Chapter 2019: Chapter 4: Journey to the East_3

By the end of September, there will be the Asian Games in Incheon, Korea. Yao Ming will not participate; he wants to stay and participate in the Glory Team’s preseason training camp to prepare for the new season.

As for the national team, having Wang Zhizhi go is sufficient.

From July to September, two months of training time is quite important for player condition.

Yao Ming lives alone in a spacious apartment. In addition to a translator, the Glory Team has hired a Chinese chef specifically for him, to take care of Yao Ming’s diet. Every day, there is housekeeping service coming to clean and ensure that Yao Ming can focus all his energy on training.

Yao Ming has already adjusted to the time zone change, getting up on time every morning, and then the translator drives him to the training hall at UNLV to train.

Besides Yao Ming, Jordan and Gan Guoyang train there every day, often for a whole day.

The Glory Team’s training team formulated a comprehensive, step-by-step training plan for Yao Ming, aiming to gradually enhance Yao Ming’s confrontation ability, correct some bad habits during games, and adjust his shooting form according to Gan Guoyang’s requirements.

Gan Guoyang believes that while Yao Ming has a great shooting touch, his form is suitable for mid-range and close-range shots, not long-range shots; this limits the development of his mid-to-long-range shooting and needs early correction.

For Yao Ming, who’ve been playing for over a decade and is now 22, it’s a painful task.

Changing the shooting form also means altering muscle memory, which could impact his overall state.

He’s already 22, not 12.

After thorough communication and analysis using new concepts and software analysis equipment, Yao Ming agrees with Ah Gan’s viewpoint and decides to make some adjustments to his form, making his shooting arc higher.

Instead of a major overhaul, a slight tweak can improve several shooting habits and yield quite good results.

It can both enhance overall accuracy and help develop his outside shooting.

Gan Guoyang’s playing style has long proven that once a center acquires outside shooting, the power is immense.

In many series and crucial games, Gan Guoyang’s three-pointers have played a pivotal role in overturning the situation.

Last season, Gan Guoyang’s number of three-point attempts reached a high standard level, surpassing hook shots and lean-in jump shots, becoming the most important scoring method.

As for confrontation, weight, the outside says Yao Ming should gain weight, but Gan Guoyang thinks there’s no rush.

Gan Guoyang’s template for Yao Ming isn’t Shaquille O’Neal or Ewing-type heavy centers, but rather Smits-type tall, versatile centers.

The one who truly needs to gain weight isn’t Yao Ming, but Gan Guoyang himself.

After last season’s failure, Gan Guoyang decided to appropriately increase his weight.

Not to enhance confrontation ability, but to protect joints and body.

Gan Guoyang’s knees have no problems; they’re still as strong as steel.

But his back, elbows, and other upper limbs require more muscle support.

Moreover, with further decrease in explosiveness, the importance of strength becomes more prominent.

Gan Guoyang began spending more time in the gym, sculpting his muscle details, especially deep muscles and small muscle groups, using muscle mass and control to compensate for diminishing speed and explosion.

Gan Guoyang thought, whatever happens, he should at least reach the peak level of Karl Malone, right?

As for Jordan, it’s another path; Gan Guoyang demands that he must lose weight.

"I’m in great shape, why should I lose weight?"

"Good? You’re good? Look at your shooting percentage, your efficiency is at rock bottom, you’re still good?"

"That’s because of the Supersonics’ style; my attack efficiency can’t be high!"

"Because your knees are no longer holding. You had knee inflammation in ’95. Face your age and condition!"

Another round of quarrel ensues; Jordan believes his current condition is fine, while Gan Guoyang insists Jordan must lose weight. Jordan thinks weight loss will decrease muscle mass and confrontational ability.

Moreover, why should you gain weight for confrontation, while I have to lose weight?

Such arguments have continued repeatedly since Jordan joined the Glory Team.

Their disagreements aren’t because they always have different opinions, but about who controls the team.

Additionally, these two are top-notch competitors, having rivaled for half a lifetime, through an entire career. How can they not continue their rivalry?

Sometimes they argue so intensely that Yao Ming feels perturbed; are these really teammates? Won’t they disperse by tomorrow?

However, every time after a quarrel, they act as if nothing happened, training when it’s time to train, eating when it’s time to eat.

Initially, Jordan snuck off to gamble, but after consecutive losses, never winning, he learned that Ah Gan had spoken to the casino, instructing that whenever a Glory player came to gamble, regardless of who, they would lose.

Gambling without winning becomes meaningless. Gradually, Jordan stopped gambling, being satisfied with playing mahjong with old friends a few times a week.

The remaining time is spent on training. He finally decided to lose weight, improve his diet, temporarily quit cigars and high-calorie foods, keeping his body in the best condition to prepare for the new season.

The two take the new season very seriously because they know it’s about their honor.

If they can’t deliver the best performance and win the championship, they will fall from the heights they were built up to.

Under the inspiration of the two, Yao Ming trains hard too, making a little progress every day.

Meanwhile, major changes are happening in other teams in the league.

On August 1st, another blockbuster trade emerged: The Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat completed a trade.

The Heat sent Wang Zhizhi, Rashid Wallace, and Jim Jackson, along with future draft picks to acquire Shaquille O’Neal from the Lakers.

Another seismic personnel change; after repeatedly being defeated by Ah Gan’s teams at the Lakers, O’Neal finally couldn’t take it.

Now, with Yao Ming and Jordan joining the Glory Team, it feels like all are here to target O’Neal.

After free agency opened, O’Neal submitted a trade request to the Lakers, and Heat’s Riley was already prepared, having targeted the big fish O’Neal for a long time.

So, O’Neal swam from the West Coast back to the South Coast, returning to Florida.

O’Neal would rather cooperate with the Heat in rebuilding than stay in the Western Conference and be harassed by Ah Gan’s team.

Thus, the balance between the Eastern and Western Conference changed significantly.

However, O’Neal didn’t foresee that merely five days later, on August 6th, the league announced an important decision.

Due to financial losses, the Hornets will relocate from Charlotte to a new city, New Orleans.

Simultaneously, the Las Vegas Radiance as a new team will follow the rule categories when the Miami Heat and Timberwolves joined the league, staying in the Western Conference for a year before moving to the Eastern Conference in a year.

Hence, in the 2002-2003 season, the Radiance will become an Eastern Conference team, while the New Orleans Hornets are placed in the Western Conference for balance.

O’Neal’s plan to escape Ah Gan by traveling east temporarily failed.