บท 187: Chapter 187: Kerr Joins the Team
Coach Kidd noticed Klay's changing expression and turned to him, saying, "East Brother and you will start, along with Thompson, Green, and Middleton!"
This was also Wade Dong's initial idea.
But when Coach Kidd said it, Wade Dong couldn't help but admire his courage.
An unproven tactical system, and Coach Kidd was bold enough to bench starters like Nash, Gortat, and Tucker, replacing them with rookies Green and Middleton.
Moreover, this lineup had an average height of less than two meters. The tallest players, Green, Thompson, and Middleton, were all 2.01 meters, while Wade Dong was 1.98 meters and Klay was even shorter.
Compared to the previous version of the "Death Lineup" from the Warriors, aside from Wade Dong being stronger than Durant, Klay and Thompson had not fully evolved, Green was a rookie, and Middleton couldn't be said to be stronger than Iguodala. Back then, even with Durant, the Warriors couldn't achieve a regular season record of 70 wins, showing that there are no weak teams in the NBA.
Hearing that he would start, Klay hesitated, "Isn't it a bit unfair to let Nash be a substitute?"
Coach Kidd didn't answer Klay but turned to Wade Dong, "East Brother, what do you think?"
Coach Kidd had come up with the idea for the "Death Lineup" tactical system but was still unsure. He needed Wade Dong's approval.
Wade Dong said, "The tactical system you proposed seems like a combination of the Princeton offense and the Run and Gun offense."
"Exactly!" Coach Kidd slapped his thigh, glad that Wade Dong understood him. "I combined these two tactical systems to come up with this one suitable for the Suns."
Wade Dong said, "I believe you can succeed. I support you!"
"Thank you!" Coach Kidd was grateful for Wade Dong's support.
This system was quite risky and had significant shortcomings. He was worried that Wade Dong might not support him.
What Coach Kidd didn't know was that Wade Dong not only supported him but also understood this tactic better than Coach Kidd. However, it was late, and Wade Dong didn't feel the need to discuss the tactic in detail at that moment.
If there were any issues with the tactic during training or official games, Wade Dong would help Coach Kidd address them.
It was getting late, and after finishing a bottle of white wine, Coach Kidd asked, "East Brother, which room can I stay in?"
"You can choose any room except the second floor," Wade Dong said, waving his hand. The second floor had four bedrooms, one for Wade Dong and Li Jiajia, and the other two were reserved for his parents and in-laws.
The third floor was all guest rooms, and Coach Kidd could stay in any of them.
Before going upstairs, Coach Kidd asked Wade Dong again, "East Brother, do you think I can handle this tactical system?"
"Why not?" Wade Dong said as he cleaned up the table. "If you're unsure, just hire an assistant coach."
"Hiring an assistant coach is not a bad idea," Coach Kidd said, running his hand through his hair. "But who should we hire?"
"Kerr," Wade Dong said without hesitation as he finished cleaning up and prepared to take out the trash.
"Kerr?" Coach Kidd asked, surprised. "Which Kerr?"
Wade Dong explained, "The TNT commentator, Kerr from the Bulls' three-peat era."
"Oh..." Coach Kidd nodded and went upstairs.
...
The next day, Coach Kidd left early. There was no game that day, and Wade Dong didn't go to the arena for training because he had a video conference with the executives of Wade Dong Sports.
Wade Dong Sports Group had two subsidiaries: Wade Dong Sports Equipment Co., Ltd., and Wade Dong Sports Agency Co., Ltd. Although the former was co-founded with Zhang Yang and Guo Zifeng, Wade Dong held the majority stake and made most of the decisions.
As for Wade Dong Sports Agency Co., Ltd., it was much more relaxed. With Luo Qingyan in charge, Wade Dong didn't need to be involved much. Additionally, the agency had only signed four players, all of whom were currently with the Suns.
...
Two days later, Wade Dong and Klay arrived at the arena. During the training session, Wade Dong saw a stranger. Although it was their first meeting, Wade Dong recognized him from TV—Kerr!
"Hello!" Kerr saw Wade Dong approaching and extended his hand to greet him.
"Hello..." Wade Dong shook Kerr's hand and asked, "Should we now call you Coach Kerr?"
"Just an assistant coach," Kerr humbly said. "My job is to assist Coach Kidd."
This was indeed humble. Regardless, Sarver's efficiency was impressive. Wade Dong had just suggested hiring Kerr, and the next day, Kerr was already at the arena.
Coach Kidd was truly blessed. Last season, he met Wade Dong, and now, just as he was developing the "Death Lineup" tactic, Kerr had joined the team.
Perhaps Coach Kidd could just blow his hair and give motivational speeches for the next few seasons.
Wade Dong chatted briefly with Kerr.
Coach Kidd gathered the players and said, "Before the game starts, let's do a simple tactical drill. We'll divide into two groups for a 15-minute scrimmage, two periods in total."
"Got it," the players responded.
The grouping was straightforward. The day before, Coach Kidd had held a small meeting with Nash and the others, and they had accepted the decision to come off the bench in the upcoming games.
Starting lineup: Wade Dong, Klay, Thompson, Green, Middleton.
Bench lineup: Nash, McGrady, Gortat, Tucker, Frye.
Without Wade Dong, it was hard to tell which group was the starting lineup and which was the bench. The Suns' bench lineup was strong enough to make the playoffs.
The starting lineup was coached by Kerr, and the bench lineup by Coach Kidd.
The night before, when Kerr arrived in Phoenix, Coach Kidd invited him to dinner. During the meal, Coach Kidd discussed the "Death Lineup" tactical system. To his surprise, Kerr seemed to understand the system better than he did.
No wonder Wade Dong had recommended Kerr.
The starting lineup had the ball. This wasn't a full-scale scrimmage but rather a tactical drill. Coach Kidd and Kerr could stop the game at any time to set up tactics.
"Set a screen for Klay!" Wade Dong dribbled the ball and signaled Green to set a screen for Klay.
Klay started moving, and Green came up to set a screen for him.
Wade Dong accelerated past Nash's defense. At that moment, Klay was open at the three-point line. McGrady came over to help defend Wade Dong, but Wade Dong made a no-look pass to Klay.
"Swish!!!" Klay launched a three-pointer, and the ball went straight through the net.
"Very good! Very good!" Kerr applauded from the sideline. "Keep playing like this!"
The essence of the "Death Lineup" was right there. Coach Kidd couldn't figure out how Wade Dong, who hadn't been to the arena for training the day before, could execute the tactic so smoothly on the first try, as if he already fully understood the "Death Lineup" system.
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