The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 373 - 194: From now on, when the Cavaliers lose, LeBron has to take all the responsibility on himself_4

Chapter 373: Chapter 194: From now on, when the Cavaliers lose, LeBron has to take all the responsibility on himself_4

"I’ve always said this," LeBron James is the NBA’s biggest "Data Brush"!

Cavaliers can’t win the championship with him.

He needs to be paired with two peak All-Stars to win a championship!

This mockery was way harsher than last season when he slammed LeBron in his own documentary.

The media all turned into "onlookers," waiting to see how the Cavaliers and LeBron would respond to this.

When Danny Ferri learned about it, he really wanted to call Richie Paul immediately, "Can he not get along with his teammates? How many times have I cleaned up after him in these three years?"

In ’04 he picked Su Wan, but LeBron fell out with Su; last year he picked Zhu Fangyu, and then people said he was condoning bullying among teammates; this year he brought in a high-EQ person known across the League, funny and the team’s "happy fruit," yet now the locker room atmosphere had gone wrong again?

This high school kid really is...

It must be said, after Su Wan’s continuous "Dimensionality Reduction" attacks, the "Chosen One" filter on the current LeBron had shattered early, otherwise Nike wouldn’t have crafted him a "Baptism of Fire" persona.

You could say, except for Cleveland who still considers him the endless talented "City Son," the outside world views LeBron as a regular "Superstar" whose stats are indeed frightening, but whose team achievements only amount to a first-round playoff exit, with mediocre solo leadership capabilities...

Look, if the Cavaliers wanted to trade LeBron now, about two-thirds of the League’s other 29 teams might be interested.

But two-thirds of those would need to see Danny Ferri’s offer sheet first, if the cost is too high, most would back out, with only the worst teams, like the Blazers and the SuperSonic Team, letting Danny Ferri swap as he pleased.

That’s also why LeBron is so often criticized.

It really is just too much of the same thing happening too many times, and LeBron himself cannot give a strong response.

Bill Duffy showed his abilities now, first letting LeBron maintain the "humble" persona he had kept to all season in front of the media. Then he pressured management to have Danny Ferri and Mike Brown both sit down with Shaquille O’Neal.

He had watched the playback of the recent four Cavaliers games, Dennis Gibson’s performance was so good, all because Shaquille O’Neal cooperated enough, especially with his mass creating picks that defenders just couldn’t get around.

That pick, if used with LeBron, would be incredibly powerful.

"I can promise on LeBron’s behalf, to absolutely ensure his tactical position on the team, giving him ample space to perform!"

This was the latest discovery Bill Duffy had made regarding the whole situation.

Shaquille O’Neal had started actively cooperating with Gibson on picks only after the "58-Point Night" loss to the Pacers.

Bill Duffy looked into the public opinion at the time to understand what made him change his attitude.

It was just that he only just had nailed down specific measures with Danny Ferri and Mike Brown.

Assistant Coach Mike Malone brought bad news: "Shaquille has come to blows with LeBron!"

"What?"

Mike Brown hurried towards the practice court.

On the way, Mike Malone explained what happened:

While Mike Brown, Malone, and Ferri were having their "heads together" meeting, the Cavaliers were in a scrimmage, Shaquille O’Neal saw him leave, grabbed Gibson, and challenged LeBron by running to the other team.

During the competition, Gibson in a scramble for a rebound, accidentally poked LeBron’s mouth.

LeBron, pained, saw it was Gibson, already frustrated, pushed him down: "Are you playing basketball, or hitting people?"

Shaquille, seeing LeBron get physical, swore and rushed at LeBron, pushing him down:

"Fuck you, you think you’re fit to be the team leader?"

Gibson is his man, pushing his man is pushing him!

Hearing this, Mike Brown despairingly closed his eyes.

This situation had gone from bad to worse.

Back at the practice field, Mike Brown could clearly see the Cavaliers had split into two groups, one near LeBron and the other near Shaquille and Gibson.

"I’m aware of all the facts, but this is normal, everyone is a man, it’s understandable to have some emotional fluctuations, but I hope everyone can quickly forget about this and get back to the game."

If Phil Jackson were saying this, it might work.

But with Mike Brown’s authority...

Absolutely no one paid him any mind.

He awkwardly coughed twice and let the team train on their own.

The next day, the Cavaliers faced a home game.

The controversy-ridden Cavaliers made that day’s Quicken Loans Arena packed with reporters.

And this bunch, each one a slick operator!

They could sense the unusual atmosphere within the team immediately.

A veteran reporter quickly recalled a similar atmosphere: "Is this really not the Staples Center from ’04?"

But everything was exactly like back then!

Role players continuously watched others for cues, the main characters unfazed, answering reporters’ questions mechanically.