Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 158 Reunion after a long absence

After the deal was finalized, Paul, who had already arrived in Los Angeles, couldn't hide his excitement and immediately posted a status on his personal social media:
"It's our turn!"

However, this status of his soon became a battlefield between James fans and Kobe fans, it was so exciting.

"Kobe is the weakest superstar. He first clung to O'Neal, then to Gasol, and now to Paul!"

"The Lakers are the cancer of the league. They traded for Gasol with a bunch of scraps, and now they trade for Paul with a bunch of scraps! It seems that they are the only ones in the league who deserve to win the championship!"

"Didn't you say that Bynum and Odom were the three tallest players or the Big Four of the Lakers? How come they are suddenly just scraps now? Lamar was the best sixth man last season!"

"They say LeBron is forming a team, but aren't you forming a bigger team? Paul is better than Wade, Gasol is better than Bosh, and there's Okafor, haha."

"That's right. We are a team of free agents after all. You have been relying on robbery and trade. How shameless!"

"That's still Kobe, one man, one city. Whenever the team is not doing well, he shouts that he wants to leave the team, forcing the management to spend a lot of money. Anyway, I won't get my hands dirty."

"Tsk tsk, the eunuchs are just good at confusing right and wrong, saying that LeBron is so clean. Go read Gilbert's open letter!"

"So, no one is cleaner than anyone else, so stop pretending, we are all at the top and stick together."

"You guys are so awesome, you're trying to emulate Jordan, and then you can become the second best player in history? You call our normal trade a group, and then we all group together?"

……

Han Sen was also shocked when he saw the news.

This is different from the "history" he knows. Paul and Kobe have really joined forces!
The combination of Paul, Kobe and Gasol is not as exaggerated as Paul, Kobe and Howard, but it is also exaggerated.

There is also Okafor, the center who beat Howard to win the Rookie of the Year award. Although his strength has declined as he got older, he is still not weak.

It is no exaggeration to say that after this deal was completed, the Lakers are no longer inferior to the Heat in terms of strength on paper, and can even be said to have surpassed the Big Three of the Heat.

No wonder James fans are so excited on social media, because they attributed last season's defeat to accidents, but now, they have to face the new behemoth of the Lakers.

Han Sen didn't expect that his words of persuading O'Neal to join the Mavericks would bring about such a huge chain reaction.

This really gives me a bit of the feeling of "It's all Qiu Chuji's fault for passing by Niujia Village".

But after the surprise, his emotion was not annoyance, but excitement.

Just like Nowitzki said, playing against strong people will make people stronger.

Besides, such a Lakers team is more conducive to his gaining more black fans.

If he can defeat this Lakers team, he will be criticized by Kobe fans without saying anything.

"Do you know what you've done? You've ruined our boss's last chance to surpass Jordan!"

It’s exciting to think about.

And this Lakers team definitely has weaknesses. The combined annual salaries of the starting lineups of Kobe, Paul, Gasol, and Okafor already exceed the salary cap.

This means that the level of their bench is definitely not that good. The most they can use is a mini mid-level player. If they fail to sign a suitable one, they will have rotation problems like the Grizzlies last season.

No, the problem may be even bigger than that of the Grizzlies. After all, the new season has a tight schedule, and if one of them is injured, their strength will be greatly reduced.

So the Grizzlies definitely have a chance against the Lakers.

After taking his eyes off the overwhelming news, Han Sen paid more attention to the Mavericks.

Chandler eventually signed a five-year, $5 million contract with the Mavericks, which is the same average salary as the contract the Knicks offered Chandler, the difference is that there is an extra year of team option.

At the same time, the Mavericks did not renew Caron Butler, who reached a three-year, $3 million contract with the Clippers.

There are salary issues and conflicts within the team. Butler and Marion did not get along well last season because of their overlapping playing styles.

To make up for Butler's departure, the Mavericks used their mini-mid-level exception to sign Carter to a three-year, $3 million contract.

At the same time, they also sent Haywood and the 2012 first-round pick to the Wizards in exchange for Andre Blatche.

The Wizards were last in the Eastern Conference last season, but Blatche averaged a career-high 16.8 points.

After watching this series of operations, Hansen admires Cuban.

Because after Paul went to the Lakers, the most sensible thing for Cuban to do would be to forget what he said in his championship speech, then clear space and start the 2012 free agent market.

But this may be Cuban's character, and the Lakers' move may have stimulated him.

In other words, the Mavericks' anger that should have been released after winning the championship was directly renewed by the Lakers' move.

Add to that the Thunder that has been strengthened by Fisher, the ageless Spurs, the rising Griffin and the "track and field team" Nuggets.

Although the schedule for the new season has been compressed, the purgatory level in the West has returned.

Whoever makes it out of the West next season will inevitably have to go through a bloody battle.

Time flies and it is already December 12th.

This day is Christmas in the United States and the day before the season officially begins.

"Squidward" Stan also worked overtime and announced his first strength prediction list for the new season before the season officially started.

Compared to last season, his list this time is more detailed.

1. Lakers
The powerful combination of the league's top point guard and top shooting guard is the strongest backcourt combination in history, and the Lakers' inside strength is still strong. Their only opponent is themselves.

Expected starting lineup: Paul, Kobe, Artest, Gasol, Okafor
Rotation: Steve Blake, Mike Dunleavy (mini-mid-level exception), Matt Barnes, Jordan Hill, Troy Murphy
2. Miami Heat
James gained weight to 120 kilograms in the summer. He will become a real "tank" and is expected to appear more at the four position.

Projected starting lineup: Chalmers, Wade, James, Bosh, Joel Anthony
Rotation: Norris Cole, Mike Miller, James Jones, Josh McRoberts (mini-mid-level exception), Haslem

3. Grizzlies
With Rudy Gay returning and the Grizzlies retaining their core, the new season of the Grizzlies will be a surprise.

Expected starting lineup: Conley, Hansen, Gay, Randolph, Gasol

Rotation: Jordan Crawford, Tony Allen, Battier, James Johnson, Przybilla
4. Mavericks
The Mavericks have maintained their core lineup, and the key question is how much of their championship desire is left? They may very well become the Heat team of the 2006-2007 season.

Expected starting lineup: Kidd, West, Marion, Nowitzki, Chandler
Rotation: Barea, Terry, Carter, Blatche, Mahinmi
5. Chicago Bulls
6. Thunder
7. Spurs
8. Celtics
Of course, no matter how meticulous Stan's work is, he is still likely to be questioned.

Because the list is essentially a ranking, and when this ranking deviates from the ranking in the fans' minds, doubts naturally arise.

The biggest complaint is, of course, that the Grizzlies are ranked third.

“The Grizzlies lost to the Mavericks last season, and then he was in front of the defending champions.”

……

"The outside world is very optimistic about us now!"

Before the Grizzlies training started, the players were getting ready. Guy sat next to Hansen with an excited look on his face.

It's hard for him not to be excited. After so many years in the league, this is the first time he has been so highly regarded. It feels a little unreal.

"This is not necessarily a good thing. Our opponents will take us more seriously." Battier poured cold water on the side.

"Sean, you are too strict. I can play this season. The Dallas team is definitely not our opponent." Gay was already itching to play. Battier smiled and said nothing more.

"No matter what, we only have one goal this season."

Han Sen said as he looked up ahead.

There hung a newly mounted plaque with a message written on it.

“When two people meet in a narrow road, the brave prevail. When facing a strong opponent, even if you know you may not win, you must still draw your sword resolutely. Even if you fall, you must make your opponent tremble in fear.”

This is what he said to Wallace at the beginning. Unexpectedly, Wallace made it the motto of the locker room.

But it is indeed very appropriate. No matter whether they are favored or pessimistic this season, and no matter whether their opponents are strong or weak, they must move forward.

The training is about to begin, and the players are leaving the locker room and heading to the training ground.

This year, Stern's opening game has arranged several focus games, the most watched of which are the Heat and Mavericks, and the Lakers vs. Bulls.

The Grizzlies will also play tomorrow, and their opponent is the Spurs.

If we really talk about grudges, the one between them is bigger than that between the Heat and the Mavericks.

However, the atmosphere in the Grizzlies' training sessions this season is very relaxed.

It is still unknown whether Joerger's coaching ability is stronger than Hollins', but what is known is that the previous high-pressure coaching style no longer exists.

Of course, Joerger is also a defensive coach and has very strict requirements on defense, but he will communicate more to ensure that the players understand what he means.

And he is really good at this. With his funny face, you are happy to listen to what he says.

This is enough.

For NBA coaches, communication skills are the most powerful skill. Phil Jackson is very good at dealing with star players.

Moreover, the Grizzlies added a veteran who could stabilize the team's locker room at the last minute, of course, the former Grizzlies player Mike Bibby.

Bibby is currently chatting with Jason Williams, who has become the team's assistant coach.

The careers of these two people are inextricably linked. They both played for the Grizzlies, and Bibby left the Grizzlies to join the Kings in exchange for Williams.

Then they both played for the Heat, the only difference was that Williams won the championship with Wade, but Bibby lost with the Heat Big Three last season.

Han Sen then turned his gaze to Randolph who was still doing recovery training on the sidelines.

The atmosphere within the team is fine, the only thing that makes people worried is Randolph.

Randolph is actually a relatively lazy type, otherwise he wouldn't be so fat all the time.

This suspension is so severe. When he first came, his weight exploded.

In fact, Randolph was a little overweight at the end of the offseason last season, but not that exaggerated.

And the recovery period at that time was much longer than this shortened season.

This kind of overweight, coupled with the high-intensity of competitions, can easily lead to injuries.

Thinking of this, Han Sen stood up and walked over to Jorgel, and the two talked for a while.

Jorgel's communication is not one-way but two-way. In layman's terms, he listens to others.

"I will limit his playing time at the beginning of the season."

Hansen raised his concerns and Joger proposed his solutions.

The work done by the management during the draft has worked. The Grizzlies' inside depth this season is much better than last season, which gives them more options.

On the 25th, the Grizzlies arrived in San Antonio by plane.

This time, as soon as he got off the plane, Hansen, as the mayor of Holy City, was welcomed by the citizens of Holy City.

The citizens of the Holy City waved the "Fxck Hansen" signs in their hands with great enthusiasm.

This brings us to Ginobili. It took him more than half a year to recover from his back injury, and he is not completely well yet.

Coupled with Han Sen’s original statement that “I did it”, this treatment was completely expected.

"These people are too arrogant." Guy looked unhappy.

"It's okay, just fuck them hard tonight." Randolph leaned over.

Guy dodged with a look of disgust, but still nodded.

If it weren't for this group of dirty tricks, he wouldn't have missed his first playoffs in his career, and maybe even his first championship.

It must be done, and done thoroughly.

That night, the AT&T Center was almost full.

Pete Holt should really thank Hansen, as it has increased his ticket revenue for him.

There are many more Frank Hansen logos on site than at the airport.

When Han Sen showed up, he felt his anti-fan value start to rise.

This feeling is right.

He comes with a hatred buff when he appears. Doesn’t that mean he likes the Holy City?

During the pre-game warm-up, Hansen glanced over at the Spurs.

He saw Duncan doing a windmill on the spot.

Then his eyes fell on Leonard.

It's hard not to notice this guy because he has a stern face like Duncan.

The Spurs traded George Hill to the Pacers for the 15th pick in this year's draft, and then selected Leonard.

This is just like when the Lakers traded Divac for the Hornets' No. 13 pick, both were strokes of genius.

It's a pity that his current alliance status is not enough, otherwise he would be able to use the Sky Eye to do something.

After the warm-up and enjoying the boos at the opening ceremony, Hansen also took the court with the starters.

The Grizzlies' regular five, the Spurs' side, Parker and Danny Green on the outside, Jefferson and Duncan on the front line, and Blair at center.

Except for Green, they are all familiar starting faces.

After Han Sen came on the court, he couldn't help rubbing his hands and jumping around a few times.

It’s been more than half a year since we last met. It’s really a long-awaited reunion and I’m so excited!

(End of this chapter)