Gift to Mr. Hai
His body is as exquisite as his heart and his will, and his strength is like a mountain. His aura is overwhelming
His blood and heart are as red as fire, and his hands can block the sun
Speaking of the two substitutes for the Rockets during Yao Ming's playing days, it is really impressive. The left guard is Mutombo, who is in his 40s, and the right guard is Chuck Hay, who is 1.98 meters tall. Yes, plus Yao Ming, the Rockets' inside line will give opponents a completely different experience. The tallest center and the shortest center in the league will take turns playing, and the strongest center and the oldest center will take turns defending. Fans will see the two He is also very kind. He calls Mutombo Uncle Mu and Hayes his father.
Times have changed, and today’s young fans may not recognize them, but you can watch the video of Hayes’ free throws. Although he is no longer in the league, his legend is still circulating in the world: Super Slow Reflex nerve arc free throw. In terms of his special and weird free throw posture, Hayes is definitely the "King of Kings". He shoots free throws in a leisurely manner, leaning his upper body forward in a semi-bent shape, artificially creating an arc, and then raising his buttocks. The beauty of his buttocks is sexy and charming. After taking a free throw, he often pauses for a second, but in this second he actually has a defender's vision and is always observing the situation on the court. If an opponent player reaches the line early, he will take action immediately, so that even if the shot fails, It was also a violation by the opponent, so free throws could be retaken. This kind of free throw that perfectly combines wisdom and beauty has made countless Rockets fans fall into crazy obsession and cannot extricate themselves.
Chuck Hayes was born in San Diego, California on June 11, 1983. Like Iverson, Hayes has shown good athletic talent since he was a student. He was the main player of both the school's football and basketball teams. In his sophomore year, he was also selected to the California High School Football All-American Team. After his senior year, he transferred to Modesto Christian High School in California and began to focus on basketball, helping the team win in the state league. The team went all the way to the finals with a record of 34 wins and 4 losses, and grabbed 31 rebounds in the state finals, setting a record for the number of rebounds in California high school basketball games at all levels in history. However, in the end the team lost to Mater Dei High School and finished second. He was personally named the best player in the state that year. After graduating from high school, many schools including Kansas, St. Louis, and Texas EP were willing to provide scholarships to Hayes, and he chose the famous basketball school Kentucky. In college, he and several classmates helped the University of Kentucky complete its renaissance. Those people later joined the NBA, including Rondo, Eric Daniels, Bogans, and Azubuike. It is worth mentioning that Bogans He entered the Rockets with Hayes in the Development League that year, and finally Hayes successfully stayed.
In his first year of college, Hayes played in all 31 games for the University of Kentucky, including 9 starts. He averaged 5.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and ranked 73.8% on the team in free throw shooting. First, with his outstanding performance, Hayes was not only selected to the SEC Division's All-Freshman Team, but also won three awards voted by the coaching staff: Best Free Throw Shooter, Most Improved Player, and Most Dynamic Player. The sophomore season was the peak of Hayes's student years. He started in all 36 games, averaged 6.8 rebounds per game, and had a team-high 78.8% free throw percentage. In a game against Notre Dame in January In the game, he grabbed 16 rebounds, setting a personal rebounding high, and scored 17 points in another game against the Irish University, setting a personal scoring high. After the season, the school recommended him as the best player in the United States. candidate, his slogan is "All he does is win" (everything he does is to win). Although the slogan is very loud, he did not win the award. After the season, he was selected as the best player by Sports Illustrated writer Seth Davis. The team coordinated the lineup and won the SEC Division Excellence Award selected by the Associated Press.
In the summer of 2003, Hayes represented the US men's basketball team in the Pan American Games and also performed well, averaging 11.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He was also selected to the best team of the event. Hayes continued his outstanding performance in the college league and started in all 32 games. In the SEC Division Championship finals against the University of Florida, he scored 23 points, 8 assists and 8 rebounds. Not only did he set a record for both points and assists, A new high, and also led the Wildcats to win the SEC division championship for the second consecutive year. Hayes averaged 10.7 points, 3.0 assists, 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game that season. The latter two personal statistics ranked in the SEC division. Third, he ranked second on the team in assists. After the season, he was selected to the SEC All-Division Team selected by the Associated Press.
In his final year of college, Hayes continued to play in 34 games as a starter, leading the University of Kentucky to a record of 28 wins and 6 losses, and reaching the SEC Championship finals for the third consecutive year. The first player in college history after Dan Issel (1968-70) to lead the team in rebounds for three consecutive years.
After his college career, Hayes ranked 7th in total rebounds, 8th in steals, 9th in blocks, and 35th in points. He also tied Alex Gloza's all-time record. The University of Kentucky's consecutive appearances record (110 games).
After graduating from college, Hayes chose to participate in the draft. Before the draft, he won the Most Valuable Player title of Portsmouth Training Camp, but he was still not selected in the 2005 NBA Draft. , the main reason is because he is too short as a center, with a height of 1.98 meters. This may not be surprising given the current popularity of small ball, but at that time, there was still a trend for centers to dominate the world, because of O'Neal's dominance Every team has 2-3 big men. His height is really not good enough, and his offensive methods are very simple. He has no singles ability, no footwork and shooting. The defense is difficult for him with his height and weight as a rookie. No one would be optimistic about him. He was signed by Houston, who was good at finding treasures in the garbage, and played a few preseason games before being abandoned. Then he was selected by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds with the sixth overall pick in the 2005 NBDL draft. Team selection, in the Development League, if you want to win the favor of NBA teams, you have to achieve a stat to the extreme before anyone will pay attention. Hayes used his special skill-rebounding in the Development League. To the extreme, with the Thunderbirds, he ranked first in the G League rebounding list with 12.2 rebounds per game. Hayes attracted attention through this.
The 2005-06 season was a disastrous season for the Rockets. At the beginning of the season, the Rockets signed power forward Swift with a large sum of money. This young man with explosive athletic ability made everyone look forward to it, but At the beginning of the season, the Rockets suffered a series of injuries. Joan Barry, Tracy McGrady, and Yao Ming were injured one after another. The Rockets only had two old guys, Uncle Mu and Uncle Huo, in the inside. Swift also struggled very hard and was desperate. The Rockets had to start looking for people in the free market and the Development League, including Bogans and Hayes. They all got opportunities. Hayes first signed a 10-day short contract with the Rockets and played for the Rockets on January 20, 2006. In the second game, the team defeated the Chicago Bulls 109-108. Hayes scored a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. The Rockets quickly renewed his contract until the end of the season. His efficiency in his first season with the Rockets Very high, played in 40 games, averaging 13.4 minutes per game, one of the most efficient players in the league, shooting 52.6%, ranking 11th among players with at least 100 field goals, June 13, 2006 , the Rockets decided to continue to renew their contract.
Facing the hard-won opportunity, Hayes cherished it more than other players. He said: "I don't know how to prove that I can play in the NBA. All I can do is try my best to play well. In every game, keep reminding yourself to always seize the opportunity!"
He became the Rockets' starting power forward in the 2006-07 season. His duty was to defend the penalty area and ensure rebounds. During the offense, he He is the wall of pick-and-roll tactics. He shares the dirty work inside for Yao Ming. He is coach Van Gundy's favorite type of player. Hayes's style of play is more energy-consuming than most other players, and at the same time he is still trapped in With his length and movement, he ranks among the league's top foul scorers, ranking third in the league in fouls per game and seventh in fouls per minute.
His diligent performance finally paid off. On July 31, 2007, Hayes signed a four-year contract worth $8 million with the Houston Rockets, although this was only the same as a rookie contract. salary, but because of Yao Ming, Rockets players are very popular in China. He won a US$5 million advertising contract with the Chinese sneaker brand "Li Ning". After the contract with Li Ning expired, the Chinese sports brand Jordan He signed a contract with him again, and in 2009, because of his daring and fighting spirit, he was appointed captain of the Houston Rockets for the 2009-2010 season together with Shane Battier.
With the dismissal of Van Gundy, the Rockets ushered in the Adelman era. At the same time, the Rockets' lineup has also been greatly improved. Landry and Scola were added to the power forward position, which greatly Hayes' playing time was reduced. At the same time, due to Adelman's tactical reasons, a player like Hayes who could only defend, conduct the ball and have almost zero offensive ability was destined to not meet his tactical requirements, and eventually he left. Houston joined Adelman's old team, the Sacramento Kings. Rockets fans are extremely reluctant to part with him, but that's how the league is. Once an emperor, there are courtiers. Of course, the fans should also be happy for him because he won the Sacramento Kings. A four-year, $21.3 million high-salary contract came to an unexpected surprise when the Kings gave him a physical examination. Hayes was found to have a heart problem. After learning the results of the examination, the Kings had no choice but to declare the contract void. Hayes went to the famous Cleveland Hospital in the United States (the hospital is one of the most famous cardiovascular disease treatment centers in the United States) for follow-up examination. The result was that there was no problem with his heart. In December 2011, the two parties will sign the contract again. The contract is fully guaranteed, lasting for 4 years, with a total value of US$22.3 million. Hayes finally got the first big contract in his life.
At that time, the Kings had Cousins ??and Thornton as the core. Well-known figures on the team included Evans and Thomas, as well as insider Whiteside. However, the team's management and coaching level had always suffered from problems. Criticism: The league has been at the bottom for a long time, and the lottery is drafted every year. The lottery picks are available but there are no good players. Hayes has lost his competitiveness in this kind of team. After playing two seasons with the Kings, he was He went to the Raptors in a trade involving many people, and gradually became the 10th man of the team with the Raptors, with very little playing time.
After the four-year contract expired, his career also reached the end. In September 2015, he signed with the Clippers for a one-year basic salary, but he did not play a single game. In order to clear the salary list, the Clippers cut the salary list. After losing Hayes, he rejoined the Rockets. After playing two games, the Rockets waived him again. He did not realize that the game between the Rockets and the Heat on November 2, 2015 was the end of his NBA career. In one game, he still struggled to grab the last rebound. Everything seemed to be destined. His career started with the Rockets and ended with the Rockets.
In 2016, without any retirement ceremony, Hayes announced that he would join the coaching staff of the Denver Nuggets. He announced the end of his playing career in a different identity. There was no farewell, no regrets, only There is a continuing connection with basketball.
Today, Hayes has become associated with the Rockets again. He has become a scout for the Rockets. This is what old Rockets fans are most happy to see. Perhaps many years later, he will help the Rockets through his own experience and hard work. The team has found the next Yao Ming and the next Olajuwon. No matter what, we wish him well.
There are too many people in the league who are destined to become fleeting players. They will not go down in history like superstars. Hayes is this kind of player, but for Chinese fans who once liked Yao Ming, Hayes He is not a passer-by, he is more like an old friend to everyone. Thanks to the player who used his hard work and struggle to bring joy and happiness to the fans.