The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 292 - 165: When You’re Famous, Trouble Follows_2

Chapter 292: Chapter 165: When You’re Famous, Trouble Follows_2

And after exchanging for the Passing Talent, he was able to switch between scoring and passing without his performance being disrupted by the opponent’s intense defense.

So, by a stroke of luck, it actually accelerated his leveling up pace.

Moreover, just as he was comfortably leveling up, his hatedom value suddenly increased in two waves.

One was related to Lin Shuhao.

Lin Shuhao signed with the New York Knicks at the end of January, seizing the opportunity at the start of February to spark "Linsanity."

As one of the only two Asian guards currently active, comparisons with Hansen were inevitable.

Then ESPN arrived at a surprising conclusion, "Sometimes your performance in the NBA is only because of opportunities; Han got his in Memphis, now Lin got his in New York, and there’s no difference between them."

The sarcasm in that statement was evident.

The other was related to Howard.

Howard’s trade request, after dragging on for two months, ended almost farcically.

Following a declaration about "loyalty," he announced that he would be executing his player option for 2012 and remain with the team until at least 2013.

This immediately became a target of mockery among many stars, considering Howard had initiated the trade talks only to stay put under the guise of loyalty.

This matter shouldn’t have been of any relevance to Hansen, and even if you asked Hansen’s opinion, he didn’t think Howard did anything wrong at the time.

Essentially, up to that point, Howard’s situation was no different than Kobe’s previous two trade requests, and at the very least, it was a step up from James’ decision last year, right?

Nevertheless, this incident became associated with him due to his previous comment, "Don’t let loyalty harm you."

Just like with "the smartest decision," it was another of Han’s snides at James, and now LeBron fans were using it to criticize Howard.

Swift’s words proved true: They hate you not because of what you did, but because they want to hate you.

Commonly referred to as, "The more popular you are, the more controversy you attract."

However, this did give Hansen an insight into another method of accruing hatedom value—enhancing his off-court influence.

His influence was mainly from on-court performance, which was clearly insufficient.

Speaking of which, his relationship with Swift had actually boosted his off-court influence. Putting other things aside, the million hatedom value required for "Uncle Drew" came mostly from her distraught fans.

But now that he and Swift had broken up, unless he purposely smeared Swift, that group wouldn’t be contributing to his hatedom value anymore.

However, there were plenty of off-court opportunities, such as singing... let’s not consider that.

Movies were a good option, as several NBA stars had tried acting before. Most notably, O’Neal appeared in "Scary Movie," and Jabbar once had scenes with Bruce Lee in "Game of Death."

Of course, it wasn’t just about making cameos. Once he truly achieved something, starring in a movie like Jordan did wasn’t out of the question.

When it came to movie scripts, his mind, as a transmigrator, was full of ideas.

While Hansen was considering how to stir up some off-court noise during the summer, the final results of this year’s All-Star voting were already in.2

Without a trace of suspense, Hansen received 1.8 million votes, claiming the title of vote king.

Why were this year’s numbers lower than before?

The reduced attention towards basketball from United States fans during a lockout season was inevitable, and of course, it was clear the League had increased the voting ratio for East University fans.

But you still couldn’t underestimate the East University fans, because they also voted in Little Gasol as the starting center for The West.

Of course, that was inseparable from Little Gasol’s stellar performance.

So far, Little Gasol averaged 16.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game, all career highs.

Although this also had to do with the decline of centers in the league.

News had started circulating that the League was considering eliminating the "center" position from the All-Star game, but that change would happen, at the earliest, next year.

Even if he was just catching the last train, Little Gasol seriously beefed up his resume.

After the results were announced, Little Gasol also gave an interview to the media.

Regarding this outcome, he expressed his deep gratitude to Hansen:

"We all know the sacrifices Han has made for the team; my performance comes down to his support."

This was no mere courtesy—just as Guy had always maintained Hansen’s image in the media, Hansen’s improved passing this season had assisted more than any luxury car could.

Adding to that, Conley also accepted an invitation from the League to participate in the Skills Challenge, providing company to Hansen at the All-Star game.

Before you knew it, late February arrived.

The Grizzlies faced another nationally televised game before the All-Star break, challenging the Lakers in Los Angeles.

The Lakers also encountered some troubles this season, with the most unexpected one being the physical condition of starting center Okafor.

Okafor had battled injuries early in his career due to weight issues, but his attendance had been high in subsequent seasons.

In the past four seasons, he completed three full seasons, and in the only season he missed games, he still played 72.

However, since joining the Lakers, his left knee had been causing recurring issues, resulting in inconsistent play.

Combined with Jordan Hill’s defense not living up to expectations, the team had trouble with their frontcourt rotation.

Nevertheless, these troubles did not stop the Lakers from making a strong run, as they were currently leading the League.

Driven by the dual engines of Paul and Gasol, and with Kobe harboring a strong desire for a sixth championship, he was playing with the highest efficiency of his career.