James was furious, truly furious.
Durant was being incredibly foolish; how could he not see that he was supposed to cooperate? Durant could have easily scored like crazy, then beat The West and claimed the MVP!
Unfortunately, at that time, Durant wasn’t the "Durant the Second" yet, or, as it could be said, after the failure of James’ peak assembly with The Big Three, whether he would become "Durant the Second" remained to be seen. His thought process clearly wasn’t on the same channel as James’.
More frustrating for James than Durant was the current situation on the court.
If he were still with the Heat, the three Heat players from The East would have let him completely control the ball.
But now that he was in The West, apart from him, the remaining four players were all from Hansen’s side—he couldn’t get the ball!
James, without the right to the ball, was like the West losing Jerusalem: he was there, but only just there.
This was probably the most frustrating period James had encountered since entering the NBA—as the noble "Chosen One," he was reduced to just running back and forth on the court!
Was there no justice left? No law?!
Moreover, Joerger, that little sneak, inconsiderately let James play through the entire quarter, watching him just run back and forth.
But then again, giving you floor time is giving you the royal treatment you deserve from Nike. There’s no faulting that.
Finally, Hansen couldn’t stand to watch anymore and passed James the ball a few times during the game.
Of course, just like that first ball of the game, it was like those offload balls James had passed during his time on the Cavaliers.
James didn’t want to catch them, but unwilling to touch the ball yet needing the stats, his body was brutally honest.
Two years later, they were teammates again, only this time the roles were switched.
As the second quarter started, James, finally seated and resting off the court, looked at Hansen, who was strategically substituted by Joerger, and couldn’t help but swear.
Or maybe, as the "Chosen One," he was finally tasting what it felt like to be suppressed and targeted.
In the end, The West, relying on its overall strength, beat The East 143 to 135.
Hansen, with 33 minutes on the floor, scoring 38 points from 25 shots, received his career’s first All-Star MVP trophy.
James managed only 15 points, making just 5 out of 13 shots.
On the other hand, Durant fruitlessly scored 30 points on 23 shots.
As Hansen began his victory speech, James was nowhere to be seen, and Durant was there with fists clenched, silently praying for Hansen to lead the Grizzlies to the finals.
After the All-Star Game came to a close, the 2013 NBA trade deadline was looming.
Trade rumors were rampant throughout the league.
Particularly in The West, teams hopeful for playoffs were all scrambling to strengthen their rosters, while those out of playoff contention were busy accumulating draft picks.
The Grizzlies were also quite active on the trade market.
Hansen had spectacularly scored 61 points to clinch victory over the Heat during the Christmas Day game, but had lost to the Heat in their second meetup before the All-Star Game.
In this situation, bolstering the team was necessary for management to consider.
Certainly, the Heat were no different; they too were actively seeking trades to enhance the team’s organizational capabilities.
Both teams had similarities: leaders in their divisions and both cleaner than a hound’s tooth.
However, the Grizzlies were a bit luckier than the Heat.
Rumors had it that Carter from the Mavericks hoped the management would trade him to the Grizzlies.
Last summer, the Mavericks had signed OJ Meao, who was let go by the Cavaliers.
They signed a two-year contract, the kind with a player option in the second year.
Meao viewed the Mavericks as just a stepping stone in his career, and the Mavericks didn’t have high hopes for him either. Follow current novᴇls on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥
Unexpectedly, Meao thrived with the Mavericks, cementing his place as a starter with an average of 15.8 points and shooting a career-high 40.7% in threes.
This drastically reduced Carter’s minutes, and he wasn’t happy in Dallas.
Moreover, different from "history," Carter had previously made it to the finals with the Magic, experiencing that stage.
Just like Eden, once experienced, one would desire it more.
Carter was 36 this year and, as a veteran chasing a championship, the Mavericks were also actively facilitating.
Finally, at the trade deadline, the Mavericks successfully reached a trade with the Grizzlies, sending out Carter and getting Jordan Crawford and Grant Hill in return.
Last summer, Terry had left Dallas for Boston, significantly weakening the Mavericks’ bench firepower; Crawford was a great enhancement for them.
Hill was kind of a throw-in because Carter’s contract was $3 million a year, while Crawford was still on a rookie contract of just under $2 million.
The Grizzlies thanked the two traded players right after the transaction, including Hill.
Significantly, the Grizzlies didn’t just sign Hill to ride the coattails; Hill was adept at organizing, and his pairing with Crawford had a complementary function, capable of supporting the Grizzlies’ backup guards.
However, Hill’s injury was more severe than expected, and he hadn’t yet played for the Grizzlies.
With the other player, Livingston, in good physical condition and performing up to expectations, this led them to the decision to let go of Hill.
Another piece of good news for the Grizzlies was that the Heat hadn’t made any substantive gains on the trade market.