Jas’s decision imdiately blew up the scene.
The Stern era had always been dedicated to creating 23 VS 24, but unfortunately, it was never successful.
Now, Stern had just retired, and rather than fostering rivalry, it beca 23 24!
"The ga is over, the Lakers are going to win not just one, not just two, not just three..."
"This is truly a blockbuster combo, they will dominate the league until the day Kobe retires."
"Damn, Hansen just left mphis, and you guys pull this off? Isn’t Silva going to stop this? Crazy!"
"This is a free agent signing, what reason does Silva have to stop it? This is a ’once in a lifeti’ series!"
"So, who’s the boss of the Lakers now?"
"Fun fact, LeBron doesn’t have a ’wife,’ he has never married anyone, so all this lengthy talk is useless, you might as well say I want to team up with Kobe."
"Look how desperate he is, you must be KD’s burner account?"
"Fun fact, Okafor and Big Gasol’s contracts expire this sumr, and if the Lakers trade Lin Shuhao, besides Kobe and Jas, they will have cap space to sign another max contract player."
"The ultimate league finale, let’s build another dynasty before Kobe retires!"
...
Interestingly, right after Jas made Decision Two, the Knicks owner Dolan, like Gilbert back in the day, cursed Jas.
After all, as the proud owner of the Knicks, he had made significant concessions to Jas, but Jas still chose to leave New York after a year.
He called this a betrayal.
Of course, the reactions from the outside world were no longer surprising, as such things were like cheating, if it happens once, it can happen again.
Why would you choose to trust Jas, who had already betrayed you once?
However, Jas’s decision would also cost him a lot of money, after all, Dolan was not Gilbert; he wouldn’t cooperate with Jas on a sign-and-trade, he could simply tank if need be, as even the worst Knicks team would still sell tickets.
Hansen was also very shocked when he saw this news.
Of course, he wasn’t shocked by the team strength of the two-man team, as fans on social dia say, the problem of who’s the boss between the two is quite tricky.
He was shocked that Jas would choose to team up with Kobe, and that Kobe wouldn’t object!
But on second thought, this seed to be the only way for Jas to return to the spotlight.
The topic of 23 plus 24 is too significant, even larger than the original Big Three of the Heat.
As for Kobe, he still found it sowhat incomprehensible, even though he had expressed willingness to sacrifice, but this kind of teaming up, Kobe’s character should really despise it.
Maybe there was sothing not known to the public.
Yet, this duo gave him an opportunity, because... Kobe fans and LeBron fans have united!
This is truly a ’once in a lifeti’ series.
Hansen imdiately logged into his social dia and posted:
"23 24 < 77"
Previously, Hansen could only target either LeBron fans or Kobe fans, given the fierce rivalry between these two groups.
Now, he could target them both.
Shortly after he posted this, his social dia was stord.
"Last season, claiming to be the greatest ever, this season saying he’s better than Kobe and Jas together, next season will he say he can win the championship alone?"
"Too arrogant, thinking he’s still with the Grizzlies, without that team’s protection, you’re nothing!"
"Fuck, I can’t wait for the new season to start, then see Hansen get crushed by the Lakers!"
"When it cos to attracting hatred, you’re the real GOAT."
...
Hansen’s negative popularity was growing at a crazy rate.
Previously, whether he criticized Jas or Kobe, because it involved personal abilities, only hardcore LeBron or Kobe fans would go against him.
But this ti, even rational LeBron fans and Kobe fans couldn’t stand it.
With this wave of comnts, the attention to the upcoming gas between Cavaliers and Lakers was going to explode.
While Hansen was attracting hatred, Griffin didn’t stop his movents.
He imdiately contacted the Knicks.
With the Knicks having a playoff-level roster last season, Jas’s departure ant a rebuilding, which in turn ant that the Knicks were open for business.
The two teams quickly finalized a trade; Cavaliers sent Varejao and Garrett Jack and received Andrea Bargnani, JR Smith, and a second-round draft pick from the Knicks.
Hansen’s return to the Cavaliers ant Varejao had to be dealt with.
Varejao, now fragile, fortunately had only one year left on the contract Jas had secured for him, and surprisingly, he had a decent turnout last season, playing 65 gas with averages of 8.4 points and 9.7 rebounds, possessing so trade value.
But the main return of the trade, Bargnani, wasn’t much better.
Bargnani wasn’t the least talented number one pick in the NBA, but likely he was the least noticeable.
Perhaps many new fans don’t even realize he was a number one pick.
He played three seasons with the Raptors before showing so number-one-pick-appropriate skills, averaging 21.4 points and 5.2 rebounds.
But that was the season he began suffering injuries, and his attendance dropped year after year.
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