Chapter 294 Whiteside's Brain Circuit

February 20th, after a long All-Star break, the Pelicans players gradually returned to the arena.

They would be facing the Knicks the next night, their first opponent after the All-Star Game.

Tang Tian was the first to arrive at the arena. He had just changed his clothes when he saw Cole walking in with a bag.

The trade had only been finalized yesterday, and he was probably there to collect his belongings from his locker.

The two had a good relationship, and Tang Tian got up to chat with him for a long time.

This was the second time Cole had been traded in four years, and this time he seemed to be in a much better state of mind than the last.

In the NBA, these things needed to be adapted to.

"Play well with the Lakers, I'll be waiting for you in the playoffs."

Tang Tian said to Cole before he left.

Cole nodded vigorously upon hearing that.

The last time Tang Tian said they would have the chance to be teammates, they really became teammates, and this time, it would happen too.

Before practice started, the players arrived one after another.

Head coach Williams and the assistant coaches also arrived.

Practice was about to begin, but there was still one person missing.

Hassan Whiteside.

Tang Tian only realized it when he heard Williams call out Whiteside's name.

This guy, why was he late for practice again?

Because he lived far from the arena, Whiteside had been late more than once.

Tang Tian had also suggested that he buy a car, but the latter hadn't done anything about it.

Williams was aware of the situation. After asking Borrego to try and contact Whiteside, he announced the start of practice.

The players had rested long enough during the All-Star weekend, so the training mainly focused on basic drills like shooting and dribbling.

According to the team's schedule, full-court scrimmages would be arranged in the afternoon.

The training progressed smoothly. It seemed everyone had a good weekend.

However, Whiteside didn't show up throughout the entire training session, and Borrego couldn't reach him either.

This wasn't just missing practice, it was disappearing!

Just as Williams was worried that something had happened to Whiteside and was about to send someone to check on him at home, Whiteside finally appeared at the entrance of the arena.

He looked preoccupied.

The players had already returned to the locker room to shower, but Tang Tian stayed behind to chat with Williams.

Both of them were taken aback when they saw Whiteside appear.

They went over to ask him what was wrong.

But after asking, Williams' face turned ugly, and Tang Tian was speechless.

This guy, after taking a taxi to the arena, realized his phone was missing. So he took another taxi back and tried to find his phone back and forth.

That was the reason he missed the team's entire morning practice!

Tang Tian rubbed his forehead.

Wouldn't a normal person look for it after practice?

Whiteside's brain was indeed different from ordinary people!

Williams left with a dark face after hearing the explanation.

"Do you know that doing this could get you suspended by the team?"

Tang Tian said after Williams left.

"Really?"

Whiteside obviously didn't realize the seriousness of the situation.

And he definitely hadn't read the team's internal regulations carefully.

"Why couldn't you look for it after practice?"

Tang Tian couldn't help but ask.

"That phone was newly bought, worth 300 dollars."

Whiteside said immediately.

Tang Tian couldn't help but rub his forehead again after hearing that. This guy was hopeless.

If he really got suspended, the loss wouldn't just be 300 dollars, but several thousand.

But he quickly let it go.

After all, it was Whiteside. It was impossible for him to think so much.

At the end of the afternoon training session, Williams announced that Whiteside would be suspended for one game by the team for missing practice.

Williams had previously considered Whiteside's lateness to training excusable, but he still acted according to the team's rules for absenteeism.

On the next game day, the team only scheduled a simple shooting practice.

At the end of the practice, the players rested in the locker room.

While they were chatting, Borrego pushed the door open and came in. He had brought their new teammate.

Bismack Biyombo. At 2.06 meters tall, he wasn't tall, but he looked strong. He was a stocky rebounding machine in the professional arena.

Borrego led him to Cole's old locker.

"Cole left this morning, the nameplate hasn't been changed yet, it will be changed in a few days."

Borrego explained to Biyombo.

Biyombo smiled and nodded, looking a little shy.

There were several types of black people, with two being the most representative: one was the American-born type, into hip-hop, breakdancing, and rap;

The other was the African type, lazy, shy, and simple.

Biyombo looked similar to the people Tang Tian had seen when he went to Nigeria before.

The only difference was that he lacked the lazy vibe.

As soon as Biyombo sat down, Aminu went over to chat with him.

Although they weren't from the same country, they were both from Africa and had a lot in common.

"Welcome."

Tang Tian was the last to go over and greet him after Aminu finished chatting.

"Thank you, thank you."

Although Biyombo was a rookie, he knew who the Pelicans' boss was. He was a little overwhelmed that Tang Tian had taken the initiative to greet him.

"Mutombo mentioned you to me, he said you're a lot like him."

Tang Tian said with a smile.

"Really?"

Biyombo seemed excited.

Dikembe Mutombo was from Congo. He was dedicated to promoting basketball in Africa and had even established a basketball school in Congo.

Players like Serge Ibaka and Biyombo had entered the NBA because of his influence.

Mutombo was synonymous with African basketball for them, just like Yao Ming was for Asia.

Biyombo was naturally excited to hear that Mutombo had such a high opinion of him.

Tang Tian nodded with a smile. This was indeed what Mutombo had said to him at Tracy McGrady's retirement party.

Because of Mutombo, the distance between the two was shortened a lot, and they chatted a lot.

"Always be prepared, opportunities can come at any time."

Tang Tian patted Biyombo's shoulder and said at the end of the conversation.

Whiteside was suspended today, Nikola Jokic would likely be promoted to the starting lineup, and there was a high probability that Williams would send Biyombo onto the court.

Biyombo nodded.

He didn't have many opportunities with the Bobcats, and he had to seize every opportunity even more with the Pelicans.

Otherwise, he would be eliminated from the NBA by the end of the season.

That night, the game between the Pelicans and the Knicks began at the New Orleans Arena.

Eastern and Western Conference teams only played each other twice a season, and this was the second and last time for both sides.

The last time the two teams played, Tang Tian scored 40+ points and led the team to an easy victory. Now that the Knicks had completed their integration, they were determined to seek revenge.

Whiteside's suspension was internal, and no news had been leaked before the game.

It wasn't until the opening ceremony that everyone realized Whiteside wasn't starting.

Most people looked curious and only then noticed Whiteside sitting on the sidelines in a suit and tie.

After all, there had been no injury news before the game.

With Whiteside out, Nikola Jokic started in his place, which was also the latter's first start in his Pelicans career.