One Year Left to Play-Chapter 321 - 104: So Completing Tasks Can Be This Simple
As a result, Zhang Hao performed quite well.
One game is clearly not enough to win over those fans who can’t let go of Divac, but it’s a good start.
However, the focus of the post-game discussion wasn’t Zhang Hao’s performance or Sibaros still holding back the Pacers... it was Zhang Hao’s rambling during a post-game interview.
Many people assumed he was just excited from playing well, trying to make a joke to relieve some pressure after a bad shooting performance, and that was indeed the case.
But there are always those who take things seriously...
Anyhow, Lakers players always receive mixed reviews from the media. Zhang Hao wasn’t too concerned when he saw the news at night, and as for the 6 missed three-pointers potentially giving teammates a bad impression... after the interview, when he returned to the locker room, he deliberately raised his voice and told Anthony Piller that he got too excited while playing and couldn’t help but start shooting. He said he’d adjust in the future.
If a rookie generally performs well, they tend to be forgiven for mistakes, and he also has the "Heart Return" medal, so he isn’t too worried.
Early the next morning, Zhang Hao went into learning mode and reviewed the game against the Pacers.
"Strong teams are good. Previously, when playing with the Brooklyn Nets, I had to rack my brains and think hard no matter who we played against. But with the Lakers, facing the Pacers, we can play so easily... Although it’s Sibaros limiting their inside game, they’re definitely much stronger than the Brooklyn Nets. In the Brooklyn Nets, even if Gilliam played like Sibaros, we couldn’t expand our advantage, we could only say we had a chance to contend with the Pacers.
Although the Lakers’ point guard line isn’t as good as Boss Kenny and Chales, the other positions are stronger..."
"Remaining lifespan 490 days, usable lifespan 489 days."
Before yesterday’s game, I had 473 days of lifespan left. Completing the "This is My Stage" task, scoring 25 points, earned an extra 5 days of lifespan on top of the base 10 days, and winning the game added 5 more days.
Just 10 more days of lifespan to accumulate until the first lottery!
Playing for the Lakers makes it easier to accumulate lifespan compared to the Brooklyn Nets.
"However, our team’s strength has definitely declined. Joining the Lakers and facing the Pacers in the first game was a stroke of luck. The upcoming games won’t be as easy, so I need to study my teammates’ play styles and movements more..."
...
On December 4th, Zhang Hao woke up early, as did the little girl who had stayed at his villa for two nights, and Aprile Clark, who was staying over.
There isn’t much time for Zhang Hao to readjust to Los Angeles, or to slowly study his teammates. They just played the Pacers yesterday, and today they have to head to San Antonio to challenge the Spurs, one of the championship favorites, on the road tomorrow.
Zhang Hao prepared the things he needed to bring and put them in a box, but the little girl stopped him.
"Big Bamboo Brother, this box is so ugly, it doesn’t match your face. Use Le Lin’s!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
"It’s just a box, who cares if it’s ugly, as long as it’s strong."
"Le Lin’s box is both pretty and strong!"
"..."
"What’s the matter? Do you think Le Lin’s box is ugly?"
"As a grown man, is it appropriate for me to use this Hello Kitty pink box?"
"... wait a moment."
The little girl made a phone call, and a few minutes later, a luggage store in this wealthy residential area quickly delivered a suitcase.
Zhang Hao looked at the new suitcase and was speechless: "Do you think changing from Hello Kitty to Mickey Mouse makes any difference to me?"
"The money’s already been paid! Le Lin spent her own pocket money to buy it for you. If you don’t use it, she will return it."
"... I’ll use it!"
Thinking about how this little girl used the rent Zhang paid to buy a set of broken dolls and didn’t let him terminate the rental, Zhang Hao decided to take this bargain first.
Aprile Clark drove her second-hand car, taking Zhang Hao and the little girl to the airport. The little girl’s family’s nanny was already waiting there, as was Howard Schultz’s secretary, Pelinka, since the little girl was also going back to Seattle for school today.
The secretary wasn’t there to pick up the little girl but to wait for Zhang Hao.
Zhang Hao had received a call in the morning, so he arrived early. Le Lin, with her private jet ready to change at any time, also came early.
Zhang Hao followed Pelinka and Howard Schultz’s secretary to a coffee shop at the airport.
Pelinka asked, "Aix, Starbucks has a Christmas ad invite, are you interested?"
"Talking interest is so mundane, let’s talk money instead."
"..."
"..."
This bizarre way of putting it was the first time the two had heard.
But talking about money made things much simpler. The secretary said, "Price is not an issue..."
Since money wasn’t an issue, Zhang Hao left it to Pelinka to handle.
Meeting at the airport was just a convenience since Howard Schultz’s secretary was going to China, and Pelinka was heading to Detroit to discuss a contract renewal for Alan Houston.
Sending Pelinka, who lacks negotiation experience, to negotiate a contract made Zhang Hao feel that Henry Thomas didn’t intend to seriously negotiate with the Pistons. It seemed likely they wanted to work on transferring Alan Houston to another team.
Zhang Hao didn’t care to delve into the specifics, as their Lakers wouldn’t be very interested in Alan Houston anyway. He knew Logo Man’s target was O’Neal and that they wouldn’t use cap space on Alan Houston. Signing O’Neal would require a starting salary of at least ten million, with the salary cap being only around 20 million.
"I bet it’s still the New York Knicks, those dim-witted, money-throwing folks, offering a bigger contract..."
...
For a team like the Lakers, who make significant roster changes when not in championship contention, they adapt very quickly to new players and have a high acceptance rate.
Zhang Hao found that he worried unnecessarily about some issues.
As long as he showcased his excellent off-the-ball skills and plug-and-play traits, the rejection from new teammates wouldn’t be as strong.
Furthermore, when he demonstrated his passing talents, it was even more so. Players like Campbell, Fred Roberts, and Sedale-Srte, who lack self-initiated offensive capabilities and good positioning abilities, had significantly reduced hostility toward him once they experienced his passing talents.
"Integrating into the game is smoother than I thought. As long as the coach doesn’t make erratic decisions, given my playing time, I should be able to adapt to various offense styles and build game chemistry with teammates without much issue.
However, it might be harder to truly connect with anyone emotionally in such a team, right?"
