basketball pope

Chapter 8 [How about a bet? 】

The Knicks game location is set in Long Beach, California, and the staff has booked a local hotel.

Yang Rui and Xibodu were on business trips and received a subsidy of US$60 a day. They also received meal allowances when they played away games in the future. The treatment was good.It's just that there is no special plane this time, and they have to fly to Long Beach in economy class to meet up with the "temporary workers".

On July 7, Yang Rui received the best news. All five people he valued accepted the invitation and would represent the Knicks in the summer league.Of the seven people selected by Thibodeau, three refused and had to be replaced by others.

Thibodeau selects players who have previous NBA experience and have been marginalized in the NBA. Although they have not proved their strength, they are familiar with each other, and they are not worried about not being invited by the team.The Knicks are well-known giants, and it is difficult to stay in the team after the summer league. They are reluctant to try, for fear of wasting time.

In the end, the Knicks gathered 12 players, all of which were hard to name. Scouts Maguire and his son proposed to choose a few more. Yang Rui refused, insisting that it was unnecessary.

Van Gundy felt that this lineup was too miserable, and he did not have the confidence to lead the team to achieve good results.

There was a management meeting before the expedition, and Glenn Walsh, who had seen Yang Rui a little unpleasant before, went into a frenzy. "Do you really understand basketball? Other teams have 15 players, but you have 12, or some people who have no NBA experience and can't name names. The biggest player is Ben Wallace, a wizard's fringe. He wants to lead the team to the whole team. Lost?"

Yang Rui was confident and smiled: "Mr. Walsh, don't get excited. I decided to choose 12 players after careful consideration. This will make it easier to find outstanding players and sign them to help the team in the new season."

Walsh certainly didn't believe it. "Now the team has only 8 players under contract. This summer league is very important. Even if we sign in the free market, we still need at least 4 or 5 young potential players to cultivate, not all free. Looking for veterans in the market who are in decline, can you do it?"

"Of course you can, otherwise why would you sign me? Don't you guys like this lineup?"

Van Gundy couldn't help but said: "Of course we are not optimistic. These people you chose are not famous at all."

"I don't think fame is important, the most important thing is to be suitable for the tactical system. Let me give a simple example, if the starring of the movie "Instinct" is replaced by Jack Nicholson, who has better acting skills, and Oprah - who is more famous. Winfrey, how much do you think the box office will be?"

Everyone couldn't help but make up the picture... Still at the box office?Are you crazy? !
Ernie Grunfeld shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Jerry, I know you are young, energetic and confident...but it's too risky for you to prove yourself in this way."

Glenn said angrily: "The fight started on the 7th, and I can't find anyone who wants to invite powerful people."

Yang Rui stood up, clapped his hands twice, drew everyone's attention to himself, and said with a smile, "In that case, Mr. Walsh, how about we make a bet?"

Glenn really caught up. "Bet what?"

Yang Rui smiled and snapped his fingers. "It's just a bet on whether the Knicks can win the summer league. If I win, I will naturally bring back 4 or 5 potential newcomers. Of course, it's not that we don't keep talents, and we will know whether they are valuable in the preseason."

"Listen, he's crazy." Glenn felt insulted by his IQ, and shouted: "With this rotten lineup, let Chuck Daly lead the team, does he dare to say a complete victory? This is a dream! "

Yang Rui, as if the other party was not angry at him, said calmly: "I like the Knicks because the label of this team is iron blood. Mr. Walsh, please answer a question, do you think the summer league is a complete victory? Compared with winning the NBA championship next season, which is more difficult?"

Isn't this nonsense?Of course the championship.Everyone looked at Glen Walsh, waiting to see the joke, and the question couldn't be answered at all.

Glenn was speechless, his eyelids twitching with anger, and the fat on his stomach quivered.

You are so immoral, how did you get involved in the title fight from the summer league? Isn't this a clear statement that I don't like the Knicks to win the championship?I just don't like you Chinese guy, okay?
Fortunately, Yang Rui just said a word, not aggressively talking about the championship.Glenn was really afraid that he would say something like "Do you think winning the championship is a dream?" That would make everyone look bad.

Yang Rui wouldn't rip off his face with the deputy manager for one thing, it would be too brainless and would not do any good.He wanted to take this opportunity to show off, and to be more dazzling after the summer league results.

His next proposal is acceptable to everyone.

"Mr. Walsh, I know the reason why you are excited and dissatisfied with me is for the good of the team. You are afraid that I will affect the summer signing work. Our goals are actually the same, so I will try to change your attitude towards me. Let you trust me, let everyone trust me."

Glenn breathed a sigh of relief. "Is it still a bet?"

"Fight, the bet is very simple, I win, the management treats guests to dinner to celebrate the victory. If I lose, I invite everyone to dinner, choose the place, as an apology, how do you all feel?" Yang Rui laughed.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, and Ernie made the decision. "Okay, that's it, I'll wait to see you lead the team to a complete victory."

Van Gundy, Maguire and his son also agreed.

"Okay then." Glenn sighed and waved his hand with a wry smile.

At this time, his impression of Yang Rui had begun to change. Everyone present was more than ten years older than him, but the atmosphere of the meeting followed his rhythm. He was the most conspicuous here.

He is sharp-edged, but his emotional intelligence is not low. The bet is that everyone eats together. No matter whether he wins or loses, he will invisibly narrow the distance between him and everyone in the management.

If he wins, everyone will definitely praise him and go straight to the top; if he loses, he is young and apologizes in a low profile. Who can really kill him and let him get out of the way?
Faced with this situation, Glenn couldn't think of a better way to get through it.

At the end of the meeting, Ernie asked Glenn to stay alone, and asked with a smile, "You're so angry? I signed him not to be a fool, this kid has a special charm that makes people want to see what he can do. Don't you feel that way?"

Glenn sighed: "I admit, he is really different from other Chinese. I just wonder where his confidence comes from? Why does he seem to believe that he will win?"

"But you're going to look forward to the start of summer league and see if he can lead the team to win, right? That's enough."

"..." Glenn was speechless, that was the truth.

Ernie has no regrets. From the moment he decided to sign Yang Rui, it was a gamble on Yang Rui's work ability.

He felt like he had bought a lottery ticket and waited for the moment when the lottery was drawn.As people on the same front, management certainly wants to "hit the lottery" and not spend it in vain.After the summer league is over, they will promote Yang Rui, which is a good gimmick.

Glenn asked: "Ernie, do you believe he can lead the team to a complete victory? I'm not talking nonsense. If you ask Jeff, he would not dare to say a complete victory with such a fringe team."

"I want him to do miracles."

PS
(End of this chapter)