The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 126 - 99 Departure

In this trade, the Cavaliers got a rising star, a second pick with outstanding talent who hadn’t had much opportunity in his rookie season, and a full-sized 3D guard who seemed capable of replacing Hansen.

You could say that the Grizzlies really went all out for Hansen, swallowing the gaping maw that the Cavaliers had opened up.

As a result, the moment the trade was executed, a wave of mockery ensued.

"The Grizzlies passed on Evans, Curry, and Harden last year to choose Thabeet, and now for Hansen, they are handing over so much. Why didn’t they just use the second pick to choose him last year?"

"I’m saying, Grizzlies management, did you only see Hansen play against the Celtics in that playoff round? He did play well, but it was just for three games!"

"The Cavaliers have hit the jackpot, now LeBron has no reason to leave. This is definitely the most successful trade they’ve had in the past decade!"

"I absolutely love Danny Ferry, he’s an incredibly underrated general manager. Trust me, LeBron will definitely bring a championship to Cleveland!"

"Williams, Mayo, LeBron, Jamison, Thabeet—a lineup this fearsome, the LeBron era is finally upon us!"

"Could the Grizzlies be the Cavaliers’ puppet?"

"Grizzlies’ style of play, I bet Hansen is out for the season before half the season goes by. This trade is destined to go down in infamy!"

...

Before the draft even started, Hansen had already received a call from Ferry, letting him know the outcome in advance.

Originally, the Cavaliers had a deal all set up with the Pacers to trade him for this year’s tenth pick, Paul George, but the Grizzlies’ follow-up offer was too generous to refuse.

So Memphis became Hansen’s next destination.

Regarding this outcome, all Hansen could say was that it was mutual.

To say the Grizzlies had long coveted him would be an understatement.

He was initially shocked by the offer when he first heard it.

He thought the Grizzlies would at most offer Mayo plus this year’s first-round pick, but they went as far as to offer Thabeet.

Though from hindsight, Thabeet would be considered the most underwhelming second pick in NBA history, at this moment he had only finished one year, with not much playing time to speak of.

All you could say was that the Grizzlies really loved him.

As for the notion that the Grizzlies should have just used their second pick directly on him, that’s just absurd.

Not to mention choosing him, no sane person would consider a player projected for the late first round at the second pick.

And as for the Grizzlies team, putting aside their championship prospects, they really have the formula to counter James.

With the black and white duo inside and him as the perimeter gatekeeper—if they could break out of The West, the thought was too beautiful to entertain.

No, he couldn’t help but look forward to facing James in the regular season.

So right now, Hansen was both watching his black fan-base skyrocket and eagerly anticipating the new season—with double the joy.

Of course, he also had to pack up and prepare to leave Cleveland.

Having lived there for nearly a year, there were some things to pack, and certainly some people to say goodbye to.

And this time he planned to journey to Memphis in a special way.

He first went to the team locker room to deal with the belongings in his locker.

Taking him there was David Griffin once again.

"I actually really hate to see you go," Griffin said with regret on their way to the locker room.

"I’ll be back," Hansen said with a hint of longing in his eyes.

Although he wouldn’t return as a Cavalier, he believed his desire to compete would be maxed out upon setting foot on the court again.

Seeing Hansen’s expression, Griffin could only give a wry smile.

He genuinely liked Hansen—after all, interesting souls are one in a million.

"This, you should keep as a souvenir," Griffin said, taking down Hansen’s nameplate from the locker.

At first, he had thought Hansen was one of James’ guys and subconsciously assigned him to be near James.

Little did he expect Hansen to always go against James, making this nameplate a witness to their history.

After packing up, Griffin even helped carry the luggage, escorting Hansen to the entrance of the arena.

Hansen hadn’t brought his car into the underground garage this time.

"Thanks," Hansen said to Griffin before leaving.

Initially biased due to the locker incident, he saw that, despite their few interactions, Griffin was actually a pretty decent person.

Just before getting into the car, Hansen couldn’t help but look back.

Right in front of the arena, there hung a poster of the Cavaliers’ five-player lineup.

Williams, Hansen, James, Jamison, O’Neal.

The Cavalier’s posters were always outdated.

He took out his phone and snapped a picture.

For better or worse, this was part of his rookie journey.

After leaving the arena, Hansen drove to Malone’s place.

He had even prepared some gifts.

During his season with the Cavaliers, Malone had covered him a lot.

It was safe to say that without Malone, his situation would have been much worse.

What Hansen didn’t expect was that after a short exchange, Malone said he was also leaving.

So to cling to the slim possibility of retaining James, even the always fair Malone had to be let go?

Hansen was about to speak.

"Don’t overthink it, it’s not because of you, I just want to switch to a better platform," Malone was still as good at reading people.

"Where to?"

"New Orleans, they’ve invited me to be the chief assistant coach."

"Then congratulations are in order."

When Malone was with the Cavaliers, he was just the second assistant coach. Becoming the chief assistant coach was a step closer to being an NBA head coach.

"The Hornets and the Grizzlies are both in the Southwest Division, we’ll face off four times a season," Malone said with a smile.

That meant, even if they weren’t on the same team next season, they would still see each other quite a bit.

Hansen stood up and hugged Malone. Away from the gloom of Cleveland, they both had a bright future ahead of them.

After leaving Malone’s house, Hansen had wanted to visit Jamison’s place, but Jamison had already returned to his home in Shreveport, so they could only contact each other by phone.

When all that was done, he began the final thing he had to do: drive from Cleveland to Memphis.

Though the Grizzlies were part of the Western Conference, Memphis is actually a central city; it’s less than 1200 kilometers away by car.

If he were to drive non-stop, he could actually make it in a day.

Of course, Hansen wasn’t in it to rush the journey, he was more about enjoying the scenery along the way.

It was a way of saying goodbye to the past and welcoming the future.

Two days later, having rested well, Hansen got up early in the morning to prepare for departure.

But unexpectedly, just as he got out of bed, he saw a crowd gathering outside his villa.

He didn’t know what was going on. He had his security go out to ask and found out they were fans coming to see him off.

The Cavaliers had posted an official farewell letter to him on their website the day before, and today people had shown up.

This was truly a surprise to him.

But when he came downstairs and saw the reluctant expressions on the fans’ faces, and even when someone hugged him crying, he felt deeply moved.

During his year here, he had gained quite a few detractors, but he had really won over many local fans in Cleveland.

For those fans who asked for photos or autographs, he obliged them all.

He even went back into the house to find some shoes and jerseys he had worn, signed them, and gave them away.

After seeing off the fans, he got into his Rolls-Royce Phantom and then said goodbye to his villa.

Before officially setting off, he made a detour to pick up Conningham.

The guy insisted on being his bodyguard for the trip. There was no stopping him.

In the end, he could only agree.

As he drove over, Conningham was squatting by the roadside. The fans had held him up for quite some time, so he must have been waiting for a while.

He didn’t honk the horn but rolled down the window and called out to him instead.

Conningham looked up, saw it was Hansen, and came running over with a smile on his face.

"Why did you bring such a big bag of stuff?" Hansen asked with a puzzled face as Conningham approached.

"It’s a tent, just bought it. I know a place where we can camp," Conningham said while stuffing the gear into the back seat.

Hansen shook his head with a smile. This guy really thought of everything.

With Conningham to keep him company on the road, Hansen wouldn’t feel bored.

And if he got tired, Conningham could take over driving for a while.

They didn’t drive fast, stopping along the way to take pictures of the scenery and enjoy the process.

Of course, Hansen didn’t post these pictures online. With so many haters now, he didn’t want to stir any trouble.

They quickly arrived at the campsite Conningham had mentioned. It was on a mountain but was a managed camping area, very safe.

The weather was clear today, and come nighttime, lying outside the tent, they could enjoy the starry sky while feeling the cool breeze of June.

This slow-paced experience was indeed a bit different for Hansen, who had crossed over.

And Conningham had even prepared some food and drinks, and brought along mosquito repellent.

The guy knew how to enjoy life.

"I regret it now, is it still possible to bring you along to Memphis?" Hansen said with a chuckle.

"Really, boss?" Conningham got excited upon hearing this, immediately sitting up.

"Just kidding. Didn’t we agree before that it’s better for you to stay?" Hansen almost lost it when he heard the word "boss" again.

Originally, when he was leaving, he thought about taking Conningham with him.

If he had chosen to go to a weaker team, he would have done so, and Ferry would most likely agree.

But now he was heading to the Grizzlies, where there was intense competition in the frontcourt, and there was no chance for Conningham to start.

So instead of going with him, it was better for Conningham to develop with the Cavaliers.

With O’Neal leaving and Ilgauskas likely to follow James, Conningham would surely get more playing time.

Even if James really didn’t leave, Conningham would still fit in.

Conningham sat back down a bit dejectedly.

"Don’t worry, boss. I’ll make a name for myself in the league, like this starry sky, there will always be a corner that belongs to me."

Hansen shook his head.

This guy was quite the poet.

But...

He also looked up again, his face full of anticipation.

This starry sky would also have a vast expanse that belonged to him.