571 Dai Li’s First NBA Game (1/2)

Los Angeles Clippers.

Assistant Coach Cassel glared at the head coach's office. He whispered to himself, ”Nepotism got you this position. If you weren't dating the boss's daughter, there is no way you would have become the head coach. That room should be mine.”

Cassel cursed in his head. He calmed himself down and knocked on the door of the office.

Dai Li was inside. This was his first day as the head coach of the Clippers. When he saw Cassel, he smiled. ”Coach Cassel, do you want something to drink? I have coffee and tea here. There's also some whiskey.”

”Coffee is fine, thank you.” Cassel was very cautious.

Dai Li poured a cup of coffee for Cassel. As he was pouring, he said, ”Coach Cassel, from now on we are colleagues. I hope we can cooperate and work well together.”

”Of course. It is my pleasure to cooperate with the Coach of the Year.” Cassel gave him a compliment. He did not express his dissatisfaction to Dai Li's face.

Dai Li handed a folder to Cassel and said, ”Look at this.”

Cassel opened the folder and saw that a new contract was inside.

”This is...” Cassel looked at Dai Li doubtfully.

”Look at the numbers on the back first,” Dai Li said.

Cassel turned to the back and saw the number at the top. It was 50% more than his current salary.

”Coach Li. What is this for?” Cassel asked, puzzled.

”What do you think? Aren't you satisfied with this new contract?” Dai Li asked.

”New contract? Is this contract for me?” Cassel couldn't help but be excited by a 50% bump in his salary.

”Normally, a team's manager should sign an assistant coach. This is a little bit outside my jurisdiction, but I've gotten the okay from the team's management. After all, my relationship with the boss is no secret. Coach Cassel, you are a smart person. You should be able to understand my intentions,” Dai Li said.

Obviously, Cassel understood Dai Li's intention. Dai Li, the head coach, had given him a bump in his salary to show Cassel who his ”boss” was.

Dai Li said, ”Coach Cassel, I recognize your ability and I think that you are an indispensable member of the team. I suggested management give you this raise. I hope that you can continue to perform well for this team. Believe me, this is just the beginning. You will get more in the future.”

Dai Li was subtle, but Cassel fully understood him. Dai Li was, without a doubt, saying that, if Cassel was loyal to him, Cassel would make a lot of money.

Cassel looked at the contract in his hands and thought about the salary. Cassel's dissatisfaction with Dai Li disappeared.

Cassel really wanted to be the head coach, but he also wanted to make money. Compared with the position of the head coach, making money was more practical.

Dai Li is the future son-in-law of the new boss. He is also the boss of the team. I can't compete with him for this position. It is better to earn money while he is willing to recruit me. Right now, they need an assistant coach who is familiar with the team. If I stand out, I might be able to sign a multi-year contract with the team. That way I won't struggle to put food on the table for the next few years.

The more Cassel weighed the pros and cons, the more he saw that accepting Coach Li's kindness was his best option.

...

Several other coaches and staff members also got their salaries increased

Dai Li knew that, when a team got a new boss and head coach, the most important thing to maintain was morale. The easiest way to do this was to throw money at them. When faced with more money, complaints tended to disappear.

The offer of new contracts was a way to communicate to the team that no significant changes were going to be made. They would keep their jobs and could work for the new boss with peace of mind.

This generosity solidified Dai Li's place on the Clippers. His next step was to exercise his duties as the head coach.

Dai Li did not intend to change the strategy of the Clippers. In fact, a coach like him wouldn't have anything practical to contribute. Thus, the Clippers tactics would remain the same.

The Clippers' strategy this season was to quickly switch between fast attacks and defense.

This season, many teams were using this style of play. There were not many teams that were using conventional tactics. Therefore, the Clippers seemed to be merely following the trend of the NBA.

The Clippers were weaker than the other teams. Their frontline was not up to par because they had no first-rate offensive players. On top of that, the team's defense wasn't very efficient. Most of their points came from players that were only occasionally good. They were not good enough to win using conventional tactics. They could only score by quickly switching between fast attacks and defense.

Dai Li would hand the responsibility of strategy over to Cassel. Dai Li observed from the sidelines. This was a learning process for him.