"I endorsed a portable music player before, they gave me the product, but I don’t really understand music, so it’s wasted on me."
As Hansen spoke, Allen looked at the portable music player in Hansen’s hand.
The endorsement deal Thomas found for Hansen was local to Memphis, not a major brand, but it was well made and looked attractive.
Most African Americans love music, and Allen was probably no exception.
Hansen felt hopeful and immediately sat down.
"I’m currently training, but I need someone to train with, are you interested in joining?"
Hansen had thought about embellishing his speech a bit more since the music player was just a stepping stone.
He didn’t expect Allen to agree so readily.
But that was a good thing, of course, so there was no need for further questions, and he instantly smiled and handed the music player to Allen.
Allen’s reaction, however, was unexpected.
"I’m not really interested in music either."
Okay, Allen was among the few African Americans who aren’t inclined toward music.
"Then why did you agree?" Hansen was curious.
"I want to get more playing time; I want to make it into the starting lineup," Allen said firmly.
Guy’s injury was bad news for the Grizzlies, but for him, it was an opportunity.
In theory, the person to replace Guy would be a small forward, like Sam Young.
But with Hansen’s height of 6 foot 7 and weight of 216 pounds, he could switch to the small forward position.
Of course, Hansen didn’t have the authority to decide who got to start, but training with Hansen could help him continue to refine his defense and improve his capabilities.
So, they had a common cause.
Hansen handed the music player back to Allen, "Don’t miss out tomorrow."
Hansen knew Allen’s defensive skills needed no proof, as he had noticed last season.
The problem was that Allen’s offensive capability was very weak; often leaving his team playing 4 against 5, which made him merely a "backup option" for most coaches.
Even the Grizzlies had signed him as Hansen’s "back-up."
Currently, Hansen was in good health, giving Hollins no reason to favor a backup with no offensive capability.
But Hansen didn’t really care about those things.
After all, he wasn’t James, who had to arrange teammates’ playing time.
As long as Allen agreed to train with him, that was enough.
With Allen joining him in training, Hansen could clearly feel the improvement in his training effectiveness.
On defense with the ball, Allen was absolutely elite.
It wasn’t just a matter of skill but Allen seemed to have an endless supply of energy on the defensive end, his concentration and confidence amazed Hansen.
This was something Hansen hadn’t understood before, or perhaps, he felt that Guy’s injury truly was an opportunity for Allen.
Time quickly moved to the end of January, when the fourth and final round of All-Star voting took place.
Kobe was elected as the All-Star king with 2.38 million votes.
Hansen ultimately received 2.18 million votes, closely following Kobe, and surpassing Howard (2.09 million) and James (2.05 million) to be named the All-Star vice king. The rıghtful source is 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚·𝔫𝔢𝔱
This meant he would be starting in the backcourt for The West alongside Kobe.
It’s worth mentioning that he became the first NBA player in history to start in the All-Star Game representing different conferences in his first two years.
East Starters: Ross, Wade, James, Stademeyer, Howard
East Bench: Rondo, Ray Allen, Pierce, Garnett, Bosh, Joe Johnson, Horford
East Coach: Thibodeau
West Starters: Kobe, Hansen, Durant, Anthony, Yao⊕
West Bench: Paul, Deron Williams, Manu Ginobili, Big Gasol, Duncan, Nowitzki, Griffin
West Coach: Popovich⊕
ps: Guy being out for the season is a historical event, he didn’t play when the Grizzlies made the "Black Eight."