It took them two and a half days on the road, stopping and going, and Hansen and his team finally made it to mphis.
Before even entering the city, they could already see the landmark building of mphis from afar.
The mphis Pyramid Arena, a 98-ter-tall pyramid-shaped structure made of glass, which briefly served as the Grizzlies’ ho court from 2001 to 2004.
If you were to ask about the most interesting part of Hansen’s rookie season, it was visiting different cities, staying in different hotels, and enjoying different landscapes, which felt like exploring sothing new every day.
He had been particularly impressed by this pyramid-shaped arena.
After all, having an arena shaped like that, even on a global scale, would be uniquely spectacular.
It’s also related to the history of their city.
Many Arican city nas stem from their colonial history, with cities in The East generally related to England, like Cleveland, which cos from a county in England, while cities in The West are usually related to Spain.
The na "mphis" originated from an important city in Ancient Egypt.
Even today, outside Cairo, there are remnants of the mphis Pyramid.
Without a long history of its own, the United States tends to blend various histories together.
Of course, the attractions of the city are not limited to just the pyramid arena.
Similar to Cleveland, mphis is also a port city, but it’s situated next to a river instead of a lake, built on the banks of the Mississippi River and the mouth of the Wolf River.
Unlike the industrial wasteland of Cleveland, this place has significantly more skyscrapers, presenting itself as a modern tropolis.
Although it cannot compare with Miami, its economy is considerably more thriving.
Once inside the city, Hansen could see many things related to rock and blues music along the road.
He even spotted so road signs featuring old photos of "Elvis Presley."
"mphis, the hotown of Elvis, the birthplace of rock ’n’ roll!" Conningham couldn’t help but exclaim when he saw those photos.
Black people have an innate talent for music, and Arican blacks are no exception because most of their ancestors ca from West Africa, a holand of music.
Thus, black musicians hold very high positions among blacks.
In his previous life, Hansen loved rock music; songs like "Glorious Years" were always on his playlist.
Being in mphis, he could indeed enjoy so auditory pleasures.
Hansen drove straight to a villa in the suburbs.
Before he left Cleveland, he had asked Rondo to find him a place to stay in mphis.
The villa wasn’t small, featuring an outdoor swimming pool and a backyard basketball court; importantly, it had high fences and an alarm system for security.
The biggest downside of mphis compared to Cleveland was its safety.
Forty-eight percent of the city’s population was black.
"Boss, I really suggest you get a gun," Conningham said to Hansen while making a gun gesture with his hands after arriving.
This ti, Hansen took the advice; he planned to get a gun permit in a couple of days, then buy a gun to keep in the master bedroom.
As long as he didn’t show it off like Morant as the "mphis Gun King," it would be fine for self-defense.
On the second day of Hansen’s arrival in mphis, soone ca to visit.
It was none other than the Grizzlies’ general manager, Chris Wallace.
He brought soone with him, the team’s assistant coach who was also Hansen’s forr coach at Barry University, Reggie Tois!
Moving from one city to another, Hansen still felt unfamiliar, but seeing Tois diminished that feeling significantly.
"Coach!" He went up and gave Tois a big hug.
Tois patted Hansen on the back with a flushed face.
He was thrilled to reunite in the sa city after Hansen’s reemploynt in the NBA, attributing it to divine arrangent.
After catching up briefly, they all sat down, and Rondo went to make them coffee.
"With you here, I’m confident about the playoffs next season," Wallace said confidently after sipping his coffee.
Last season, the Grizzlies’ lineup wasn’t bad, with Mike Conley and OJ ao as the outer stars, Little Gasol and Randolph as the formidable duo on the inside, and Rudy Guy as the versatile small forward, yet they still missed the playoffs.
This outco was unacceptable to both the managent and the fans; change was necessary.
Now as a defensive team, "change" naturally ant enhancing the defense.
Trading ao for Hansen was to boost periter defense, and acquiring West to enhance bench depth was the plan for improvent.
"Are you surprised by what we traded to get you?" Wallace asked, smiling at Hansen after putting down his coffee cup.
"That was enough to exchange for an All-Star player," Hansen admitted, sowhat puzzled since Wallace didn’t know about his "system."
In other words, what Wallace could see was essentially the sa as what Ferry could see.
"When Danny told he wanted Thabeet, I did hesitate. That kid still has potential, so I consulted soone else’s opinion."
"Oh?" Hansen was even more surprised. Who else could directly influence an NBA general manager’s thoughts?
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