Time passed day by day. On August 8, Zhang Hao received a system prompt that the sixth phase of the "Pressure Defense Master" training task was finally completed!

"Special signing player Zhang Hao has completed the super top level training card: the sixth stage training task of oppressing the defense master, the intensive training has been completed, and the next stage of the seventh stage training task improvement stage will be opened.

Note: After each stage of training task is started, you need to complete at least 1 hour of continuous effective training every day. If it is interrupted, the training in this stage will be re-timed."

Unlike the previous top training cards of 666, the 999 super top training cards have increased the difficulty from the fourth stage to the sixth stage of intensive training.

From then on, training became boring and troublesome, focusing on details, and various training details that Zhang Hao had never thought about before.

However, when you occasionally need to make such defensive moves in the game, you need to practice it in training.

"The difficulty of practicing defense is really no worse than practicing offense! I want to try to complete the seventh stage of training before the start of the training camp. There are still nearly two months left, so I should be able to do it...at least I have to reach the point of completing the training tasks proficiently."

Now that Zhang Hao has a specific defense, it is difficult for him to judge what level he is. He can only test it during the game. But he estimated that even if there is no "pressure defense" that is forced to be raised to the top level after all nine stages of training tasks are completed, he can still have a single defense level close to the top after all training.

In addition to the final bonus, the training card is already super powerful just by teaching him how to do the most effective training in the specified direction of the training card.

Zhang Hao is now looking forward to the beginning of the new season more than in any offseason in previous years. After practicing for so long, he is eager to test his training results through the competition.

However, at present, the team still has a lot of things to do, so we have to continue to quickly invest in pre-match preparations.

Recently, Zhang Hao went to the Key Stadium in the morning to discuss the issues of building a tactical system with the coaching staff.

Compared with other coaching teams, the Supersonics coaching team is more like a brand new entrepreneurial team. The old coach Yinhu, who is in his 60s, leads the team. Everyone comes up with ideas, everyone discusses them together, and thinks based on the existing lineup...

During this period, Zhang Hao did not interrupt casually, basically listened.

Listen more, watch more, learn more, in this regard, even Scott Collins, who has the weakest coaching ability in the coaching staff, is much better than him.

He has tactical qualities and the ability to command on the spot, but he may not have been able to get started in this regard, and there are many things to learn.

In the afternoon, it was defensive training.

During this period, offensive training has been reduced, focusing on maintaining competitive state and polishing details. After dinner, you will train for about two hours of offense.

After the management team got all the 15-person list, they were not idle, but instead entered a brand new busy state.

It is true that people live together, but it does not mean that everything is going well.

After that, there will be training camp, preseason... until the trading deadline, transactions may occur at any time.

As a brand new team, we must rebuild the scouting network and relationship network.

Investigate the situation of each team and analyze the potential future liquidity of players of other teams.

Make predictions about your own team, what aspects are most needed for trading, and explore potential trading possibilities with a purpose.

Larry Harris will report these things regularly to Howard Schultz, and Howard Schultz will share the report with Zhang Hao. Zhang Hao only knows about this.

Leave professional matters to professionals, talent shows, and dig out the treasures of the free market. Perhaps few people are his opponents.

But contract negotiations, salary structure, good relationships with other team management... etc., Zhang Hao is no match for the management team at all.

Just like their team signing this offseason, when Zhang Hao first came, he thought it was basically unlikely that they would sign in the free market. However, after Larry Harris joined, he looked at the team's existing contract and was about to submit the contract that took effect in the league. He came up with a solution and gave him the opportunity to introduce three free agents to Zhang.

The salary cap of the new season is $38.31 million. Compared with the shrinking season, the income still increased in the 1997-98 season. Although it is very small, the salary cap of $36.41 million last season is still slightly higher, which depends on the broadcast agreement signed in the summer of 1997.

But he, Zhang, paid $17.14 million in salary, Jason Williams paid $11 million in salary, Ratliff just completed the contract renewal, and the bird rights of Schramf and Sam Perkins, Lewis' rookie contract, and two center rookie contracts... Zhang Hao originally thought they only signed a group of basic-paid players with a salary of $600,000 this year.

Larry Harris controls his salary, and is very good at calculating. He first discussed with Schramf and Sam Perkins to give up the right to bird and free up the salary space occupied by the right to bird.

Ratliff reached an agreement in advance during the season, but the contract was renewed early, which means that the contract was signed and the league had not been officially submitted. It was just that they had reached an agreement, just like the future agreement between Jordan and the Mavericks, but the signing was completed and it took effect only after the offseason began.

Larry Harris and Ratliff agreed to retain the right of birds and officially submit the contract to sign for the team first. So Ratliff, who has a salary of $6.36 million next season, occupied a salary cap before officially completing the renewal. The salary cap occupied by Birdliff before the official completion of the contract was 150% of Birdliff's salary of $1.32 million last season, which is $1.98 million.

After signing with Dell Curry and Kassel, he did not submit the league immediately, but waited to send the two centers away...

In the end, Larry Harris controlled his salary to only Zhang Hao, Jason Williams, Travis Best, Corey Benjamin, and Lewis. Together with Ratliff's bird rights, he had a total salary of 34.27 million US dollars, and he had room to sign Dell Curry and Cassel.

Then he signed Vernon Muscoville and Ruben Patterson with a basic salary, and then officially completed the signing of two rookies, James Percy and Ron Artest.

At this time, the salary was already over the cap, and Ratliff's 7-year, $63 million contract renewal was submitted to the league, and signed the Wallace with a biennial exception.

Finally, split the middle class special case.

The average salary expenses of each team in the league last season were multiplied by 29, divided by 375, and multiplied by 108%, which is the newly launched middle class special case in the current labor and capital agreement.

According to the average salary expenditure of 29 teams last season of $40.266 million, the exception for middle-class this year is $3.36 million.

Sam Perkins' starting salary is $1.88 million, a total of $380 in two years, a total of $1.41 million in Schramff's starting salary is $1.41 million, and a total of $5 million in three years.

Zhang Hao was so satisfied with the Silver Fox family's cub because this person was so good at spending money, and he felt that no cent could come in handy when he was in his hands.

Although the outside world's evaluation of their team was very bad, Zhang Hao was very satisfied with it. Originally, he was ready to win two of Cassel, Ben Wallace and Dell Curry. Of course, Cassel was the first choice, but Larry Harris said that all three free agents with low salary could win.

Finally, Ruben Patterson, Vernon Maxville, Travis Best and others were also surprised. He thought these positions would be to raise the number of basic salary contracts for teams at the water dispenser level, just like those teams at the bottom.

Just as Howard Schultz complained to Zhang Hao before, their team was in a bad situation this summer, and there was no fish in the free market this year. In January, any more powerful players won big contracts or long contracts, and all teams were scrambling for players.

Their Supersonics were in the critical stage of selling the team at that time. In order to demonstrate the flexibility of the salary space, the former boss retained the lineup from the previous five years and looked beautiful, so he did not compete in the free market at that time.

At this time, it was already very good that Larry Harris and others could rely on their colleagues’ connections to form a violent team and maintain a flexible salary situation.

...

...

After the sixth stage of training, Zhang Hao did not start the next stage of training immediately.

A few days ago, on the 4th, the Las Vegas Summer League ended. The Supersonics participated in two summer leagues, Orlando Summer League and Las Vegas Summer League, but they did not win the championship. There was a player named Kobe Bryant who was addicted to winning the championship. He played for the Bulls in the summer league and averaged 36 minutes and scored 41.3 points per game...

Originally, Zhang Hao thought Artest might have a fight when he went out to play in the summer league, but the result was that Ruben Patterson almost started playing with Kobe when he met Kobe.

When I went to play in the summer league, it was captain Dell Curry, who brought Artest, James Percy, McCoy, Stepania, and Lewis. When he came back, the two centers were gone, including the newly traded Corey Benjamin and the newly signed Ruben Patterson.

Due to problems such as strength, playing style and habits, Scott Collins gave first and second grade players a week's rest time after the summer league, and arranged for targeted intensive training for these young players on August 12.

Understanding teammates and helping teammates integrate into the team is also part of improving one's own strength.

On the 9th, Zhang Hao temporarily put down his personal training and came to the stadium to help Scott Collins develop training plans for several new young teammates.

Zhang Hao is still far from the position of coaching now, but as an excellent trainer, he is already very outstanding. Scott Collins happily accepts Zhang Hao's help.

In Scott Collins's view, this is also more beneficial to Zhang Hao's running-in with his new teammates, and can help Zhang Hao have more understanding of his new teammates.

...

At around 8 a.m. on August 12, Key Stadium.

Artest and Ruben Patterson arrived at the stadium early.

"Ron, why are we here so early?"

"Of course we have to give the coach a good impression. Ruben, our two situations are very difficult in the new season. James can play in the 2nd and 3rd positions, and he is so shameless to please the coach. If we are not active, we will be suppressed by him when we go to train early."

Did James Percy have a shameless attitude to please the coach? Ruben Patterson recalled, where...

If you really want to tell me why the coaching staff's attitude towards them is completely different from that towards James Percy. It's very simple. James Percy is honest, and they both are thorny.

If you want to talk about what Artest is going to do now, Ruben Patterson also supports it and you have to fight for the opportunity yourself, but Ruben Patterson is embarrassed to say this.

When they arrived at the training ground, the two thought they were the first to come to the stadium, but as a result, three people were already training!

To be precise, one person is training, one person serves the ball next to him, and one person is a sparring player.

The person who practiced was Zhang Hao, who joined the Supersonics after retirement, and the person who accompanied the training and serving was Ben Wallace and Jason Williams. They took turns defending Zhang Hao from behind with one goal.

Artest and Ruben Patterson watched Zhang Hao use his skills such as turning over, turning around, and stepping back to shoot the ball on Ben Wallace and Jason Williams again and again... He felt that he and this opponent were completely different from the same world.

When the two of them came in, the three just glanced at them and continued to train.

Finally, the training set ended, Ben Wallace and Jason Williams felt relieved!

But as soon as the feeling of relief came, the two of them heard the boss's words, "Let's take a break, and we will train two defenses and one later."

Ben Wallace was cool and bitter in his heart when there were others, but nodded expressionlessly.

This is learned from the boss. You must keep your poker face at all times, otherwise you will lose your share.

But Jason Williams couldn't bear it anymore: "I don't! I want to rest! I feel like I'm almost dead when you hit me... Aren't you two rookies coming? Find him!"

Zhang Hao looked at the two of them after hearing this.

Ruben Patterson looked at Zhang Hao's expressionless face and suddenly shuddered and said quickly: "Hello, Aix, I am Ruben."

Some people are cowardly and thorny in a moment.

Bullying the young and old is something that Ruben Patterson often does, such as having conflicts with veterans who are almost twilight and bullying rookies.

But when he really meets those people standing at the top of the pyramid, if he is a teammate, he will be very cowardly.

"Hello, Ruben."

Zhang Hao responded and looked at Artest.

Ruben Patterson took a photo of Artest and asked Artest to say hello quickly. It was obvious that Zhang Hao was waiting for him to say hello.

But Artest said: "I am here to receive coaching training, not to be a sparring training for you unless the coach arranges me to help you train."

Zhang Hao narrowed his eyes and asked, "Rookie, what do you think of my back hitting just now? If you help me train, will you be able to defend me?"

Artest responded: "Your back-playing skills are good, but you are too thin. If the coach arranges me to help you train, I can use my body to suppress you and defend you, and you will not have such a good shot."

Jason Williams and Ben Wallace couldn't help but stare at Artest, then look at Zhang Hao. As a result, Zhang Hao nodded when he heard this, said nothing, went to the side to open his bag, took out his cell phone, made a phone call, and said a few words...
To be continued...