The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 592 - 238 He Doesn’t Understand the NBA!_3

Chapter 592: Chapter 238 He Doesn’t Understand the NBA!_3

He spoke sincerely, but Cohen just smiled, "Buddy, I’ve always believed in one principle: leave professional matters to the professionals. Su Wan, I know him, he plays extraordinarily well, so all he needs to do is play well! We’ll have a more professional team to handle the other matters."

Herbert looked at Cohen’s businesslike demeanor, nodded, and said nothing.

He wanted to tell Cohen that managing an NBA team was sometimes no different from managing a company, yet vastly different at the same time.

If they couldn’t get along with the team leader, especially a leader like Su Wan, the team would be difficult to manage.

But seeing how confident Cohen was, he knew this man had his own set of rules and would not change his views until they really faced adversity.

The level at which Su Wan held grudges...

Herbert could now be sure that the upcoming season would likely be Su Wan’s last wearing the Pacers jersey.

He couldn’t possibly like Cohen, the new owner, nor peacefully coexist with him.

How could it be!

Su Wan was a very responsible person, but with a precondition...

The team had to be his!

Not just the players listening to him, but the owner couldn’t interfere with his decisions either.

"You can’t provide money, right?

Fine, no problem, just stand aside.

Don’t speak, just watch me show off!"

Herbert felt this, and did just that after he had an open and honest talk with Su Wan.

It was the only time he discussed off-court cooperation with Su Wan.

He believed that even at this time next year, as long as he talked things over well with Su Wan, there was still a chance Su Wan would stay.

But then, the media and public opinion wouldn’t stand for it!

Various powers were interfering with this matter, especially now that they had caught the Pacers by the tail:

If the Pacers didn’t renew O’Neal’s contract, they would be seen as a ruthless and ungrateful team; this notion could continually blow over and affect the Pacers’ public image, even if Su Wan had no opinions, other players might, potentially causing trouble in the contract year.

Thus, making the situation even worse.

This was something he couldn’t handle; it was something only the new capital could take to the table.

Originally, Herbert thought that with a new owner taking over, disregarding the luxury tax and just running with it, renewing everyone’s contracts would please everyone.

But from this brief interaction, Steve Cohen appeared to be very concerned with returns.

Such a person was perfect for Wall Street.

Rational judgment could keep them from making mistakes at critical moments.

It’s just that Wall Street doesn’t need sentiment, but the NBA does.

Especially...

Su Wan!

If they treated him just like a corporate employee, they were in for a hard time.

This news quickly spread throughout Indiana.

Pacers’ fans were anxious.

No way around it, the SuperSonic Team served as a cautionary tale.

"Is Bolis going to lose the Pacers?"

This was the headline on the front page of the "Indiana Starlight News" the next day.

The report successfully caused panic in Indiana.

Countless Pacers fans ran to protest at Conseco Arena.

In the general manager’s office, as the new general manager was taking over from Larry Bird, hearing the commotion, he glanced out the window and saw the scale of the protest group, his face immediately showed panic.

Larry Bird gave a faint smile, "Good luck, sir!"

Then he picked up his suit, put it on calmly, and walked out.

He believed he would return here.

Even from just a few words of exchange, he realized that the new general manager was an experienced professional manager, possibly with Fortune 500 company management experience.

But...

NBA general managers differ slightly from general managers in regular industries.

It’s not a job for a manager without experience in this field.

The protest continued all morning, and the Pacers’ new management team settled into their positions, then quickly issued a statement: "The Pacers will absolutely not leave Bolis, we can assure you!"

Unfortunately, this assurance was of little use, after all...

The previous owner of the Thunder Team also assured the Seattle people like this, but within a year, he used the Seattle Government not willing to build a new arena as a reason to relocate the team to Oklahoma and even renamed the team the Thunder Team.

A lesson from the past made this statement seem like empty words.

The natives of Indiana continued their uproar.

Herbert once again advised Cohen, "You could talk to Su Wan, let him represent the team and make a commitment, believe me, he wields more influence in Indiana than God!"

Cohen calmly smiled, "Professionals do the professional work, Herbert, he’s just a player, his duty is to play well! I’ll notify him when I need his cooperation on team activities, but for this sort of issue, I trust my management team!"

Herbert didn’t persuade him further.

Let reality teach this young NBA owner a lesson!

UCLA.

Su Wan had already heard about the changes in Indiana, but he hadn’t reached out to Herbert or anyone else, instead, he was just peacefully improving his control over his body and his mid-range jump shooting skills.

Kobe couldn’t help but ask, "Aren’t you worried that the more noise there is, the worse it will get?"