The rest is just noise

Louis has caused many butterfly effects, some good and some bad.

He is very satisfied with this latest one.

His top assistant, Rudy Tomjanovich, turned down the head coaching job with the Houston Rockets.

Tomjanovich's decision can be described as pragmatic. No matter how tempting the head coach's power is, it is useless if it is precarious.

Everything Louis said to him on New Year's Eve made sense.

Olajuwon is emotionally unstable, the Rockets are not competitive, and the management is not the kind of quality manager who can rebuild the team through the draft.

Rather than risking your own future, it is better to stay in New York and continue to wait and see.

Louis was very happy that Rudy could stay, and at the same time, this incident also reminded him.

He has become famous, and these old partners who have followed him for many years also have their own needs.

Although Tomjanovich did not leave this time, the warning behind it was enough for Louis to do something in the future.

When the time comes, Louis will arrange a place for them.

With the arrival of the new year, every team wants to have a good ranking before the All-Star Weekend.

Although there are disputes within the Knicks team, the conflicts are hidden.

The main reason is that Ewing signed a big contract and there is no need to compete for the time being.

Although the team behind Wilson had strong objections to the amount of Ewing's contract, they did not give feedback to Louis.

Wilson is not pushed forward by the team behind him like Ewing. He has always been the backbone of the team. Regarding Ewing's new contract, Wilson only said that Ewing was worthy of it, and the team showed no dissatisfaction.

On the contrary, players headed by Rodman who are still executing their old contracts often find trouble with Ewing.

Most of these people belonged to Wilson's camp, so Ewing often mistakenly thought that Wilson was instigating them to find trouble.

But there is no evidence for this speculation. No matter what Wilson thinks in his heart, he will never make it difficult for Louis, let alone create friction. He has truly understood the life philosophy of "taking a step back to open up the world".

Wilson's increasingly calm personality surprised Louis.

It is hard to imagine that this stable young core imitated Yan Shuangying and pretended to be beeping seven or eight years ago and was almost shot to death by a gangster⑴.

This is the reason why Louis prefers Wilson, not only because he is obedient and worry-free - Ewing is also obedient, but he does not listen completely - more importantly, Wilson's growth is visible to the naked eye. This growth curve is amazing

Fortunately, from his skills to his mind, from his external body to his inner character, he has polished off his bad side and developed a selfless and steady side. This kind of perfection often makes Louis feel unreal, and sometimes he also

I wonder, is this a deliberate gesture by Benj, or is it a miraculous growth?

It's just that sometimes, he cares too much.

This kind of character that cares about honor, reputation, and the feelings of others may also lead him to extremes, but so far, he has grasped the balance.

The season continues

On January 11, the Knicks played the Utah Jazz back-to-back and lost by 2 points.

Then go to Los Angeles to blast the Clippers.

Rest here for a day and then play against the Lakers again.

On this day, many big-name stars came to watch the game at the Forum Arena.

In addition to those in the entertainment industry, there are also big names in the sports industry.

League President Stern, USA Basketball official, and USA Basketball Olympic Selection Committee executive Ringo Rashid.

Even for a game between the Knicks and the Lakers, it is extremely unusual to suddenly gather so many prominent people.

Louis guessed their purpose.

Before the game, the Knicks' press and public relations director came to see Louis.

He told Louis that after the game is over, many media will ask questions about the Dream Team.

Since Louis is both the coach and the president, the press and public relations department cannot ask him to say anything to the media, but only has the right to make suggestions.

Louis understood.

Now, the issue of whether Louis will coach the Dream Team or not has been put on the table.

If he doesn't coach the Dream Team, the Americans won't be able to assemble a real Dream Team.

But Americans are resistant to his Chinese identity. Even if he is the best coach currently in service, they are unwilling to lower his worth to invite him.

This is where Louis differs from them.

If Louis made it clear through the media that he did not want to coach the Dream Team, they would be relieved.

But Louis didn't want to miss the opportunity to coach this legendary team, and he didn't want to apply for the position, and he was taking it to the extreme.

This puts the Basketball Association and the selection committee in a difficult position.

In tonight's game, Louis intends to prove himself.

From the beginning of the first quarter, the Lakers were manipulated.

Gu Zhu

Wilson charged into the battle and took the lead.

Ewing dominated the midrange with his ugly bunny jump shot.

Although David Robinson scored 20+11, he didn't have much presence.

Fortunately, the Lakers still have Pippen and Hornacek, and these two played well and allowed the Lakers to hold on to the bottom line.

Louis played a 13-person rotation throughout the game, directing the entire team like an arm-in-arms.

The Lakers' game was lively, but there was no hope of winning from the beginning to the end. It was like someone putting their heads in the water. Before they suffocated, Louis would release his strength, let them take a breath, and then put their heads down again.

Press into the water.

Over and over again, they were tortured until the fourth quarter before they gave up resistance.

118 to 104

The 14-point gap does not reflect the Knicks' advantage in the game.

The performance of Ewing and Wilson makes people look forward to them wearing the Dream Team jersey.

Marv Albert used NBC's platform to promote them: "Imagine if there were no Patrick and Benj in the U.S. men's basketball team going to Barcelona, ​​would it still be a dream team? The Tragedyman and Larry Legend represent the 1980s, and

They represent the 1990s. Not only do we want fans around the world to see the glory of the past, but we also want fans to realize that in the next ten years, professional basketball will become even more exciting in the hands of Patrick and his generation!

"

After the game, Louis first accepted an on-site interview and then took Ewing and Wilson to the media room.

"Coach Lu, where do you think the strength of the Lakers, who have lost their tragic coach, is in the league?"

Louis replied calmly: "They still belong to the first group, but if they want to rebuild the glory of the Purple and Gold Army, David or Scotty need to take themselves one step further."

This question can be regarded as a warm-up.

After that, it was a series of questions about the dream team.

"Coach Lu, the position of head coach of the Dream Team is still pending. What do you think about this?"

Louis smiled lightly and said: "Not only is the position of the head coach of the Dream Team undecided, but even the players of this team have only been confirmed to six. I don't doubt the competitiveness of the American team. As long as it can send the best professional players

, the Olympic gold medal is in the pocket of the American team. However, what we are discussing is not the gold medal, but why the dream team is the dream team. If the people who formed this team do not take it seriously, then it will

They don’t deserve to be called the dream team.”

A reporter from New York asked: "Coach Lu, if you were the head coach of the Dream Team, based on the original six players, which six players would you add to this team?"

Louis didn't want to appear impatient.

He let it slip: "I have indeed thought about it, but before I become the head coach of the Dream Team, I will not announce the roster in my mind. Of course, if someone else becomes the head coach of the Dream Team, I will also be willing to

Provide advice on selecting candidates.”

"So, you are willing to coach the Dream Team?"

How about a reporter from New York?

The level of asking questions is really like listening to what you have to say.

If it hadn't been useful when these people were quarreling, Louis would have started scolding him now.

"No, the question now is what the people who built this team think, my wishes are irrelevant. If they want me to be the head coach of the Dream Team, I will naturally become the head coach of the Dream Team."

Louis' tea talk made the bosses in front of the TV uncomfortable.

As long as Louis publicly expresses his intention to run for the head coach of the Dream Team, they can directly appoint Louis.

No need to apply at all.

But Louis didn't even want to take this step. He wanted face, dignity, and airs, and he didn't regard himself as an outsider at all.

The media failed to extract any valuable information from Louis' mouth and allowed him to lead the way.

Louis' words will make others misunderstand, as if the people in the Basketball Association are losers and the selection committee is messing around.

Fans all over the world know that Louis is the most suitable head coach candidate, why have they still not come to find him?

Louis didn’t say he didn’t want to coach the Dream Team. What’s their problem?

Afterwards, it was the players' turn to take questions.

As one of the planned starters for the Dream Team, Benjamin Wilson was once again asked if he is willing to play for the United States team.

This question may be big or small, but it is very troublesome to answer.

If Wilson wanted to side with Louis, he would have to express his refusal to play for the U.S. team, and such "unpatriotic" behavior would be criticized in any country.

"I definitely want to play for Team USA, but not in this way. This team not only represents the United States, but represents the best the game of basketball has ever seen, and we represent the sport. I would love to be a part of it.

But if the head coach of this team is not Coach Lu, I think there is no reason for me to join this team. If Coach Lu does not become the head coach of the Dream Team, it means that the selection committee has no intention from top to bottom.

Treat this team with the highest standards. Since they don't take it seriously, there is no need for me to take joining the Dream Team as a great honor. I hope to join a team that has never been seen before and will never be followed again.

Instead of trying to get a frivolous name."

Benjamin Wilson's wording successfully escaped the trap of the media. Ewing will probably never be able to say these words in his lifetime.

Wilson's attitude has been clear: he will advance and retreat with Louis.

After that, there is Ewing. His previous attitude was ambiguous and not as clear-cut as Wilson.

But when things have developed to this stage, there is no room for centrists.

Ewing could either betray Louis on this matter or choose to side with Louis.

⑴ To help you recall, in Chicago in December 1984, Benj saw a gangster being pointed at a gun and dismissed it: I bet your gun has no bullets.