Like a thunderclap from clear skies.
Everyone present was shocked.
What kind of person could utter such astonishing words?
No, what kind of overly arrogant rookie would make such a boastful statement!
Even Duncan, the "stone Buddha" who had once made the whole League scramble to tank, had only said, "Let’s get ready for a big win."
Not to mention the reporters, even Ferry nearly toppled over the table.
Because LeBron had personally requested him, he hadn’t had the chance to thoroughly understand Hansen yet.
Now they realized they had chosen some kind of miracle worker.
And with just that one question, many reporters ready to trouble Hansen were forced to swallow their words.
The Cavaliers, in order to secure the 16th pick, had traded away last year’s 19th pick, JJ Hickson, along with this year’s 46th pick.
Hickson had been a key inside player being developed by the Cavaliers, and many local Cleveland reporters were dissatisfied.
But now, they didn’t dare to ask!
If they asked and Hansen retorted with, "The Cavaliers should’ve traded for the first pick to draft me," they wouldn’t know how to write their news.
The press conference went smoothly, other than the shocking response to the first question, Hansen’s subsequent statements were all normal.
The reporters also breathed a sigh of relief.
However, they felt strange after the press conference ended; usually, the rookies felt the pressure at such events, but this time it was genuinely the other way around.
The day after attending the press conference, Hansen received a long-distance call from back home.
On the other end was someone from the Basketball Association, who had gotten his contact details from his parents.
Roughly, they hoped he would forgo the Summer League and instead join the national team’s training to prepare for the Jinmen Asian Championship in early August.
Moreover, the person was considerate, conveying that they would handle the Cavaliers management.
Hansen was naturally patriotic, and he also hoped for an opportunity to represent the national team in such competitions, especially those held close to home, a desire shared by every East University player.
Thus, although the news was sudden, he did not refuse right away.
He only asked one thing, whether the national men’s basketball team would participate in this year’s Las Vegas Summer League, like they did in 2007.
If they were, he could forgo playing for the Cavaliers.
After all, no matter which team he played for, as long as he appeared on the Summer League court, the Cavaliers could see him, ensuring his position for the new season, at least the preseason position.
Unfortunately, the answer was no.
Hansen ultimately had to refuse, though he knew with Wang Zhizhi as a precedent, such a decision might cast a shadow over his national team career. But he couldn’t gamble his professional career for the Asian Championship.
And he also felt somewhat displeased with the Basketball Association’s approach.
If they wanted him to play in the Asian Championship, why did they wait until now?
Was it only because he was drafted by the NBA that they thought of him?
No one likes to be treated as a backup option.
After resolving the national team matter, the day after the press conference ended, Hansen and Cunningham boarded a plane to Las Vegas.
NBA Summer League teams are assembled temporarily, so practices are generally scheduled at the game venue.
This time, the team’s Summer League coaching staff also went to Las Vegas with them.
To Hansen’s surprise, the head coach was none other than Mike Malone!
"The Father of Lakers" and LeBron had connections in the Cavaliers?
Indeed, every meeting in the world is a reunion of old friends.
Hansen was not idle on the airplane and took the initiative to sit next to Malone.
Traveling by airplane is inherently boring, and at this time, Malone was only in his thirties. Hansen fully leveraged his social skills, and the two of them enjoyed each other’s company greatly.
During their conversation, he also learned some information related to Malone.
Malone had been working for the Cavaliers since 2005, meaning he had already been collaborating with James for four seasons.
Moreover, Malone’s father, Brandon Malone, had also been a head coach for the Cavaliers and coached James in the 04-05 season.
This was not merely a connection, but had deep roots.
Thus, Hansen knew about the "Father-Son Relationship of the Lakers" between Malone and James. Was Malone showing rebelliousness, or was their relationship always strained?
This was something worth delving into for him.
After more than five hours, they finally arrived at their hotel in Las Vegas.
It was already past 10 p.m., and since they had training early the next morning, Hansen was not in the mood to indulge in the glitz of the gambling city.
After a quick shower, he got ready to go to bed.
Before sleeping, he checked the system, not thinking much of it. But once he looked, he suddenly lost all desire to sleep.
Just from a plane ride, his social media hate value had increased by over three thousand!
Sitting in an airplane, was it easier to get hit by a proverbial pot falling from the sky?
He checked his social media and realized it had blown up.
And the pot was a complex one.
The largest wave came from his comment about the number 77 jersey.
These can be summarized in one sentence: "I fit the key; do you?"
One comment, in particular, made Hansen laugh.
"Why is 23 Michael Jordan and not LeBron James?"
Clearly, after laying out the facts earlier, his account had attracted many LeBron fans.
And then, his previous comments about James were dug up again.
The Cavaliers choosing a LeBron critic was tantalizing on its own.
Additionally, many comments in Chinese appeared in the comment section.
This must be related to his previous draft interview.
At that time, his goal was to tap into the disdain from domestic critics, making good use of the foundation laid by "Hansen" before him.
However, because of the ocean separating them and information relayed by newspapers, there was a time lag, and now it all converged.
Moreover, what was unique was that despite the language barrier, these people could still interact with each other.
His social media account was now as lively as the New Year.
Hansen naturally welcomed this "grand occasion."
Because just like raising Gu in a Gu jar, the Gu worms inside were beginning to fuse.
However, with such turmoil, one could imagine that his every move in the Summer League would now be under the spotlight.
The next day, Hansen met his teammates for the Summer League at the training facility.
Most were undrafted players, and some were league fringe players looking for job opportunities.
Most of them were not very famous, with the sole exception being Koby Carl. Not because he was exceptional but because he was the son of the current Nuggets coach, George Carl.
Ah, the benefits of nepotism.
Thus, in terms of strength, among the 22 teams in the Summer League, the Cavaliers were ranked near the bottom. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝗂𝗋𝖾⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥
However, the benefit of such configuration was that it provided more opportunities to the rookies, mainly Hansen and Conningham.