"That’s right, his timing on his shot is spot-on."
"His off-ball awareness is good, too. See that cut he made on that last play? It was pretty sharp."
"His physique is average, so with his teammates’ help, choosing this style of offense is definitely the best option."
"He shoots the three better than I do."
After Jefferson spoke, everyone else chimed in one by one.
Even Wade, who was lying on the massage table and was usually a man of few words, lifted his head and squeezed out a comment about his good shooting rhythm.
Chen Yu glanced at the group, speechless.
’No real conviction, just paying lip service.’
’If you’re going to praise him, at least be a little more serious about it. Yeah, I’m talking to you, Duncan, the one chuckling at me.’
’And what’s this about "he shoots the three better than I do"? How many real threes have you even taken in a game?’
"Chen, this isn’t going to work."
Just then, however, it was Popovich who shook his head slightly and offered a professional critique.
"I think there’s a problem with the direction you’re taking his development. This playstyle is opportunistic. It requires a high level of coordination with his teammates to work."
"Granted, his physical tools are limited, and this might be the most suitable playstyle for him right now. He might even put up some impressive stats. But in the long run, it’s not good for him."
Seeing Chen Yu look his way, Popovich pointed to the projection screen. "Chen, you’re teaching him to avoid contact."
"That’s not what basketball is!"
Popovich’s expression grew more serious.
What kind of basketball is it without contact?
It’s fine for a casual game on a pickup court, but in the professional arena, contact is fundamental.
"If he sticks with this playstyle, where is he going to find such a comfortable shooting environment when he gets to a real professional game? What’s he going to do once opponents start getting physical with him?"
"He needs to learn how to use his body and score through contact. Those are the things you should be teaching him."
Chen Yu stopped what he was doing and looked at the screen.
In this game, Grand Canyon’s tactics were unusual, and Jennings’s team simply couldn’t adapt.
Curry sank six threes in the first half alone, and his team went into halftime with the lead.
In the second half, Jennings’s team made some targeted defensive adjustments, but Curry still got plenty of opportunities to shoot.
The program hadn’t finished playing yet, but Chen Yu already knew the outcome.
In this game, Curry went 11-for-16 from three-point range alone. Including his other points, he exploded for 39 and led his team to victory.
But just as Popovich said, it was because their opponents weren’t familiar with the team’s tactics, and because Mackie and Green were working their hardest to set screens and pass him the ball.
Curry was in the most comfortable shooting environment possible. Some of his shots looked like he was just in a practice session.
So shooting with such a high percentage was only to be expected.
But what about the next game?
What happens when opponents study you and start game-planning for you?
What if your teammates stop cooperating?
Once he gets to college, or even the NBA, expecting teammates to accommodate his playstyle like that is just a pipe dream.
That might not even work if you were Jordan.
As for Popovich’s point that this development path was problematic and was teaching Curry to avoid contact—Chen Yu had actually considered that before.
But he hadn’t given it much deep thought.
But now that Popovich had brought it up, Chen Yu felt he really needed to take it seriously.
"Greg, if you were developing him, how would you do it?" Chen Yu asked.
The Spurs had always been skilled at developing rookies, and Popovich was a master at it, with a keen eye for talent.
Popovich watched the program with his arms crossed, waiting until the game segment was over before speaking. "Chen, if it were me, I’d have him train his body hard to improve his strength and ability to handle contact. I’d develop him like a normal guard, something you should be familiar with."
"But if he doesn’t get any taller, I would genuinely advise him to give up basketball sooner rather than later."
He’s just over 1.7 meters tall right now. Even if he has another growth spurt and gets to just over 1.8 meters, so what?
How many Iversons are there in the world?
For a short player to make it in the NBA, not only do they have to work ten times harder than anyone else, but they also need a special trait, like Ford’s superhuman speed.
And Curry clearly has no special talent when it comes to speed.
His three-pointer is accurate, sure, but you have to consider the circumstances. Which one of these guys in the NBA isn’t at the level of a Divine Archer?
His current three-point accuracy is meaningless as a reference.
The others in the room exchanged glances before looking at Chen Yu in silence.
Popovich had laid out a series of hard truths.
"Greg, I’ll give it serious consideration," Chen Yu said with a nod.
As far as Chen Yu knew from the show’s taping, Grand Canyon’s playstyle had earned them a winning streak, and they were closing in on the playoffs.
But Curry’s personal stats and shooting percentage were gradually declining.
It was just as Popovich had said: opponents were studying him and game-planning against him.
Defenders were getting around screens faster or switching in time. The moment they guarded him a little tighter, Curry’s shooting percentage would drop.
So in the future, Curry’s playstyle might really be a dead end.
And if he let Curry continue down this path, it could end up just as Popovich said: it would ruin his development.
’Maybe I should just have him focus on building up his body, training like a normal guard.’
’Then I’ll see if he can get any taller. If not, it’s better to give up basketball sooner rather than later.’
’Playing golf would be a good alternative. My relationship with Tiger Woods is great, so finding some resources to develop him in that sport shouldn’t be a problem.’
Popovich nodded. He hesitated for a moment, two sentences on the tip of his tongue that he left unsaid.
He wanted to remind Chen Yu that, while he knew Chen Yu was attached to Curry, professional sports are ruthless when it comes to talent. If it really wasn’t meant to be, there was no point in forcing it. He could just live comfortably as the son of a star.
Even if Chen Yu eventually pulled some strings—say, getting the Phoenix Suns to use a second-round pick on Curry—how embarrassing would it be when he ultimately couldn’t cut it in the NBA and washed out?
The program concluded with Grand Canyon and Devil’s Mountain both on winning streaks.
Compared to the previous one, this episode’s storyline was a bit more subdued.
The ratings reflected this directly; they were four percentage points lower than the last episode.
It couldn’t be helped, given the show’s long run.
The production team was already trying to figure out the next big dramatic moment for the show.
They suggested an injury storyline, but Chen Yu shot it down immediately.
’Why would we film a fake injury?’
They had even proposed faking an injury, which would turn the whole thing into a scripted drama.
If they were going to follow a script, the writers had plenty of tropes and ideas they could use; they wouldn’t be having such a headache now.
As he was leaving, Chen Yu ran into Brown, who was hurrying back.
"Chen, I was just looking for you."
Brown pulled Chen Yu aside to talk for a moment.
The Dream Team’s record was so abysmal that the media back home was filled with criticism. Some were even saying they should just disband the Dream Team and grab a bunch of NCAA college kids, who would probably play better.
Brown was under immense pressure.
So, Brown decided to resort to a drastic measure.
Play the starters to death.
The five starters would play the entire game.
"Larry, are you serious?" Chen Yu was shocked.
"Forget everything else for a second. If you do that, aren’t you afraid the front offices of the other teams will have your head?"
These guys were playing on an invitational basis.
Why do so many stars decline the invitation to play? Part of it is they don’t want to, but another reason is that their home teams don’t want them to.
If they get injured during the Olympics, it’s their teams that pay the price.
Take Iverson, for example. He fractured his right thumb, and Billy King must have given Brown an earful about it.
If they hadn’t worked together before, he probably would have cussed him out.
So for Brown to do this, he was basically being generous with other people’s property.
If you had brought the Pistons Five Tigers and played them the whole game, no one except Dumars would have a problem with it.
But you’re here with a bunch of players from other teams. You’re doing this for your own reputation. Even if you claim it’s for the honor of the Dream Team, the other teams aren’t going to buy it.
Popovich would be the first one to start a fight with Brown over it.
’Dammit, I’m careful with Duncan’s minutes even in the playoffs! I don’t even dare play him a full game!’
"Larry, I’m advising you, absolutely do not do this," Chen Yu warned.
’This really won’t fly.’
If he really did this, would he ever find another job after he leaves the Pistons?
Brown gritted his teeth, his expression grim.
He actually knew it was a bad idea. The teams would raise hell.
But given the current situation, he was out of options.
The media back home was crucifying him.
"Larry, if you’re really stuck, you could try using the rookies more. Carmelo is pretty good. I think his playstyle is actually well-suited for the international game," Chen Yu suggested.
The three rookies including James were doing a little better; at least they were getting some playing time.
Someone like the number-two pick, Okafor, was basically just there to fill out the roster.
In the international game, James and Wade couldn’t get their drives going, but Anthony, with his shooting-focused game, was perfectly capable of contributing.
Running the five starters into the ground... even if they did end up winning that way, wouldn’t it be embarrassing for the Dream Team?
Brown sighed. "I’ll think about it."
’Forget the rookies.’
’The veterans aren’t even reliable, let alone the rookies.’
From his tone, Chen Yu could tell his words hadn’t gotten through.
’Considering what happened to Milicic, it’s not surprising.’
Chen Yu patted Brown’s shoulder and turned to leave.
But to Chen Yu’s surprise, Brown wasn’t the only one who had thought of this desperate measure. The Chinese Men’s Basketball Team had, too.
That very afternoon, Li Yuanwei contacted Chen Yu. He wanted Chen Yu’s help to get the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team’s players physically prepared.
For tomorrow’s do-or-die game, they had decided that, depending on how things went, they would have Yao Ming and the other four starters play the entire game.
A true do-or-die situation!
"Dr. Chen, don’t worry about the fee, we’ll cover it. The General Administration has specially approved some funds. And if we win tomorrow, we’d like to do it again—get them tuned up one more time before we head into the knockout stage."
Chen Yu’s fees were expensive, and the Basketball Association had been reluctant to pay them before.
But now, with their backs against the wall in a do-or-die game, they had no choice but to pay up.
"Actually..."
Chen Yu sighed. He really wanted to refuse.
Leaving aside whether this method constituted cheating or was unfair to Serbia and Montenegro, even if they did manage to win, how far could the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team really go?
’Do they really think they can win just by playing the five starters the entire game?’
’Even without my help, if the five of them just pushed themselves, they could probably play the whole game anyway.’
’So the fundamental problem is that they just aren’t good enough.’
’And now they’ve actually allocated special funds for this... it just shows how desperate they are to save face.’
After all, Chen Yu charged the Dream Team a hundred thousand a session—and that was in US dollars!

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