The story between Kobe and Jackson is enough to write a novel. The conflict between Kobe and O'Neal is well known, but Jackson has repeatedly supported O'Neal and denied Kobe in public.
Jackson even asked the management to trade Kobe many times. Jackson's original words were: Kobe is too stubborn to coach.
But the Lakers' support still allowed Kobe to stay.
As a result, Jackson, who supported O'Neal, had a bad relationship with Kobe.
Jackson looked down on Kobe and felt that Kobe was not suitable to be a leader because of Kobe's character and Kobe's style of play. However, Kobe believed that Jackson was unwilling to arrange tactics for him, and even the running tactics of his teammates were pitiful.
Between the two people, it seems that one must choose.
In fact, many people don't know that as early as 1999, Kobe was almost traded away, and it was Zen Master who made the promise to keep Kobe at that time.
The fact that Kobe was almost traded as a bargaining chip in 1999 starts with O'Neal's tragic playoffs.
Before the start of the 1999-2000 season, the big man O'Neal, who had dunked three times in his rookie season, had already begun to claim to be the "most dominant player", but this confident big center has never been able to recover from disappointment.
Come out of the playoffs.
Before the summer of 1999, O'Neal had always been labeled "swept."
Even though O'Neal has the ability to fly and escape on the court, he still cannot avoid the fact that he was swept in the first round of the playoffs.
In the 1996-97 season, O'Neal's first year with the Lakers, O'Neal's performance was average due to injury; in the 1997-98 season, he was swept 4-0 by the Jazz in the Western Conference Finals; in the 1998-99 season, he was swept 4-0 by the Spurs in the second round.
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It wasn't until the end of the 1998-99 season that O'Neal finally couldn't stand it anymore. He began to become frustrated and dissatisfied with his teammates, mainly Kobe.
What you need to know is that in the summer of 1999, Kobe did not have the strength to compete with O'Neal in power sharing.
At that stage, whether on the court or in the locker room, O'Neal was the absolute and only leader, while Kobe was the one who was left out in the cold by other players.
This may be related to Kobe's character. In the words of a Lakers player at the time: "Kobe is not gregarious and has always liked to be a loner, but when it comes to games, he wants to stand out more than anyone else."
The player leader of the Lakers is O'Neal. Although he has shocked Kobe before, how could Kobe compromise with his character?
If Kobe was a dictionary, you would definitely not find the words "compromise" and "make do".
O'Neal repeatedly wanted Kobe to know that he was the player leader of the Lakers, but Kobe always ignored O'Neal's presence or pretended not to receive O'Neal's signal.
But after being swept in the playoffs many times in a row, O'Neal began to put pressure on the Lakers management, saying bluntly that there was no way to win in this way, and hinting that he no longer wanted to cooperate with Kobe.
In the eyes of the Lakers at the time, Kobe was far less important than O'Neal. They felt the crisis created by O'Neal and asked, "What if he leaves?"
Later, the Lakers' top management spent an annual salary of 8 million to invite the famous coach "Zen Master" Phil Jackson, who coached Jordan and the Bulls, and his coaching team.
At the same time, the Lakers management also had to secretly consider trading Kobe, because O'Neal at that time was just like James in Lu Yu's previous life. You could only coax but not provoke him, otherwise you would suffer a big loss if he gets angry and leaves one day.
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The object of Kobe's trade at that time was Grant Hill from the Pistons. Hill was the third overall pick in the 1994 draft. Before the start of the 1999-2000 season, he had averaged 20 points per game four times.
Later, it was "Zen Master" Jackson who rejected the deal. He said that Grant Hill was 6 years older than Kobe and the deal was not worth it.
Later facts proved that it was a correct choice for Zen Master to keep Kobe.
If Zen Master hadn't come to the Lake to help turn the tide, Kobe might have left.
But no one could have imagined that a few years later, when the Lakers once again had to choose between Kobe and O'Neal, this time Jackson chose O'Neal.
But this time the Lakers didn't follow his wish.
Instead, he kept Kobe, which also brought his relationship with Kobe to a freezing point.
The Suns have won several games, and their winning streak has reached seven games. Since changing their style of play, they have not lost yet, and Lu Yu's popularity has reached its highest point.
It is estimated that this year's All-Star voting champion is in the bag again.
And seeing the Suns' offensive frenzy, fans hope that Lu Yu can lead the Western Conference to such an offense during the All-Star Game and make the All-Star Game more enjoyable.
Because Lu Yu has been dunking more recently, many fans hope that Lu Yu will participate in the dunk contest.
Lu Yu has also accepted a lot of advertising endorsements. He makes money without making money. His current advertising endorsement fees are much higher than his salary. Counting various endorsements, he only earns from being associated with the NBA.
, have already ranked among the top ten in the league.
Not to mention other income, the market value of Tencent has grown rapidly, plus Lu Ji Restaurant, the Bulls, media companies, brokerage companies, and many miscellaneous investments, Lu Yu can no longer count how many assets he has.
Recently, Snoopy is in contact with Marion. Although it is not a big surprise, he is still a high-quality player.
It happened that Marion was planning to change his agent, so Lu Yu took care of it directly.
At the same time, the Lakers were in chaos after losing to the Suns.
After losing to the Suns, the Lakers lost to the 76ers and the Raptors, two weak teams in the Eastern Conference. Although Kobe Bryant could get good statistics in every game, the team just couldn't win.
Phil Jackson believed that Kobe's shooting was the key to the Lakers' loss.
On the surface, Kobe's statistics look good, but in fact his efficiency is appallingly low. Kobe is not suitable to be a team leader at all.
Kobe said, "If I don't shoot, others won't shoot either. What will happen to the ball in the end?"
They didn't shoot, so I must be the one to finish the shot. As for the low efficiency, it's not because you didn't plan the tactics at all. The players on the field were like watching a movie, watching me play alone, and every opponent I met,
They can double-team me at will.
The strange thing is that none of the Lakers players spoke.
None of them supported anyone, and they just watched Kobe and Zen Master having internal strife.
How should I put it? What they both said makes sense. Jackson did not plan the tactics, but Kobe was indeed unique.
Immediately after they met the Celtics in an away game, Kobe made 12 of 56 shots and hit 44 irons, setting a historical record for a single player in a single game.
This is the real blacksmith.
Kobe didn't care anymore, and he never looked back on his career as a blacksmith.
In the past, there was O'Neal, and he couldn't take any action at all. When O'Neal left, in order for the team to win, he initially wanted to connect the team, but in the end he found out that the team was like this, so he just started playing by himself.
It's just that this is a vicious cycle. The more you play in this situation, the easier it is to break the iron.
After all, both his mentality and his opponent's defense made him feel very discouraged.
But he is someone who refuses to admit defeat, so the more determined he is, the more devoted he will be.
Phil Jackson knew that he would definitely be fired, so he spoke even more boldly in the interview: "Kobe is a cancer. I suggest the management trade Kobe out. The Lakers need to be completely rebuilt, otherwise there will be absolutely no hope."
Lu Yu, who was far away in Phoenix, was delighted when he heard this.
"Hey Kobe, the door to Phoenix is always open for you."
Lu Yu directly extended an invitation to Kobe.
In Lu Yu's previous life, Kobe Bryant was one man and one city, and he stayed with the Lakers for 20 seasons. It was rare for him to leave Los Angeles, but Lu Yu suddenly became interested.
But the Lakers are not stupid, they know who to choose between the coach and Kobe.
If Kobe is really traded, wouldn't that directly slap them in the face for their wrong decision in trading O'Neal in the summer?
In fact, they already regretted it.
With O'Neal, the Lakers are a playoff-level team, but with Kobe, they're going straight to the lottery, okay?
On December 24, the Lakers announced that Jackson Jackson was dismissed from get out of class, and the Lakers invited Rudy Tomjanovich as the team's head coach.
That's right, the head coach whose brains were punched out.
On December 9, 1977, the Lakers played against the Rockets, and a physical fight broke out on the court. Tomjanovich, who was still a player at the time, ran forward to break up the fight, but Kermit Washington misunderstood his intention and swung it in his face.
A heavy punch caused Tomjanovich to cover his face and fall to the ground, bleeding profusely. His jaw and face were fractured, and the back of his skull was cracked due to the impact on the ground when he fell.
Tomjanovich underwent plastic surgery and recuperation, and was able to return to the court five months later, while Kermit was suspended for 60 games, an unprecedented and severe punishment for the NBA at the time.
Tomjanovich later recalled thinking that the scoreboard hanging above the court fell on his head.
This punch caused Tomjanovich to undergo five surgeries, his tear ducts were surgically removed, and he almost died in the hospital.
Tomjanovich once asked his doctor afterwards why his mouth felt so salty after the punch, and the answer turned out to be: "What you were tasting was your own brain!"
Washington also paid a huge price for this. Suspensions and fines were all expected.
But a black man beat a white man. In that era when racial discrimination was still very serious, Washington would be looked at with condemnation wherever he went.
Even when his wife gave birth in the hospital, even the doctors were unwilling to serve them.
After just a few seasons, Washington announced his retirement in 1982.
As a coach, Tomjanovich likes to give the team's top stars ample opportunities to perform. Olajuwon and Francis are able to maximize their personal abilities when playing under him. Therefore, after he took over in Los Angeles, theoretically,
Kobe will get the most opportunity to perform.
On the same day, the Suns came to Chicago to prepare for the Christmas Day game.
The media predicted a one-sided outcome, with all optimistic about the Suns.
The reason is very simple. Lu Yu is very familiar with the Bulls. Although this Bulls team has changed many players, Lu Yu knows Cartwright's tactics very well.
After Lu Yu came to Chicago, he invited his former teammates to have dinner together and called Wang Zhizhi by the way.
The Bulls' record this season ranks second in the Eastern Conference, beaten by the Heat. However, the Bulls' management is very satisfied with such a record.
Mainly because Lu Yu was very satisfied.
The team's twin stars, Hamilton and Wang Zhizhi, are a perfect combination. Both of them can shoot, and neither of them takes possession of the ball. They play smoothly.
Moreover, Wang Zhizhi is currently averaging 19.8 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, and he is very likely to be selected for the All-Star Game for the first time.
After Lu Yu got together with his former teammates, he went on a secret date with Jessica.
Jessica is now based in Chicago and lives in the same house that Lu Yu had.
Revisiting the old place, the two loved each other for a night, but it did not affect Lu Yu's performance in the Christmas battle at all.
After all, Lu Yu has the breathing technique in his body, and what he is not afraid of the most is physical exercise.
In the Christmas game, Lu Yu scored 61 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, once again breaking his triple-double scoring record. The Suns also defeated the Bulls 127-116.
Many people exclaimed that they have seen players with triple-doubles, but they have never seen players who can score 60 points while getting a triple-double. It is simply terrifying.
Wang Zhizhi also performed well and performed exceptionally well in this game.
Scored 32 points and 11 rebounds.
Of course, the main reason is that Haslem is most afraid of defending such a player, and Lu Yu did not take the initiative to defend Wang Zhizhi. After all, he is a fellow countryman. When a fellow countryman meets a fellow countryman, he cannot beat him to death.
Everyone realizes that this Suns team may really win the championship.
Because the Suns have not faced the top teams in the league before, but the Bulls are different. This Bulls is already one of the strongest teams in the Eastern Conference, but they were still pinned to the ground by the Suns throughout the game.
The reason is that Lu Yu is too strong.
No one can guard against him.
After the game, Wang Zhizhi asked Lu Yu: "I heard that you will participate in the dunk contest?"
"Maybe, I haven't thought about it."
Lu Yu smiled.
He has no shortage of honors now, and the title of Dunk King does not have much appeal to him.
For him, the primary goal this season is to win the championship, win the FMVP, regular season MVP, and win the scoring title. As for other honors, he doesn't really want them.
Lu Yu left the court on his way back to the locker room.
The Chicago United Center arena was filled with the sound of MVP, and all the fans stood up and shouted "MVP! MVP!..."
This is the best compliment for Lu Yu's three seasons with the Bulls.
Lu Yu walked to the sidelines, suddenly collapsed onto the technical stage, pointed at the floor with his hand, and shouted to the fans: "This is my horse!"
Speak other people's words so that others have nothing to say.
Lu Yu has never tired of doing things like this this season.
After doing this, Lu Yu walked to the Bulls bench and hugged Cartwright.
"I really wish you were still with the Bulls. Did you see that so many Bulls fans still like you? Of course, I like you too."
"I don't like you."
Lu Yu pretended to be disgusted.
There was a burst of laughter from the sidelines.
No matter when, this place is a beautiful memory, isn't it?
