Capítulo 1330: Chapter 534: “Details” Go Live!

“Has Kobe really aged? Has his metabolism slowed down? How did he get so fat?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s nothing like the Kobe in my mind. Jack, let’s switch training grounds. He’s really affecting my mood. I don’t want the image of Kobe Bryant in my mind to be ruined.”

Listening to Zhang Yang and Harden chirping loudly, DeRozan laughed awkwardly at Kobe.

Kobe’s face turned dark. It’s been almost a year since he retired, and he rarely kept in touch with his old team and teammates.

Gasol was thriving alongside Leonard, Aldridge, Parker, and Ginobili.

And Zhang Yang’s side was even more impressive. Like the Warriors, they had two real MVP-level players and a best lineup guard, achieving what even the Zhang-Kobe and Three Giants lineup couldn’t – the league’s first place…

Kobe was afraid that he might not be able to resist signing a minimum contract to come back as a sixth man or something. He truly had that capability earlier.

He played for 20 years, 10 years in the number 8 jersey, 10 years in the number 24, won 8 championships, built a dynasty in both phases, perfectly wrapping up his career… He has OCD and doesn’t want to ruin such a perfect freeze-frame.

Plus, signing a minimum contract would have no prestige… Although it hasn’t even been a year, he was already a player from the previous ‘Modern Basketball Era’. Even though his career’s highest salary over three years wasn’t as high as Zhang Yang’s starting salary in the small-ball era, during the modern basketball era, he was in a different class along with Jordan compared to other players.

For the first seven to eight months, he traveled the world with his wife and daughter, did charity work, promoted basketball, and had fully accepted retirement… Once his body also accepted retirement, he started attending Lakers playoff games, witnessing that game where Zhang Yang and DeRozan combined for 81 points.

His old team and teammates were about to face the Warriors, and being adept at analyzing opponents, he thought of coming to help. Who would have thought Zhang Yang and Harden would be so ‘dismissive’ of him!

Old Ironsmith: Am I really that fat? It’s okay, right? Not as fat as Boss Qiao, right? And definitely not as fat as the Shaq, right?

When they first gathered, Zhang San and Harden seemed dismissive of the Old Ironsmith, but when it was time for the team meeting, the two turned into well-behaved kids sitting at the front.

Kobe couldn’t help but tease: “You guys don’t think I’m fat now?”

Zhang Yang replied speechless: “Kobe, you’ve only retired for a year, how did you become so petty? Weren’t we just badmouthing you behind your back?”

Harden softly said: “I think we said it to his face.”

Zhang Yang confidently: “Exactly! We weren’t even badmouthing him behind his back!”

Kobe was so angry that he wanted to pinch the acupoint between his nose and mouth.

Old Ironsmith: This isn’t the Zhang San I know! Bring back that arrogant Zhang San!

But to be honest, Kobe really liked the current atmosphere of the Lakers; it was completely different from when he was there.

With the Compton’s Three Giants leading, the atmosphere was very relaxed!

The rookies didn’t get flustered seeing superstars, and the veterans didn’t put up airs.

If it were right after his retirement when he came to guide the young ones in training, he might not have been able to stand such a relaxed atmosphere in the team. He would have looked for chances to put pressure on everyone, perhaps because he was used to a more relaxed and mundane life nearly a year after retiring, now it felt pretty good.

…

This Lakers team meeting was led by retired basketball star Kobe.

Head Coach Budenholzer assisted, absorbing the wisdom of the legend.

After the meeting, Budenholzer repeatedly praised: “Kobe, you’re really not considering coaching? Saying with your analysis the win rate increased by half might be an exaggeration, but I think it increased by at least 10, no, at least 20 percentage points!”

This Lakers preparation meeting, Kobe showcased the new skill he developed in his year of retirement – detailed analysis.

He actually always had this ability, he could instinctively notice those ‘details’ early on, and he himself realized how beneficial that could be.

But earlier in his career, he didn’t have enough accumulated experience; in the mid-years, he had the experience and ability, but during those years, the team’s strength plummeted, and he had to focus on striving for those measly over-40 wins to make the playoffs; later on, the team had everything needed, but he was also old, struggling to maintain his form, without extra time and energy to delve into such analyses.

Post-retirement was different; he had so much energy that leaving the court wasn’t enough to utilize it all, not even close. In less than a year, not only did he hold five or six training camps, participated in seven or eight basketball promotion events, visited more than a dozen countries, and had a fourth daughter… he also happened to develop this ‘detail’ skill.

Kobe shook his head: “No, I’m worried that the players might not understand what I say, which would make me very angry, like just now, maybe only Jack, James, DeMar, Jose (Calderon), David (West) understood. I can’t be sure the team I coach will have so many outstanding players. Oh, that rookie Boyan (Bogdanovic), he understood too, and was able to ask me questions. Really impressive.”

Budenholzer: “Boyan is indeed very impressive. I believe next season he could replace Louis, becoming our sixth man. Unfortunately, his athletic ability isn’t outstanding; he relies on his weight to enhance stability, and his size isn’t remarkable either. However, his basketball IQ is high, having spent over a decade honing his fundamentals and skills in European youth and main teams, and he has ample experience. His offense and defense are well balanced, making him an important member of our main rotation in his rookie year.