably linked to the internal atmosphere of the team. And the internal strife within the team directly affects the team, which in turn affects the team's combat effectiveness, and can even lead to the collapse of the dynasty.

The Bobcats now have no one to stand up for the boss with Hayes, and there will be no disintegration of the team, but the relationship between teammates is not "monolithic", which will still affect the team's combat effectiveness.

In the Bobcats, or in the NBA as a whole, there are some unspoken rules that affect the mood of the players, such as rookies being called around by veterans, carrying bags, being responsible for serving tea and pouring water, and so on. These are all trivial things, and if you are a broad-minded rookie, you naturally won't care about it. But in the Bobcats, several veterans are "newcomers" who have just arrived at the team, and their seniority in the team is not as good as that of young people like Weaver and Landry, and in this case, it will be offensive to want to command rookies such as Lopez, Morrow, and Hill.

When eating in the team cafeteria, the players are also "ganged up", with the main players eating together, the main substitutes getting together, and the people on the fringes sitting together. These are small things, but Hayes thinks they can't be left alone. "Evil accumulates in small ways." For the "small things" that affect the overall situation, we must not take it lightly. A swarm of small insects, with their insignificant but incessant attacks, can kill a giant tree; A small "anthill" that forms an infiltration, causing a pipe gush that can cause the embankment to collapse.

Hayes wanted to do something to bring the players closer together.

On November 25, Hayes returned from the ban and scored 24 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Bobcats beat the 76ers 117-98 at home.

The next day, Hayes paid for the team to invite the players and coaches to Charlotte's best restaurant, "FirebirdsWoodFiredgrill", to celebrate the success.

Hayes was well-known in the local area and easily booked a large private room, and he made a special request to the people in the restaurant, one private room, two tables.

After the players entered the private room of the restaurant, the members of the coaching staff and the main players and veterans sat at a table, and the substitute players sat at a table, forming a clear division.

Hayes had already offered Azubuuk a seat on the bench. This leaves one of the substitutes sitting on the side of the main player and the coach.

When Hayes sat down next to Azubuuk, Gerard Wallace shouted, "Chuck, come and sit here?" ”

"Why can't I sit here? We're all in the same room anyway. Hayes laughed.

D'Antoni and Van Gundy also asked Hayes to come and sit.

Weaver smiled wryly, "It's a fringe player here. I'll just say it's not right for you to do it here. ”

"I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Before I start the meal, I have something to say, first of all, I want to announce that after every home win in the future, I will invite everyone to come here to eat and celebrate! Hayes smiled.

It's a very extravagant restaurant, and Hayes is the team's most lucrative player. He generously paid for his teammates to eat, and people were happy. Azubuke and Durant also took the lead in applauding Hayes.

Hayes motioned to Azubuk to stop coaxing, stood up on his own, his expression became a little more serious, and said seriously: "Next I want to say something, we are a united team!" But there was something unnatural about us when we were resting in the locker room and eating in the cafeteria. Now we have two tables here, any idea what I see here? It's not that everyone sits in two groups, but that they're estranged! Yes, it's the gap between the main players, the substitutes, the fringe players...... I would like to ask, why is this happening? I suggest that everyone sit together, disrupt this unspoken rule, get to know each other sincerely, and say something in your heart! It's not a perfect world for us on the Bobcats, but there are no classes here, we're equal. We are friends and there is nothing we can't say. ”

Everyone looked at Hayes in amazement.

"I'll tell you what I think. I think everybody wants to get minutes, get shots, get good stats and prove what they're capable of. But the stats aren't the most important thing, Ginobili is not inferior to Maddy, but he is willing to be the team's best sixth man, and there is also Terry of the Mavericks, who is also the one who has the quality to be the main player, but they are all sacrifices for the team's victory. No one thinks they're weak because of that. The most important thing is that everyone has to play to the best when they are on the court. As long as I play, I won't pass the ball to him because someone is a substitute and his strength is weak, as long as he has a chance, as long as he works the court, I am willing to give him the ball, give him rebounds, and to win the championship, I must play the most reasonable team basketball, in order to better cooperate on the court, we must eliminate the barriers off the court and work hard for a common goal! I want everyone to open up. I'm just talking about my own psychology right now. This season, although I have announced that I want to win the championship, the media has already thought that we are arrogant, in fact, my goal is to break the Bulls' record of 72 wins, we have lost two, but in the next games, I am confident that the number of losses will be kept to less than nine! ”

Azubuk also stood up. Said loudly: "I will also talk about my own psychology. Last season, I started for a long time, and now when Kevin [Durant] comes, I'm pushed off the bench, and at first, I was very upset with this kid because he cut my playing time in half, but I want to do it now because he's really strong. He's a good scorer and with him it's easier for us to get the title! I'm willing to give it my all when I come off the bench. I think we should strengthen the communication! Instead of secretly trying to grab the main position. ”

Marc Gasol also stood up. In English, which is not very fluent, he said, "I'll talk about it too." I know my weakness is my slow movement, but I have strengths, I'm a good team player, I have the strength to play and I want to play more when the opponent's interior players aren't strong. I came to the NBA from Europe, I hope to have a successful career, not to be on the bench all the time, even if my strength is not enough, I hope that everyone can support me, help me, and let me improve in my skills! ”

At another table, Billups and Miller stood up together. Miller motioned for Billups to speak first.

Billups laughed, "I want to go and sit over there." Who will switch places with me? ”

Miller laughed, "That's what I want to say, too. Chuck was right, we should communicate more. Although not everyone can be the main force, we can be good friends and make progress together! ”

The atmosphere in the room was stirred up, and Hayes's initial purpose was achieved.

(To be continued)