Chapter 648: Chapter 200: This Is Fate, Unavoidable (Part 3)
If O’Neal got injured mid-season and took a break for a month or two, it wouldn’t be a big deal. At this time, Del Harris understands why the Magic were unfriendly to O’Neal last season.
What does it matter how well Anfernee Hardaway leads the team early on? What does it matter if he steals Jordan’s Player of the Month award? When O’Neal comes back, won’t they have to start integrating all over again?
...
When the news of O’Neal getting injured from training fatigue was announced, the media’s reporting was straightforward, expressing disbelief about the Lakers’ stated reason for the injury.
Some media speculated that the Lakers’ explanation was false because O’Neal has always been perceived as lackluster.
After four years in the NBA, O’Neal’s free throw percentage gradually declined. Before the "Hack-a-Shaq" tactic came out last season, O’Neal’s free throw rate was barely 50%. Even without the "Hack-a-Shaq" tactic, it was inevitable that his free throw rate would drop below 50% by the end of the season. It was only because of the "Hack-a-Shaq" tactic that O’Neal’s free throw rate dropped to 46%.
Moreover, on media day, O’Neal also had a training showcase; his free throw accuracy was as usual, not even hitting 70% during practice... Does that look like he has trained?
And there was even more vicious speculation—that O’Neal is made of glass.
This notion appeared last season when O’Neal missed over 20 games at both the beginning and end of the season.
This year, being injured before the season even starts, the speculation re-emerged, gaining more resonance than last season.
Some media said that the Lakers, for the sake of face, used the overly obvious and fake reason of overtraining injuries to cover the truth that O’Neal is made of glass.
On the 5th, to adjust the style of play for the early season, the coaching staff let the players conduct personal training while making temporary tactical framework adjustments.
By the afternoon, O’Neal returned to the gym, looking very downcast.
After the afternoon’s training session ended, a group gathered around to watch the news...
Seeing the malicious speculations from the media, Zhang Hao couldn’t hold back: "Honestly speaking, but no one believes it. Mr. O’Neal, do you think if we announced that the reason you got injured was because I beat you up, more people would believe it? Your reputation is so bad among people!"
O’Neal exploded instantly; if he weren’t leaning on a crutch, he would definitely have dueled Zhang Hao on the spot!
However, he couldn’t refute while Brian Shaw was already standing in front of him; he turned his head away, ignoring Zhang Hao.
Once the roasting started, it was hard to stop. Zhang Hao continued: "Why do you have to compete with me in training? You’re already very strong without putting in so much effort! You could just rest every day, occasionally train on your stamina, and practice your hook shots once in a while; wouldn’t that be enough? If you’re really bored, why not practice your free throws? If you were more accurate with your free throws, maybe you’d break Mr. Jabbar’s scoring record... Hey, hey, hey, where are you going? Be careful not to fall on your other leg! Mr. Xiao, hurry and help him..."
Upon hearing Zhang Hao’s words, O’Neal immediately sped up. His agility and athleticism were impressive; he vanished from the training ground within moments, even with a crutch.
The Magician watched the 19-year-old, who was worried and wore his heart on his sleeve, and the childishly pouting mid-career player in his fifth season, thinking... Who exactly is the rookie contract player? And who is the one with the largest $127 million salary in history standing at the team’s center spot?
After a round of roasting, Zhang Hao felt much better psychologically.
As for facing the situation now where O’Neal might not be able to play until early December, Zhang Hao thought about Anfernee Hardaway’s situation last year and felt he could still manage. He still had Kenny Anderson, Barkley, and the Magician.
At worst, it would revert to the situation he initially anticipated with O’Neal not coming, only it was Campbell instead of Kenny Anderson, with a shortage of center depth...
But not trading Campbell wasn’t really an option either since Campbell’s salary was on par with Olajuwon and David Robinson. If a team needed Campbell to deal with O’Neal or needed to accumulate high-quality assets for future trades, it wouldn’t matter, but as the Lakers had O’Neal, they should trade Campbell if they could without sending him to a competitor.
Now Zhang Hao understood why the Logo Man kept Campbell around—to have leverage when meeting with O’Neal.
If you don’t come, we’ll use Campbell against you.
Moreover, without trading Campbell, there would be no Kenny Anderson, making the backcourt line thin. In comparison, without the pressure of dealing with O’Neal, for the Lakers, Kenny Anderson, who can attack on his own and organize plays, is more beneficial than Campbell.
The situation of O’Neal getting injured right at the start could only be accepted; there was no other choice.
As Zhang Hao pondered over who the coaching staff would assign as the primary option without O’Neal, Barkley spoke up: "Aix, it’s okay, no need to worry."
Zhang Hao’s eyes lit up, right! They still had Barkley!
Barkley came over and draped an arm over Zhang Hao’s shoulder, saying, "Don’t we still have you? I believe that when Shaq is not around, you can lead us forward!"
"..."
Zhang Hao stared blankly at Barkley for several seconds before swallowing down the blood he nearly spat out and gritting his teeth, saying, "Mr. Barkley, don’t you feel embarrassed?"
"You’re a first-team player; of course, we rely on you."
The atmosphere, initially somewhat heavy because of O’Neal’s injury, lightened considerably through the interactions between Zhang Hao and O’Neal, as well as between Zhang Hao and Barkley. Some teammates couldn’t help but laugh at Zhang Hao’s question.
Seeing Barkley’s "thick-skinned" look, Zhang Hao felt helpless. At this moment, he spotted two people...
"Ahem, I’m not the type of player to be a core focus, it’s hard to rely on me. But it’s okay, Mr. Johnson and Boss Kenny, we’re counting on you two!"
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