Who will be the role players now that everyone's been reborn?

The training camp began on September 25th.

Chen Dong, Azubuk, and Hayes, the Summer League trio, arrived at the training center together.

The first teammate Chen Dong met was Amarestadmaier. Unlike his fiery playing style on the court, the little tyrant was rather shy off the court. What a stark contrast!

He had a neat short haircut (curly hair doesn't look good when it's long), and he greeted Chen Dong and the others in a friendly manner, "Chen Dong, Azubuk, Hayes, it's nice to meet the three of you."

I didn't watch the Summer League games live, but you guys played fantastic, delivering a top-level performance that I couldn't even achieve back then.

"You flatter me!"

"That's just something you superstars don't want to do, or something you've already done," Chen Dong replied with a smile. "Compared to that, I much prefer watching your powerful dunks on TV."

"Watch Nash thread the needle, and Stoudemire splits Mount Hua!" Chen Dong imitated the commentator's lines.

Stoudemire excitedly high-fived Chen Dong and continued, "It's good that you don't hate me. That year I dunked over Yao Ming and was about to roar in celebration, but Francis choked me and interrupted me."

"You know, the league is always creating rivalries, and I'm not going to give up the 02 Rookie of the Year competition."

So, I get especially excited every time I play against Yao Ming of the Rockets. I want to beat Yao Ming head-on and prove why I'm the Rookie of the Year!

"I don't like to hold grudges," Chen Dong said calmly, "because Yao Ming will settle scores with me himself."

"Haha, Yao Ming is indeed a formidable enemy."

I feel our inside-outside combination works really well. Remember to pass me the ball a lot when we play Yao Ming!

"Sure, if you'd like to eat Shanghai-style hot pot!"

"..."

Are changing rooms difficult to manage?

That's not necessarily true!

After finishing his conversation with Stoudemire, Chen Dong found his own jersey frame and put on the Suns' number 1 jersey. He felt that he was no longer an ordinary person, but a professional NBA player.

Sidley Scott glanced at Chen Dong’s number 1 jersey and froze for a moment, feeling as if something was flowing away from him!

"The Suns' second-in-command seems quite mild-mannered!"

"He has absolutely no arrogance or airs of a star player!" Hayes commented on his first impression of Stoudemire as he walked out of the empty corridor. "He's completely different from his domineering presence on the court."

"With Nash passing him the ball, and currently under his rookie contract, things will seem very amicable as long as he doesn't lose money," Chen Dong calmly analyzed.

As they chatted, the three of them soon arrived at the training hall.

Just as they were warming up, Pat Burke and Boris Diaw came over to say hello. Burke was from Ireland, Diaw was from France, Azubuke was British, and Chen Dong was from China. They belonged to the international team and were all newcomers to the Suns. Naturally, they banded together for warmth. Hayes, a fringe player, also had to make do and stick with them.

At this moment, all the Suns players arrived at the training facility.

On the first day, the players' positions were clearly divided.

For example, Nash, Stoudemire, and Marion stayed together, chatting happily about the fun things that happened during the offseason. They are the absolute core of the Suns.

Closest to the Suns' running-and-gun trio are Barbosa and Jim Jackson, who were the sixth and seventh men last season.

It must be said that D'Antoni's success with the Suns was not without reason.

Because he was skilled at managing people!

Rumors circulate that D'Antoni is not good at communication and cannot manage the locker room, which may be true. However, D'Antoni has never thought of changing himself, and his personality is not so easy to change.

However, he can change the environment around him.

For example, D'Antoni chose to trade or sign top players from various countries instead of letting American players cluster together and form an uncontrollable clique, thus achieving the goal of divide and conquer.

Can't control the locker room?

Then lower the difficulty of controlling the locker room, and then, relying on the head coach's natural authority, perfectly control the locker room through a divide-and-conquer approach.

At this point, he only needs to take care of the emotions and needs of the three core players, and he can easily control the others. If anyone disobeys, he can simply bench them or send them away.

Of course, all of this is predicated on the team's performance being convincing enough to convince the star player of his coaching ability. The 7-man or 8-man rotation tactic can not only guarantee results but also further solidify control of the locker room. You can promote one group, punish another, and divide the remaining players.

D'Antoni has actually figured out the old tricks of our ancestors.

"In the upcoming new vs. old match, if we defeat that group of five, we can take their place, right?" Azubuk turned his gaze to Jim Jackson, who was almost 36 years old.

"That's ambitious!" Chen Dong praised, then changed the subject, "However, our coach shouldn't be playing such low-level games."

"Last season, they had a league-wide record of 60 wins and 22 losses, and they also made it to the Western Conference Finals in the playoffs. Their 7-second or less run-and-gun offense has proven to be successful and capable of winning games. So, if the car isn't broken, there's no reason to replace it."

"You mean, our coach will replicate last season's run-and-gun lineup, making them the protagonists, and then having the substitutes play the villains, leveling up by defeating monsters?"

"You answered correctly, but there's no prize!"

"But as the villain, you can also defeat them, get the script that takes their place, and become one of the protagonists."

"..."

Soon, the regular training camp group competition began.

D'Antoni didn't waste any words and called out James Jones and Raja Bell, "You two are joining the starting lineup, teaming up with Nash, Stoudemire, and Marion. From now on, just play the roles that Joe Jensen and Richardson used to play."

Gentry and Markjafaroni discussed it and assembled a five-man lineup of substitutes: Kurt Thomas, Jim Jackson, Diaw, Chen Dong, and Barbosa.

Barbosa is the Suns' undisputed sixth man, and Jim Jackson was last season's seventh man. It's easy to understand why they were selected for the team. Kurt Thomas, the team's third-highest paid player, was traded to the Suns as a secret weapon for the playoffs.

Just like Jimmy Butler, it's unrealistic to expect him to lead the team and achieve outstanding results in the regular season; the playoffs are his stage!

As for Dior, he's just an add-on to Joe Jensen's deal. We definitely need to test his abilities to see if they made a profit or a loss.

As for Chen Dong being named the Summer League MVP, while the award may not be particularly prestigious, as a rookie selected by the Suns, he is considered one of their own and will certainly be nurtured.

For example, the Suns' current rise is inseparable from Nash's return to where his dream began.

Snapped--!

With his explosive physical gifts, Stoudemire helped the starting five team gain possession of the ball first.

Nash didn't try too many times. He ran a pick-and-roll with Marion, drove and passed the ball out. Marion, who bounced the ball to the three-point line, pushed it out with his hand, and the basketball flew out like a cannonball.

Swish!!!

The knife falls, the ball goes in.

Marion's shooting form may be ugly, but when he's accurate, he's incredibly accurate.

"Looks like Shawn didn't forget his three-point shooting kit at home." On the sidelines, D'Antoni, arms crossed, nodded as he watched the three-pointer go in.

On the court, Barbosa quickly advanced to the frontcourt, and with Jim Jackson's screen, he dribbled past Nash's defense, drove to the basket, and scored two points.

This speed and style of play are very much like the Suns, and it's also the rhythm of the small-ball era!

In the second minute, Nash used Stoudemire's screen to break through from the left side to the basket, passed under the basket, flicked his left hand, and passed the ball to the right wing from the baseline. Raja Bell received the ball, raised his hand, and launched a three-pointer.

Swish-!

After scoring, Ragabel pointed at Nash, indicating that Nash's pass was beautiful.

"Hmm, not bad!"

Nash's passing was still incredibly precise.

"Raja Bell's three-pointer had great rhythm; he's clearly a scorer with a reliable basket." D'Antoni, watching from the sidelines, drew circles in satisfaction.

On the court, Barbosa called for Diaw to set a screen and handed the ball to Diaw to handle. Seeing Raja Bell rushing over, he quickly passed the ball to the left wing. Chen Dong received the ball and immediately raised his hand to shoot a three-pointer. In the instant he faked out James Jones, he quickly took his first step with his right foot, drove into the paint, and made a graceful back pass, assisting Kurt Thomas to score two points with a light dunk.

Clang!

"Chen Dong, well done!"

The entire defensive line froze for a second.

After Kurt Thomas scored the winning goal, he gave Chen Dong a thumbs up, and Chen Dong smiled, nodded, and high-fived him in celebration.

On the sidelines, Gentry and Marcjafaroni nodded in agreement and laughed, saying, "Chen Dong's passing and support are becoming more and more daring."

"I think it would be better to start him. It would add another ball-handling and playmaking point, allowing him to play the role of Joe James."

James Jones is just a pure shooter and can replace Richardson, while Raja Bell can't organize plays.