Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 335 Owen Wants to Leave
After defeating the Heat, the Cavaliers started a new winning streak.

Jokic is getting better and better, and there are more and more reports about him.

However, during this process, the relationship between Irving and head coach Malone became increasingly tense.

Irving always intentionally or unintentionally does not follow Malone's tactics during the game.

This made Malone very angry.

However, the Cavaliers are in good shape and the team is on a winning streak, so Malone didn't take it too seriously.

After all, stars have a certain degree of tactical autonomy on the court.

But Malone's attitude allowed Irving to do whatever he wanted.

Finally, after his Cavaliers lost to the Raptors, Malone publicly criticized Irving after the game.

After Malone finished his criticism, Irving left the locker room directly.

Han Sen was planning to talk to Owen again, but Owen suddenly disappeared.

He disappeared so suddenly that neither Han Sen nor the team management could contact him.

This made the Cavaliers wonder if Irving had encountered an accident or was kidnapped. You know, Cleveland once had a kidnapping case that was famous all over the world.

It was at this time that Irving took the initiative to contact Griffin.

That night, Griffin found Hansen and told him what Owen had talked about.

"You mean Kyrie wants the team to trade him to the Celtics?"

When Han Sen heard the news, he had a Nick Young-style question mark expression on his face.

"He wants a team to trade him, preferably Boston," Griffin corrected.

There is indeed some difference, but that difference is not the point. The point is why Irving suddenly requested a trade?

Just because Malone criticized him publicly?
Han Sen didn't understand.

Owen is an adult, not a three-year-old child.

"Did he tell me why?"

Griffin shook his head.

Han Sen picked up his phone and tried to contact Owen, but Owen didn't answer his call.

Griffin called and the call was picked up.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became awkward.

Han Sen had the urge to pick up Owen and give him a beating.

But he refrained from speaking, typed something on his phone, and asked Griffin to ask them one by one.

"Is it because of Marlon?"

"Is it because of Han?"

Both questions were denied by Irving.

Seeing that he couldn't get any answers, Han Sen gestured to Griffin to hand him the phone.

"You have to come to my house right now, or you can't leave."

Han Sen was obviously angry.

"it is good."

Owen on the other side obviously recognized Han Sen's voice and agreed after a moment of silence.

After hanging up the phone, Hansen asked Griffin to go back first and then waited for Irving to arrive.

About half an hour later, Owen appeared in Hansen's living room.

He was a little afraid to look Han Sen in the eye, so he sat down with his head down.

"I have to know why."

Han Sen was not only angry because Irving didn't answer his calls. The Cavaliers were playing well and had won the Christmas game against the Warriors. They looked promising to defend the title, but Irving did this.

Owen did not answer immediately. Just when Han Sen was getting impatient, he raised his head and said:
"I want to see if I can be a leader on a team."

Han Sen was quite angry when he heard this answer.

Irving still listened to what Green said at the time!

"Haven't you tried it before I came here?" Han Sen asked.

"I didn't understand how to be a leader at that time, but I learned it by your side."

Han Sen laughed out loud at Owen's words.

How could Irving say such a thing to his face?

"That's why I don't dare to answer your call. I know that without you, I wouldn't be who I am today, and I don't know how to face you." Owen continued.

"You're just an idiot!" Han Sen couldn't help but curse.

Owen did not refute, but lowered his head again.

It was at this time that Han Sen recalled his experience with Owen outside the United Center.

At that time he asked Irving what he thought when he saw the Jordan statue, and Irving replied that he wanted to be like Jordan.

Irving has always been an ambitious player.

After appreciating the scenery at the highest point as the second in command, he also wanted to appreciate it again as the first in command.

Green's words only brought forward the thoughts buried deep in his heart.

"Do you think you can do it?" Han Sen's tone softened.

"I don't know, but I want to try. I can accept it whether I succeed or fail." Owen also raised his head again.

His current appearance is a typical example of "not turning back until he hits the wall".

"You're lying." But at this moment, Han Sen suddenly said,

"If it's true as you said, you don't want to go to Boston, where KD is already."

Han Sen's words made Owen fall silent again.

Obviously, Hansen exposed Owen's lie.

"If you don't tell the truth, I'm going to tell David now and ask him to put your deal on hold."

"Boss." Just after Han Sen finished speaking, Owen looked up at Han Sen seriously, and even changed his address.
"Do you think I'm not as good as Nicholas?"

Owen's question stumped Han Sen.

As of now, Irving's pure strength is stronger than Jokic.

But in the future, Irving won’t be able to touch Jokic’s taillights.

So Irving’s real idea is not to be the boss, because he should know that he does not have that ability.

His idea came from Malone's great attention to Jokic this season, the improvement of his tactical status, and outside reports.

There is even the possibility that there is Hansen’s preference for Jokic everywhere.

"Have you scored less this season?" Han Sen did not answer directly, but asked Owen instead.

Owen shook his head.

Although Jokic's tactical position has been improved, his desire to score is not high. He is a guy who prefers assists to scoring.

Or in other words, Jokic is now an organizing center who can handle the ball but does not take up the shooting rights.

"This shows that you can coexist with each other. Does that mean you have to decide who is more important?"

Owen shook his head.

"I don't mind being Scottie Pippen by your side. It's an honor to assist the greatest player, but..."

He said, then changed the subject.
"I couldn't accept myself as Toni Kukoc."

He does have ambitions, but those ambitions will be suppressed next to Hansen.

But he can't accept his changing role, especially since he's not even 25 yet. He's not really stupid, he just can't accept that his team's status is slowly being surpassed by Jokic.

Now it was Han Sen's turn to be silent.

Because this is an irreconcilable contradiction.

Just like when Ray Allen was on the Celtics, he chose to leave because of Bradley's growth.

And the current situation is directly related to Han Sen.

Because if he hadn't chosen Jokic, Irving would probably have been content to be his Pippen.

However, this was also his first time as a time traveler. When he had the opportunity to use the Sky Eye to pick up Jokic, he felt that no one could refuse.

"Nikola is not a competitive person."

"I know."

"You are still the second in command of the team."

"I know that, but it won't be next season at best."

There was silence in the living room.

Han Sen knew that there was no point in saying anything else because Owen had already decided to leave.

"Now you have two choices. The first is to play the remaining half of the season peacefully and leave things to be resolved next season. You know we have a great chance of defending the title this season."

Han Sen obviously still hopes that Owen can stay.

Because Irving can play with the ball or without the ball, and his defense and organization are now above the league average, you can't find a second point guard who is more suitable for the Cavaliers than him.

And this is not a bad thing for Irving. After all, winning one more championship will greatly enhance his personal historical status.

Hansen didn't need to tell me the second option, but he still reminded Irving: "The team can't send you to Boston."

The Celtics are the Cavaliers' biggest rival in the Eastern Conference, and Griffin will never be able to do so unless he can trade for Durant.

"Actually, there is another reason why I want to leave." Irving did not make a choice immediately.

Han Sen looked puzzled.

"They don't think I'm indispensable." The "they" in Irving's mouth obviously refers to the team management.
"I know, at the beginning of the season, they wanted to trade me for Paul George."

Owen's words stunned Han Sen, because he knew nothing about this matter.

But Han Sen quickly shook his head: "I think there must be a misunderstanding here."

If this really happened, there was no way Griffin would not say hello to him.

He then called Griffin directly.

Not long after the call was connected, Griffin appeared in Hansen's living room.

He didn't go back, but sat in the car waiting for news.

"Last July, Larry (Bird) did contact me. He wanted to trade Paul George for Kyrie and Powell, but I quickly rejected him. We just won the championship. I had no reason to make such a deal."

Since he had directly rejected it, Griffin naturally had no need to tell Hansen about this matter.

Han Sen looked at Irving. Griffin had already spoken out, so Irving's second reason no longer existed.

Without the second reason, Irving's desire to leave should be greatly reduced.

"I choose to leave."

It turns out that Irving's thoughts are indeed different from those of normal people.

Griffin was speechless. He wanted to say something, but Hansen stopped him.

A forced melon is not sweet. Irving has already decided to leave. Even if he is forced to stay, it will be difficult for him to play well on the court.

"Thank you, boss." This was the second time Owen used this title tonight.

Owen left, leaving behind a worried-looking Griffin and a frowning Hansen.

The reason why Hansen advised Irving to wait until the end of the season was not only because it was difficult to find a more suitable player than Irving, but also because he was considering the team.

A major trade in the middle of the season will destroy the team's original chemistry, and it will take time to build new chemistry.

Not to mention that the players replaced in the end may not be suitable, which would greatly increase the difficulty of defending the title this season.

The collapse of the dynasty came from within, and they encountered this problem before they even established a dynasty.

What Hansen experienced in Cleveland was much more difficult than what he experienced in Memphis.

"Should I contact Larry now?" Griffin asked tentatively after a long moment.

Although George is a small forward, the Cavaliers can get a new point guard through late operations.

"You can try, but I don't think it will work."

After losing to the Cavaliers last season, George should have trained hard in the summer.

His 46.8% field goal percentage and 39.3% -point shooting percentage this season are both career highs.

Moreover, a player's trading value is not only linked to his performance on the field.

The Irving that Bird had his eyes on before is not the same Irving who has been involved in several off-court incidents this season.

Griffin looked at the time and saw that it was still early, so he contacted Bird.

The two had a brief exchange.

Bird is still interested in Irving, but he is unwilling to trade him for George.

Of course, he'd be willing to trade Irving for anyone but George.

However, apart from George, the only player left of the Pacers who has trading value is Myles Turner, but that is not what the Cavaliers need.

"Chicago also seems to be thinking about sending Jimmy Butler away, as well as Oklahoma's Carmelo Anthony." As the general manager, Griffin is quite familiar with some transaction information in the market.

"David, do you think Kyrie is a special case?" Han Sen suddenly asked Griffin a question.

"Are you worried that other stars will have the same idea as Kyrie when they come to Cleveland?" Griffin understood what Hansen meant.

Han Sen nodded.

The people Griffin was talking about are all famous stars who have worked in the league for many years and are at their peak.

If they can be traded for them, on paper the reduction in the Cavaliers' combat effectiveness will be minimal.

But like Han Sen said, if they were in his place, wouldn't they have the same idea as Owen?
Most stars need to have the ball in their hands. This is not only related to the players' personalities, but also because they need it to protect their position in the league and the most critical contract.

Although a player’s value is not necessarily directly linked to his statistics, statistics are still what best reflect a player’s value.

Let’s not talk about the distant future, let’s just talk about Green. His trading value will definitely plummet after this season, and the money he can get from his next contract will also be reduced a lot.

Griffin was silent.

Han Sen's concerns are not without reason.

But if they don't trade for a star player, the Cavaliers will just be playing around Hansen and Jokic.

Two core players is a normal configuration for a championship-contending team.

Then the question becomes, can Jokic be the second core?
If it were a normal season, it wouldn't be a problem. In fact, having Han Sen would be enough.

But this season, with the Celtics in the East and the Warriors in the West, can the Cavaliers still defend their title?

If the Cavaliers fail to defend their title this season, Griffin, who made the trade decision, will definitely be blamed for the failure.

"How about I try to persuade Kyrie again?" Griffin now understands better why Hansen wanted to give Irving the option to play until next season before leaving.

Han Sen shook his head. Owen's attitude tonight showed that it was impossible for him to come back.

"You can contact them first. If there is really no suitable one, you can also strengthen the bench."

In the previous Christmas game, Irving was replaced by Malone early, but the Cavaliers were still able to tie with the Warriors, which shows that the Cavaliers' starting strength is sufficient.

If we strengthen the bench and give Hansen and Jokic enough rest time, it is not impossible to play with the depth of the lineup.

The Grizzlies were able to defeat the Heat and defend their title by following this model.

(End of this chapter)