The Whip of the God of Basketball

While Morey was convincing Siri in Minnesota, Leon had left New York and returned to Boston. This summer before training camp begins, his focus will be on

Enter his coaching staff.

The Celtics selected power forward Luis Scola from Argentina with the 21st pick in the second round of the draft.

The final legacy to the franchise, Wallace has been following the uniquely American forward since 2000, keeping Scola behind before resigning and leaving for the Grizzlies

Full scouting report. In the end, the Celtics finally listened to Wallace's opinion once-after he resigned, they selected the forward in the draft.

Of course, after being selected, the Celtics got the news that Scola will not come to the NBA in the short term, because his parent team Lithuanian Tau Ceramics offered $3.5 million.

The buyout fee is unbearable for the Celtics. So they kept Scola's signing rights, but he can't come to Boston to play.

This effectively means that the Celtics have almost nothing in the player market so far except for re-signing Paul Pierce, and they have no prospect of any big deals.

Rumors, there is no room to sign heavy free agents, and there is no high-quality rookie to join. Only two marginal players in the league have been harvested.

The Celtics of the game were evaluated as "not enterprising."

The summer offseason always goes by pretty quickly, and it’s August in a blink of an eye. Well, on August 3, a big deal finally happened in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics’ biggest opponent in the Eastern Conference, the Nets

The team and the earlier Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers completed a blockbuster substitution. The Nets sent center McCulloch and forward Van Horn to the 76ers and got the 76ers' main center Dee

Kembe Mutombo.

For a while, the teams in the Eastern District were in a state of turmoil, especially the sensitive Boston media, which automatically replaced the Nets as the strongest opponent to challenge next season.

Strong, making the gap between the Celtics and their opponents even wider.

"The Nets may not have taken the Celtics seriously at all. They added that Mutombo was to fight the Los Angeles Lakers. The fact that they were swept in the finals made them understand.

Without a strong inside line, it is impossible to hit the championship. And look at our Celtics, not even a decent center. "This is the Boston Tribune at the time

After the day's trade came out, the evaluation of this exchange was accompanied by complaints that the Celtics did nothing in the player market in the summer.

At this time, Fox Leon, with his new coaching team, started their week-long team run-in trip in the Appalachian Mountains. as early as seven

In the middle of the month, Leon sent an invitation to the core members of this year's team's coaching staff to travel to Katahdin Mountain in Maine. In the heat of summer, to the forested mountains

It is really a good choice to escape the summer heat. In early July, the Celtics completed the signing of Cowens, Siegfried, and Hess. Of course, such a signing will not

With the attention of the media, Cowens' return may attract some attention, but in Boston, where celebrities are everywhere, there is really nothing to focus on.

Returning to Boston undoubtedly made Cowens and Siegfried a little excited. They agreed to Leon's invitation without hesitation and came to Augusta, the capital of Maine, early.

Leon and Dick Hart also waited here for a long time. Hess, who is far away in Denver, spent some time dealing with his gym business in Denver, but in Leon they

Arriving in Augusta the day after arriving, the five-member team took a train to Mount Katahdin.

As part of the Appalachian Mountains, the Katahdin Mountains were formed very early, so the mountains are gentle, the altitude is not high, and the terrain is not complicated. Among them, the Katahdin Mountains are even more

The forest is dense. After arriving at Mount Katahdin, the five people in an off-road vehicle drove under the shade of trees, completely avoiding the summer sun and enjoying the shade in the mountains.

Their destination is Katahdin Lake near the Katahdin Basin, which is the lowest point in the Katahdin Mountains, and Leon booked a lakeside hut there as a stay

point. Except for Hess, Hart and Siegfried are both close to 70 years old, so their health and safety must be ensured. Activities such as mountain climbing and hunting are important

Not anymore, but things like fishing and boating will be the best leisure activities.

Of course, Leon brought a group of old men here not really for leisure and vacation. In this coaching team, apart from Hess, Cowens and Siegfried strictly

In a sense, Auerbach was recruited for him, and Dick Hart was the legacy left by O'Brien before. As the team's head coach, if there is no way

If he gained enough prestige and the trust of the old men, then his position as the head coach would not be secure.

Leon was challenged by Dave Cowens at the campfire next to the cabin the first night.

"Recently I read in the papers in Boston, the Nets got Mutombo, a good deal, I think this will make the Nets stronger than last season. But look at our

Who did the team, our inside man, get? That Chinese, Wang? To be honest, I don't know whether he can defend or rebound, he is like a noodle. explain

Tell me what you think, boy, as a member of the coaching team, I feel qualified to know what you think, and we don't need to be involved in this signing. "Dave Cowens no

Leon mercilessly questioned Leon's intention to sign Wang Zhizhi. This signing caused a lot of controversy in Boston. Many people thought that Wang Zhizhi was obtained only out of commercial considerations.

consider. Especially after Wang Zhizhi came to Boston, he immediately held a press conference, announcing that he would return to China to participate in the national team competition, and apologized for his previous reckless behavior.

apologize. And just two days after the press conference, Wang Zhizhi flew back to China and actively participated in the preparations for the national team's World Championships.

Such behavior is hard not to be understood as a move by the Celtics to attract the Chinese fan market, but signing Wang Zhizhi did not cost the Celtics too much

Salary costs, so doubts about it will soon die down.

Regarding such doubts, Leon has never expressed his views in public, but he must explain in front of Cowens that this white center with the same upright personality does not

He's such a fool, he was angry that Auerbach traded his best friend, and he also announced directly on the bus because he was tired of basketball

Retired, this time he returned to Boston, Auerbach must have made a big compromise, but to really let his heart return to the Celtics, Leon needs to show that he is building the team

Rationality and long-term thinking.

"People always tend to make up for their weaknesses rather than play to their strengths. Like the New Jersey Nets, they got shredded by O'Neal in the Finals, so they have to change

Come to Mutombo, but since Mutombo couldn't stop O'Neal in 2001, then I believe he will not be O'Neal's opponent in 2003. And what is the advantage of the Nets?

where? Gorgeous and fast fast break, oppressive perimeter defense. We lost here in the Eastern Conference Finals, lost to their oppressive defense, our spacing

Squeezed into little pieces by them. However, instead of trying to further enhance these two points, they felt like 'enough is enough, let's do something else'. I bet with

With the growth of our perimeter players, their oppressive defense will no longer be as powerful. So, where is our advantage? attack speed, personal attack

Talent, and aggressiveness on the defensive end. Wang is not a very good player. I admit that his overall quality is not enough for him to stay in the NBA for a long time. His

The strength and speed are unqualified, and the defense is even more messy. But I don't expect to get that from him, think Dave, a fast offensive, perimeter player can personally

What kind of inside help does a team with strong strength need? A good big man who can protect the backcourt rebound and send a pass, sorry, I plan to get him next year, a big man who can run and jump and rebound, we have, Chris Anderson, and, a can Hit a 3-pointer from the perimeter, a 7-foot three-pointer that pulls an opposing big man out of the paint. Of course, the first is the most important, and the third is the least important, but we only paid a small price, didn't we. "

Leon is not a person who likes long speeches, and he doesn't expect to be able to convince an experienced basketball worker like Cowens to agree with his ideas with just a few words. Everything will have to wait until the season starts and the games start to show the effect . It's just that now, even in words, Leon must be able to answer Cowens' questions and express his clear views and ideas to them, no matter whether they can be recognized or not, if he doesn't speak out his thoughts, even if he does one day If there is a result, it will be considered cheating.

"Then why did you sign Malik Sealy? He hasn't fully recovered from his injury. It is said that it is to get Kevin Garnett, because Sealy is a good friend of Garnett. But entrust the signing of the star On one of his so-called friends, I don't think it's a good idea. Now the league almost knows that the Celtics want Garnett. This is not Auerbach's style. Let the opponent know your deal before it is really successful. Ideas are dangerous." Siegfried also expressed his own problems. In more than a month, Siegfried made up his knowledge and knowledge of basketball, and tried to form a basketball team in the correction center, and conducted a few weeks of training to find the feeling of being a coach. , but also achieved good results.

Facing Siegfried's questioning, Leon poked the bonfire with a branch to make the flames more prosperous, and replied: "There is an old saying in China, 'Three people become a tiger', which means that three people take turns to go to the street and shout "Yes!" Tiger, as a result, everyone believes that there is a tiger. The current era is different from the past. All transactions and signings are carried out under the sun. There is no market for conspiracy. We need open conspiracy. When we repeatedly disclose such news One day, when Garnett wants to leave the Timberwolves, we will be the first thing that comes to mind. And I have some understanding of Garnett's character. I have observed him carefully for a long time. He is a person with a serious split of personality inside and outside. , On the one hand, he is very emotional, but on the other hand he values ​​money interests very much. On the other hand, he is tough and aggressive, but he also has a fragile side in his heart. For this kind of guy with a swinging personality, the best way to deal with him is a firm and continuous attack , honestly, he deserves a comeback like this. There's no one in this league that's a better fit for Boston."

In this way, Leon started the verbal battle mode in front of the bonfire. From tactics to psychology, from operation to rules, he responded to the doubts from the old people one by one, and at the same time fully revealed his team building plan.

As the night deepened and the bonfire became colder, the coaching staff's trust in Leon increased little by little.