The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 297 - 167: Like Zhan but not Zhan_2

Chapter 297: Chapter 167: Like Zhan but not Zhan_2

Even though he had been a substitute during the past period, his overall performance didn’t suffer compared to Speights, and he even performed better in terms of rebounds and defense.

Faried was very much like Hansen was back then, and now he found himself in the position James once held.

However, he wasn’t some "King of Memphis" and didn’t need to put on airs, so unlike his previous time with the Cavaliers, there had been no conflicts between him and Faried.

And because of his experience with the Cavaliers, he could understand more why Faried acted the way he did and certainly knew the impact it would have on the team if not handled properly.

When Hansen found Faried, he was covered in sweat training in the gym.

Faried’s talent wasn’t the most outstanding; otherwise, he wouldn’t have dropped to the 22nd pick, but he certainly was giving his all, both on and off the court.

This made Hansen see a lot of his former self in Faried.

When Faried saw Hansen, he stopped and looked puzzled.

"Come on, play a couple of games," Hansen said.

Eager to try, Faried was also harboring some pent-up dissatisfaction.

Faried’s defense was really good. Although his height limited his ability to be a top interior defender, his excellent movement speed still endowed him with the ability to guard smaller players.

But after all, he was just a rookie, and he was facing Hansen.

In the first game, Hansen started with the ball and to the end, Faried didn’t manage to block a single shot.

Hansen’s combined ability to drive and shoot puzzled him, and he cleanly got past Faried multiple times.

Hansen didn’t say anything; during the second game, he let Faried start with the ball.

This time Faried put in all his effort, but facing Hansen, he couldn’t make a single shot.

In theory, his weight and physicality should have been advantages—once near the basket, there’d be a chance, but the reality was he couldn’t get close enough.

Playing against Faried was like when the school team’s center played against Little Thomas—the ball started from beyond the three-point line, it wasn’t directly fed under the basket; there was no way to play the ball right in front of him.

Moreover, Faried himself didn’t possess much technique or a shooting ability, leaving him utterly without a chance.

After the games ended, Faried visibly deflated.

Two games, twenty games—it would all have ended the same.

"Want to talk?" Hansen then gestured towards a nearby bench.

Faried nodded.

"When I was in Cleveland, I did something like what you’re doing now, openly complaining to the media about my position on the team," Hansen said, passing Faried a bottle of water.

Faried was stunned.

Actually, unless someone was as clueless as Guy, they could have guessed why Hansen would seek him out privately at this time.

But he still couldn’t believe Hansen had done the same.

It wasn’t until Hansen tapped his hand with the water bottle that Faried came back to his senses and took it.

"Do you regret it now?"

"Regret? Why should I regret? I don’t think I did anything wrong, just like I don’t think you were wrong either," although Joerger had talked to Faried, his demands for a starting spot remained unmet.

Faried stopped unscrewing the cap and looked at Hansen with wide eyes.

He hadn’t expected Hansen to say that, almost feeling like he might have misunderstood Hansen’s intentions.

"I requested a trade later."

"Then you came to Memphis?" Faried unscrewed the cap and drank some water. He was a rookie and hadn’t heard about the incidents involving Hansen.

"No, they didn’t want to trade me. Then in a practice session, I led the third team to blow out both the first and second teams, and the team gave me everything I needed."

Faried immediately choked on his water, coughing violently.

The third team beating the first and second? How could that be possible!

But after he regained his breath, he also came to his senses; Hansen hadn’t even broken a sweat when playing against him...

Although he was a rookie, he had never been outplayed like this, not even when facing James during the game against the Heat.

This moment really reset his understanding of Hansen.

A person who, in a season with super teams like the Lakers and the Heat, still proclaimed that winning the championship was the only goal for the Grizzlies, surely couldn’t be ordinary.

"Kenneth, the biggest difference between the NBA and NCAA is that it’s a business league; it’s like a jungle. Yelling won’t get you what you want—only if you’re strong enough will you get everything,"

Faried pondered. If Hansen had started with the following words, he might have resisted, perhaps letting it go in one ear and out the other, but after Hansen shared experiences similar to his, it was hard not to feel empathy.

"Kenneth, there’s only one area where you’re worse than Maris—your shooting," Hansen continued.

Indeed, Faried’s talent wasn’t considered among the best, but it was certainly better than Speights, and his ceiling was much higher.

"But I’m stronger than him in all other areas," Faried retorted, somewhat defiant.

"So why can’t you improve the areas where you’re worse than him?" Hansen issued a soul-stirring challenge.

He knew little about Faried, mostly from his times with the Nuggets—able to run and jump, but afterwards, he never heard news about him again.

He hadn’t heard about Faried suffering any major injuries either, which meant the more likely possibility was that he had been naturally weeded out.

As the league increasingly demanded shooting abilities from interior players, many like Faried, who lacked shooting, were phased out.

Especially since Faried was also a shorter interior player; even if his defense was solid, he couldn’t cover the painted area like Gobert could.

But if he could develop a shooting ability, even just from mid-range, the situation would be vastly different.