Chapter 83 82. How could that guy endure for so many years?
The next day, Zhang Yang, Tellem and Bynum went to the Toyota Center training hall in Los Angeles to participate in the Lakers' tryout.

They were received by Jerry Buss, Jim Buss and Kupchak.

After greeting and getting to know each other, Kupchak asked the trainer to take the two to prepare for the tryout.

During the warm-up, Zhang Yang said to Bynum: "It seems that the Lakers attach great importance to you and have specially held a tryout for you."

Bynum grinned proudly, "Of course I am. I am the best center in the class of 05. I defeated McRoberts in the training camp in the 10th grade... Didn't Arn say that he only recommended us to the logo guy?"

I really believed it... Zhang Yang: "Then maybe today's tryout wasn't Arn recommending you to the Lakers, but the Lakers took the initiative to invite you for a tryout."

Bynum nodded and he believed it again.

In fact, Zhang Yang didn’t know what the situation was, so he didn’t ask. Anyway, he was just here to run with the others.

Just now, when Jim Buss was greeting each other, he deliberately chatted with Bynum for a few more words.

Seeing the Lakers' lineup, Zhang Yang understood what true importance meant.

It cannot be said that the Grizzlies did not value the two of them yesterday, but they did not distinguish them from other high school students who tried out.

It’s just that head coach Floyd was very interested in him and Bynum, and personally gave them a tryout.

Did Tellem arrange the Grizzlies as their first tryout team to let them experience the tryout process?
Or help them find a backup team?
Both of them received invitations for a second tryout from the logo man. The second tryout is usually an individual tryout, which is like what the Lakers did today, where they hold a special session for their favorite players.

Bynum suddenly asked, "Jack, the guy who slapped my butt just now, is that the head coach of the Lakers?"

Zhang Yang: “…I don’t think so.”

Bynum: "The guy with the pointy chin?"

Zhang Yang: “…I don’t think so.”

Bynum: "The Lakers' head coach is that old guy? My God, no wonder they have such a bad record. That old guy is older than my great-grandmother. Why did they fire Jackson and replace him with such an old coach?"

Brother Pig! Why didn't you listen to a word I said when I greeted you?

And you're going to skip college and enter the draft without knowing more about the teams? You're just studying hairstyles?

Zhang Yang thought about it, if he told Bynum something important, his ears would be covered... He admired that guy for being able to endure it for so many years.

Holding back his complaints, Zhang Yang said, "That's the owner of the Lakers. The Lakers head coach hasn't signed yet."

Tomjanovich's serious illness relapsed and he resigned in the middle of the season. The Lakers' record plummeted and they fell out of the playoffs, and they got the 10th overall pick in the first round.

Before coming, Zhang Yang saw the news that the Lakers wanted to invite Phil Jackson back, so old Buss sent his socialite daughter out.

Zhang Yang could only say that family business requires human touch. If the famous coach is greedy for his daughter, then he should give her to her!

Phil Jackson is not much younger than Jerry Buss. In the free America, he can be Jeanie Buss's father.

However, after the Buss family sold all their real estate businesses to Clippers owner Sterling and sold the first cable sports TV station they founded to Time Warner, the Lakers were the only industry left. It is not surprising that this family would do anything for the prosperity of the team. Maybe it was Jeanie Buss who took the initiative to propose it.

After the warm-up, the test began, and Bass and his son also came to the scene to watch.

Individual tryouts are different. From physical fitness to technical tests, the testing links and items are much more comprehensive.

Bynum once again caused the onlookers to exclaim.

Kupchak's evaluation of Bynum - the most physically gifted center in the past 13 years.

When it comes to the technical test... it doesn't matter! This body alone is worth a lottery pick.

Kupchak also commented on Zhang Yang, but his comment surprised Zhang Yang a little.

Yesterday, although the Grizzlies head coach also praised his skills, he focused on his physical fitness.

When it came to Kupchak, the main praise was on his skills, without much comment on his physical fitness, only saying that his arm span was good.

Zhang Yang wondered whether his current physical fitness could be considered excellent.

What he didn't know was that as early as the end of January, he had already attracted the attention of the Lakers' scouting department, and some of his basic information had already been placed on Kupchak's desk.

Compton, a high school in the greater Los Angeles area, has produced two top talents, so the Lakers naturally took notice.

Although the NBA announced earlier this year that it would no longer accept high school draft applications in 06, the Lakers could not have guessed that Zhang Yang would enter the draft early after the end of his 11th grade season, but what about the future draft? And the more distant future?

After the Nets were eliminated in the first round, some media reported that Jason Kidd was considering transferring, with the Lakers as his first choice.

Kidd had this intention because he played basketball in California throughout his student days.

Although Kupchak is not good at making long-term plans, he has been an assistant to the Logo Man for more than ten years, and making long-term plans has become his habit. Of course, whether he does it well or not is another matter.

Lakers scouts describe Zhang Yang as having outstanding physical fitness and being extremely good at utilizing his physical advantages.

Zhang Yang was rated as having a star in terms of strength. After the winter vacation at the beginning of this year, his weight increased to about 86 kilograms. Among all the outside high school basketball players in California, he was ranked second in strength, with only the 96-kilogram talented guard from Lionwood High School ranked ahead of him.

So Kupchak already knew that Zhang Yang was in good physical condition.

On the contrary, the high school student whose scouting report stated that his "playing style is mainly based on utilizing physical fitness" had a mid-range shot that was considered passing in the NBA, the details of his shooting movements were also excellent, he knew several very difficult techniques, and he even started to figure out post-up play, which surprised Kupchak.

Kupchak thinks the scouting department needs to be reorganized. How can they look at high school students with tinted glasses? They only focus on their physical qualities and ignore their skills.

Another thing is to make a comparison. Today, the Lakers had only two high school students trying out: him and Bynum. Compared with Bynum, his physical fitness is obviously relatively ordinary.

Including the two of them, there were a total of 22 high school students who tried out for the Grizzlies yesterday, most of whom were guards.

Zhang Yang's height, wingspan and weight ratio are indeed the best among the high school guards participating in this year's draft, and his overall athletic ability is also top-notch among high school students.

Originally, there was Gerald Green who could be compared with him, but Gerald Green only has 9 fingers, which may affect his ball control and shooting stability, and his physical fitness rating was downgraded by the Grizzlies.

The second-best high school student in the United States, who may have better physical fitness than Zhang Yang, rejected tryout invitations from all teams except the top three picks. Naturally, Zhang Yang became the most outstanding one among the group of high school guards yesterday.

Plus, he is at least 8 months younger than the other high school students...

That's why Grizzlies head coach Floyd was so surprised by his physical fitness.

On the contrary, in terms of technology, before Floyd tried out Zhang Yang, he thought that a 16-year-old Chinese student who won the California Basketball Player of the Year should be a technical player. Just like Kupchak's physical fitness of Zhang Yang, he had psychological expectations and was not that surprised.

...

Zhang Yang experienced a complete individual tryout.

I underwent two hours of testing in the morning, and at noon, I was taken to the hospital for an X-ray and bone age measurement.

After lunch, the Lakers arranged individual training for the two.

As for Bynum, Kupchak taught him low-post footwork training.

Kupchak, who is 206 cm tall, was a meritorious player in the Lakers' two championships in the early and mid-80s. He was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's substitute and was known as the Lakers' center with the best footwork in the interior.

On Zhang Yang's side, the person who trains him is assistant coach Frank Hamblen, one of the top shooting coaches in the NBA.

Hamblen was the captain of the Syracuse University basketball team in the 60s. He was good at shooting, but he suffered a serious injury in his junior year and his knee was ruined. He had to give up his playing career and became a trainer. He has been in the industry for 35 years. He made great contributions to the perfection of Jordan's turnaround fadeaway jump shot and the development of Kobe's tentative step shooting technique.

As soon as the shooting training began, Hamblen's eyes lit up.

The shooting action is standard, the attention to details is also very good, the basic skills are solid... It's perfect for training! There is no need to correct the details of the shooting action, you can directly start to guide the technique!
Hamblen tried to teach Zhang Yang a shooting technique - turning around and stepping back to shoot.

Before coming, Tellem mentioned Hamblen, and Zhang Yang was willing to learn from him.

After learning it twice, Zhang Yang fell in love with this move.

This back-turning step-back shot, the key point is the step-back shot, which is very special. The ball has been thrown when the step-back is completed. The shooting point is extremely low, and the body is in the stage of falling during the step-back action when the shot is released. It is easy to be blocked, but the advantage is that the shooting speed is extremely fast!

Zhang Yang's attack was originally two beats faster, making him appear even faster. A sudden attack would definitely catch his opponent off guard.

If you incorporate Bird's back-to-the-basket rhythm into it... one is willing to teach, the other is eager to learn; one teaches well, the other is suitable for learning and learns quickly... the two began an afternoon of iron-forging journey.

At the Lakers training ground, this sound is particularly beautiful.

Kupchak had ended his coaching of Bynum at some point and asked the trainer to practice free throws with Bynum. He came to the court to watch Zhang Yang train with Hamblen.

It's really torture to instruct Bynum.

It’s not that Bynum’s footwork is not good, on the contrary, Bynum’s low-post talent reminds Kupchak of Shaquille O’Neal.

But Bynum became impatient after practicing for a while, which made Kupchak headache and speechless.

Brother, you are on trial! Why don't you give him, the general manager, face?
But he is talented and can do whatever he wants, and the second young master is very optimistic about this high school student. Kupchak can accept his character flaws, after all, he is only 17 years old.

But sometimes there can be no comparison.

Seeing Zhang Yang eagerly seeking advice, wanting to understand every detail, training over and over again, constantly improving his movements... Kupchak was envious!

Like his teacher, he watched Zhang Yang train for a while and became interested in him.

In his opinion, Zhang Yang is much worse than Kobe, who beat the 9-year-old Michael Cooper during the trial nine years ago, but the Lakers have always been patient in training guards!

They were already interested in Zhang Yangting - for business reasons.

But their boss knows very well that continuing the glory of the Purple and Gold Dynasty is more important to them.

They are popular not because they are in Los Angeles, but because they have always been strong.

Therefore, their interest in Bynum's talent is greater than Zhang Yang's potential commercial value.

Moreover, they can compete for Yao Ming next summer. With Bynum, the probability of competing for Yao Ming will be greater.

However, in addition to the 10th overall pick this year, they also have two second-round picks.

Kupchak thinks that if Zhang Yang has not been selected by a team by then, he can make a push!
...

After saying to Kupchak, "I only recommended Jack and Andrew to you," Tellem took Zhang Yang and Bynum to the next stop.

Next, the three went to the Spurs, Warriors, Knicks, Bobcats and Hornets to complete tryouts.

When trying out with the Spurs and Warriors, Tellem was very perfunctory. After the basic tests, he took the two players away. Both the Spurs and the Warriors proposed a second try, but Tellem said he was very busy and had no time.

When Zhang Yang asked the reason, Tellem explained that he went to the Spurs for a tryout because the Spurs had one of the best player training capabilities in the league, and talented players would have no problems playing there. But it would be best not to go if possible because the boss was too stingy.

The reason I went to the Warriors for a tryout was because of the huge Chinese market in Oakland and San Francisco. However, the Warriors have been in a slump for more than a decade. It seems that their ability to train players is okay, but the ultimate ceiling of those geniuses is one or two levels lower than people initially expected. In fact, a lot of talent was wasted, and the environment there is not very friendly to two high school students.

However, the Spurs invited Bynum to a tryout, and the Warriors invited Zhang Yang to a tryout, and both teams had their merits, so Tellem added an additional condition, taking a bonus with him to the tryout as a backup option.

The Knicks, Bobcats, and Hornets are all teams that Durham takes very seriously.

The Big Apple, who wouldn’t want their players to play there?

The word New York is enough to make agents and players forget all the shortcomings there.

Didn’t Stephen Curry, the future Stephen Curry, also aspire to be the Knicks during the draft?

The Bobcats, a new team, have many opportunities and many draft picks, making them a hot commodity in the eyes of all agents.

The Hornets, a large city on the South Coast with a prosperous economy and a good living environment, are Bynum's favorite team and also the team that Tellem thinks Bynum can get the highest pick.

The head coach is technical master Byron Scott, who is suitable for guard Zhang Yang, and has 1 first-round pick and 3 second-round picks...

In a blink of an eye, it was June 6th. After running around with Tellem for more than ten days, Zhang Yang finally ended this round of tryouts and returned to Yinshan to rest. He spent his 11th birthday in this round of tryouts.

In the first few tryouts, he was very excited and full of energy, but later on, he felt a little bored. He kept repeating the same words and doing the same things, and he had to be careful about the opinions of the onlookers, which made him exhausted.

Fortunately, the response to the tryout was good. Five out of seven teams issued invitations for a second tryout, which was far better than Zhang Yang expected.

The Spurs and Warriors declined, but the Grizzlies, Lakers, and Bobcats accepted.

Next, I just have to wait for the second test.

Bynum was even busier. Just after the first round of tryouts, Tellem received a call from the Lakers, inviting Bynum to a second tryout.

There is also a difference between the second tryout and the third tryout. If the first tryout is an individual tryout, then the second tryout may not be an individual tryout, but a comparative tryout.

Zhang Yang learned from Tellem that the Lakers invited college graduate Channing Frye, Ike Diogu who entered the draft early after his junior year, Syracuse University graduate Hakeem Warrick, and University of Florida graduate David Lee to try out with Bynum.

He wished Anzhu good luck.

In the evening, Zhang Yang watched the live broadcast of the second game of the finals between the Spurs and the Pistons. After watching half of the quarter, he regretted it.

The two teams' crooked coaches and apprentices, give me back my live streaming fee!
It's so annoying!

In the first year of the implementation of the NHC (no hands on high defense) rule, it had little impact on the defense of these two teams, and the game between these two teams was really ugly.

In terms of skills and tactics, Popovich and Larry Brown at that time had no offensive tactics to speak of. It was simply ugly, and there was not even the highlight of appreciating the tactical coordination!

...

After a day of rest, Zhang Yang resumed training on the 12th.

The half-month tryout seriously delayed his progress in accumulating shooting points, but fortunately he learned a shooting technique that suits him from Hamblen, so he barely made it back.

By the 15th, he had finally accumulated 8 shooting points and was rewarded with a strength talent +1 and the basics of defensive lateral movement.

"Defensive lateral footwork basics: quickly learn the defensive lateral footwork training method, and quickly lay a good foundation through training in a short period of time."

Strength +1... Zhang Yang thought it was okay. He wanted speed more, but strength was also good. It was a reward for basic defensive skills. It was very beautiful.

New tasks are coming: 6 shooting points, random shooting talents; 3 shooting points, basic skills for turning around.

Basic skills of turning over, back-to-back and related skills! Start practicing!
Less than two days into his training, on the 17th, Tellem called and asked him to go to Los Angeles and take part in the second tryout with the Lakers on the 18th.

Kupchak invited several high school students to compare with Zhang Yang.

The player Kupchak most wants to invite is Monta Ellis, but that player is still unwilling to accept a tryout from a team that is not in the top three. He still doesn't know what Monta Ellis's talent is.

Ellis's move has made his draft prospects even more uncertain.

As the second-best high school student in the United States, Ellis' original draft expectations were very high, with a top ten pick.

The reference is the second-ranked high school students in the United States in the past few years. Livingston from the class of 04 was selected with the 4th pick; Luol Deng from the class of 03 played in college for one year and was selected with the 04th pick in 7; Carmelo Anthony from the class of 02 played in college for one year and was selected with the 03rd pick in 3; the three brothers from the class of 01, if Gasol hadn't participated in the draft, they would have taken the top three picks...

But this year, none of the teams with the top three picks invited Ellis to try out. They were overwhelmed by the five T5 college players, Bogut, Marvin Williams, Felton, Deron, and Paul, so they had no time to care about Ellis, a high school student.

On the contrary, Martell Webster, the third-ranked high school student in the United States who has been actively participating in tryouts everywhere, has far surpassed Ellis in draft expectations and has become a popular rookie candidate.

No one knows whether Ellis regrets it now. Louis Williams, the fifth-best high school student in the United States who came to the Lakers for a tryout today, regrets accepting the invitation.

After the basic test, the Lakers arranged a one-on-one test.

In the minds of the high school outside players who came for the tryout today, the protagonist of the Lakers' tryout is Louis Williams, the fifth-ranked high school student in the United States.

But the person Kupchak wanted to test was Zhang Yang, and he made the same decision as his teacher - to let Louis Williams, the highest-ranked high school student who came for the tryout, be Zhang Yang's opponent.

Lu Wei looked at Zhang Yang, who was tall and thin in training clothes and had muscular lines when he took off the training clothes, and shouted in his heart -

……

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(End of this chapter)