The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 35 King

Cavaliers’ training camp officially started on the second day.

Training was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., but Hansen arrived at the arena an hour early, then went to the gym. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

He planned to do a set, which is 45 minutes of strength training, before practice.

When he finished and returned to the training venue, Hansen found that the rest of the Cavaliers had already arrived.

His eyes were immediately drawn to O’Neal.

O’Neal was much bigger than Hansen had imagined, feeling like a giant up close.

Such a monstrous inside player’s dominance at his peak was easy to imagine.

However, the current "Big Shark" wasn’t too bad either, averaging 17.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks last season with The Suns, making the All-NBA Third Team, and he was also the second player after Jordan to score 45+ points at the age of 37.

So you say he’s old? He indeed is, but to say he has lost all his dominance is pure nonsense.

To be more accurate, his low post offensive dominance was still there, but defensively he’d declined to a point where someone needed to cover for him.

As Hansen’s gaze shifted away, Conningham approached him after seeing him.

"Did you go to the gym?" Conningham asked with surprise, seeing Hansen drenched in sweat—they had trained quite a bit yesterday.

Hansen nodded.

Just then, Cavaliers’ head coach Mike Brown also arrived at the arena, accompanied by two assistant coaches, Mike Malone being one of them.

Brown had a very serious look, fitting the image of a defensive-minded coach.

Since it was the first day of the training camp, Brown didn’t arrange any specific tactics but instead conducted some basic warm-ups and shooting drills.

This day was more about getting the new and veteran Cavaliers players familiar with each other.

Compared to the past, there had been quite a few personnel changes for the Cavaliers this summer.

After a day’s training, Hansen had a basic understanding of the Cavaliers players.

James carried an air of superiority;

Ilgauskas seemed warm-hearted, proactive and enthusiastic in welcoming new team members;

Varejao was like a little African bee, constantly buzzing around James;

Delonte West had "do not approach" written all over his face, appearing very aloof;

Anthony Parker had a smile for everyone, clearly a nice guy;

However, the one who made the deepest impression on Hansen, and who he felt most comfortable with, was O’Neal.

He had none of the airs of a superstar and seemed to get along well with everyone, even making truly funny remarks at times.

His presence made the atmosphere of the Cavaliers’ training camp light and cheerful.

When the day’s training ended, Brown also announced the training schedule for the next day just before the end.

Like today, it was set for 9 a.m., but tomorrow would be an open practice with many reporters in attendance.

So, strictly speaking, tomorrow would actually be considered the first day of the training camp.

But just as Brown finished making the announcement, James suddenly spoke up,

"No, we start training at 12 p.m. tomorrow."

It was quite unexpected, and even O’Neal looked shocked when he heard it.

Hansen was also a bit confused about what James was up to, as it was a direct public challenge to Brown’s authority.

But what shocked people even more was Brown’s response.

"Okay, then, we’ll train at 12 p.m."

He didn’t even ask why!

Is this guy still the head coach?

It seems like James is the head coach!

However, as Hansen turned his head to see O’Neal’s unbelievingly shocked expression, he seemed to understand why James had pulled this stunt.

A show of dominance.

After all, O’Neal was a well-known star in the League, a man with four championship rings.

Despite his age and humble demeanor during practice, he could simply extend his hand to make a "four" sign in front of everyone present if he chose to.

It was like a pack of wolves welcoming an elder Wolf King; wasn’t it obligatory for the Wolf King to assert his sovereignty?

Moreover, this elder Wolf King had already become one with his followers upon his arrival.

However, this way of trampling on the dignity of the head coach was probably something only James could pull off.

It could be said that Brown’s hard-earned serious image collapsed in the hearts of the Cavaliers players, especially the new recruits.

But complaints aside, Hansen saw an opportunity.

After regaining his composure, Hansen noted a trace of dissatisfaction on O’Neal’s face.

O’Neal was no fool, quite the contrary; he was very shrewd, and it was impossible for him not to feel it.

After all, he had previously worked with Kobe and Wade and had been successful with them. James’s influence was clearly insufficient in his eyes.

This was forced suppression, and naturally, O’Neal was not pleased.

But this was Hansen’s chance because as long as he wasn’t aligned with James, O’Neal could be an ally.

After the practice ended, everyone headed back to the locker room.

Despite the minor incident, no one was unhappy after clocking out, and the locker room was still filled with laughter and joy.

"What’s the matter with you?" But just then, James’s icy voice broke the ambiance.

Everyone turned to look, only to find James frowning while holding his sneakers.

Cunningham was scratching his head by his side.

He had picked up James’ shoes by mistake.

Each NBA team has its own shoe manager, but for some reason, James preferred rookies to fetch his shoes for him.

"You, switch places with him," James said, tossing his shoes aside and then turning his gaze toward Hansen.

"Hey, kid, the King has commanded you to switch places!" Varejao quickly stood up, walked over to Hansen, and ordered him around.

Hansen furrowed his brows.

He hadn’t expected to be the next one targeted so soon after O’Neal had been put in his place.

At this moment, the other people in the locker room were watching the show with interest.

Rookies had no right to resist in such situations.

Hansen shook his head.

His response left everyone wide-eyed in surprise.

"This is the team’s arrangement, I can only sit here by rule."

"Rules?!" Varejao couldn’t help but laugh, "Don’t you know, here in Cleveland, the King’s word is..."

"Cough!"

James’s cough interrupted Varejao.

After giving Varejao a look that suggested he was dealing with an idiot, James then turned to Jackson, who was sitting on Hansen’s right, and said, "I was talking about him."

Perhaps not wanting to leave the other new recruits, especially O’Neal, with an impression of being too authoritarian, James changed his mind on the spot.

After all, putting someone in their place should be done just once; doing it too often would have the opposite effect.

Varejao pointed his index finger at Hansen and then directed Cunningham and Jackson to swap places.

"I’m sorry about that," Hansen apologized to Cunningham as they left the arena. Because he had changed seats yesterday, Cunningham had gotten scolded.

"It was my own fault for picking up the wrong shoes. Why apologize? Anyway, it’s all good now." Cunningham was really easy-going.

"Regardless, you took a hit today, so I’ll treat you to dinner," Hansen said with a smile.

"That I can do; I’ve heard there’s a pizza place nearby with pretty good flavor," Cunningham was a real foodie.

"But you still need to be careful with that guy," he then added as a warning.

"That guy can’t beat me," Hansen had already figured out that Varejao was just bluffing with borrowed authority.

"I’m not talking about him, I’m talking about him," Cunningham said, glancing around to make sure no one else was nearby before lowering his voice, "LeBron can change the team’s practice schedule at will; he is the ’King’ here. You refused him publicly; do you think he’ll just let it go?"