Chapter 38: The Leader of the Cavaliers.
Before long, Malone came into the locker room.
"Are you okay?" Malone pointed to his chest as he walked in.
"It hurt a little before, but after you asked, it suddenly doesn't hurt anymore," Han Sen said with a smile, patting his chest.
Malone smiled warmly.
"Mike wants you in his office." He referred to head coach Brown.
Han Sen nodded and got up.
"Just admit your mistake when you get there. Mike is actually a pretty approachable guy," Malone advised Han Sen again as they walked.
He nodded seriously.
After the summer league ended, Han Sen thought about how to get along with Malone.
But now it seemed unnecessary. From today's events, it was clear that Malone already treated him like a disciple.
So, regardless of what he thought, at least in front of Malone, there was no need to anger him.
When he entered the coach's office, Han Sen saw Brown sitting there, his face dark as if he wanted to kill someone.
Brown motioned for Malone to leave and close the door behind him.
"Do you know where you went wrong?" Brown asked.
Han Sen shook his head.
This reaction made Brown spring up from his seat like a rocket.
"Anderson Varejão pushed me first. I don't think I was wrong to push back," Han Sen responded confidently.
Brown slammed the table in anger. That wasn't the point!
The point was LeBron!
You blocked LeBron James in front of everyone— how's he supposed to save face?!
Although the staff acted quickly and confiscated the reporters' cameras, they couldn't confiscate their mouths!
Of course, Brown couldn't say this outright— it would be too much of a bootlicking move.
"Do you know what's most important to a team?" Brown asked after catching his breath.
Han Sen didn't answer, because it was clear the question wasn't meant for him.
"It's unity!" Brown answered his own question, as expected.
"Basketball is a team sport, and the team needs a leader. LeBron is that leader. Everyone else must rally around him for the team to perform at its best and move forward."
They've been united for how many seasons now, and the best they've done is get swept in the Finals?
"Coach, you're right," Han Sen nodded in agreement.
Brown was stunned. He hadn't expected Han Sen to answer like that.
Does this guy know how to have a conversation?
"Ahem!" Brown awkwardly cleared his throat. "So, do you know where you went wrong now?"
Han Sen still shook his head.
"You!" Brown pointed at Han Sen, veins bulging.
"Do you realize today's practice was open to the media?"
"Yes."
"Then why were you still so aggressive on defense? If this gets reported, it'll harm the team's unity!"
"Will it?" Han Sen asked, puzzled. "We gave it our all in practice and played intense defense. Wouldn't the media report that we're gearing up for a comeback?"
The desk suffered another furious slam from Brown.
He was speechless! Even a pig should understand what he meant by now.
It was obvious Han Sen had no intention of playing along.
"Get out!" Brown pointed at the door, shouting.
"Yes, coach."
Han Sen stood up and left the office.
As he opened the door, Malone was still standing outside.
Seeing him, Malone sighed helplessly and motioned for him to leave while he himself entered Brown's office alone.
Watching this, Han Sen felt a bit conflicted inside.
When he returned to the locker room, the Cavaliers players had all come back, except for LeBron, who was nowhere to be seen.
At that moment, the looks from his teammates were noticeably divided.
The original Cavaliers players looked at him with hostility.
The new arrivals, however, looked at him with a hint of admiration.
It was clear that the strange atmosphere in the Cavaliers' training camp wasn't something only Han Sen had noticed.
But most people chose to remain silent in the face of this, as they were newcomers and didn't have much influence.
Moreover, as Han Sen had previously mentioned, everyone knew how important LeBron was to the Cavaliers.
Enduring and keeping quiet was better than being kicked out.
After changing, Cunningham and Han Sen left together.
Later that night, the two returned to the gym for extra practice.
"I know you want to get stronger quickly, but don't overdo it and hurt yourself," Cunningham advised Han Sen after their first training session.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Han Sen really did know.
There was a common saying back home that overtraining had ruined many players.
But in reality, NBA players trained just as hard, if not harder.
The key was scientific training and maintaining the right intensity in each session.
Training didn't need to be long, but the intensity had to be high to be effective.
"Dante, you'd better work on your three-point shot. You don't want to be a practice dummy every day, do you?" Han Sen reminded Cunningham.
Han Sen wasn't just teasing. If Cunningham didn't develop a three-point shot, today's experience would become a regular occurrence for him on the Cavaliers.
Besides, for a smaller inside player like Cunningham, the only way to survive was to become a stretch big man.
A 3-and-D power forward was always in demand.
"I know. In Cleveland, there's only one person who doesn't need to work on his three-point shot," Cunningham's comment made Han Sen laugh. This guy was getting bolder.
At that moment, the gym door opened.
A tall figure bent down to enter— it was Ilgauskas.
Cunningham instinctively covered his mouth, but Han Sen pulled his hand down.
Ilgauskas wasn't some kind of eavesdropper.
He walked over with a smile and said to Han Sen, "Can we talk?"
Han Sen nodded.
"I'll go practice over there," Cunningham said, taking the ball to the other side of the gym.
"Is there something you need?" Han Sen didn't ask how Ilgauskas knew he was here; the man had been with the Cavaliers for over a decade, after all.
"I know you and LeBron have some misunderstandings."
"There's no misunderstanding. I've never even spoken to him," Han Sen didn't know what Ilgauskas's intentions were.
"LeBron is actually a very hardworking guy. It may seem like he was successful from the start, but he wouldn't be where he is without effort."
Han Sen shrugged. He didn't want to hear more praise about LeBron.
But what Ilgauskas said next surprised him.
"However, because he's always been successful, sometimes he can be self-centered and expect everything to revolve around him."
So this was his way of explaining why LeBron had a problem with him?
It made sense. But now Han Sen was even more confused about Ilgauskas's purpose for coming.
"I hope you don't hold any animosity toward him. After all, he's the one who brought you here."
Hearing this, Han Sen immediately frowned. It seemed like everyone in the Cavaliers organization forgot that he was forced to join the team.
Seeing Han Sen's expression, Ilgauskas quickly shifted gears.
"More importantly, if this tension continues, it'll create a bad atmosphere for the team. And when a team has internal conflicts, its strength diminishes."
Now Han Sen understood— he was here to mediate.
"As I said, I've never even spoken to him. How can I have animosity toward him? They're the ones causing me problems."
"I've seen your social media."
"Is posting facts considered animosity now?" Han Sen didn't get it. Why did LeBron's camp always think stating facts was an attack?
"You'll be in a difficult position with the Cavaliers if this continues," Ilgauskas warned.
"I don't care. Worst case, they'll trade me," Han Sen wasn't open to threats.
"The real issue isn't being traded. It's being benched," Ilgauskas said, staring at Han Sen.
Han Sen's brow furrowed.
This was a real threat.
And knowing how Brown treated LeBron, this was entirely possible.
Sure, LeBron was leaving next season, and Han Sen would get his chance then, but wasting an entire season would be a huge loss for him.
"Of course, if it comes to that, it'd be a big loss for the Cavaliers too," Ilgauskas added.
"You seem to have a lot of faith in me."
"I've been in the NBA for over ten years and have seen all kinds of players. I can tell who has talent and who can help a team," Ilgauskas replied, sounding sincere.
Of course, what he didn't say was that if Han Sen were traded or benched just for blocking LeBron in practice, especially after being handpicked by LeBron himself, it would destroy the image he had built in Cleveland over the years.
The reporters' cameras may have been confiscated, but their words could still spread.
"If they stop causing me trouble, I won't look for it either," Han Sen said, making it clear he just wanted to focus on improving and avoid wasting energy on internal conflicts.
Besides, he didn't want Malone to be stuck in the middle because of him.
"I'll take care of LeBron. And Varejão too," Ilgauskas promised.
With that, they reached an agreement, and Han Sen called Cunningham over to continue their practice.
As Ilgauskas left, Han Sen found himself watching his retreating figure.
Compared to LeBron, it seemed that Big Z was the real leader of the Cavaliers.
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