The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 444 - 208: The Birth of a Super Team_5

Chapter 444: Chapter 208: The Birth of a Super Team_5

No one knew that Tinsley had almost asked his agent to request a trade, but before he could do so, he heard the news that Calderon was heading to the Raptors.

He immediately dismissed the idea of leaving the Pacers.

And...

"I practiced my three-point shot a lot this summer, so don’t be surprised if I become the next Ray Allen!"

"If you’re Ray Allen, then I must be Peja!" Dior, who just walked into the locker room, caught the tail end of the bravado and chimed in, his hand forever clutching his coffee.

It was this very habit that made Dior’s figure noticeably more rounded. NovelFire.Côm-cσ๓

"You should be more worried about when you’ll finally get off Rick Carlisle’s treadmill!" Little O’neill was quick to notice his plump figure.

Dior, unconcerned, took a deliberate sip through his straw: "That’s why I want to enjoy this ahead of time."

The atmosphere in the locker room suddenly became much lighter.

Little O’neill wanted to say something more but then saw Artest return, exuding a "Plague God" aura that made Dior subconsciously keep his distance.

Tinsley greeted Artest.

The "Beast" just glanced at him, nodded slightly in acknowledgment, opened his locker to pull out a wristband, put it on, and left.

"What’s up with him?" Tinsley commented on his lifeless appearance, guessing, "Heartbroken?"

Little O’neill murmured under his breath:

"Contract."

Tinsley understood immediately.

What they didn’t know was that after Artest left the locker room, he stood still and let out a heavy sigh.

He felt that he was no longer one of the carefree brothers, unconcerned with contracts.

The path he had to take this season would undoubtedly be different from theirs...

Then Anthony Parker, Millsap, Foster, and others also entered the locker room one after the other.

This summer, Larry Bird’s recruitment efforts were a failure.

Not only did they let Calderon go, but they also didn’t find a replacement player, nor did they strengthen other positions.

But there was nothing they could do, as other team general managers were as wary of Bird as if guarding against a thief, preferring to be a fool in other GM’s eyes rather than letting Bird benefit. Moreover, there weren’t any veterans wanting to join for another year.

This led the Pacers to come out empty-handed this summer.

However, on the bright side, the team didn’t need to adjust to each other again.

Plus, after a season of adjusting, Millsap and Anthony Parker were bound to perform better in the new season.

Especially Millsap, it was evident from the training camp that his three-point shooting had become more reliable!

With just this improvement, coupled with his mobility, the Pacers could definitely explore different "Small Lineup" options:

Point Guard Su Wan, two Anthony Parker, small forward Artest, Power forward Dior, five Little O’neill.

Or:

Point Guard Su Wan, two Artest, three Dior, Power forward Millsap, five Little O’neill.

All five had the ability to shoot threes.

It was just in organizing plays where Dior needed to shoulder more responsibility.

Now he was the only player on the team with organizing ability.

For this reason, Su Wan was wrestling with what to focus on this season...

Should he refine his skills further, or...

Develop his field of view and passing ability?

Although the season hadn’t started yet, he anticipated that the rate at which he collected zone values would only slow down, so he really needed to make the best use of his talents.

Besides, during training camp, Artest had shown a significant change in his attitude on offense.

He began to want the ball more for offensive drives and finishing shots.

Rick Carlisle had a talk with him, but it was hardly effective.

Su Wan didn’t discuss these issues with him because he knew after "three consecutive championships" everyone made money, and Artest rightfully should be a part of that.

If a big contract required good stats, then Artest had every reason to go for it.

Had he been in Artest’s shoes, he would do the same.

Now it was up to the Pacers’ management to handle the situation.

Quickly, two weeks flew by, and Dior’s figure was almost back to normal, with October arriving.

As usual, major media outlets ranked the new season’s team strengths, with ESPN leading the charge, its power rankings being the focus of many fans.

Despite many shocking trades this summer.

ESPN still placed the Indiana Pacers at the top of the power rankings.

"Even with Jose Calderon leaving the Pacers this summer, even with Boston assembling the Three Giants, even with the Lakers also acquiring three giants, the Pacers still deserve to be at the top of the power rankings!"

"This is respect for the Dynasty, and respect for Su Wan!"

"As long as he’s with the Pacers, there’s no reason for the team to be ranked behind any other team!"

Aside from being number one on the power rankings, ESPN also compiled a list of player strengths and placed Su Wan at the top of that ranking.

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