start with scouting

Chapter 283 Which Coach Interview Is Stronger?

After finishing the itinerary, Su Yang and Snyder set off for Los Angeles that afternoon, and Taylor cooperated in the whole process.

The three settled in the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills, checked the interview plans again, and planned to accept the King's secret interview invitation if the Lakers and the Warriors did not agree, but if the King did not agree, then they had to find another interview plan. Other methods.

Anyway, there is still pressure, and it is not guaranteed. Snyder is not worried at all, saying that he will be out of work for a year at most.

At eight o'clock in the morning of the next day, Lacob, the new Warriors boss, arrived with a group of Warriors executives. He didn't say anything about the formal interview. Instead, he talked about the MT company founded by Su Yang in Silicon Valley, and he had a vague intention of investing. Only then did I turn to the topic of coaching.

Su Yang spoke freely, starting with determining Curry's core position as the Warriors, and then suggesting that the draft conference win Klay Thompson, and then emphasizing the establishment of a defensive system. It will take three seasons to build a strong team that can hit the championship. It is absolutely feasible.

Jerry West, who only joined the Warriors executive committee in May, was also present, occasionally speaking and asking questions, but mostly listening.

When talking about how to determine the upper limit of players in the future, Su Yang emphasized that the first is physical condition, the second is basketball IQ, and the third is character.After hearing what Su Yang said, West said a few more words uncharacteristically, and discussed several potential players with Su Yang.

The interview lasted nearly two hours. After the end, Warriors boss Lacob was very excited, saying that he had identified Su Yang, but also bluntly said that the team had other candidates for the head coach to consider. He would discuss with the team when he returned and would definitely reply as soon as possible.

Su Yang sent Lacob and others out of the hotel with a smile, knowing that there must be someone in the Warriors who supports Mark Jackson, and Mark Jackson's plan for the future of the Warriors should not be much different, and the key point is that the price will not exceed tens of millions of dollars.

The key to whether the Warriors make an offer is whether they believe in the statement of establishing a dynasty. After all, the Warriors management did not believe in Curry [-]% from the beginning to the end. Naturally, they will doubt how far they can go with Curry as the absolute core.

During lunch, Taylor talked about the remarks made by the small boss of the Thunder, Tom Ward, and asked Su Yang what he thought with a smile.

"If the Thunder maintains the current lineup and does not change the offensive and defensive system, then we are indeed vulnerable to be beaten if we stay in the West..." Su Yang said with a smile: "But I am sure, they will definitely be smart. I just saw that they plan to pursue Perkins ..."

Perkins is a completely free agent in the summer, and his performance in the playoffs is not bad. He is more in line with the Thunder's role as a tank center. However, signing Perkins will occupy most of the Thunder's salary space, making it impossible for the Thunder to keep Barnes and Livingston. and others.

The role that Perkins brought to the Thunder could hardly make up for the loss of Barnes, Livingston and others, and naturally weakened.

"I have also seen that they also plan to simplify the offensive system and fully help KD hit the MVP of the regular season..."

After Snyder finished speaking, he looked at Su Yang and smiled. The tacit understanding of everything was very subtle.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the Lakers delegation arrived as scheduled.

To Su Yang's surprise, Old Buss actually attended in person, bringing Jenny Buss with him, which seemed like a family investigation.

After the greetings were over, everyone entered the conference room, chatting casually about the previous "grievances", especially Su Yang's sentence "Jesus can't keep the Lakers". to the one who does it.

After talking about grievances, Kupchak praised Su Yang's brilliant achievements in Oklahoma City, and then changed the subject: "So, in today's interview, our first question is, if you become the head coach of the Lakers, what will happen to the team?" What are your plans for the future?"

Su Yang was prepared for that kind of question, and immediately answered: "First find a core outside player, preferably through a trade, to ensure a smooth transition between that player and Kobe, and then build a team around that player so that the team can maintain it for a long time." Competitiveness."

Perhaps because the answer touched the thinking of the Lakers delegation, Buss Sr. and Kupchak obviously changed their expressions.

Seeing this, Su Yang continued: "Judging from the current salary space of the Lakers and your previous statement emphasizing your satisfaction with the team lineup, you want to pursue Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, but I sincerely advise you not to do that."

As soon as the words fell, the old Buss, who had seen countless worlds, suddenly raised his eyebrows. He was surprised that Su Yang guessed the Lakers' secret recruitment plan, and the new president, Jim Buss, couldn't sit still, but Jenny Buss forced him with a smile. pretend to be calm,
"Why do you say that?" Kupchak asked.

"The Lakers are too strong..."

Su Yang analyzed and said: "A few years ago, you got Pau Gasol in a robbery trade, and then won the championship. At that time, many people were dissatisfied. This time, the Hornets player needs to be approved by other teams in the league. They will definitely come forward to obstruct it. .

Especially for the Cavaliers who just lost LeBron last year, Gilbert will definitely object in the name of protecting the small ball market.

As for Dwight Howard, with his personality and spirit, it is difficult to get along with Kobe. Even if he is exchanged, he will not guarantee a contract extension. Then you will waste the draft picks and players such as Bynum, which will cause the Lakers to fall into a long-term downturn..."

In words, Su Yang fully demonstrated that he not only knows how to coach, but also knows how to trade and build a team. The secondary part is discussed in detail.

After the words fell, Old Bass immediately asked: "Then who do you think we should trade is in line with your vision?"

Su Yang thought for a moment, and said: "James Harden, or Stephen Curry, both of them are outside MVP-level players. In comparison, it is more likely to get James Harden, because the Thunder will renew him. Big salary pressure."

Old Bass didn't respond, he just suspected that Su Yang might talk casually, but he didn't expect Su Yang to have a more specific plan.

Kupchak took up the conversation: "Put the trade aside, how are you going to improve the defense?"

Su Yang smiled and asked back: "Why should we improve the defense? The current resource allocation of the Lakers, the defensive effect is not bad. Although Kobe held the defense for a while, his physical strength and energy are not enough to support the increase in strength. Ron Artest is not good enough." Can only guard the slow players, the real heavy responsibility of defense falls to Gasol and Bynum, but they can't defend the perimeter..."

In Su Yang's view, the Lakers are a group of old players who usually play defensively and play well. After finishing the regular season in a healthy way, it is the best strategy to gather enough strength in the playoffs, just like the Celtics in 10 years.As for forcibly improving the quality of defense in the regular season, it is unnecessary.

Jim Buss frowned and asked: "We were swept in the second round of the playoffs because of poor defense, don't you know?"

"No ..."

Su Yang curled his lips and shook his head: "The Lakers were swept in the second round of the playoffs. The main reason was that their offensive efficiency was too low. Their opponents played too many easy and quick offensive and defensive transitions. enlarge.

If Game 1 hadn't been Kobe's last few inefficient offenses in a row, the Lakers would have definitely won that game.

In addition, you have come to such a conclusion, which shows that your scouting analysis or video analysis is seriously behind other teams, and you should fully upgrade as soon as possible, otherwise you will lose the game in the future, and you will not even know how you lost..."

Between the words, Su Yang couldn't help but think of a family business like the Lakers. Jesse Buss, the illegitimate son of Old Buss, was in charge of scouting work. The Lakers had a good record in recent years, and they didn't have any serious drafts and tactics. Analysis, coupled with the fact that Phil Jackson's defensive strategy tends to block the inside and put mid-range shots, even basic pick-and-roll defense is difficult to handle, and blind inferences are also normal.

"But Kobe also said it was a defensive problem, doesn't Kobe understand?" Jim Buss said rushingly.

Su Yang subconsciously looked at Old Bath when he heard the words, and found that Old Bath's expression was twitching and a little embarrassed, and immediately complained in his heart: Old Bath was a wise man, but he ended up with a stupid son like Jim Buss. Add blockage.

Thinking about it, he said: "It means that Kobe may have made an empirical error, and his one-step shots inside the three-point line look very powerful, but the scoring efficiency is very low. If he plays more pick-and-rolls and off the ball , the Lakers will not be swept away."

Kobe's off-ball efficiency is quite high, even an old Nash can fly, but the Lakers have never tried it before.

After Su Yang finished speaking, Jim Buss wanted to refute. Kupchak rushed to say: "Then what do you think of the triangle offense? If you become the head coach of the Lakers, will you continue to use the triangle offense? I heard that you have created a wheel dynamic offense. system."

"That's the triangle offense..."

Su Yang said bluntly, "I played often in the Thunder. You can go through the videos of the first two seasons, especially the game against the Timberwolves. The effect of the triangle offense I directed was obviously better than that of Phil Jackson's long-term assistant Kurt Rambis. .

I will not continue to use the triangle offense, nor will I abandon the triangle offense. I will only transform the core of the triangle-the dynamic round of low-post support into a new tactical system, such as split screens and blind cuts, so that players can score more efficiently.

But Kobe’s previous tactic of taking the ball directly at the waist, I will eliminate it from the tactics book, it is too inefficient, and it consumes a lot of energy for Kobe. It was okay to use it ten years ago, but it has been used in recent years. Other teams We all know that consumes Kobe..."

In about 2 minutes, Su Yang briefly explained the tactical concept, and even designed a tactic for Gasol + Kobe + Artest to play efficiently. Based on the simple UCLA Cut, even Jim Buss understood it. .

Kupchak said with a little worry: "It sounds like you want to change Kobe's style of play? But that's something that even Phil Jackson couldn't do or didn't want to do. If you do that, how will you deal with Kobe's conflict?" How do you get his support?"

Su Yang thought for a moment, shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands: "I don't need to deal with his relationship. My job is to win more games through adjustments. Kobe is very paranoid but also very smart. As long as he can win, he will definitely cooperate. It's what you want." It's too complicated."

As soon as the voice fell, Jim Buss seemed to be unable to bear it. Ignoring the warning eyes of Old Buss, he said: "After I heard your remarks, you have belittled us very much. We are a dynasty team. Could it be that we are not good at all? don't know?"

Su Yang shook his head and chuckled: "It's not that you don't understand, but that your way of pursuing success is too path-dependent, relying on the advantages of a big city located in Los Angeles, and repeatedly getting big-name players to join, winning the championship is easier than other teams .

Now that the times have changed drastically, you still want to do that, thinking that you can continue to compete for the championship by upgrading your defense a little and signing a few outside shooters. Playing a game of 1+1+1=3 is absolutely impossible. Now the Thunder are unstoppable. The Heat are bound to rise, the Spurs remain stable, and the Nuggets are growing rapidly. What do the Lakers have?Continue to let the 33-year-old Kobe win in singles?

If the Lakers want to maintain competition for a long time, and even win the championship again, there must be all-round changes.

At least scouting and video analysis need to be upgraded, the goal must be long-term, and the attitude must be humble, otherwise it is just busy work. "

After Su Yang finished speaking, the conference room was silent.

After a long time, Jim Buss said: "I understand why the Thunder let you go, you are more like the boss."

"Then what can we give you?" Old Buss asked.

Since the Lakers are so bad, where is the attraction?

"I need attention and traffic, as well as an average annual salary of 1000 million US dollars, and give my chief assistant a million annual salary. Very few teams can meet these conditions. As a reward, I will try my best to bring the Lakers one or two championships .”

Su Yang smiled and said: "Of course, I have been a Lakers fan since I was a child, my son Lakers dream..."

(End of this chapter)