Chapter 637 [Consultation, Maximum Benefit]
The most difficult part for the Lakers to strengthen is the coaching staff. Yang Rui and two assistant coaches have left, and Scott Brooks and Brad Stevens have joined the Thunder.
The two most famous coaches on the free market are Mike D'Antoni and Byron Scott. D'Antoni was Yang Rui's assistant and is relatively familiar with Yang Rui's tactics. The Suns did not make the playoffs last season, and Scott's Hornets were eliminated in the first round.
After the discussion, Jim Buss once again showed his blind nature and decided to sign Byron Scott because he had won the best coach award twice.
But as Scott, the best coach, no one can say what tactics he is good at. On the offensive end, he just lets the stars perform. He has established a good defensive system and led the Nets and Hornets to play tough defense.
As soon as the Lakers' new coach was announced, Yao Ming called Yang Rui and asked him for advice.
The Internet is discussing who will be the boss next season, Yao Ming or Kobe. Yao Ming is ready to get out of his contract after 10 years. He is just 30 years old and can sign another long-term contract with a maximum salary.
Yao Ming can maximize his benefits only by renewing his contract with the Lakers. According to the 15-year labor agreement, he can sign a six-year contract, and Los Angeles is a big market and has enough exposure.
However, he no longer wants to be teammates with Kobe.
In Yang Rui's previous life, many people have analyzed that the reason why the Lakers' performance declined rapidly after 13 years and it was difficult to attract big-name stars to join was because of Kobe. Almost no big-name players are willing to partner with Kobe.
?An agent who did not want to be named and has many stars in his hands said, "I have had many clients in the past five years, excellent players, and they don't want to play with Kobe. As for the reason, they don't want to become the Lakers. After becoming a member, he gradually became a scapegoat. In Los Angeles, all the spotlight will only focus on Kobe, and everyone else will be a backup, even Shaq (O'Neal)."
It is not difficult to understand why Dwight Howard insisted on leaving Los Angeles, because "Warcraft" and Kobe were not happy as teammates. After going to Houston, Howard smiled again.
The Lakers also pursued George in 2013, but George refused to go to Los Angeles and eventually completed a contract extension with the Pacers. In fact, George has said many times that Kobe is his idol, but idol and teammate are completely different things. This also reflects from one aspect that few outstanding players are willing to be teammates with Kobe.
After hearing Yao Ming's idea, Yang Rui said: "Actually, you still have another way, which is to force the management, saying that only one can stay between you and Kobe, and they have a certain chance of keeping you."
Yao Ming smiled and said: "It's useless. They (Yao's team) have analyzed that the chance of the Lakers keeping me is very low. The most likely possibility is to sign and then trade me for other stars. I want to leave, but I am afraid. I can’t go to a big city team. So I want you to help me make a suggestion, which team is more promising, and I can designate the trading team at that time.”
In 2013, "Warcraft" Howard was forced to leave. Jim Buss chose the former between the seriously injured Kobe and the young Howard. It is indeed difficult for Yao Ming to become the leader of the Lakers.
Yang Rui can understand Yao Ming's thoughts. Yao's team plans to let him go to a team that can guarantee commercial value. Winning the championship is secondary. Once the team is signed and traded, the lineup of the team traded will definitely be damaged and it will be difficult to compete for the championship.
With a 6-year maximum salary and various commercial contracts, Yao Ming will earn a lot more money than in his previous life. If he is lucky and does not get injured, he may be able to earn twice as much. Now he has reached the top three in the history of the center position, and it is difficult to get closer. Even if he has the strength, the league may not be willing to promote an international player to astonishing heights.
Yang Rui thought for a while and replied: "I suggest you join the Nets."
"Why?"
"It is now a foregone conclusion that Prokhorov, the richest man in Russia, wants to buy the Nets. Although the Nets have left Kidd and look bad, the new owner will definitely be willing to spend money to rebuild. They have salary space to poach you next season, Kenyon Martin. When it expires, there are enough chips. Love and role players are definitely the right choice. There is also the possibility of competing for the championship in the future.
"Yang Rui explained.
Love scored 13.2 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists in his rookie season with the Nets. He was almost elected Rookie of the Year, second only to Derrick Rose and better than Beasley, Mayo and others.
In Yang Rui's previous life, Love was one of the few stars in the league who could produce ancient statistics. He scored 31 points and 31 rebounds in a single game, and averaged 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game at his peak.
Love is super strong on the offensive end. He can not only attack the basket, but also has shooting range beyond the three-point line. He can use pick-and-roll tactics to open up space for his teammates. His weakness is his movement speed. He currently weighs too much. Before his face slims down into Paul Walker, he is a black hole on the defensive end. He is only good at grabbing rebounds and can resist people.
The Russian tycoon is a typical example of "people are stupid and money comes quickly". He dug up a bunch of mismatched stars and made a mess. Now that there is a chance to switch to Yao Ming, it would be strange for him not to be tempted.
Yao Ming asked again: "Since you are optimistic about the Nets, will you coach next year?"
"No, I like California and don't want to go to the east to develop." Yang Rui basically rejected Yao Ming's proposal to join forces again.
Yang Rui is not optimistic that Yao Ming will win another championship. He will be 30 years old next year. One thing that Chinese athletes cannot compare with black players is endurance. They usually start to decline at the age of 30. Yao Ming's physical fitness is inherently weak. Playing for more than 30 minutes will reduce his efficiency, and his physical fitness will be even worse in the future.
Signing Yao Ming with a maximum salary, even if he is not injured, if he can only play 30 minutes per game, he will not be able to be dominant.
Yao Ming played well last season, which actually had a lot to do with the lack of possession of the ball in the regular season. It was Kobe who allowed Yao Ming to conserve his energy. If Yao is always the core, his chances of injury will be greatly increased.
Even if Yao Ming can stay healthy until the age of 35, Ilgauskas, who has a similar style, will become slower and slower after the age of 30. The development trend of the NBA is that the offensive and defensive rhythm is getting faster and faster.
If Yao Ming wants to exert his defensive power, his outside teammates must be very mobile, just like the Lakers' configuration last season. If his teammates are not good at chasing pick-and-rolls, Yao Ming will have to leave the penalty area.
In Yang Rui's previous life, big centers played less and less roles in games. Even a man with super quality such as JaVale McGee was at a disadvantage when switching defenders and could not play for long in a game.
After that, more players contacted Yang Rui one after another, either on the phone or online. Many players who have worked with him regard Yang Rui as their life mentor because he has an amazing vision and makes no mistakes in team selection.
Iguodala also plans to leave the Lakers. He wants to form the core of a team and see where his limits are. However, it is much harder for him to leave. He has just signed a long-term contract, so even if he signs first and then trades, it is impossible. Send him away in the same year as Yao Ming and complete the reconstruction directly.
There are also agents who come to test the situation. James, Wade and others want to know if Yang Rui is interested in coaching them.
Among the stars, the ones who want to win the championship most are the stars from the 2003 class. They were all suppressed by the Lakers and Spurs.
Yang Rui made it clear that he has no interest in joining the Cavaliers or Heat. If the star wants to win the championship, he must join his future team. Yang Rui believes in his own charm. As long as he announces his whereabouts before the free market opens, it will not be difficult to attract a star.
There are many big fish in the free market next year. James may join the Clippers for the championship. Even if the Cavaliers are willing to spend money and sign players, they will treat him well.
Thinking of this, Yang Rui became more and more relaxed.