Rick Carlisle's voice came through the phone, with the sound of basketballs bouncing on the floor inside the Auerbach Center stadium in the background.
"Did you see the news this morning, Lin?" Rick Carlisle asked.
"I'm looking at it now," Lin Qi said, placing his coffee cup on the table.
"Those young analysts in the front office were arguing heatedly in the meeting room just now," Rick Carlisle said with a hint of cold mockery. "A few of them came to me with advanced tracking data, saying that Kobe returned to Los Angeles, teaming up with Sean Marion and Lamar Odom, the Lakers could field a fast-paced frontcourt of about two meters tall. They thought the Lakers could dominate the entire game on defense, launch fast breaks, and even asked me if I should re-list the Lakers as the primary hypothetical opponent for the NBA Finals. I listened for five minutes and then told them to throw their printed charts into the shredder."
Lin Qi leaned back in his chair, watching the Charles River as the mist gradually dissipated outside the window, and smiled, "Looks like you've managed to wake them up for me."
"This is a bunch of nerds who only look at the roster on paper," Rick Carlisle analyzed objectively. "Although Kobe's case in Colorado has been temporarily shelved, the prosecution's investigation is still ongoing. Whenever there's any news there, he has to charter a plane to Denver to appear in court, making several trips back and forth each season, which will definitely affect his stamina and concentration. But even setting aside off-court issues, the Lakers ' current roster structure has serious flaws."
"The most crucial position is center," Rick Carlisle continued. "To match Shaq's salary, the Lakers took on the contracts of Marcus Fizer and Eddie Robinson. Fizer tore a ligament in January and now weighs over 260 pounds, struggling even to jog. Medvedenko is a player who prefers to float on the perimeter and shoot long two-pointers; he simply can't hold his own defensively. Without a true center who can protect the rim and defend the low post, no matter how aggressively Kobe and Marion fight for possession on the perimeter, they'll be completely dominated in the paint."
"You've hit the nail on the head, Rick," Lin Qi said. "Besides the vacuum in the paint, the Lakers ' coaching staff and locker room are also a mess."
"I heard that after Phil resigned, Jerry Buss originally wanted to hire Rudy Tomjanovich, but Shaq called Rudy directly before leaving and advised him not to take on the job. Now, with only a few days left before training camp starts, the Lakers haven't even finalized their head coach. They'll most likely have to temporarily fill in with Kurt Rambis or Jim Klay. A team that can't even determine its tactical system and head coach before training camp starts can't possibly establish defensive discipline in the Western Conference."
"Offense is also a problem," Lin Qi continued. " Kobe spent three years trying to prove he could lead a team single-handedly. Now that O'Neal is gone and Michael has retired, he's the only absolute core player left on the team. He'll definitely demand the ball a lot and maximize his shot attempts."
Thinking about this, Lin Qi felt quite relieved.
From a business perspective, Kobe's all-encompassing approach was purely beneficial to Converse.
Kobe is Converse's current top endorser. Returning to a big market like Los Angeles, with unlimited shooting opportunities, Kobe is bound to put up impressive numbers, with 30-40 point performances in a single game being quite common. While this style of play may not lead to a deep playoff run, it's the best brand in the sneaker market, enough to make Converse's signature shoes sell out across the US.
"This style of play isn't good for the Lakers' overall offense," Lin Qi told Rick Carlisle. " Odom is a point forward who needs the ball for extended periods to demonstrate his court vision. If you make him sit in the corner watching Kobe go one-on-one, his skills won't be utilized. Marion isn't the kind of role player who can run back and forth in half-court sets without ever getting the ball. Plus, there's Eddie Robinson Chicago; his reputation for taking a lot of money but not putting in the effort is known throughout the league. Kobe is extremely demanding in training, and friction in the locker room will soon start."
"So the Lakers are nothing to worry about," Rick Carlisle agreed. "They'd be lucky to get past the first round of the playoffs. Right now, the Lakers aren't the only team in complete chaos in the Western Conference."
Rick Carlisle chuckled on the other end of the phone and brought up another tumultuous team.
"You noticed that trade in Dallas last month, right? Mark Cuban traded Antawn Jamison to the Golden State Warriors for him. Yesterday I spoke with Don Nelson's assistant coach, Del Harris, Harris kept sighing on the phone, saying that Cuban thinks the team could score 120 points a game if they had Steve Nash, Michael Finley, Antawn Jamison, and Dirk Nowitzki all in one."
"Is Don Nelson really planning to use this lineup?" Lin Qi asked.
" Don Nelson privately told the coaching staff that he planned to play a centerless offense next season, letting the 2.06-meter Antawn Jamison swing, and even having Nowitzki play center," Rick Carlisle said with a hint of helplessness. " The Mavericks traded away everything they could to get Antawn Jamison. On offense, four All-Star caliber players are fighting for the ball, and on defense, there's not even anyone to guard the paint. Against teams with even a slightly bigger interior player, the Mavericks ' paint gets ripped apart. Cuban's lineup looks impressive, but in reality, it has already knocked themselves out of championship contention."
"In Sacramento, the core roster is another year older," Lin Qi explained, "So all things considered, the competitive landscape in the Western Conference has actually become extremely simple."
"Only the San Antonio Spurs." Rick Carlisle's voice turned serious.
"Yes, the Spurs are the only threat in the Western Conference," Lin Qi said. " Tim Duncan is 27 years old, in his prime. After Jason Kidd left, Popovich had a true master of the game in half-court offense. Kidd controls the tempo in the backcourt, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili can maximize their offensive impact, Bruce Bowen defends on the wings, and in the paint, besides Tim Duncan, Carl Malone, David Robinson, and Kwame Brown can all share the pressure. Popovich's roster has both offensive and defensive discipline and depth in the paint."
"Our interior defense isn't bad either," Rick Carlisle replied. " Kevin, Big Ben, Rasheed, Okur, and Chandler —five guys taking turns guarding us—we can definitely match up against the Spurs."
"Not only do we need to match up, but we also need to force Tim Duncan out to defend on offense," Lin Qi said. "We'll practice according to our pre-arranged plan, having Dwyane ( Wade ) use his dribbling to break through and compress the Spurs ' interior defense, forcing Tim Duncan to leave the paint to help defend, creating mid-range shooting space for Kevin and Chris Paul on both sides of the free-throw line. Popovich likes to collapse the defense, and this style of play hits their sore spot."
" Dwyane was already practicing at the gym at seven this morning," Rick Carlisle said with certainty. " Gary Payton may be injured and unable to run the whole game, but he sat on the sidelines teaching Dwyane how to anticipate passes and how to lower his center of gravity on defense. Kevin and Chris Paul are also in great form."
"Good, keep the pace. The Lakers and Mavericks have both ruined themselves. Even with Shaq in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls can't cause much trouble. Our real opponent in June is the Spurs." Lin Qi glanced at his watch. "I'll go to the arena at one o'clock this afternoon to watch their practice."
Okay, see you this afternoon.