The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 142 - 106 Greenhouse Cultivation Won’t Produce Flowers_2

Chapter 142: Chapter 106 Greenhouse Cultivation Won’t Produce Flowers_2

He was hailed as the next "McGrady" during the draft, a much more apt comparison than Paul George.

He had numerous scoring methods, could run and jump, and was particularly adept at difficult long two-point shots, which were also highly entertaining to watch.

However, Guy also had weaknesses, or the main reason why he was consistently mediocre, which was his efficiency.

He was always a player with high attempts but low output. The saying "An NBA player who shoots 30 times is bound to score more than 30 points" was disproven by him when he scored 29 points on 37 shots—a classic game in Guy’s career.

If Hansen wanted to win against Guy, efficiency would be his most potent weapon.

Therefore, exchanging for a mid-range was most suitable, which also meant that he needed to find a way to earn more Anti-Fans Value.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was Hansen in a hurry. After all, the season hadn’t started yet, but at least he now had a next target.

From this perspective, bringing Durant to Memphis had already been more than worthwhile.

Moreover, he and Durant had just begun their training.

As Hansen and Durant battled in the gym, time unknowingly flew by, and it was already early September.

Hansen’s disadvantages when competing with Durant were obviously diminishing. During this time, the Anti-Fans System experienced a significant increase, jumping directly from 600,000 to 1 million.

This unexpected "benefit" was not unfounded; it happened because the East University Men’s Basketball Team had just finished their World Championship campaign.

The strength of this East University team was underestimated. Although Yao couldn’t participate, Yi Jianlian performed extraordinarily, averaging 22.5 points and 9.75 rebounds per game in the group matches, not far behind Yao Ming’s data.

Additionally, the rest of the start-up line-up, Wang Zhizhi, Sun Yue, Wang Shipeng, and Liu Wei, all averaged double figures in scoring.

They lost 81-89 to Greece, 80-89 to Russia, 67-78 to Lithuania.

These matches, played without Yao, when looked back on later, were truly remarkable outcomes, honorable defeats indeed.

Unfortunately, because the coach at the time was Deng Huade, whose passionate coaching style was contrary to the culture of East University, this led the Basketball Association and the domestic media to harshly cleanse him after the fact, so that the performance of this East University team in the World Championship was belittled in the future.

Of course, that was a problem for the future. The current tone was: if Hansen had not declined to play for the national team, the men’s basketball team could likely have made at least the quarterfinals, or even pushed for the top four.

The scenario "If only Hansen" that had occurred with the Cavaliers now also manifested itself with the East University team.

In fact, if Hansen hadn’t posted that status, fans would probably be criticizing the Basketball Association for not recruiting Hansen into the team, but unfortunately, Hansen was now the one being blamed.

At this moment, Hansen couldn’t help but have mixed feelings.

Previously, he didn’t earn many Anti-Fans Value from his post, and now it was too late.

This could also be considered "belated happiness."

If anything was truly a pity, it was that the East University team still managed to advance from their group, and most fans could accept the outcome.

If they had indeed failed to advance from the group stage, the Anti-Fans Value Hansen would have received might have been enough for him to directly exchange for mid-range talent.

By mid-September, Hansen and Durant’s joint training had ended, and Durant left Memphis full of grievances.

By late September, like other teams, the Grizzlies’ training camp officially began.

Hansen also met his new teammates that day.

Naturally, his primary focus was his potential competitor, Guy.

Honestly speaking, Guy had a star-like appearance, one of the top in terms of looks among black players, and from certain angles, he even had a bit of Will Smith’s charm.

Moreover, he seemed to be reserved and low-profile.

Of course, having the experience with the Cavaliers, Hansen did not "judge a book by its cover."

Besides Guy, the most attention-grabbing was Zach Randolph.

Randolph truly seemed like someone freshly out of prison, not only fierce-looking but also very irritable, constantly cursing and gesticulating, truly like a big black bear.

By contrast, his teammate Little Gasol was much quieter, not the type who didn’t talk much, but he expressed more through actions.

What made Hansen most comfortable was Conley, whose every action demonstrated courteousness and humility, making Hansen feel even more at ease than with Ilgauskas.

Then, what surprised Hansen the most was James Johnson.

Johnson’s arrival at the Grizzlies was all thanks to Hansen.

Originally, the Grizzlies had gotten the 18th pick for competing for Hansen, but unexpectedly, the Cavaliers snatched it away, and because they had sent away Darrell Arthur, they could only pick Johnson as a consequence.

Of course, Hansen’s impression of Johnson definitely didn’t stem from that. As a transmigrator, he knew all too well about this "most capable NBA player."

Others in fights would need to be ruthless, even requiring calculated tactics and first flinging out their momentum. But this player could merely stand quietly in front of his opponent, and the opponent would immediately cower.

It wasn’t because he looked particularly fierce, but because, as a basketball player from a family skilled in Taekwondo, getting involved with him could genuinely end with being knocked out on the spot.

And yet, he seemed truly gentle.

Whenever a player fell, he was the first to help them up, always wearing a smile on his face.

If one didn’t know his background, they might really think he was the type "who would be bullied for his kindness."

Apart from them, two other people also caught Hansen’s attention.

One was naturally Tony Allen, who played for the Celtics last season. Due to his prior experiences, he felt quite cold toward Hansen.

The other was Haddadi.

This player, who made the East University Men’s Basketball Team lose face during the final in Jinmen a year ago, would replace Thabeet this season as Little Gasol’s primary backup.

Speaking of which, the Grizzlies had visibly improved their external lineup this season with the additions of Hansen, Delonte West, and Tony Allen, though their backup strength on the inside seemed a bit weak.

But that was normal; if they had an unstoppable setup like the Cavaliers did last season, the Grizzlies wouldn’t just be aiming for the playoffs this season—as Hansen said, they’d be gunning straight for the championship.

After the players warmed up in the training hall for a while, the Grizzlies’ head coach, Lionel Hollins, arrived with his coaching staff.

Besides Tois, there was also Dave Joerger, another first assistant coach on the team.

Generally, in a team, if the head coach is defensive, they pair up with an offensive coach to complement each other, as Brown did with Pierce for the Cavaliers.

However, both Hollins and Joerger were famously defensive coaches, demonstrating the Grizzlies’ emphasis on defense.

In contrast, while Hollins’ face looked naturally stern, Joerger had a gentler demeanor, even slightly humorous.

Just as Hansen withdrew his gaze, he noticed Guy frowning deeply at Hollins.

The relationship between Guy and Hollins didn’t seem very good?

Unlike Brown, not only did Hollins look stern, but he also spoke harshly.

After gathering the team, the first thing he emphasized was "obedience."

This style was rare in the NBA, which as a commercial league, didn’t grant as much power to coaches as the NCAA did.

Yet, his method seemed very effective on the Grizzlies; even Randolph appeared subdued.

Then, when the tactic running part of the official training began, Hansen understood all the confusion.

It was related to the strategic system of the Grizzlies.

Despite having previously faced the Grizzlies while on the Cavaliers, the feeling of being an opponent was entirely different from being within.

The Grizzlies’ tactics were all centered around their inside game.

With Randolph as the first point of attack, and Little Gasol as the primary playmaker.

Even if there were tactics on the outside, they were designed to support the inside, like Conley and Little Gasol’s pick-and-roll.

As for Guy and Hansen, they would only handle the ball when the inside tactics were disrupted or stalled. freewebnøvel.coɱ

Therefore, Guy’s disgruntled look toward Hollins was purely a dissatisfaction with his tactical role.

And Randolph’s compliance with Hollins was also due to his unmatched tactical position on the team.

Having controlled Randolph, Hollins’ unusual coaching style naturally operated well within the Grizzlies.

It was a tactical system completely different from that of the Cavaliers, somewhat unexpectedly for Hansen.

However, this unexpected situation rather excited Hansen.

By choosing the second option initially, he knew he would definitely face competition and challenges.

No flower grows in a greenhouse; only through competition could one become stronger.

He was sure, the Grizzlies’ competitive atmosphere had the potential to defeat the Heat’s Three Giants.

And what he needed to do next was compete against Guy for the position of the core exterior player.