Leading by Example.*
At 12 PM the next day, the players were preparing to head to the arena for practice.
As usual, Han Sen arrived at the gym an hour early for his training. However, unlike the day before, after a short while, two others entered the gym as well.
At first glance, he noticed that one of them was LeBron James. The person beside him appeared to be his trainer.
If he remembered correctly, the name of James' trainer was Mike Mancias. Ilgauskas had enthusiastically introduced him the day before.
James exchanged a few words with Mancias upon seeing Han, then continued his training without engaging further.
After finishing his session, Han left the gym first. However, as he stepped out, he noticed a +5 increase in his [hater points] in the system.
Typically, the hater score increases by +1 per regular person, so this contributor could only be… LeBron James?
This was the first time since his duel with Jordan that he had experienced the "hater" effect from a celebrity.
But why was James against him? Was it because he didn't greet him? Or maybe because he didn't take the chance to apologize for what happened the previous day?
He wasn't sure, but he realized Cunningham's words from the day before weren't without merit.
When he returned to the training facility, just as Coach Brown had mentioned the day before, there were quite a few journalists present.
Cunningham waved at Han Sen, and he walked over.
Just then, James and Mancias also entered the gym.
"Why does LeBron keep looking over here?" Cunningham asked in a hushed tone.
"Who cares?"
Cunningham gave Han Sen a thumbs-up in silent approval.
"Is Shaq not here today?" Han noticed that O'Neal was absent from the court.
"He said his knee was sore," Cunningham replied, having heard it earlier in the locker room.
Could it be a coincidence? Or was this O'Neal's silent protest?
Once everyone had arrived, Malone gathered the players for warm-up drills, including running laps and stretches.
However, Han Sen noticed something peculiar— LeBron was already being interviewed by the media on the sidelines, skipping the warm-up entirely.
"I arrived here around 10 AM. I understand the pressure the team is under this season. We have no room for error. I need to lead by example."
Han Sen couldn't help but laugh as he overheard part of James' interview while running laps.
When he saw LeBron in the gym at 11 AM, he wasn't even sweating. So, did he arrive at the arena at 10 just to have breakfast?
Of course, that wasn't the most amusing part. After all, Han Sen hadn't been following James closely, and for all he knew, James might have arrived early to review game footage.
What he found truly laughable was that LeBron, as the team's leader, wasn't even participating in the warm-up drills with the rest of the team, despite preaching about "leading by example" in his interview.
As soon as the warm-ups ended, so did James' interview— timing that was nothing short of perfect.
After warm-ups, they moved on to some non-contact drills, primarily focused on perimeter shooting.
Last season, the Cavaliers lost to the Orlando Magic for two reasons: they had no one who could contain Dwight Howard in the paint, and their perimeter shooting was poor.
The trade for O'Neal addressed the issue of defending the paint, so naturally, perimeter shooting became the focus of their training.
Besides the regular drills, Coach Brown introduced a special kind of scrimmage.
The players were paired up and took turns shooting from designated perimeter spots while being contested by an inside player.
It was a highly effective drill because it closely simulated real-game situations.
However, it also put the players' ability to shoot under pressure to the test.
For instance, when Williams and Gibson— two of the Cavaliers' best perimeter shooters last season— completed their 25 attempts from five spots, they only made 15 shots each.
Next up were LeBron and Cunningham.
Han Sen couldn't help but chuckle before the competition even began.
He felt like if he stayed with the Cavaliers much longer, he'd start to resemble the scheming 'Sherlock Holmes'.
Cunningham could shoot, but his range wasn't yet extended to the NBA three-point line.
With so many people watching, Brown must have been terrified that LeBron would lose; why else would he pair him against Cunningham?
As expected, the contest was a disaster from the start.
Cunningham only made one out of his five attempts from the corner.
LeBron wasn't much better, sinking just two out of five.
By the end of the five spots, Cunningham had made 4 out of 25 shots, while LeBron finished with 10 out of 25, winning by a wide margin.
Han Sen was particularly puzzled. He knew that LeBron would eventually develop a reliable three-point shot later in his career. While it wasn't exceptional, it was good enough that defenders wouldn't dare leave him open.
But why was he struggling so much at this point? He hadn't bulked up to play power forward yet, so it should have been easier to develop his shot.
Was it possible that he simply wasn't practicing enough?
Hansen and Parker were the last pair to take the court.
Before stepping onto the court, Malone gave Han Sen a pat on the shoulder.
He understood immediately— this was his chance.
The Cavaliers were looking to bolster their perimeter shooting, and with these three-point shooting drills, it was clear they were evaluating candidates for the starting shooting guard spot.
Parker, with his size, skillset, and experience, was the leading candidate. But Han wasn't entirely out of the race.
And to prove his potential, this head-to-head contest was the most straightforward way to do it.
Varejao, who stood 6'11", was assigned to contest their shots.
Parker's shooting form was flawless, and he sank 4 out of 5 shots at the first spot, drawing cheers from the rest of the team.
When it was his turn, he noticed LeBron watching him closely from the sidelines.
But Han didn't have time to dwell on that. His focus was entirely on the game.
He caught the pass and rose for his shot.
However, just as he jumped, Varejao's contest was notably more aggressive than it had been for Parker. He lunged forward, directly into Han Sen's space.
His first shot missed under the pressure.
Was Varejao targeting him?
He locked eyes with Varejao, and the mischievous glint in the latter's eyes was unmistakable.
"Anderson, do your job," Malone reminded, breaking up Varejao's antics.
Exposed, Varejao's expression soured, but he had no choice but to comply.
Han sank the next four shots in a row, his focus unshaken.
As the drill continued, Han Sen and Parker put on a show.
In high-pressure situations like this, shooting ability, size, and mental fortitude played a significant role.
Players who were shorter or lacked the mental toughness often struggled to maintain consistency when heavily contested.
Yet both Parker and Han Sen excelled.
Parker's excellence was to be expected—he was a seasoned veteran. Han's performance, however, left everyone in awe.
After the first four spots, both had made 15 out of 20 shots.
Even Coach Brown couldn't help but turn to Malone for a word.
At the final spot, Parker remained steady, hitting 4 out of 5 again. He was especially accurate from the corners.
Hansen, too, remained red-hot. His first three shots hit nothing but net.
With his added muscle mass and new muscle memory, his stamina was better than ever. Even by the fifth spot, his shots still appeared effortless.
Swish!
The fourth shot went through the net without touching the rim.
Cunningham couldn't hold back his cheers for Han Sen.
In just two months, he had improved so much that he seemed like a completely different player from the one Cunningham had seen in the Summer League.
But just as Han was about to take his final shot, Varejao lunged forward again.
Despite Malone's earlier warning, he couldn't resist trying to disrupt Han's rhythm.
This time, he was ready. He didn't flinch, calmly shooting over Varejao's contest.
He treated it as if it were a game-winning shot in a real game.
The ball soared over Varejao's fingertips and spun toward the basket.
The trajectory was perfect.
Swish!
With a crisp sound, the ball dropped cleanly through the net, just like his game-winner against Michigan State.
This time, it wasn't just Cunningham cheering— many of the Cavaliers players applauded his performance.
Han Sen was the only player to hit all five shots from the final spot, and his total of 20 made shots was unmatched by anyone else.
He was strong— undeniably so!
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