Chapter 26

On October 5, 1993, one month before the NBA regular season began on November 5, almost all NBA teams were gathering for pre-season training in the next day or two.

Early in the morning of such a day, in the locker room of the Utah Jazz training facility, all the players with contracts were already assembled. Even David Benoit, the team's starting small forward from the previous season who was injured, had come. This 1991 rookie was likely to miss the start of the season, but he was still a key competitor for Lin Han.

Of course, Lin Han considered this starting small forward from the previous season as a rival, but this young player did not see Lin Han as a competitor. This young player, who had just signed a three-year, $3 million contract after his rookie contract ended, was already looking forward to his future. Since the team was willing to offer him a million-dollar annual salary, it was clear they expected him to take on the role of the team's future starting small forward.

In this situation, even if Lin Han, the player with a "great reputation" in America, competed with him, he did not have many concerns. After all, most of the media had said that this kid was a rookie who had tricked the Jazz. His view was the same as the media's, and he did not think Lin Han would pose a threat. Besides, when all the Jazz players were causing trouble for Lin Han, he did not participate and did not really know much about Lin Han.

There was still some time before the team gathered at the training ground in the morning, and the Jazz players were chatting in small groups. Most of the players were teammates from the previous season, and the Jazz had not made many significant moves in the summer, so the locker room was very stable. The team's two stars, Stockton and Malone, also had no major conflicts, so the team was very harmonious.

However, this internal harmony put a lot of pressure on the new players. At least, Lin Han, sitting at the counter on the side, felt very uncomfortable. Although he knew most of the players and had "faced off" with them before, there was not much interaction beyond that.

If Lin Han felt out of place watching the veteran Jazz players chatting and laughing, the other two new players beside him felt even more uneasy. Lin Han could clearly feel that his friend Aaron Williams was almost trembling, rhythmically tapping his feet on the floor. The other new player, small forward Brian Russell, was also in a similar state. This young player was a new addition to the team this year, but he was not drafted. He had performed well during the Jazz's tryouts and was signed by the sharp-eyed Jerry Sloan to a four-year, $1.2 million contract, which was better than Aaron Williams' two-year, $600,000 contract. This showed that the new player had real talent.

Although Lin Han and Brian Russell were not very close, they were still relatively friendly. They had trained together for three months in the summer, and during the summer, Lin Han's main opponent in the scrimmages was him. This guy's defensive skills surprised Lin Han. At least in terms of defense, he put more pressure on Lin Han than the strongest opponent Lin Han had faced so far, Allan Houston. He was a very solid and strong defender, and although he did not show much offensive talent, Lin Han believed that this solid defender would definitely have a place on the Jazz and might even become one of his competitors for a starting position.

Of course, if it were just his competitors, the most important ones besides the new players like Russell were the team's starting shooting guard and third star, Jeff Malone. Lin Han knew that if he could not show strong talent and ability from the start, it would be difficult to take the starting position from him. After all, Jeff Malone was a former All-Star. Although Jerry Sloan planned for Lin Han to eventually replace him, Jeff Malone was not young, and it would take time. Lin Han did not want to wait that long, so after joining the team, he did not think about competing for Jeff Malone's position. The veteran's position was too stable. Instead, Lin Han aimed to compete for the small forward position left open due to Benoit's injury.

However, for a team like the Jazz, which aimed for the championship, competition was everywhere. Lin Han was smartly focusing on the small forward position that would be contested, but the others were no different. The guard Jan Van Breda Kolff, who the team signed for a high price last season, had a disastrous performance, losing his starting position and facing criticism. This season, he was determined to rise and reclaim his starting position. The team's most important swingman from last season, Tyrone Corbin, was also eager to compete. He had averaged nearly 12 points per game with a shooting percentage over 50% while coming off the bench, which was an excellent performance.

Of course, besides these, there was the 24-year-old guard Walter Bond, who was brought in from the Mavericks. He averaged 8 points per game in his rookie season with the Mavericks, and although the Mavericks were a weak team, this data was not recognized by strong teams. However, this player, who Jerry Sloan brought in as a backup for Lin Han, might not be willing to be a backup.

Therefore, whether it was Jeff Malone, Benoit, Jan Van Breda Kolff, Brian Russell, Tyrone Corbin, or Walter Bond, these players, ranging from All-Star level to near-All-Star level, starting level, or rookies, were all formidable. Lin Han knew that standing out in the competition with these players would never be easy, especially with seven players vying for two starting positions.

Of course, at this moment, Lin Han was feeling the pressure of the team's veterans deliberately ignoring the new players, leaving them out, which made him feel even more the intense internal competition within the team.

However, the team's two stars, Stockton and Malone, were quite surprised by the three new players, including Lin Han.

On the first day of the team's gathering, they deliberately created an exclusive atmosphere in the locker room, not just for fun. In the NBA, there is an unwritten rule that no matter how big a name a rookie is, they must follow the arrangements and management of the veteran players. This seniority-based hierarchy is very serious in the NBA. For example, at the annual NBA All-Star Game, which is the most seniority-based event, Michael Jordan, when he was a rookie, did not show respect to the Eastern Conference's leader, Isaiah Thomas, and as a result, Isaiah Thomas united all the Eastern Conference All-Stars to exclude Jordan, deepening their conflict. This led to Jordan, who became the league's top star last year, directly refusing to include Isaiah Thomas in the Dream Team, instead choosing the less experienced Stockton to replace him, causing Isaiah Thomas, one of the top three point guards in NBA history, to miss the Dream Team, which sparked significant controversy last year.

"Looks like this kid is really calm. This season, our Jazz are really going to rise," Mailman Malone, who had been watching Lin Han out of the corner of his eye, said with a sigh. The Jazz had faced significant pressure after being eliminated in the first round last year, and both the management and the players were eager to rise quickly, especially after seeing Jordan complete his three-peat. Both Malone and Stockton were constantly thinking about reaching the Finals and defeating Jordan.

This year, the Jazz had a wealth of talent both inside and outside, especially with the new young player Lin Han. Not only did Sloan have high expectations for Lin Han, but Malone and Stockton did as well. This guy had even given the former All-Star Jeff Malone a hard time in one-on-one games, showing his ability. The two were more concerned about his character, but now it seemed that Lin Han's character was not a problem, and the test they set up had yielded good results.

"I hope so, but his playing style still makes me a bit uneasy," Stockton was not as optimistic as Malone. This new player, the team's new No. 8, might bring a lot of instability to the stable Jazz.

As for whether this instability would bring good or bad results, Stockton could not be sure.

---

Page Flip AD Start

Page Flip AD End