However, Malone's response shocked everyone again.
"Even if it's LeBron, the sa applies."
"Then I'll shut up," Han Sen replied bluntly.
Malone's outburst passed, and he lost interest in yelling at Cunningham again. The ga resud.
"Thank you," Cunningham said, pulling him aside before heading back onto the court.
"Shouldn't I return the favor?" Han Sen asked.
They exchanged glances and both smiled. Sotis, relationships between n are that simple.
The Cavaliers ultimately lost to the Grizzlies and were eliminated from the tournant.
Han Sen's Sumr League journey ca to an end.
Over five gas, he averaged 29 minutes per ga, contributing 17 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 3.4 steals, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, and 2.6 fouls per ga. His shooting percentages were 44.2% from the field, 40.5% from three-point range, and 80.5% from the free-throw line.
The night after the Sumr League ended, the players officially began their offseason. Han Sen and Cunningham planned to stay one more day in Las Vegas before returning to Cleveland with the coaching staff. Neither had signed an official contract with the Cavaliers yet.
Han Sen didn't go out like before. Instead, he knocked on Malone's door.
Malone opened it, looking puzzled.
"Coach, I'm here to apologize," Han Sen said with a smile, holding a fruit basket.
Malone wasn't sure what he was up to but let him in.
"Alright, what are you really here for?" Malone asked directly once he was seated.
"I truly ca to apologize. I was too rash. Even if I had concerns, I shouldn't have challenged your authority like that," he said, placing the fruit basket on the table.
Malone looked at Han Sen without saying a word. He found himself increasingly unable to read him. He was acting incredibly mature now, just like how he had behaved on the plane. But if he were truly that mature, he wouldn't have spoken the way he did at the press conference or confronted him during the ga.
"Are you a LeBron hater?"
Malone's sudden question almost made him lose his composure.
"Uh, no, I'm not," Han Sen shook his head.
No LeBron hater would ever admit to it, and what he posted on social dia wasn't really hate, just stating the facts.
"Then why did you bring up LeBron?"
Malone saw right through him.
"Coach, I was just a bit worried," he admitted.
"Worried?"
"You know, I didn't try out for the Cavaliers. Part of that was because they're a championship-contending team, but another part is because of LeBron..."
Han paused while paying close attention to Malone's expression.
"Go on," Malone said, as he turned to make so coffee.
"They all say LeBron is the 'king' of Cleveland. No one can oppose his will, from managent to the coaching staff, to the players. Everyone is his follower, his 'friend.' Even if LeBron makes a mistake, no one speaks up."
"So what exactly are you worried about?" Malone stopped what he was doing and turned to face him. He was good at cutting to the chase.
"I'm worried that when I get there, I'll also be forced to beco one of them. But that's not what I want. I worked hard to make it to the NBA, not to beco soone's friend or follower. I want to defeat my opponents and prove my own value."
As Han spoke, he stood up unconsciously.
"What you want to do and what you're worried about don't seem directly related," Malone gestured for him to sit down.
"That's why I brought up LeBron," Han said, but he didn't sit.
Malone fell into thought.
Han was trying to figure out if Malone was one of those followers too.
"I can't decide what others think. I can only tell you what I believe," Malone said as he handed a cup of coffee to him and sat down with his own.
"I've never tried to be LeBron's friend, nor would I blindly praise him. I'm a coach, and if he doesn't do his job, I'll treat him just like any other player."
After finishing his coffee, Han Sen smiled as he left Malone's room.
From the mont he found out he was drafted by the Cavaliers partly because of LeBron, he knew he was faced with a choice: either stand with LeBron or stand against him.
There was no middle ground. Refusing LeBron's goodwill was the sa as opposing him.
Han made his choice quickly, but he needed to prepare for the consequences, or he might lose his opportunities with the Cavaliers.
What he absolutely had to do was improve his skills, becoming an indispensable part of the team.
Beyond that, he needed to unite every ally he could.
This was a principle emphasized by great leaders— one of the most important strategies for struggle.
An individual's strength is small, but a united group can make even the enemy fearful.
When Han Sen saw Malone on the plane, he had questions.
Now, after tonight, he had his answer.
Malone wasn't rebelling against anyone or on bad terms with LeBron. He was simply a man of principles.
The fact that he dared to say "LeBron would be treated the sa" in front of so many rookies showed he wasn't one to say one thing and do another.
In other words, Malone was soone he could unite with.
After returning to Cleveland, Han Sen and Cunningham both signed their contracts.
The contract for a first-round pick is fixed and linked to the salary cap.
His deal was 4 years, $7.94 million, fully guaranteed, but with team options for the third and fourth years.
In the first year, his pre-tax salary was $1.59 million, leaving him with around $800,000 after taxes.
Including the money he made from betting earlier, he was now a millionaire.
Han Sen fild the signing and posted it on social dia with the caption:
"The beginning of the legend of No. 77."
As soon as he posted, he was t with ridicule from trolls.
"Stop fooling others, and don't start fooling yourself too!"
"Make sure not to delete this. Co back in a couple of years and see how ridiculous this is!"
"Is this why you refused to join the national basketball team? All you care about is money; you have no patriotism at all!"
...
News had already broken in China about Han Sen refusing to join the national team camp, with highly suggestive headlines.
"Han Refuses National Team Call-Up, Impacting Team's Training."
As a result, it wasn't just the haters— so uninford fans also started to pile on.
Han Sen had been in a great mood after Sumr League, even thinking about heading back in ti to catch the national team opportunity.
But after the dia storm, he lost all interest.
In China's current environnt, there was no way the dia would report like that without the basketball association's implicit approval.
This felt eerily similar to how they treated Wang Zhizhi years ago.
Instead of returning to China, he headed to Miami as planned. He had previously arranged to train with Dwyane Wade during the sumr.
To achieve his goal of becoming indispensable to the Cavaliers, he needed to level up his [Star Catcher] skills before the season began.
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