The King.

The Cavaliers' season training camp officially began the next day. 

Training was scheduled to start at 9 a.m., but Han Sen arrived at the arena an hour early and headed to the gym. 

He wanted to get in a session of strength training— about 45 minutes— before the team workout. 

When Han Sen returned to the practice court after finishing his session, he noticed that the rest of the Cavaliers were already there. 

His attention was immediately drawn to Shaquille O'Neal. 

He was even bigger than Han Sen had imagined, and up close, he seemed like a giant. 

With such a monstrous presence in the paint, it's no surprise how dominant he had been in his prime. 

However, the "Big Diesel" wasn't exactly washed up yet. Last season with the Suns, he averaged 17.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game, made the All-NBA Third Team, and became only the second player after Michael Jordan to score 45+ points at age 37. 

So, sure, you could say he was old, but to claim he had lost all his dominance would be ridiculous. 

A more accurate statement would be that while his offensive dominance in the post was still there, his defensive abilities had declined to the point where someone else needed to cover for him. 

After taking a good look at O'Neal, Han Sen noticed Cunningham approaching him. 

"You went to the gym?" Cunningham asked, surprised to see him drenched in sweat after they had trained hard the day before. 

Han nodded. 

At that moment, Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown entered the arena, accompanied by two assistant coaches, one of whom was Michael Malone. 

Brown appeared very serious, which matched his reputation as a defensive-minded coach. 

Since it was the first day of training camp, Brown didn't introduce any complex tactics. The team just went through some simple warm-up drills and shooting exercises. 

The day was more about allowing the old and new Cavaliers players to familiarize themselves with one another. 

Compared to previous seasons, the Cavs had undergone quite a few changes over the summer. 

After a day of practice, Han had a basic understanding of his teammates: 

LeBron James came across as standoffish, as if he was on a higher plane than everyone else; 

Ilgauskas seemed like a warm-hearted guy who was very welcoming and proactive with the new players; 

Varejão buzzed around James like a busy little bee; 

Delonte West had an intimidating, "don't mess with me" look on his face and seemed extremely antisocial; 

Anthony Parker was always smiling and appeared to be a genuine good guy. 

However, the teammate who left the strongest impression on Han Sen— and also made him feel the most at ease— was O'Neal. 

He didn't act like a superstar at all. He got along with everyone and often said things that were really funny. 

His presence made the atmosphere at the Cavs' training camp light and pleasant. 

As the day's training wrapped up, Brown announced the start time for the next day's practice: 9 a.m., same as today. However, the next day would be an open practice, with lots of reporters present. 

Strictly speaking, the next day would be the official start of training camp. 

But just as Brown finished speaking, LeBron suddenly interrupted: 

"No, tomorrow we start at 12." 

The statement caught everyone off guard, even O'Neal's eyes widened in surprise. 

Han was also confused, unsure what LeBron was up to, since this was clearly an open challenge to Brown's authority. 

What was even more shocking was Brown's reaction. 

"Alright then, we'll start at 12," Brown replied, without even asking why. 

Was this guy still the head coach? 

It seemed like LeBron was the real coach! 

But when Han turned to see O'Neal's utterly stunned expression, he began to understand what was going on. 

This was LeBron's way of establishing dominance. 

O'Neal was, after all, a famous superstar with four championship rings. 

Though he was older now and approached practice with a laid-back attitude, he could still flash his four fingers and remind everyone of his success. 

It was like a wolf pack receiving an old alpha— of course, the current alpha had to assert his dominance. 

And since the old wolf was already getting along so well with the rest of the pack, LeBron felt the need to assert his authority. 

It was the kind of move only LeBron could pull off— completely undermining the coach's authority in front of the whole team. 

All of Brown's efforts to build a strict image collapsed instantly in the eyes of the Cavaliers players, especially the newcomers. 

But even as Han Sen silently criticized the situation, he also saw an opportunity. 

After catching O'Neal's reaction, Han noticed a slight trace of dissatisfaction in his expression. 

Shaq wasn't a fool; he was smart enough to see through what was happening. 

Moreover, he had previously teamed up with both Kobe and Wade, achieving success in both partnerships. 

Compared to those guys, LeBron didn't quite measure up. 

This was a forced show of dominance, and naturally, Shaq wasn't pleased. 

That was Han Sen's opening—anyone not aligned with LeBron was someone he could ally with. 

... 

After practice, everyone headed back to the locker room. 

Despite the earlier drama, everyone was still in a good mood, and the locker room was filled with laughter. 

But that was soon interrupted by LeBron's cold voice: 

"What's going on?" 

Everyone turned to see LeBron holding his shoes with a frown on his face. 

Beside him, Cunningham was scratching his head awkwardly. 

He had grabbed LeBron's shoes by mistake. 

Every NBA team has a shoe manager, but for some reason, LeBron preferred to have rookies fetch his shoes for him. 

"You, switch places with him," LeBron said, looking at Han Sen. 

"Hey, kid, James wants you to switch spots!" Varejão quickly got up, walking over to Han Sen and ordering him around. 

Han frowned. 

He hadn't expected that after Shaq's humiliation, it would be his turn so soon. 

Everyone else in the locker room was watching, enjoying the drama. 

A rookie in this situation had no right to refuse. 

But Han Sen shook his head. 

His reaction caused everyone's eyes to widen in shock. 

"This is the team's arrangement; I'm supposed to be here." 

"Team arrangement?!" Varejão stifled a laugh. "Don't you know that in here, whatever he says goes?" 

"Cough!" 

LeBron's cough interrupted Varejão mid-sentence. 

After giving Varejão a condescending look, LeBron glanced at Jackson, who was sitting to Han Sen's right. "I meant him," LeBron said. 

Perhaps to avoid leaving too strong of a tyrannical impression, especially on the new additions— mainly Shaq— LeBron decided to change his mind. 

After all, one show of dominance was enough; doing more would backfire. 

Varejão, a little embarrassed, pointed at Han before directing Cunningham and Jackson to switch places. 

"Sorry about that," Han Sen apologized to Cunningham as they were leaving the arena. He felt responsible for Cunningham being scolded since it was his idea to swap spots the day before. 

"I grabbed the wrong shoes; it's not your fault. And it all worked out in the end anyway," Cunningham replied, proving himself to be a solid teammate. 

"Either way, you took the heat today. Let me treat you to dinner," Han said with a smile. 

"Sounds good! I heard there's a pizza place nearby that's really good," Cunningham grinned, showing his love for food. 

"But seriously, be careful of that guy," Cunningham warned as they left. 

"That guy couldn't take me," Han replied, sensing that Varejão was all bark and no bite. 

"I'm not talking about him— I mean him," Cunningham said, glancing around to make sure no one was nearby before lowering his voice. 

"He can change the team's practice time at will. He's the 'King' around here. You rejected him in front of everyone; you really think he'll just let that go?" 

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