The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 525 - 225: Bloodline Basketball

Chapter 525: Chapter 225: Bloodline Basketball

"Redemption City" had just come out, and it ignited the whole of Indiana.

At the same time, the media clearly realized that the Pacers’ seemingly luxurious lineup consisted mostly of players at the low ebb of their careers, with numerous hidden dangers:

Kobe had taken the lead in winning the championship, putting Shaquille O’Neal’s "three consecutive Finals MVPs" under scrutiny. He was about to turn 37 in five months, and it was unknown how much fuel was left in this "old diesel engine."

Zach Randolph’s image as a "data brush" was deeply ingrained in everyone’s mind, whether they were New Yorkers or Blazers fans. They believed that without him, the team’s future would be brighter. His underwhelming performance against Kevin Garnett and Perkins in the Eastern Conference Finals had cast doubt on his ability to play tough games.

Chauncey Billups made his name with the Forest Wolf and had his peak with the Pistons, but in the minds of most media and fans, the 2004 Finals MVP should not have been his. He was the league’s most "watered-down" Finals MVP. His success was solely due to the Pistons’ system, and without it, it remained questionable whether he was still a top-tier point guard in the league.

Not to mention Jermaine O’Neal, who was out for the season with a stress fracture. Such a major injury definitely impacted a player’s career, and nobody knew what he could deliver in his first season back after recovery;

...

The Open-air grandstand described the new season’s Pacers team as: "Larry Bird has tied a bunch of time bombs together."

The New York Times put it bluntly: "If LeBron James were on this team, severe locker room conflicts would likely erupt less than half a month into the new season!"

ESPN was equally straightforward: "If it weren’t for Su Wan, I don’t think any general manager would dare to bring such a group of people together!"

Su Wan could only say one thing:

Let’s make money, Nike!

With immense attention, the Pacers welcomed the new season’s closed training camp.

Su Wan came to the locker room early, changed his clothes, and went straight to the training court.

Yet when he arrived at the training court, he saw Rick Carlisle leading the staff as they posted newspapers on the walls all around. Seeing Su Wan, Carlisle gestured for him to "browse freely." Su Wan approached and glanced at the contents of the newspapers, which were all full of mockery and skepticism.

But the main targets of the mockery varied:

Shaquille O’Neal, Zach Randolph, Jermaine O’Neal...

By the time the other Pacers arrived, the walls were already completely covered with these newspapers.

Seeing Shaquille O’Neal’s face becoming grim, observing Zach Randolph clenching his teeth and puffing his cheeks, noting the determined look in Jermaine O’Neal’s eyes, and even seeing a more serious expression on Chauncey Billups’ usually placid face, one could tell how ruthless Rick Carlisle’s tactic had been!

However, for a Pacers team that could only afford to succeed and not fail this season, such measures were necessary to increase these guys’ sense of urgency.

In fact, the current plight of some players could only be described as self-inflicted.

Shaquille O’Neal was a prime example.

Followed by Zach Randolph.

These were inherently lazy characters.

They needed constant supervision and tight control!

In previous years, on the first day of the new season’s opening, Rick Carlisle usually said something to hearten people and boost morale, but this year he didn’t. The wall of skepticism and mockery sufficed to replace any words; he didn’t need to overdo it by adding anything unnecessary.

The physical test results were quite impressive.

Su Wan participated in this year’s Olympics, and he was in better shape than in previous years.

But the good condition of the other players was somewhat unexpected to Rick Carlisle.

This was enough to show these people’s mindset.

Su Wan glanced at Zach Randolph’s fitness report, noticed his good condition, and nodded slightly, only to see that Randolph seemed to have noticed his excitement and was secretly sizing him up.

It was as if he were a primary school student who had just finished his homework, watching the teacher grade it, waiting for the result.

He hoped for a good outcome.

Su Wan: "What are you looking at? You didn’t think I was going to praise you, did you?"

Randolph: "..."

He had genuinely thought that.

But it was no big deal, his efforts over the summer weren’t merely reflected in the fitness data.

In the practice games, he displayed steadier confrontation than in the previous season.

However, Su Wan was not surprised—this was normal, as Su Wan noted from Zach Randolph’s fitness report that, his core strength had improved. Core strength is crucial for controlling body force, and with this improvement, his confrontations naturally became steadier.

It wasn’t until Randolph unleashed a series of sharp mid- to long-range shots that Su Wan finally cracked a satisfied smile.

The Pacers’ painted area was quite packed for the new season.

However, there was a lack of shooting ability in the five position.

Shaquille O’Neal was "useless" once he left the basket area; Marc Gasol was just a rookie, and even at his peak, he was better at face-up throwing and close shots rather than long-range attacking moves.

Jermaine O’Neal had reduced weight again this summer to lessen the strain on his bones, weighing only 106 kg this season, and no longer had the confrontation ability required for the five position.

Zach Randolph’s increasingly stable mid- to long-range shooting preserved the Pacers’ ability to space the floor in the five position for the new season.

This was crucial from the perspective of Rick Carlisle, whose tactical philosophy had been revolutionized after being influenced by the "Small Lineup."

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