The date was a bit off from what Hansen knew.
There are two key bits of information here.
First, there’s a "freeze period" for NBA free agency signings, during which players can negotiate freely with teams, but official contracts have to be signed after the freeze period. Initially, the period was a month long, but after several changes, it started to last 13 days beginning from the 2004-2005 season.
Second, Hansen was well aware of "The Decision" because it was so sensational, he rembered almost every detail, including the date, which he clearly knew was July 9.
So now, Jas had postponed "The Decision" from the 9th to the 13th, the very last day of the freeze period.
Was this to make the decision more thrilling?
Or was there so different change?
Hansen couldn’t know.
But he checked the fans’ reactions on social dia.
Well, how should I put it, his eyes were green with envy.
Because Jas had already started getting massively criticized.
"You think you’re Jordan or sothing with your decision? I’m a Kobe fan, your decision’s none of my business!"
"Don’t insult Jordan like that, Jordan always respected fans. Only dia darlings like LeBron treat fans like fools!"
"I really can’t handle it anymore, just got beaten in the Eastern Conference Finals and then jumped to making decisions. Deciding what? To run away?!"
"I don’t know what you all are ranting about. LeBron personally cos down to give you all a monkey show, and you don’t even appreciate it!"
"LeBron: Stop arguing, I announce, I’m taking my Talent to the WNBA!"
...
Indeed, there were still LeBron fans speaking up for Jas, but they were overwhelmingly outmatched by the critics and drowned out by their spitfire.
The scene was sowhat unexpected for Hansen.
Because in his mory, Jas also got heavily criticized after making The Decision.
But on second thought, this unprecedented and cheeky maneuver truly wasn’t sothing a sane person could conceive.
After all, no matter how much the dia builds you up, you’re essentially just an athlete.
People liking you is their freedom to choose.
But now, it was as if Jas and his team had stripped fans of their freedom, forcing them to focus entirely on him.
It wasn’t because of his inherent influence but because his choices could indeed alter the dynamics of the League.
Sure, he wasn’t the only one capable of causing that effect. That year, either Wade or Nowitzki could have done so as well.
For example, Wade announcing a move to the Lakers or Nowitzki to the Magic and so on.
But Jas was the only one who chose that path.
That made Hansen think of the true origin of the "Who is your daddy" .
Why did the Nuggets have such a grudge against the Lakers after winning the championship?
Were they just being too arrogant?
The answer was no. It was because after the Nuggets had won, Jas almost used a similar "I’m considering retirent" to forcefully capture fans’ attention.
Keep in mind that before this, the League was promoting Kobe’s back-to-back championships, but once that announcent was made, people stopped paying attention to it.
Good thing Kobe wasn’t as petty as the Nuggets, or a jab like "where are you, my brother" to mock Jas for not reaching the finals would have beco yet another iconic .
The more Hansen read, the more envious he felt.
If he could really rent his system to Jas now, that would indeed make him soar!
Hmm?
Just then, the "epiphany" Hansen had been waiting for suddenly flashed through his mind.
If changing the date didn’t alter anything in the end, then Jas would end up joining the Heat to form The Big Three just as he knew.
By then, the criticisms he was seeing now would seem minor compared to what would co.
Of course, Hansen couldn’t actually rent the system to Jas since the system didn’t have that feature. But what if by that ti, he spoke out for Jas?
It was a reverse logic, but predictably, he would certainly get trashed as well.
But isn’t this exactly what he wanted? Sothing that will get the whole internet, or at least the vast majority of basketball fans, to bash him?
Thinking of this, Hansen started to get excited.
Because this could give him more black fan value than needed to exchange for "Steel Bones"!
He suppressed his excitent and began brainstorming.
If he wanted to achieve that goal, the only thing he had to do now was to ensure that Jas’s "Decision" didn’t encounter any mishaps.
If the change in the date led Jas to stubbornly stay with the Cavaliers, all his plans would vanish like a mirage.
But now, with him and Jas being at odds, how could Jas possibly heed his advice?
Honestly, considering their current relationship, as soon as Jas heard his voice, he would certainly hang up the phone.
So what could he do to ensure Jas would hear what he had to say, even if he didn’t want to?
Hansen looked at the social dia on his phone and entered editing mode.
After fingering the phone keyboard for a while, he typed out the sentence:
"LeBron, don’t let loyalty ruin you."
If Hansen were still with the Cavaliers, he could never send that ssage.
But now, he had been traded from the Cavaliers after shining in the playoffs, perfectly fitting the "victim" role.
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