basketball scientist

"Hornacek and I talked on the phone and declined our invitation. He said that he had lived in Salt Lake City for many years and that his family had adapted to life there. He did not want to go anywhere else until his daughter went to college."

After the Grizzlies game, Kupchak informed Ke Yan of the news.

The vast majority of NBA players yearn for big cities like Los Angeles and wealthy teams like the Lakers, but some people prefer the quiet, natural life in small cities.

It’s not that Hornacek doesn’t want to be a coach, but he wants to spend more time with his family. After all, traveling around as a professional player is not enough to accompany his family. It is normal to choose to give up some things after retirement.<

/p>

Moreover, the salary Hornacek earns as a player is enough for his family to live a luxurious life without squandering it.

In Ke Yan's impression, Hornacek didn't join the Jazz coaching staff until around 2009, and then went to other teams to serve as head coaches. Counting the days, it was almost after Abby went to college.

Left Salt Lake City.

Everyone has their own ambitions. Hornacek chose to be a good father and postpone the opportunity for his daughter to develop his career. Ke Yan couldn't force him. He could only pray that there would be no problems with Monty Williams's contact, otherwise he would hit a wall all the time.

I can't stand it.

After the game against the Grizzlies, the Lakers returned home and lost to the Dallas Mavericks 106-110, suffering their second loss since Ke Yan took office.

Poor performance in the "stuck position battle" has always been the key to the Lakers' failure to climb up the rankings this season. Since the Suns and Spurs occupy the division championship positions in the Pacific Division and Southwest Division respectively, the Lakers want to break into the top four in the Western Conference.

, to have the home court advantage in the playoffs, you must defeat the Mavericks.

However, in this game, the stronger Mavericks performed more steadily. Although Kobe scored 36 points, which was better than Nowitzki's 27 points, the Mavericks also had Josh Howard, Jason Terry, and

Michael Finley and Dampier, the "second center in the Western Conference" who even got a premium contract, are stronger than the Lakers' inside line.

The Mavericks scored 20 three-pointers, and Dampier grabbed 17 rebounds, suppressing the Lakers' inside line.

After the game, the Lakers' record reached 25 wins and 14 losses, continuing to rank fifth in the Western Conference, and the gap with the Mavericks was widened to 3 games.

This result is acceptable to the fans and to Ke Yan himself.

At least with the current record, there is no possibility of being squeezed out of the top eight in the Western Conference. This is Ke Yan's great success. This Lakers team in history is very miserable!

On January 13, the Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 121-77 at home, rejecting a losing streak. (26-14)

In this game, the Lakers played an astonishing defensive intensity, guarding their opponents at every point. Odom, who was continuously beaten by various All-Star insiders, faced Boozer in this game, and the opponent he defended made 5 of 15 shots.

He made 6 of 6 free throws and only scored 16 points and 6 rebounds. He finally felt proud. Arroyo, who led the Puerto Rico team to beat the Dream Six in the Olympics, made 4 of 12 shots from the field and scored 12 points under Kobe's defense.

Inefficient.

For the Lakers, Kobe has continued his 30-point output. Now in the scoring list, Kobe, who averages 30.2 points per game, is only 0.4 points behind Iverson, and he still has the opportunity to hit the scoring champion.

However, with the recent decline in the Lakers' record, he fell back to fifth place on the MVP list, which is also a pity.

There is no way, the MVP needs to be supported by the team's record. If the personal peak and the team's peak strength do not overlap, such a tragedy will occur. If Kobe wants to win a more significant MVP trophy, he really needs more significant helpers.
There is a high probability that West and Diaw will not be able to come at the moment. Ke Yan needs to consider other candidates. Just when he was looking for candidates, bad news came from the team doctor. Kobe Bryant strained his thigh muscle during training and needed to be sidelined for about 4 weeks.
"WTF!" Ke Yan, who has always been quite civilized, spewed out dirty words after hearing the news!

What is the biggest tragedy for an acting coach? He clearly built a tactical system around the team's tactical core, cultivated a tacit understanding, and established a balance, and then he got injured!

For the first time, Ke Yan looked at the schedule. I don’t know whether it was a lucky or unfortunate thing. Kobe expected that the four-week recovery period would include the Denver All-Star Game. He would be able to come back after the All-Star Game and lead the team in the regular season.

Start sprinting in the final stage!

Kobe's injury was a big deal for the Lakers. That is, an hour after the incident, the team management and coaching staff gathered in the office and held an impromptu meeting to discuss the current situation.

"Currently, in terms of record, we are currently three games behind the Mavericks and SuperSonics, which is half a season. If we perform well, there is still hope that we can close this gap and catch up with them. But Kobe's injury has a great impact on us.

Although I don’t want to admit it, I think the team’s realistic goal is to secure a spot in the playoffs and then strive for a good position within its capabilities to compete with the Seattle SuperSonics.” Ke Yan got straight to the point and said.

His words are basically in line with everyone's thoughts. With the team's lineup undergoing drastic changes and the only core player being injured for a month, dragging the team into the playoffs is no easy feat!

As for catching the SuperSonics, it is more of an excuse. Let everyone accept that the decline in the team's record is out of long-term considerations, "We fell because we were playing against the SuperSonics."

"Kimi, how are you planning to adjust next? Do you need any additional personnel?" After Ke Yan finished speaking, everyone was silent for a while. Jerry Buss broke the silence first and expressed his support for Ke Yan.

"Tactically, I will let Caron Butler play Kobe's role. He also has strong singles ability and better tactical execution! But in any case, he cannot replace Kobe's role and be the team's second scoring point

The vacancies also need to be filled. But if you want to trade such a player, you may need to use the team's future draft picks." Ke Yan looked at Buss and Kupchak and said calmly, "At the same time, I

We will also find ways to make up for it through tactical adjustments."

"Okay! Kimi, the team will be left to you. I hope you will continue to surprise us during this time!"

Jerry Buss was finally unwilling to listen to Ke Yan's suggestion and use some valuable assets or future draft picks to strengthen the lineup. He just gave Ke Yan a symbolic encouragement.

A trace of unknown loneliness flashed across Ke Yan's eyes, and a sense of sadness emerged from deep in his heart: "You have the intention to kill a thief, but you are unable to save yourself."

Neither Jerry Buss nor Kupchak may have ever truly trusted Ke Yan, so they are not willing to follow their own advice and trade the team's valuable assets.

They are afraid that following Key Yan's suggestions will cause the team to lose high-quality assets, so even if Ke Yan has a good vision and the coming Anderson, Barnes, and House can make full use of them, they are not willing to take this risk!
Under other circumstances, Ke Yan can still hold on! But without Kobe in the team, can Ke Yan still hold on?

The ministers are about to fight to the death, why does Your Majesty surrender first!

(Historically, the Lakers also missed the playoffs because of Kobe's final injury. However, there are also reasons why Kobe suffered minor injuries and suffered major injuries due to missing the playoffs.)