Chapter 855: Unprecedented Lack of Chemistry (8k)_5

Chapter 855: Chapter 265: Unprecedented Lack of Chemistry (8k)_5

Kenny Anderson, the direct beneficiary and the Lakers management, were the last to receive this news!

Kenny Anderson received four calls this morning, each inviting him to the gym, and he was puzzled about what was going on. It turns out, his teammates gave him such a big surprise.

Touched, definitely very touched, but more than that, he felt guilty…

Now, Kenny Anderson, Zhang Hao, Barkley, Magician, O’Neal, Del Harris, Jeanie Buss, Kupchek, Jerry West… a large group of people stared at each other, not knowing what to say.

Del Harris was surprised to see such a situation. Although it’s a bit of a headache, since four of his team’s All-Stars are pulling out, it’s not like he’s coaching, it doesn’t really matter.

He really didn’t expect that these few troublesome players on his team would have such a unified thought on this matter, and none of them had hinted that they were going to do this before.

From a certain perspective, this is a good thing for the team’s cohesion.

The management side was speechless, utterly speechless. If only they had discussed this with management, Jerry West and Kupchek were left at a loss.

But Jeanie Buss saw a business opportunity…

The players had different thoughts.

The training ground was very quiet, so quiet that Zhang Hao felt embarrassed.

They had to say something!

“Ahem,” Zhang Hao coughed twice to get the attention of those present. “Um, do we still have a chance to cancel the application and continue playing in the All-Star game? Since someone has to pull out, let Mr. O’Neal withdraw, and the other four of us will continue to play.”

“???” O’Neal showed a puzzled face and immediately protested, shouting, “Why me? Why don’t you quit!”

Zhang Hao shrugged, “I already did!”

“Um… oh, yeah…”

O’Neal really didn’t expect his cold-hearted teammate Zhang Hao would secretly go and withdraw, while he, Big Fatty, had already prepared to see Kenny Anderson’s emotional reaction.

The Magician was not surprised. Since he returned, he felt the warm heart beneath Zhang Hao’s cold exterior and laughed, “At my age, I want to have a good rest. I wanted to see if my withdrawal would give Kenny a chance, but I didn’t expect you all withdrew too. The league received our withdrawal applications yesterday, they probably cried, the league has already announced the replacement list, I think our hopes for the All-Star game should fall on Kenny.”

As for Barkley…

“Kenny, I’m not giving my spot to you! I was already planning to withdraw, to give the spot to a young player…”

Bullshit!

The silence was broken, and it was no longer so awkward. The decision has already been made with no way to change it, so they started discussing what the Magician said.

“Mr. O’Neal, Mr. Barkley, Mr. Johnson, you all have endorsement activities in Cleveland, right? Shall we go watch the game together? Cheer for Boss Kenny!”

“Cool! The four of us forming a support team, that’s cool!” O’Neal, unusually, agreed with Zhang Hao’s words.

“Do you think Kenny has a chance to win the MVP?”

“That’d be difficult. Kenny’s a traditional point guard, not a scoring-type like Iverson, Hardaway, or Thomas. They’re about the same height, and all initiate offense by changing directions, but the difference is so big.”

“Personality differences are also big, those people don’t have as good a personality as Boss Kenny.”

“Yes, yes, your Boss Kenny is the best, number one in the world, happy?”

As they talked, the four All-Star withdrawals left the training field, knowing that Kenny Anderson needed space to calm down now.

If one person gives up their spot, if a team has a qualified All-Star player and other teams don’t have players with such an advantage, generally, a teammate would replace them, like Alan Houston replacing Ewing, instead of someone with better stats and contributions like Kristen Lightner or Juwan Howard.

In the case of one person giving up their spot, Kenny Anderson would definitely have a lot to say.

But now, Kenny Anderson surely doesn’t know what to say, so they didn’t let him continue to feel awkward.

Left “behind,” Kenny Anderson watched the management and coaching staff leave, watched several teammates leave, feeling complicated but really touched… This was a feeling he had never experienced during his years with the Brooklyn Nets, the Hornets, or the 76ers.

At this moment, Zhang Hao, who left the training ground with the three fat guys, received a system prompt…

“Specially contracted player Zhang Hao withdrew voluntarily, seeking to help a non-selected All-Star teammate be a substitute. This greatly strengthened the team’s cohesion. The Silver Medal: Heart Return special task has been completed. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Special Card: Soul of the Lakers.”

“Soul of the Lakers (*): Use limitation, specially contracted player Zhang Hao. After using this special card, the team’s cohesion, in the game that is ongoing or will be played next, will be greatly enhanced, and player enthusiasm will be greatly enhanced. In this game, Zhang Hao will temporarily advance the Silver Medal: Heart Return to Gold Level, possessing unique decision-making ability.”

“The friendship between specially contracted player Zhang Hao and his teammate Kenny Anderson might become a famous story in NBA history. Congratulations to the host for unlocking a new training simulation project in learning mode: Stop-and-Pop Shooting.

The host can designate a stop-and-pop shooting expert. The system will collect training materials and game materials of that player’s stop-and-pop shooting…”