Chapter 500 - 433: Coin
The Pioneers on offense.
Sura brought the ball up, pushing the pace quickly.
Larry Hughes hurried back on defense, locking Sura down.
The delay meant the fast-break opportunity was lost.
In the post, despite being seven feet tall, Milicic was incredibly fast. Not only did he keep up with Sura’s pace, but he also established position against Kristen Lightner inside and called for the ball.
He had deep position, but the crafty Kristen Lightner extended an arm, pressing down on his shoulder to push him out.
But he didn’t budge an inch.
The young man gritted his teeth, refusing to give up a single step.
Unfortunately, Sura on the perimeter acted as if he hadn’t seen him, attempting a crossover to drive to the basket.
But he was too slow.
Larry Hughes was no slouch. He was a tough perimeter defender who had averaged 1.9 steals per game during his peak with the Warriors. Anticipating the move, he suddenly lunged forward and cleanly poked the ball away.
On the sideline, Rivers swung his fist in frustration and laid into Sura.
The very next possession, Rivers called a timeout and immediately subbed Sura out.
’If you don’t pass the ball, what use are you to me?’
"Inside! Our advantage is inside! Pay attention to the position of our big men. When they establish position, you pass them the ball immediately!" Rivers roared at his players, slapping the clipboard.
The players all had mixed expressions.
’Saying the advantage is inside... why not just come out and say to pass the ball to Milicic?’
Rivers couldn’t care less. He was going to lay down the law today and make it clear to these players that Milicic was the future core of the team. Anyone who didn’t like it could sit on the bench, just like Sura.
’We’re rebuilding, are we trying to contend for a championship or something? Of course we have to do everything we can to develop our promising rookies.’
After the timeout, Milicic got the ball.
For his first shot attempt since joining the Pioneers, he caught the ball near the baseline, made his move with his back to the basket, and executed a double spin into a left-handed hook shot.
The move was fluid and the spin was agile, but unfortunately, at the moment of release, he didn’t control the power from his wrist, and the ball clanked off the rim.
Rivers acted as if he hadn’t seen a thing, standing on the sideline clapping and cheering.
He was definitely playing his part as the hype man.
"TWEET!"
The whistle blew.
On the other end, Milicic was too aggressive while defending a power move by Lightner and sent him to the free-throw line.
Rivers didn’t care at all. He gave Milicic a thumbs-up, shouting that it was a hard-nosed defensive play.
Standing next to him, Lynam’s face burned with embarrassment. He could feel the fiery glares from the players on the bench directed their way.
’Good this, good that... what part of Milicic’s performance has been even remotely good?’
In fact, over these few possessions, Milicic’s performance could be described as absolutely atrocious.
It wasn’t until near the end of the first quarter that Milicic finally managed to score, shaking Lightner on a cut to the basket and making a layup. It was his first point since joining the Pioneers, and the first point of his NBA career.
Beside Chen Yu, Patterson was already frowning. He said grimly, "Chen, we didn’t misjudge him, did we?"
Watching Milicic’s performance made him shudder.
It was too awful!
Although Chen Yu had recommended Milicic, he himself had agreed to it at the time. In fact, Milicic had been the player he was considering for the trade anyway.
If Milicic didn’t pan out and they had given up Rashid Wallace for nothing, then his own job wouldn’t be safe for long.
"Patterson, your expectations for him are too high. You’re thinking of him as the next Jordan or James, expecting him to have an amazing game the moment he steps on the court. But if you think of him as just a regular rookie getting some minutes off the bench, doesn’t this performance seem much more normal?" Chen Yu said reassuringly.
Patterson’s eye twitched. The key was, Milicic wasn’t just some regular rookie.
He was the second overall pick!
Sensing that his explanation wasn’t entirely convincing, Chen Yu added, "You have to look at his strengths. He’s very fast and agile, his ability to handle contact isn’t that bad, and his fundamental skills are solid. It’s just that his ability to read the game is too poor, he has zero communication with his teammates, and his shot selection is not good enough. He’s not playing smart yet."
"These are things that can be improved. But agility and speed, those things can’t be taught. And you have to remember, his player comparisons are Garnett and Nowitzki. Think about how they play."
To this day, the media still criticizes Nowitzki for being too soft, for just floating around on the perimeter and shooting. But that hasn’t stopped him from becoming a star and the core of the Mavericks.
"Your offensive tempo is too slow. A half-court offense can’t play to his strengths at all."
"You’re not the Phoenix Suns, you’re not the Spurs. You can’t just slow it down and run a half-court set."
The Phoenix Suns have O’Neal, and the Spurs have Duncan. A half-court offense is what allows them to maximize their advantages.
"His strengths are his excellent mid-range shot—his range even extends to the three-point line—and he has outstanding ball-handling and passing ability. I remember Old Nelson saying he could even play point guard."
"You should be developing him more in the mold of a Weber, not trying to turn him into the next O’Neal."
Everyone wants to develop their big man into the next O’Neal, but after all these years, there’s still only one O’Neal.
Patterson furrowed his brow in thought, saying nothing.
Seeing his reaction, Chen Yu added, "Or, develop him in the direction of an Olajuwon."
The moment Olajuwon was mentioned, Patterson’s spirits lifted instantly.
Years ago with the Rocket, his old man, the legendary "God of the Coin Flip" Ray Patterson, was once again blessed by Lady Luck in the NBA’s final coin toss, helping the Rocket draft Olajuwon and setting them on the path to a championship.
Thinking of this, an idea popped into Patterson’s head as if by divine intervention.
He took a 25-cent coin from his pocket, showed it to Chen Yu, and said, "Chen, let’s flip a coin. Let’s bet on whether Milicic will pan out or not. You pick first."
"Are you serious?"
Chen Yu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Whether a player panned out depended on talent and hard work, and even on the team’s roster and whether he had the right teammates and coach. It had absolutely nothing to do with luck.
Patterson nodded firmly, glanced at Milicic walking off the court, and said, "Chen, I really need a little faith right now."
He could give Milicic plenty of time to adapt and develop, but he could just imagine the criticism he would face in the process. He was genuinely afraid he wouldn’t be able to withstand that kind of pressure.
Chen Yu understood. His smile faded as he glanced at the coin in Patterson’s hand. "Steve, I don’t believe in this stuff, but this time, I’ll take your bet. I choose heads. I believe he’ll pan out."
"Alright!"
Patterson took a deep breath, flicked his thumb, and tossed the coin.
CLAP. Patterson caught the coin and slapped it onto the back of his hand.
"Feels like tails," Patterson said, looking up at Chen Yu, trying to find a trace of panic on his face.
But he failed. Chen Yu’s expression was calm, even showing a faint smile.
"Reveal it. I believe it’s heads."
Patterson took a deep breath and lifted his left hand.
George Washington was smiling up at the two of them.
Beside Chen Yu, Nelson couldn’t help but let out a long sigh, unclenching his tightly balled fist.
Patterson stared blankly at the coin on the back of his hand.
Having followed his father since he was young, he truly felt that some kind of God of the Coin Flip watched over his father.
In ’69, Patterson had his first major success, bringing Sky Hook Jabbar to the Bucks and helping the young team win a championship in its third year.
Many years later, it was him again, winning the coin toss for the first overall pick two years in a row, helping the Rocket get Ralph Sampson and Olajuwon, and ultimately leading the Rocket to a championship.
"Steve, as a member of the Suns, does this count as me getting my revenge?" Chen Yu added with a laugh.
In ’69, the person who flipped the coin against Patterson was none other than Old Kolangelo.
If Old Kolangelo had won that year, the Suns would have gotten Jabbar, and the Suns’ first championship in franchise history might not have been delayed until last year.
Patterson paused for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh. "That’s right. This time, luck was on your side."
But after laughing, he suddenly became serious again and said, "Actually, I was hoping to lose. Chen, thank you."
He looked Chen Yu straight in the eye and thanked him sincerely.
Chen Yu waved his hand, discreetly wiping the sweat from his palm on his pants.
’It was a fifty-fifty chance. Who the hell knew what the result would be?’
In the second quarter, Milicic was still on the court.
During the timeout, Rivers’ praise and unreserved trust might have helped him regain some confidence.
He played with more determination.
But his touch was still off.
In his 6 minutes on the court in the second quarter, he shot 1-for-4, scoring only 3 points.
During halftime in the locker room, despite being down by 11 points, Rivers was still in high spirits, praising all the players profusely.
He specifically singled out Milicic for praise.
Chen Yu, who was also there, couldn’t help but wonder how this guy managed to remain so emotionally stable—to hold back from cursing out his team when they were losing and continue to encourage his players instead.
From this perspective alone, his tactical skills might be garbage, but he genuinely had the potential to become a good head coach.
NBA players are all different, and the same goes for head coaches.
There are those with high-level tactical skills, but there are also "players’ coaches" who excel at maintaining locker room harmony and building good relationships with the players.
Rivers seemed to be a master of the latter.
Besides, his tactics might be garbage, but at least he was willing to listen.
Yesterday at dinner, Chen Yu had asked Lynam during a chat what he thought of Rivers.
Even though his head coaching position had been taken, Lynam had offered a rare piece of praise, saying that Rivers was at least willing to listen to the opinions of his assistants.
Many head coaches are a complete mess tactically, yet they refuse to listen to their assistants.
’In Rivers’ case, he really should be paired with two great assistant coaches, or a smart point guard.’
’Nash would be a perfect fit.’
’Off the court, listen to the assistants. On the court, listen to Nash. You can just be the mascot and keep dishing out your chicken soup motivational speeches.’
In the second half, Milicic continued to play off the bench for another 11 minutes.
In those 11 minutes, he grabbed 4 rebounds, scored 5 points, and contributed one block.
Although the Pioneers lost 87 to 103, a full 16 points.
Although Milicic’s efficiency was incredibly low, shooting 4-for-14.
But at least his final stat line didn’t look so bad. 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 block—at first glance, it was still pretty impressive.