Chapter 660 - 586: Can Be Fast, Can Also Be Slow

Chapter 660: Chapter 586: Can Be Fast, Can Also Be Slow

At 19-14, Philip Saunders was the first to call a timeout.

The Wolves had been forced into a timeout.

As the players came off the court, he turned to glance at Rivers on the opposing bench.

Rivers was his usual self, clapping and enthusiastically encouraging every player who came to the bench.

Sanders’s gaze lingered on Rivers for a moment before shifting to D’Antoni beside him. According to his intel, the Pioneer’s current strategy had been designed by D’Antoni.

And this strategy was completely unorthodox.

Looking back on the first six-plus minutes of the game, Sanders’s strongest impression was that as soon as the ball was inbounded, the entire Pioneer team would sprint downcourt as if they’d hit a turbo button.

Nash was already fast on the dribble, and sometimes he would even launch a long pass to get the ball across half-court even faster.

The ball moved upcourt fast, the players got into position fast, and they often caught the Wolves off guard, leaving them struggling to keep up with their assignments.

And in those moments, Nash always managed to find an open teammate.

And these guys were absolutely fearless shooters.

Sanders vividly remembered one play involving Milicic. He had sprinted up the right wing, and Nash launched a long pass straight to him. After catching the ball, Milicic was still almost three feet behind the three-point line.

At that point, forget the Wolves’ players—even his own Pioneer teammates hadn’t fully set up yet.

And what did Milicic do? He just shot it anyway.

’Sure, there wasn’t a defender within six feet of him, but the guy’s a center! Shooting threes is already weird enough, but to launch one from three feet behind the line? It was completely baffling.’

’If that were on the Wolves, if Nestrovic had dared to do something like that, I would have pulled him immediately. I’d make him ride the pine until he had a good, long think about what he’d done.’

’But what about the Pioneer? Not only was Rivers not furious, he was actually on the sideline clapping and shouting his approval.’

’He didn’t even make the shot!’

’I know the Pioneer want to develop Milicic and are giving him a ton of touches, but isn’t this way of doing it a bit overboard?’

So, Sanders’s impression was that the Pioneer’s strategy was far too random. It was a chaotic scramble where they took any half-decent—or even bad—shot they could find.

Sanders had never seen a team play like this before.

You could maybe compare it to the Lakers’ Showtime era, but even they weren’t this fast, this chaotic.

And somehow, the Pioneer were still up by five.

That just made it all the more frustrating.

Sanders felt that the Pioneer’s chaotic style of play had completely disrupted the Wolves’ own rhythm.

Still, this was only the preseason, so he wasn’t too concerned about the outcome. He just figured that if the Pioneer kept playing like this during the regular season, they weren’t likely to get very far.

Coming back from the timeout, the Wolves started changing their lineup, bringing in rookies and bench players.

The Pioneer, however, kept their five starters in the game.

This wasn’t D’Antoni stubbornly sticking with his starters; it was at Chen Yu’s request.

Chen Yu had asked for the starters to play longer to build up their chemistry as much as possible during the less critical preseason.

Especially since the issue with Randolph still hadn’t been resolved.

Since the Pioneer’s management hadn’t yet decided whether to trade him, Chen Yu had proposed a compromise.

First, Randolph would still play at the five spot.

D’Antoni’s run-and-gun system needed speed, and since Randolph couldn’t run fast, the plan was simply to have him trail the play.

The other four players would initiate the first wave of the attack.

Push the ball quickly, get into position quickly, and take a quick shot.

D’Antoni had proposed finishing an offensive possession in ten seconds, but Chen Yu thought, why not go even faster? Say, six or seven seconds. The goal was to launch that first wave of attack with maximum speed.

If there wasn’t an immediate shot opportunity, they would instantly transition into their half-court offense.

By that time, Randolph, who had been trailing the play, would have caught up and settled into position.

At that stage, they would shift to a conventional half-court offense, using screens, cuts, kick-outs, and isolation plays to leverage Randolph’s strength in the low post.

In other words, Chen Yu’s ultimate vision was for the Pioneer to be a team that could play fast but also slow down the pace when necessary.

Whether they played fast or slow would be entirely up to Nash to control.

And it was proving to be pretty effective.

It’s actually incredibly difficult for a team to alternate between playing fast and slow on the fly.

After all, there are five different minds playing on the court. Even a slight mental lapse could lead to that awkward situation of, ’Where am I? What am I supposed to be doing right now?’

That’s when you need an elite floor general with outstanding court vision, someone who can see the whole picture and direct the team.

Nash was exactly that kind of player.

Whether the pace was fast or slow, his superior court vision always ensured the ball got where it needed to go.

Chen Yu walked over to Nelson and said quietly, "We need to set up some playmaking and passing drills for Dako."

"When we’re playing fast, Nash is obviously the one running the show."

"But when we slow things down," Chen Yu continued, "I feel like the team needs another player who can pass, someone to act as a facilitator."

"Because whether it’s Randolph, Miles, or Joe Johnson, they’re pretty much all finishers—offensive black holes. Once the ball gets to them, it rarely comes back out."

"The only other option is Milicic."

"His ball-handling is excellent. His original draft report clearly stated he could even play point guard."

"I need Dako to take on screening and passing duties from the high post."

’He has to work on becoming a more well-rounded player.’

’Because on defense, he’ll need to switch back with Randolph and anchor the defense in the paint.’

’He has the height and wingspan, and deep down, he’s willing to be physical. His defense is aggressive. He’s no match for a monster of a center like O’Neal, but he’s more than enough to handle an average one.’

’He also needs to be a rim protector and shot blocker.’

’As for Randolph, his only real defensive strength is that he’s decent at holding his ground. So, we might as well just have him at the four, using his bulk to bang against other power forwards.’

Nelson nodded, jotted it down, and couldn’t help but remark, "Chen, you’re trying to turn him into a do-it-all warrior."

"Offense, screening, passing, and defense... a true two-way player."

Chen Yu said, "It’s the only way. After watching him all last season, I’ve realized his offense isn’t top-tier. In other words, he’s not going to become a dominant interior force like O’Neal or Yao Ming. So, if he wants to get better, he has to improve in other areas and make himself irreplaceable."

"O’Neal gets away with not defending or passing because he has the most unstoppable offensive game."

"But Milicic isn’t on that level."

"If he wants to become a serious threat in the paint, he has to bulk up. But once he gains weight, he’ll slow down and lose his advantages in other areas."

After weighing the pros and cons, Chen Yu still wanted him to play the four and transform into a versatile, all-around weapon.

"In other words, to mold him in the direction of a player like Garnett."

"Also," Chen Yu added, "Darius’s defense is terrible. Among our forwards, who do you think has defensive potential?"

Miles’s strengths and weaknesses were both glaringly obvious.

He was an incredible athlete, often showcasing his talent by driving to the basket for explosive dunks.

But he was too skinny and lacked strength. If he bulked up, he’d lose his agility.

This made him a liability—a sieve—on the defensive end.

He was too thin to play power forward, yet a bit too tall for a small forward.

Most importantly, he had no outside shot.

For a wing forward, not having a jumper is a major problem.

Compare him to someone like Marion, who could play both the three and the four, was an elite defender, and could both drive and shoot. Marion was just in a completely different league.

’D’Antoni’s run-and-gun system emphasized offense, but I can’t just completely ignore defense,’ Chen Yu thought.

’The starting lineup is full of defensive holes.’

’Milicic can hold his own in the paint, but on the wing, I need a defensive stopper.’

Nelson smiled. "You already have someone in mind, don’t you?"

The two men looked at each other, and Chen Yu smiled.

That person was the rookie the Pioneer had drafted this year: Iguodala.