Ross returned to the Cavaliers the next day and began recovery treatment with the help of the team doctor.
It’s clear that he gave up the idea of retiring.
Malone couldn’t help but give Hansen a thumbs up; it seems like there’s nothing Hansen can’t figure out in this world.
After sorting out Ross’s situation, Malone also started training for the new tactics.
He won’t implement them in the games immediately; this will require a process.
Time flew by to early December, and the first month of the new season came to an end.
The Cavaliers played 15 games in November, achieving a record of 10 wins and 5 losses.
Including the opening game, their current record is 11 wins and 5 losses, placing them third in the East after the Celtics and Bucks.
The Bucks made a trade in early November, sending out Greg Monroe, a protected future first-round pick, and a second-round pick to acquire Eric Bledsoe from the Phoenix Suns.
After acquiring Big Lopez in the off-season, their lineup lacked a decent Point Guard, and they finally got one.
Bledsoe averaged 20+4+6 over the past two seasons with the Suns, despite being only 1.85 meters tall, he’s explosively athletic, able to drive and shoot, excelling at both offense and defense.
With these two trades, the Bucks quickly became a powerhouse in the East.
Trailing close behind the Cavaliers were the 76ers.
Butler’s addition maximized the 76ers’ performance during crucial moments.
A bunch of rookies needed a 2.03-meter veteran to lead them, and that’s not just an empty remark.
This also boosted Embiid’s confidence tremendously.
"I feel like I’m the strongest player in the world."
Just as Kuzma crowned himself, Embiid also declared himself the strongest like James.
It’s hard to say they weren’t doing it on purpose.
But Embiid has his reasons for saying this.
This season, he’s averaged 27.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.9 blocks!
And mind you, this is only his second season in the NBA.
Moreover, it’s not unexpected for him to speak this way. Kuzma is dubbed "the next Hansen" because of his anti-James stance, while Embiid has a similar title, not for his anti-James stance, but for his outspoken nature.
Since entering the League in 2014, Embiid’s antics on Twitter were no less impressive than Hansen’s back in the day.
Early in 2014, Embiid first launched an attack on Kim Kardashian.
He wanted to try out the depth of the NBA’s strongest defender, but unfortunately, Kardashian had no interest at all.
Afterwards, he shifted his target to Rihanna, continuously expressing his love publicly. The remark "Rihanna is seriously considering Embiid’s offer" even made him a hit on Twitter.
Rihanna also, like Scarlett Johnson back then, responded on Twitter, saying if Embiid makes it to the All-Star, she’d consider a date.
Given his performance this year, Embiid’s selection to the All-Star is almost guaranteed.
Promotion, pay raise, marrying a rich beauty is right in front of him, so his arrogance is somewhat expected.
When December arrived, Malone was finally ready to officially deploy the tactics that had been trained for half a month, and their first game in December was against the 76ers.
Malone’s mindset remained the same; tactics are only useful if they withstand the tests of strong matchups.
This game was held at the Cavaliers’ home court, and the 76ers also arrived in Cleveland a day before the match.
On that day, an NBC report drew strong external attention.
"I hunted down a lion at age 6; Han should fear me"
This statement came from Embiid during an interview after arriving in Cleveland for open training. Latest content publıshed on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝗂𝗋𝖾⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥
Such trash talk right before the teams clashed, especially coming from the notoriously mouthy Embiid, greatly heightened the excitement for the game.
As for the original quote in the report "I hunted a lion at age 6 and brought it back to the village for my coming-of-age ceremony. I never knew what fear was; if anything, it’s my opponents who fear me" seemed less important, after all, it’s all journalism.
That night, the Quicken Loans Arena was packed to capacity.
The media’s journalistic reports fired up the Cleveland fans’ enthusiasm that night.
After the opening ceremony, the starters for both teams were announced.
Cavaliers: Hansen, Korver, Covington, TT, Jokic
76ers: Simmons, Butler, Crowder, Saric, Embiid
Embiid jumped for the ball to start possession for the 76ers, and at the start, he posted up against TT from the high position.
After Simmons fed him the ball, he cut behind Embiid, taking Hansen with him, and Embiid immediately began a low-post backdown amid the boos from Cleveland fans.
In the small-ball era, true centers like Davis and Towns are essentially power forwards, leaving only Jokic and Embiid as genuinely top centers.
Standing 2.13 meters with a 2.28-meter wingspan, along with a 127-kilogram weight, Embiid looked like a classic low-post beast.
But when he began his low-post play, the style suddenly changed.
After a quick bump against TT, he followed with a turnaround jump shot.
This play was remarkably similar to Towns, hence no surprise they became historic rivals.
TT defended aggressively, but the height difference allowed Embiid to ignore him and complete the shot.