The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 30 Can’t Stop at All

In 27 minutes played, he scored 14 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, stole the ball 4 times, blocked 3 shots, dished out 2 assists, committed 1 turnover, and got 3 personal fouls. He took 12 shots, making 5, and hit 3 out of 7 three-pointers, making 1 of 2 free throws.

This was the complete stat line that Hansen turned in for his first Summer League game.

As a horizontal comparison, on the same day, in the game between the Warriors and the Rockets, Curry also made his debut, scoring 16 points and 3 assists, with 3 of 8 three-pointers made.

As for a vertical comparison, James’s Summer League debut stats were 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Hansen’s stats weren’t particularly dazzling, but they definitely lived up to his draft position.

Of course, after he finished the game, he also gained a whole host of haters.

When fans expect someone to play well and he plays poorly, he gets criticized;

But when fans hope someone plays poorly and he plays well, he gets criticized even more harshly.

This was a truth Hansen had already grasped during his NCAA days.

Especially when the second day of the Summer League arrived and Griffin made his debut scoring a whopping 27 points and 12 rebounds.

"Griffin is a beast; he’s made the other rookies of the 2009 class look pale in comparison, including that number 77."

"Rookie of the Year is already a foregone conclusion. If you can’t even be the best in your class, you’d better keep your big mouth shut."

...

On the third day of the Summer League, the Cavaliers met their second opponent, the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies were primarily showcasing their rookies this Summer League too, with Thabeet, James Johnson, and Sam Young all on the list.

Besides that, they also deployed the sophomore Haddadi. Although not the strongest of the lot, they were much better than the Lakers.

At the game, Hansen noticed that both Ferry and Chris Wallace had come.

It was quite uncommon to see two general managers at the same Summer League game.

The game started promptly; the Grizzlies’ style of play was similar to their main team, revolving around their inside game.

Haddadi, Thabeet, and James Johnson took turns attacking the Cavaliers’ inside line.

Therefore, the Cavaliers’ defensive pressure was on the inside, and Hansen, apart from helping with defense, didn’t have to take the lead defense like he did in the previous game.

This allowed him to devote more energy to the offensive end.

He quickly found an offensive breakthrough.

The two centers of the Grizzlies, whether it was the starting Thabeet or the backup Haddadi, were both towering figures over 220 centimeters.

Such players were dominant in the paint, but they had a huge weakness: slow mobility.

With a pick and roll by Hansen, if the Grizzlies didn’t switch, he’d just shoot directly; if they did switch, both were his best targets for practice.

He also had good touch from the start today, making two consecutive outside shots, and as the game progressed, he became even more accurate.

By the end of the game, he had made 7 out of 12 three-point shots, with the three-pointers alone accounting for 21 points, ultimately racking up 28 points.

No more, no less, just one point more than Griffin had scored yesterday.

This completely broke the detractors’ defense; it was not just a slap in their face, but a poke in their lungs!

"Had a dumpling feast," "stepped in dog shit," "Grizzlies let him shoot"... all kinds of bizarre comments abounded.

But at this moment, Hansen didn’t have time to pay attention to those, as after the game, Ferry engaged him in a long conversation, followed immediately by Chris Wallace seeking him out.

It turned out that both big shots were there for him today.

"Not being able to draft you will be the biggest regret of my career as a manager," Wallace began with a sigh.

Hansen forced an awkward smile; after all, Ferry was still standing right there.

"Do you know? After trading for the number 18 pick, I thought you were already ours," continued Wallace, even taking Hansen’s hand as he spoke.

Hansen finally caught on, realizing that Wallace was playing a blatant game of face-to-face NTR.

"Chris, that’s fate," Ferry said, surprisingly unruffled.

"To hell with fate; it was you, you troublemaker!" Wallace retorted, visibly annoyed.

Ferry laughed heartily.

It seemed that the relationship between these two general managers was quite good.

After a day of rest, the Cavaliers were up against the Kings in the Summer League.

The Kings were one of the strongest teams in the Summer League, without a doubt.

Spencer Hawes, the 10th pick of the 2007 draft, was the starting center for the Kings last season;

Jason Thompson, the 12th pick of the 2008 draft, was the starting power forward for the Kings last season;

Dante Green, the 28th pick of the 2008 draft, had previously exploded for 40 points in a Summer League game;

Add to that this year’s 4th pick Tyreke Evans and the 23rd pick Omri Casspi.

While others played in the Summer League to develop new talent, the Kings had practically brought in half of their team.

It was clear they were seeking an opportunity in the Summer League since they couldn’t win the championship in regular season.

The gap in strength left the Cavaliers with little chance in the game.

Furthermore, it was the first time since the start of the Summer League that Hansen felt the strain on the court.

The person who caused this feeling was Evans.

Evans, like him, was 1.98 meters tall, but he weighed 100 kilograms, a full 7 kilograms heavier than him.

Yet this extra weight didn’t seem to slow him down at all; his dribbling was elegant, and his ability to stand up to physical competition was excellent.

Additionally, he had elite-level vision and was quick to pass under pressure.

Even his impressive wingspan and lateral movement speed made him just as oppressive on defense.

Hansen had his worst performance of the Summer League, playing only 20 minutes and recording 7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, and 5 personal fouls.

On the same day, the Warriors also faced off against the Hornets.

However, the main character of that game wasn’t Curry.

Warriors’ second-year player Anthony Morrow scored an outrageous 47 points over the course of the game, setting a new Summer League record for individual points in a single game.

Morrow was last year’s rookie, which would ordinarily not have anything to do with Hansen, but coincidentally, his record-breaking performance came on the same day.

"Some score 47 points, while others can only manage 7 points. On the same court, at the same height of 1.98 meters, the difference between people is that stark."

"Morrow is just an ordinary NBA player, yet his performance at this event might make certain people realize their own level of ability."

...

This was like a magnifying glass, and Hansen faced unprecedented pressure.

The Cavaliers’ fourth game was against the Suns.

The Suns were led by last year’s rookie Goran Dragic and Robin Lopez, plus this year’s 14th pick Clark and the 48th pick, Griffin’s older brother, Taylor Griffin.

Hansen’s attention did not decrease but rather increased in this game.

Hansen had a somewhat embarrassing performance in the last game, but not embarrassing enough—they wanted to see just how pitiful he could become under immense pressure.

Unfortunately, Hansen’s performance once again "disappointed" the onlookers.

He played extremely excitedly throughout the game and ended up with another 20+ in the Summer League, scoring 21 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks.

Such a performance completely overshadowed Clark, who had 10 points and 4 rebounds on the opposing team, causing Steve Cole, who was present at the game, to fall silent.

Was Hansen feeling the pressure?

Looking at his ever-increasing infamy, which just wouldn’t stop rising like he was chewing on gum, how could he possibly feel any pressure?

He could only be excited.

Looking back now, it was fortunate that he didn’t give up the Summer League to prepare for some Asian Championships.

His infamy had spiked tremendously during this run of the Summer League.

At this rate, exchanging for new talent would be just around the corner!