NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 247 The Problem of Rotation

Before he had his own signature shoe, Jia Fei wore other basketball stars' shoes. He wore Kobe's and Durant's, but none of them felt as comfortable as they do now.

What belongs to others will never truly be yours!

That evening, Jia Fei logged into the system and redeemed all the points he had accumulated during the offseason. He spent a certain number of points to raise his "Iverson Peak Technique Integration" from 69% to 73%!

Finally, in his fourth season in the NBA, Jia Fei's integration with Iverson was over 70% complete!

Unsurprisingly, the number of points required to increase from 70% to 80% has risen to 8000.

On October 7, the Hawks played their first preseason game of the 2014-15 season against the Pelicans.

In this game, Jia Fei and Horford were rested, and the starting lineup consisted of Sefolosha, Teague, Mills, Captain America, and Carroll.

It's clear that Jia Fei and Horford are not injured; Coach Buden's arrangement was purely to test the lineup. Their starting lineup doesn't require much cohesion, but the rotation has seen several new signings this summer, who need to adapt to the team's system and familiarize themselves with their teammates' playing style.

In seven preseason games, the Hawks made many changes to their lineup, and their new additions played a lot of games, giving the coaching staff a wealth of game data.

October 30th arrived in the blink of an eye, and the Hawks welcomed their season opener. Their opponent was the Eastern Conference powerhouse, the Toronto Raptors.

The game was played at the Raptors' home court.

The Hawks' starting lineup was largely as expected: Jafi, Teague, Korver, Horford, and Millsson. The second unit consisted of Schroder, Scott, Carroll, Captain America, and Sefolosha.

In other words, the team's second unit did not field a center forward, and neither Antić nor Art Mayork were included in the rotation.

The result was that the Hawks' second unit was completely outmatched in this game, losing rebounds and failing to protect the rim, allowing the opponent to run rampant under the basket.

In this game, seven Raptors players scored in double figures, ultimately securing a narrow victory at home against the Hawks and handing them a losing start to the season.

贾飞本场比赛表现很不错，全场贡献25分7个篮板7次助攻2个抢断1个盖帽，但最终还是没有能够帮助球队取得胜利。

After the game, Coach Budenholzer faced heavy criticism, especially from Hawks fans, who felt his lineup and roster selection were problematic. The question of why he didn't use Antic or Art Mayork in the second unit, leaving the team with significant issues with rim protection and rebounding, was cited as a major reason. Playing a small-ball lineup was criticized, as neither Schroder, Sefolosha, Carroll, nor Scott could consistently hit three-pointers. The small-ball lineup lacked spacing, and the players were at a size disadvantage, resulting in a lack of offense and defense – a significant factor contributing to the Hawks' loss.

Jia Fei felt that the old captain was truly past his prime. This wasn't to deny his illustrious past career, but rather that he was no longer suited to be a rotation player on a strong team. He had already started to decline in the latter half of last season, and judging from at least the first game of this season, his performance had further deteriorated. His mid-range shot was no longer accurate, he couldn't switch onto the perimeter defensively, allowing opponents to easily blow past him, he lacked rim protection, and he couldn't grab rebounds.

Rather than stubbornly persisting, it would be better to step down and become a locker room leader.

But sometimes people, despite being old, refuse to admit it. This isn't uncommon; it happens all the time. Getting someone who was once incredibly talented to admit they're old is as difficult as getting an adult film actor to admit his sexual performance has declined. This is why many star athletes would rather retire than accept the role of a supporting player—they simply can't overcome the psychological hurdle.

The Hawks' locker room was quiet after the game. Art Mayork was a little frustrated because he saw the veteran captain, who was in such poor form, play for more than 20 minutes, while he and the two young players, Antić, didn't get a single minute of playing time.

On the way back, Art Mayork finally couldn't hold back anymore: "Ja, I really don't know what Coach Buden and his coaching staff are thinking. Elton is old and can't play anymore, don't they know that? We lose rebounds and don't protect the rim during our rotation, don't they know that?"

“We know!” Jia Fei said, “but knowing is one thing, but the key is to let the person involved know that they are no longer capable.”

"What do you mean?" Art Mayork was clearly not as quick-witted as Jia Fei.

Jia Fei patiently explained: "Elon was still the number one draft pick back then, and he was a 20+10 machine for many years. He was the leader of the Clippers for many years. Now he's old and his form isn't what it used to be, but he's already a substitute. If you suddenly make him fall out of the rotation, without using the undeniable fact of his performance in the game as evidence, just saying that he's no longer good is hard for him to accept."

"You mean Coach Buden wants him to realize he's no longer capable?" Art Mayor finally understood.

"I think the odds are pretty good. Sacrificing a little bit of the record to find the most suitable rotation is what a coach should do. The biggest difference between reality and games is that people are not machines. People have emotions, they care about their image, they need a way out, it's not that easy!" Jia Fei said.

“I understand, Jia. I was too hasty. So what do you think I should do now?” Art Mayork was increasingly impressed with Jia Fei. He felt like a child in front of this man.

"Wait, wait for the time to adjust the rotation. But before that, you need to train hard, don't say anything negative, be prepared, and wait for the moment your name is called!" Jia Fei instructed.

"Okay!" Art Mayork's mood instantly brightened, and the dark clouds hanging over his head began to dissipate. It turns out that all it takes to turn a gloomy mood into a sunny one is a few words of encouragement.

After losing to the Raptors in their opening game on the road, the Hawks returned home, where their next opponent is the Pacers.

The Pacers lost their core due to Paul George's broken leg, severely weakening their fighting ability.

In this game, the Hawks continued with the same rotation as the previous game.

Jia Fei was not surprised by the result at all. A single match has an element of chance, and a certain number of matches are needed as a sample. It is not easy to convince people.

The Hawks were already at a disadvantage against the Pacers, who were missing Paul George, so even though their second unit wasn't performing well, it didn't stop them from easily defeating their opponents with their starting lineup.

The Hawks ultimately defeated the Pacers at home, securing their first win of the season.

The team won the game, but the captain's performance still didn't improve, and the problems with the team's second unit's interior defense were obvious.

But the atmosphere within the Hawks team was still quite good, and no one came out to say anything.