Capítulo 107: You Can't Grow Flowers in a Greenhouse.
The two kept playing until they were completely exhausted.
Although Han Sen managed to win some games, most of his victories came when Durant's stamina started to drop.
Overall, Durant was clearly the stronger player.
"Remember what happened today. Next time on the court, learn some respect," Durant said, picking up his backpack.
It was clear that he wasn't planning to train long-term with Han Sen; he just came by to teach him a lesson.
Grover was about to explain the situation. He initially intended for Han Sen to convince Durant himself, but he didn't anticipate the animosity between them.
"Did Tim tell you that he's my trainer now?" Han Sen said, looking directly at Durant.
Durant froze, his face showing disbelief.
He turned to Grover, and when he saw Grover nod, his expression shattered.
What? Why? What did Han Sen have that he didn't?!
No, besides being handsome, what did he even have that compared to him?!
"Do you know why?" Han Sen continued.
Now not only Durant, but even Grover looked curious.
"Because unlike you, I didn't think about quitting after just one day," he answered his own question.
Grover couldn't help but laugh.
He did indeed choose Han Sen because of his persistence, but that had nothing to do with the current situation.
Durant's face turned red. "Who said I was quitting? I'm just taking a break! Tomorrow, I'll make you eat your words!"
With that, Durant threw his backpack over his shoulder and walked out of the gym.
As he watched his back disappear, Han Sen smirked.
After all, he had already survived a power struggle with LeBron on the Cavaliers; dealing with Durant was going to be easy.
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With Durant out of the way, Han Sen called over Rondo, asking him to join him in the video room.
The whole point of watching film was to analyze the game and spot what gets overlooked on the court.
After sitting down, Rondo went to grab some food for Han Sen while he stayed behind to study the footage.
In the clips, he could clearly see the improvements in his physical abilities. His movements on both offense and defense were noticeably quicker.
This was important because athletic performance ultimately comes down to speed.
If you react faster than others, you can rise to the top.
Grover had been modest in his earlier comments; the help he had given Michael Jordan was significant, and they had truly elevated each other.
Apart from this, Han Sen focused on analyzing the games he had lost.
It didn't take him long to realize the biggest gap between him and Durant.
His shooting ability—or more specifically, his mid-range shooting—was far inferior to Durant's.
It wasn't just a matter of height; it was a gap in skill.
Previously, he had improved his floater to enhance his finishing ability at the rim.
In theory, after mastering [Iron Body], he should continue to add more finishing moves, like a hook shot or a turnaround jumper.
(TL/n: [Iron bones] and [Steel bones] got the same likes, so I'm going with the third option [Iron Body] lol. I'll gradually change the terms in the previous chapters.)
But now it seemed like he really needed to set his next target on mid-range shooting.
Not only because of his current battles with Durant, but also because of the defensive strategies he might face in the new season.
When he was with the Cavaliers, LeBron drew most of the defensive attention, so teams didn't focus much on studying him.
The most obvious example was the Celtics, whose coach, Doc Rivers, never really paid him much mind, which allowed him to have some amazing playoff performances.
But Rivers was an 'idiot'; you can't expect every coach to be like him.
Looking back at last season, the games against the Spurs stood out. Coach Popovich's defense turned those games into some of the worst performances of his career.
With the Cavaliers, he only faced the Spurs twice a season. But now, with the Grizzlies, he would face them four times since they were in the same division.
And it might not stop there; he could see them in the playoffs too.
If he ended up having a career-worst series because of Popovich's tactics, LeBron's camp would definitely drag his name through the mud.
He opened his System space.
Nearly a month had passed since 'The Decision', and although people were still talking about LeBron, the buzz had died down.
The world moves quickly, and even hot topics fade away with time.
Naturally, since Han Sen had spoken up for LeBron, no one was criticizing him as much anymore.
His hater points were growing slowly, but they had still accumulated to 600,000.
In total, his statement 'the smartest decision' had netted him 1.8 million hater points.
This was close to his initial expectations, considering the audience for 'The Decision' had reached 30 million.
But it still wasn't enough.
As he had analyzed before, to be truly lethal from mid-range, his skills had to be strong enough, which meant unlocking a Tier 1 talent.
And a Tier 1 mid-range talent required 1.9 million hater points.
Although it was slightly less than [Iron Body], it still required some time to accumulate.
Unlocking a Tier 2 mid-range talent wouldn't be very useful, as it would only add an inconsistent scoring option.
There was also the matter of competition for the upcoming season. The Grizzlies' current focal point on the perimeter was Rudy Gay.
Han Sen had some familiarity with Gay from his previous life and their encounters while he was on the Cavaliers.
The guy had explosive talent—6'8" with a 7'3" wingspan, comparable to Kawhi Leonard, with dynamic athleticism.
In the draft, he was touted as the next 'T-Mac', a comparison that fit better than Paul George.
He had a variety of scoring moves, could run and jump, and was especially skilled at difficult mid-range shots, making him fun to watch.
But Gay had a weakness. Or rather, the reason he never reached his full potential was his efficiency.
He was always a high-volume, low-efficiency player. The saying 'Any NBA player can score 30 points on 30 shots' was debunked by him when he scored 29 points on 37 attempts, his most 'classic' performance.
If Han Sen wanted to beat Gay in the competition for the starting spot, his most powerful weapon would be his efficiency.
So unlocking the Tier 1 mid-range talent was the most suitable option, meaning he still needed to accumulate more anti-fan points.
Rome wasn't built in a day, and Han Sen wasn't in a hurry, considering the season hadn't even started yet. But at least he now had a clear goal.
From this perspective, bringing KD to Memphis was already a huge win.
Besides, the training with Durant had just begun.
As Han Sen and Durant kept battling in the gym, time flew by, and September arrived.
The gap between Han Sen and Durant was visibly shrinking. Around this time, his hater points surged from 600,000 to 1 million.
This sudden 'windfall' wasn't random; it was due to China's National Basketball Team finishing their World Championship campaign.
Their talent had been underrated. Even without Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian put up impressive numbers, averaging 22.5 points and 9.75 rebounds during the group stage, almost matching Yao's stats.
The starting five, including Wang Zhizhi, Sun Yue, Wang Shipeng, and Liu Wei, all averaged double-digit scoring.
They lost 81-89 to Greece, 80-89 to Russia, and 67-78 to Lithuania.
These performances were commendable, especially given Yao's absence, earning them the label of 'glorious defeats'.
Unfortunately, the head coach at the time, Bob Donewald, had a fiery coaching style that clashed with the East Asian culture. As a result, the basketball federation and domestic media harshly criticized him afterward, diminishing the team's accomplishments.
But that was in the future. For now, the narrative was: if only Han Sen had joined the national team for the World Championships, they would have had a strong chance of reaching the quarterfinals or even the semifinals.
This 'what if' scenario that had haunted him on the Cavaliers was now playing out again, this time with the national team.
If Han Sen hadn't made that post, fans would have blamed the basketball federation for not including him in the squad. But 'unfortunately', Han Sen had become the scapegoat.
He found the situation a bit absurd.
His previous post didn't generate many hater points, but now they were coming in late.
It was a 'delayed blessing'.
The real pity was that the national team still made it out of the group stage, so most fans were satisfied with the outcome.
If they had failed to qualify, Han Sen would've earned enough hater points to unlock the mid-range talent immediately.
In mid-September, the joint training with Durant came to an end, and Durant left Memphis with a lot of frustration.
In late September, like all other teams, the Grizzlies officially opened training camp.
Han Sen finally met his new teammates.
His main focus, of course, was his potential competitor, Rudy Gay.
To be honest, Gay looked like a star, with his handsome features standing out among African-American players. From certain angles, he even resembled Will Smith.
He also seemed to be a quiet, low-key guy.
But with his experience on the Cavaliers, Han Sen knew better than to judge by appearances.
Besides Gay, the most attention-grabbing player was Zach Randolph.
Randolph looked like he had just been released from prison, with a fierce face and a very violent temper. He was constantly swearing and gesticulating wildly, like a big black bear.
In contrast, his partner Marc Gasol was much quieter. Although he wasn't exactly a man of few words, he preferred to express himself through his actions.
The person Han Sen found most pleasant to be around was Conley. His every move exuded a quality of humility and politeness, making him even more likable than Ilgauskas.
The most surprising person to Han Sen, however, was James Johnson.
Speaking of Johnson, it was entirely thanks to Han that he ended up on the Grizzlies.
Back then, in order to compete for Han Sen, the Grizzlies had traded for the 18th pick. Unexpectedly, the Cavaliers swooped in and snatched Han Sen away, leaving the Grizzlies to draft Johnson because they had traded away Darrell Arthur.
Of course, Han Sen's impression of Johnson wasn't based on that; as a time traveler, he knew exactly who the 'most dangerous player in the NBA' was.
When others fought, they had to think about being fierce enough, use proper techniques, or even set the mood first, but with this guy, he'd just stand quietly in front of his opponent and they'd immediately back down.
It wasn't that he looked particularly intimidating, but because he was someone, who came from a family of Taekwondo masters, could really knock you out if things got serious.
Yet, despite that, he actually seemed very gentle.
If a player fell, he was always the first to help them up, and he constantly wore a smile.
If you didn't know his background, you'd really think he was a pushover.
Besides these players, there were two others who caught his eye.
One, of course, was Tony Allen.
Allen had played for the Celtics last season and didn't seem too impressed with Han Sen, likely due to their previous experiences.
The other was Haddadi, who was set to replace Thabeet as Gasol's primary backup in the new season.
With Han Sen, Delonte West, Tony Allen, and others joining the Grizzlies this season, the team's perimeter strength had noticeably improved. However, the inside bench depth seemed a bit weak.
But that was normal. If the Grizzlies really had a lineup as flawless as the Cavaliers did last season, they wouldn't just be aiming for the playoffs; they'd be, as Han Sen said, directly targeting the championship.
After the players warmed up at the training facility, the Grizzlies' head coach, Lionel Hollins, arrived with his coaching staff.
Alongside Hollins, there was Dave Joerger, who was considered the team's top assistant coach.
In most teams, if the head coach was defense-oriented, they'd complement him with an offensive-minded coach, like how the Cavaliers paired Brown with Pierce.
However, both Hollins and Joerger were well-known defensive coaches, which showed the Grizzlies' emphasis on defense.
But compared to Hollins, who looked fierce, Joerger had a much more approachable face, even somewhat comical.
As Han Sen withdrew his gaze, he noticed Gay frowning at Hollins.
Judging from this, it seemed that Gay and Hollins didn't have a good relationship?
Unlike Brown, Hollins not only looked fierce but also spoke fiercely.
After gathering the players, the first thing he emphasized was 'obedience'.
This kind of style was rare in the NBA, as it is a commercial league where coaches don't wield as much power as in the NCAA.
However, this approach seemed to work well with the Grizzlies, even making Randolph appear quiet.
When the official training began and they started running tactical drills, Han Sen understood all the lingering doubts.
It was related to the Grizzlies' tactical system.
Although he had faced the Grizzlies as an opponent while on the Cavaliers, experiencing it from the inside was a completely different feeling.
The Grizzlies' tactics were all initiated around the interior.
The first offensive option was Randolph, and the primary facilitator was Gasol.
Even the perimeter plays involved supporting the interior, such as Conley and Gasol's pick-and-rolls.
As for Gay and Han Sen, they only held the ball when the interior plays weren't working or couldn't be executed.
So Gay's expression toward Hollins was purely due to dissatisfaction with his tactical role.
The reason Randolph obeyed Hollins was because his tactical status on the team was unparalleled.
By securing Randolph, Hollins' unusual coaching style naturally worked for the Grizzlies.
It was a completely different system from the Cavaliers, which somewhat surprised Han Sen.
However, this unexpected situation actually excited Han Sen.
Because when he chose the second option back then, he knew that he would face competition and challenges.
You can't grow flowers in a greenhouse; only competition can make you stronger.
He was sure that the competitive atmosphere on this Grizzlies team had the foundation to beat the Heat's Big Three.
And his next goal was to compete with Gay and claim the core perimeter position.
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