NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

"I think it's a good idea." After thinking for a while, Miller and Van Gundy answered Lin Tian's question at the same time.

Miller felt he could really try approaching Mark Jackson to see if the guy would be willing to be his new partner, but he was also quite helpless.

Whether it's Lin Tian or Van Gundy, these two guys really can just quit whenever they want. It just so happens that his own sister is based at ESPN. Otherwise, Miller would have quit long ago too. No wonder he's been stood up by people here one after another.

As for Van Gundy, he accepted Lin Tian's invitation and became the first member of his coaching team, as well as a defensive coach who specializes in teaching players how to defend.

Logically speaking, it would be difficult for someone like Jeff Van Gundy, who has won a championship and led the Knicks to be championship contenders in the Eastern Conference for many consecutive years, with an illustrious resume, to agree to be an assistant coach for someone else.

Especially since this person is a young coach with no coaching experience whatsoever.

This situation can be considered a self-degradation or downgrading.

But Van Gundy only hesitated for a few minutes before agreeing to Lin Tian's request.

Firstly, he enjoys coaching, but the pressure of being a head coach is indeed too great, and this guy cherishes his hair.

Secondly, he was genuinely curious about how Lin Tian would fulfill his promise and lead the Lynx team to the championship.

After all, although Van Gundy and Lin Tian were not particularly close, he was quite familiar with Lin Tian's behavior and style.

This guy rarely fails to do what he says; his words are as meaningless as farting.

Lin Tian's confident demeanor just now really piqued Van Gundy's curiosity and filled him with anticipation.

He wanted to see up close how Lin Tian performed the magic, reversed the tide, and led the Lynx team to victory.

Ultimately, Van Gundy didn't believe that Lin Tian had just been spouting nonsense to trick Jordan into giving him the exorbitant salary.

He wanted to see it up close.

But no matter what Van Gundy thinks, Lin Tian doesn't care. As long as you come, we're all brothers who can have fun together! As for what you really think, Lin Tian doesn't care at all.

Lin Tian's coaching team has now taken a significant step forward, successfully recruiting a veteran assistant coach right from the start.

It's important to understand that, in most cases, the coaching staff of an NBA team is assembled by the head coach himself. He needs to select suitable assistant coaches, determine his own style, and then hire the right people.

It's not just that assistant coaches need to be found by the head coach himself.

The head coach has to find and assemble the team's physical conditioning team, special assistant coaches, and physiotherapy team.

The head coach himself has to pay the salaries of the entire coaching team. The money he receives, which is called his annual salary, actually goes to the entire coaching team.

This is why some coaches are always being criticized.

For example, Luke Walton, a Lakers legend nicknamed "Prince Walton," refused to hire a shooting coach in order to save money, even though it was obvious to the whole world that the team needed one to help rookies like Ingram and Ball improve their free throws and mid-range shooting.

His method for improving the team's shooting accuracy is meditation.

He had the whole team meditate and rest to improve their free throw percentage.

As for the result? Well, it was a complete disaster!
At the very least, after leaving him and joining another coach, Ingram's mid-range and long-range jump shot evolved rapidly, making him a second-tier star in the league.

Although Ball has been plagued by injuries and has been categorized as a 'fraudster', his three-point shooting has indeed evolved since leaving the Lakers, eventually reaching an elite level in the league, making him an excellent shooter.

Walton, on the other hand, saved the money he would have spent on hiring a shooting coach for the team.

All three of them have bright futures.

Lin Tian certainly wouldn't skimp on this money!

He's already thinking about who to find to improve his coaching team, but of course, there's no rush; this isn't something that can be done in a short time.

What he's going to do tonight, of course, is to celebrate.

He, Miller, and Van Gundy did not return to the hotel, but instead, after having a good meal, moved on to the second game.

As for Jordan, he must be in a good mood; in fact, having achieved his goals, he had a pretty smooth day.

But right now he felt as disgusted as if he had eaten shit.

So Jordan didn't go home either; he chose to find a place to relax and have some fun.

While everyone was having fun, they, or rather Jordan himself, forgot one thing.

There was another person standing miserably in the fire escape directly opposite Lin Tian and the others' rooms at the Hilton Hotel.

Poor Ryan is still waiting for Lin Tian and the others to return.

……

Halfway through the first round of the playoffs, the Bobcats suddenly issued a statement, or rather, a hiring decision, that shocked the entire league.

They hired Lin Tian as the team's vice president of basketball operations, responsible for all team and basketball-related matters, and also appointed Lin Tian as the team's head coach!
This statement sent shockwaves through the entire league!

Not to mention that Lin Tian and Jordan's names have been linked together again.

It's not uncommon for one person to hold both the important position of President of Basketball Operations, which oversees all personnel matters for the team, and the position of head coach, the true brain of the team.

But all those who can hold two positions are renowned top professionals in their respective fields!
Pat Riley is one of the most famous among them. He held two positions with the Heat for many years and built the fearsome Heat team that was known for its toughness in the 90s!

However, Riley also encountered many obstacles and difficulties in his pursuit of this right and status.

He was the head coach of Showtime with the Lakers and made great contributions to the team, but was eventually ousted by the players and West, among others, because he was disliked by the players and attempted to take West's position and seize his power.

Riley initially had the same idea when he left the Lakers for New York, but the internal struggles within the Knicks were no less intense than those within the Lakers. He could be the head coach, but could he become the general manager?
impossible!
It wasn't until Heat owner Arison extended an olive branch to Riley that this guy finally got his wish. For this, he didn't even hesitate to abandon the Knicks, a top team in the East, and turn to the Heat, a new team in the league at the time and a team that had been at the bottom of the league for many years.

All for power!
In addition, the Pacers team that Lin Tian played for back then also had Larry Bird holding two positions at the same time. Bird's mentor Auerbach also held two positions for a long time during his time with the Celtics and built the Celtics dynasty!

These individuals are all among the league's top performers. They either reached the pinnacle in one area before obtaining another position, or they worked alongside top managers for many years, demonstrating their talent before taking office.

Well, of course, there are exceptions.

For example, the Phoenix Suns. The Suns' owner is known for being stingy. In order to save money, this stingy owner appointed rookie Mike D'Antoni as both the team's head coach and general manager in 04.

This decision was considered one of the dumbest decisions in NBA history at the time.

Of course, D'Antoni and Nash hit it off immediately, and their collaboration was like fish in water. This decision to save a salary turned out to be a lucky break, and it became a legendary story.

However, apart from a very few extreme cases, all the other people who are able to obtain this power are people recognized by the alliance as having the ability, status and skills to be competent for this position.

To put it simply, when the Heat, Celtics, or Pacers officially announced Riley and others as directors of basketball operations and head coaches, the general reaction was definitely not something like, "What? This guy is qualified?" or "Has the team gone mad?"

Everyone would take it for granted, thinking that this person deserves this and should have this status.

Who would dare to do this if they weren't highly respected or had an excellent reputation?

But this time, Lin Tian has truly shaken the league. After all, everyone knows that he was unparalleled in his playing style, single-handedly building two completely different dynasties, and also incidentally participating in and destroying one of them.

During his more than ten years of rule over the league, the entire league was just cannon fodder.

After retiring, he worked as a commentator and made movies, and he did quite well in both.

His commentary helped ESPN reverse its ratings decline, ending years of ESPN's viewership falling behind TNT.

He made movies, and one of his films made it into the top ten of the annual box office charts, earning countless US dollars.

Can he manage a team and serve as a head coach?
He had no experience or background; he had never been an assistant to anyone in this field, nor had he ever served as an assistant coach for even a single day in any competition at any level.

No matter how successful he is in other industries and in his basketball career, Lin Tian is a complete novice when it comes to coaching and managing a team.

Handing over a team entirely to a rookie, even if that rookie is Lin Tian, ​​is truly baffling and incomprehensible.

Therefore, the first to go crazy were not Lin Tian's fans; they did not immediately express their support and trust for Lin Tian on a large scale.

The first to go crazy were the haters.

"Hahaha, Jordan's gone mad, Lin's gone mad too! Two idiots teamed up, they're doomed!"

"The Bobcats are destined to be the worst team in history! If they dare to let Lin be both president and coach, they can forget about making the playoffs!"

"When did the Bobcats first make the playoffs? A. 5 years later, B. 10 years later, C. after Jordan sold the team."

"Please, Michael, have a change of heart and sell the team! You're not suited to managing a team, can't you just focus on playing basketball?"

"The more insane and dominant Jordan and Lin are on the court, the worse and more ridiculous they are at managing a team!"

"A combination of an idiot owner who has never made the playoffs and whose only job in the draft is to eliminate the wrong answers, and a rookie with no experience—I think this is a nightmare for any team aiming for Kyrie Irving!"

"They've already secured a top-three pick in next year's draft! They'll definitely be worse next year than this year!"

"If the Bobcats players don't want to spend their entire careers in the lottery and endless losses, they should run away now!"

"My God! I just became a Derrick Rose fan, but now it looks like his career is going to be incredibly bad! He might never make the playoffs again in his life."

The fans' doubts were overwhelming, and it wasn't until the first wave of criticism subsided and the haters had had their fill of fun that Lin Tian's fans finally arrived and began to fight back.

"Lin has long shown his potential to become a top coach. He has erased the coach's tactics many times and made his own arrangements."

"It is well known that the point guard position is the most likely to produce an excellent head coach."

"It seems that Lin's two years of retirement have made those bastards forget how ruthless he is! Lin, slap them in the face again! This time, make them slap themselves until they're completely bruised!"

"Don't give those idiots any chance or hope. Let them die!"

"Only trash would question Lin! Everyone who questions Lin will eventually be crushed by him!"

"Michael Jordan's smartest and most effective decision since the team's inception!"

……

Fans online engaged in a fierce online battle, arguing amongst themselves, and various television stations also seized the opportunity during the playoffs to produce and broadcast programs specifically about whether Lin Tian could take on the role of the Bobcats' leader.

In short, when Lin Tian and Jordan reunite... no, pshaw!
When they joined forces again, the entire league was shaken up, even though the playoffs are in full swing and 16 teams are still battling it out.

But the limelight has been completely stolen by Lin Tian and Jordan.

Especially Lin Tian!
To be honest, after realizing Jordan's appointment, Lin Tian's fans immediately expressed their crazy support and, with their numerical advantage, suppressed the counterattacks of those who hated Lin.

This conclusion can be drawn from discussions and casual conversations among players and management within the industry.

The vast majority of people are not optimistic about Lin Tian's appointment as general manager and head coach.

More than 80% of the management believed that the Bobcats were finished, that Lin Tian had underestimated the industry, and that Lin Tian would definitely be beaten down by reality, and then sheepishly say: It's my fault, playing ball and managing ball are two completely different things.

However, the very few people had complete confidence in Lin Tian, ​​to the point that they had begun to worry about potential dangers and consider how to target or guard against him if he joined the alliance.

For example, Bird, Lin Tian's former head coach and general manager, knew all too well where the Pacers' glory came from. Putting aside everything else, when Lin Tian joined the Bobcats, his eye for talent in rookies alone was enough to quickly make a team rise!

Not to mention, every time Bird and Lin Tian chatted about the team's future and how to select players, who to offer contracts to and who not to offer contracts to, Bird could always feel Lin Tian's clear and perfect logic, as well as his incredible experience and composure.

Bird had a pretty clear feeling back when he was working with Lin Tian: if this guy were to become the general manager, he would definitely be a formidable opponent!

Bird shared the same idea as Walsh and Nelson of the Knicks, as well as Phil Jackson, who had just returned to the Lakers.

Of course, there's also Lin Tian's old rival, Pat Riley, who knows Lin Tian very well!
In other words, the more familiar they became with Lin Tian, ​​the more they understood his character and abilities, the more confident they were that Lin Tian would succeed this time, and the more worried they became.

After all, Lin Tian's power is simply too great!

If it weren't for the fact that targeting a rookie and a lousy team that has never made the playoffs in all these years of history is too embarrassing and beneath them, Riley and the other old foxes might have gathered together for a meeting and started something like an anti-Lin Tian alliance!

These guys know Lin Tian too well!

The other person who thought Lin Tian could handle it was somewhat of an outsider.

David Stern!
Like everyone else, the league president believed that Lin Tian could handle it, that Jordan had finally made the right decision, and that Lin Tian would once again stir up the league!

Because Stern had a lot of dealings with Lin Tian, ​​and unlike others, who mostly interacted with Lin Tian through playing ball and such.

But every time Stern interacted with Lin Tian, ​​it was invariably a battle of wits between them.

To be honest, Stern is probably the one in this alliance who knows best how cunning Lin Tian is, as cunning as a honeycomb briquette.

Ten years ago, Chanstein thought Lin Tian was a complete little fox, and if he became a general manager after retiring, he would definitely be a menace.

But he really didn't expect that Lin Tian would return so early and so quickly, and in such a way that it directly ignited public opinion.

Stern suddenly had a feeling that he had never had when Jordan returned to the league as an administrator.

That invincible monster is back!
Just when public opinion had completely erupted, and many people had even forgotten about the playoffs and were discussing what Lin Tian would do with the Bobcats, Lin Tian remained completely unmoved.

Don't care at all.

Not only did he not care, he even started his own work.

Lin Tian, ​​Bird, and Miller are now driving together to Butler University in downtown Indianapolis.

Butler University is considered a top-tier university in Indiana, but its size is insignificant compared to the rest of the United States. It ranks outside the top 100 nationally and has fewer than 4000 students, making it a small school in the truest sense.

The three of them drove all the way to an office inside the school gymnasium. Lin Tian knocked on the door and plopped down in front of the desk. Behind the desk was a handsome young man who was squinting as he carefully watched the game on the computer in front of him.

It was the game between Butler University and Duke University in this year's NCAA final!
"Brad, shall we talk?" (End of Chapter)