Chapter 42 Boosting Patrick's Data

As the media touted the New York Knicks on the 12th, the Chicago Bulls suffered another loss.

They fell at home to the Washington Wizards, 83-90. Michael Jordan made only 10 out of 28 attempts, totaling 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists with free throws included. Besides him and center Longley, no other Bulls player reached double digits in scoring.

So far into the season, the Chicago Bulls stood at 4 wins and 4 losses. Even termed the "God of Basketball", Michael couldn't turn the tide this season.

The Bulls, with the league's highest payroll, its most prominent star, and as the defending champions, now faced the brunt of criticism. Many felt they were unable to win anymore.

Bloated salaries coupled with dismal performance starkly indicated that the Bulls were laying an unbreakable groundwork for the league's impending lockout next summer.

All of this was within Jerry's expectations, but what he hadn't foreseen was how the Bulls' poor results would directly affect the New York Knicks. The management set a new task for the coaching staff: maintain the regular season record while helping Patrick pad his data and increase his playing time.

This contradicted Jerry's original thoughts; in his previous life, Patrick had been nearly season-endingly injured, making increased minutes a risky gamble. However, with the management's demands, neither he nor Jeff could refute.

Jerry realized that merely being a head coach wasn't enough. One must have a decisive say within the team, or else continuous disagreements would emerge, hindering the adoption of correct ideas.

In Jerry's previous life, every time Phil Jackson left the Los Angeles Lakers, it stemmed from conflicts with management over the direction of team building.

The Lakers wouldn't squabble over Phil's salary demands, but in terms of authority, they hesitated. Phil wanted to have the final say in basketball matters, much like Ferguson did with Manchester United, commanding the Lakers' affairs while Vice President Jim Buss and General Manager Kupchak stood aside.

This power struggle made Phil's second departure from the Lakers public and contentious, ultimately contributing to his exit.

Before the season, Patrick wasn't concerned about his data, viewing MVP contention as unattainable. But with the Bulls in disarray, he saw a glimmer of hope.

Thus, Patrick and his agent pressured management, hoping the coaching staff would help him vie for the regular season MVP.

It was not surprising that Patrick harbored ambitions; he had truly been a figure of tragedy, epitomizing the notion of being born in the wrong era.

In 1994, he averaged 24.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 2.7 blocks, finishing fifth in MVP voting and missing the All-NBA Team because the other three centers posted better data.

In 1995, he averaged 23.9 points, 11 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 2 blocks, ranking fourth, missing the All-NBA Team again.

No one could fathom Patrick's frustration. No other NBA superstar had ever faced such torment.

Having a superstar on the team changed everything, attracting fans and thus management also hoped Patrick could earn substantial individual honors.

On the 12th, the Knicks flew to Canada to face off against the Toronto Raptors. Jeff, on the plane, discussed with Jerry the matter of boosting Patrick's stats, intending to start from this game.

"I'm planning to increase Patrick's playing time. Do you have any ideas on how he can achieve 25 points and 10 assists without playing 40 minutes?" Jeff asked, frowning and sighing deeply.

Last season, Patrick played 37 minutes, averaging 22.4 points and 10.7 rebounds, with an unimpressive scoring efficiency.

No longer possessing the athletic prowess of his youth, Jeff couldn't figure out how to enable Patrick to reach 25 points unless the centers played significantly more than 40 minutes, which would impact the whole team's attack and could not guarantee results. At this juncture, he had to trust his assistant to work miracles.

Jerry smiled and responded, "Averaging 25 points per game is too challenging, and it risks injury. I wouldn't recommend it. There's something else we could pad, which I do have an idea for."

"What's that?" Jeff inquired.

"Assists. Boosting assists won't affect the overall offense and, if executed well, could even uplift the entire team. We could emulate Vlade's style of play, using Patrick as a passer after a pick-and-roll," Jerry answered.

"What?" Jeff was taken aback, considering Patrick had never played an organizing role in the offense during his career.

Jerry shrugged and smiled. "That's indeed the easiest stat to pad. If teammates miss shots, it hurts their shooting percentage, not Patrick's. More passing from him will make it harder for the opposition to predict his next move. After screens, misplaced defense against guards will make his jump shots relatively easy. If he can average 20 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds, it's just as impressive as 25 points, 10 assists, and 2 rebounds."

"But doesn't that mean he won't be in the paint as much?"

"Just stop. To pad assists, we need high-post plays, not sending him to the paint. This would also reduce his chances of injury. Do you want to risk a 35-year-old veteran playing extensive minutes and battling it out physically? If he gets injured, our playoffs are doomed." Jerry sighed.

Jeff closed his eyes, contemplated for a minute, and found himself persuaded again.

He couldn't come up with a better idea and feared Patrick's injury risk; Jerry hit the point.

This season, Patrick played selflessly, averaging only 30 minutes with 18.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, a higher efficiency than before. This was based on off-ball screens Patrick set for his teammates, who drew defense away and then passed back to him for misplaced attacks.

If Patrick reverted to isolations as the primary tactic, it would be a return to old habits, mitigating the roles of Lewis, Allan, and John as scorers.

Relying on isolations for Patrick to score 25 was difficult. In Jerry's previous life, Patrick was in great shape this season, averaging 32.6 minutes over 26 regular-season games, with 20.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 2.2 blocks, and a shooting percentage of 50.4%. Sadly, he ended up grievously injured.

With the broader strategy defined, the rest was straightforward.

"What are the specific steps?" Jeff asked.

Jerry had already envisioned the plan by the afternoon. "It's simple. Patrick continues with lateral screening and, instead of cutting into the paint, shifts to a mid-lane position. Allan, as usual, moves to receive the ball for shots or passes to Patrick. Charlie, typically waiting in the middle, now moves to the left baseline for positioning, which allows another screen play with Patrick, opening up space. Larry and Bruce stay on the right, with Larry adding cuts from the right to under the basket. Patrick can play one-on-one in the mid-lane, with Allan, Charlie, and Larry as the primary pass options. Everyone should shoot on receiving his pass."

Jeff pondered a while. The adjusted strategy was a bit more complex, adding runs for two players, but with some practice, the players should grasp it.

"That works. Anything else?"

"You might consider giving Chucky a chance to play as a reserve. His defense isn't stellar, but he's an excellent shooter and his speed enhances the threat level, especially when the opposing center is slower. His collaboration with Patrick could be excellent." Jerry smiled. "Since we aim to pad stats, there's no harm in being aggressive. Solid defense means fewer rounds, and that doesn't make data look great."

Jeff mused for another minute, could find no fault, and resolved to accept the plan entirely.