Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

In the bullfight when Wu Dao and Barkley first met, the score of the match was only known to a few people who were in the stadium at that time.

Outsiders probably had no idea that the first meeting between Barkley and Budo would be like this.

When Barkley's agent took Barkley out of the Timberwolves training hall, Barkley, who was soaked in sweat, had a big smile on his face.

"Charles, you made the right choice."

“It was right that there was no choice but to stay in Houston.”

"It's true that my vision is short-sighted. If you were in the Timberwolves, you would definitely be able to fulfill your dream."

Agent Nat Jones and Barkley walked towards the parking lot. As he left the stadium, he was still thinking about the bullfight between Barkley and Wu Dao, and he couldn't help but sigh.

"Hey!"

"Of course there is no problem with my vision."

“Even if you don’t believe me, you have to believe in Michael’s strength, right?”

"Even the Bulls couldn't beat him, and he and his Timberwolves were just a young team."

"These guys will get even stronger. I have a feeling that I can win three consecutive championships with a team like this!"

At this moment, Barkley didn't care at all about the result of the game with Wudao. Although he failed to beat the young man on the basketball court, Barkley still clearly felt the dominance of Wudao through this bullfight.

Even his proud big butt couldn't crush the opponent, and Wu Dao's terrifying bounce left a deep impression in his heart. He didn't gain any advantage on the offensive end, and when defending Wu Dao, Barkley was even more passive.

Bullfight?!
It was clearly a military training specifically for Barkley.

But Barkley doesn't mind this kind of "show of strength". His biggest goal in coming to the Timberwolves is to win the championship. The stronger the star player Wu Dao is, the more excited he is.

Barkley now has some regrets. Wu Dao entered the league too late, and he got to know Wu Dao too late. If Wu Dao could enter the NBA a few years earlier, Barkley would have been able to get assistance from young people of this level during his peak period, and would not have been suppressed by the Bulls.

Although Barkley acknowledged in front of the media that Michael Jordan was a player stronger than himself, Barkley did not think from the bottom of his heart that there was a huge gap in strength between him and Michael Jordan. The main reason why he said that in front of the media was simply because his honors could not be compared with Michael Jordan.

If Barkley brazenly said in front of the media that his strength was comparable to Michael Jordan, then I'm afraid the fans of the Bulls and Michael Jordan would criticize him.

Without the support of hard honors, it would be impossible for him to gain any benefit in the public opinion field. With his high emotional intelligence, it is naturally impossible for him to make such a mistake.

Barkley felt that the only difference between him and Michael Jordan was Pippen. He was unable to win a championship during his time with the Suns and the Rockets because of bad luck, not lack of ability.

If he had a player like Pippen by his side, winning the championship would not be a difficult thing.

Don't underestimate Pippen. At a certain period of time, Pippen was even considered the second best player in the league. His strength should not be underestimated. If Pippen was not a player trained by the Bulls themselves, the term "superstars banding together" would not be inappropriate when applied to the Bulls.

After all, the advantages of child labor are too great.

In this day and age, there are few teams in the NBA with a more luxurious roster than the Bulls.

After seeing Barkley off, Wu Dao, who was still on the court, walked to the sidelines, sat on the bench and gasped heavily.

In front of Barkley, he did not look so tired, but after Barkley left, Wu Dao finally took off his disguise and showed obvious fatigue.

Before Barkley came, he had already undergone a period of high-intensity training, and the bullfight with Barkley also consumed almost all of Wudao's physical strength.

Barkley didn't know that the last few minutes of their 100% battle were all sustained by willpower. Feizhu's physical resistance was very strong, even Wudao was overwhelmed.

He was able to beat Barkley by relying on his excellent shooting touch. In a one-on-one 3-point battle, players with three-point shots and those without three-point shots are completely two different types of players.

Although Wudao looked a little embarrassed at this moment, he believed that he had achieved his goal.

After today, as long as Wu Dao is in the Timberwolves, it will be very easy for Barkley to integrate into the Timberwolves team, because he has enough confidence that he can suppress this elderly superstar who has been honing his skills in the NBA for many years.

It is not easy for aging superstars to fully integrate into a new team. Their pride and declining strength will make them misunderstand their own value on the field.

Just like James today, he no longer has the dominance, cannot easily devote himself to defense on the court, and does not have the impact on offense that he had in his peak period.

The position that best suits James is actually the second or third in command, but fame and status have bound James firmly. Everyone knows what James' true level is, but he still has such a high tactical position in the Lakers.

If Barkley joined the Timberwolves with the same mentality as James, then Budo would send this player away no matter what.

In the Timberwolves, there is no ship for old guys with that mentality.

However, Barkley's open-mindedness and cheerfulness are obviously not comparable to those of a player like James. He is also not like the elderly Uncle Mu when he went to the Rockets, who always maintained that aloof state and even the star player needed to coax him to play.

Barkley showed his desire to integrate into the Timberwolves team, and also displayed an inexplicable sense of obedience when communicating with Wudao.

Wu Dao knew that he only needed to maintain respect for his hometown in front of the players. Barkley would probably execute some of his requests without hesitation.

Being willing to cooperate with Wudao on the court is enough for Wudao.

Not long after Barkley left, Coach Philips called the lounge of the Budo Arena. When Budo and Barkley were fighting, his assistant coach also contacted Coach Philips through the phone in the arena and told him what happened.

When Wu Dao heard the news and walked to the lounge, he heard Coach Philip ask with a smile:

"How is it? Are you satisfied with Charles's ability?"

"In the next season, can he help us become better and stronger?"

Coach Philip also learned about the outcome of the bullfight between Wu Dao and Barkley from the assistant coach. At this time, he knew everything that happened in the training hall. He asked such a question, naturally because he was full of confidence in Barkley's strength.

Coach Philip also knew that Wu Dao and Barkley got along very harmoniously and did not cause any conflicts because of this private bullfight.

"Very good. If he were on the court, his low-post lethality would be unmatched."

"In today's league, there are probably only a handful of people who can defend him one-on-one."

"Charles can fill the offensive gap of our Timberwolves. His playing style and path are quite compatible with mine. However, whether he can make the Timberwolves stronger depends on our running-in later."

When Wu Dao was communicating with Coach Philip, he was also looking at Barkley's joining from a coach's perspective. There were no twists and turns between him and Coach Philip, and speaking directly would not affect the relationship between the two of them.

Philip did not feel that it was an overstep when he heard Wu Dao say this. On the contrary, he was very happy to see that Wu Dao had such a "boss" mentality.

This shows that Wu Dao has a sense of belonging to the Timberwolves team, and that he considers the overall situation when considering issues, not just himself.

"Well, you're right. We thought of Charles at first because his playing style is more compatible with yours." "As for whether Charles is compatible with other players in the team, that's not a problem."

"You, Kevin, and Charles, we Timberwolves will build the team around the three of you next season."

"Any player who doesn't fit in with you, we'll get rid of."

Coach Philip did not hide anything in front of Wu Dao and directly expressed the management's thoughts.

Among the three names he mentioned, Marbury and Tom did not exist. Perhaps in the eyes of the management, players like Marbury and Tom are replaceable.
To be honest, Coach Philip actually has the idea of ​​replacing Marbury in his mind.

It was not Tom who was in his prime, but Marbury, the Timberwolves' starting point guard.

He has foreseen that ball distribution will be one of the most important things the Timberwolves need to deal with in the next stage.

Unfortunately, Marbury is a point guard who likes to stick to the ball.

Compared to Marbury, who has excellent independent offensive ability, Coach Philip hopes that their Timberwolves' starting point guard will be a traditional point guard who can connect the team.

During this period, the team management is contacting some players, hoping to supplement the Timberwolves' bench.

The players who come into contact with the most are the No. 1 and No. 5 players.

Although the Timberwolves just won the championship this year, the management does not want to leave Wu Dao with the feeling that they are just resting on their laurels and doing nothing.

Even though the Forest Dragons' championship lineup is maintaining very well, the team management is still looking for outstanding players for the team.

It was actually luck that the Timberwolves were able to win the championship, as their opponent was the aging Bulls.

Moreover, with the rapid growth of the 96 golden generation, the trend of fierce competition in the NBA league has now become apparent.

The Timberwolves' management has naturally felt the crisis and does not want to sit idly by. What their team lacks most at the moment is actually bench depth. With a huge salary surplus, the management is naturally thinking about introducing some ready-to-fight players and some potential new stars.

Make the team's echelon construction reasonable.

Coach Philip and his people have not forgotten that Wu Dao is just a rookie. They want to tie him firmly to the Timberwolves, and they cannot relax for even a moment.

As for the team's recruitment, Wu Dao is actually very concerned.

Hearing Coach Philip talking about it, he also asked about this with a smile: "Coach, have you contacted the players I told you about before!?"

"Is there anyone interested in playing for our Timberwolves?"

Wu Dao's strongest competitive advantage in the NBA league is not his personal strength, but his foresighted knowledge and experience.

To be honest, even if Wu Dao couldn't become a professional player, with this "cheating", he could still become the most powerful scout in NBA history.

Wu Dao is not so foolish as not to take advantage of his advantage. Now that he has considerable say in the Timberwolves, he will naturally give the management some suggestions on recruiting players.

"Well, we are in contact with the players you mentioned."

"But you know, player trading is not that easy."

"At the moment, it seems that the Suns are interested in trading for Steve Nash, whom you mentioned earlier, and there is a high probability that they will be able to acquire him."

"But, does Martial Arts really need such a player?"

"Our scouts have seen his games, and they think he's just so-so."

"And his defense is so poor that he will be a weak point for the enemy's offense on the court."

"I'm afraid that even if such a player comes to our Timberwolves, he won't be able to play, right?"

After hearing what Coach Philip said, Wu Dao showed a meaningful smile on his face:

"Although his shortcomings are obvious, his strengths are also good enough. It takes some patience and training."

"Coach, is it expensive for us Timberwolves to get this player?"

Nash, the son of wind, this player's future has been tested by time. Wu Dao is not worried at all that his choice will be a failure. Compared with these, he cares more about what price the team has to pay to trade this player.

纳什是96年的首轮15顺位，在太阳的第一年，场均3.3分2.1助；到了97-98赛季，数据膨胀到了9.1分3.1助。

At this time, he had already begun to show his potential.

"The Sun Lions are asking for a 99 first-round pick."

"And Paul and Chris!"

The league's lottery ceremony is usually held in May of the year, and the draft is usually held at the end of June. The 5 draft was held on June 98th. The Timberwolves selected Tyronn Lue with the 6th pick in the first round. This was the result of Wu Dao's suggestion, and the management also listened.

For the Timberwolves, this level of pick does not have much value for the team's hard power. Of course, this does not mean that there are no players worthy of selection in the 98 draft. Players like Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, and Nowitzki all entered the league in 98.

It's just that the Timberwolves can't get these players with this pick.

They naturally thought about trading up to see if they could get other players, but the results were not good. Other teams were deeply impressed by the Timberwolves' draft ability and guarded against them tightly.

There was no other way. The Timberwolves could only use the 17th pick to select a No. 1 player with a different style from Marbury. The management did not expect this player to bring anything to the team. They just wanted to make the boss, Wu Dao, happy.

As for Paul, who is needed in the trade for Nash, he refers to the team's Paul Grant, the "big center" who was selected 97th overall in the first round of 20!
Chris refers to Chris Kyle, the "meritorious player" who helped the Timberwolves win the championship in the 97-98 season.

As Philip said, that bastard Sun is asking for too much!
"Coach, since there is resistance, forget it."

Wu Dao also felt that the offer made by the Suns was outrageous. To be honest, he was a little reluctant to trade Nash for Chris. Although this guy's strength is average, he is willing to work hard and has a sweet mouth!
Wu Dao felt it was a pity that he didn't have the chance to be teammates with Nash, the Son of Wind. However, Philip's next words cheered Wu Dao up:
"Budo, are you interested in the training camp?"

"We, the Timberwolves, plan to organize a training camp and find some outstanding players to come to the gym for tryouts."

"Many players are interested in coming. After all, this is also an opportunity for them to be exposed."

"Why don't you show yourself? There's an Asian face among the registered players, and he's a big guy. Maybe you'll like him."

(End of this chapter)