Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 375 Inner Sage, Outer King
On June 29, the Chinese men's basketball training team arrived in Los Angeles.

Due to various factors, and with Yao's suggestion, the men's basketball training camp has returned to its initial stage.

The players who had left returned, along with the coaching staff and support personnel, making a total of 20 people, and they set off for North America with bags and packages.

The roster for this training camp is as follows:
Yi Jianlian, Hu Mingxuan, Ren Junfei, Zhao Rui, Guo Ailun, Zhao Jiwei, Liu Zhixuan, Wang Zhelin, Chen Linjian, Wu Qian, Abudushalamu, Kelanbaike, Zhai Xiaochuan, Fang Shuo, Hu Jinqiu, Sun Minghui, Shen Zijie, Zhou Qi, Zhang Zhenlin, Guo Haowen.

Team Leader: Wang Xuan; Head Coach: Li Nan; Assistant Coaches: Liu Peng, Ben Ward, Scott Ross.

Strength and conditioning coach: Ye En; Video analysts: Yan Yuanzhe, Gao Bo.

Team doctors: Li Dapeng, Yang Lining.

Translation by Wang Runtao. (This isn't a reference to water; rather, it refers to characters who have lines in the story.)
We were greeted by embassy staff and checked into the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles.

This perk was generously given by Chen Fang. Anyway, it wasn't his money. The reward that his boss, Ballmer, gave him this time was too luxurious and extravagant. Chen Fang just picked one at random and gave it away without feeling any pain.

Last season, the team's total salary was below the poverty line, with a difference of nearly ten million.

According to league rules, the team needs to make up the shortfall to reach 90% of the salary cap. This fine will be distributed proportionally among all players on the team, and the team will lose its luxury tax revenue share.

So sometimes teams make some baffling moves, swallowing bad contracts and signing overpriced ones. The principle is that if you don't want to be fined, you have to spend money.

The main point is that even if it means taking on a bad contract in exchange for draft picks, it's better than giving money away to players and losing a share of the profits.

But Frank Lawrence is a business genius who had already prepared a backup plan through performance bonuses at the beginning of the season.

This season, the management has entered into betting-style bonus agreements with seven players, including Brunson, Jaren, and Zubac, setting data-based bets on their maximum potential.

This is called "Likely Bonuses".

If the league or a team believes that a player has a high probability of meeting the bonus trigger conditions (such as having done so in the past), then this bonus will be included in the total salary for the season and will take up salary cap space.

In addition, signing bonuses can also be included in the salary cap.

The term "signing bonus" is easy to understand. It refers to a bonus that a player receives from their new team after signing with them. This money is a reward for the player's decision to join the team, and it is paid in a lump sum after the signing.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) stipulates that teams can give players a maximum bonus of 15% of the total contract amount when signing free agents.

For example, if a team signs a player to a four-year, $80 million contract, they can give that player a maximum of $12 million in bonuses.

As for the player, he received a total of $9200 million, of which $8000 million was salary and $1200 million was signing bonus.

But don't get too excited, the signing bonus must be taxed in full, with deductions based on each state's tax rate.

This is why it's included in the salary cap calculation; it's mainly to prevent teams from exploiting loopholes and circumventing the salary cap by signing free agents with lower salaries and higher bonuses.

But that wasn't enough; the Clippers' bonus agreement for Chen Wang was successfully triggered.

惊险过了穷人帽，18-19赛季快船的薪资是9198万，距离穷人帽的9162就多了36万。

This also benefits Chen Fang; with bonuses and salary this season, his income will reach 16 million.

Even the Clippers' cleaning lady wouldn't be jealous, because everyone knows that Chen Wang becoming a billionaire is just a matter of time.

Returning to the main topic, after a short rest, the Chinese men's basketball training team took a bus to Panshi.

The rock now is not what it used to be.

A basketball court with four standard courts, all equipped with the NOAH shooting system.

A 500-square-meter functional training area, a rehabilitation and physiotherapy center with 20 beds, and a fully functional office building.

Two years ago, the large warehouses were used for storage, but Chen Fang purchased them and renovated them through the company.

When they learned that the entire place belonged to Chen Fang, many people were shocked. Even Yao was shocked. Thinking about how he had spent so many years in the United States and hadn't left anything behind, he couldn't help but feel a little sad.

"You really are a businessman!" Yao joked.

"Let me correct you, my main profession is basketball!" Chen Fang said seriously.

They were waiting at the entrance for the arrival of the Chinese men's basketball team when, as they were talking, a black bus with the English words "Rock" written on both sides drove into the park.

The bus stopped precisely at the entrance of the training ground, in front of Yao and Chen Fang.

As soon as the car door opened, the first person to get out was the team leader, Wang Xuan.

He also has another identity: the head of the Basketball Management Center!

Chen Fang didn't dare to put on airs, and leaning on his cane, he stepped forward to greet him: "Leader, you must be tired from your journey."

Yao didn't even react before he saw Chen Fang dart out, just as fast as his breakthrough.

I couldn't help but gasp, thinking to myself, how can the difference between people be so great?

"Oh dear, be careful, be careful." Wang Xuan beamed. The nearly sixty-year-old man was completely relieved to see Chen Fang so ambitious, and nodded to himself.

The room assigned to him was the most luxurious. After learning a little about it, I realized that the other coaching staff members also had high-standard rooms, which told me that Chen Fang was someone who knew how to get things done.

The others also got out of the car and gathered around. Wang Xuan and Chen Fang exchanged a few words with a smile, and then Wang Xuan shook hands with Yao.

Chen Fang felt guilty. If it weren't for his conflict with Kuang, there would be no need for the big boss to personally come out for something like a training exercise.

It's clear that this time, the bigwig's visit to North America wasn't simply as a team leader.

It seems we still need to do some ideological work with him, so Chen Fang should lower his attitude, try to liven up the atmosphere, and avoid awkwardness.

Then Chen Fang shook hands with Li Nan, and his first words made many people who were smiling freeze their smiles.

"Brother Li!"

The simple form of address reveals Chen Fang's current attitude.

I'm not your player yet, so this title is the most appropriate.

Chen Fang seemed completely unaware of this, and then hugged the people he knew.

Zhao Rui, Sun Minghui, and Guo Ailun.

They're all good brothers, good buddies. Whether Chen Fang can be effectively deployed in the national team depends on them.

When facing the others, Chen Fang simply smiled and clapped his hands, saying, "Welcome here. I hope the following process will be helpful to everyone."

Compared to the 16 Olympics, five people are not here, and there are quite a few new faces. It's not that Chen Fang doesn't want to show enthusiasm, but the upcoming plans will inevitably offend people, so he's being straightforward and skipping the pretense.

Upon entering the training hall, everyone was immediately awestruck by the luxurious facilities inside.

Carl, Hannon, and Wick quickly took over the reception duties. With the help of the translator, the assistant coach led the players onto the field to begin today's training.

"This is our control room. We use two systems to help players correct their technical weaknesses and deficiencies, thereby improving their strength." Chen Fang led Wang Xuan, Li Nan, and Yao to a high platform in the center of the stands, where a large room with three sides sealed with soundproof glass stood.

"This is the Keemotion system, an automatic tagging system. All 16 cameras on the court can capture the entire training process without any blind spots. The system also learns to zoom to track the movements on the court and performs video editing according to the program, saving the video team a lot of time."

"The system can also be used for practical training, in training matches, trials, and rehabilitation training, to help coaches identify players' problems more quickly and conduct intensive training."

"Oh, this is great!" Wang Xuan immediately became interested and asked about the price.

"A single location with 4 lenses costs 20 RMB, and the annual fee is 2 RMB."

"So this is 800,000?" Yao asked.

"Yes." Chen Fang then led the three of them to the other side.

"This is the NOAH shooting system," Chen Fang explained, pointing to the central control panel consisting of 12 large screens.

"This 'wear-free' shooting analysis system, consisting of a high-precision camera array and cloud algorithms, has been officially adopted by many teams in the NBA and other leagues for daily training."

"Its core function is to correct players' shooting deficiencies and help them improve their shooting percentage as much as possible."

"These two systems complement each other and are the core competitiveness of the Rock Training Camp. Even in North America, our technology is top-notch." Chen Fang was very proud. He wasn't exaggerating; many of these systems were only introduced to the NBA in 23.

Chen Fang was a pioneer, but there were some things he didn't tell the truth about.

He has invested in both companies that developed these two systems. Simply put, he is now a salesperson, peddling his own products.

"How is this reflected?" Li Nan couldn't help but ask.

Chen Fang glanced at Li Nan and smiled, "Brother Li, don't worry, you'll see once everyone gets into training."

The four sat down, and then the staff began to take their seats. With the help of the coaches on the field, the training team began to be divided into four groups, each warming up in one of the four halves of the court.

On the court, Liu Peng led five inside players—Yi, Zhou Qi, Hu Jinqiu, Shen Zijie, and Wang Zhelin—to the right half of the court.

After a thorough warm-up, and with instructions from the staff on site, we began shooting practice.

Meanwhile, at the center console, the players' movements have begun to be captured by high-definition cameras.

"The entire shooting process, from the starting point and release point to the stance and the entire shooting time, will be recorded and analyzed based on 20 years of NBA shooting data," Chen Fang explained.

The three of them looked like country bumpkins visiting the Grand View Garden; the room was filled with dozens of large screens displaying various data and dynamic images of people, making it seem like they were reading a book written in a foreign language.

Even Yao couldn't understand it.

"What is this?" Yao asked curiously, pointing to a screen.

"This is NOAH's data analysis."

"AVG-ARC is an abbreviation for Average Arc, which is the average height of the parabola of a shot or a series of shots."

"45° is considered the golden arc in the NBA. If it is less than 40°, the arc is too flat and it is easy to hit the front of the rim, which proves that the player has a problem with the power generation."

"An arc greater than 50° is too high, and the ball stays in the air for a long time, indicating that the shooting speed is too slow and the shot is easily blocked or interfered with."

Chen Fang has been using this system for almost a year, and he continued to explain it in great detail: "The software will set 42–48° as the 'ideal range,' and red/green feedback lights will be triggered if the temperature is below or above the range."

"In summary, AVG ARC = the 'average highest point angle' of your shooting parabola. Stabilizing it within the range of 45°±3° will allow you to balance accuracy and release speed. The goal of training is to correct all players' ARC to be within this range."

"Technology is truly amazing..." Wang Xuan shook his head and sighed. He said to Yao, "We absolutely need this. It will allow us to have countless more professional training coaches."

"Yes, the leader saw right through it. With this system, labor costs have been greatly reduced. With a little training, they can hold their own against a seasoned training coach." Chen Fang took the opportunity to praise them.

"What do these two mean?" Yao focused intently on the software.

“AVG DEPTH stands for “Average Depth”, which translates to average longitudinal landing depth.

"That is, the average position of the center of the ball in the front and back direction of the basket at the moment the basketball hits the hoop."

"Simply put, it depends on whether the ball swishes across the net, hits the front of the frame, or hits the back of the frame."

"-60 ~ -30mm is for the front frame, +30 ~ +60mm is for the rear frame. A good shooter will keep this value between -10 ~ +10mm."

"For example, Curry, Klay, and Durant are all in this category."

"How much is yours?" Yao suddenly asked, half-jokingly.

"Mine?" Chen Fang was taken aback for a moment, then waved his hand with a laugh: "In my 500 shooting drills, I've basically kept my accuracy within -8 to +8mm."

“500 times…” All three of them gasped.

"Is there any particular reason for this?" Yao asked.

"This is mainly for fatigue monitoring. When you consume a lot of physical energy, the positive or negative value will increase. So NOAH allows you to accurately perceive at each stage of physical exertion during training, and you need to make constant fine adjustments to your shooting power and curve."

"I understand, this can improve the shooting percentage in the fourth quarter." Yao suddenly realized.

"Yes, this is the most crucial function."

"So, those 500 shots you just did, were actually divided into several stages of exertion?" Yao became curious, feeling that he had discovered the secret to Chen Wang's accurate shooting.

"Yes, there are 6 stages. The first 200 are one stage, the second is 100 times, the third is 75 times, the fourth is 50 times, and the fifth and sixth are basically around 35 times each."

"Six stages?" This surprised the three of them again.

"Yes, as your energy is depleted, you need to constantly adjust your shooting power, especially for the last 75 shots, you need to change your power generation pattern."

"Shooting is a science. The ancient concept of muscle memory is outdated. Scorers must shoot a certain amount of time every day to maintain their brain's memory of the force required for shooting." Chen Fang pointed to his head.

This was all completely unexpected. Yao sighed and looked at Li Nan, who seemed somewhat embarrassed. Chen Fang knew without a doubt that it was the national team's training regimen over the past few months that had made him feel ashamed.

"Let's talk about this last point: when we study, we must study to the very end," Wang Xuan said, breaking the awkward silence.

“AVG L/R (Average Left/Right) is the “average left-right deviation” in basketball shot tracking, which is used to quantify the horizontal displacement of the ball’s center relative to the center line of the basket at the moment of entry into the basket.

"This is used to correct shooting stance and hand shape. 0 mm means hollow, negative means leftward, positive means rightward. We can use the data to judge the player's stance, elbow or shooting angle to avoid forming bad habits such as 'side spin' or 'hitting the basket left and right'."

The three nodded in agreement. This thing wouldn't become popular for several years; in the summer of 19, it was still high-tech in the NBA.

"Ha, the training data is out. Let's take a look at the national team's shooting fundamentals." Chen Fang tapped the table and then instructed the staff, "Put the data list on the big screen in the middle."

Soon, the shooting analysis for all 20 players was completed.

After Chen Fang's detailed explanation, the shooting skills of each player have now been fully exposed.

"Is this 100 times?" Wang Xuan couldn't help but ask.

“Yes, generally speaking, data from 100 trials is very vague, but it's enough to get a general idea,” Chen Fang replied casually.

Li Nan's face was ashen. In his eyes, the big screen was all red, with only one green standing out.

“Hu Jinqiu is really good,” Yao said.

"Yes, he is the best, followed by Chen Linjian."

"I can't believe that guards like Zhao Jiwei, Fang Shuo, and Zhao Rui are this bad? Are you kidding me?" Wang Xuan's expression was one of disbelief.

Chen Fang examined them carefully: "ARC and DEPTH show that their shooting angles and power are problematic. The best ones don't even reach 48°; they're all above 50° or below 40°. It's just bizarre."

Li Nan was the most embarrassed of the three by Chen Fang's merciless comments.

"Next, we will have dribbling training. We can use the Keemotion system to analyze their abilities in dribbling speed, ball landing range, starting speed, and acceleration."

"This can evaluate a player's ability in breaking through, getting rid of opponents, protecting the ball, and resisting the axis of force. We usually use stars as the unit, with 5 stars being the maximum score."

Following Chen Fang's instructions to the staff, the national team on the field began a new round of training.

Half an hour later, the control room was deathly silent.

"Guo Ailun is the highest, 4.5 stars." Chen Fang said as if he were making an announcement. He didn't mention the others. Zhao Jiwei, who was highly anticipated, didn't even get 3 stars. The rest were even worse, all getting 1 or 2 stars.

Zhai Xiaochuan was in the most awkward position, half a star.

"What does this represent?" Wang Xuan asked, calming down instead.

"Turning error rate, dribbling error rate, success rate of offensive and defensive transitions, and success rate of tactical execution." Although Chen Fang had some expectations, he was still feeling uneasy. What kind of level was this? To think they were on the national team was outrageous. It was utterly absurd.

No need to explain anymore. With such poor dribbling, it affects almost everything else. How can this game be played?
“5 points is a perfect score, but in the NBA, that’s the minimum standard for a guard,” Chen Fang sighed.

Actually, this software has two interstellar colors. White stars are for beginners, while green stars are for NBA beginners. It's almost embarrassing to say that it has four green stars.

Kyrie Irving came here to test himself when he played a road game for the Clippers. He was at full strength, and Karl joked that if there's a next level, Irving would definitely be fine.

The implication is that this method cannot accurately measure Irving's ball-handling and dribbling skills.

Don't think it's an exaggeration. Just by maintaining contact while dribbling and continuing to exert force to change direction and accelerate, you can filter out 99% of the players. Compared to shooting, ball handling is actually the bread and butter of North American players.

Looking at the expressions of the three people, Chen Fang muttered to himself.

This is just the first step; the real trump card is the arrangements for the following week.

"This time, I have arranged three training matches, on July 1, 2 and 3, three matches in a row, and the opponents have been determined."

"The first game is against my alma mater, USC, a Division I school, where Kyle, the 30th pick in this year's draft, is available to play."

"The second game is the Clippers' development team, the Ontario Aguacalient Clippers. Although they finished their season in April, they will have a lot of roadshow games throughout the summer, and most of the players will be playing in the Summer League."

"The third game is the Seawolves from the Greater Los Angeles EYBL. They are a bit weaker, but their players are still at a mid-level in the Summer League."

Chen Fang reported on the upcoming arrangements, and all three were very satisfied.

"The arrangements are very thoughtful and well thought out," Wang Xuan praised.

"Of course, leader. I just hope to help the national team identify more problems and correct them in time before the World Championships."

“We’re all basketball fans, and we all know that basketball is a team sport; one person can’t do it alone,” Chen said, immediately drawing the attention of the three men, who all turned to look at him.

Chen Fang continued nonchalantly, "No matter how good Li Kai'er and I are, this isn't an Asian competition anymore. When we get to the international stage, even the Dream Team has to be very careful."

This was considered a public statement, and Wang Xuan nodded repeatedly, understanding Chen Fang's meaning.

To put it bluntly, the player is still recovering from a serious injury. If the national team has no hope of breaking the record, then taking this risk is not worthwhile.

Yao and Li Nan exchanged a glance, understanding each other's thoughts.

I still feel that the national team's level is too low, which greatly reduces the significance of risking participating in the competition.

"Li Nan, it's a bit stuffy in here, let's go for a walk," Wang Xuan said, standing up as he looked at Yao.

"Sun Lexian, you go with the leader." Chen Fang called out to Sun Lexian, who was working there, and gestured with his lip.

After everyone left, Yao sighed and said to Chen Fang, "Wasn't it still a bit too blunt?"

"Not bluntly, just telling the truth." Chen Fang remained calm.

This is essentially playing the market; the competition will definitely go on, but it doesn't conflict with getting benefits from those above.

"You've brought everyone, what are your plans?" Yao was prepared for this, so she moved on to the next topic.

"I'll give you the detailed roster after the Summer League. Here's a brief overview of my initial thoughts." Chen Fang glanced out the glass window at the people on the court.

"Yi, Zhou Qi, Hu Jinqiu, Shen Zijie. The four inside players each have their own tactical uses."

"Score by switching sides, Zhou Qi protects the rim and hits a three-pointer after a pick-and-roll at the top of the key."

"Hu Jinqiu is Yi's rotation player, and Shen Zijie is Zhou Qi's rotation player."

"You want Shen Zijie but not Wang Zhelin?" Yao was stunned. He frowned, trying to explain, "He's the newly crowned regular season MVP!"

"So what?" Chen Fang raised an eyebrow.

"He's too slow. We don't need him under the basket. To beat strong teams, rhythm is very important. This kind of slow center is useless." Chen Fang bluntly said, "If I had to play against him on the court, I would be driven crazy by him."

This arrogant remark shut Yao up immediately.

King Chen has made his disgust clear, so it would be unwise to argue further.

If something like this happens to the Dream Team, what about us? Yao could only console himself with this thought.

Thomas once said that it was either Jordan or him, and later Jordan said it was either him or me. In short, superstars have their own tempers.

There has long been a hypothesis that if Kobe and LeBron had a falling out, it would be very difficult for LeBron to make the national team, as both Coach K and Gregg Popovich would have immediately chosen Kobe.

"At the guard position, Guo Ailun, Zhao Rui, and Sun Minghui. Three are enough. The others are useless and only add to the negative effect," Chen Fang continued.

"What?" Yao was stunned. "Fang Shuo doesn't want my understanding, and Zhao Jiwei doesn't want it either?"

"What do we need him for?" Chen Fang laughed.

"In positional warfare, he's currently the team's most reliable player," Yao tried to reason with Chen Fang.

"That's utter nonsense. First of all, Zhao's offensive ability on the international stage is limited by his height, strength, and shooting technique, making it difficult for him to score."

"Secondly, defensively, he is unable to deal with heavy defenders and is a defensive black hole."

"As for organization, frankly, I don't see him having the ability to control the pace of a game on the international stage."

Speechless at Chen Fang's blunt rebuttal, Yao said dejectedly, "Just say it all in one go."

"I just mentioned 7 players. With me and Li Kaier on the front line, that makes 9. The remaining 3 are the front line players."

"Ren Junfei, Zhai Xiaochuan, Abudushalamu."

Yao finally calmed down, and then Chen Fang said, "The three of them are all cannon fodder. I don't expect them to score, and I don't have high expectations for their defense either. If it's really possible, I don't actually want any of these three."

"Then who do you want?" Yao asked nervously.

"There's nothing I want." Chen Fang shook his head. Among the small forwards, Zhou Peng and Ding Yanyuhang were a pity, and even he couldn't turn the tide. He had done everything he could.

Yao was also saddened. He silently read Chen Fang's list and a new question arose in his mind.

"You need to completely change the tactical system."

"Yes, it needs to be changed. Li Nan's approach is dead as nails, too rigid," Chen Fang rebuked, his face full of disgust.

"He can easily score by playing isolation plays on the wings and in the short corners, and he can also use high pick-and-rolls with Zhou Qi to roll to the basket and pop out to the outside, using shooting to score," Chen Fang explained his initial ideas.

"Guo Ailun and Zhao Rui play offensive and defensive transitions, and in half-court offense, they drive to the basket and draw fouls."

"Kyle serves as a support player, organizing positional warfare and controlling the pace of offense and defense when I double-team him."

"As for me, I'll see how my ankle recovers; I'll handle the tough leg injuries."

"On defense, we can easily play a stretch help defense. Zhou Qi will honestly protect the rim for me under the basket, and Zhao Rui and Allen will defend the opposing point guard like mad dogs on the perimeter. Kyle will be responsible for cleaning up the mess inside, and I will be responsible for cleaning up the mess on the perimeter."

"Maintain a 15-second offensive and defensive pace, and use a combination of outside and inside players to maintain a certain level of intensity in the game."

As Chen Fang recounted the story, Yao nodded repeatedly, and images quickly formed in her mind.

“This way our offense and defense will be much better.” Yao finally smiled, suddenly realizing that Chen Fang’s choice of players was excellent.

Yes, with Chen Wang and Li Kaier, the team's weaknesses have been greatly reduced.

"In short, I don't want anyone who slows down the pace, and I don't want anyone with a bad attitude. I'd rather have someone tough than someone cowardly," Chen Fang said, revealing his true feelings.

Yao felt this deeply and immediately responded by recounting his career with the national team.

"If only you were here back then!" Yao sighed as she looked at Chen Fang.

"It's not too late now." Chen Fang knew Yao's regret, which was also the regret of several generations of Chinese fans.

He waved his hand and said, "Alright, everything's been discussed and cleared up. Now it's up to you, Brother Yao, to execute this plan."

"Fine," Yao said with a wry smile.

"Don't worry, the three matches I've arranged, plus the ones from the Summer League, will definitely wake them up. No one will have anything to say. I have a group of reporters here who will do a lot for us," Chen Fang reassured them.

"You," Yao could only shake her head.

"Brother Yao, those who achieve great things don't concern themselves with trifles. Time is of the essence, we have to use extraordinary measures."

"If you want to get a license plate, this year is the best opportunity." Chen Fang's eyes flashed with a cold light. Yao was stunned and suddenly realized that the person in front of him was a ruthless person who had overcome all obstacles and made James, Curry, Durant and Leonard cry.

"Fine, I'll do as you say!" Yao gritted her teeth, slapped her thigh, and made up her mind.

Finally, as Yao was leaving, he turned back to Chen Fang and said, "You've really made something of yourself now, you're starting to resemble a wise and powerful person."

"That's great. This national team can hold on for a very long time because of you."

Chen Fang replied without hesitation, "You're overthinking it. I don't want to be as tired as you are. However, I'm unworthy of the compliment 'inner sage and outer king.' I'll try my best."

Yao smiled sincerely, nodded, closed the door, and left.

Chen Fang's mood was also fluctuating. To change this situation, he needed to win, keep winning, and use victory after victory to suppress the opposing voices.

Only in this way can we transform a vibrant sports environment through thorough reform.

In Chen Fang's understanding, "inner sage and outer king" means being kind and generous to those on his side, while being tough and conquest towards those on the opposite side.

This roster revision may attract a lot of criticism, but so what? Once the World Championships begin, you'll know who's right and who's wrong.

Chen Fang's gaze was firm; at this moment, he had truly made up his mind.

(End of this chapter)