In the first training game of the Rockets, Maddy's red side won by a small margin. The standout of the players was Chuck Hayes on the blue side. He scored 30 points, easily beat Juwan Howard, and established himself on the team in one fell swoop.

No one felt sorry for Howard, including Howard himself, who knew that he was getting older and would sooner or later be surpassed by young people. This kind of intra-team competition is good, and he's happy to see newcomers like Hayes grow. The Rockets are now lacking offensive points, and only when the youngsters get stronger will the Rockets have the potential to go far in the playoffs.

The afternoon training session was over quickly, and Hayes didn't practice more. One is because he's in a state of excitement right now, and the other is that he has something else to do today, helping a poor guy who is going to be laid off.

"Corunna, are you free tonight?" Hayes laughed and stopped Azubuk.

Azubuuk played badly today, a little depressed, and when he saw that it was Hayes, an old friend who had just broken up with Maddie, he immediately changed his smile and said, "I'm free." Can I help you? ”

"Let's have dinner together. Talk about basketball. Hayes laughed.

"Okay, I happen to have a lot of things to ask you, Chuck, let's have a barbecue together, I'm in for a treat." Azubuk said excitedly.

Hayes was not polite either. They knew each other very well, college was teammates, they were drafted together, they were undrafted together, and they played summer league together for the Rockets in July.

What Hayes' offense was like, Azubuuk couldn't have known better. Azubuke has always regarded Hayes as a fringe man for the Rockets, one of the main contenders for the 15-man roster. It's only been more than two months, and Hayes is already shocked by the progress he's made. Even if he broke his head, he couldn't imagine that the person in front of him was no longer the Hayes he used to be.

Seeing Hayes so fierce in training matches, Azubuuk knew that Hayes would start in the new season. What's more, he saw firsthand that Hayes was talking speculatively with the manager. If the other party can say a few kind words for him in front of the coach, his chances of staying with the Rockets will definitely increase.

Hayes was determined to let Azubuk stay, not because of the friendship at the university, but because he knew Azubuuk's future technical characteristics. Agile, whether it is a breakthrough or a fixed-point three-point shooting, the shooting rate is enough to be trusted, and he is also very hard when defending. Even if it doesn't work this season, it will be useful next season. Keeping him to train is to keep the fat and water from outsiders, and it is better to let him sit on the bench than to get him back to the Rockets.

Barbecue restaurant. The waitress asked, "Two gentlemen, what do you want to drink?" ”

"Have a whiskey." Azubuuk looked at Hayes with an inquiring look.

"A glass of orange juice, thank you." Hayes said.

The waitress looked at Hayes, stunned for a moment, and burst out laughing. The provoked Azubuke burst out laughing. "Haha, Chuck, why don't you drink?"

"Don't laugh. I'm going to quit drinking in order to stay in shape. Hayes blushed. Hayes originally drank, but Hyun Feng didn't like it, and after considering the fate of Wen Baker (supersonic star), he decided to quit directly. In the NBA league, alcohol and drug abuse are very common, and a quasi-otaku like him who doesn't smoke, drink, or clubgo is almost a dinosaur.

In less than a minute, two large portions of grilled steak were served. Hayes felt an appetite as soon as he smelled it, and he was ready to visit the shop more often in the future.

Hayes picked up a knife and fork and cut a piece of beef and tasted it in his mouth, drank a sip of orange juice, took the initiative to open the conversation, and said straight to the point: "Corunna, we have become friends for an old time." I've been paying attention to you when I'm off the court just now, how do you think you're playing? ”

Azubuke sighed and said, "I felt terrible shooting today. But it's just a bad form, and I'm definitely going to have a much higher shooting percentage going forward. ”

Hayes stuffed meat into his mouth again, chewed for a while, and said, "Hehe, to be honest, I'm very optimistic about you, you are agile, you are sharp in your breakthroughs, and you can create shooting opportunities." You're in too much of a hurry today. ”

As soon as he heard the other party praise himself, Azubuke was full of confidence for tomorrow's training.

Hayes looked into Azubuuk's eyes, and from the look in his eyes, he could tell that the other party was a serious person. The tone was a little more serious, and said: "We are good friends, I really want you to stay on the Rocket team and continue to be teammates, so I must remind you that you are taking the wrong route now, do you know where you are wrong?" ”

"Please speak up." Azubuk's attitude was very respectful, and the food in front of him did not move.

"Defensively. You should focus on that. Our head coach Jeff Van Gundy has always focused on defending and instilling in his players the most defensive philosophy. Maybe your offense tomorrow will be much better and you will score a lot of points. But if it doesn't change, it will only leave the coaching staff with the impression that the offense is strong and the defense is weak. I bet you're going to be cut by the Rockets after the preseason. ”

Azubuuk was a little moved, these words were very straightforward, he clearly felt that Hayes was thinking about him, and asked: "Then you say, how can I change?" ”

Hayes laughed: "I know Jeff Van Gundy very well, you can see it, the two of us are on good terms right now. It's because I train hard and play hard. You can work defense, even if you can't defend it, you have to do your best, as long as you ensure the hit rate in the attack, not empty opportunities as much as possible. After breaking through, he scored more points and created opportunities for his teammates. I dare to assure you that as long as you can do these things well, you will definitely stay. I stayed, and I don't have to worry about not having a chance in the future. ”

After hearing this, tears flashed in Azubuk's eyes and said, "Chuck." Thank you for telling me this. When I was in college, you took care of me like an older brother. But just this morning, in fact...... I also see you as a major competitor...... I want to squeeze you out of Team Rocket...... I'm sorry. ”

Seeing Azubuuk's expression, Hayes was startled. It is said that the American is straighter than the Chinese and is not very good at playing false, and he was still a little skeptical. Now look, this guy is so real. Hayes lowered his head, embarrassed to look at Azubuke again, and said slowly: "There is nothing wrong with your thoughts, competition is everywhere, even if you really squeeze me out of Team Rocket, I won't resent you." Hehe, haven't both of us experienced the failure of the 2005 draft, what do you feel in your heart, I know. Therefore, we have to work together to let those people outside know that they chose the wrong person at that time! ”

"Yes. They chose the wrong person! Azubuk slapped the table. Speaking out loud, Hayes's words completely fueled his fighting spirit.

"Hurry up and eat, the meat is cold." Hayes said, putting another piece of meat in his mouth.

Azubuk smiled and finally got started.

"Chuck. Can you tell me how you exercise? Why is it that after only two months, you are so strong? Azubuk asked, this was what he was most curious about.

"Bryant's 6-6-6 training method. I'm doing that, too, with a slight change from his set. I pitch almost every day until I can't lift my arms, and I throw thousands of balls a day. And strength training, running or something......" Hayes finally found a chance to brag. In fact, his training volume is much lower than Kobe's legendary training volume, and only shooting can be completed. Others, such as push-ups and box jumps, if a person of Hayes' size is allowed to "suicidal training" like Kobe, it is estimated that the suicide will be successful.

Azubuuk's eyes showed admiration again, and he said, "Even so, your progress is too fast, and you seem to shoot more accurately than me." ”

"I feel good today, but tomorrow I may not be so godly. If you're not afraid of getting tired, we'll start practicing together tomorrow. With 1-on-1 practice with me, your defense will definitely improve a bit. I can also train a lot. Hayes raised an eyebrow and smiled. He also wants to find himself a one-man opponent, and Azubuuk is a good choice.

"Okay. I listen to you. You are older than me, and you will be my big brother in the future. Azubuk agreed. He had a hunch that he would be able to get ahead with Hayes.

"Hmm. Don't think too much about it, just focus on playing well. Defense is the top priority, and the Rockets have Yao Ming and Maddy in the field, so don't expect to get too many shots, what we have to do is to be the best help for them. If you shoot too much, it will cause the coaching staff to be disgusted. I voted so much today because the manager acquiesced. He's the only person on the team who knows that I'm shooting like crazy. Hayes said.

Hayes also has a very good impression of Jeff van Gundy right now, and he hopes that he can change Jeff van Gundy and make him a truly successful coach, and keeping Azubuke is the first step that will help him coach.

Azubuuk is still not too confident about his prospects. Hayes gave him an analysis of the current form of the Rockets.

"The guys who definitely stayed on included Maddy, Yao Ming, Howard, Alston, Battier, Hyde, Wells, Spanouris, Mutombo, and me, so that's 10 people. The remaining four Novak will stay, and the team picks him for three points. John Lucas III, based on his summer league performances, will stay. Kirk Snyder is amazingly physical and should be here to stay. The last two spots, one to be exact, Sula is the coach's favourite player, and he will be on the injured list at the beginning of the season and will have to squeeze one out when he returns. In the end, it should be you and Ryan Bowen, Kathy Jacobson, Padget, and Hayaz. Bowen averages 1.5 points per game and is also older, so he is directly excluded. Hayaz will not be a qualified substitute for Yao Ming, and he has no height. Your main opponents are Padgett and Jacobson. Jacobson has no character...... Padgett will only make three points except for his height advantage. Besides, you, can you shoot suddenly, defend hard, and I blow in the coach's ear, are you afraid that you can't compete with them? ”

Azubuk smiled knowingly, completely relieved.

The next day, Azubuk gave a fresh look in the training match. He shot less and took the initiative to distribute the ball to teammates with better chances after breaking away. Shots are made only in open positions. Defensively, Azubuike also rose like Viagra. No matter who is in the opposite position, they are stubborn and stubborn, and they do not let the opponent receive the ball comfortably. He couldn't do anything about Maddy, but he made Hyde, another Rockets shooting guard, very uncomfortable, as long as the two of them were in line, Hyde didn't get an easy shot.

Jeff Van Gundy yelled at Hyde from time to time on the sidelines, approving Azubuke in some way. With this momentum on defense alone, the future Warriors will stay in Houston.

In yesterday's practice match, Hayes showed his scoring prowess. Today, Jeff Van Gundy put him on the red team in place of Howard, teaming up with Maddy. The task of blocking and dismantling was given to Mutombo, and Maddie had unlimited fire in the attack. Although Hayes wanted to play singles, he had to force his surname and reduce his shots, instead passing the ball to Maddie and constantly interspersing his movements.

Maddie's strength, in addition to scoring unstoppable, also has his passing awareness. Maddie has a wide field of vision, can definitely play the point guard position, round passing skills, he has to be above Alston, plus his own offensive ability, or shooting or passing, virtual and real, making it more difficult to guard.

Hayes is aware of Maddie's characteristics, so although he doesn't play like an inside player, he has become a good partner for Maddie. As long as Hayes runs out of the open space, Maddie is definitely the man to the ball and pass to Hayes. Hayes scored less, but played more beautifully, he attracted the defense after receiving the ball, also passed a lot of good balls, and his teammates who assisted were comfortable.

The most exciting scene is that after the steal, Hayes formed a single fast attack, and when he saw that no one was catching up, he made a ruthless back dunk, which he practiced for a long time, and it took three times to succeed once. This time, it was obvious that God was helping him, the ball was smashed beautifully, and everyone in the audience cheered for him. Today was open training, and the fans who came to watch the training match all agreed that Hayes was the best candidate to assist Yao Mai. His main position is solid, and if he doesn't start, the fans who have watched the training will not agree.

Hayes is not complacent because of this, he believes that he is playing so well because the Rockets' interior line is too weak right now. Technically, he still has a lot of things to improve, mainly defensively. He knows that his defense is definitely not as good as it used to be, especially the awareness of grabbing rebounds. If he is not tall enough, he needs to better hold the position when grabbing rebounds, concentrate, and make accurate predictions, his sense of card position is not strong enough, and he is not used to hand-to-hand combat with people on the inside, which will become his fatal injury in the official game.

Now, if Mutombo is around, Hayes will hardly get a rebound, this is not that he deliberately respects the old and loves the young, it is the gap.

The Rockets' open training session is over today, and the whole team will rush to Austin (the capital of Texas) to officially start preparations for the new season. The Rockets will train there until Oct. 9, and the content of these trainings will not be disclosed to the media. The various media outlets that had seen Hayes's performance in the training session were also silent, and did not trumpet in the newspapers or on the radio that "Hayes has practiced shooting" and so on. Jeff Van Gundy has given several longtime media outlets a wake-up call that he will have Hayes keep his outside shooting prowess hidden until the start of the regular season, catching opponents off guard.

That night, Hayes had insomnia. It's not about going to Austin to get excited, it's about his first heads-up practice with Azubuike today. He underestimated Azubuuk's offensive ability, and was happily cleaned up by the little brother who had just been received. Hayes couldn't stop Azubuuk, mainly because he couldn't keep up with the speed. What made him even more painful was that Azubuk said what he cared about the most - "How can you defend not as good as before." ”

In the attack, the two said that they were not allowed to use their physical advantage to play hard, so Hayes couldn't get any bargain in front of Azubuk with the ball in half a tone.

Day 2, Day 3...... In Austin, Hayes was easily defeated by Azubuke in heads-up again and again.

Hayes had a fire in his stomach and trained harder. Especially in the internal group confrontation, he began to practice defense. He couldn't keep up with the pace of the outside players, and almost all the inside players were prevented by him with his strength and couldn't enter the three-second zone. The worst is Hayaz, the soft-style interior substitute who was bullied by Hayes with muscles and lost confidence in himself. Watching him play, the most impression is that he is frequently hit by Hayes on the inside, and he only proves one thing, that is, he is afraid of muscular men.

On October 1, the Rockets had a half-day holiday, allowing the players to relax and adjust their state. Hayes and Azubuuk, who were constantly training, were basically overdrawn and decided to rest. Azubuuk went out for a walk, originally wanted to eat something good in the dormitory, and Hayes, who was celebrating the Chinese National Day, received an invitation from Jeff Van Gundy.

Jeff Van Gundy is also a tennis fan. He and the famous American tennis player Roddick met at a charity dinner in 05, admired each other and became friends, leaving contact information. This time in Austin, Roddick sent two tickets to Jeff Van Gundy. The coach's kindness was not refused, so Hayes went to watch a tennis match that he didn't understand at all.

The two entered the arena relatively early and chatted together.

Jeff Van Gundy waited for the match to start before he remembered one thing and asked, "Do you usually watch tennis?" I forgot to ask if you were interested. ”

"I'm very interested in watching, but I can't let me fight." Hayes laughed.

"That's good. You've been doing well lately. I should also comfort you, Yao Ming is about to return to the team, he has a minor toe surgery, it will be a little late, I also want to see how you can work with him, your play is very important for the Rockets. "Jeff Van Gundy already has a beautiful blueprint in his head about the team's offensive and defensive system.

"I'm also looking forward to practicing with Yao Ming. Playing one-on-one with him will definitely help me improve my interior defense. Hayes laughed.

"I see you've been going head-to-head with Corunna [Azubuuk] lately. What's the catch? Jeff Van Gundy asked curiously.

Hayes was a little depressed, shook his head, and said, "The bonus is that I am more aware of my weaknesses, and I have to find a way to increase my movement speed." I really can't keep up with that kid, and we said we don't need to fight physically, so I always lose badly. ”

Jeff Van Gundy stared at Roddick, who was entering, took a sip of water, and said lightly: "Corunna has become much calmer in attack after practicing with you, and the defense is much stronger than Hyde." I think you're really an assistant coach seedling. Originally, I always felt that he was strong and weak in attack, but now it seems that we have to keep him. Do you also think he is good, so you ask him to practice alone? ”

Hayes laughed, "yes." We were college teammates and I knew him. He's got the pace, he can break through, and he's got a shot with one hand. One-on-one situations are very threatening. I think he's a lot better than Padget, Jacobson and others. As long as he is given enough time, he will surely prove himself and become an important scoring point on the Rockets' bench. ”

Jeff Van Gundy nodded and said, "I hope he's as strong as you say." ”

With a few simple words from the two, Azubuuk's position was determined. The man who left turned out to be Jacobson, who was supposed to stay for a short time. The Rockets already have enough perimeter shooters, and Jacobson has a pitiful role to stay on the team.

After the game started, Jeff Van Gundy had a lot less to say. Just a round of applause when Roddick hits a good shot.

Hayes also clapped a few times along with the symbolic surname. He didn't understand tennis and started to find the game a bit boring. After watching it for a while, he was attracted by Roddick's fast and accurate running skills, and he watched attentively.

"Roddick is so fast, he can run over and catch a reversal ball like that distance just now. What's going on with his footsteps, that little jump ......" Hayes asked, observing Roddick's footwork for a moment.

"That's a basic broken step. While the opponent is hitting the ball, the body gently bounces upwards and touches the ground with both toes, using the reaction of muscle contraction to create momentum. This is the basis of tennis, and increasing this speed allows you to run half a step more distance and hit more balls a foot away. Jeff Van Gundy laughs.

Half a step more? Hayes was eager to stand up and experience it for himself, saying, "I think he's more than a foot away." It's too fast. ”

Jeff Van Gundy took a sip and explained like an expert: "That's because he lands on his toes with one foot, which makes it easier to make the next move, and that's where Roddick is great, he has a good sense of the ball, and he predicts the direction of the opponent's shot at the moment of jumping, so that it is possible to take a step and a half faster, not to mention half a step." But if you land on the ground with the opposite foot, it's bad. ”

Already inspired, Hayes excitedly asked, "What if this technique was applied on the basketball court?" ”

"If you think about it, can you predict the opponent's breakthrough route in advance, but what if the opponent has already started during the light jump? But I don't have a problem if you want to try it, but I think it takes someone who reacts very quickly and judges very accurately to do it. "Jeff Van Gundy didn't expect Hayes to think of basketball when he watched a tennis game. I value him even more in my heart.

"Is it okay to react quickly?" Hayes was overjoyed. Since he was reborn, he had a distinct sense that his reflexes had become faster than before, and faster and faster.

Going head-to-head with Azubuuk again, Hayes is ready to practice this one-footed step. If the person who wants to defend is a defender, he has to use this method to keep up with the speed.

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