Chapter 741: Chapter 499: Defying Superior, But Not on My Turf (United) Chapter 741: Chapter 499: Defying Superior, But Not on My Turf (United) The season continued.

Having signed Larry Hughes, the SuperSonics’ backcourt depth had significantly increased, and their next game was a home match against the Indiana Pacers.

Since the disbandment of the Pacers team with Little O and Artest, like other naturally fallen teams, the Pacers had embarked on rebuilding.

What troubled General Manager Larry Bird were their repeated failures in the drafts, and the difficulty in recruiting powerful star players through free agency.

The starting point of these difficulties could be traced back to the 2005 draft.

The SuperSonics picked Danny Granger at a high spot, and unlike history as it originally happened, the Pacers couldn’t pick up a steal at a low spot; a team’s fate for the next few years was thus sealed.

This year was a tanking one for the Pacers, because the top prospect for 2010, John Wall, was hailed as a combination of Derrick Rose and Ricky Rubio. With Rose’s athleticism and Rubio’s vision, he was undoubtedly the top choice for the draft.

Now, the Pacers had fallen to the third from the bottom in the Eastern Conference; they couldn’t tank worse than Jordan’s Bobcats or the self-imploding 76ers, but this was sufficient, after all, one needs a bit of luck to land the first draft pick, not just the lowest rank.

A team deliberately tanking posed no threat to the SuperSonics.

SuperSonics cut through the Pacers like a hot knife through butter, just like a farm owner in Indiana during the harvest season cutting through the corn.

Yet when Little O donned the SuperSonics jersey and took to the court, many had the feeling of being worlds apart from the past.

“The days when Jermaine O’Neal led the Pacers to defeat the Bucks in 2005 feel like they were just yesterday,” commented ESPN commentator Kevin Harlan.

This reminded Little O.

Five years had passed, and he was the only one who had beaten Yu Fei in the playoffs over the past eight years.

This got Little O excited, and he attacked the basket with vigor on the court, as if returning to his younger days, able not just to shoot but also to deliver several great passes to rookie Alonzo Gee.

“We all have to look forward, right?”

After the game, Little O spoke about his emotions against the Pacers.

SuperSonics’ young coach Tyronn Lue heaved a sigh of relief at the end of the match, it was a comfortable win, but for him, it felt as though he had lived through another day.

He was like a writer with no drafts saved, who must finish an update every day, not knowing what challenges tomorrow would bring, but after a day passed, he felt grateful.

Ah, to survive another day, what a joy.

Since their last defeat to the Rockets, it was clear to both professionals and laymen.

Regardless of who was stronger between the SuperSonics and the Lakers, his coaching staff was undoubtedly the SuperSonics’ biggest weakness.

It was hard for SuperSonics fans to imagine Lue as a head coach, playing mind games with the experienced Phil Jackson on the coaching bench.

He couldn’t even call timeouts properly, an absolute novice!

Lue’s relieved appearance left his veteran assistant coach Tim Grgurich puzzled, “Tyronn, we won quite smoothly, what’s there to be nervous about?”

“That’s why I’m nervous,” Lue said worriedly, “actually, I think I need more intense games to accumulate experience.”

Grgurich joked, “Playoffs are coming, you’ll have plenty of chances then.”

Lue grimaced, “I don’t want to pay my tuition in the playoffs.”

“Actually, you don’t need to be nervous,” Grgurich said, “the one who should be nervous is Frye.”

Lue nodded in agreement, “Indeed, I’ve placed too much responsibility on him.”

“No, I’m not talking about that,” Grgurich explained, “If we fail, who do you think the outside world will criticize?”

Lue dared not think about that.

If they failed, one thing was certain: his coaching career might be destroyed in its infancy.

“I will take all the responsibility,” Lue said.

Grgurich’s answer was bittersweet, “You can’t afford it.”

Lue was left speechless.

“Because everyone knows that it wasn’t the management who chose you, it was Frye,” Grgurich said, “It’s not simple, the players like you, which is why you are the best fit to take over George’s job. But the outside world won’t see it that way, they will think this is Frye gaining even more control over the team. So if we fail, while you may be the most obvious scapegoat, the one who will really be blamed is Frye.”

Grgurich’s advice didn’t have the intended effect, it only added to Lue’s pressure.

If he caused a failure due to his lack of ability, and in the end Yu Fei had to take the blame, would he still have a place in the team?

The restless Lue visited George Karl.

Karl asked, “Tyronn, what are you worried about?”

“I’m worried about screwing everything up,” Lue admitted.

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“Why worry about that?” Karl asked, “Frye recommending you as a coach shows he believes in your ability. As a coach, you shouldn’t fear failure, quite the opposite, you should have the courage to mess everything up.”

Lue humbly accepted Karl’s chicken soup for the soul.

He had no time for wild thoughts because that night, they were to face the Minnesota Timberwolves back-to-back at home.

This was their last regular-season encounter with the opponent.

The Timberwolves were an interesting team; they traded Garnett to the Celtics in 2007, receiving what seemed like the franchise centerpiece in Greg Oden in return. However, the talent that made Oden shine remained entirely preserved in the scouting reports.