Chapter 11: Tom Thibodeau
Dolan handed over the decision to the Zen master, in fact, he supported Wang Zhuo in disguise, he knew that the Zen master and Wang Zhuo were on the same front, and at the same time protected Wang Zhuo, after all, he was just a rookie who had just joined the company, and if he was too sharp, he would definitely become the target of public criticism, which was a subtle rule in the workplace. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. biquge。 info
Although Mills is on the opposite side of the Zen master, this is Dolan's decision, and he has nothing to say, not to mention that the Zen master is the operating president of the team, and the power is originally above him, and this matter is the sole responsibility of the Zen master, which is reasonable, even if he is psychologically resistant, he can only swallow his anger for the time being.
Comparatively speaking, Fisher and Rambis's situation is very embarrassing, as the personal disciple of the Zen master, he and the Zen master were wearing a pair of pants, who knew that if Wang Zhuo was killed halfway, not only the master-apprentice relationship was broken, I am afraid that the position of the head coach will also be handed over to Xian, and it will not feel good to put anyone on them, and they even feel that it is time to start planning for the next step.
Two days later, the team's management set off for Brooklyn to prepare for the upcoming draft, and Wang Zhuo, as an assistant coach of tactics, naturally went with the team.
As soon as he entered the hotel, Wang Zhuo locked himself in his room and continued to study the video of the game, this time watching the Knicks' regular season in 2014-2015.
If you want to become a qualified assistant coach, or even the head coach of the team, it is absolutely not enough to rely on the study of tactics and strong execution, Wang Zhuo knows this, so whenever he has time, he buries himself in the video of the basketball game to learn as much as possible about the styles of the 30 teams in the league.
In Wang Zhuo's view, in the past season, the Knicks' game did not have too many highlights, the most important thing is that there is no clear tactical system, most of the time it is Carmelo Anthony's one-man show, and after Anthony underwent knee surgery to announce the reimbursement of the season, the rest of the games are even more unbearable to look at directly, basically who gets the ball and who shoots, there is no rule at all.
Throughout the season, the Knicks were in the throes of a rebuild, with a stagnant record and no signs of recovery, with the only bright spot being the mid-season trade of J.R. Smith and Iman Shambaught to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In addition, Fisher's new arrival, as a player to head coach, seems to be at a loss like a rookie who has just entered the NBA and hits the rookie wall, which also makes him understand that the team's head coach seat is not as glamorous as it seems.
Unconsciously, the time has come to the early hours of the morning, Wang Zhuo got up, rubbed his eyes, soothed the fatigue of his vision, and the hunger in his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten dinner yet, in fact, at dinner, the Zen master had come to call him, but he was watching the game between the Knicks and the Spurs at the time, so they went to eat first, and then simply forgot about eating.
From the video of a game alone, Wang Zhuo has seen Popovich's old spiciness, he does not rely on the tactical routines that he has become famous, but his ability to develop the potential of players and the plug-and-play method of players in the game is absolutely first-class, which is also an important reason why the Spurs have been strong for nearly two decades, and another important reason should be attributed to Duncan's evergreen tree.
Wang Zhuo walked out of the hotel and walked boredly on the boulevard, the streets of Brooklyn are neat and orderly, from the air from the air like criss-crossing lines in a chessboard, the architectural style is thick and luxurious, vicissitudes and gorgeous, if the Manhattan district where the Knicks are located is a successful entrepreneur with both fame and fortune, then Brooklyn is a well-groomed half-aged who still has the charm.
Although Brooklyn's nightlife is not as colorful as Manhattan's, it has a different atmosphere, and at this time, the draft has long been forgotten by Wang Zhuo, because everyone already knows the result, and it is just a passing scene.
Wang Zhuo chose a Chinese restaurant and pushed the door in, ordered a supper, picked an empty seat to sit down, and inadvertently looked up, a figure came into view, Wang Zhuo knew him, former Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Thibodeau is known for his defense and talent for finding new talent, winning a championship with the Boston Celtics as a defensive coach and being crowned the best coach when he coached the post-Jordanian Chicago Bulls.
Theoretically, the famous coach who was just fired more than a month ago should not be here, unless he has already started to make contact with other teams, Wang Zhuo muttered to himself.
"Hello, Mr. Tom, I'm Wang Zhuo, assistant coach of the Knicks, I don't know if I can share delicious Chinese dishes with you, maybe your supper can be credited to my bill!" Wang Zhuo stepped forward with a plate and greeted Xibodu very politely, but without waiting for Xibodeo's answer, he sat next to him unceremoniously.
Wang Zhuo felt that since he was a fellow believer, whether it was a comrade-in-arms or a hostile relationship, sooner or later there would be an intersection, and it was understandable to meet and say hello now.
Xibodu raised his head and looked at Wang Zhuo, a little raw, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, he should not have imagined that someone would take the initiative to greet him here, and he was a very young yellow person, but he showed a high level of literacy, and smiled at Wang Zhuo, showing a friendly expression that did not mind at all.
"Mr. Tom, I didn't expect you to be interested in Chinese food as well?" When meeting for the first time, there must always be an opening statement as an introduction, sitting in a Chinese restaurant, Wang Zhuo naturally knows what topic to start with.
"Yao and I are good friends, I used to eat at Yao's restaurant when I was in Houston, Yao's mother was very good at her skills, and since then, I have a soft spot for Chinese food!" Thibodeau served as the Houston Rockets' defensive coach and coached Yao Ming in practice, and it seems like a fond memory to talk about his time in Houston.
"Yao is the pride of the Chinese, the first champion from Asia, and he is the ambassador to promote the NBA to China! Of course, Derek is also a champion to be proud of! While praising Yao Ming, Wang Zhuo did not forget to compliment Xibodeo, and slowly moved on to the topic he wanted.
"Of course, the MVP is the honor that every basketball player aspires to chase, but none of this has anything to do with me anymore!" At the mention of Rose, Thibodeau's eyes lit up violently, but that proud look flashed and instantly dimmed.
"With your qualifications and prestige, it's definitely not difficult to get back into a coaching job!"
"Yes, I didn't come to Brooklyn for the draft, but to meet Philip's son Ryan for the first time, and maybe Minnesota is a good city too!"
As Wang Zhuo expected, Thibodeau did not come to Brooklyn because of the draft, but to meet with Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Ryan Sanders.
Ryan Sanders is the son of Timberwolves president and head coach Philip Sanders, because Sanders Sr. is suffering from lymphoma, Sanders Jr. came to Brooklyn to participate in the draft in place of his father, and was instructed by his father to meet Thibodeau, who had just been fired, to get a preliminary understanding of each other's wishes and see if there was any possibility of cooperation.
"Congratulations!" Wang Zhuo sincerely congratulated that since Kevin Garnett left the Timberwolves, the Timberwolves' miserable situation is as cold and long as the Minnesota winter, and now, Minnesota has a group of talented young players and a coach who is about to coach young players, maybe in the near future, the Minnesota Timberwolves will spend a long winter and welcome the warmth of spring.
"Thank you! New York is bustling too! There really wasn't anything to praise the Knicks, and Thibodeau had to make a digression.
"No, New York isn't just bustling, I think New York's soil might be more suitable for Derek's thorny rose!" Wang Zhuo's tone suddenly became a little harsh, and he said the thoughts that flashed in his mind for the first time when he met Thibodeau.