"Some of the players on my list were once superstars, some were once All-Stars, and some are potential players whose talents have not yet been realized, either because of injuries, age, or other reasons. For reasons, it was ultimately difficult to gain a foothold in the NBA..."
"What I want to do is to gather these former stars and let them come to the Clippers. I will let them get back to their former state and let them return to their peak. At that time, our Clippers will also We will become an all-star team and not only can we return to the playoffs, but we can even go further in the playoffs... "
"I named this plan the 'Nirvana Plan'. It's like a phoenix rising from the ashes and reborn. These stars who have been eliminated by the NBA will also be reborn with us!"
In the conference room, Dai Li kept introducing his "Nirvana Plan."
"Coach Li, I admire your wild and unconstrained idea, but I think this is simply not feasible. The players mentioned in your list do have a glorious past, but now, they are no longer able to adapt to the NBA. game, even if you get them back, they won't be able to play again, they simply can't withstand NBA-level confrontation." Team manager Johnson was the first to object.
"So this requires my training." Li Dai continued: "Rehabilitation training is what I am best at, and I am confident that they can get back to their form. In fact, I have done similar things in the Olympics."
Johnson shook his head: "Every athlete's injury situation is different. You can make track and field athletes recover from injuries, but you can't guarantee that basketball players will also recover. Besides, those injured star players have seen many well-known doctors before. , but still left the NBA, which shows that their injuries are hopeless."
"I can guarantee their recovery." Dai Li said categorically. His answer fully demonstrated his confidence, but it also left Johnson speechless. Johnson felt that no matter how reasonable he was, he could not explain it. A braggart.
Li Dai went on to say: "My nirvana plan, if successful, will bring great benefits to the team. In fact, we don't need to bring every player back to the top. As long as there are among them in this list, If two or three people can recover and regain their previous form, we can return to the playoffs. Don't forget that they are all star players!"
"If my plan fails, we won't lose anything. At most, the team's record will be relatively bad. We can just take this opportunity to make a bad show, and maybe we can get a No. 1 pick next year. More What's more, these players on the list are all former stars. As long as they come to the Clippers, they can bring benefits. Los Angeles needs stars!"
"Los Angeles needs stars," this sentence obviously impressed the Clippers management.
The same star player has completely different effects in big cities and small cities, and the benefits he brings to the team are also completely different. For teams in big cities, the arrival of star players can make the team's tickets more expensive, attract more people to watch the game, and allow the team to earn more broadcast revenue, even the jerseys It can also be sold for a little more, and the team can make a lot of money off of a superstar.
Although the players that Dai Li wants to recruit in his "Nirvana Plan" are no longer able to survive in the NBA, it is undeniable that they are very famous, and there are even former superstars. Such players are very popular among those small players. In the city, they may just be "passing stars" who can't play football, but in big cities like Los Angeles, they can already exert their commercial value and gain popularity.
This is Los Angeles after all. The most important thing in Los Angeles is stars, but what Los Angeles needs most is also stars.
…
The team's management finally recognized Dai Li's "Nirvana Plan."
As Dai Li said, the Clippers next season have no performance requirements, and recruiting well-known star players is a sure profit. If the "Nirvana Plan" succeeds, the Clippers will naturally make huge profits. If the "Nirvana Plan" fails, the Clippers will be in trouble at best and can get a high-ranking draft pick next year. The deal was a good one and the team's front office was happy to pursue it.
Next, Dai Li will personally recruit the players on the list, and it is team manager Johnson who will go with Dai Li.
Johnson was naturally reluctant. He didn't agree with Dai Li's plan at all, but signing players was the responsibility of the team manager, so Johnson had no choice but to pack his bags and set off with Dai Li.
"Coach Li, where are our first stops?" Johnson asked, his tone full of helplessness.
"Go to Seattle. That guy is from Seattle. I heard that he just accepted the position of head basketball coach of a high school in Seattle." Li Dai said.
"Are we going to find Nathan Hall? The former 'Yellow Mamba'! Unfortunately, the menisci of both of his knees have been removed. I heard that in order to return to the court, he also had double knee joints. He underwent mirror repair surgery and implanted an artificial meniscus, but it still didn't help. He still couldn't adapt to the competition in the NBA, so he could only retire sadly." Johnson said with some sympathy.
Dai Li nodded: "Yes, we will go find him. There have been cases in the NBA where the meniscus was removed and the player could continue to play, so I think I can let Nathan Hall recover."
"I really don't know where you get your confidence." Johnson shook his head disdainfully. Dai Li's confident look made John Jie feel that Dai Li was bragging again.
In fact, Li Dai is most confident in removing the meniscus. The athlete patch can easily solve this problem. With the help of athletes' patches, Philip, a disabled person without both legs, could run faster than a normal person. Even though he didn't have a meniscus, it was even easier to return to his previous state.
…
Nathan Hall is a shooting guard. He is actually relatively young and has only played seven seasons in the NBA, which also included missing a season due to injury and a season in which he only played five games after returning from injury. So all things considered, he only played five full seasons.
But in these five seasons, he won the NBA Rookie of the Year, entered the NBA All-Star team three consecutive times, and once entered the NBA All-NBA Team. People also gave him the nickname "Yellow Mamba", implying that he would become the successor to the "Black Mamba" who was number one in the league at the time.
However, a knee injury ruined him. He showed arthritis and was limited in playing time. Subsequently, the knee swelled frequently, and the fluid had to be drained from time to time. He also needed to constantly take medication to treat arthritis, and finally had to undergo double arthroscopy. Surgery, but the surgery did not cure his arthritis. The meniscus continued to wear and tear, leaving less and less parts. In the end, the small meniscus could no longer play a buffering role, but became a foreign body in the joint. , he had to have menisci removed from both joints. After each operation, he would return within a very short period of time.
Losing his meniscus also ruined his career, causing unbearable pain in his knees every time he played, every step he ran, every jump, and every physical confrontation. Even though he later had an artificial meniscus installed, he was still unable to withstand the physical confrontation and game pace of the NBA.
So he had no choice but to retire. He was only 25 years old when he retired.
25 years old, not even the peak age of a defender. A player who made three All-Star appearances before the age of 25 was destined to become a superstar, but in the end he fell to a knee injury.
…
Dai Li and Johnson came to Seattle.
"Are we going to the high school where Nathan Hall works? The school is still on summer vacation, so we may not be able to find him in the school." Johnson said.
"Of course we can't go to the school to find him." Li Dai continued: "Think about it, what are we here to do? Hall is now the coach of that high school, and we are here to poach him. How can we Go to the place where he works and poach people openly! I have already made an appointment with Hall to meet in the hotel's reception room. So let's go to the hotel to take a rest now, and then have afternoon tea with Hall."
A few hours later, Dai Li met Nathan Hall in the reception room of the hotel.
"Coach Li, I really didn't expect you to come to Seattle in person, let alone come to see me." Hall obviously knows Dai Li. Although he has left the NBA, he still cares about the situation in the NBA and has concerns about various aspects of the NBA. The team also knows a lot about it. Hall certainly recognizes Dai Li, a candidate for Coach of the Year.
Hall continued: "Are you interested in any player from our high school? But to be honest, I just became the head coach of the team this summer, so I am not familiar with the players. I'm afraid I can't introduce them to you. Details."
Dai Li shook his head: "If the NBA allowed high school students to directly participate in the draft a few years ago, I might really go to the high school basketball league to find potential players. But now the NBA has banned high school players from directly participating in the NBA. In the draft, if I want to find players with potential, I should go to college."
"That's true. Then why did you come to me?" Hall asked.
"I want to invite you to join my team." Li Dai said.
"Do you want me to join your coaching staff?" Hall showed a flattered expression. Entering an NBA coaching staff is obviously much better than being a head coach in a high school.
Dai Li shook his head again: "Nathan, you misunderstood me. I want you to come and play on my team. We currently lack a shooting guard."
"You asked me to play for the Clippers!" Nathan Hoy exclaimed, with a look of disbelief on his face, and said at the same time: "Coach Li, are you kidding?"
"Do you think the team's general manager and I flew from Los Angeles to Seattle just to joke with you?" Dai Li said with a smile.
Nathan Hall's expression suddenly became solemn. He realized that Dai Li really came to invite him to join the Clippers, and then he asked: "Why choose me?"
"Why didn't I choose you?" Dai Li asked.
"I mean, I've announced my retirement, why are you still coming to see me?" Hall then asked.
"As a basketball player, you are still very young and should not be old enough to retire." Dai Li replied.
"But my knee was so seriously injured that I could no longer adapt to the level of competition in the NBA." Hall shook his head and continued; "I still remember my last season in the NBA, I only played After five games, every time I sprinted and every jump, my knees would cause unbearable pain. In the end, I couldn't continue to compete at all, so I chose to retire."
"What you need is not retirement, but one of the world's top rehabilitation trainers." Dai Li said, and took out the brochure from the physical training center, handed it to Hall, and then said: "Look at this Well, the athletes here have all suffered serious injuries, and then they all returned to their peaks, relying on my rehabilitation training."
Hall took the brochure and read it page by page. When he saw the real cases, he became obviously moved.
"Nathan, I know you have removed the meniscus in both knees, but in history, there have been cases where athletes can still play ball after removing the meniscus. This is why I came to you. I think after my training , you can return to the court." Li Dai said.
Hall hesitated for a long time, then sighed. He closed the brochure, handed it back to Dai Li, shook his head and said, "Even if I can return to the court, I can't play like before. Without the meniscus, my knee is equivalent to being useless. I can’t accelerate and sprint, change direction with the ball, jump, and I can’t do the technical movements that I could easily complete before.”
"This is the second thing I want to say. I will help you get back to your peak, or make you stronger than before!" Dai Li stared at Hall and continued: "When was your peak? ? 22 years old? Or 23 years old? It's probably the time when you entered the All-Stars for three consecutive years. However, for a shooting guard, the early twenties is the start of his career. In fact, you haven't yet When you reach your peak, you've retired. If it hadn't been for injuries, you could have been stronger."
After hearing Dai Li's words, Nathan Hall lowered his head, as if trying to hide the unwillingness in his eyes.
"Nathan, you are still young. Don't waste your time anymore. Your career shouldn't end here. You can work hard again. As a player, you can go back to the field and fight hard instead of teaching high school students to play!" Li Dai opened his mouth to persuade.
Nathan Hall took a deep breath: "Coach Li, can you give me some time to think about it?"
"No problem." Dai Li handed his business card to Hall, and then said: "This is my contact information. I look forward to your reply. By the way, I almost forgot to tell you, if you are willing to come to the Clippers, you can get A fully guaranteed contract, this is the minimum guarantee I can give you at the moment."
…
Nathan Hall collected Dai Li's business card and left the hotel.
"Will he agree?" Johnson asked.
"Yes, I will certainly do it," Dai Li replied.
"Why do you give such a certain judgment?" Johnson asked puzzledly.
"Because of his love for basketball." Dai Li turned to look at Johnson and continued: "For professional basketball players, some people just regard playing basketball as a job, while some people have an unparalleled love for basketball. . They will regard basketball as their second life, and they will never be able to leave basketball in their lives."
"Nathan Hall is such a person. He loves basketball. His knees have been injured, but he always insists on staying on the basketball court; every time he is injured and has surgery, he can't wait to return. to return to the court; even if he eventually lost the meniscus in both knees, he still hoped to continue playing; when he had to leave the NBA, he did not leave basketball, but came to Seattle to be a basketball coach, not like Like other retired stars, enjoy a prosperous life."
"Hall doesn't have any bad habits. He has also earned tens of millions of dollars in his career, so he is not short of money. The reason why he went to a high school to serve as a basketball coach is because he can't give up basketball. I can I feel that he truly loves basketball and will never leave the court for the rest of his life. It is precisely because of this love for basketball that I firmly believe that he will definitely agree!"