May 27, the second game day of the Eastern Conference Finals arrived.
In the morning, Zhang Yang watched the recording of Game 1 at home before leaving for work.
On game day, Felton always arrived at the stadium earliest, setting an example.
As soon as Zhang Yang arrived, Felton approached him and said, "Jack, have you heard? We’ve got a new addition to the team!"
Zhang Yang, "A new addition? Can we still sign new players at this time? That’s not right, after March 31, signed players can’t play, unless the team has injuries and can’t meet the minimum roster requirement of 7 active players, then they can apply for emergency signing to play in games, and the reported injured players cannot play."
Felton, "Is there such a rule? Jack, you’re really well-read, you know so much! Oh, no wonder, last season Yao’s team signed a 10-day contract due to numerous player injuries. I was a bit puzzled at the time because the Rockets already had 15 players, but I didn’t look it up. It turns out it’s because of this rule."
Frustrated, Rondo who had come along couldn’t hold back and criticized, "Boss, Jack, why do you always stray so far off-topic in your conversations?!"
Felton, puzzled, "Do we? Jack, do we often stray off-topic?"
Zhang Yang, "It seems we do, Emeka also mentioned it."
Felton, "Really? Then we need to..."
Rondo, grinding his teeth, interrupted, "Boss! Get to the point! Talk about our new addition!"
Felton, "Ah right, right, Jack, we’ve brought in a coach! The one you mentioned before, the most unlucky head coach of the 21st century... Rajon, what was his name?"
Rondo looked resigned and answered, "Rick Carlisle."
Zhang Yang, surprised, "Carlisle? Why would he come now?"
Felton, "Eh? Jack, didn’t you admire that coach? You seem not so happy about it."
Zhang Yang, "Of course I’m happy he could come. Bernie is getting older, and his energy is waning. He only gets enthusiastic during games; otherwise, he looks exhausted. He has passed a lot of work to Bernie JR, Randy, and Chip. He wants to step down from the head coach position. Both Bernie JR and Randy lack the capability to be the head coach, and although Chip is said to be an assistant coach, he is actually more of a trainer, so that won’t work either."
"Carlisle was one of the coach substitutes observed by the owner and the coaching staff for a season. He’s good at coaching teams like ours with multiple cores. The Pistons’ championship roster was crafted by him. He brought together Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Robinson (Clifford), and Wallace (Ben). And later, when the Pistons replaced the older Robinson with another Wallace (Rasheed), they became the best defensive team in the league."
"He also did well when coaching the Pacers. In the 02-03 season, the Pacers had Jermaine O’Neal, Artest, both Millers, Harrington, Tinsley, Mercer... Thomas couldn’t even achieve 50 wins coaching them, but when Carlisle joined the Pacers, they started with a 14-2 record in the first month, ending with 61 wins. That season, O’Neal was third-best in the league, just behind the two number 21s, ranking third in the MVP standings."
"It’s a rare ability to bring together several excellent players. Give people like Thomas and McHale a group of stars, and they wouldn’t know what to do. Carlisle has this ability, and I think he will be suitable for us."
Felton, still confused, "Then why do you seem so conflicted?"
Rondo answered quickly, "I think Jack feels the timing isn’t right."
Zhang Yang nodded, "If he had come immediately after being fired by the Pacers at the end of the regular season and got involved in creating the playoff tactics, or even if he had come right after the second round, that would have been good. Having another head coach to help Bernie adjust the gameplay would definitely be beneficial. But joining in the middle of the Eastern Conference Finals... our owner’s old habits are acting up again, always doing things on a whim."
Felton also realized, "Right, his arrival now could potentially conflict with Bernie’s coaching philosophy, and without time for discussion and adjustment. Even if Bernie accepts his suggestions, we players wouldn’t have time to adapt... But let’s see how the morning training goes first. I think Bernie isn’t the kind of person who would be influenced by a new coach."
Zhang Yang and Rondo both expressed their agreement; they had a lot of confidence in Bickerstaff in this regard.
Elsewhere, in the general manager’s office, Bickerstaff was also troubled by Carlisle’s timing but warmly welcomed him nonetheless.
After the pleasantries, Carlisle got straight to the point, "Bernie, I just want to watch the players train today. As I am not fully acquainted with the team’s current tactics or the players, I may not be of much help to you."
Bickerstaff breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. If Carlisle really wanted to get involved in coaching, that would have been troublesome; the successor was a candidate the owner had went to great lengths to bring in. You wouldn’t want to start off on the wrong foot and risk the successor bailing, necessitating another search for a new candidate.
He hadn’t let down the three brothers’ trust in him; he was resolute about this.
But he still needed to show due diligence, so Bickerstaff replied, "Rick, you’re one of the best among the younger generation of coaches. You received the Coach of the Year award in your first year, far better than I was when I started coaching. Even now, I might not measure up to you. Feel free to share your thoughts. Your advice is very important to the team."