Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 103: Gaining weight, everyone is the same

28 points and 14 rebounds was Brown's perfect answer.

The Magic beat the Suns 101-94 by 7 points.

Then they set off overnight and rushed to the Denver Plateau to prepare for the game against the Nuggets the next day.

A five-game road trip with two back-to-back games in between gave Tang Sen his first intuitive understanding of the NBA's devilish schedule.

"What, are you feeling uncomfortable?"

Grant turned around and asked.

At this moment, Tang Sen was sitting in the row behind the Magic bench, rubbing his temple with his head down.

Tang Sen nodded.

After days of running around and not getting enough rest, coupled with the 1,600-meter high altitude environment in Denver, Tang Sen felt a severe headache as soon as he arrived in Denver today.

Grant had a sore knee today and didn't play. He smiled and said, "It's okay, just rest up a bit. We're in a better position in the East, where we only play two games a year. We can just bear with it and it will pass."

"Unlike the Nuggets players, who have to play and train in the plateau every day. So I think the Nuggets don't have many stars willing to come, and it has a lot to do with them being in the plateau."

Tang Sen nodded without comment.

The main problem is headache and slow brain function.

On the court, Armstrong did not force his way forward due to LaFrentz's backup defense, but chose to stuff the ball behind him.

Brown took a step forward and dunked the ball.

LaFrentz rolled his eyes silently and ran away helplessly, silently comforting himself that the other person was the top scorer and not to be angry.

But I am also the third place in the imperial examination!
"Tang, Kwame is actually quite lucky." Grant seemed to have opened up the conversation, and he stood up and moved closer to Tang Sen.

Tang Sen bowed silently.

You are a giant over two meters tall. When you get close to me, Tang Sen feels that the air has become even thinner.

Grant lowered his voice and said, "I've been in the NBA for fifteen years. Over the years, I've seen so many players."

"Some of them are really talented, like Ryan Bias, you should have heard of him."

Tang Sen nodded.

The genius who made the media say that Jordan was a replica of Ryan Bias, unfortunately, died of an accidental overdose just after being selected.

When he died, Tang Sen was only 11 years old. The coach of the AAU team at that time used this negative example to remind Tang Sen and others to be self-disciplined and not to develop bad habits.

Grant said, "I was drafted the following year because of him. Jerry even hired someone to investigate whether I had any bad habits in that area."

"Of course, this example I gave may not be accurate. But what I want to say is that there are many talented players who, after entering the NBA, may have wasted their talents for various reasons."

"For example, the team doesn't take you seriously, the coach treats you like air, the veterans on the team bully you, the reporters look at you with a magnifying glass, and the fans don't care what you think, they just hope you can be like Michael Jordan when you play."

"When there are so many problems at home, many people just can't handle it and choose to indulge themselves. There are so many examples like this."

Tang Sen became a little more alert, but he still didn't quite understand what Grant wanted to say.

Grant continued, "Of course, I believe there are many people who are willing to work hard. Don't they know that the better they play, the more money they can make?"

"But no one teaches them, and no one cares about them. So, Don, I really think Brown is lucky to have met you."

Tang Sen helped Brown improve his abilities step by step, and also influenced Brown's behavior through words and deeds.

Grant later learned that at the beginning of the season, Brown obediently gave gifts to everyone, which was all taught by Donson.

Just graduated from high school, still a kid, he entered the NBA ignorantly. If it weren't for the help of Donson, Grant really thinks Brown would not be as successful as he is now.

"It's also my luck." Tang Sen glanced at Brown on the court.

At that time, I was also lacking an opportunity.

So it is mutual achievement.

This is also the reason why Tang Sen pays the most attention to Brown.

Grant said, "So, Tang, is it possible for you to reconsider and choose to stay?"

Tang Sen was stunned and thought that the scope of your conversation was a bit too broad.

What's the point of staying? You didn't say you wanted to leave.

Grant said: "I mean, come to the team and become our trainer."

"look."

He nudged Tang Sen and pointed at the substitutes in the front row, saying, "Just like Steven Hunter, he's a rookie. Seeing Brown perform so well, how can he not be envious?"

"There's Hudson, Miller, and even some of the old guys. Tang, we're number one in the Eastern Conference right now. Don't you think they have any ideas?"

After a three-game winning streak, the Magic returned to first place in the Eastern Conference.

Such a record surprised many people in the league, who called it incredible.

So in Grant's opinion, if even Ewing wants to try harder, how can the other players on the team remain calm?

Veterans want to pursue championships.

Young players also want to improve themselves and strive to get big contracts.

Many times players give up simply because they see no hope.

"Just like Hunter, doesn't he want you to help him train? Haven't you noticed that he looks at you all differently?"

Grant saw it all.

These days, when warming up before the game, when Donson was training with Brown alone, Hunter was secretly watching from the side, and the envy in his eyes could not be hidden at all.

"But he earns over a million dollars a year, and he gets paid 12 times, with each payout being less than $100,000. Even after taxes are deducted, the remaining money probably isn't even enough to cover your expenses."

"I'm not saying your fees are too high, Tang. Your abilities are worth it."

Grant knew that Tang Sen charged $50,000 a month.

He didn't think it was expensive, and even thought it was too cheap.

As long as Tang Sen was able to point out McGrady's problem and help him solve it, he deserves not only 50,000 but 500,000.

"So, Tang, they really need your help. If possible, could you please consider staying with the team and working with us?"

Many people would have to think carefully about asking the Magic, a group of role players and poor guys, to pay for Tang Sen to train them.

But if Tang Sen stayed in the team and the team paid for it, it would be different.

"You can ask Brown or McGrady to talk to the team about the salary. Even if the team offers you an annual salary of one or two million, it is nothing to the team." Grant lowered his voice again.

Every year, NBA teams make blind decisions and sign many big contracts, and they don’t care about the loss of hundreds of millions or even tens of millions.

For an excellent trainer like Tang Sen who can improve the players' strength, Grant really thinks that an annual salary of one or two million is not too much.

"Stay and fight for the championship with us. I really think we have hope this year."

Grant said finally with anticipation.

After hearing this, Tang Sen finally understood what Grant was trying to say after all this roundabout talk.

"Rivers asked you to come and talk to me?" Tang Sen glanced at Rivers standing on the sidelines.

Grant shook his head and said it was his own idea.

"Well, let me think about it."

Tang Sen smiled but declined.

Although Grant's words were very touching, Tangsen could tell that he was not considering the future of the team's role players.

Ultimately, Grant is doing this for himself.

He felt that the Magic had hope this year and wanted Donson to stay and become the team's head trainer to see if he could help everyone improve their strength.

If a team wants to win the championship, it is not enough to have stars, role players are also important.

So he is being generous to the team and is very smart.

The problem is that Tang Sen really isn't very interested.

Mainly because of limited energy.

You know your own situation.

The effectiveness of Brown's training is closely related to the system's added value.

However, the number of badges is limited, and there are not enough to train players in large quantities.

As it stands now, it's good to focus on training one or two players.

Grant had a keen eye for detail and knew immediately that there was no hope.

But the next moment, his tone changed and he suddenly asked Tang Sen if it was possible for an old tree to sprout new buds in his situation.

"You?" Tang Sen looked Grant up and down.

"Yeah." Grant nodded.

Ewing can give it a try, and I can do it too.

I have 4 rings on my hand, and I just need one more to fill one hand. It would be so awkward if I had one less.

Tang Sen cheered himself up a little and asked Grant what he thought.

In his mind, Tang Sen also tried to recall Grant's playing style.

There is no doubt that he is a defensive stalwart, after all, he has been selected to the defensive second team for four consecutive years.

On the offensive end, he plays like a traditional power forward, with excellent mid-range shots, the ability to fight for rebounds, and when moving in the low post, he is very good at finding opportunities to cut inside to the basket.

In the 91 Finals, thanks to Jordan's wonderful passes, the team was so full of rebounds that it almost made them feel full.

But he is a 36-year-old veteran, and his playing style has been fixed. It is obviously unrealistic for him to develop new technologies at this time.

"Hey, what do you mean by that look?"

Grant noticed Tang Sen's scrutinizing look and shouted in frustration.

"No."

Tang Sen smiled and shook his head, then said: "If you are willing to sacrifice your off-court time, you can train your body like Patrick and see if you can regain some of your youthful form."

For players of his age, the biggest problem is not the technique, but the aging body.

Grant nodded and asked, "Does that mean I have to get up at five too?"

He grinned, remembering his days with the Bulls.

During those years, Jordan formed a breakfast club, was extremely harsh on himself, and even dragged his teammates to train together.

Grant also tried it for a while, but then gave up decisively because it was too much.

He remembered that there was a period of time when Jordan's eyes were always red because he got up too early, like a hungry beast, exuding an alluring aura.

During that period, the atmosphere in the team was extremely tense and no one dared to offend Jordan.

So when it came to getting up at five o'clock, Grant felt a little physically uncomfortable.

"It's not about getting up at five o'clock, but starting training at five o'clock. Don't worry, it won't be like this every day during the season." Tang Sen knew that getting up at five o'clock was inhumane, but the [Five O'clock] badge was his only one and it was valid for everyone, so there was no other way but to work harder.

Now that he had said it, Grant felt too embarrassed to go back on his word. Instead, when he mentioned the breakfast club, he immediately thought of Jordan.

"Tang, we'll play against the Wizards in half a month."

He raised an eyebrow and smirked.

Just waiting to see what happens with Jordan.

Tang Sen was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

Isn’t it just that I didn’t give you food on the plane that year, and you still hold a grudge against me?
In the end, due to the continuous running and back-to-back games, the Magic's condition was affected and they did not take away a victory from the plateau.

McGrady scored 23 points and Brown scored 17 points, and their performance was also average.

After a short day of rest, the team immediately set off for the last stop of their five-game road trip, Minnesota.

Tang Sen felt better only after returning to a lower altitude.

However, the Magic's condition is still worrying.

The continuous running around takes a lot of toll on the players.

And the Wolves are not a weak team.

This year, they were incredibly strong after the start of the season. Before this game, they had 7 wins and 1 loss, ranking first in the Western Conference.

They almost didn't make the playoffs last season.

After watching the game from the sidelines, Tang Sen began to understand why the Wolves had such a good record.

They actually figured out how to play zone defense.

Rahu Nesterovic has just finished his rookie contract. He has height, weight, and plays very hard, but he still cannot erase the shortcomings that a white center should have.

Lack of explosive power and slow speed.

Logically speaking, Brown should be able to easily defeat such an opponent.

But not this time.

The Wolves used a zone defense to weave an impenetrable defensive network in the interior.

Especially since they have Garnett, a defensive stalwart.

Tang Sen also discovered that the Wolves' zone defense was not a pure zone defense.

也就是所谓的什么2-3联防，2-1-2联防这些。

They set up a zone defense formation, but the players did not rigidly guard one area. They still had the awareness of man-to-man defense and would expand their range of movement to keep up with the opponent.

And the awareness of assisting defense is very good.

Brown struggled in this defensive system.

It is difficult to catch the ball, and it is not easy to attack after receiving the ball.

As expected, the Magic lost 87-94.

Brown scored 15 points and 8 rebounds, but also set a personal high with 6 turnovers.

McGrady was okay, scoring 27 points thanks to his unstoppable one-on-one performance.

After trying to change his playing style, his one-on-one shots with the ball are slowly becoming unstoppable.

This defeat made Brown feel a little bad.

We didn't talk much on the way back.

It wasn't until he returned to Orlando overnight, came out of the airport, and was on his way home when Tang Sen was about to catch up on his sleep that he suddenly spoke.

"Sir, do you think I need to continue gaining weight?" Brown asked cautiously.

Tang Sen was stunned, sat up straight, and asked him why he had such an idea.

Brown thought for a moment and said, "I just feel like my offensive threat under the basket is not enough. Maybe I should be like O'Neal, gain weight, and strengthen my offense."

In the flashing lights coming in through the car window, the boy's face was filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Obviously, the previous confrontation with O'Neal gave Brown some special ideas.

It's just weight gain, everyone feels the same.

Tang Sen thought it was nonsense.

Gaining weight is very easy. Just eat as much as you want and you will soon become a fat man.

But the problem is, in all these years in the NBA, how many players can be like O'Neal, who still has terrifying strength and sufficient agility after gaining weight.

Of course, there is also that iron body.

Brown's talent is amazing, but in Tangsen's opinion, it is far from reaching O'Neal's level.

That guy is truly historic, with unique physical gifts.

"Kwame, don't try to take shortcuts. Do you think O'Neal is always successful under the basket just by relying on his weight?" Tang Sen asked back.

O'Neal was never this fat before.

When he averaged 23 points and 14 rebounds per game in his rookie season, no one said he was bullying people under the basket with his weight.

He is a serious person with skills, and he is the top kind.

The footwork in the low post and the little hook shots on both sides of the basket are all amazing.

It's just that he may have discovered later that his opponents were too weak and he could just beat them by eating and eating, which formed the inherent impression that he relied on his weight.

"It just so happens that after these last few matches, I've discovered some of your problems. Believe me, as long as you practice well, you'll definitely be even better than you are now."

In recent games, there have been wins and losses, and performances have also been ups and downs.

But in Tang Sen's opinion, poor performance is just the right way to find out where the problem lies.

"Really?"

Brown, who had been dejected just now, suddenly brightened up and said, "Sir, will training still start at five o'clock tomorrow morning?"

"Tomorrow?"

Tang Sen glared at him unhappily.

There are still a few hours until dawn, and if you get up early, you won’t be afraid of sudden death.

(End of this chapter)