The rest is just noise

Judging from the physical test results alone, Kobe is not the kind of impressive animal-level talent.

Height: 196 cm.

Wingspan: 210 cm.

Palm: 20 cm.

Standing height: 2.56 meters.

Bounce in place: 92 cm.

Run-up bounce: 108 cm.

"Sir, is Kobe's performance okay?"

Louis gave Bass an incredible sense of separation.

Louis was obviously optimistic about Kobe and had made it clear to him in private that he wanted to choose Kobe, but he refused to say so and insisted that he go on a business trip with Zhao Yuanzheng in order to "discover" this talented young man.

Since making that plan, Louis has never expressed his affection for Kobe, as if he really doesn't want a second high school player on the team.

This made Bass doubt himself.

Have I really reached an agreement with Coach Lu?

"What do you think?" Louis asked with a smile.

Buss Jr. didn't think Kobe showed his best face today.

"I think... he's very courageous."

"Yes, I aroused Benj's resentment even before joining the team. It is indeed very brave."

"This...this is not necessarily a bad thing."

"I didn't say it was a bad thing, and I recognized his courage." Louis paused, "Did someone ask you to spy on me?"

Little Bas sighed: "Let me tell you, you have already seen through everything."

"Jim, we will choose Kobe, but this is not my opinion and attitude, understand? This is your discovery. It was Jerry who fell in love with him at first sight. It was your father who personally persuaded me to choose Kobe. You know this

What does it mean?"

Bass Jr. said cautiously: "If Kobe is a 'bomb', are you the only one who is not responsible?"

"clever."

Little Bas confirmed Louis' attitude, and at the same time he thought of a darker possibility.

What if Kobe was the bomb? What if he destroyed the Lakers like that bomb in Oklahoma City?

Who is responsible?

Bass Jr. should be held responsible for this. He is the one who discovered Kobe. As the saying goes, the emperor is as guilty as the common people when they break the law, but we all know that the common people have to pay a heavy price for breaking the law. The words of the emperor can suppress a sinner.

The edict is good.

Little Buzz won't be affected too much.

Old Bass didn't know either, he just begged for his son's favor.

Who will pay the price?

It has to be Jerry West.

Is he the one who is most optimistic about Kobe? Is he the one who uses various means to let Louis try out Kobe? Is he the one who strongly urges the team to select Kobe?

Since it's all him, who else is more suitable to take responsibility for this than him?

This is just like what Jackie Chan said to Yuan Biao in "Plan A": "The merit is yours, the fault is mine!"

If Kobe becomes a talent, no one will applaud West.

Outside, people would say that Louis was wise and talented. He fell in love with Kobe Bryant, who was still a high school student, at a glance, and successfully cultivated him into a talented person. He was worthy of being the Messiah.

Including, Buss Jr. will successfully surpass his sister Jenny by virtue of discovering Kobe Bryant, and will legitimately become the number one heir to the Lakers and the Forum.

As for West, he will take the most risks, receive the most scolding, and get nothing in the end.

Oh no, at least he got Louis' approval.

When the Lakers move their home court to Staples in the future, he will have no doubt that West has his own statue earlier than Baylor.

Do you understand the value of die-hard Lakers fans?

If Kobe's physical test was just normal—excellent but not amazing—then his technical test left people stunned.

Shooting, layups under confrontation, one-on-one with a little intensity...

This reminded Louis of how the fat guy in the Basketball Association who didn't understand football completed dominant one-on-one confrontations under the watchful eyes of all NBA executives before entering the NBA.

That workout was very famous. At that time, the entire league except the Lakers sent scouts and executives to watch the game.

If you want to ask why the Lakers didn't send anyone, then you should think about what year it was and what their starting center was called at that time.

Originally, Louis wanted to arrange for Wilson and Kobe to play one-on-one.

But Kobe pissed off Wilson as soon as he came on, and engaged in a one-on-one match in advance. When Wilson was completely serious, he beat him to pieces.

Therefore, there is no point in arranging the two of them one-on-one.

So Louis found Ellis.

Ellis is not a strong defensive player, and having him serve as Kobe's one-on-one confrontation may completely ignite the young man's condition.

At first, Ellis was very arrogant: "Don't worry, coach, I'm just a high school student, I'll torture him!"

The story ends with Ellis being completely crushed by Kobe.

Ellis, whose defense was poor, was unable to guard against Kobe's offense.

"This kid is really smart!" Ellis laughed dryly.

Kobe was not satisfied with beating Ellis.

"Why don't you let Benjamin have one-on-one with me?"

"Is there a possibility..." Ellis sarcastically said, "If you let Benj challenge you, this trial training will be meaningless, because the gap between you will be so big that the coaching staff will not be able to figure out your level.

.”

Kobe said arrogantly: "Can you figure it out clearly if you come here? Your defense is of no standard!"

In this way, Dale Ellis became the first player to explicitly oppose the selection of Kobe Bryant: "One idiot like Kevin Garnett is enough, we don't need another super double version of Kevin!

"

West was really worried that the opinion of this direct descendant of Louis would affect the final decision.

After all, Kobe has offended Wilson before...

So he said like a cold executive: "Dell, your task is just to help with the trial training, we will do the other things."

Ellis sneered: "You mean I have no right to say whether I want to play with Kobe? Haha, now I know why it is so difficult for you to win the championship. You have no idea how to organize a fighting team...

…”

"Dale!" Louis shouted to stop his disciple, "Your mission is completed."

Before leaving, Ellis said repeatedly: "Coach, be careful, that kid has the shadow of Kevin and Patrick."

"Go away, you don't need to teach me about the draft!"

Before Ellis left, he glanced at Wilson, who pointed at Kobe and then wiped his neck.

(Body language: If that kid really comes, we have to teach him how to behave.)

In fact, Wilson didn't hate Kobe, but he didn't expect Ellis to be beaten so ugly, and he didn't expect Kobe to make Ellis so miserable.

This guy has a familiar orangutan smell.

On the other hand, Kobe is not as humble as other rookies, as if he is the best apprentice in the world, which is a key sign that distinguishes Kobe from others.

His aggressiveness stems from a desire to improve. This motivation has transcended "I want xxx" and turned into a wild "I want xxx". All great players have this inner drive.

Every year, a large number of talented people enter professional basketball, but most of them do not have the tenacity and perseverance to drive.

Subsequently, the Lakers conducted some simple psychological tests on Kobe.

Kobe Bryant showed a red flag during psychological testing.

He is very sunny, full of competitive desire, has the qualities to become a great player, focuses on the present, but is extremely paranoid.

"Does this mean he's difficult to discipline?" Jenny Bass said slyly. "That's not a good trait for a high school student."

West continued to stand up for Kobe: "Great players are always a little paranoid. It's not surprising."

Louis made no comment.

Because Louis knew that Kobe was a paranoid before he traveled through time.

It should be said that fans of his generation have the same understanding of Kobe.

Paranoid means that as long as it is something he believes in, even if you tell the truth or say everything, he will still firmly believe in his own theory.

Looking at it from another perspective, if Kobe Bryant accepted the correct philosophy, would his paranoid character still be a shortcoming?

You must know that he is not yet 18 years old. He is a high school graduate who has just graduated from high school. It is the time when he needs to be severely beaten by society to establish his three views. He cannot be beaten to death with a stick and say that he will never change.

What Louis was thinking in his heart didn't make any waves on the surface.

"Coach, what do you think?" West asked with a flattering smile, "Are we going to have a second workout with Kobe?"

"No need."

This sentence simply kicked West into the ice cave. He thought Louis didn't like Kobe.

Louis' next words brought West's soul back to earth: "Whether we choose Kobe or not, we must keep a low profile and don't make a big deal. One trial is enough."

"Yes, once is enough!" West agreed in surprise.

Jenny looked at Wilson without giving up: "Benj, do you want to play with Kobe?"

Bass asked warily: "Sister, what do you mean? Do you think Benj will oppose the coach for you?"

"I just want to know what our core players think of Kobe."

Wilson smiled sheepishly: "You may not believe it, but I quite like him."

So, Jenny could only accept the fact that the players her hateful brother liked had reached a consensus among the executives.

The Lakers will acquire a high draft pick to select Kobe.

Louis found it interesting to see the second generation of the Bass family competing so hard, but if they leaked the news, it wouldn't be interesting at all.

So Louis specifically said before the meeting ended: "Only the people attending this meeting know that we are interested in Kobe. In other words, if the outside world learns about our draft plan in the future, it must be leaked by someone here.

If any of you want to do this, I would advise you to give up this idea. Although I don’t like Kobe, since it is an internal matter of the team, it belongs to our common interests. Who dares to betray our common interests?

Who is our common enemy!"

After Louis said that, Old Buss also expressed his position: "Yes, I will not let anyone who betrays the collective become a member of the Lakers family. Please keep this in mind and keep this matter secret. I look forward to Kobe Bryant

The day I put on a Lakers jersey.”

This can be regarded as an indirect warning from Louis to Jeanne Bass and the people in her camp.

Backstabbing by one of his own is one of the things Louis resents the most.

To this day, he has never forgiven John Seeley.

For him, there are some things that he just won't forgive or forget.

forever.

PS:

I'm going to take a day off tomorrow. I've been stuck these past few days. This chapter is the only one that's been edited right now.