Green doesn't have such a temper yet.
Li Feng said this to give him a heads-up.
Green scratched his head, looking confused, and replied, "I... I won't."
...
After chatting with the new players, Li Feng walked over to D'Antoni.
D'Antoni was preoccupied.
He was very worried about the offseason acquisitions.
After all, the Knicks were a championship contender, but looking at these players, they were either injury-prone or rookies.
Could such a team contend for a championship?
Li Feng naturally understood D'Antoni's thoughts and smiled to comfort him, "Coach, don't worry. Our lineup will amaze the entire league once we gel for half a season!"
D'Antoni gave a wry smile, "Alas, I know the championship after-effects are difficult to deal with, but this overhaul is too rapid. If the results aren't good, I'll be criticized."
Li Feng shook his head, "No, Coach. If anyone dares to criticize you, I'll definitely stand up for you!"
D'Antoni also smiled and punched Li Feng, saying, "Only you can say that. What's the use of just talking back? I'm afraid I'll lose my job!"
"Don't worry, Coach. I've been observing these players for a long time. They are all very capable, just waiting to be unearthed."
D'Antoni's biggest dissatisfaction was with Jokic. He felt they could have at least found an experienced blue-collar center to ensure defense.
But this Jokic had no jumping ability, his shooting was average, and he looked a bit clumsy. What use was such a person?
Let alone comparing him to Yao Ming, any center plucked from the league could completely overwhelm him!
"Unearthed? You mean that European guy. What is there to unearth from him?" D'Antoni lowered his voice and gestured towards Jokic with his chin.
Li Feng said earnestly, "Coach, believe it or not, this guy will grow into..."
And his knee was already severely injured at the time.
When he landed in the NBA, Americans didn't like him. They even scoffed, "Sabonis is 33 years old, and his knees are probably 133 years old! Haha!"
However, Sabonis soon showed Americans what a top European center truly was!
Sabonis joined the Trail Blazers. Initially, he was placed on the bench, and the Trail Blazers had a record of 38 wins and 22 losses. Later, the head coach, on a trial basis, promoted him to the starting lineup.
The result—
18 wins and 4 losses!
In the five playoff games against the Jazz, Sabonis scored 23 points and 11 rebounds, astonishing everyone!
One can imagine what achievements he would have made if he had come to the NBA in his prime, in his healthy twenties!
Later, Sabonis, with his ruined knees, played well for a few years.
But his luck was somewhat poor. He reached the Western Conference Finals twice, losing to the Spurs' Twin Towers and the O'K combination respectively.
Both of those teams were champions that year!
Many fans felt sorry for Sabonis, but that was how fate had arranged it.
Besides regret, fans could only feel fortunate that Sabonis had proven himself on the world's highest level basketball stage at the twilight of his career!
In his last NBA season, Sabonis almost created another miracle!
That was in the playoffs when the Trail Blazers faced the Mavericks.
Trailing 0-3, Sabonis led the team in a comeback, winning three consecutive games and almost succeeding in the reversal.
Unfortunately, his injury made him unable to hold on in Game 7. He only played 11 minutes before leaving the court in disappointment. kanδん
...
After retiring, Sabonis became the president of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation and was very busy. Therefore, apart from his own son, he never served as a coaching instructor for anyone else!
However, this time, Li Feng personally called Old Sabonis and sincerely extended an invitation, and Sabonis actually agreed!
There was only one reason: Li Feng had defeated the Dream Team in the Olympics, and Sabonis actually regarded Li Feng as an idol!
The 48-year-old world basketball legend actually considered the 23-year-old Li Feng his idol!
Countless fans marveled at this.
But this was the truth. Sabonis had indeed come to the United States to serve as Jokic's coaching instructor.
Although Sabonis was nearly fifty, his demeanor remained as imposing as ever, and he carried a commanding presence.
He arrived at the training facility, found Li Feng, and was very excited. He tightly grasped Li Feng's hand—
"Li Feng, you are amazing. I watched every game of your Olympic performance. You are the best basketball player in the world!"
Being affirmed by Sabonis, Li Feng was a bit overwhelmed and repeatedly said, "You flatter me, you flatter me..."
The most shocked was none other than Jokic.
He had been in a daze ever since he was noticed by the Knicks.
Jokic could never have imagined that the Knicks would value him so much.
And today, Sabonis was invited by Li Feng to be his coaching instructor!
"My God! Am I dreaming?"
After all, Sabonis held a very high status in European basketball!
The idols of many European interior players were not Jordan, nor Olajuwon or Shaq, but Sabonis!
So, when Jokic saw Sabonis, he was so excited that he almost cried.
Li Feng pulled Jokic over and said with a smile, "Senior Sabonis, this is our team's future center. Please guide him well!"
Seeing Jokic as honest and having good physical conditions, Sabonis patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I will teach him well!"
With Sabonis's guidance, Li Feng was completely at ease.
The loss from Yao Ming's retirement could be slowly compensated for by Jokic.
...
The Knicks' offseason was fulfilling and busy.
The new season was about to begin.
The most agonizing period for fans was the offseason.
After waiting for several months, they finally welcomed the start of the new season!
And the Knicks fans were the most excited.
The Knicks' lineup had undergone significant changes this season.
Whether they could continue to contend for the championship in the new season was a topic of much discussion among many media outlets and fans.
Most fans believed that as long as Li Feng was there, the Knicks would be a championship favorite!
However, some fans believed that Yao Ming was crucial to the Knicks' three consecutive championships. After his retirement, Li Feng would have no help and certainly wouldn't win the championship.
Especially after signing Jokic, many people had lost hope for the new season.
...
The Knicks' first preseason game was at home against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Hawks actually had quite a few stars, but they always lacked that one extra push, missing a superstar to lead the team.
October 14th, Madison Square Garden, New York.
The preseason game began.
The Knicks' starting lineup was Li Feng, Jokic, Yi Jianlian, Bill Walker, and Curry.
The Hawks' starting five were Josh Smith, Horford, Teague, Korver, and Pachulia.
Although it was a preseason game, most of the Hawks' starters were present.
Even though the Hawks' record had been mediocre in recent years, they always played well against the Knicks, with closely contested games.
Therefore, the Hawks had always held a degree of resentment towards the Knicks.
At the tip-off, the young Jokic secured the first possession for the Knicks.
Curry dribbled past half-court.
After Li Feng's guidance, Curry not only changed his shooting mechanics but also became a bit stronger than before.
Many of Curry's fans, who hadn't seen him for months, were a little unaccustomed to seeing him like this.
He looked much sturdier.
Teague stepped up to defend Curry.
Curry didn't call for a pick-and-roll. Instead, he used rhythm changes to shake off Teague by half a step, then suddenly pulled up for a three-pointer!
Swish!
Three-pointer made!
The home crowd went wild!
Before this, no one shot like this except Li Feng.
And when Curry was with the Warriors, the coach didn't allow him to shoot threes like this.
Now, with the Knicks, Curry could finally let loose!
Seeing Curry's three-pointer, Li Feng was even happier than if he had made it himself. He excitedly jumped over and chest-bumped Curry in celebration!
The Hawks players were stunned...
Good heavens, one Li Feng was enough to deal with, and now another Curry? Could they still play happily?
Actually, D'Antoni, watching from the sidelines, wasn't entirely pleased with Curry's shooting.
Li Feng dared to shoot like that because he had the qualifications, but Curry...
However, D'Antoni wouldn't say anything. He knew that Li Feng and Curry had a relationship akin to brothers.
If D'Antoni truly dared to scold Curry, Li Feng could even get the owner to fire D'Antoni.
That was Li Feng!
He wasn't a pushover like Curry.
The Hawks players exchanged glances, looking a bit flustered.
But Josh Smith was a tough character, a wild card. He loudly shouted to his teammates, "It's okay, we'll answer back!"
The Hawks also had many three-point shooters, including Teague, Korver, Horford, and even Josh Smith himself. Their three-point shooting was actually quite good.
Especially Korver, who was once the league's leader in three-point shooting percentage!
In another parallel universe, Josh Smith also had brilliant moments.
That was when he was with the Rockets and facing the Clippers in the playoffs. At that time, the Rockets were trailing 1-3.
In the crucial Game 5, Harden was benched in the fourth quarter. Josh Smith, Brewer, and Terry, three players wearing headbands, came off the bench and hit consecutive three-pointers, reversing the game against the Clippers!
Poor Paul, that was the Clippers' best season, but they were miraculously reversed by the Rockets.