UA (Under Armour) isn't considered a big brand, and since their owner cos from the NFL, most of their partnerships have been with the NFL league.
In basketball shoes, they are virtually unknown.
However, the offer they made to Han Sen was for 4 years and 8 million dollars, which was higher than the offers from Nike, Adidas, and others.
They also promised to make him the core spokesperson for their basketball shoes.
Though they haven't signed any other players, what matters is their commitnt.
So, when Thomas found out that Han wanted to sign with UA, he strongly advised against it over the phone.
Even if he didn't sign with Nike, he could go with Adidas, Jordan, or even Reebok.
Signing with a small brand for shoes would negatively affect a player's overall promotion.
It could even hurt his chances in awards selections.
But as before, Thomas couldn't convince him otherwise.
Because Han Sen was a ti traveler.
Putting aside his own plans, he knew UA was a brand set to soar in the future.
And it wouldn't be entirely due to Curry, because by 2014, UA's sales had already surpassed Adidas to beco the second-largest sports brand after Nike.
In 2014, while Curry was an erging star, he hadn't yet reached top-tier superstar status.
UA as a brand had a lot of potential for growth.
Thomas worked out the contract details, and after the Cavaliers' Western Conference road trip, Han Sen would head to UA's headquarters in Baltimore for a visit and to officially sign the contract.
The day after playing against the Thunder, the Cavaliers flew to Phoenix for a ga against the Suns.
The Suns have been the most surprising team in the league this season. Last season, they didn't make the playoffs, but as of now, they lead the league with a 6-1 record.
The biggest change to their roster compared to last season was losing Shaquille O'Neal.
And Nash was already 35 years old, with the once-formidable "run-and-gun" squad having lost key players like Diaw, Marion, and Raja Bell.
Like the Pistons in the East, they seed like a team in decline.
Their biggest transformation ca from their head coach, Alvin Gentry. He retained the team's run-and-gun system, incorporating fast wing play, corner spacing, V-cuts for periter shots, and long-range shooting, but also injected a defensive identity, making this Suns team strong on both offense and defense.
It looked like a precursor to the future Warriors team.
In this ga, Han Sen lost his starting position, and his playing ti was reduced to 18 minutes.
Just as he expected, not accepting LeBron Jas' goodwill ant standing in opposition to him. There was no middle ground.
Nash relentlessly targeted O'Neal in this ga, and under his system, the Suns displayed smooth teamwork.
The Cavaliers ultimately lost the ga 105-111.
In the post-ga press conference, Suns head coach Gentry spoke about the key to the ga.
"I don't know why they didn't use Han more. He played incredible against OKC, holding KD in check while scoring 20 points. That was unbelievable."
It's rare for a rival coach to actively ntion a rookie and call him a key to the ga.
However, considering that Gentry liked Han Sen during the Suns' pre-draft workouts and repeatedly recomnded him to Steve Kerr during the draft, this made sense.
He must have regretted not being able to coach Han Sen.
But Gentry wasn't the only one confused— besides a few inside the Cavaliers' organization, no one knew the real reason.
After the Suns ga, the Cavaliers quickly traveled to Utah for a ga against the Jazz.
This ga was almost a repeat of the Suns ga, with the Jazz dismantling O'Neal's defense using pick-and-roll plays.
The difference this ti was that Brown benched O'Neal in the second half, but Boozer, a forr Cavalier, wreaked havoc in the paint.
In the end, with Deron Williams scoring 25 points and 10 assists and Boozer adding 28 points and 12 rebounds, the Jazz defeated the Cavaliers 107-103.
Han Sen still wasn't in the starting lineup and played only 19 minutes.
After two consecutive losses, the Cavaliers returned to Cleveland with a 5-4 record.
Around this ti, ESPN's Khalil published an article titled "On Mike Brown's Player Managent," which sparked widespread debate.
Han Sen, having anticipated his reduced playing ti, wasn't going to sit idle.
Though he couldn't directly attack LeBron, he did as he had before— targeting those around him, this ti choosing Brown.
"I don't know what happened. I'm healthy, and my stamina is great."
The article began with an interview between Khalil and Han Sen after the Cavaliers' ga against the Jazz.
Using this quote, Khalil expanded on his headline, discussing Brown's player managent issues.
From Brown's stubborn insistence on using Varejao as a starter at the beginning of the season, nearly resulting in two losses, only for Han Sen's ga-winning three-pointer to save them, to him delivering a stellar performance against the Thunder, only to mysteriously be benched and have his playing ti slashed, leading to two straight losses.
He also ntioned forr Cavalier Sasha Pavlovic, who was the team's best 3-and-D player and a key regular-season rotation mber but averaged only 8 minutes per ga in the previous season's playoffs.
"Mike Brown's player managent has no principles. It's all based on his mood. If he continues this way, the Cavaliers could repeat their past failures."
Though the article didn't directly bla Brown, the tone was heavy.
With LeBron's player option coming up next year, the Cavaliers had to win the championship this season, or else LeBron might leave.
Now, Brown's player managent was being linked to the Cavaliers' title chances, creating massive public pressure.
After returning to Cleveland, Han Sen resud normal training, arriving an hour earlier than everyone else to hit the weights.
LeBron didn't show up today—no one knew where he was.
He had just started his workout when soone stord into the gym with purpose, heading straight toward him.
Seeing that it was Brown, Han knew why LeBron hadn't co today.
"Morning, Coach," He greeted with a fake smile.
"You complained to ESPN about your playing ti?" Brown ignored the pleasantries and imdiately questioned him.
"Seems like it," Han replied casually, knowing that even if he hadn't directly complained, there wasn't much of a difference.
"Why did you do that?" Brown was clearly displeased with Han Sen's attitude.
"To get more playing ti," He said with a caring tone as if Brown didn't know the obvious.
Brown, however, was too flustered to realize this was the most obvious answer.
"I'm asking why you had to say it to the dia. Couldn't you just tell privately?" Brown stepped closer, almost gritting his teeth now under imnse dia pressure.
Looking at his anxious face, Han Sen coolly replied, "Would that have worked?"
From the ti LeBron changed his training schedule without Brown saying a word, to Varejao starting even though everyone knew it was a bad decision because he was LeBron's buddy, Brown hadn't had the courage to change the lineup.
And now, after Han Sen had just put in his best performance yet, scoring a career-high, he was benched and his playing ti reduced just because he didn't accept LeBron's goodwill.
Could Brown be trusted to make decisions?
"Look, this isn't about whether it would work or not. You have to understand sothing— team issues are always solved internally. No one goes to the dia with them!" Brown was getting desperate.
"Fine. Internal resolution, huh?" Han said, standing up and lifting a dumbbell while looking down at Brown.
"So tell , who the f*ck made you bench a player that just scored 20 points and helped the team win, only for the team to lose two gas in a row after that? Dare to say it?"
"You! You've lost your mind!" Han Sen's towering presence made Brown instinctively take a step back.
"If you can't even maintain basic fairness, then trade !"
Han shouted, then tossed the dumbbell aside and walked out of the gym without looking back.
Reviews
All reviews (0)