Almighty Coach

"The players on my list, some are former superstars, some are former All-Stars, and some are potential players whose talent has not yet been fulfilled, either because of injuries, or because of age, or because of other factors. The reason, it is difficult to gain a foothold in the NBA in the end..."

"What I want to do is to gather these former stars and let them come to the Clippers. I will let them get back to their former state and let them return to the top. At that time, our Clippers also It's going to be an All-Star team, and we can not only get back to the playoffs, but we can go further in the playoffs..."

"I named this plan 'Nirvana Project', just like the phoenix nirvana, reborn, and these stars who have been eliminated by the NBA will also be reborn with us!"

In the conference room, Dai Li introduced his "Nirvana Project" eloquently.

"Coach Li, I admire your unrestrained ideas, but I don't think it is feasible at all. The players mentioned in your list do have a glorious past, but now, they can no longer adapt to the NBA. Even if you bring them back, they will not be able to play again, they simply cannot withstand NBA-level confrontation.” Team manager Johnson was the first to object.

"So this requires my training." Dai Li went on to say, "Rehabilitation training is what I am best at. I am confident that I can help them regain their fitness. In fact, I have already done similar things in the Olympics."

Johnson shook his head. "Every athlete's injury is different. You can recover a track athlete, but you can't guarantee that a basketball player will recover. Besides, those injured star players have seen many famous doctors before." , but still left the NBA, which shows that their injuries are hopeless."

"I can guarantee that they will recover." Dai Li said categorically. His answer fully demonstrated his confidence, but it also made Johnson a little speechless. Johnson felt that no matter how reasonable he was, he couldn't justify it. A braggart.

Li Dai went on to say: "If my Nirvana plan is successful, it will bring great benefits to the team. In fact, we don't need every player to return to the top. As long as there are players in this list Two or three guys recover and get back to where they were before and we can get back to the playoffs. Don't forget they're all stars!"

"If my plan fails, we won't have any losses. At most, the team's record will be relatively bad. We can just take this opportunity to do badly, and maybe we can get a No. 1 pick next year. What's more What's more, these players on the list are all former stars, as long as they come to the Clippers, they can bring benefits. Los Angeles needs stars!"

"Los Angeles needs stars", this sentence obviously moved the Clippers' management.

The effect of the same star player in a big city is completely different from that in a small city, and the benefits brought to the team are also completely different. For teams in big cities, the arrival of star players can make the team's tickets more expensive, attract more people to watch the game, and allow the team to obtain more broadcast income. It can also sell a little more, and the team can make a lot of money from a superstar.

Although the players that Dai Li wants to recruit in his "Nirvana Project" are no longer able to survive in the NBA, it is undeniable that they are all well-known, and there are even former superstars. In the city, it may be just a "balloon star" who can't play the ball, but in a big city like Los Angeles, they can already play their commercial value and gather popularity.

After all, this is Los Angeles. What Los Angeles lacks most is stars, but what Los Angeles needs most is also stars.

...

The team's management finally approved Li Dai's "Nirvana Plan".

As Li Dai said, next season's Clippers have no requirements for performance, and recruiting famous star players is a surefire thing. If the "Nirvana Project" is successful, the Clippers will naturally be able to obtain great benefits, and if the "Nirvana Project" fails, the Clippers will at best be poor, and they will still get a high draft pick next year. This deal is a good deal, and the team's management is happy to implement it.

Next, Dai Li will personally recruit the players on the list, and it is the team manager Johnson who will go with Dai Li.

Naturally, Johnson was full of reluctance. He didn't agree with Li Dai's plan at all, but signing players was the responsibility of the team manager, so Johnson had to pack his luggage and set off with Li Dai.

"Coach Li, where are we going at the first stop?" Johnson asked, his tone full of helplessness.

"Go to Seattle. That guy is from Seattle. I heard that he just accepted the position of head basketball coach of a high school in Seattle." Dai Li said.

"Are we going to find Nathan Hall? The former 'Yellow Mamba'! It's a pity that the menisci of both knees have been removed. It is said that in order to return to the court, both knee joints have been done. Mirror repair surgery, artificial meniscus implantation, but it still doesn't help, he still can't adapt to the confrontation in the NBA, so he can only retire sadly." Johnson said with some sympathy.

Dai Li nodded: "Yes, we'll go find him. There have been cases in the NBA where meniscus removal can still continue to play, so I think I can restore Nathan Hall."

"I really don't know where your confidence comes from." Johnson shook his head disdainfully. Dai Li's confident appearance made John Jie think that Dai Li was bragging again.

In fact, the removal of the meniscus is the most secure situation for Li Dai, and the athlete patch can easily solve this problem. With the help of the athlete's patch, Philip, the disabled person without feet, could run faster than normal people, so it is even easier to return to the previous state without the meniscus.

...

Nathan Hall is a shooting guard. He is actually relatively young. He has only played in the NBA for seven seasons, including a season of missing a season due to injury, and a season in which he only played five games after returning from injury. So at full count, he only played five full seasons.

But in these five seasons, he won the NBA Rookie of the Year, entered the NBA All-Star team three times in a row, and once entered the NBA All-NBA Team. People also gave him the nickname "Yellow Mamba", which also implied that he would become the successor of the "Black Mamba" who was the number one in the league at the time.

However, the knee injury ruined him, showing that arthritis limited his playing time, and then the knee swelled frequently, and the water had to be pumped from time to time, and he needed to take medication for arthritis, and finally had to undergo double arthroscopy Surgery, but the surgery did not cure his arthritis. The meniscus continued to wear and tear, making the remaining part less and less. In the end, the small meniscus could no longer play a cushioning role, but became a foreign body in the joint , he had to remove the menisci of both joints. After each operation, he will come back in a very short time.

Losing the meniscus also ruined his career, making him feel unbearable pain in his knee every time he played, every step of running, every jump, and every physical confrontation. Even though he installed an artificial meniscus later, he still couldn't withstand the physical confrontation and game rhythm of the NBA.

So he could only choose to retire, and he was only 25 years old when he retired.

At 25, he's not even at his prime as a guard. A player who won three All-Stars before the age of 25 was destined to become a superstar, but eventually fell to a knee injury.

...

Dai Li and Johnson came to Seattle.

"Are we going to the high school where Nathan Hall works? Now that the school is still in summer vacation, we may not be able to find him in the school." Johnson said.

"Of course we can't go to the school to find him." Dai Li went on to say, "Think about it, what are we here for? Hall is now the coach of that high school, and we are here to poach him. How can we Go to the place where he works, poaching people in a grand manner! I have already made an appointment with Hall to meet in the reception room of the hotel. So let's go to the hotel to rest now, and then we will have afternoon tea with Hall."

A few hours later, Dai Li met Nathan Hall in the reception room of the hotel.

"Coach Li, I really didn't expect you to come to Seattle in person, let alone come to me." Hall obviously knew Dai Li. Although he had left the NBA, he still cared about the situation in the NBA. The team knows that too. Dai Li, the candidate for the best coach of the year, of course Hall recognized him.

Hall continued: "Are you interested in any player in our high school? But to be honest, I just became the head coach of the team this summer, so I am not familiar with the players. I'm afraid I can't introduce players to you." Details."

Dai Li shook his head: "If it was a few years ago, if the NBA allowed high school students to directly participate in the draft, I might really go to the high school basketball league to find potential players. But now the NBA has banned high school players from directly participating in the NBA draft." Draft, if I want to find potential players, I should go to college."

"That's right, then what is the purpose of you coming to me?" Hall asked.

"I want to invite you to join my team." Dai Li said.

"Do you want me to join your coaching staff?" Hall showed a flattered expression. Entering the NBA coaching staff is obviously much better than being a head coach in a high school.

Dai Li shook his head again: "Nathan, you misunderstood me. I want you to play on my team. We are short of a shooting guard."

"You asked me to play for the Clippers!" Nathan Hoy exclaimed, with a look of disbelief on his face, and said at the same time, "Coach Li, are you joking?"

"Do you think me and the general manager of the team flew from Los Angeles to Seattle just to have fun with you?" Dai Li said with a smile.

Nathan Hall's expression suddenly became serious. He realized that Dai Li had really invited him to join the Clippers, and then he asked, "Why did you choose me?"

"Why didn't you choose you?" Dai Li asked back.

"I mean, I've announced my retirement, why are you still looking for me?" Hall asked.

"As a basketball player, you are still very young and should not be old enough to retire," Dai Li replied.

"But my knee has suffered such a serious injury, I can no longer adapt to the level of confrontation in the NBA." Hall shook his head, and continued; "I still remember my last season in the NBA. At that time, every time I sprinted, every jump, my knees would cause unbearable pain, and in the end I couldn't persist in the game, so I chose to retire."

"What you need is not retirement, but a top rehabilitation trainer in the world." Dai Li said, then took out the brochure of the physical training center, handed it to Hall, and said, "Look at this Well, the athletes here have all suffered serious injuries, and then they all returned to the top, relying on my rehabilitation training."

Hall took the brochure and read it page by page. When he saw the real cases, he was obviously moved.

"Nathan, I know you had the menisci removed from both knees, but historically, there have been cases where athletes can still play after having their menisci removed. That's why I came to you. I think after my training , you can return to the court." Dai Li said.

Hall hesitated for a long time, then heaved a long sigh. He closed the brochure, handed it back to Dai Li, shook his head and said, "Even if I can return to the court, I can't play like before. No, without the meniscus, my knee is equivalent to abolished, I can't accelerate the sprint, I can't change direction with the ball, I can't jump, and I can't do the technical movements that I could easily complete before."

"This is the second thing I want to say. I will help you return to the peak, or make you stronger than before!" Dai Li stared at Hall, and continued: "When is your peak?" 22 years old? Or 23 years old? Probably the period when you entered the All-Star for three consecutive years. However, for a shooting guard, the early twenties are the beginning of your career. In fact, you have not Once you reach your peak, you're done. You could have been stronger if you hadn't had injuries."

After listening to Dai Li's words, Nathan Hall lowered his head, as if trying to hide the unwillingness in his eyes.

"Nathan, you are still young, don't waste your time anymore, your career shouldn't end here, you can work hard again, as a player, play hard again, instead of teaching high school students to play!" Dai Li began to persuade.

Nathan Hall took a deep breath: "Coach Li, can you give me some time to think about it?"

"No problem." Dai Li handed his business card to Hall, and then said: "This is my contact information, and I look forward to your reply. By the way, I almost forgot to tell you that if you are willing to come to the Clippers, you can get A fully guaranteed contract, this is the minimum guarantee I can give you right now."

...

Nathan Hall put away Dai Li's business card and left the hotel.

"Will he say yes?" Johnson asked.

"Yes, I will." Dai Li replied.

"Why did you give such a positive judgment?" Johnson asked puzzled.

"Because of his love for basketball." Dai Li turned his head to look at Johnson, and continued: "For professional basketball players, some people just regard playing basketball as a job, while others have an unparalleled love for basketball. .They will regard basketball as their second life, and they will never be able to leave basketball for the rest of their lives.”

"Nathan Hall is such a person, he loves basketball, his knee has been injured, but he always insists on staying on the basketball court; every time he is injured and has surgery, he can't wait to go back. Even if he eventually lost the meniscus in both knees, he hopes to continue playing; when he had to leave the NBA, he did not leave basketball, but came to Seattle to be a basketball coach, not like Like other retired stars, to enjoy a rich life."

"Hall has no bad habits, and he has earned tens of millions of dollars in his career, so he is not short of money. The reason why he went to a high school as a basketball coach is because he is reluctant to play basketball. I can I feel that he really loves basketball, and it is impossible for him to leave the court for the rest of his life. It is precisely because of this love for basketball that I firmly believe that he will definitely agree!"