NBA: I really just want to be a second-in-command

Chapter 112 [Will you stop them? 】

Lu Yusheng excused his diarrhea and did not attend the team's post-match media meeting.

He doesn't want to be the center of media attention.

In fact, since he was just selected by the Lakers, he has been the focus of the media, and he enjoyed it a little at first.

But now, he is no longer in the mood to enjoy it. All these attentions only give him pressure.

What disgusted him the most was that these media trends changed too quickly.

At the beginning, when they heard that he was selected by the Lakers as a yellow boy, they were all unfavorable and ridiculed the Lakers and him in every way.

Now, he had only played three good games, and they immediately seemed to change their faces, flattering him crazily.

All the future point guard nemesis of the league have come out.

In fact, he is very clear about how much he is now.

If he doesn't seize the time to solve his shooting problem, he will suffer even more in future games.

The reason for the game against the Supersonics was that coach Bob Hill made a decision for him to let go of the shot and not let go. This kind of defense is almost the same as the usual shooting training, so it barely hides the ugliness.

But next time, if the opponent doesn't have this defensive strategy, then the shot will definitely be loose.

At that time, needless to say, the media who praised him fiercely will definitely turn their guns around and start scolding him. No matter how much they praised him in the past, they will scold him as hard as he did before.

So, Lu Yusheng thought it over, before he actually typed it out, it's better to have less contact with the media, so as not to put pressure on himself.

After he took a shower, he didn't rush to change clothes. After all, Kobe said, let him wait for himself.

So, he sat alone in the locker room in his training uniform and looked at his phone.

Meng Xia suddenly sent a message.

"If there are really no plans to celebrate, I want to talk to you tonight, okay?"

Lu Yusheng was a little hesitant. Since the incident between the two of them in the hotel last time, he really didn't know how to face this girl.

After hesitating for a moment, he still decided not to reply to Meng Xia's message for the time being.

When I go back to sleep, I will go back again. By then, he will already be asleep, and Meng Xia will not let him go out to meet again.

"Don't you have to go to the press conference?"

Suddenly a magnetic man's voice came from the door.

Lu Yusheng raised his head hastily, and there was a tall and thin man standing at the door, who looked a little familiar.

Isn't this the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, Steve Kerr?

Oh no, at this time, he is not the head coach of the Warriors.

At this time, he was still the general manager of the Phoenix Suns.

"Hey, Lu, you should know me, right?"

Steve Kerr walked in smiling.

"Of course I do, hello."

Even if he doesn't have the status of head coach of the Warriors, after all, he still has the status of a meritorious player of the Bulls Dynasty. How could anyone who plays basketball not know him.

However, Lu Yusheng did not expect that he would appear in the Lakers locker room.

"Hello."

Cole smiled and shook hands with Lu Yusheng.

"I came to talk to Phil about something. He went to the press conference, so I'll wait for him here for a while," Cole said.

Oh, yes, Lu Yusheng just remembered his relationship with Phil Jackson.

"Why don't you go to the press conference?" Kerr asked.

"I felt a little uncomfortable in my stomach and came out late, so I didn't go."

"Can you not go?"

"It's okay, I'm just a rookie, it doesn't matter."

"Oh, no, I don't think so." Steve Kerr said, "You are one of the key figures for the Lakers to win this game. You have saved the Lakers at critical moments several times. With the Sonics' three-pointer tonight, you can't win."

Facing the praise from his seniors, Lu Yusheng smiled modestly, "Actually... I'm just not good at dealing with the media, so..."

"That's not okay," Steve Kerr said, "Lu, you have to learn to deal with them, would you like to hear me explain why?"

"You said."

"The NBA is a commercial league that needs exposure. Players are commodities in this commercial league, and they need promotion and publicity. Only when your influence and popularity increase can you gain more commercial value."

Cole continued, "Although you are still just a rookie, but, Lu, you are now a hot spot that the media is vying to report on. You have to learn to use this hot spot to increase your popularity. This is related to your commercial value. It's about your money, understand?"

"But now I just want to play well." Lu Yusheng said, "I'm not saying how noble I am or how little I value money, but in fact, I know very well that the reason why I can become the focus of the media now is because That’s why I’ve played pretty well in the past few games.”

Cole smiled in surprise, "This really made me think that you still have such a clear mind in the world."

"Are you praising me?"

"Of course, let me tell you, I have seen many players lose themselves quickly after becoming famous, and eventually disappear from this league. It is really not easy for you, a rookie, to have such a mentality. This mentality is very good. You are right, we play basketball, and all the attention and interests ultimately come from our performance on the court, so no matter what time it is, polishing your skills must always come first. but……"

"Just what?"

"It's just that in a place like Los Angeles, it's hard to get rid of the interference of the media, and it's hard to calm down and polish your skills," Steve Kerr said.

"That can't be helped. I have been selected by the Lakers, so I have to find a way to overcome it."

"Phil, have they talked to you about contract renewal?" Steve Kerr pretended to ask casually.

"Contract extension? No, I'm just a rookie who has played three games. There's no need to talk to me about this, right?"

Steve Kerr was very surprised, "Have you really never talked about it?"

"No."

"That's inappropriate, and I think they even disrespected you a little bit," Steve Kerr said.

Lu Yusheng scratched his head, is there any?

"Listen, Lu, you're the best player in this class right now, and the Lakers are so lacking in talent at the No. [-] position. With your current performance, they should have talked to you about your next contract. If not, it means that they don't pay enough attention to you, maybe they have other plans, you...do you understand what I mean?"

This hint from Steve Kerr immediately reminded Lu Yusheng of what he heard at the door of Zen Master's office a few days ago, about Phil Jackson's plan to let him play and then trade him.

Unexpectedly, Steve Kerr already knew about this.

Could it be... Jackson and the management are already asking other teams about this deal?

Lu Yusheng couldn't help but feel a glimmer of gloom in his heart.

"I understand what you mean, but if this is really the case, then I have no good solution. As you said just now, players are just commodities of this league. How can commodities have the right to decide whether to stay or not? ?”

Lu Yusheng said this on purpose, he had already heard some overtones from Steve Kerr's words.

"You are right. Ordinary players do not have the right to decide whether to stay or not, but a few players can still have and control this initiative."

Cole smiled and said, "Lu, actually I can tell that you don't want to be traded as soon as you play it. Although players are commodities, players are also human beings. People have feelings. Treating people on a team After a long time, feelings will naturally develop, and I don’t want to leave.”

"So... do you have any suggestions?" Lu Yusheng asked bluntly.

"I beg you to consider joining Phoenix."

Having said that, Steve Kerr did not hide his purpose today, "Lu, believe me, I can offer you the next contract that will definitely satisfy you, and I have many business resources to introduce For you, such as Michael Jordan’s AJ brand, as long as you agree to join Phoenix, I can guarantee that your daily income will not be less than this amount.”

"And, most importantly, Lu, I can assure you that as long as I am still the manager of the Suns, I will never trade you unless you take the initiative to apply for a trade."

Lu Yusheng smiled, "Mr. Steve, I want to ask, is it worth it for you to spend such a high price to recruit a rookie, and after you go, you will only be a substitute for Nash?"

"Of course it's worth it."

Steve Kerr said, "Don't forget, I am also a point guard. Moreover, your worries can be completely dispelled. Although Steve Nash is an MVP-level player, don't forget that he is 32 this year. How long can you last at the peak, as long as you can play well, do you still have to worry about tactical status?"

Lu Yusheng thought to himself, this Cole is indeed a smart person, he has already said it very implicitly, but this guy still immediately heard the concerns in his words.

After hearing this, Lu Yusheng couldn't help but feel a little complicated.

He has only played three games in the NBA, and some people came to poach him, and he offered quite a lot of money. This is an affirmation of his value, and it is naturally something to be happy about.

But... Letting him leave the Lakers and give up the opportunity to play with his idol is still a bit hard to let go...

"You don't have to rush to answer me, there is still a lot of time. I am here today mainly to express my sincerity. I hope you will think about it when you go back. You are a smart person. I appreciate that you are pursuing your basketball dream, but this will not delay you. For your team, and, to get more money, what do you think?"

Before Lu Yusheng could speak, Zen Master suddenly walked in.

When Steve Kerr saw Master Zen, the two hugged each other happily and greeted each other cordially.

Lu Yusheng thought to himself, it seems that the relationship between Zen Master and Cole is still very good.

The two chatted for a long time before Cole left, and the Zen master also reluctantly said goodbye to him, just like a father and son.

"What did the bastard tell you?"

As soon as Cole left, Zen Master asked.

Lu Yusheng: ...

"It's nothing. He came to see you. If you're not here, just chat with me casually." Lu Yusheng said.

"Hmph." Zen Master sneered, "He didn't come to see me out of kindness. I guess he probably talked to you about the new contract?"

Lu Yusheng was taken aback.

"You don't have to deny it," said the Zen master. "I'm just guessing. It doesn't matter what he talked to you. What's important is that you don't believe a single punctuation mark in what this guy says. I know him. This kid has always been unscrupulous. Talk to you about a 3000 million contract today, and if you don’t get it, it’s considered kind of him to give you 300 million, and maybe it’s not time to negotiate a contract at all, so he’ll trade you.”

"What about you?" Lu Yusheng asked, "Will you...will trade me?"

The Zen Master was taken aback, and said with a smile, "Lu, you have performed so well, and you will be the focus of our training. How can we trade you away?"

Lu Yusheng didn't show any expression, and said, Cole, I don't think you are bad at all.

He no longer went to see the Zen master, that smiling face made him somewhat disgusted at the moment.

Kobe walked in and said to Zen Master, "Phil, I saw Cole. Why did that guy come to you? Didn't you have a bad time last time?"

The Zen master laughed, "He didn't come to see me. Don't forget, he is the general manager of the sun now. He has another purpose."

After finishing speaking, the Zen master smiled and walked out.

Kobe glanced at Lu Yusheng, and naturally understood what was going on.

Of course, Kobe didn't say anything, just said, "I've changed my training clothes and are waiting for me, fine, let's go rookie, let's talk about how to respect the boss of the team."

The two came to the court again wearing training clothes.

At this moment, the fans and media reporters in the arena have already left, and only the staff are left cleaning.

A staff member in charge of training, seeing Kobe and Lu Yusheng approaching, stopped chatting and walked over.

"Tell me about your ground pass first." Kobe directed the staff, "Tim, you and I come over to defend him, Smith, you stand there and prepare to catch the ball, Lu, in this case, How do you hit the ball to Smith?"

Lu Yusheng was taken aback for a moment. This guy is really thirsty for learning. He needs to learn what he said on the court today.

"Why are you standing there? Pass the ball."

Facing the double team of Kobe and Tim, Lu Yusheng dribbled the ball backwards while watching for opportunities.

Snapped!
A kick from Tim's feet was strangely passed to Smith not far away!

Tim started to catch the ball, but within a short distance, he didn't catch it!

Kobe nodded, "That's right, how did you master the point and height of the strike so that Tim couldn't touch it at all?"

Lu Yusheng couldn't explain it. After all, this was Stockton's true biography. He just mastered it, but it was a bit difficult for him to explain the principle.

"I can't say, maybe it's just adding a little spin to the ball."

"Then you do it a few more times, and I'll take a look again." Kobe said.

Lu Yusheng had no choice but to do it a few more times, and Kobe really discovered the way. He said excitedly to himself, "Yes, give the ball some spin, and the height of the ball's bounce will change slightly. As for the spin The direction depends on the position of the defensive player and the position of the teammates..."

He tried to do it a few more times, and it really looked good!
This ability to learn...

Lu Yusheng smiled and said, "I don't think you need to learn this stuff at all, and you won't need it anyway."

Kobe turned back and stared at him, "Boy, don't think I can't hear what you're talking about, let me tell you, don't think you can tell me what to do with a few good games, let me tell you, you are not qualified to question my Choose. Next time you say something like this, I swear, I will never be rude to you. "

"Come on, let's start with a set of [-]-ball shots." Kobe threw the ball to Lu Yusheng and said.

Lu Yusheng: ...

Shouldn't we be talking about things directly?

He had to start shooting drills.

Kobe continued to ponder the ground pass from the sidelines.

After the shooting practice was over, Lu Yusheng was already out of breath.

Kobe came over and said, "There was more practice tonight, but your friends are waiting for you, so let's do it today."

"friend?"

Only then did Lu Yusheng realize that Meng Xia, who was sitting on the sidelines, had been watching him.

Meng Xia waved at him, and Lu Yusheng also nodded.

"Okay, get out of here," Kobe said.

"how about you?"

"I still have to train."

"Oh. Then I'm leaving." Lu Yusheng wiped his sweat and prepared to leave.

"correct."

Kobe suddenly stopped him.

Lu Yusheng looked back at Kobe.

Kobe hesitated for a moment and said, "Boy, you are in a much better situation than when I first entered the league. You are playing a fake substitute now. I was playing a real substitute back then, so be content, even if you go Even without the sun, you are still a substitute."

Lu Yusheng smiled, "Is this considered retention?"

"Fuck off, I won't keep a guard like you who can't shoot."

Lu Yusheng stopped laughing, and he asked Kobe seriously, "If they want to trade me, will you stop them and keep me?"

(End of this chapter)