Two days later, the Cavaliers hosted the Bobcats at ho.
This was Jamison's debut for the Cavaliers.
Coach Brown didn't seem to have figured out how to handle the ball distribution yet, so Jamison wasn't in the starting lineup for this ga.
It wasn't a big deal since Jamison had only recently joined the team. He barely had ti to learn the plays, let alone get familiar with all his teammates.
However, this decision led to an unexpected outco.
The Bobcats had originally spent two months deliberating before selecting Henderson, but less than a month into the season, they abandoned the idea of making him their cornerstone. Instead, they traded with the Warriors for 'Captain Jack' Stephen Jackson.
After joining the Bobcats, Jackson averaged a career-high 17.8 field goal attempts per ga and scored a career-high 21.1 points per ga.
His efficiency wasn't great, but he could handle the ball and score in crucial monts, which was a much-needed boost for the team.
With Tyson Chandler anchoring the paint, Gerald Wallace and Boris Diaw leading the wings, and Jackson contributing on the periter, along with a more polished Raymond Felton in his contract year, the Bobcats had beco a playoff-caliber team.
Moreover, this roster had a solid defensive capability, making them a tough team to beat when their offense clicked.
On this particular night, they shot 54.7% from the field, 47.4% from three-point range, and outrebounded the Cavaliers by 10, ultimately defeating Cleveland 110-101.
This was not a performance the Bobcats could sustain regularly— an outlier— but Jamison's play was the more noteworthy aspect of the ga.
In 26 minutes off the bench, Jamison had the worst ga of his career, bar none.
He went 0-for-12 from the field, 0-for-4 from beyond the arc, and only managed 2 points and 7 rebounds from free throws.
At the post-ga press conference, Han Sen and LeBron attended together.
LeBron scored 22 points, 3 rebounds, and 9 assists, while Han Sen contributed 18 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 4 steals.
When asked about Jamison's poor performance, LeBron ca to the new teammate's defense. "There's nothing wrong with Antawn. He's in great shape, and I'm confident about that. We just need so ti to gel."
Listening from the side, Han Sen felt a little weird.
He realized that LeBron had used this exact line before, except the subject had been Shaquille O'Neal instead of Jamison.
LeBron had his excuses ready.
"Han, how long do you think Jamison will take to adjust to the team?" Reporters directed a similar question to him.
It's hard to avoid these questions after such an abysmal performance.
"He's a veteran who's been in the league for 11 or 12 seasons. He just had an off night, but I'm confident he'll bounce back in the next ga," Han Sen expressed his unwavering confidence in Jamison.
After the press conference, Han Sen returned to the locker room.
Jamison sat quietly in a corner.
According to David Griffin, that spot was supposed to be a peaceful area, but now it felt almost desolate, especially compared to when Jamison first joined the team two days ago.
This is the harsh reality— when you're a highly anticipated All-Star acquired through a major trade, and you perform this poorly, don't expect your teammates to give you warm looks.
LeBron glanced at Jamison after returning to the locker room but then went straight to the showers without a word.
Han Sen, however, walked directly toward Jamison.
"Let's train together later."
Jamison looked at Han Sen and nodded.
On the practice court, they engaged in so intense physical drills.
Han Sen didn't hold back just because Jamison was in a bad mood. By the end, both were drenched in sweat, exhausted.
But unlike two days ago, Han Sen could sense Jamison was anxious; his technique was off.
This had been evident during the ga as well.
His anxiety likely stemd from Brown's lineup decisions.
Jamison had only co off the bench in his rookie season and during the 2003-04 season when he won Sixth Man of the Year with the Mavericks.
It's not just about him needing to learn the team's plays; if he has a few more bad gas, Jamison might never get the chance to start.
This would save Brown the headache of managing the ball distribution.
But sotis, the more you rush, the worse you play.
Besides adjusting his form, Jamison needed to work on his mindset.
Han Sen realized this after their extra training session, but he wasn't a psychologist.
Telling him 'patience is a virtue' wouldn't an much.
"Are you free tomorrow afternoon?" Han Sen asked.
Coach Brown had already ntioned that they had a regular practice in the morning and film review in the evening, with the afternoon free.
"When do we hit the gym?" Jamison imdiately nodded.
"Gym? No, I'm taking you sowhere else."
Jamison looked puzzled. Not training?
"Just follow tomorrow after practice," Han Sen said.
Though still confused, Jamison agreed.
When everyone else avoids you because of a poor performance, the person who treats you like normal earns your trust.
The next day, after practice, Han Sen drove Jamison to a scenic bay.
"What is this?" Jamison was baffled by the shallow cove and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks.
Han Sen waved him over to the car to help unload so gear. Before long, they found a perfect spot, set up an umbrella, and cast their fishing lines from foldable chairs.
When Han Sen had gone to Reunion Tower with Swift earlier, Swift suggested he find a way to relieve stress. The first thing that ca to mind was fishing.
It was a hobby from his past life that he didn't need to relearn.
Plus, fishing was a common activity in Arica. Many players did it during the offseason.
Jamison, though, looked a bit reluctant. He would rather be training at the gym.
Also...
"Why are we wearing helts to fish?" Jamison asked. The weather was cool, so hats seed more appropriate.
Han Sen coughed awkwardly and explained, "There are seagulls around. We wouldn't want bird poop to land on us."
Jamison didn't look too convinced.
The two sat by the water, the rhythmic crash of waves against the rocks providing a calm backdrop to their fishing spot.
Jamison, though still tense from the ga, leaned back slightly in his foldable chair, gripping the rod with a mix of hesitation and awkwardness.
"Why are we doing this again?" Jamison asked, still eyeing his rod like it might bite him instead of a fish.
"Because," Han Sen smirked, adjusting his helt, "sotis, man, you just need to stop thinking about it for a minute. The more you push, the more things fall apart. Trust ."
Jamison let out a frustrated breath. "Yeah, well, I'm not exactly used to... not doing sothing about it."
Han chuckled, casting his line into the water. "Neither was I. When I was a kid, if sothing wasn't working, I'd bang my head against it until I either fixed it or broke sothing." He paused. "Usually ended up breaking sothing."
Jamison smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He was clearly still rattled from the previous ga.
"You ever get in trouble for it?" Jamison asked, leaning into the conversation a bit more. He could relate to that kind of determination, even when it went wrong.
"All the ti." Han's grin widened. "Once, I rember there was this beat-up, second-hand bike my folks got for my birthday. I loved that thing. Rode it everywhere. But one day, it just wouldn't pedal right. Chain kept slipping off. I must've spent half the day trying to fix it— had no idea what I was doing— just pulling at the chain, getting grease all over my hands. Dad ca out, saw ssing it up worse, and just laughed. Sat down, showed how to do it right. But the whole ti, I couldn't stop thinking that if I just kept yanking on it, I could make it work."
Jamison nodded, his posture loosening as Han spoke. "Sounds familiar. I was like that with basketball. Grew up in a small neighborhood, not a lot of space. There was this broken-down court near my place, and all the older kids would hog it. I wasn't the tallest, not back then, so I'd have to wait around for hours just to get a chance to play. By the ti it was my turn, it was dark, and I could barely see the rim."
Han raised an eyebrow. "But you played anyway?"
"Damn right, I played," Jamison said, a real smile breaking through. "And you know what? I was terrible at first. Airballs, bricks, all of it. But I kept going back, every night, until they had no choice but to let run with them during the day."
Han shook his head, impressed. "That's grit, man."
"Yeah, well," Jamison shrugged, "I had to prove myself. The more I missed, the harder I worked. That's just how I was wired."
For a mont, they sat in comfortable silence, letting the wind and the soft sound of the sea fill the gap in their conversation. Then Han Sen spoke again, a little more quietly.
"I get it, though. How things don't always go the way you want, no matter how hard you push," he said. "Like when I was younger, we didn't have much, you know? My parents worked their asses off, but it never seed like enough. I couldn't control anything that was going on around , so I turned to basketball. It was the one thing that I could put all my energy into, the one thing that responded to how much work I put in. But even then, I had to learn patience. So days, no matter how many shots I put up, nothing would fall."
Jamison nodded again, more thoughtful this ti. "Yeah, that sounds about right. You get so used to grinding, you forget that sotis you just need to step back. Let things co to you."
"Exactly," Han said, casting his line again, letting it sit for a mont before turning to Jamison. "That's what today's about. Letting it co to you. No need to force it."
Jamison laughed, though there was so disbelief in his voice. "So, what? We just sit here, staring at the water, waiting for a fish to bite?"
Han smiled. "Pretty much."
For the first ti, Jamison seed to relax. He let his shoulders drop and shifted in his seat, finally giving in to the calm around him.
"You know, I always thought fishing was boring," Jamison admitted.
"Most people do. But it's like anything else— if you're in your own head, yeah, it's boring as hell. But if you let go of all that, you might actually find so peace in it."
Jamison stared out at the water, the tension slowly leaving his body. "Maybe I needed this more than I thought."
"Trust ," Han said, reeling in his line slowly, "we all do sotis."
Jamison glanced at Han. "Thanks, man. For bringing out here."
"Don't sweat it. Besides," Han added with a grin, "I'm sure you'll return the favor when I'm the one in a slump."
Jamison chuckled, finally looking more like himself again. "Deal."
Just then, Jamison's rod jerked in his hands. He stood up, startled, gripping the handle tightly.
"Whoa! What do I do?" Jamison asked, a mix of excitent and panic flashing across his face.
Han quickly jumped up. "Just pull! Don't think too much— just like a fast break, react."
Following Han's advice, Jamison fought with the rod as the fish tugged hard. After a few monts of struggle, he pulled up a sizable sea bass.
Laughing, Jamison held the fish up triumphantly. "Guess you were right."
Han grinned. "Told you. Sotis, you just gotta let things co to you."
Seeing his catch, Jamison experienced the joy of fishing for the first ti.
Han Sen, anwhile, retrieved so shrimp blocks from the car.
When sea fishing, especially for bass or barracuda, once you've caught one, it's ti to bait heavily, as they usually hunt in schools.
By the ti the sun began to set, they packed up, with a big bag of sea bass as their reward.
Most of them were caught by Jamison. It wasn't that he had so hidden fishing talent, but rather beginner's luck seed to be on his side, with fish constantly biting his line.
"How do we deal with all these?" Jamison finally realized their predicant as they headed back to the car.
Catching nothing is disappointing, but catching too much can be a hassle.
They couldn't keep these fish alive, and there was no way they'd eat them all.
"We're going back to the arena," Han Sen already had a plan.
Back at the arena, Han Sen and Jamison carried the tank full of fish into the locker room.
Most of the Cavaliers players were there, curiously watching their every move.
"Guys, this is the result of an afternoon's work, though Antawn did most of the catching," Han Sen announced, opening the container.
When the team saw the lively sea bass inside, there were gasps of surprise.
Just as Han Sen had anticipated, many players were into fishing, and they knew how impressive the catch was.
A few players were already giving Jamison thumbs up.
But the real highlight wasn't showing off. Han Sen had prepared bags and divided up the fish for everyone.
For multimillionaire athletes, the catch itself might not be special, but sharing it with teammates for a nice al definitely was.
Seeing the players enthusiastically divvying up the fish, Jamison finally broke into a smile.
Han Sen could sense Jamison's anxiety fading.
In reality, this day's fishing trip wasn't about solving Jamison's shooting woes— it was about breaking the ice with the team and easing the pressure.
As for the poor shooting night?
They'd fish again tomorrow if needed.
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