Han Sen looked at the reports in silence for a long ti, his mind filled with countless thoughts.
After the last conflict, he had thought that as long as he and Jas stayed out of each other's way, he could succeed with the Cavaliers by improving his own abilities.
But now, it seed he had been too naive about Jas and his team.
Just because it was a pass from Jas, and a passive one at that, the news reports were written like this.
anwhile, he, the one who actually made the ga-winning shot, beca a side character hidden in the corner of the news reports.
If it hadn't been a pass from Jas, would the news have said that the ga-winning shot was successful because Jas drew up the play?
Snatching the clipboard wasn't a bad thing; nah it was the key to victory!
Jas truly was a reflection of this country, using the power of the dia to market himself, ensuring all the spotlight was on him.
As for those around him, they were rely tools to achieve this goal, feeding off of him like parasites.
And belatedly, Han Sen realized that after joining the Cavaliers, his avenues for earning [hater points] had been reduced.
Before the draft, he had found a shortcut by targeting Jas's diehard fans to earn those points.
But now that he was with the Cavaliers, that shortcut was no longer viable.
No matter what, he couldn't publicly criticize Jas.
If he actually did that, the "benching" that Ilgauskas ntioned would be the least of his concerns. Attacking a teammate for no reason could lead to him being blacklisted by the entire league.
He had taken the 3-and-D route to ensure he'd get drafted by an NBA team, but the fact that Jas took an interest in him had been sothing he didn't anticipate—a stroke of bad luck, to say the least.
Han Sen let out a long sigh.
He vented his emotions internally, but the frustration remained.
No, he couldn't just sit and wait for things to happen; he had to respond.
Jas used the dia to control the narrative— did that an Han Sen had no options?
Or... why couldn't he do the sa?
Although his current influence couldn't compare to Jas's, he still had the backing of the Eastern market.
Moreover, the dia attention he sought wasn't to go against Jas, but to publicize his own achievents and raise his profile.
Take this ga-winning shot, for example. What he wanted was for the dia to report that he made the ga-winning shot, that he saved the Cavaliers.
With that thought, Han Sen rembered soone.
He picked up his phone and called Theus, the assistant coach of the Grizzlies.
From him, Han Sen got the phone number of Jamal Khalil, the ESPN reporter who had interviewed him after the Michigan State ga.
That's right, the sa reporter from his post-ga interview back then.
Han Sen arranged a eting ti and place.
Two days later, the day before the Cavaliers' away ga against the Raptors, the two t at a café in Toronto.
After exchanging pleasantries, Han Sen got straight to the point, knowing Khalil was a no-nonsense type from their previous interview.
"I want you to be my exclusive reporter, covering my news."
Khalil was visibly surprised, but he didn't give an imdiate answer. He stroked his chin and pondered for a long ti.
As an ESPN reporter, he had, of course, seen the post-ga news reports about the Cavaliers and the Magic.
Anyone who watched the ga would find those reports absurd.
But as a journalist, Khalil wasn't surprised.
Ever since Nike signed that historic $90 million, seven-year contract with Jas before he even entered the league, this kind of thing had been inevitable.
That contract had been widely underestimated. At the sa ti, Kobe Bryant's contract with Nike was only $9 million per year, and Kobe had already won three championships by then.
This only ant one thing: Nike saw Jas as the next "Jordan" to expand their brand's influence.
As for Han Sen...
Khalil glanced at him.
Han Sen remained calm, waiting quietly for his decision.
Han was indeed an interesting person; Khalil had sensed that during the NCAA interview.
Later, when he was selected at the edge of the lottery, it had stunned Khalil for an entire year.
Including his debut, where he completed a 3 1 ga-winner.
And then, of course, there was his big mouth.
To the average person, that might seem like a flaw, sothing that would attract negativity. But from a dia perspective, it was a natural source of material.
There was definitely a lot to dig into with Han Sen.
"I'll agree, but I have one condition," he said, finally speaking up.
"Go ahead."
"If any part of your story involves going against LeBron, I won't report on it. I don't want to lose my job," Khalil admitted frankly.
Han Sen nodded and extended his hand toward him
The two shook hands, sealing the deal.
Just as they did, the waiter brought over the coffee they had ordered.
Indeed, working with people like him was straightforward.
They drank their coffee and discussed so details of their future cooperation.
Once they had talked it through and finished their coffee, they prepared to leave.
"Do you know Brian Windhorst?" Han Sen asked as they stood up.
Khalil nodded. Of course, he knew him— Jas's personal agent and a star reporter at ESPN.
"Have you ever thought that one day you might beco a reporter with more influence than him?"
He was taken aback. He hadn't expected Han Sen to ask such a question.
He shook his head. Unless Windhorst willingly let go of his grip on Jas, no one could surpass him.
"Well, now you can start thinking about it," Han Sen smiled confidently.
"Because one day, I will beco a player with more influence than LeBron."
Khalil was shocked.
But for so reason, hearing such an outrageous statent from his mouth made him briefly consider the possibility.
Maybe it was because the re fact that Han Sen had made it from the second-division league to the NBA in this current environnt was already a kind of miracle.
Of course, once he snapped out of it, he figured it was just one of those bold claims that overly confident rookies make out of ignorance.
"Well, I'll be looking forward to it," Khalil said with a polite smile.
Han Sen smiled and said nothing more. Ti would provide the answer.
...
In the ga against the Raptors, the Cavaliers made no changes to their starting lineup, with Varejao still starting at power forward.
Winning could cover up a lot of things, including lineup changes.
'I won, so why should I keep making adjustnts?'
This was the ntality of many Cavaliers fans and, of course, Jas as well.
The result? The Cavaliers lost to the Raptors 91-101.
Jas put up 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, but had 4 turnovers.
Varejao played 24 minutes, missed all five of his shots, and only scored 1 point from free throws, grabbing 4 rebounds and committing 5 fouls.
The Cavaliers' overall shooting percentage was just 34.9%.
Han Sen was one of the few bright spots besides Jas. He played 28 minutes, shot 4-of-8 from three-point range, scoring 14 points along with 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
On the Raptors' side, Bosh had 21 points and 16 rebounds, while Bargnani scored 28 points with 5 rebounds.
The offensive issues caused by the Cavaliers' lineup remained, and their defense in the paint was overwheld.
The next day, ESPN reporter Khalil published a news article that sparked widespread discussion.
The headline read: "Han Sen's Ga-Winner Saves the Cavaliers from a Two-Ga Losing Streak."
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