章節 26: Chapter 25: The Most Promising Newcomer of the 2004 Class
These past few days, the media warfare on both sides had been intense.
McGinnis was watching carefully.
He'd been on the Cavaliers last season and he knew all too well what it meant to stand against LeBron James. The Cavaliers management was ruthless in their handling of affairs; they had let go of Ricky Davis with his average of 20.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.6 steals, with a mere salary of 5 million, quality player though he was.
Was there even a need to mention Su Wan's fate?
Therefore, he firmly believed he could still start.
However, Paul Silas announced the preseason roster, which left him stunned.
Not only was Su Wan not given the cold shoulder, but he had also secured the starting position.
Could it be...
Had LeBron's team lost the media battle, and now the management's public relations had failed as well?
He wasn't sure.
One thing he was clear about:
The untouchable status of LeBron James in the Cavaliers had been challenged. Although LeBron James was still the absolute core of the team, Su Wan now had his place too.
A clear signal:
As soon as Su Wan got the ball, Paul Silas began to shout from the sideline, instructing his players to run plays according to Su Wan's directions.
Su Wan had thoroughly established his standing within the Cavaliers.
And all this had not come easily; media campaigns were not easy to conduct. Moreover, media battles didn't always work. Just imagine if Su Wan frequently had news of clashing with teammates, even if he won every media battle, his public image wouldn't improve much.
It's just that previously LeBron James had been too domineering; there had been no room for Su Wan to maneuver. He had no choice but to ignite this war.
The aftermath of the war was:
LeBron no longer greeted him with a friendly smile.
To be precise, since the unpleasant exchange in the locker room, LeBron had not initiated a conversation with him.
Of course, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
It meant that he didn't have to force a smile in response to LeBron's insincere enthusiasm.
Looking back at LeBron James's entire career, he hadn't treated any teammate as a true brother; they were all "friends of the moment"—used then discarded, like quick mix noodles with less integrity than "Lizhuang white meat". It was just too exhausting to continue such a superficial charade with such a person.
In this regard, he felt he could learn from Michael Jordan.
During the "Bulls Dynasty" era, the atmosphere within the team wasn't harmonious either. Many players related to Jordan solely in terms of basketball; they might not speak a word off the court for half a year. Yet, they claimed two sets of three consecutive championships.
How deep the personal relationships were didn't affect the performance on the court.
As long as LeBron was willing to play basketball properly and give up the idea of basking in glory alone, he would certainly play well too and not just chase after personal stats.
The preseason games kicked off a week after a public opinion battle between two people, and the outside world was still heatedly discussing the fact that LeBron's average ball possession rate was as high as 33.5%, which was considered too high even for a point guard.
In the six preseason games, LeBron James played extremely sensibly, passing the ball to teammates when he should and splitting after screens when needed. Among second-year players, none was more mature than him.
This was probably an important reason why many fans later came to dislike LeBron:
He had the ability to distribute the ball well and to defend properly, but sometimes, just to show off, he would not play seriously, and on the defensive end, he wouldn't make unnecessary efforts if he could avoid it.
In the six games, he averaged 21.6 minutes on the court.
Despite the limited playing time, he could fetch 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.75 steals, and 1 block per game. His shooting percentage was 46.4%, his three-point shot percentage was 35.1%, and his free throw percentage was 75%.
Almost every shot could showcase the progress in his physique.
His explosive power was fiercer, and his breakthroughs were sharper.
But to speak truthfully, an off-court factor also contributed to LeBron's improvement:
At the end of September, the League officially announced the abolition of the hand-check rule.
The new regulation stipulated that defensive players cannot use their hands to make contact or interfere with a player making a breakthrough in front of the free throw area, else they would incur a foul.
When this change was first introduced, there were voices suggesting it was a sign of David Stern favoring LeBron James.
Because such a rule change was purely to make it easier for perimeter players to attack the basket.
Su Wan, however, didn't think much in the direction of LeBron.
In his view, even if David Stern truly had intentions, LeBron would only be a part of David Stern's vision. He certainly wanted to promote LeBron, otherwise, he wouldn't have strongly pushed for the "23v24". But Stern's larger intent was to encourage breakthroughs.
The biggest difference between Adam Silver and David Stern was that, while both revered offense, Silver was focused solely on scoring, believing that a game with constant scoring and goals on both sides was certainly appealing. However, David Stern was thinking about how to make the offensive play look more intense and more physical.
Eliminating the hand-check rule may seem to have reduced confrontations before the free throw line, but an increase in breakthroughs also meant more physical play during these moves. This is called "Relative Confrontation Theory":
The less confrontation there is, the more confrontation there will be.
Moving confrontations are more explosive to watch than sumo-style standoffs and the scenes aren't as bloody, reducing outputs unsuitable for children.
Moreover, looking at the shooting statistics from the prior season of representative players like Kobe, McGrady, LeBron, and Wade, it was evident that LeBron wasn't the biggest beneficiary; he was just one of the major beneficiaries:
Kobe's under-the-basket shots accounted for only 36.4% of his total shots, while buckets accounted for 47.8%; McGrady's under-the-basket shots were just 27.8%, with goals making up only 34.1%; James's under-the-basket shots made up 42.9%, with his scoring reaching 57%; Wade was even more exaggerated with under-the-basket attempts at 56.1% and scoring a staggering 64.3%.
The rule specifically changed for LeBron, however, would not come until the 2009 traveling violation revisions.
Su Wan was also a beneficiary of the canceled hand-check rule. After experiencing hand-check defense in the summer league, the preseason felt like he was playing without sandbags weighing him down.
Additionally, with LeBron playing earnestly, he could feed Su Wan several perfectly timed exquisite passes each game. Su Wan could fully display his talent. With 34.5 minutes of game time, he could average 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2 steals!
While Dwight Howard was still struggling with whether or not he should continue down the "Wolf King" path; while Shawn Livingston, touted as the "Magic Johnson II", was pondering why his passing intentions were always easily read by opponents; and while Philly's hopeful "Little AI" was still covering for Allen Iverson, assisting with cuts and earning big man's approval, Su Wan had already made himself the most dazzling "star" of the 2004 draft class!
"See that? See that? I told you, just give him the ball, and he will definitely shine the brightest, not just in the summer league, not just in the preseason, but also in the regular and postseason. He's that kind of player. The key is, you have to trust him, give him opportunities, and... use encouraging education!"
Brandon Malone wore a "See, I told you so" expression, but inside, he was also variously shocked and ecstatic. He believed that Su Wan, once in the League, would still be the brightest newbie of the 2004 class, but feeling it come true was a different experience altogether.
Danny Ferry also straightened up in front of the Goodwin Brothers: "See that? This is the best help I could choose for LeBron. If he doesn't want to stay in Cleveland in the future, then listen, it's all on you! We're already doing everything we can to make LeBron's teammates feel at home in Cleveland."
-- 收到的禮物 
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票