Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 156 The first sword ashore

Wade pursed his lips and said nothing, but he had already expressed his meaning.

What else could he do?

"So you're just going to give up your position in the team?" Hansen felt aggrieved for Wade. He was tricked by someone and had to give up his position as the leader. It was suffocating.

"Do I have any other choice?" Wade smiled bitterly. If he didn't give in, James wouldn't play well, and the Heat would not be able to compete for the championship, and would have internal strife next season.

"Of course there is. Why not? He can score 8 points in one game. Can he score 8 points in every game?"

Wade was stunned by Han Sen's question.

"LeBron can't be traded? He doesn't have a trade veto."

It was because the other party was Wade, someone who had helped him a lot, otherwise Han Sen would not have said such words, because it could easily be mistaken for alienation.

But that's the fact. Wade and Bosh were the Big Three in the passive group at the beginning, and they could have made changes after the failure.

If you ask Riley to choose between Wade and James now, he will choose Wade with his eyes closed.

And although James only played in the finals, his trading value is still there, and Riley can really use him to trade for the entire league.

Even Wade can choose not to look for Riley and just stick to his position as the team leader.

Over time, James' team will actively request a trade from the Heat.

After all, he was the chosen one. It would have been fine if he didn't win the championship, but he wasn't even the leader of the team. Nike was the first one to disagree.

"I said, we have no way out." Wade shook his head. James had announced loudly that they would win more than seven championships. If they disbanded the team after a failure in one season, they would become the biggest joke.

"Wake up! He has no way out, not you." Han Sen didn't understand why Wade had to tie the three of them together. Was it really the case that those involved were confused while those who were not involved could see things more clearly?

"Do you know that if you give up, the team may sell you when your contract expires?" Han Sen continued.

It's not just because he knows the "history", but the NBA itself is a business league. If your statistics decline and your form is no longer there, why would the team renew your contract at a high price?

Because of the sacrifices you made?
How many cents is that kind of sacrifice worth in the eyes of capitalists?

This is also the reason why James is really obsessed with data. What you see is data, but what others see is US dollars.

"Han, in order to win the championship, someone has to sacrifice." Wade said earnestly. It was O'Neal's sacrifice that made him successful.

"Then why can't the person who sacrificed be LeBron? Just because he is more shameless than you?" Han Sen frowned. If it was Wade, it would be a waste for him to say anything more.

Wade didn't say anything because he understood James and Nike would not allow James to sacrifice.

Han Sen sighed when he saw this, and didn't continue to persuade him.

If you don't want to argue, no matter how much others say, it will be a waste of words.

Thinking about what he knew about what happened to Wade later, it was somewhat what he deserved.

It's not that sacrifice is not allowed, but it depends on who you are talking to. Talking about sacrifice to someone who is plotting against you is like talking about feelings with a female cousin. It's only a matter of time before you get sold out.

……

Wade's participation has greatly improved the quality of the games in the training camp, and Hansen's passing training has also been accelerated.

It was during this period that Hansen found himself liking Farid more and more.

He was such a good jumper that Hansen could easily catch the ball.

As long as he is seen near the basket, he can just throw the ball into the basket without looking at anyone.

It was at this time that the continued shutdown caused the league's players to fall into real panic.

The last lockout in the league was in 1998, 13 years ago. Only a few players are still playing in the league after the lockout, and most players are not mentally prepared.

Moreover, bad news kept coming out of the negotiations between labor and management, and the players' attitudes began to become pessimistic.

Some people have begun looking to play overseas. On the one hand, it is to maintain their competitive form, and on the other hand, basketball is a game for young people, and not making money in your prime years is fatal.

All kinds of rumors also began to fly around at this time.

For example, Garnett will go to Türkiye to play, Kobe will go to the University of Eastern CBA, and so on.

Thomas also came to Hansen at this time and said that a CBA team from Dongda had made an offer to him and hoped that he could go to play.

And because Han Sen is a member of the University of Eastern, the offer includes an "NBA opt-out clause," which means that as long as the NBA resumes, Han Sen can return immediately.

Thomas saw this as an opportunity.

After the Western Conference Finals last season, Hansen's popularity in the United States increased significantly, but he exploded in the University of the East.

Strike while the iron is hot, it is a great opportunity for Hansen to expand the Dongda market.

Han Sen refused.

The reason is simple: the quality of the competition.

The quality of CBA games is too low. It would be better for him to play on a baseball field than on a basketball court. Not to mention that his current goal is to practice passing, and there is no better place than the current training camp.

Of course there is another hidden reason, he knows the CBA players of Dongda too well.

They think it is normal for foreign players to play well, but as for one of their own, they don’t know how many people would want to destroy him in the game.

I don’t want my fellow villagers to live a hard life, and I’m even more afraid of them living a rich life.

As time goes by, UA released the first edited video of Hansen's training camp, sparking heated discussions among fans.

Just like Han Sen said before, news about the long layoff period is what fans love to see the most.

However, what was unexpected was that the most eye-catching person in this first issue was Irving.

Irving's performance against a group of NBA players was surprising.

"He'll be a lock for next season's Rookie of the Year."

Of course, what is more noteworthy than his performance is that Irving went to Hansen’s training camp!
Grant was slapped in the face.

Irving's emotional intelligence is also inevitably questioned. After all, this really embarrassed his own general manager.

Regardless, Hansen's training camp has attracted a lot of attention during the suspension period.

However, what really attracts attention at this time is the Drew League.

Some basketball stars who are unwilling to play overseas and cannot find a place to play have joined this little-known street league.

The advantage of this league over local lower-level leagues (such as the CBA in the United States) is that they don’t have to play for a certain team all the time and can switch teams.

Hansen also received an invitation from Kobe.

Han Sen didn't accept it. As he said before, this kind of competition which was more of a show than a training effect would not be of much help to him.

However, Harden accepted Kobe's invitation and left the training camp.

But that did not have any impact on Hansen's training camp, because not long after Harden left, Gay, who had fully recovered from his injury, joined.

Along with him came Jordan Crawford.

I don't know when it started, but Gay and Crawford have a good relationship, maybe because they are both members of the "Anti-Hollins Alliance"?
Han Sen didn't know, but after these two people joined, he was very happy.

He even felt that he should have exchanged his passing talent earlier.

Including Farid, these three guys are really good at flying.

Grizzlies floor flow?
Memphis is the city of alley-oops!
……

Time flies, and when it comes to October, Hansen's training camp comes to an end.

After three months of continuous training, Han Sen's "passing the ball without looking at the person without pretending" successfully reached a bottleneck.

He can't wait for the new season to start.

However, negotiations between labor and management are still ongoing.

Han Sen only remembered that there was a lockout, but he had no idea when it would end.

So in the following time, in addition to playing with Swift, he also started a trip to the University of the East under the arrangement of UA. This was his first time to return to the University of the East for activities after playing abroad for so many years.

Han Sen was a little worried at first that he would be banned offline like before, after all, he had a lot of haters in the University of Tokyo.

However, when he really arrived at the University of Tokyo, he was completely surprised by the huge crowds of people at the airport.

He was particularly moved by the fact that when he appeared, the fans at the scene shouted his name in unison, and a large number of fans waved signs with his name on them wildly.

It can only be said that he underestimated the impact of his leading the team to the Western Conference Finals last season on the Eastern Conference.

In particular, as Yao Ming officially announced his retirement from the NBA in July this year and Yi Jianlian's contract expired, he, who was not that important originally, suddenly became the only player from the University of Eastern in the NBA.

Not only the fans, but also the Basketball Association sent several waves of people over shortly after Han Sen arrived at Dongda.

Although they didn't say what they were here for, you can guess what they were going to do with your toes.

Next year is the Olympic year. These grown men may not care about the World Championships, but they cannot not care about the Olympics.

If there really isn't a single NBA player by then, and those who go can't win a single game, then they'll be really embarrassed.

Han Sen’s attitude is that he has no attitude.

He does not come from the system and does not owe the Basketball Association anything, so there is naturally no need for him to be summoned and dismissed at will.

He later simply disappeared and devoted all his energy to interacting with the fans.

The fans of the University of Tokyo are still quite cute, especially when he saw some fans climbing directly on trees and railings at the event. At this period, they were full of love for basketball.

During the fan question session at the event, some fans asked about next season.

“Can the Grizzlies make it to the Finals next season?”

For the Grizzlies, they made it to the Western Conference Finals last season, and the next step in the new season is the Finals.

Because of the lockout, Hansen didn't have the opportunity to make any bold statements in front of reporters this year.

But it’s actually the same in front of the Dongda fans.

"Last summer, I said we were going to bring a championship to Memphis, and next season is the time."

……

As soon as Han Sen finished his trip to the U.S., UA approached him to discuss terminating his endorsement contract.

They will offer Hansen a new, six-year, $6 million contract.

Yes, the shoe factory can terminate the original contract and offer a longer and more lucrative contract.

They are certainly not stupid, but they feel that the existing contract does not match your worth and are afraid that you will run away after the contract expires, so they lock you in in advance.

To be honest, the first contract UA gave to Hansen was not low. He was tied with Curry for first place in the 2009 rookie class, but Hansen grew too fast.

Look, Curry is still the second-in-command of the Warriors, while Hansen has become the team leader and led the team to the Western Conference Finals.

If they don't terminate the contract now, Han Sen might run away if he doesn't see their sincerity.

Moreover, this kind of contract termination is similar to the early renewal of NBA rookies, which is usually one year in advance. The reason why it was two years in advance this time has a lot to do with Irving.

Irving performed well in Hansen's training camp, and UA also wanted to snatch him from Nike.

After all, Irving is a rookie, and signing him at this time is the most cost-effective.

But they didn't expect that Nike offered Irving a super contract of 4 for 3200 years, which they couldn't afford.

So even though they failed to sign Irving, it made them alert in advance.

Han Sen had no reason to refuse UA's move. After all, the difference from 200 million to 1100 million was huge.

But he felt that the six-year term was a bit too long. Finally, after the two parties reached an agreement, the contract became four years and 6 million.

This means that he renewed his original contract for a two-year, $2 million contract.

Han Sen still has a million-level rookie contract on the court, but the income from these shoes has already made him a multi-millionaire.

It is now mid-October, and at this time of year in previous years, the preseason games have already started.

But the lockout has not yet ended, which means that it is inevitable that the lockout will compress the schedule of the new season.

At the same time, this will also mean that the games in the new season will be more intensive than in the past, which will increase the potential risk of injuries.

After Hansen came back, he started physical strengthening training again with Grover's help.

He will continue to reduce his weight to 96 lbs, but will also reduce his body fat percentage.

The purpose of doing this is to reduce his physical consumption, ensure his playing time on the court, and further reduce the risk of injury.

All in all, he will be lighter and more durable than last season.

This is not something that can be done overnight and will take him one to two months.

When it was November and Thanksgiving had passed, under tremendous pressure, both labor and management finally reached a new agreement on November 11 after a long 15-hour negotiation.

The agreement is very long, but the most important thing is actually the redistribution of the cake, allowing investors and NBA stars to get more money in the new agreement.

At the same time, there were changes to some clauses, among which only two are worthy of attention.

One is the length and increase of long-term contracts. They have become contracts with shorter terms and greater increases than before, which means that the importance of bird rights has been enhanced.

The second is the substantial increase in luxury taxes and the emergence of super luxury taxes.

These two parts will have a profound impact on the subsequent free market.

Of course, the new season is a shortened season, and some key time nodes will also change.

For example, the new season officially starts on December 12th. Unlike previous years, the preseason, signing, and trading all start at the same time. Free agent signings are until the 8th, and the regular season will officially start on the 15th.

In the past, all these things were done within one summer, but now they are suddenly compressed into just 17 days, especially the free agent market is only 7 days, which will be a huge test for the general managers of each team.

The Grizzlies are also facing a lot of pressure.

Among the Grizzlies' current core players, Gay is in the second year of his new contract, while Randolph renewed his four-year, $4 million contract with the team at the end of last season.

But Conley and Gasol Jr. both have to renew their contracts in the new season. They performed well in last season's playoffs, so their contracts will not be small.

Battier also needs to renegotiate his contract.

On December 12, the 8~2011 season officially opened.

On the first day, two explosive pieces of news caused an uproar in the league.

Not a free agent signing, but a trade.

First, Paul formally submitted a trade request to the Hornets, and then not long after, Howard also submitted a trade request to the Magic.

Two of the top five superstars in the league suddenly requested trades at the same time, which would be quite explosive in any offseason.

And these two people have one thing in common, that is, their contracts are "threatening".

Their contracts normally expire in the summer of 2013, but they both have player options for the final year.

This means that if the team does not agree to their trade request and trade them away at this time, they will face the risk of losing them for nothing next summer.

However, Han Sen didn't care too much about these.

Because according to the history he knows, if nothing unexpected happens, Howard will stay with the Magic and become "Howard Loyal", while Paul will go to the Clippers and create the "Los Angeles City of Alley-oops".

He is more concerned about the team's contract renewal.

He has already made it known that it would be embarrassing if the Grizzlies management failed to retain all the players in the end.

However, before he could receive the news about Conley and others' contract renewal, he received another piece of news.

Hollins, fired.

(End of this chapter)