No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 1431: Afterword 2
Donnie Walsh and Gentry are caught in a happy dilemma, playing in New York + Zhang Yang’s ability to drive commercial value + a real chance to win the championship... there’s no need to worry about signing players who want to come for retirement anymore.
After the off-season ended, Donnie Walsh breathed a sigh of relief, Zhang Yang and Nash secured, Harden’s 5-year max contract renewed, all the spots were filled, and signing free agents is pretty straightforward, if they’re not useful, then just trade them, he’s familiar with that.
Gentry is troubled—Nash, Harden, Zhang Yang, have the condition to start together, there’s also Bosh on the inside. Nash is not to worry about, he came here solely for the championship... though he seems a bit enchanted by the bustling New York, he’s definitely not going to act up. But the other three?
Zhang Yang, after the ’Miracle Crown’, at only 24 years old, is already called ’world’s number one’;
Harden, originally the core on the outside, after an off-season, has become even stronger, Gentry secretly observed Harden and Zhang Yang’s one-on-one, feeling they’re catching up to current Kobe and Wade;
Bosh, under the Mavericks’ dismantling, causing Nowitzki to lose his ideal court environment, Stoudemire’s consecutive injuries, Aldridge struggling as a center, Boozer aging, David West joining the Spurs to play team basketball, Griffin rising and falling... amidst all this, he can be considered the current top-performing power forward.
Although Harden greatly admires Zhang Yang, and Bosh also shows great joy at Zhang Yang’s joining, but court power dictates personal interests, Gentry has mixed in the NBA for years, very aware of these potential issues.
Instead of pondering how to distribute the power among the three on the court, why not just go and ask directly!
Gentry first approached Zhang Yang, starting with the strongest one.
Upon hearing Gentry’s worries, Zhang Yang actively recalled the Compton Three Giants and Nash from the 10-line, then recalled the original Heat’s Three Giants, and thought about the summer he watched the collaboration of Harden + Curry + Bosh...
Zhang Yang smiled, "Alvin, don’t worry, no one understands how to lead the Three Giants better than I do!"
...
’Saint Jack’ descended upon the basketball holy land in the first year, bringing mixed feelings to the Knicks Team.
The concern lies in Harden and Bosh’s playing styles.
Neither have played on a truly top-tier team before, though in the 11-12 season, they led the team to the East’s top four and the second round, that was influenced by the East’s weakness + shortened season which favored young stars.
From a personal ability perspective, they’re stronger than Felton and Okafor, but their playing habits are not as good.
That’s secondary, poor playing habits can be corrected, bringing in newcomers isn’t something new for him, early Bobcats every year had newcomers with outstanding potential or immediate combat power joining.
What’s most important is their mindset, which isn’t what he wants.
Harden has been in a ’supporting role’ posture since training camp; Bosh is ready to sacrifice fully, willing to be purely a cutter and shoot from the wings. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
This makes Zhang Yang feel that James choosing to go west was a huge mistake, if James had chosen the Knicks Team in 10, waiting two years, until Harden soared, Curry became listed as a top shooter in the third grade, the Knicks could have become the strongest team... but might also affect Harden’s growth.
But this high-sacrifice mindset of the two seriously affected the progress of the team system Zhang Yang and Gentry wanted to build.
It was almost the season’s end before Harden and Bosh truly realized that Zhang Yang didn’t come here to make them supporting roles, but to work together, they are also true ’giants’.
This is Zhang Yang’s mistake, he thought ’accommodating each other, helping each other capitalize on their greatest advantage points’ was a matter of course, like him with Felton, Okafor, the Compton Three Giants of 10-line, the 80-line with him, Ewing, Mark Jackson, all so, so he didn’t communicate with the two in advance about these issues.
It wasn’t until problems arose that he belatedly realized that all being so doesn’t mean it will always be so.
Harden from the Compton Three Giants had been a superstar in the Thunder Team for many years, MVP ranking even higher than Durant’s, the ’I am a superstar’ mindset is already ingrained in Harden’s bones.
Bobcats Three less, everyone entered the NBA together, seeing each other as comrades, not mere ’teammates’, strength has strong and weak, but status doesn’t have high and low.
80-line needless to say, most players then entered the NBA after graduating college, talented ones entered NBA and immediately became starters, core, he, Mark Jackson, Ewing, none had a ’lower than others’ mindset.
But here his Harden had just made the All-Star for the first time; Bosh had endured hard days, willing to sacrifice court status for honor and exposure, even worried about stealing the limelight from Zhang San causing discontent, leading to being traded away...
The favorable part is the ’Three Giants’ possess a strong willingness to cooperate, striving towards a common goal.
Although the progress bar slowed down a bit, it ultimately unified the direction, mindset adjusted, goal clear, and progress bar smoothly moved forward.
Moreover, with Nash alongside Harden, offensive organizing ability, court awareness, playing habit... all showed notable improvement.
Bosh was once hailed as ’Little Garnett’, not a nickname given lightly, his offensive skills were as comprehensive as Garnett’s in those years... of course, nowhere near the defense, and like Garnett, lacking hard edge capability, encountering problems he’d send a iron-blooded mid-range shot, but he doesn’t need to have the hard edge capability, just being a good inside scoring pillar, coordinating with the rim-protecting center is enough.
