Chapter 700: Chapter 700
"I think the only thing that can limit them is their stamina!" Barkley, seeing the insight from the commentary booth, sighed.
Hansen and Jokic can’t possibly stay on the court all the time, especially the latter, whose stamina only allows him to play for 30 minutes now.
Before he finished speaking, Butler already made a breakthrough using a pick-and-roll, causing Jokic’s personal second foul.
Apart from the previously mentioned traits, Butler also has an excellent ability to draw fouls.
"In history," some fans even jokingly called him "Penalty Mamba."
However, unlike Harden’s foul-drawing tricks, Butler’s method involves changes in pace, fearlessness in physical confrontation, and a bit of acting, which can earn impression points from the referees.
His choice is very clever. If you can’t stop him, just get Jokic out of the game.
It just came a bit late because the game had already reached rotation time.
Malone substituted both Hansen and Jokic off the court in one go.
Wade, who was replaced earlier, also re-entered the game at this time.
At this point, Malone’s real intention of replacing Wade early was revealed.
Although he arranged for Wade to start, what he really needed Wade to do was actually to lead the bench.
Wade’s opening performance proved his strength, and that kind of strength becomes an advantage during the bench transition period.
Though no longer at his peak, he’s still a mid-level horse.
Moreover, unlike Irving, he can accept Malone’s rotation arrangement, and he was full of energy when he entered the game again.
Even when coming to the bench transition period, he had players like Korver, Covington, and Conningham, who have stronger spacing abilities, around him, still able to carry the ball in his hands.
The Cavaliers entered the rotation with an 8-point lead, but when the main players returned in the second quarter, the lead had approached 15 points.
The depth of the lineup, what Hansen once talked about with Griffin, was vividly demonstrated in tonight’s game.
Or rather, just for tonight’s game, the trades the Cavaliers made before the game, except keeping Irving, were the best choices.
In the end, the Cavaliers defeated the Bulls with a score of 106 to 90 on their home court, achieving victory in this spotlight match.
Post-game statistics showed Hansen scored 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists, Jokic had 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists, while Wade had 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Butler had 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists, Big Gasol 16 points with 8 rebounds, Mirotic 15 points, and Irving, under Hansen’s defense, only scored 14 points on 5 of 15 shooting.
"DW has been in the league for 13 years, and he has more game experience than any of us. He is one of the most popular teammates in the league, he is a good person, and his addition is crucial for us."
In the post-game press conference, Hansen publicly commented on Wade joining the team for the first time.
"Kyrie needs to adapt to nights . If he wants to be the leader of a team, he needs to learn to face the pressure that a leader faces."
And speaking of his defense on Irving in the game, Hansen was very straightforward.
Some things can be obtained by asking; a crying child gets milk. But some things must be won by oneself.
Not hitting a brick wall and not looking back is not about only knowing to turn back after hitting the wall, but when you’ve hit the wall, there’s no way back.
At this time, there are still about half a month left until the All-Star game, and the Cavaliers still have five games to play.
The five games are against the Raptors, Rockets, Thunders, Wizards, and Grizzlies.
Having gone through a relatively easy schedule at the start of the season, their schedule during this period would naturally not be so easy.
The Cavaliers ultimately had a 3-2 record in those games.
Even counting the game against the Bucks, the Cavaliers had a 5-2 record after the trades, which looks good, but this period of the schedule still exposed significant problems.
The biggest problem is that starting Wade hasn’t been very effective.
Having Wade start, since he lacks spacing ability, means the ball is better in his hands.
Although he still has penetration threats, he is no longer at his peak, and his effectiveness can’t match Hansen’s.
In other words, having Wade hold the ball while starting is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
In contrast, Wade’s role in the bench transition period is significant.
His personal abilities, coupled with the increased bench depth after the Cavaliers’ trades, allow Hansen and Jokic to rest adequately during rotation stages.
So everyone can see that Wade playing off the bench is a better choice.
But it’s obviously not that simple.
Just like Iverson, who would rather retire than play off the bench, not playing as a reserve is the bottom line for many superstars.
Of course, these matters can be temporarily shelved as the All-Star game approaches.
On the day before the All-Star game, Hansen’s private jet carried the "delighted" Jokic, along with Malone, who was selected as The East’s All-Star coach, to New Orleans. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝓷𝓮𝓽
You could say this year’s All-Star game is rather eventful.
The All-Star game was originally planned to be held in Charlotte, which would have been the first time for Charlotte to host the event.
Curry, who was born in Akron and calls Charlotte home, was eager to seize this All-Star game opportunity.
No one expected that North Carolina, where Charlotte is located, would introduce an anti-LGBT HB2 law, leading to strong protests from the LGBT community, and it was blown out of proportion, forcing the league to revoke Charlotte’s hosting rights and temporarily move the game to New Orleans.
This directly resulted in Curry losing interest and even opting out of the three-point contest, as he wanted to perform well in front of his hometown crowd.
So this All-Star game became one of the most rushed and dullest.
Especially with last year’s All-Star game in Toronto being so spectacular, the contrast became even starker.
So when Hansen and Jokic went, they prioritized fun, bringing their families along with them.
Although there’s no New Orleans-style spicy wing here, it’s a renowned tourist city in the United States with high cultural inclusivity.
As a former French colony, its architectural style is also quite Spanish.
You can even see cemeteries full of suspended coffins.
However, a rather special event happened during this All-Star weekend.
That is, before the All-Star game began, the Pelicans and the Kings struck a trade deal, sending off Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Gallo, and a 2017 first-round pick (top three protected) and a future second-round pick to acquire Cousins from the Kings.
Just as Griffin previously mentioned, the Kings had set Cousins as their target.
But Huoledi wasn’t part of this trade, indicating that the Kings clearly couldn’t persuade Huoledi to sign an early extension.
Of course, that’s not the most important; the most important is that Cousins had it worse than Irving. At least Irving switched teams before the All-Star game, while Cousins changed just before the game started!
The only one who had it worse was "historically," like Barnes, who was traded after playing just a half.
This Cousins trade added some amusement to this otherwise lackluster All-Star game.
Besides that, the West team collectively played around, feeding Anthony Davis the ball all game as the host and the "Son of the United States," letting him break the record with 52 points.
Hansen and Jokic basically didn’t play much; one just broke a sweat scoring 21 points, and the other only played for 8 minutes.
On the flight back to Cleveland after the All-Star game, Malone and Hansen discussed the Wade issue.
Malone wasn’t trying to get Hansen to work on convincing Wade. Hansen isn’t a nanny; not everything can be handled by him.
He expressed his concerns.
He wanted to communicate with Wade about playing off the bench but worried it might cause problems.
Because when Wade was with the Bulls, Hoiberg did the same thing, but it ultimately failed.
"There’s absolutely no need to worry; we’re completely different from the Bulls." Hansen’s calmness surprised Malone.
"What if DW throws a tantrum?" Malone was still worried because Wade was earning over 20 million a year.
"He won’t." Hansen remained calm and added,
"DW, he’s always been a good guy."