Chapter 29

"Pay attention to the ball distribution, pay attention to the ball distribution, don't hold the ball too much, keep the ball moving."

"Hey, defense, defense, when you're marking a player, focus your mind, don't let them get past you in one step. Take a half-step back, don't get too close."

In the Utah Jazz training camp, although the NBA felt a bit off due to Jordan's retirement, as a team that wanted to make a mark in the new season, the Jazz couldn't afford to focus too much on other teams' affairs. Even though the entire American media and all the fans were trying to persuade Jordan to stay, and these guys were also reflecting on whether their demands on Jordan were too harsh, the situation was already a fait accompli. If Jordan really stayed in the NBA, who would dare say that these shameless American media and fans wouldn't continue to dig into Jordan's past? Therefore, the league seemed to be handling Jordan's situation discreetly, perhaps to protect this NBA icon.

So, when the league called on everyone to focus on the NBA, it was actually very disadvantageous for certain individuals, like the Jazz guard Lin Han. This guy was criticized all summer long, and even when Jordan's father was shot, the news about him didn't subside. It wasn't until Jordan announced his departure from the NBA that the news about Lin Han finally disappeared from the front pages of major media. If the league called for everyone to handle this matter coldly, would Lin Han have any chance? These media and fans would likely vent all their frustration and grievances toward Jordan onto Lin Han.

And indeed, that's exactly what happened. Since being drafted by the Jazz, Lin Han had been very low-key, always wearing a hat and a mask when going out. In this situation, although the media kept mocking Lin Han, they couldn't find him, and thus couldn't really affect him much. At worst, Lin Han's reputation was even worse than Jordan's a month ago, when people referred to Jordan as an "irredeemable gambler" and Lin Han as a "shameless liar" or a "disrespectful scoundrel." No matter whether it was a scoundrel or a liar, these were not good terms, especially when they were always prefixed with "the first in NBA history."

However, when the new season's training camp started, Lin Han couldn't keep hiding like a turtle anymore. After all, the Jazz still had to play preseason games with other teams, and Lin Han was a key player to be trained, with a significant role in the preseason games. In such a situation, it was impossible to avoid the Jazz fans and media reporters.

So, when Lin Han took the court in the Jazz's preseason games, whether it was the home team fans or the away team fans, they all booed him as soon as he stepped onto the court. Especially when Lin Han had the ball, they laughed all over the court, as if they were waiting to see Lin Han's downfall. Lin Han was speechless about these guys. Fortunately, after a few games, the Jazz's head coach Jerry Sloan and the team's two leaders, Karl Malone and John Stockton, still supported Lin Han, asking the fans to calm down. The Jazz fans were very obedient, giving Malone, Stockton, and Sloan face, and stopped booing Lin Han. However, the fans of other teams didn't care.

Faced with such a fan environment, a player with slightly weaker mental fortitude would have already broken down. But Lin Han, this guy, had a big heart and didn't really care about these people's opinions. To protect Lin Han, Sloan didn't let him play too long in the preseason games. Since Lin Han had been training with the team all summer, his physical condition was good, and there was no need to use the preseason games to test his state. As for team coordination? Forget it, this guy didn't need to be asked to coordinate much with the team right now.

Although the Jazz tried to protect Lin Han, it only reduced the harassment from fans. The media didn't care about this. After each preseason game, more reporters surrounded Lin Han in the Jazz's locker room than surrounded Malone and Stockton. It was a strange sight.

And the questions these guys asked were so annoying. "When was the first time you cheated in your life?" "I've always been a good guy, never a cheater." "What do you think about Jordan's retirement?" "What can I think? I can't criticize Jordan like Phil Jackson, and I can't support Jordan like his fans, or I'll be criticized by most people. Why ask a small fry like me?" "Will you go back to being a McDonald's server after this contract ends?" These guys even knew that Lin Han had worked at McDonald's, but he didn't need their recommendation to find a job if he left the NBA. If they wanted to mock him, just do it directly, no need to be so roundabout.

"Lin, you're just a ball terminator. The ball never leaves your hands. Do you even have the ability to pass?"

Although Lin Han's playing time in the Jazz's preseason games was limited due to external pressure, he was a key player in the team's internal training games. To help Lin Han get on the same wavelength, his partners were mostly the team's main players. This kind of rookie treatment made not only the other rookies like Aaron Williams and Brian Russell envious, but even the team's other mid-career players like Jeff Corbin were extremely envious, even jealous and resentful. Now, even if they were stupid, they knew that Lin Han was brought in by the team and Sloan to succeed Jeff Malone. No matter how poorly he performed or how many mistakes he made, he was still better than them.

So, many times, when they saw Lin Han fearlessly throw the ball even when facing two or three defenders, all they could do was mock and ridicule him. This made them feel a bit more balanced psychologically, and they also hoped that Lin Han would continue to play this way, making the coach and the team's leaders unhappy.

"You're right, my passing ability is indeed not good enough to pass the ball after drawing a double team."

But many times, these people's ridicule and mockery didn't make Lin Han lose his cool. Instead, he shamelessly admitted it, meaning, "I just can't pass. If you don't want to see me shoot when facing two or three defenders, then don't set me up. You know the defense is focused on me, yet you deliberately dribble for a long time and then pass the ball to me at the last second."

Although Lin Han hadn't played many NBA professional games, just a few preseason games, he wasn't a stranger to the basketball world. When he was at Utah Valley Community College, he often set up his teammates. In such a situation, how could he not know that some of his teammates were really trying to set him up?

It must be said that the media and fans outside the team didn't want to let him off, and inside the team, except for a few team leaders who had no direct interest in him and his two rookie teammates, all the other teammates deliberately set him up. Such an environment probably only Lin Han could remain calm. It must be said that Lin Han's experience in the "university of society" over the past year had been very successful, with outstanding results.

"Coward, stop wallowing in self-pity. Since you chose to enter the NBA, you have to bear this. After all, you are a lucky person who has never suffered in basketball but has reaped its rewards. As a lucky person, you have to face others' unusual attitudes."

"I know, I just feel a bit disappointed."

Although Lin Han always seemed indifferent to the media, fans, and teammates' rejection in the Jazz, this indifference wasn't real. After all, no one in the world really doesn't care about others' opinions.

"Alright, let me tell you something very important. Your character has grown over these few months and is now back to the highest value of 75% in the normal state. From the looks of it, others will continue to boost your character. If your character can exceed the normal 75% and reach a peak state, there will be an unexpected benefit."

In such a situation, Lin Han officially spent the first month of the season with the Jazz. In this month, he played in 6 of the Jazz's 8 preseason games, averaging 12 minutes of playing time and 4 points per game. Other than scoring, his other statistics were abysmal.

After the preseason games ended, on November 5th, the Jazz's first regular-season game of the 1993-1994 season was about to begin.

(Please give me some recommendations, the recommendations haven't been very good recently.)

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