Chapter 27 of 100

Chapter 27

17 min read4,219 words

On the first day of training camp for the Utah Jazz, Jerry Sloan did not demand much from the players. Most of the current players were holdovers from the previous season, and the core lineup remained largely intact, with the exception of the team's star center, Mark Eaton, a former Defensive Player of the Year and one of the best shot-blockers in NBA history, who had retired.

In this situation, the pre-season training camp for the Jazz was not particularly urgent. After all, most of the core players were already very familiar with Sloan's system. The main task of the pre-season training was simply to integrate the new players into the team, which was not a particularly difficult task.

Therefore, this year's training camp was much more relaxed for the Jazz players compared to last year. Last year, the team had reached the Western Conference Finals, and the entire country was eagerly anticipating whether the Jazz could advance to the Finals to face the Bulls. The pressure on this promising Western team was immense. However, after the previous season, the team only finished sixth in the Western Conference and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. In the end, everyone saw that the true king and future of the West lay not with Malone and Stockton, but with the overweight Charles Barkley. The small-market team of Salt Lake City was left to its own devices, and no one cared about them, even though the team had two superstars who had made the Dream Team.

If it weren't for Lin Han's dramatic draft, probably not many people would have paid much attention to the Jazz, a team with no scandals, no internal conflicts, and not much popularity or distinctiveness.

Team integration, in theory, is quite simple, but in practice, it is not so easy. The Jazz, with its stability, is one of the best in the NBA. The team has no major troublemakers, and the star players are not particularly difficult to manage. Coach Sloan, aside from being a bit rigid and strict, has no significant flaws. This is a team that is typically the easiest for players to integrate into, at least on the surface.

However, when Lin Han and the others arrived at the team's training facility, things were not as they seemed. Veterans like John Stockton, Karl Malone, Jeff Malone, and Tom Chambers always stuck together, interacting and laughing on the training court as if they owned the place, with no signs of restraint. They did not seem to fear or be uneasy about Coach Sloan, and Sloan did not seem to care whether these veterans were really warming up or training.

In contrast, the mid-career players like Tyrone Corbin and newly acquired players like Felton Spencer were all working hard, at least they appeared to be. They seemed to want to impress Sloan and catch his attention. Even David Benoit, the team's starting small forward from last season, who was injured, was diligently practicing his shooting. Isaac Austin, a reserve big man who had suffered a major injury and was known as "Little Malone" in college, was also pretending to work hard, moving around the court in front of Sloan.

Whether it was the carefree veterans and core players or the highly motivated mid-career and newly acquired players, these two groups, though seemingly incompatible, had their own clear goals. The veterans and core players had already established their abilities and only needed to maintain their form, so they did not need to work too hard, as overexertion could lead to injury. They were already set in Sloan's mind and did not need to prove anything. This was different from the mid-career players and the new additions to the team.

However, in this Jazz team, the three rookies—Lin Han, Aaron Williams, and Brian Russell—were even more out of place. Williams and Russell did not know what to do, and neither did the coaching staff. Seeing the veterans chatting idly and the mid-career players training hard, the young rookies were at a loss. Lin Han, too, was unsure of how to act or what to show.

Although Lin Han was young, he had some experience in the social world due to his family background. While he was not particularly smooth, he knew some rules. As a newcomer, he needed to follow certain protocols. For example, if the veterans and star players came to the team in a $100,000 sports car, Lin Han's car should not exceed that price. If the veterans and core players were casual on the training court, Lin Han should not come in and act like he was the star, trying to steal the spotlight. If he did, he would become like Jordan, and the other players would not pass him the ball. Jordan could be cocky on and off the court because he had the talent, but Lin Han was not sure if he had that talent yet.

Therefore, Lin Han needed to avoid annoying the veterans and core players during training. On the court, during official games, he could play however he wanted, and no one would say anything, as long as he performed well and the team won.

This was also a concern for Williams and Russell. If they acted too aggressively like the mid-career players, it would seem like they were trying to take over, and they would likely be resented by the mid-career players and looked down upon by the veterans.

However, if they did nothing, the head coach would be dissatisfied. "I picked you to contribute to the team. If you don't show anything, how can I evaluate you?"

Thus, it was difficult to strike the right balance. Fortunately, while Stockton and Malone had some intentions to give the rookies a taste of the team's hierarchy, they did not make things too difficult for Lin Han and the others. After seeing the three rookies struggle for a while, the two team leaders came over and offered some guidance and help. For Malone and Stockton, this was not about real guidance but about letting the three rookies and the other players know that these three were under their protection. This relieved the pressure on the rookies and gave them the freedom to perform.

In the NBA, most teams operate this way. Rookies start by fetching tea and water, a form of hazing to teach them the rules. Once the rookies understand the rules, the team leaders will embrace them and say, "See, this is my good friend. Everyone, take care of him."

However, Lin Han had been very confident and calm in the locker room, completely ignoring the hazing set up by Stockton and Malone. He did not fetch tea or water or greet the leaders enthusiastically. As a result, Lin Han, the new "little brother," was not very compliant. While Malone and Stockton admired Lin Han's mental toughness, as team leaders, they still needed to test him.

So, after Lin Han somewhat reluctantly went to talk to Malone and Stockton about what to do, the two leaders quickly embraced him and called him a "buddy," officially taking him under their wing.

"Many people said that new players in the NBA have to do this and that. Now it seems they were right. If you hadn't gone to greet Malone and Stockton, we would have been left out for a while. The coach wouldn't have cared about this."

"This is an internal matter among the players. The coach wouldn't get involved. Maybe the coach intentionally didn't assign any tasks on the first day of training to let the players sort it out themselves. But thank you, Lin Han. Clearly, the two leaders were here for you."

As Stockton and Malone left with a laugh, Brian Russell picked up where Aaron Williams left off. In fact, Russell had also considered stepping up, but he ultimately held back. After all, in the eyes of Malone and Stockton, the three young players were not led by him. If he had overstepped, he would not have a good future.

So, although Lin Han was tested and had to go through the hazing, he was eventually accepted by Malone and Stockton. This made him the leader among the three rookies, with Williams and Russell following him. This also meant that Lin Han had officially integrated into the Jazz, which was a good thing.

However, on the second day of the Jazz's training camp, an event in Chicago almost drove the entire camp, the NBA, and the entire country into a frenzy.

On October 6, 1993, the first day of the Chicago Bulls' training camp, the league's top star, Michael Jordan, announced his retirement from the NBA!

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