Choose to strategically give up certain matches, go all out against the opponent on the court; even if you lose because you're not as invested as they are, it's no big deal. After all, the Warriors can't manage an 82-game win streak in the regular season.

So, after the interview, Mulin immediately handed Ma Long a two-year contract worth about 4 million US dollars.

The contract was structured as "1+1". Although Mulin was optimistic about Ma Long's future with the Warriors, he couldn't just offer a high-paying long-term deal to this yet-to-prove-himself head coach.

After signing with the Warriors, Ma Long promptly offered Qin Yue his suggestions.

"In the new season, I hope you can decrease the frequency of attacking inside. I will design more shooting strategies for you at the high post. Your height and weight... to be honest, I'm really worried that you might get injured due to excessive fatigue. In my opinion, the destructive damage you cause inside should be reserved for the playoffs."

Unlike those old-school coaches who wish to see their superstar driving hard into the paint every offensive play, the young Mike Malone is part of a new generation of coaches.

In his view, excessive inside drives by superstars only increase their risk of injury and energy depletion.

Last season, Qin Yue had the highest average number of attacks on the basket among all power forwards in the league.

In Ma Long's eyes, this was a fairly dangerous signal.

Because in the finals, facing the Heat's zone defense that held up for four games, Qin Yue had already—with his physique and incredible ball-handling coordination—proven that his power jump shot could similarly dismantle the opponent's defense.

While it's true that Qin Yue has strong driving force, Ma Long also must ensure Qin Yue's health.

Is it necessary for the Warriors to have Qin Yue play so hard during the regular season?

Isn't it better to design more shooting strategies for him, so he can rack up stats more effortlessly and joyfully?

In fact, Ma Long had previously given LeBron James the same advice at the Cavaliers.

Historically, even though James's ball-handling coordination limited his ability to execute seamless pull-up jumpers like Anthony, he did achieve impressive efficiency at the end of the "Cavaliers Era" by relying more on "Bald Lion Cold Arrows". (True shooting percentage: 59.1% in 08/09 season, 60.4% in 09/10 season)

In Ma Long's eyes, Qin Yue, whose talent far surpasses LeBron, is practically the perfect ball-handling power forward nucleus.

However, to fully realize his tactical theories, Ma Long also has to persuade the other Warriors players to accept the new tactical positions.

Richardson had already been the first to evolve last season, becoming an athletic three-point sharpshooter capable of causing great damage to opponents through off-ball movement and cuts.

Under Ma Long's tactical system, his role will be similar to that of future Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter.

Kwame Brown requires no concern from Ma Long either.

Because rather than teaching him low-post offensive techniques and back-to-the-basket moves, Ma Long wants more to teach him how to cynically exploit Qin Yue's innate "Great Qin Gravity" to launch sneak attacks on the opponent's three-second zone.

Additionally, Brown's diligent quality in setting picks in games is also a valuable asset to this new Warriors team in Ma Long's eyes.

Therefore, only Davis and Artest are the targets Ma Long must handle in the Warriors' starting lineup.

To this, Davis, on vacation, laughed over the phone: "I've long since stopped caring about my individual stats. Now, I just want to support the Messiah in winning more championship rings. Once my vacation is over, I'll definitely think hard about how to integrate into the tactical system you've designed for the Messiah."

Davis at this moment, his mindset is quite akin to that of Westbrook in the future.

If the team needs him to charge and score to break through tough situations, then he'll step on the gas pedal.

If the team requires him to take more reasonable shots, then he'll only shoot open threes.

If the team needs him to play the second organizational core, then he'll hand that damn ball off to Qin Yue.

On this day, Ma Long let out a deep breath of relief in response to Davis' answer.

Because if even Davis, the proud and unyielding star guard, can be persuaded so easily by him...

Then surely persuading Artest would only be easier... right?

"I disagree! I can't accept your bullshit theory! Last season, without my drives causing chaos in the opponent's paint, how would the Messiah have gotten so many offensive opportunities in the games? I'm not Jason (Richardson); I'm an All-Star forward who needs the ball on offense!"

Previously, Artest had hoped to be traded by the Pacers partially because he couldn't accept the role they gave him.

On the Warriors, since it was indeed tough to match Qin Yue, Artest didn't mind supporting this Messiah.

But the premise of support is that Warriors need to let him play the second offensive core role when things aren't going well on the court.

Although in the playoffs...

It was precisely because Artest's efficiency wasn't as high as in the regular season that Qin Yue was forced to deliver that astonishing average of nearly 38 points a game during his first playoff journey...

Yet, despite this, Artest could not accept Ma Long's theories and comfortably play the role of a spot-up shooter on the court.

And having just taken over the team, Mike Malone, lacking experience, clearly didn't know how to handle such situations, so...

On the phone, he and Artest virtually spent an entire hour tossing back and forth expletive-laden arguments that couldn't be printed.

Mike Malone has never been a coach with a good temper.

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