This season, the great Jordan has become the biggest topic in the league.
Wherever the great Jordan went, it became his home court. Fans scrambled for tickets, just to catch a glimpse of the great Jordan on the court…
It’s a pity, though, that while the great Jordan’s residual power remained, his dominance was not what it used to be.
Beauty fades, heroes grow old. Even a god of basketball could not escape the grasp of Father Time.
Fortunately, before this comeback, the great Jordan had made thorough preparations, gathering a group of prime players in the league to help him with his recovery training. Especially the invitation to He Xi Meng, which turned out to be the great Jordan’s wisest choice.
Under He Xi Meng’s advice, the great Jordan abandoned his pure scoring guard style, switching to a playmaking shooting guard and increasing his three-point shooting percentage!
These two changes brought the great Jordan great rewards!
According to historical records, after playing the first 10 games of the season, some minor injuries began to reappear for the great Jordan, causing his performance to fluctuate unpredictably.
But now, in the game before last against his old rival the Jazz, the great Jordan still managed to score 44 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists! He lost the game but not his spirit! He stunned the rookie players on the opposing Jazz team.
Increasing the proportion of three-point shots allowed the great Jordan to reduce physical contact in the low post while improving his shooting efficiency.
And switching to a playmaking shooting guard allowed the great Jordan to control the game in a different way! The great Jordan’s damn desire to win wouldn’t let the game get out of his control. The only way was to shift his obsession from scoring to assists, to control the game through a different method.
Compared to charging into battle himself, directing teammates to charge into battle was obviously more energy-efficient and better at preventing old injuries from recurring.
In this away game against the Spurs, the Wizards’ head coach Collins had originally suggested the great Jordan rest, staying in Washington instead of flying with the team.
Because against the current Spurs, the Wizards had no chance of winning. The great Jordan playing would have little significance, only draining his energy.
If it weren't for He Xi Meng, the great Jordan might have accepted coach Collins’ suggestion and returned directly to Washington.
But now that the Spurs had He Xi Meng, the great Jordan insisted on accompanying the team to San Antonio, if only to meet an old friend.
Naturally, He Xi Meng hosted a banquet to welcome the great Jordan.
Accompanying them for drinks and food were Da Yao, Brad Miller, Mike Miller, and Hu Weidong.
He Xi Meng had originally invited Tim Duncan and David Robinson to join them.
However, upon hearing that so many people would be dining together, Duncan immediately declined. He also wouldn't go if the great Jordan was there.
David cited that it was not advisable to drink before a game as a reason for his refusal.
Who said meals always had to involve drinking?
Fortunately, He Xi Meng was already accustomed to the unique personalities of the Twin Towers and explained their situation to the great Jordan.
The great Jordan’s relationship with the Twin Towers was already quite ordinary, so he naturally didn't mind.
“The media in Washington are all saying that I lost out big on that trade with you before the season! Tell me, how will you compensate me for my damaged reputation?”
The “trade” the great Jordan was referring to was, of course, the blockbuster one-for-four deal where Yao Ming was traded for Brad Miller, Chris Webber, Mike Miller, and Hu Weidong.
Aside from Webber, who the great Jordan had sent to the Bucks, the main players in the trade were actually present at the dinner table.
“Don’t give me that nonsense! Just tell me, is Brad useful or not? Da Yao is good, but he mostly played off the bench. If you let the current Yao Ming start, he definitely couldn’t handle all the muscle men in the league… Without Brad, could you have been playing so comfortably recently?”
This season, after joining the Wizards, Brad Miller’s average stats had risen to 20 points and 10 rebounds, solid All-Star level numbers, especially in the East!
Although Brad Miller’s future growth potential was not as great as Yao Ming's, for the great Jordan, the most important thing was the present, not the future.
Given the great Jordan’s current physical condition, how many more seasons could he last?
More importantly, Brad was more durable than Yao Ming, fitting better with the great Jordan’s concept of a dominant center.
If Da Yao had really played under the great Jordan, He Xi Meng would have genuinely worried that Yao Ming might have ended up on the same path as Kwame Brown in another timeline…
“Besides, haven’t Cole and Old Hu added quite a bit of immediate impact to your bench?”
After joining the Wizards this season, Hu Weidong had received considerable attention from the great Jordan. Not only had he successfully established himself on the Wizards, but he was also steadily trending towards becoming the Wizards’ sixth man.
Hu Weidong possessed strong scoring ability, with decent defense and playmaking skills; overall, he was a well-rounded player. For the Wizards, whose overall roster depth was somewhat thin, developing Hu Weidong was an excellent addition.
Seeing his attempt to extort compensation fail, the great Jordan laughed, unashamed, and immediately steered the conversation towards tactics and playstyle.
This summer, under He Xi Meng’s somewhat self-serving plan, the Wizards’ roster was optimized, and the great Jordan’s playstyle was refined. Judging from the 12 games played so far, the results were quite good.
The Wizards had a 6-6 record, placing them 7th in the Eastern Conference. This was much better than the situation in the original history when the great Jordan returned to the Wizards.
But the great Jordan considered this a matter of course! It was because he had returned! In fact, he was not entirely satisfied with their current 7th place in the East. He believed that with a strong reinforcement like himself joining, the Wizards should at least have the strength of a top-four Eastern Conference team.
“Look at the Nets, they were 4th from the bottom in the East last season and are 1st in the East this season! We were 2nd from the bottom in the East last season, so we should at least be 3rd from the top this season! Show me, where else do we need to optimize…”
The great Jordan’s arithmetic skills seemed quite strong, directly employing an analogy. But was the great Jordan sure that his role in joining the Wizards now was the same as Jason Kidd’s role in joining the Nets?
One was in his twilight years, the other in his prime?
Of course, the great Jordan did not admit that he was in his twilight years. But whether the great Jordan admitted it or not had no bearing on reality.
The fact that the Wizards had managed to achieve this record since the start of the season had already exceeded the expectations of many news outlets.
Faced with the great Jordan’s request for He Xi Meng to offer more suggestions and help the Wizards optimize and improve further, He Xi Meng found himself in a difficult position.
“If I absolutely had to offer one suggestion, I would advise you to give Brad, Richard, Tyronn Lue, and Old Hu a little more freedom to play their game! Fully mobilize the young players’ enthusiasm, and tap into their basketball talent and potential; perhaps, you will have unexpected rewards…”
“More delegation?” The great Jordan frowned, “I was actually thinking of increasing my personal ball-handling and shot attempts again…”