The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 66: I Should Go to Team 3 (Please Subscribe First!)

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: I Should Go to Team 3 (Please Subscribe First!)

Thomas was in California at the time, and after receiving Hansen’s call, he hurried to Los Angeles overnight. The two met in a hotel room.

"Have you decided?" Thomas was not surprised by Hansen’s decision to request a trade, as Hansen never wanted to come to Cleveland and wasn’t having an easy time after his arrival.

"Am I still that rookie whose draft pick exceeded expectations?" Hansen looked at Thomas.

Thomas shook his head.

In his two months with the Cavaliers, Hansen had won the opening game against the Magic with a buzzer-beater, guarded Durant and Kobe effectively, and scored 25 points against the Celtics, showcasing a high-level performance.

Hansen had proved that he was fully capable of handling tough games and as a 3D player who could control the ball on offense, he was one of the most sought-after types in the league.

His trade value was far more than just exceeding his draft position; he was indeed a hot commodity.

However, it was for this reason he expressed his concerns, "I think the management of the Cavaliers won’t trade you."

Previously it was about not being able to trade, and now it was about not wanting to trade. freёnovelkiss.com

Even though Hansen was a bit outspoken and seemed somewhat like a troublemaker, in the NBA, if you have the ability, these are not issues.

"You know, players are always the passive ones in trade situations," Thomas said realistically. If the Cavaliers’ management didn’t want to, even if Hansen turned the world upside down, he might just end up being benched.

Of course what he didn’t say was that Hansen’s influence within the team was still too low. Although he had performed well, he was fundamentally still just a role player.

"Even if they eventually do trade you, if they send you to a weak team in The West, it might not be a good thing for you," Thomas also expressed another concern.

"I’ve made my decision." Thomas made some points, but thinking about the just-concluded Christmas Day game, the fire in Hansen’s chest flared up again.

Thomas looked at Hansen for a long time and finally nodded, "I heard Ferry is here in Los Angeles now. I’ll go and talk to him."

Even if he couldn’t actually facilitate the trade, he still wanted to fight for more rights for Hansen.

About an hour later, Thomas returned and brought good news to Hansen.

"I will fully consider your demands, but trading isn’t a unilateral decision. I hope Hansen will remain professional until there is a result."

This was the direct quote from Ferry.

In other words, the Cavaliers had agreed to his trade request.

After hearing this, Hansen took a deep breath, reaffirming the capabilities of his agent.

After the Christmas Day game, the Cavaliers returned to Cleveland, where they would have a short three-day rest for the holiday before facing the Celtics at home for the second time this season.

During this period, Hansen maintained his professionalism, trained well, and still participated in promotional activities arranged by the team.

However, walls have ears, and the news of Hansen’s trade request was soon leaked by the media.

Kobe’s post-game interview during the Christmas game was also included.

"I don’t know why they benched their best performer, who is also the best defender, in the latter half of the fourth quarter; he gave me a lot of trouble."

As shown by their post-game handshake, Hansen had won Kobe’s admiration with his performance.

But this admiration, in these times, was undeniably fodder for the media to sensationalize.

"The Cavaliers have found the missing puzzle piece they needed to contend for the championship, but they seem unwilling to use it properly," Barkley naturally did not miss out on commenting during such times.

"The atmosphere within the Cavaliers is a ’special case’ in this league; you can never understand some actions unless you are part of it," said Larry Hughes, who once played for the Cavaliers but now plays for the New York Knicks.

"LeBron is still a kid; he has never really learned how to lead a team," Pierce, who loved to watch the excitement grow, commented on social media.

Following that, several teams that had contacted the Cavaliers’ management also exposed the asking price the Cavaliers had set for Hansen.

Blazers had said that the Cavaliers asked them for Lamarcus Alderich, the Thunders said they received an offer of Harden plus Ibaka, and the Rockets said the whole team was available for the Cavaliers to choose from, but none were of interest.

Even if one wasn’t a professional manager, a conclusion could be easily drawn from these offers: the Cavaliers had no intention of trading Hansen.

Upon seeing the reports, Hansen also arrived at this conclusion and realized that he had overestimated the limits of the Cavaliers’ team.

Ferry’s words were essentially a stalling tactic.

This was nothing new, but it was the most common and manipulative method.

Hansen was not a superstar like Carter, and really slacking off on the court might have left him blacklisted by the managers of other teams.

Hansen had experienced the tactics of NBA professional managers, but he wasn’t planning on just sitting back and waiting for the end.

On the last day of the rest days, he had previously reached out to Carrell, had not gone to the locker room, but rather went directly to the training field later on.

When he appeared, his teammates looked at him more or less.

Even though they were players, it was difficult to completely block out the outside voices.

Especially since Hansen hadn’t appeared in the locker room today.

Conningham, seeing him, thought to come over and greet him, but was instructed by Hansen’s gaze not to move.

At this time, Brown was assigning the full-court lineup.

Hansen hadn’t missed training for no reason today, but had asked for personal leave, and now rejoining the team, Brown was also planning to assign Hansen to the starting team.

"No, I was late for training, I should go to the third team."

What Brown totally didn’t expect was for Hansen to make such a request.

During the previous off-season training camp, since the roster wasn’t fully confirmed, Brown had used a black and white team approach, but now with a complete roster of 15, it was just right to split into three teams: starting team, substitutes, and benchwarmers.

The players in these three teams weren’t entirely fixed, but generally, that was the idea; those who were long-term assigned to the third team basically had no chance to play in official matches.

For example, the third team currently consisted of: Delonte West, Koby Carl, Javad Williams, Leon Bowen, and Danell Jackson.

Apart from West, who would enter the rotation in some games, the rest generally only got to play during garbage time.

Brown didn’t know what Hansen was up to, presumably it was just about wanting the ball or something, he didn’t think much about it and nodded in agreement to Hansen’s request.

And he was also very considerate, knowing that Hansen had just come without warming up, so he first arranged the game between the first and second teams.

First team: Mo Williams, Parker, James, Conningham, O’Neal

Second team: Daniel Gibson, Koby Carl, Moon, Varejao, Ilgauskas

Since Hansen was going to the third team, Parker had moved up to the first team, and Carl moved from the third team to the second team.

This kind of training generally only lasted one quarter of 12 minutes, more to see the players’ temporary form.

The game between the first and second teams was more intense than expected, partly because Gibson was in good form today, and also because Williams and Parker were a bit off.

As the game went on, it turned like in official matches, with James getting the ball and fiercely driving inside.

Moon had great leaping ability and was pretty solid physically, but his defending ability was average and couldn’t stop James, and that changed the momentum of the game.

The first team finally won the game with a score of 16 to 10.

Throughout this process, Hansen was warming up on the sidelines, and after getting physically warmed up, he took off his jacket to reveal the training uniform underneath.

Brown still had no particular reaction, but Malone once again felt that something was a bit off.

However, before he could approach to inquire, the game on the court had already ended, and next would be the match between the first and third teams.