Bab 155: You’re My Idol.
That day, after training, Han Sen finished showering and was changing clothes in the locker room when Damon brought in Faried.
Faried had dark skin, long cornrows, bulging muscles, and a jasmine-like fragrance that filled the air as he entered—fitting the typical image of an NBA player.
Faried wasn't considered a star historically, but Han Sen had some impression of him.
Faried mostly played for the Denver Nuggets and was known for his explosive athleticism, earning him the badass nickname, 'The Manimal.'
Seeing Han Sen, Damon brought Faried over to greet him. Faried smiled warmly and seemed likable.
However, when Damon took him to his assigned locker, Faried frowned, "I want a different spot."
Several fringe players had left the Grizzlies after last season, leaving several empty lockers. Faried was assigned one next to Randolph.
It was similar to Han Sen's early days with the Cavaliers, where rookies were often placed to serve the team's veterans. But it seemed Faried wasn't too happy about it.
This familiar scene made Han Sen chuckle. This guy didn't seem as obedient as he looked—kind of like himself back in the day, with a bit of a rebellious streak.
Not that Han Sen cared; he wasn't the type to have rookies carry his bags. After changing, he left the locker room.
The draft had been at the end of June, and July 1st was fast approaching.
Rondo had already rented out a gym, UA had set up the cameramen, and Han Sen's training camp was just waiting for the lockout to officially begin.
Since there hadn't been clear news about the lockout yet, there weren't many players confirmed to join his summer training.
So far, the people Han Sen invited included Cunningham, West, Battier, James Johnson, and Tony Allen—mostly old comrades.
But he wasn't in a rush. Once the lockout was official, the situation would change entirely.
Time flew by, and on July 1st, after a final three-hour negotiation failed, the league officially announced the lockout.
During the lockout, players wouldn't receive salaries, teams couldn't negotiate, sign, or trade players.
Players also couldn't use team training facilities, and teams couldn't hold any summer camps, exhibitions, meetings, or coaching sessions.
In short, for NBA players, a lockout meant unemployment.
That day, Han Sen received a lot of calls. Curry and Harden both said they were coming to Memphis to train. Faried also showed up. Durant… well, he still refused to come.
But there was one unexpected guest: Kyrie Irving, the so-called "future of the Cavaliers" according to Grant.
How did Irving hear about Han Sen's training camp?
Well, it was through Curry's younger brother, Seth Curry—the same guy who got thoroughly thrashed during Han Sen's Charlotte tryouts.
Last season at Duke, Seth was Irving's backup, and the two were close.
Han Sen's first impression of Irving was that he was sharp-looking, especially with his short buzz cut and neighborly vibe.
He curious about Irving's arrival.
With Grant putting out those statements, even if Irving didn't hold any hostility towards him, he should at least keep his distance.
But not only did Irving show up, he was looking at Han Sen with a bright-eyed, admiring gaze, which made Han Sen a bit uncomfortable. They'd had no prior interactions.
But, since he was already here, and they needed a tenth man for a full-court game, Han Sen didn't need to call anyone else.
After some warm-ups, the 'Handsome Training Camp' officially kicked off. UA had their cameras set up on the sidelines. They divided into two teams:
Team A: Curry, West, Han, Cunningham, and Faried.
Team B: Irving, Tony Allen, Harden, Battier, and James Johnson.
Rondo was acting as a temporary referee this time, not a cameraman.
Faried won the jump ball for Team A. Han Sen didn't call for the ball, signaling Curry to take the lead.
Curry and Cunningham ran a pick-and-roll, and Curry pulled up for a three-pointer.
Swish!
He drained it effortlessly.
While Curry hadn't made a name for himself yet, he had shot an incredible 44% from three-point range in his first two years, firmly establishing his place in the league.
Then, Irving returned the favor by shaking off Curry and nailing a three-pointer of his own. This kid had quite the competitive streak.
Curry attempted a drive but was disrupted by Allen, and Johnson grabbed the defensive rebound, sparking a fast break for Team B.
On the break, Irving did a behind-the-back dribble to blow past West, then drove to the rim and attempted a reverse layup against Han's chase-down block.
Although he missed, his elite ball-handling skills were on full display.
West responded with a mid-range jumper over Harden.
On the other end, Irving ignored Harden's call for the ball, drove past Curry again, and used a pump fake to get Faried off his feet before spinning for a layup.
Irving had scored Team B's first five points, showing no signs of rookie jitters.
Team A advanced again, and Han Sen started to hold the ball.
He ran a pick-and-roll with Cunningham, drew the double team, and passed it back to Cunningham.
The pass had the right angle but was slightly soft, causing Cunningham to reach forward to catch it.
That slight delay gave Battier enough time to close out, and Cunningham's contested shot ended up as an airball.
Seeing this, Han shook his head.
Passing is the hardest skill to improve on your own. A slight miscue can be the difference between a good opportunity and a lost one.
And practice games could somewhat replicate real game conditions.
Irving continued to hold the ball on the next possession, this time using a spin move to get past Curry and attacking Han Sen again.
But this time, Han read the play perfectly and swatted Irving's layup attempt away.
Team B inbounded the ball to Harden, who ran a pick-and-roll with Johnson, got the switch against Faried, and knocked down a step-back jumper.
Team B took the lead.
Han Sen called for another pick-and-roll, looking to improve his passing.
He found Cunningham again, but this time the pass was spot on, and Cunningham quickly caught and scored.
Having played two years in the NBA, his release speed had improved significantly.
Cunningham gave Han a high-five on defense. Despite their time together in Cleveland, their usual connection involved Cunningham setting screens and Han Sen finishing.
This new dynamic felt like unlocking a new move with a partner—same people, totally different vibe.
Then Irving called for a pick-and-roll with Harden to switch onto Han Sen. Everyone on the court was stunned, except Han, who wasn't surprised.
Irving's competitive spirit was evident from his earlier response to Curry's three-pointer. Getting blocked was just fuel to his fire.
Irving executed a perfect dribble move to shake Han and then hit a fadeaway mid-range jumper to avoid Han Sen's contest. His performance was impressive.
Even the camera crew on the sidelines couldn't help but gasp. Irving had scored 7 of Team B's 9 points.
It was just a practice game, but his performance was stealing the show. After scoring, Irving did a 'gun-cleaning' celebration right in Han Sen's face.
Seeing this, Cunningham knew Irving had messed up.
Sure enough, Han Sen called for a pick from Curry, got the switch onto Irving, signaled for isolation, and with no fancy moves, just a quick crossover and burst to the rim, dunked viciously over Johnson.
On defense, Han Sen switched onto Irving, ramping up the intensity.
Irving couldn't get past Han Sen's aggressive defense, and when he tried to pass, Han Sen intercepted it, leading to a fast break and another windmill slam.
Team A ultimately crushed Team B, 26 to 14, with Han Sen scoring 14 points—more than half. Everyone watching realized one thing: Don't piss off Han, or it won't end well.
Yet, Han Sen wasn't happy. He had come here to work on passing, and Irving had derailed that plan.
He couldn't help but think of Irving's nickname: 'The Wizard.' Not just for his elite handles and scoring, but for how he seemed to throw a wrench into everything.
After a brief rest, they divided into teams again. Harden refused to play with Irving, claiming he barely touched the ball.
The teams swapped Curry and Irving, and Irving immediately hit a pull-up jumper over Harden.
Han Sen quickly understood why Harden didn't want to team up with Irving—not because he was selfish, but because his passing was terrible.
Sometimes he wanted to pass, but by the time he thought of it, the opportunity was long gone. Yet he insisted on holding the ball and showing off.
Han Sen now fully grasped why, despite Irving's obvious talent, his leadership skills were historically terrible. He was made to be a second option—making him the lead was a disaster.
After two quarters, they all sat down for a break. Kyrie sat down next to Han, holding his iPhone 4. He had come over to grab a photo with Han.
Unlike earlier on the court when Han was calling for the ball and got ignored, Kyrie now had an expression of admiration in his eyes, just like when they first met.
Han couldn't help but think, This dude's got split personalities or what?
After they snapped a photo, Han couldn't hold back his curiosity. "Why'd you come over here? I heard Derrick's training with Kobe."
After the lockout, the rookies had it rough—no salaries, no official places to train, and not even summer league to show what they got.
So most of them tried to find someone to train with, like Derrick Williams, the second pick that year.
Han figured Kyrie would've been all over training with Kobe too, considering the guy was a big fan.
And nope, Han definitely wasn't asking this because Kyrie interrupted his passing drills.
Kyrie scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed, reminding Han that he was still just 19. "Because, man, I really look up to you."
Han was genuinely taken aback.
Me? His idol? Usually that title was reserved for legends like Kobe or Wade, or at the very least someone with LeBron's level of fame.
And it wasn't just about achievements or fame; there was also an age gap that didn't line up.
Han had only been in the league two years longer than Kyrie and was just three years older.
"When I was in high school, I heard about how you went head-to-head with LeBron," Kyrie explained, excitement creeping into his voice. "And, of course, I watched that playoff series. Your will to win, your fight against fate—I loved that."
Now it all made sense to Han—Kyrie had a natural rebellious streak. It wasn't just a personality thing either; Kyrie's drive and scoring mentality were weirdly similar to his.
So if LeBron ever returned to the Cavs, Kyrie going against him seemed inevitable. After all, his idol did it first…
Han was amused and a bit speechless, wondering how Grant would react to this news.
But now, telling Kyrie to go train with Kobe would sound like a rejection, and he couldn't exactly shove him away after being called an idol.
"Kyrie," Han said, "scoring's great, but if you want to be a real winner, you've gotta learn to share the ball. Like I do out there."
Was Han trying to help Kyrie improve? Not really. He just wanted to get back to his training in peace.
But hey, an idol's words should carry some weight, right?
Irving nodded like he got it... and then, when practice resumed, he went right back to being his usual self.
Brain: Got it. Hands and feet: Ignore that.
Han eventually decided to keep Irving as his opponent throughout the training.
As for Harden not being happy about always being his teammate—well, too bad.
A few days later, Curry left the training camp.
Not because he couldn't stand Irving, but because of lingering ankle issues from last season. He had already planned to have surgery this summer.
Curry's departure didn't disrupt the training camp, since Han had already received a call from Wade before that.
Wade hadn't gathered enough people for his own training camp this year, so he came straight to Han.
When Han saw Wade, he greeted him with a big hug.
Han was always grateful to Wade. Otherwise, he wouldn't have tried to persuade him last summer during their little intel-gathering meeting.
Naturally, they ended up talking about the Finals that had just ended.
The calculated plan to shift power, Wade's perfect start in his second Finals, and the somber conclusion.
Even after being stripped of some authority, Wade still averaged 28 points in the Finals.
It should've been the season that elevated Wade's legacy, but LeBron had ruined it.
"So what are your plans for next season?" Han asked, filled with curiosity.
(End of Chapter)
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone