When October arrives, the curtain of the Kings’ training camp falls, and the annual dia day unfolds at this ti.
Although there were so minor issues during training camp, every player seed very excited on dia day.
So clues could be gleaned from the players’ interviews.
"This is the year I’ve seen the most reporters since I ca to Sacranto." Stan said with genuine excitent.
The agreent he had reached with Ludar was a compromise, as Hansen’s tough stance made him realize that if he didn’t follow the coaching staff’s instructions, he would only end up being traded.
And going to a new team to start over would be terrible for him, especially in a contract year.
But at this mont, he truly felt the changes in the Kings and realized that staying with the Kings was the best route for him.
"That’s not important to ; I have bigger goals."
When reporters expressed dissatisfaction for Mitchell missing out on last season’s Rookie of the Year award, Mitchell’s emotions were mixed.
After losing to Simmons at last season’s award ceremony, Mitchell had voiced his frustration on social dia.
Simmons was just on a better team, surrounded by Jimmy Butler and Embiid, while Mitchell had Guy and Sabonis as teammates.
He lost to Simmons just like Anthony lost to Jas back in the day.
Not to ntion Simmons was actually a second-year player.
However, his comnts did not attract much attention because Simmons was a dia darling and was in a big city like Philadelphia, whereas he was in Sacranto, with the Kings, a team buried in obscurity.
Yet before the new season even started, the dia began to proactively voice support for him.
Mitchell knew it wasn’t the dia that changed their minds; it was the Kings that had changed.
To use O’Neal’s words, players go to big cities for a bigger platform, but Hansen himself was the biggest platform.
Wherever he went, it ant that place would beco the focus of dia and journalists.
And this focus would make players excited about the present and full of anticipation for the future.
After dia day ended, the new season officially kicked off, starting with the preseason gas.
The Kings’ first preseason opponent for the new season was the Rockets.
Even though the Rockets fell short in the Western Conference Finals last season, the managent continued to renew contracts for Paul and Capela over the sumr, retaining the main team lineup as much as possible.
Add to that, they signed Carlo Anthony, who had been traded by the Thunders to the Hawks and then bought out.
This sowhat related to a change in ownership, as last season, the notoriously frugal Alexander, due to aging, finally sold the team to Tilman Fertitta.
Of course, what’s more important is that Hansen’s departure from the Cavaliers was akin to Jordan’s first retirent, igniting the strongest desire among all teams to compete for the championship in the new season.
Because everyone is well aware of Hansen’s strength, it’s possible that one day, Hansen could make a Jordan-like coback with the Kings, leaving them only a brief championship window.
This preseason ga was held at the Kings’ ho court.
Then, it was the turn for Sacranto fans to genuinely feel the difference of the new season.
Preseason gas in the NBA are similar to warm-up gas; most of the main lineup only plays half the ga, so the tickets for preseason gas are very affordable.
Take the Kings for example; last season’s cheapest preseason ticket was $5, not much different from being free.
Still, the number of fans watching the ga at the arena was very limited, usually just a small scale.
But this year, the tickets for this preseason ga sold out shortly after going on sale, and now the ones still circulating are those held by scalpers.
Compared to comrcial investnts which do not directly impact, this polarizing ticket sales situation is the most direct.
When the Kings erged from the player tunnel of Golden One Arena, they saw a packed audience, leaving the original Kings players stunned.
"Are we playing the finals?" Sabonis couldn’t help but exclaim.
"That’s our goal." Mitchell was the first to recover from the shock.
NBA is a job for players, but who wouldn’t want to show themselves on a bigger stage, in front of more fans?
Money is the biggest motivation for playing, but it’s not all.
Preseason gas don’t have opening ceremonies, and after warming up, both teams’ starting lineups were announced.
Rockets: Paul, Harden, Anthony, Tucker, Capela
Kings: Hansen, Mitchell, Tatum, Sabonis, Stan
Winning or losing in preseason isn’t important; it’s more about honing the lineup.
In this ga, Hansen was positioned the sa as he was during his ti with the Cavaliers, at the point guard position.
After the ga began, the Kings quickly fell behind.
The Rockets’ fast-paced offense and defense completely outmatched the Kings’ rhythm.
Clearly, compared to the Kings, the Rockets were a more mature and stronger team.
On the Kings’ side, the newcors were still adapting to Hansen’s presence, always passing the ball to Hansen.
Mitchell was the only one willing to play aggressively, but facing Paul’s defense, he couldn’t perform well.
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