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Chapter 549 - 237. Crazy Offseason Part One

Chapter 549: 237. Crazy Offseason Part One

Name: Zhang Yang.

Age: 19 (June 6, 1988).

Height: 196 cm, wingspan: 210 cm.

Weight: 93 kg.

Ability value assessment: Three-point 81, mid-range shot 87 (ceiling 94), layup 90 (ceiling), ball handling 89, passing 81, speed 93, strength 84, jumping 87, stamina 90...

Cumulative shooting value: 97621...

Training achievements: Steve Nash’s ball handling rhythm (intermediate), increased ability for repeated jumping, "Devil’s Pace" footwork, "Big Bird’s" post-play rhythm (intermediate), slight increase in core strength, risk to gain, the art of back-to-basket, "I age slower" (intermediate).

At the start of the first round against the Nets, my stamina had just increased to 89. After more than 20 intense playoff games, and some days of rest to let my body recover, I resumed high-intensity shooting training, and it smoothly increased to 90.

My mid-range shot was previously hindered by my three-point ability for a while, but after breaking 80 and reaching a level where I could consider it as a regular offensive option during the regular season, my mid-range steadily improved. It was 86 before the playoffs and had increased by another point after they ended.

I didn’t deliberately gain weight, but as my height stopped increasing, my weight naturally went up alongside my strength, which also improved to 84, and with increased strength, my jumping got better too.

However, my weight has been stable at 93 kg for several months now, and I reckon that with the amount of training I do combined with my dietary habits, my weight should not fluctuate much unless I intentionally try to gain more.

I took a moment to recall my training memories, noting that if my weight increased to 95 kg, my speed would drop to 92.

In that timeline, I gained weight for defense; sacrificing a little speed for an additional 5 pounds to improve my physical confrontation was worth it. Here, I don’t need to defend against heavier opponents, so there’s no immediate need to gain weight.

I’m less than 2400 shooting values away from reaching 100,000 and unlocking a new training phase, something I’m very much looking forward to.

Whether it’s learning new techniques or gaining training achievements, everything in the training phase is useful.

Nash’s ball handling rhythm has doubled the effectiveness of my development in breakthrough, pre-shooting, and attacking techniques.

The Devil’s Pace and the art of post play are more direct; mastering these skills has made my Euro step so strong that it impressed "Ghost Blade" with my talent, and my post moves caught "Big Bird’s" attention. Both training achievements played a significant role.

After being happy about the increase in stamina for a while, Zhang Yang continued training!

This summer’s goal is to get my three-point close to 85, my mid-range close to 90, and I hope my next talent draw will be in attacking the basket. I was previously told that the ceiling for my layup, which is 90, is based on my current physical condition, which isn’t completely matured. Only around the age of twenty-three or twenty-four will I be able to reach the peak of my athletic abilities, and the ceiling for my layup might naturally grow a bit by then, but that’s still several years away. For now, any improvement is good, since it’s raising the final ceiling, and increasing it now doesn’t harm me.

Of course, if I could draw an increase in my mid-range ceiling, I’d reluctantly accept that too...

Just a little more effort, and in two more days of practice at most, I’ll have accumulated 100,000 shooting values.

After another two hours of practice, it was past 4 PM, and Zhang Yang ended his training session. He worked hard within the planned time and rested when necessary to maintain the continuity of daily training.

People always praise me for my natural endurance and strong recovery abilities, but in reality, I also work hard and pay close attention to these aspects. Since I have this talent, I should use it to its fullest potential.

After completing the physiotherapy and taking a shower, Zhang Yang was about to leave when he saw Bickerstaff and Carlisle returning to the gym with smiles on their faces.

Zhang Yang greeted the two men and asked, "What’s got you so happy? Did Gerald’s contract renewal get finalized?"

Bickerstaff gave Zhang Yang a blank look, "If it were that smooth, it would be great. Gerald is too popular right now, he’s still meeting with that team from Los Angeles."

Carlisle laughed, "Ha, Bernie. Lakers fans would duel you if they heard you call the Lakers and the Clippers ’brother teams’... Gerald’s situation cannot be rushed; we have to respect his decision. After all, we can’t offer him a max contract. Offering three max contracts would blow up our salary structure. We’re happy because we’ve secured Nazr’s renewal."

Zhang Yang said, "Matched the Pistons’ four-year $28 million offer?"

Bickerstaff replied, "Four years $26 million, a huge loss. He was prepared to accept the Pistons’ contract because he thought we were only willing to give him a mid-level exception. We didn’t dare to speak up, thinking he wouldn’t stay with the team for less than an average of $7 million a year. But today, we put forward a four-year $26 million contract, and he signed it instantly. After signing, he told me that he would have only demanded a bigger contract if he went to the Pistons.

If we had known, we would have started with four years at $24 million. That way, we could have offered Gerald an extra $500,000 per year."

Zhang Yang: "Didn’t you save $2 million from Kendrick? Consider it break-even."

Before the offseason began, Jordan offered Perkins a four-year $16 million contract, but it wasn’t signed immediately. The end of the season was too late, and both the team and Perkins himself were too busy at the time.

On the first day the market opened, the Mavericks made an offer to Perkins, a restricted free agent, at four years for $18 million, but Perkins rejected the Mavericks’ offer on the first day and renewed his contract with the Bobcats.

Muhammad’s worth is much higher. Right after the Bobcats won the championship, several teams applied to meet with Muhammad early, but Jordan refused. Once the market opened, a bunch of offers came in, all around an average of five to six million a year.

Muhammad played an important role on the Bobcats’ championship run, not just because he could play both positions inside, but he could score, attack the basket, defend, and brought valuable experience and leadership.