noveldrama
Chapter 884 884 542 In the Name of Love_2
Chapter 884 884 542 In the Name of Love_2
?Chapter 884: Chapter 542 In the Name of Love_2 Chapter 884: Chapter 542 In the Name of Love_2 It’s his contract year this season, is this really okay?
Coach Lu might not be unaware of the stakes, but his intent in doing this wasn’t to make anyone comfortable, but rather to help Durant find his place.
For this reason, pushing Chris Bosh to play center, and having DeAndre Jordan, who’s also in his contract year, play as a substitute is acceptable.
After all, the future of the Supersonics lies with Durant; he bears the expectations of the hundreds of thousands of middle-class fans living in Seattle’s major ports like Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Tacoma, and Edmonds. Letting DeAndre Jordan and Bosh suffer a bit and taking the blame himself is acceptable.
Moreover, if we’re being honest, the only one truly suffering a loss is DeAndre Jordan.
He’s lost his starting spot. But the issue is, Lu never promised DeAndre Jordan a starting position for the new season.
DeAndre Jordan did indeed replace Brown as the starter for the last few games of last season’s Western Conference Finals, but that was just an ad hoc measure, can that really count?
In Lu’s opinion, the real person making a sacrifice here is Kwame Brown.
He signed for a minimum salary for the team, and even “gave” his starting position to Bosh, which is truly commendable.
As for DeAndre Jordan? He should manage his expectations well.
Lu may not yet be a clever coach, but he’s definitely a master of office politics.
He knows whose ass to kiss, whom to please, and which people are expendable.
Bosh? Frankly, he’s a mercenary; after this season ends, who knows where he’ll go, so there’s no guilt in making him play center.
DeAndre Jordan? He’s a young inside player who’s proven that he can be a super blue-collar worker thanks to his talent, and he’s approaching his contract year, but the consensus within the SuperSonics is that this season will be their only one with four max salaries. Clay Bennett and his partners are not willing to pay more, so having DeAndre Jordan come off the bench serves two purposes: it’s a team necessity, and it undermines his status and performance to drive down his price at the time of negotiation.
It seems that everything Lu does is for Durant, but the premise behind these decisions is that neither Bosh nor DeAndre Jordan are considered the definite future of the Supersonics.
Yu Fei, who hasn’t been involved in court intrigue for a long time, didn’t see through Lu’s thoughts.
But he could feel that DeAndre Jordan’s sharpness was fading.
The day before media day, Lu only arranged for half the usual amount of training.
He told the players to go back and rest well, to meet the media in their best shape.
“DJ, what are you doing?”
Yu Fei saw DeAndre Jordan staying after practice to work on his shooting and thus asked.
“I’m trying again.” DeAndre Jordan, who also didn’t understand Lu’s mindset, thought he wasn’t starting because he lacked shooting ability.
Yu Fei didn’t believe that anyone couldn’t learn to shoot, but for those blue-collar players who need large amounts of strength training to maintain their physique, expecting them to develop a shooting touch was pretty much like expecting Curry to win a dunk contest.
“Practicing this during the season is pointless.” Yu Fei said, “You can only find the balance between on-the-ball and off-the-ball training during the off-season.”
DeAndre Jordan had a private trainer, of course he knew this.
So he looked even more dejected.
“You’re only 23.” Yu Fei laughed, “Why do you look like you’re 33?”
Suddenly, DeAndre Jordan said something philosophical: “Because I might have already died. I mean, even if I was 43, I would play like I was 23.”
“You might be right, but, I prefer the 22-year-old you.”
Yu Fei said, “I’m talking about the DeAndre Jordan who made it tough for LeBron James to score inside during the Western Conference Finals.”
“The 22-year-old DeAndre Jordan can’t start.”
“Maybe just not in Seattle.” Yu Fei said, “But if you continue like the DeAndre Jordan of today, you won’t start for any team.”
At that moment, this year’s SuperSonics rookie Chandler Parsons chimed in, “Yeah, don’t hang yourself on one tree.”
DeAndre Jordan instantly understood Yu Fei’s point.
Maybe he can’t start in Seattle, but by keeping up the training and taking every minute on the court seriously, other teams will take notice, and by next summer, he can definitely sell himself for a good price.
“I know what to do now, Frye.” DeAndre Jordan glanced at Chandler, “Rookie, I’m your model.”
Chandler nodded nonchalantly, “Sure, sure, I’ll learn from you.”
Yu Fei smiled mischievously at Chandler, unable to resist bullying him: “Ched, I like your spirit, but you haven’t gone to buy water for me and DJ yet, so I think your spirit needs to improve.”
“Right away, Frye, just give me five minutes!”
Yu Fei said, “I’ll only give you three minutes.”
The SuperSonics’ new recruit sprinted out of the court.
DeAndre Jordan and the others knew why Yu Fei liked to pick on Parsons.
There wasn’t any other reason, except that Yu Fei couldn’t come to terms with the fact that since the NBA draft ended, he was no longer the best-looking player in the NBA.
What’s more annoying is that the new league heartthrob was his own teammate.
“Are you bullying the rookie again?”
Roy asked from afar.
“Am I that kind of person?” Yu Fei replied with a set of excuses he thought someone might believe, “The kid’s just too handsome. Considering the early aging problem of white guys, I think it’s necessary for him to get moving.”
Roy nodded, “You have a point, you know, Ched’s jersey sales have already climbed into the top five on the team, and what’s more, he’s got more female fans buying his jersey than you do.”