Chapter 47 Opportunity to start

Author: Feng Yuanhua

Chapter 47 Opportunity to start

Wang Hao is not really 19 years old. He has a mature enough mental age and will not get confused so easily.

Although he has great potential to be cultivated, it is impossible for the team to really treat him like this.

If nothing else, where do you put this Gary Payton?

He immediately contacted Field Simmons, and the two teamed up to win the Summer League championship. There is still some connection between them.

"Field, the team wants to take the initiative to arrange training for me, and it is a separate training. What is the reason for this?"

He had a very good relationship with Field, and he didn't intend to mince words, but asked straight to the point.

"Hey, Wang, I knew you would ask, in fact, this is really not a big deal.

aFirst of all, don’t have too many expectations, the SuperSonics are still Gary’s team, you are just his helper.”

Wang Hao has no objection to this statement. Today's Gary Payton is indeed one of the best players in the NBA.

It is simply impossible to replace him.

"However, you don't need to worry, because the team is indeed training you.

Both Paul and Willie hope that you can assume the important role of starting the team in the new season."

"Team starter?"

"Yes, shooting guard or small forward, this is possible, it depends on Paul's arrangement."

…

After chatting with Field for half an hour, Wang Hao finally understood what was going on. The team had no money.

In other words, team owner Akli does not plan to continue spending money on signings, and the SuperSonics' salary is not low anymore.

According to the 1999 labor contract, the NBA is about to implement a luxury tax, and the penalties will be quite severe.

However, this plan will not be implemented until the 2001-02 season, and now it is just a buffer period.

To put it bluntly, Akli didn’t intend to spend money.

The salary of the SuperSonics is indeed not low. The salary of Gary Payton and Vin Baker alone exceeds 20 million.

It's just that, plus other people's salaries, it's about 35 million.

This salary is not the lowest, but compared to the New York Knicks' 72 million and the Lakers' 55 million, it is really not worth mentioning.

The boss is unwilling to spend money, so as the team manager and head coach, naturally he can only find it internally.

Today's SuperSonics, after a series of transactions, last season's lineup has been completely dismantled.

The newly introduced Horace Grant and Vin Baker's inside line can be considered a relatively stable starting partner.

Coupled with Gary Payton, as long as there are no injuries in these three positions, there should be no problem.

The most serious problem is actually the forward and defensive lines.

Whether it is the introduction of Brent Barry or the signing of new players including Wang Hao, it is all to build a forward and defensive line.

This is the reason why Ruben Patterson was able to serve as the starter for the Sonics as a second-year player.

When no one is available, the only option is to let Ruben Patterson, who is good at defense, be the team's starter.

Now, the Sonics have a better option.

Wang Hao's defense is no worse than Ruben Patterson's, and he has a three-point shooting ability offensively, so he is obviously more suitable for starting.

With him partnering with Gary Payton and Vin Baker, he can not only connect Gary Payton on the outside, but also open up space for Vin Baker.

Vin Baker and Gary Payton are both good inside attackers. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to have Wang Hao open up space for them?

In fact, the Sonics had the same idea when they introduced Brent Barry. It is said that not long ago, they were actively introducing Veron Maxwell.

After returning to New York to pack his things, and then moving out of the apartment, Wang Hao went straight to Seattle.

As expected, Willie Walker was already waiting, and the general manager came forward in person, which somewhat flattered Wang Hao.

"Wang, we have arranged training for you. You need to train with Vernon until the start of the new season."

"Mr. Willy, please don't worry, I will train you well."

As for the Vernon Maxwell mentioned by Willie Walker, Wang Hao certainly knew this person.

In 1994 and 1995, Mosaic was the hero of winning the championship.

The reason why he was asked to help Wang Hao train was very simple: to improve Wang Hao's three-point shooting ability.

Vernon has won the season three-point title twice and is an out-and-out super shooter.

Moreover, he is not only good at three-pointers, he also does a very good job in defense and breakthrough.

The Sonics' idea is also very simple. They hope that Wang Hao can play Vernon's role on the court.

However, since there is already Vernon Maxwell, why should Wang Hao develop in this direction?

The reason is simple. Vernon is already 35 years old and at the end of his career, so he won't have much playing time.

Of course, these are not what impressed Wang Hao the most. What impressed him the most was that this guy is not a good person!

He once rushed into the stands and beat up fans.

That is to say, the NBA system at that time was not perfect, otherwise, he would have been even worse than Artest.

Of course, this was nothing to Vernon.

The most outrageous thing is that during the half season he joined the Sonics, this guy actually stole his teammate's wife.

What's even more ridiculous is that the person he cheated on was Gary Payton. You know, he and Gary Payton have been best friends for many years.

Over this matter, Gary Payton and Vernon Maxwell fought directly in the locker room.

Regarding this, Wang Hao, as a melon-eater, was quite speechless.

After all, although Gary Payton looks a bit ugly, the problem is, this Vernon Maxwell is not handsome either!

I don’t know what Gary’s wife thinks.

Of course, this kind of thing may just shock Wang Hao, but for other NBA players, it is just like that.

After all, this kind of bad thing happens frequently in the NBA.

It was nearly 9 o'clock when Vernon Maxwell showed up at the training facility.

"Hi, Willy."

"Hi, Vernon, let me introduce you, this is the King."

"Hello, King!"

"Hello, Vernon, I'm glad to have the opportunity to study with you."

Vernon Maxwell nodded, looking uninterested and perfunctory.

Sure enough, after Willie Walker left, Vernon Maxwell said.

"Hey, rookie, to be honest, I don't want to give you any special training, it has nothing to do with me.

But, the Sonics are willing to pay the salary, so fine, I'll teach you how to play.

It’s just that I only do what I need to do, and whether you can learn it or not, that’s your business!”

"I see!"

Wang Hao doesn't talk nonsense. People have said that he works for money, so he doesn't need to have any connections.

Having stayed in the United States for more than a year, he is not too familiar with such a situation.

For Chinese people, helping each other is actually a matter of maintaining personal connections.

You help me, I help you, isn't this just a favor?

It’s not that foreigners don’t care about interpersonal relationships, but more often than not, they only have interests in their eyes.

Even though Vernon Maxwell is a championship and three-point champion, in fact, he has never been the core of the team.

Being unable to be the core of the team means that he cannot get a big contract, otherwise he would not be able to work even at his old age.

For him, a real salary is more important than supporting new people.
Chapter completed!