Chapter 364 363. No more chance for wretched development

On the afternoon of the 7th, the day after playing against the Magic, Zhang Yang returned to Charlotte with the team.

As soon as he got home, he received a call saying that Harden and Carmelo Tatum were coming over and asked him to prepare delicious food and drinks for them as they won the championship for the school.

What else could he say? Call the cafeteria and prepare dinner for the school's hero.

After ordering food, he went to the backyard to practice basketball. More than an hour later, Harden and Tatum arrived.

When Zhang Yang ushered them in, he asked curiously, "Why did you get here so soon today?"

Harden smiled and replied, "When we were leaving school, we met my teacher. He was coming to Charlotte. When he heard that we wanted to skip class to come and hang out with you, he offered to drive us here. But I didn't tell him your address. We were dropped off at a rental car shop on the outskirts of the city, and we took a taxi here by ourselves."

Zhang Yang didn't find it strange that they skipped class in front of the teacher, and the teacher even took the initiative to send them to the place where they skipped class.

Harden announced his intention to participate in the NBA draft on the night of his championship on the 5th. He may think about getting a diploma in the future, but he has no interest in studying now. University teachers in the Carolina area have long been accustomed to this situation.

This is the region with the highest campus basketball enthusiasm in the United States. Only Texas can be compared with it. California and New York are inferior to it. Every year, college basketball players from this region enter the NBA.

As for Tatum, he is two grades older than Harden, and they are not in the same major or even the same college.

After chatting for a while, Zhang Yang returned to the backyard and continued training.

Harden and Tatum did not disturb him. They went to the bathroom to wash their hands and then ran to the game room to play games. They had just finished the Crazy Three Finals the day before yesterday and a long season had just ended. Now they had no intention of practicing basketball at all.

Zhang Yang added an extra practice item - the chase three-pointer.

He also saw the media hype and fans' heated discussion. He was a little surprised that his first time playing like that actually attracted so much attention. This was just after the end of the Crazy Three, when college basketball was at its hottest.

He remembered that Curry was on the rise for more than a year, and it was not until the end of 13 that he really started to attract people's attention.

But he thought about it and felt that there was nothing wrong with it. His situation was completely different from Curry's.

He was the FMVP in his sophomore year and ranked first in the scoring list in his junior year. In terms of popularity and commercial value, the only active players who can compare with him are James and Kobe. The three of them are the real "Big Three" of the NBA.

He came up with a style of play that shocked people, so it's normal to have such a reaction.

As for Curry...his early career was so rough. He really was not supported by the league, the media did not love him, the coaches of various teams were not optimistic about him, and the fans did not pay attention to him.

Curry's performance in the 12-13 season was so good, he averaged 45 three-pointers per game with a hit rate of 3.5%, surpassing Ray Allen's average of 05 three-pointers per game in the 06-3.4 season and setting a new record. However, the response he caused was not that big. He was not even selected as an All-Star reserve that season and only received 16 votes in the All-Star starting voting. His attention was not even as high as that of the golden boy Rubio, who was loved by female fans purely for his good looks.

When he renewed his contract in advance during the season with a 4-year, $4400 million contract, people questioned whether it would become a junk contract... Later, this contract became known as a child labor contract.

Because Curry's shooting posture in the early stage of his career was not suitable for the intensity of confrontation in the NBA, he always needed to jump more when shooting, which put more pressure on his ankles. He was reimbursed once in the 11-12 season, so he was dubbed the glass man.

The prejudice Curry encountered was related to the Warriors. In the past 20 years, the Warriors selected too many top talents. Among them, there are Big Dog, Larry Hughes, Jamison, Arenas, Slam Dunk King Richardson, Ellis, Dampier, Biedrins, Troy Murphy... Because there are too many potential stocks, there are also a lot of high school and college geniuses who have not played well.

In people's eyes at that time, Curry might be the next Arenas or Larry Hughes.

It wasn't until Kobe, who was out for the 13-14 season, said, "Don't vote for me, vote for Curry, he's far better than you think," that people began to notice how well Curry was performing, and Curry's popularity began to soar, rising directly from 16 votes the previous year to an All-Star starter.

后来有专家分析过，13-14赛季、甚至是14-15赛季拿到首个MVP的赛季，库里表现不及12-13赛季刚开始蜕变的那年表现好。

13-14赛季和14-15赛季，库里不管是三分命中数、还是命中率，都低于12-13赛季，关键球命中数、短时爆发连续得分表现，也不及12-13赛季好。

Because in the 12-13 season, no opponent expected Curry to play like that. Every team that played against the Warriors was shocked by Curry's shooting and didn't know how to defend.

2015年后年满27岁步入巅峰期的库里，又是另一个层次的球员了，15-16赛季场均5+三分命中率、得分王、抢断王、连庄MVP……以一己之力把NBA带入小球时代。

Unfortunately, Curry's personal peak performance was only for one season. 16 years later, Curry turned into a pure team player. Three championships in four years is the peak of the Warriors' team history, but for Curry's fans, this is not a particularly fair thing. Jordan, Kobe, and James all had times when they showed their personal abilities wantonly, even during the championship period, but Curry only had one year...

Zhang Yang's 'three-point shooting enhancement plan' was originally intended to slowly enrich his three-point shooting methods, slowly develop, constantly try, adjust, and strengthen during the game, and wait until he becomes the dunk king and enters the NBA to shock the opponent.

As a result, the first time he played like that, he was noticed by the media. No one knew what impact it would have on the NBA or on that person.

These things are difficult to say and he has no control over them. He only knows that the environment in which he develops his three-point technique will inevitably be affected. In this situation, all he can do is practice hard!
...

In the evening, the restaurant called and said that the food was coming.

Zhang Yang went back to his room, took a shower, and changed his clothes, just in time for the restaurant to deliver the food. He called his North Carolina brother who was addicted to the game out for dinner.

While eating, they talked about the future.

Zhang Yang: "James, have you chosen your agent?"

Harden: "I want to sign Robert Pelinka. I originally wanted to have the same agent as you, but my mom said that Tellem is too smart and I can't beat him because I'm not as smart as you. Last year before I entered college, I met Kobe and he wanted me to go to his agent's company. I think it's not bad to be in the same company as Kobe. My mom told me not to worry because she wanted to meet Pelinka first."

Zhang Yang: "In fact, Tellem is also very good. He is very good at making money. He makes a lot, and I earn a lot too. His strength is that he is good at using media resources, and he also has abundant business resources.

Pelinka... As an agent, he has excellent business skills, even better than Beatrum, and can always sign big contracts. However, his business skills are average, so most of the players under him have high salaries and average endorsement fees. Kobe is mostly responsible for contacting his own business resources.

You should have a good discussion with your aunt. If you are confident that you can control Tellem, then sign him. Playing under him, he will handle things off the court very well, and you can focus more on playing. Otherwise, sign Pelinka, and you will have to worry more about things off the court, like Kobe, but the advantage is that you have more autonomy. "

Harden nodded and did not ask Zhang Yang who he should choose. He was no longer a child and knew the importance of this matter. He could not leave it to others, even their good friends.

After finishing the topic of the agent, Harden asked, "Jack, which team do you think I might be selected by?"

This really stumped Zhang Yang, as the NBA landscape was completely different from what he had imagined.

Apart from anything else, Harden started to have the ambition to play basketball earlier, and his progress in student days was much faster than his original self. In his freshman season, he swept the United States like Anthony, and went straight to the MOP. He ran for the draft after his freshman year.

Zhang Yang pondered for a while, sorted out his thoughts, and analyzed: "If the Heat and Supersonics don't get the first pick, you may be the big winner."

There was indeed a call for the first pick after Harden won the championship, and he was not surprised by Zhang Yang's words.

But Harden has a question about Zhang Yang's statement: "Why didn't those two teams choose me?"

Zhang Yang: "The Heat want Beasley."

Harden: "Oh...yes! I saw the news. Beasley announced his candidacy after being eliminated in the second round. The news said he would be selected by the Heat."

Beasley had an amazing freshman season, averaging 26.3 points per game, third in the Division I league; averaging 12.4 rebounds per game, first in the Division I league; 24 rebounds per game, first in the season; 28 double-doubles, a record in the Division I league; 44 points per game, second in the season, first before the March rd phase, but surpassed by Curry; he was on the final list of candidates for the three national awards: the Naismith Award, the Wooden Award, and the Oscar Robertson Award...

Awards: Selected as the best newcomer in the United States, the best power forward in the United States, the Big 12 Player of the Year, the first team of the United States, the world junior championship... Harden recalled Beasley's college resume that he had read, and felt a little autistic, but he still had something to be reconciled to, and asked: "Why didn't the Supersonics choose me?"

Zhang Yang: "They have Durant. As far as I know, they want to select a point guard. It could be Rose or Westbrook. Westbrook is more likely."

Harden: "Why? Westbrook was beaten by Rose head-on, right?"

Zhang Yang: "In that game, the two didn't really face off, but that wasn't the key reason. The key reason was that the new owner of the SuperSonics is a Kobe fan. He probably thinks Westbrook is more like Kobe than you and Rose."

Harden got angry at this: "How is he more like Kobe than me? I...well, he is more like Kobe. I watched his game with Rose the other day. Even though he was behind by a large margin, his attitude towards the game was as determined as if he wanted to save America."

Harden was upset and continued to ask: "The Heat and SuperSonics are currently the last and second to last, so my goal is to fight for the third pick?"

Zhang Yang: "You can lower your expectations a little bit. A high draft pick is good, but the right team is more important. Set your goal to be in the top five. Anyway, your draft pick will not be low, and the SuperSonics may not choose you if they get the first pick. You can fight for it. I think you are more suitable for Durant than Rose and Westbrook."

Harden nodded. He didn't remember much else except "it would be better to go to a suitable team."

After the two finished their discussion, they suddenly felt a resentful gaze. They turned around and saw that they had ignored Tatum...

Zhang Yang: "Ahem, Carmelo, play for another year before considering the draft. James will be gone next season, so your playing time may increase and your performance will definitely be better."

This high school teammate had slim hopes of entering the NBA. He played 36 games this season, averaging 9.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1 steal per game. He was the best among the new big four and played a big role in North Carolina's crushing title win.

But this is his junior season, he is already 22 years old, his potential is limited, his draft stock is not very good, and he is not in the top in this year's predicted list.

Tatum is still proud: "I won't give up. As long as there is a little hope, I will work hard!"

After the arrogance, Tatum talked about reality: "I decided to finish college first, take the exams well, and get my degree certificate first. If the path of a professional player doesn't work out, there will be better career options."

Zhang Yang felt that his friend was becoming more and more mature, but he couldn't help but ask, "Did Sir Lu teach you this?"

Tatum: “Yeah, what’s up?”

Zhang Yang: "No wonder, I was wondering how you could think of this."

Tatum: "I want to challenge you!"

Harden: "Carmelo, you didn't get beaten enough in the Jeet Kune Do Club..."

Tatum: "...Jack, I forgive you this time, but I will never let you go next time."

Zhang Yang: “…”

During the conversation, Tatum talked about his talented brother. His mood changed instantly. He said with great joy, "Jason is much more talented than me. My dad took him to Larry Hughes' training camp on Christmas. Uncle Hughes offered to be Jason's godfather. Uncle Hughes has already made an appointment with my dad to train Jason this summer and asked me to join him!"

Zhang Yang: "Your family's network of contacts is really growing..."

His uncle is Tyronn Lue. When Jason was still a baby, he already had three connections: God, Shark, and Snake. With Hughes, for now, he has also connected with James.

He, Zhang San, was also connected.

These connections are useless for Tatum, who has mediocre talent, but they are completely different for Tatum, who has extraordinary talent...

On the next day, the 8th, Zhang Yang returned to the team for training.

Harden and Tatum continue to play games day and night, and they can't indulge themselves for a few more days. Harden has to go back to Compton at the end of the month to meet with agents, prepare for the draft tryouts, etc. Tatum also has to go back to school to study hard, practice well, and launch the final sprint to the NBA.

Zhang Yang posted the restaurant’s phone number in the game room. There is a phone in the room, so when he is hungry, he can just call and order food.

The two-day rest time passed quickly, and on the 9th, the Bobcats' sixth-to-last game day of the regular season arrived.

Tonight, the Bobcats will start their fifth consecutive home game, which are also their last five home games in the regular season.

They have played 36 home games and 40 away games so far. After this wave of five consecutive home games, they will go to Chicago to play the final game of the regular season.

After finishing the morning preparations, Zhang Yang came to the lounge to rest for a while before going to have lunch.

He opened his computer and checked the news for a while, looking speechless.

Hill, who came to the lounge and was about to take a break, saw Zhang Yang's expression and asked, "What's wrong, Jack?"

Zhang Yang turned his laptop towards Hill and said, "Don't these media have anything to hype? Didn't I just shoot a few three-pointers? They have been analyzing it for days. Is it that serious?"

Hill looked at it and smiled, "You are the most popular player in the NBA. Not to mention others, even I, your teammate, was shocked when I saw your two shots after knowing that the team arranged you to play like that. I also think that if you really practice the chase-down three-pointer as a regular counterattack method, it will be a devastating blow to all opponents' retreating defense formations."

Zhang Yang thought about the future Curry after hearing this... Indeed, before the small ball era, Curry had already destroyed the defensive formations of all opponents. The small ball era was created by him.

Hill continued: "There may be a league that uses media resources to promote you. The 3-game season has just ended, and a player can steal the limelight from the NCAA champion. This is a very rare thing for the NBA. That player will definitely take action."

Zhang San's heart, which still had a glimmer of expectation, completely died: In other words, I will never have the chance to develop in a low-key and dirty way again?
At 7 o'clock in the evening, two days later, the Bobcats faced the Magic again, this time at home.

As soon as the game started, Zhang Yang understood why the Magic team's record was nearly 10 wins behind the Pistons even though their lineup was not inferior to that of the Pistons.

There is a big gap in coaching ability and player maturity.

After the Pistons were caught off guard in the first game of a back-to-back series, they made very targeted adjustments in the second game, and the Magic... also made the same adjustments.

In the last game, Howard scored 15 points with 9 of 23 shots, and his success rates in singles and receiving were very high. Van Gundy increased Howard's offensive opportunities tonight.

霍华德也没掉链子，打了34分钟，19投11中，外加17中11的罚球，高效拿到33分10板1助攻3盖帽。

But the defense made a bad adjustment, and paid too much attention to Zhang San's three-pointer...

He received the ball outside the three-point line, and the defender rushed out directly, allowing him to easily break into the inside, and the people who were double-teaming and blocking him had no time to move.

The people who were double-teaming on the wing moved ahead of time, and the Bobcats' wing players, such as Hill, Mike Miller, Felton, and Alan Anderson, were able to take the opportunity to run out with the screen and receive the three-pointer.

The final result of the Magic's defensive adjustment was that Howard fouled out in the middle of the final quarter and only played for 6 minutes.

At 9:23 pm, the final whistle sounded.

张杨全场打了39分钟，19投8中的投篮命中率不咋滴，其中3中1的三分球被堵得也很惨，但他突篮下造成了霍华德4次犯规、刘易斯2次犯规、福耶尔和布莱恩-库克各1次犯规，18罚16中！
单场35分10板5助攻2抢断1盖帽，张杨率领山猫队以117比103再胜魔术队，扳平了与魔术队的常规赛交手胜负，拿到本赛季第58场胜利！
(End of this chapter)