NBA: I really just want to be a second-in-command

Chapter 166

Early the next morning, Lu Yusheng arrived at the arena at 08:30.

Because Kobe said that he was going to meet an important person, Lu Yusheng deliberately put on formal clothes to look more formal.

At nine o'clock, a ruby ​​red sports car stopped at the entrance of the arena, the windows were rolled down, and Kobe, wearing sunglasses, waved at Lu Yusheng, "Get in the car quickly!"

Lu Yusheng hurriedly got into the car, "Hey, brother, didn't you sprain your ankle, the doctor allowed you to drive?"

"It's not a serious injury." Kobe sized up Lu Yusheng and said, "Are you going to sell?"

"Didn't you say you were going to meet an important person, so I should dress more formally, what's the problem?"

Kobe smiled, "I forgot to tell you, I'm going to play golf."

golf?
Lu Yusheng seemed to vaguely know who he was going to see.

But he still couldn't believe it.

"Ready for the Spurs game?" Bryant asked while driving.

"not yet."

"I promised so happily before, I thought you already had a strategy."

"Isn't this the Zen master's job? Do you have a strategy before every game?"

"Of course, this is the minimum. Master Zen is just a coach, and the ball is for us to play by ourselves, so we have to have an account in our hearts."

"Then how do you think we should deal with the Spurs?" Lu Yusheng asked.

"Of course I have my own ideas, but I can't tell you. After all, we made a bet, and you have to rely on yourself. You can talk about your ideas, and I will help you as a staff."

"I think in the fight against the Spurs, the main thing is to limit Duncan and Parker, because they are the core of the Spurs' offensive and defensive tactics." Lu Yusheng said.

Kobe nodded, "Where's Manu?"

"Ginobili is very powerful, but he is not the core of the Spurs' tactics. His position in the Spurs is the glue, improving the strength of the bench, and at certain times, helping the main players to do something, which is the icing on the cake."

"Then tell me specifically how we should restrict Duncan and Parker."

"For a star of Duncan's level, it is actually difficult to completely limit it, just like when other teams are doing targeted tactics, it is also difficult to completely limit you for a reason."

Kobe nodded, "Then, who do you think is harder to limit, me or Duncan?"

Lu Yusheng:? ?
Is this also a competition?

In fact, for Lu Yusheng, Kobe and Duncan have equal historical status, and no one is higher than the other.

So there is no difference in strength.

"You two are about the same," Lu Yusheng said. "Comparatively speaking, you take more responsibility on the offensive end of the team, while Duncan takes more responsibility on the Spurs' defensive end."

"You mean my defensive ability is not as good as his?"

Lu Yusheng: ...

"From the perspective of the team's defensive system, this is the case. After all, the center forward is the last gate of the team's defense. It can support a team's defensive system. The role of outside players is really not that great. This is why inside players The reason why it is easier to win dpoy."

Kobe was not dissatisfied with Lu Yusheng's answer. After all, he also understood that what Lu Yusheng said was objective facts.

"You continue to say, the strategy against Duncan." Bryant said.

"So for Duncan, what needs to be restricted is not his offense, but his defense." Lu Yusheng said.

"What about it?"

"Duncan's defensive advantage lies in his large defensive coverage and strong defensive ability, but his defense also has shortcomings."

"What short board?"

"First of all, his defense ability is mediocre. Secondly, because his mobility has declined, it is difficult for him to follow up to defend. We can use these two points to fight." Lu Yusheng said.

"for example?"

"First, pick-and-roll tactics, which correspond to his lack of ability to defend big and small. Second, it is a mid-range shot that is one step inside the three-point line. Whether it is after the pick-and-roll, or the first time after the breakthrough, you must not go inside, but must shoot directly." Lu Yusheng said.

Kobe didn't say anything, but Lu Yusheng could tell from his expression that he was quite satisfied with his answer.

After all, Lu Yusheng's targeting of Duncan's defensive weaknesses was actually targeting the Spurs' defensive weaknesses.

The set that Lu Yusheng summed up is supported by subsequent successful cases. The Lakers in 2009, the Thunder in 2012, and the Heat in 2013 all won against the Spurs in this way.

The Spurs' defensive weakness lies in Duncan's inability to limit this pick-and-roll and the first mid-range shot after a breakthrough.

Kobe in 2009, Westbrook and Durant in 2012 all took advantage of this and lost their lives to the Spurs.

In the finals between the Heat and the Spurs in 2013, the last tiebreaker was also because LeBron finally came to the shooting touch and solved the problem with a mid-range shot.

"What do you think of my strategy?" Lu Yusheng asked proudly.

"There is nothing wrong with the overall strategy, the problem lies in the feasibility of the strategy." Bryant said.

"What do you mean?"

"Who's the guy who's going to shoot mid-range if you don't think I'm around?" Bryant said.

"Can't I? I made a lot of mid-range shots today."

"Do you think the Spurs' defense will be like that of the Rockets? You are too naive, I tell you, in the game, you will encounter all kinds of problems, and, most importantly, Popovich is not an idiot coach , He will adjust various tactics to deal with it." Bryant said.

"Let's talk about it when we are on the field, and analyze specific issues in detail."

Kobe didn't say anything more, because it was a golf club in Los Angeles.

This golf course is surrounded by mountains and rivers, the green grass and the blue sea in the distance complement each other, and the scenery is very charming.

And there are basically no people on the court. Obviously, this should be the place where the real rich people come.

Kobe drove to the parking area. As soon as he got out of the car, a small team came up to open the door for Kobe, helped him park the car, and welcomed Kobe in.

Walking into the room, I saw a black man with the same height as Kobe from a distance, wearing sunglasses and smoking a cigar.

Seeing Kobe coming, a smile appeared on his face, and he walked towards them.

"This is the man I told you about, you should know him?" Kobe said.

Lu Yusheng: ...

Who doesn't know Michael Jordan!
Although on the way here, Lu Yusheng had roughly guessed that the person Kobe was talking about was Jordan, but when he saw Jordan with his own eyes, he still felt an indescribable shock!

Glossy skin, with earrings and rings, a slightly fat body, wearing a very casual coat.

This is the god of basketball, Michael Jordan!
Lu Yusheng had restrained his reaction very much and tried hard to calm himself down, but he still felt his whole body trembling slightly.

When I saw Magic Johnson and Kobe before, I didn't seem to have such a big reaction.

Is this the so-called aura?
Kobe and Jordan hugged and chatted happily.

Lu Yusheng used to think that Jordan was Kobe's idol, and he would learn everything from Jordan, probably in front of Jordan, just like a student facing a teacher.

But in fact it was not. Kobe said everything in front of Mr. Joe, and he seemed to be a good friend.

After saying a few words, Kobe seemed to remember Lu Yusheng, and introduced Lu Yusheng to Jordan, "This rookie is the rookie we selected this year. After that, we can only choose him."

Lu Yusheng: ...

"Oh, I know you," Jordan smiled and shook hands with Lu Yusheng, "You've been very popular recently, and I've watched your games, and you played well."

This flattered Lu Yusheng, the god of basketball has watched his game, what kind of feeling is this! ! !
"I've also watched your game." Lu Yusheng said hastily.

After speaking, he found that something was wrong, so he quickly added, "I mean, I grew up watching your game videos when I was young."

Jordan didn't mind either, and said to Kobe, "Before I talked about your 3-1 lead and being overturned this year, I used this to mock you, and you were always upset."

"Am I wrong?"

"I still say the same thing, Kobe, if it were me, I would never let Phoenix come back like that."

"Come on, Michael, don't stand and talk without back pain, our situation is different from that of the Bulls." Bryant said.

"I admit that my teammates are slightly stronger, but this is not the reason for you to lose in that way. Your final offense was indeed a bit misfired." Jordan said.

"You have misfires too, man, but when you misfire, you have Scottie Pippen to support you." Bryant retorted.

Jordan smiled, "And now,"

He pointed to Lu Yusheng and said, "Now that your Scottie Pippen is here, if you lose this year, do you have any excuses?"

"You think he's comparable to Scottie Pippen? Man, are you serious?"

"Should I be honest? I think his future potential is far above Scott's." Jordan said.

"But you have always been inaccurate in seeing rookies." Kobe said, "Have you forgotten about Kwame Brown?"

Jordan laughed, "It's different this time, man, he scored 8 points in his seventh game. Do you know what level that Scott guy was in his rookie season? Only [-] points and [-] rebounds, yeah A little boy who will cry when he loses, brother, believe me, you definitely have a helper this time."

"Hey, don't praise him in front of him, this kid will be complacent." Bryant said.

"No, Kobe," Lu Yusheng said, "Let Black Jesus praise me more, not everyone is treated like this."

Jordan also smiled, and asked Lu Yusheng, "Actually, I asked Kobe to bring you here today. I have something to ask you."

This surprised Lu Yusheng a little.

"What do you want from me?"

"It's like this, you know my sneaker brand, right? We've been looking for a spokesperson of Chinese origin to help us open up the Asian market, but we haven't met a suitable candidate for a long time."

"Have you never looked for Yao Ming?"

"Yao Ming is indeed very good, but we hope that it is best to be an outside player, which is more in line with our expectations. Originally, our idea this year was that if the NBA really did not have a suitable player, we would look for it in overseas leagues, but unexpectedly, You suddenly appeared in our field of vision, you performed really well, you are simply the perfect candidate we have been looking for."

Jordan continued, "I happened to come to Los Angeles today to do something, so I asked you to come out and talk about endorsement matters. I also know that many sports companies are probably looking for you to negotiate sneaker contracts these days. Don't worry. , we can definitely give you a satisfactory price.”

Lu Yusheng nodded. He really didn't expect that Mr. Qiao asked Kobe to ask him out for the endorsement of sneakers.

In fact, Lu Yusheng still has a good impression of the AJ brand. After all, for Lu Yusheng in his previous life, it was a luxury.

It's a pity that the old man was a step late. Lu Yusheng had already signed a contract with Reebok last night.

"Michael, I'm a big fan of yours personally, and I also like the AJ brand very much, but I'm afraid I can't agree to you about the sneaker endorsement contract, because Reebok has approached me before..."

"Son, don't listen to them."

Before Lu Yusheng finished speaking, Jordan said, "Brands like Reebok basically come to the sports industry to join in the fun and make money. They are very unprofessional, and they don't understand the needs of players at all, and they don't understand basketball and sports at all. Sneakers, they just want to take advantage of the globalization of the NBA and come in to get a share of the trend. That's all. They will not design sneakers for you carefully, and they will not give you any decent price. They Very stingy. So, don't deal with them, it's a waste of time."

Lu Yusheng secretly laughed in his heart. As the boss, Jordan is actually no different from ordinary businessmen. For the sake of purpose, he does not hesitate to belittle his competitors.

"Well, as long as you agree, I will give you a high-priced endorsement contract of US$300 million per year," said Mr. Joe, "If you agree, my team will be inside, and I will sign a contract with you at any time, how about it?"

"This……"

"Don't hesitate, kid, believe me, Reebok will never offer you this price," Jordan said.

"That's right, Lu, this contract can be signed." Kobe also spoke for Jordan.

In fact, a contract of 300 million yuan was considered very high at the time. After all, Kobe's contract with Nike in 2004 was only 4.4 million US dollars for eight years. After conversion, it was only more than 500 million US dollars per year.

Lu Yusheng is a rookie, and Jordan is quite sincere in giving him 300 million a year.

"I'm really sorry, Michael, I signed a contract with them last night, I'm afraid I won't be able to cooperate with you." Lu Yusheng said apologetically.

Jordan was obviously disappointed when he heard this, "It's a pity, kid, don't you know how to discuss this kind of thing with your big brother Kobe."

"Yeah," Kobe also reproached, "I told you, if you don't understand, I can ask my agent to help you negotiate, why do you make a hasty decision, and let people spend a small amount of money now. Lied to you. How much is their contract with you?"

"Well, actually the contract they gave is not bad."

"How much is it, tell me quickly." Kobe urged.

"Well... 800 million per year..." Lu Yusheng whispered.

Jordan and Kobe dilated their pupils almost at the same time, looked at each other, and said almost at the same time,

"They're crazy."

(End of this chapter)