Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 239 2014 NBA Trade Deadline

After Death Coil reached its bottleneck, Han Sen began looking for opportunities to accelerate the accumulation of black fans.

I didn't need that man before, but now it's time to move him out.

Although Jordan has retired, his fan base is still huge.

In other words, the vast majority of basketball fans in this era are basically Jordan fans.

This can be seen from the sales of AJ sneakers.

Jordan is called the God of Basketball, not because he calls himself that, but because it is recognized by the media and fans.

In fact, before James made the term GOAT popular, Jordan was closely associated with the best player in history.

He dominated players of his generation, won numerous honors during his peak period, and truly ranked first in all statistical charts. This is Jordan's dominance.

Not to mention Jordan's promotion of Nike to the altar and the influence brought by a series of legendary stories.

In this era, you can criticize Jordan's character, but no one will ever question his strength.

So even though Hansen has won two consecutive FMVPs and is on track to become the best player in the league this season, when he said he wanted to snatch the GOAT title from Jordan, it still brought him a huge negative impact.

In fact, the media day hasn't even ended yet, but social media has already exploded.

"The Grizzlies are strong because they are a strong team, and the Bulls are strong because Jordan is strong. Are the two comparable?"

"Han's current career trajectory is very similar to Kobe's. He hasn't even surpassed Kobe yet, so how dare he say he's surpassed Jordan?"

"This is a complete scam. Now people dare to say they are the GOAT?"

"Han will definitely regret what he said today, and his disrespect for Michael will provoke many people to challenge him."

……

On his first night in New Orleans, Hansen fully experienced the terror of Jordan fans.

In just one night, his black fan value skyrocketed by more than 30!

Jordan has retired for ten years, but his influence is still so terrifying.

But this also has something to do with Han Sen’s current popularity and the way he chooses to speak out.

The All-Star Weekend is already the focus of attention for fans around the world, and almost all sports media are present on Media Day.

This is like letting a loud fart on the subway during rush hour. It's impossible not to be looked at strangely.

However, UA took advantage of Han Sen's opportunity and promoted it vigorously.

Fans need new topics. They are tired of hearing the term "Jordan's successor" since the beginning of the century.

This is also the reason why James' statement "Don't be the next Kobe, be the first yourself" caused a huge response.

Now that Hansen is the first person to say that he wants to surpass Jordan, it is inevitable that he will be criticized, but in fact it has also raised fans' expectations of him.

After all, Hansen has "done what he said" so far. He said he would bring a championship to Memphis, and he did it; he said he would bring a dynasty, and they have won two consecutive championships.

He said he wanted to surpass Jordan, although it seems impossible now, but he has only entered the fifth year of his professional career.

Moreover, he is obviously different from Kobe, whom fans use as an example, because the two champions Hansen of the Grizzlies are both FMVPs, and he is the absolute core of the team.

In the words of some die-hard Han fans, Jordan in the fifth grade was still a zero-championship player, while Han Sen already had two championships and was on his way to a dynasty.

So even though it sounds incredible, there is room for publicity.

What if?
At the All-Star open training session the next day, reporters once again found Han Sen and asked him about yesterday's questions.

"Did you have insomnia last night?" the reporter asked politely at first.

"I had the best sleep of the season. You know, the All-Star weekend is a rare time for me to relax."

"There is a lot of pressure from public opinion now. Do you want to take back what you said yesterday?" Seeing this, the reporter chose a more direct approach.

"No." Han Sen's answer was clear and concise. He was very happy that his anti-fan value was increasing!

The highlight of the day was supposed to be the press conference at which Silva would officially take office.

Han Sen's behavior really stole the other party's limelight.

However, when Silva was asked this question by reporters at the press conference, his attitude was also very interesting.

"I'm very happy to see players in the league who dare to challenge the best in history. We are all looking forward to what will happen in the future."

The new president of the alliance, who only cares about money, is well aware of the current importance of Hansen and UA and does not choose to offend him easily.

On the last day of the All-Star Game, unlike last year, Han Sen chose to slack off this year.

Just like he said in front of reporters yesterday, he was very exhausted during this year's regular season, and the All-Star Weekend was a good time for him to rest.

Although he has "iron bones", it does not mean that he will not get injured. It's just that the risk is relatively small. This was demonstrated when he was tripped by James in the finals two years ago.

The protagonist of the main game on this day was somewhat unexpected. It was Irving, who was selected as an All-Star starter for the first time in his career.

The Cavaliers have finally made some progress this season. They are now ranked tenth in the Eastern Conference. The weakness of the Eastern Conference this year even gives them a chance to make the playoffs.

Irving's self-confidence has also increased greatly. Although his scoring has not increased much this season, his average assists per game has reached 6.1, which is already a qualified core point guard level.

On the stage of the All-Star Game, he was like a duck in water after his confidence soared. He eventually scored 31 points and 14 assists to lead the Eastern team to victory and won the All-Star Game MVP.

However, Han Sen did not gain nothing. He heard a lot of news about the competition.

For example, James is recruiting teammates for this summer's team.

This included Anthony, with whom he had previously wanted to team up.

In addition, Kevin Love, who was selected as a starter in the Western Conference but has not played in the playoffs for many years, and Joakim Noah, who wasted his peak due to Rose's injury, are both within his invitation range.

He even spoke to Anthony Davis of the Pelicans.

Obviously, James is not content to play just a supporting role.

Even after being publicly started by Hansen, whether he can form a new giant team will determine whether he can get a contract extension from Nike.

If he still makes the second decision in the end, it might not be impossible.

The All-Star Game ended and Hansen returned to Memphis.

But after coming back, he found that something was wrong.

There are a lot of trade rumors about Gay and Randolph in the trading market now.

The most rumored deal is between them and the Pacers, packaging them up to trade for the Pacers' Granger, David West and Lance Stephens.

Gay averaged only 16.2 points per game this season, while Randolph averaged 16.1 points and 10.1 rebounds.

Judging from his performance on the court, Gay's contract has become a premium contract, while Randolph has always been the target of the Grizzlies' defense.

Although Granger is a post-injury version, he is a 3D forward and is suitable for the Grizzlies.

The focus is on West and Stephenson. One can circumvent the Grizzlies' defensive shortcomings, and the other can greatly improve the team's lineup depth.

Moreover, after completing this deal, the Grizzlies' luxury tax can be reduced to around 2000 million, killing two birds with one stone.

Apparently, these rumors were not groundless. He went to an All-Star Game and came back to find that his home was almost gone.

The very next day after he came back, Wallace came to see Hansen.

He came to tell Hansen that the rumors were true and that the Grizzlies were now talking to the Pacers.

The key now lies in Han Sen's attitude.

As long as Han Sen nods, the deal can be done.

"We are looking for better teammates for you so that you can achieve your dynasty goals."

Although Hansen is determined to leave in the summer, establishing a dynasty is a good thing for both Hansen and the Grizzlies.

Han Sen shook his head.

"I know you'll be reluctant to part with Rudy and Zach, but the trade is better for us." Although there is a luxury tax issue involved, Wallace does think it will make the team better.

"That's just one aspect. More importantly, I don't think we can get used to each other by playing 20 games or so," Han Sen said.

Although Gay and Randolph have had some problems with their form this season, the core lineup of this team has been maintained for four years and there is no problem with tacit understanding.

"It's settled, keep Rudy and Zack." Wallace wanted to say more, but Hansen had already made the final decision.

Two days later, the 2014 All-Star trade deadline arrived.

Most of the deals this year are small-scale.

There were only two or three major trades, and all of them were related to the 76ers.

Bynum came to Philadelphia from Houston and started the haircut and blow-drying mode directly, forcing the 76ers to open a supermarket to continue clearing out inventory.

One deal was that the 76ers sent Jrue Holiday to New Orleans in exchange for the Pelicans' two first-round picks and some contract balancing bonuses.

In addition, the 76ers also sent their starting center Hawes to the Cavaliers.

This will help the opponent to make the playoffs while also reducing a potential competitor in the draft.

The last deal was between the 76ers and the Pacers, who traded 2010 No. pick Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen for Granger and a second-round pick.

Turner is about to face a contract renewal, and the 76ers will definitely not give him a big contract if they start to play badly.

As for Granger, it is reported that he will reach a buyout agreement with the 76ers and then join a team that has a chance to make the playoffs.

The day after the trade deadline, the Grizzlies ended their vacation and resumed daily training.

Han Sen was still strict during training, or even stricter.

Because the moment Wallace put the trade proposal on his desk and asked him to make a choice, there would be an "if".

If the Grizzlies had made a choice, or not made a choice, at this trade deadline, the final outcome would have been different.

If the Grizzlies eventually succeed in forming a dynasty, this would be dispensable.

But if the Grizzlies' dynasty ultimately fails, then that "if" becomes a bigger story.

Conversely, this is actually one of the reasons why Han Sen chose not to trade.

Even if his former teammates were in poor condition, they still obeyed him, so he could increase his strength and push from behind.

But it’s different with new teammates. If there is a conflict, they will probably fall out. They are new players and don’t care whether they are from the Wang Dynasty or not.

Especially Stephenson. The reason why the Pacers put him on the shelf is because he wants to start. With his arrival, the Grizzlies will have more variables.

So no matter what Han Sen chooses, he can only lead the team to complete the dynasty.

In this context, he had no time to worry about the relationship with his teammates.

"Rudy, after taking an All-Star weekend, have you forgotten how to play?"

"Zach, why are your feet always stuck to the floor? Run!"

"Mark, I've told you so many times not to jump so easily. You have to adapt to the new rules and keep your feet on the floor!"

……

Han Sen's scolding echoed in the Grizzlies' training ground.

After one season, Joerger and others have gotten used to it.

By the time the training was over, the whole team was sweating profusely.

This training intensity can definitely allow people to instantly go from holiday state to work state.

Han Sen was drinking water when Guy walked towards him.

Han Sen was not surprised. The person who was trained the most in today's training session was Guy.

He was ready for Guy's complaints.

What he didn't expect was that Guy actually sat down with a smile and invited him to his home.

Are you planning to host a Hongmen Banquet for him?

But Han Sen finally nodded in agreement. He had no reason to refuse such an invitation.

After finishing the training, Hansen and Guy went to each other's homes.

Since this was not his first time here, Han Sen was familiar with the place.

His girlfriend, who should be his fiancée at this time, greeted him warmly.

While she was cooking, Guy invited Hansen to the study to chat.

When they got to a private environment, the first thing Guy said was to thank him.

Han Sen was a little confused. Was it because Guy was scolded too much by him that he couldn't think straight?

"Chris told me that it was you who stopped the deal because you were more willing to trust us." Hansen didn't know why until Guy spoke.

Because he played the villain this season, it was inevitable that his teammates would become estranged from him.

But when the critical moment came, Guy and the others realized that it was Hansen who really cared about them.

In fact, one of the important reasons why Gay and others are in poor form this season is that they know they are likely to be traded.

After all, they were put on the shelf last season, and the team is facing a huge luxury tax this season. Without knowing whether Hansen will leave next season and whether the players will pay the luxury tax this season, it is normal for them to think that they will be traded.

Since you are destined to be traded, why bother working so hard?
Unfortunately, there was no way to tell in advance whether Hansen would leave next season.

But in the end, they stayed, and it was only because of Hansen's insistence that they were able to stay. How would they feel?
In addition to being grateful, I am grateful.

Han Sen had not expected that this unsuccessful transaction would bring about these changes.

Because Gay's current attitude has actually changed from previous resistance to acceptance of the villain role he plays in the team.

He also said: "Rudy, there is not much meaning in having a meal. If you really want to thank me, let me see the you of last season in the next game, the you who said 'I'm coming' to everyone in the finals."

(End of this chapter)