The rest is just noise

Louis is enthusiastic about this year's draft, and he hopes the team will listen to his advice and take Andrew Toney.

Unexpectedly, Auerbach called him and asked him to come to his office and ask him to prepare and go to Charlotteville with him to meet Terrence Holland, the head coach of the University of Virginia basketball team.

Louis saw Auerbach's intention and was determined to win Sampson.

"Without Ralph, the Cavaliers (Virginia team name) would just be a bad team. Will Coach Holland take you to see Ralph?" Louis asked strangely.

Auerbach laughed and said: "I met Holland several times before he started teaching in Virginia. He was considered a friend and he was willing to introduce me to Ralph and his family."

Auerbach's ability to select so many good players is closely related to his connections in college.

Because he knows enough people, he can understand those players from multiple levels.

"Coach Holland should know what Ralph is thinking, right?" Louis asked.

"Well, he didn't think Ralph would be in the draft," Auerbach said ambitiously. "What I had to do was change his mind."

Louis knew how much Auerbach liked Sampson.

In his eyes, Sampson is Russell's defense, Chamberlain's talent and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's skills.

If he is really that good, the University of Virginia should not even be able to enter the March championship, and Sampson's data should not be "only" averaging 14+11+4 blocks per game.

Compare Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's first season and you can see where the gap is.

In his first season at UCLA, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar averaged 29 points, 15 rebounds and 3 assists per game, leading the team to victory and the championship. Some people may have thought that UCLA was invincible at the time, but that team actually only had two future NBA players.

Sampson has great talent, but whether he can be as great as the scouts expect will depend on how the coaching staff of the team that drafts him trains him.

"Are you leaving now?"

If Auerbach wants Sampson, of course he will do his best to help.

"It's inconvenient for you?"

"If you're not in a hurry, just wait and I'll prepare it."

"Is there enough time in the day?"

"That's enough. By the way, give me Coach Holland's contact information."

Auerbach complained that Louis had many problems, but Louis asked with a smile: "Can I borrow your office phone to make a call?"

Auerbach really didn't expect this guy to be so stingy.

Immediately he was so angry that his eyes went straight: "Is it because the funds I gave you are not enough, or is it not enough to get two salaries?"

"Actually, I'm very generous, but it's not obvious. I save this kind of money whenever I can. After all, it's a long-distance phone call, which is very expensive."

Seeing that Auerbach had no intention of refusing, Louis used his office phone to call Terry Holland.

Holland answered the phone and Louis briefly introduced himself.

"Oh, I've heard your name!" Unexpectedly, Holander still knew him.

"Ha, it's true that good things don't go out, and bad things spread thousands of miles, making you laugh..." Louis continued in a joking way, "Reed may not be able to go to your place today, he has a bad stomach."

Holland expressed understanding.

"In addition to Ralph, Virginia also has many talented players." Louis said of Holland's points of interest, "such as Jeff Lamp SG."

Holland definitely doesn't want Sampson to run for the draft now, but he is very willing to promote his disciple into the NBA.

This is something that will bring good looks to him and the school, and will also help them recruit high school students in the future.

Holland began to rave about his players. If the rest of the University of Virginia were as good as he said, then it would only be his fault as a coach that they could not make it to the national championship.

While Louis was flattering Holland's coaching ability and at the same time affirming the strength of the Cavaliers, he held a pen in his hand to record the clues he got.

Finally, he also obtained the contact information of several senior players.

The call lasted for almost 40 minutes, and Auerbach finally understood why the kid had to use his phone to make the call.

When Louis hung up the phone, Auerbach was about to ask a question.

Unexpectedly, the boy opened the refrigerator and took out a can of Coke and asked, "Can I make a few more calls?"

"How about I order some fried noodles for you?" Auerbach asked with a subtle expression.

"Yeah!"

"Fuck you!" Auerbach said angrily, "Get out of my office!"

Louis could not imagine that this old man could not be unreasonable even if he changed his face.

"I'm doing this all so that I can successfully convince Ralph tomorrow!" Louis said aggrievedly.

"Really?" Auerbach said unhappily, "How could I hear you sucking up to Holland and call other players on their team? Who doesn't know that there is only one Sampson in Virginia who deserves attention?

"

Louis responded: "Actually, this senior named Jeff Lamp is not bad either."

"What does this have to do with Ralph?"

"Of course it does matter. Others' attitudes, opinions and understanding of him may also affect the success or failure of lobbying."

Louis was eventually kicked out of the office by Auerbach.

Naturally, he won't go back to his own office to make long-distance calls. What are other people's offices used for? They don't make many calls anyway, so what if he just makes a few calls? It's all for the development of the team!

Louis, with K.C's permission, made another long-distance call in his office.

The call was to Jeff Lamp.

Ostensibly, he pretended to be a reporter for Sports Illustrated and offered to write him an article for next month's magazine.

Before the arrival of the new media era, print media was the main way for fans to get to know college students.

Lamp was very happy and started an hour-long conversation with Louis.

Louis learned about Lamp thoroughly and inserted a few questions related to Sampson. Lamp also did not doubt this and answered whatever was asked.

Happily, Lamp's answer is valuable.

He gave Louie several important clues about Sampson.

After hanging up the phone, Louis went out and bought a Sports Illustrated magazine.

He specifically selected the issue of December 17 last year, in which Sampson appeared on the cover of the magazine.

He learned that the year Sampson graduated from high school, there were far better schools in front of him than the University of Virginia.

Sampson may have chosen the University of Virginia simply because of his hometown.

But from a basketball perspective, the University of Virginia is not a good choice. There is no winning culture, no excellent coaching staff, no good teammates, no strong opponents, and no foundation for championships... If Sampson is a player who is eager to lead

A mature player who can make a weak team prosper is certainly possible, but he is not.

The only improvement he gained during his one year at Virginia was his weight.

He went from 194 pounds to 220 pounds.

But this weight is a natural process for him. If this is the only thing Virginia can give him, then Louis can say without hesitation that any place that can guarantee supply can give Sampson the same improvement.

Then, Louis found an interesting paragraph in the article.

"Sampson still had a target: a big man who aspired to change the game of basketball, who wanted to make the game more fluid and who could integrate the skills of players at other positions. In the words of the Yegorian, Sampson wanted to

break the limit."

The article also quoted Sampson - "So far, everyone thinks I should be a true center. But why should I give up dribbling, running a lot and passing the ball? If I can play guard, it will be

Adding more charm to my game, my team and the game of basketball."

What an ambitious person.

What he didn't know was that his ambition was out of tune with the times. No one knew what he wanted, not even himself.

And Louis knew.

He had many complaints about "the way of the world".

Desire to be understood but unable to be understood, his attempts and wishes were buried in a world where the traditional center is king.

The more I get to know this man, the more I feel sorry for him.

But Louis doesn't want the team to choose Sampson. Even if he knows where Sampson's future lies, there are many difficulties.

He is not a trainer and has never coached. He is not sure whether he is a good coach, not to mention that he is only an assistant to Bill Fitch now. If Sampson comes to Fitch's staff, he basically doesn't have to think about it.

Become the person who changes the game of basketball. Protect yourself from the other party first.

From Auerbach's office, to K.C. Jones's office, to home.

By the time Louis had learned everything he needed to know, it was already dark.

At least for him, the preparations were ready.