I just play ball

Chapter 171
When I first met this sentence, Li Yue thought about it for a long time but didn't understand it, so he simply asked, "What do you mean?"

"The best coach of the year makes you suppress from the beginning to the end, what else can I do?" Wharton lowered his voice and showed a smirk.

Li Yue finally understood that Wharton was worried that there would be no place to display his talents, and he might also be worried that the outside world would judge him as a "tool man" or a "puppet", so he asked this question.

The arena is not a good place to chat in detail. Li Yue summed it up and said with a smile: "I understand what you mean, let's go to the locker room first, and then find a bar to buy you a drink."

Wharton waved his hand: "I should invite you. I've delayed your work."

"You were in Cleveland in March, and it's my turn."

Li Yue insisted that Walton was no longer polite, and the two walked side by side to the player tunnel.

In the locker room, all the players were celebrating. Selby scored 21 points bravely and had the potential to win the summer league MVP again. He swayed excitedly with the music; Gobert grabbed 15 rebounds and took a phone call to video his parents Good news; Covington hit a three-pointer and locked the champion Bennett, tapping the screen of the phone excitedly, as if sharing happiness with a friend.

Li Yue took Wharton and introduced them to the players one by one. When the whole team celebrated, they clapped their hands to attract attention.

"All of us played very well in this game, especially Gobert's frame protection, Covington's single defense on the wing, and Selby's three-pointer. I hope the next game can continue. The training time is set at 7 o'clock tomorrow morning. bell."

"OK." The whole team replied in unison, with high spirits.

Li Yue snapped his fingers: "Also, at the Prime Steakhouse at eight o'clock in the evening, I'll treat you to guests. Come if you have nothing to do."

"YEAH!" Thackeray was the first to cheer, and laughter rang out in the locker room.

Li Yue turned around with a wave, stepped out of the locker room with Wharton, went straight to the gate of the arena, and chatted as they walked.

"It's hard to believe that you're a young player who just finished his second year," Walton said. "Just now I thought you were a 40-year-old head coach. When I was still with the Lakers, I didn't see you like this. "

"What's this?" Li Yue shrugged, "LeBron James was 19 years old and could refuse Reebok's $03 million signing fee check. At that time, he was still living in someone else's house with his mother, and his maturity was incredible. Burst the watch."

"Perhaps." Wharton sighed, "Super players like you always have something better than ordinary people."

"Don't talk about it, where are we going to drink? You should be familiar with this place, right?" Li Yue said, recalling the interesting story of Wharton participating in the team training after drinking, and Kobe scored 70 points on his head, and he refrained from mentioning it. and.

"Go to the MGM Rouge Bar. The place opened earlier and the environment is better." Wharton said the location in an instant without even recalling it for a second.

Li Yue frowned slightly: "The name sounds a bit girly, isn't it a gay show?"

"You will know when you go."

...

After about 10 minutes' drive, the two arrived at their destination.

When I went in, I found that the space is relatively small, there are many flowers, the guests are sparse, and the whole bar is very quiet.

The two picked a table by the window, Li Yue ordered a glass of lemonade, and Wharton ordered a cocktail.

"When did you get the call?" Li Yue asked.

"On the night of the 7th, the specific time is..." Wharton said, taking out his mobile phone and clicking a few times, "Ten past six."

"Coach D'Antoni attaches great importance to you," Li Yue nodded earnestly. He clearly remembered that the training ended at six o'clock in the afternoon. It seems that he was not idle, but started to contact Wharton. No matter what the purpose was, at least he respected his proposal very much.

"We talked for an hour, from the future planning of the Lakers to the implementation of specific tactics, the whole process was very happy." Walton put down his phone and took the wine brought by the waiter, "But I still haven't figured out, if I join the coaching staff, what will I do? Responsible for what."

Li Yue took a sip of lemonade, knowing that it is normal for Wharton to have such concerns, because generally speaking, as an assistant coach, there are always specific responsibilities, some are responsible for the construction of the defensive system, some are responsible for player development planning, and some is in charge of video analysis, if there is no title, it will indeed make people feel "are you kidding me".

Thinking of this, Li Yue glared at Wharton slightly, as if saying: You didn't ask?
Wharton immediately shook his head: "I asked him and he didn't say anything, only that he would discuss it again, so I have some concerns."

Wharton hesitated after speaking, as if he wanted to continue, but finally chose to wait.

Li Yue chuckled, remembering the experience of the two as teammates during the 11-12 season, he instantly guessed what Walton was thinking, and was just worried that D'Antoni was just doing it for himself, and actually didn't want him to join the Lakers coaching staff.

This is not a problem at all, but some things are not easy to say directly, Li Yue put down the lemonade after a little weighing.

"Coach D'Antoni didn't determine the position for you. It should be because the coaching staff list has not been fully determined. I proposed to contact you because D'Antoni took the initiative to solicit suggestions for candidates. Of course, I hope you can come back to help the team and talk to Jim. I have talked about your affairs, and Kobe is sure to welcome it, so you don’t need to worry about anything.”

Such a statement is equivalent to the simultaneous welcome of the three major forces of the Lakers owner, core players, and coaches.

Wharton smiled: "That's the question, why did you propose me?"

"Kobe and Phil once highly praised you for having a super high golf quotient. Remember what Phil said?" Li Yue laughed, "He said that you can see triple combinations on the court, while ordinary coaches can only see double combinations. Heavy, currently we have multiple players who can play swings in our lineup, you can design many tactics that are difficult to crack quickly."

Seeking truth from facts, next season, apart from him, the Lakers will also have Nick Young and Iguodala as the 2/3 position, Blake as the 1/2 position, and Gasol as the 4/5 position. Many tactics can be devised from this.

Wharton listened quietly and did not answer. Li Yue continued: "I also compared the tactical changes of the University of Memphis in the 10th and 11th seasons, and found that many changes were not made by Coach Pastner. you?"

In the summer of 11, the NBA was suspended due to the labor agreement. Walton was invited to serve as the assistant coach of the men's basketball team at the University of Memphis, helping to establish a new tactical system, which improved the team's performance from fourth to first in the absence of star players.

"So, I guess Coach D'Antoni will let you be responsible for participating in the design of offensive tactics. The V-shaped system has been difficult to fully utilize our abilities, and we need something new to help us defend the title."

Wharton lightly hammered the table: "With your words, I understand everything. I will join and defend the title together!"

"Welcome back to the team." Li Yue raised his hand, and the two clapped hands.

"By the way, before you, Jenny contacted me, hoping that I would be the assistant coach of the defender and be in charge of player development planning."

"NBDL is too weak for you, and the Lakers are the stage." Li Yue said on his lips, secretly marveling at how menacing Jenny Buss seemed to be, and she was being deployed everywhere.

"When will it be officially confirmed?" Wharton raised his glass.

"Just today, I will immediately contact coach D'Antoni and Mitch, and let the official release a statement as soon as possible," Li Yue also raised his glass, "It happens that we will play against the Celtics the day after tomorrow, you can talk to their new head coach Brad Stein Vince is going to have a showdown with young masters!"

"cheers!"

"cheers!"

(End of this chapter)