Champion Creed
Chapter 630 - 630 222 I'm not afraid of failure not at all Vote for monthly tickets!_4

630: 222: I’m not afraid of failure, not at all (Vote for monthly tickets!)_4 630: 222: I’m not afraid of failure, not at all (Vote for monthly tickets!)_4 But he didn’t want to play basketball with Roger; it was a burden he couldn’t bear.

Perhaps some people liked having a leader like Roger, but Stevie Smith definitely wasn’t one of them.

Last season, the only reason Stevie Smith endured it was because of Andy.

He didn’t want to let down a child who saw him as a hero.

And now, as he said, it was all over.

He would not live that life anymore; he wanted to spend more time with his newborn child and family.

He wasn’t the type to say, “I can die for victory”; he didn’t want to carry such a heavy burden.

He knew Roger wouldn’t let him escape because he was the team’s second-highest scorer.

So, his only option was to leave.

“I am leaving, I’ve already requested a trade, but Pete said I should talk to you,” Stevie Smith bluntly told Roger.

Roger was somewhat disappointed; he had thought his impact on Stevie Smith was everlasting.

But in the end, Stevie Smith still wanted to live a life like David Robinson’s—a love for winning, but also never feeling that failure was a total disaster.

Yet, within seconds, maybe just tens of seconds, Roger had let go almost immediately.

This is reality, in the NBA, your teammates, your rivals, are all living, breathing individuals.

They have different personalities and different pursuits.

Some like playing basketball with you, some don’t; some used to dislike playing with you but now genuinely enjoy it.

Any of these cases are normal; it is not possible for everyone to like you, nor is it possible for everyone to dislike you.

This isn’t NBA2K where you just hold the controller and everyone will foolishly be controlled by you without speaking or complaining.

From the Bulls’ Pippen to the Magic’s Shaq and now to Stevie Smith, Roger had deeply realized how different the real NBA is from the game.

People are far more complex than basketball, locker rooms much more troublesome than tactics.

Stevie Smith had been prepared to face Roger’s fury, he had steeled himself mentally, no matter how Roger would shout, he wouldn’t respond.

But Roger just casually replied, “Go ahead, I won’t say I am not disappointed.

In fact, I am very disappointed, but you have your choice.”

Roger definitely could have forced the team to keep Stevie Smith, his contract wasn’t up until the year 2000, legally speaking, as long as the team didn’t trade him, he had no way to leave and would have to honestly stay until the millennium.

But to keep or not to keep, there was never a right answer.

No one likes doing something like “trading a dollar for 60-70 cents,” so facing a player requesting a trade, some teams choose to forcibly keep them.

Like how later the Nuggets kept Angola and then regretted it, eventually trading him.

Others simply choose to trade, and benefit greatly from it.

It’s hard to say whether it is right or wrong.

But Roger knew clearly, even if Stevie Smith stayed, he would no longer be the Stevie Smith of the 97-98 season.

That might have been the season he most wanted to win in his entire career, only once.

Even if forcibly kept, he couldn’t return to that time.

So there was no need to forcibly keep him.

“Thank you for understanding me, Roger.”

“No, I don’t understand you.

I can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to win.

I can even understand someone taking shortcuts to win, but I just can’t grasp why someone doesn’t want to win at all.

But it doesn’t matter; I’ll say it again, you have your choice.”

After Roger finished, Stevie Smith looked towards the Tallapoosa River.

The basket carrying that basketball had disappeared from view; the surface of the river was incredibly calm as if nothing had happened.

It was gone, it was over.

Stevie Smith exhaled deeply; he was finally free, but there was still one last knot in his heart.

“Roger, I’m not saying I am important.

But honestly, if my departure causes the team to fail…”

“Maybe it will fail, maybe it won’t, but no matter what the results are next season or thereafter, I’m not afraid of failure, not at all, Andy taught me that.

Look at him, he is still bravely sailing for what he loves.

My courage is not even half of his, but it’s enough for basketball games.

Winning brings cheers, failure brings responsibility, and that’s what I should do.

It’s time to go back.”

“Goodbye, Roger.”

“Good luck, Stevie.”

“You will be successful.”

“Of course, I’ve said it, I want to create a dynasty in Atlanta.

If not next season, then the season after next, and if not the season after next, then I’ll keep trying the next one after.

Even if I experience failures, they will not defeat me.

Regardless of whether or not you are here, my plans won’t change.”

The next day, several media outlets reported the news of the Hawks planning to trade Stevie Smith.

Since the league was currently locked out, the trade market hadn’t opened yet so the official trade would not happen so soon.

But everyone knew, now that the news was out, it was definitely true.

Although losing Stevie Smith was regrettable and would impact the team,

The “Atlanta Journal-Constitution” still offered this headline.

“From the rising sun to its setting, Roger illuminates; as long as he is here, Georgia will no longer experience lengthy darkness.”

The people here truly worship him like a god.