Carrying an old science teacher with him

"You bunch of idiots with brains the size of broad beans, sorry, maybe you don't know what a brainstem is, but I'm too lazy to explain. You bunch of college dropouts, or even college kids, all I need you to know right now is that you have to listen to me. If I say shoot, you fucking have to make that damn basketball go in; if I say defense, you have to chase it like hounds chasing a rabbit, get it? You wimps!"

On October 4, 2005, at the Warriors' training facility in Oakland, Bay Area, head coach Mike Montgomery addressed the players before the start of preseason training camp.

Wang Kai was a little stunned by the head coach's explosive opening remarks. When he was at Montverde, Coach Kevin would also lose his temper, but he rarely spoke to the players in such a tone.

Mike Montgomery coached at Stanford University for 18 years before taking over as coach of the Warriors in 2004, where he is a veteran coach in the NCAA.

Wang Kai noticed that while Coach Montgomery was giving a speech, Baron Davis, who was standing next to him, was making a contemptuous smirk.

Wang Kai, who had never attended a top North American basketball school, was unaware that in college basketball, it was common practice to give these hormone-fueled youngsters a tough start before the season.

It seems this renowned American college basketball coach has brought his habits to the Warriors, and it doesn't appear to be working well.

After the pep talk, the team officially began preseason training.

"Don't worry about it too much, Wang. All the college coaches are like this. When I was in college, all the coaches were like this. But Montgomery seems to have some amnesia. This is the NBA, not the NCAA."

"Byron, is this how the team always practices? Just shuttle runs, then shooting, and finally tactical drills and scrimmages. Is there nothing else?"

"Wang, you have to adapt. This is all the team needs to practice. What's needed here is immediate impact on the court. As for how you develop your impact, that's your own business. You need to learn how to spend money to improve yourself. The team will arrange a dedicated coach for you? That's a privilege only core players get."

Baron Davis explained the current situation of the Warriors to Wang Kai.

In the NBA of this era, very few teams provide dedicated coaches and trainers for their ordinary players. Only some core players and top stars receive such treatment. Rookies and ordinary players at most have practice partners to help them throw the ball.

It's fair to say that in today's NBA, although most players earn hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars a year, a large portion of their money goes to personal trainers and nutritionists, and oh, nearly half of their salary goes to the IRS.

Although he was a little unaccustomed to the head coach's opening remarks, Wang Kai quickly integrated into the team with the help of Baron Davis.

At that time, apart from Davis, only Jason Richardson had any real standing on the Warriors team. The others were either role players or softies, such as "second-generation basketball player" Dunleavy.

Jason Richardson wasn't a domineering guy either. His shy smile when he met Wang Kai made Wang Kai wonder if the other man had ulterior motives towards him.

"Kid, watch out for your head coach. He doesn't seem like a guy to deal with. But don't worry too much. You're Chris Mullin's pick. If that guy dares to mess around, don't hold back, give him a piece of your mind."

Kobe didn't know much about Mike Montgomery, since the Warriors' current head coach had disappeared from the NBA after 2006. All Kobe could remember was the Warriors' "Black Eight" miracle in 2007, but at that time the Warriors' head coach was the legendary coach Don Nelson.

"I know, old Cole, this Mr. Montgomery is completely different from Kevin. I won't easily clash with him, nor will I deliberately tolerate him."

In the subsequent daily training, Wang Kai quickly gained the recognition of his teammates through his excellent ball handling skills and amazing shooting ability.

They're all playing in the NBA. While there are some idiots and oddballs, most are normal people. The league still has its basic principles: whoever plays well deserves respect. This is a concept that most people agree on.

Standing at 2.04 meters tall with a wingspan of 2.14 meters, Wang Kai not only excels on offense but is also a formidable defender.

With Kobe Bryant on the team, Wang Kai's defense is outstanding in one-on-one situations; his footwork and defensive rhythm are close to the upper-middle level in the league. What Wang Kai lacks defensively right now is experience and game history.

However, to Wang Kai's surprise, on the fourth day of the preseason training camp, he clashed with head coach Montgomery.

During a regular intra-squad game, Wang Kai was unguarded within two meters of himself, and the starting players were all holed up under the basket without extending their defense. Instead of driving to the basket as the head coach had planned, Wang Kai chose to shoot from one meter beyond the three-point line.

"French, you college-aged idiot, can't you even understand my tactics? Drive in, drive in! Who taught you to shoot like a softie? Was it your pathetic, idiotic coach who can only instruct high schoolers?"

For some unknown reason, Montgomery suddenly flew into a rage and charged onto the field like an angry wild boar, ramming into Wang Kai's chest.

Hearing the head coach's rude words, Wang Kai got angry. He remained silent with a gloomy face and slowly retreated back to his own half of the field.

"Listen, you Chinese coward, there won't be a next time. If there is, I'll kick you out of here. I mean what I say."

Seemingly to demonstrate his authority, Montgomery did not let go of Wang Kai, who had taken the initiative to retreat, but continued to rush to Wang Kai's side and roar.

Baron Davis couldn't stand it anymore and stepped between the two, separating Wang Kai and the head coach.

Seeing Baron Davis's actions, Montgomery stopped scolding Wang Kai and instead glared at him as he returned to the sidelines.

In the following intra-squad game, Wang Kai did not attempt any more three-pointers, nor did he weakly follow Montgomery's advice to drive to the basket. He continued to run according to the tactics, but passed the ball as soon as he received it.

Montgomery, standing on the sidelines, smiled smugly, feeling that his actions had been effective.

Since taking over as coach of the Warriors in 2004, Montgomery has felt that he is not respected by the players. He wants the same power and status he had at Stanford, but some people on the team simply ignore him, especially after Baron Davis arrived.

When Montgomery saw Wang Kai chatting and laughing with Baron Davis as soon as he arrived at the team, Montgomery decided to use Wang Kai to establish his authority.

(Sorry, only one update today. My period came tonight, and I drank too much.)