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Chapter 606 - 262. Head Coach’s Progress_2

Chapter 606: 262. Head Coach’s Progress_2

As the defending champions, the Bobcats had seen quite a bit of media attention and buzz this summer, but there hadn’t been much in the way of good news.

Gerald Wallace had left for Memphis in hopes of becoming the primary offensive option on the wing.

Then, whenever the Bobcats showed interest in a player and made an offer, other teams would swoop in and start a bidding war.

Eventually, Jordan got so frustrated that he started to drive up prices, to the point where even Matt Barnes ended up with a 2-year, $9 million contract.

Now there was even a dispute within the coaching staff...

In short, the public’s outlook on the Bobcats’ performance in the upcoming season had grown even more pessimistic.

Inside the Bobcats, the players were also abuzz about the sudden feud between Carlisle and little Bickerstaff.

At lunch, Felton, who loved gossip and was good at digging for information, chattered away to his little brother about the news he had gathered.

In just two or three hours, Felton had come to understand the situation quite well.

After finishing his tale, Felton sighed repeatedly, expressing his concern for the new season.

Zhang Yang pieced things together and said, "Don’t worry, things might just get a bit easier for us moving forward."

Felton, "Hm? Why?"

Zhang Yang, now in ’big brother coaching mode,’ replied with a question of his own, "Big bro, do you think Rick’s authority within the team has decreased after this incident? Do you have any doubts about his ability?"

After some thought, Felton said, "I don’t think so. John’s been fired, so Rick’s authority can only rise. I’ve never doubted his abilities. In his second year of coaching, he led the Pistons to the Eastern Conference Finals. If it weren’t for Billups getting completely shut down by Kidd, the Pistons might have fared better than the Nets in the Finals against the Spurs."

Zhang Yang, "If that’s the case, this incident really doesn’t have any negative effect on us players. Our preparation rhythm is already extra tight, it can’t get any tighter. John’s actions might even allow Rick to calm down from the immense pressure, to assess the situation more rationally, to see clearly the real ability of us players, and to make reasonable adjustments to the prep pace."

Upon hearing this, Felton was astonished and said, "John is such a nice guy! Sacrificing his job to help us get a more relaxed training environment?"

Zhang Yang gave Felton a sideways glance and retorted, "That father and son have been putting on a show for us players and Rick for over two years. Don’t you understand John’s character by now?

Randy doesn’t sweat the small stuff and takes things easy, so he can handle Rick’s rough style; Chip is an old-fashioned, scholarly coach who not only doesn’t mind Rick’s coaching style but actually admires it.

John probably couldn’t stand Rick’s high-pressure coaching style and wanted to escape. It’s just Bernie, the old man, making the most of the situation."

Felton discontentedly said, "Jack, you can’t always speculate about others with such malice!"

Zhang Yang, "..."

Little Boss Fat sighed contently at the sight of his little brother’s deflated demeanor, finally getting a taste of being the big boss in front of his little brother.

There are benefits to joyous education. Felton preferred to view the world with pure eyes...

Felton, "Should I go tell the teammates to voice support for Rick when they do interviews?"

Zhang Yang, casting aside the inexplicable guilt, responded, "Let them also thank John for all his help over the years, standing up to speak up for us this time."

Felton, "Okay..."

Felton finished his lunch and enthusiastically went off to do what a team leader should.

Zhang Yang returned to the lounge, opened his computer, refreshed the news, browsed the forums.

Some mocked Carlisle, others teased him, but no one questioned his ability.

In his first three years as a coach, achieving first place in the East, first in the league, and reaching the Eastern Finals twice, Carlisle had proved his coaching talent from the beginning.

Zhang Yang felt complicated as he watched their team dominate the news on portals and forums, becoming the current ’hot’ topic.

Zhang Yang, "Bernie, the old man, really knows how to stir things up—even without being the head coach, he’s no saint!"

When the player rankings came out, the Bobcats hadn’t managed to cash in on the popularity stakes, but now Bickerstaff had created a high-traffic topic all on his own!

...

With the assistant coach dismissed, the necessary prep work still had to proceed. After an extra day’s break, at 10 a.m. the next morning, the entire Bobcats team assembled to resume the normal rhythm and start the prep meeting.

No one mentioned the firing of little Bickerstaff, and the meeting went on smoothly.

The assistants and the players noticed the change in Carlisle—the training volume remained the same, with four 30-minute sessions each morning and afternoon, all with high intensity.

However, the extent of tactical adjustments, both new additions and omissions, had decreased!

Based on their recent experience in preparation, they would have normally summarized the issues from the previous four away games after two days of rest and made major adjustments. Both the assistants and the players had braced themselves for an exhausting day.

Surprisingly, the content of the adjustments this time wasn’t even more extensive than after the second preseason game!

The players thought, "John has sacrificed his self-interest to help all of us! Rick isn’t the kind of autocratic coach we thought he was—he listens to advice!"

On Carlisle’s side, he was angry when little Bickerstaff dissed him; after all, he was the head coach.

But an hour later, when Bickerstaff fired little Bickerstaff and publicly supported his "Jim Carrey" coaching during an interview, Carlisle was initially confused, but he quickly understood the father and son’s intentions.