Chapter 611: The Deal, Chen Yan's Fury!
On January 15, the Suns visited Atlanta to face the Hawks.
The Hawks were currently ranked 3rd in the Eastern Conference, and their strength could not be underestimated.
Phoenix's recent performance had been uneven. They no longer looked as dominant as they had last season.
Atlanta, meanwhile, had a complete roster. Greg Oden, who had been playing on and off over the past 2 seasons, had finally shown better availability this year. So far, he had missed only 5 games.
Even so, Oden still had not satisfied the fans.
It was not that he lacked effort. The problem was that the standard used to measure him was simply too abnormal.
This was Oden's 3rd NBA season. His draft classmate Chen Yan had already won an MVP, while Durant was averaging close to 30 points per game. Oden's numbers were only 12.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
Those numbers were not bad. If he were a blue collar center, they would have been excellent. But he was the number 1 overall pick, the number 1 overall pick selected ahead of Chen Yan and Durant.
For Oden, the only fortunate thing was that he had not run into the Portland medical staff from his previous life. His injuries had not worsened further, and at the very least, playing another 2 years did not seem like a problem.
The Suns' lineup was also relatively complete. Among the starters, only Nash was absent.
The Hawks knew Chen Yan was in terrifying form, so they had prepared a specific defensive game plan for him.
Head coach Alvin Gentry gave his players a strict order. He did not want to see Chen Yan isolate with the ball in this game, not even once.
Atlanta executed his instructions from the opening minute. Whether Chen Yan had the ball or not, they sent constant pressure at him, shadowing him with extra attention and double teaming him whenever possible.
Chen Yan adjusted quickly.
Once he realized he was attracting most of Atlanta's defensive attention, he began passing the ball and creating opportunities for his teammates.
In the 1st quarter alone, Chen Yan handed out 5 assists, helping Phoenix open up the floor inside and out. The Suns ended the quarter leading 27 to 20.
Although the Hawks were playing passively, Gentry had no intention of changing his approach.
His idea remained firm. He would rather let everyone else score than let Chen Yan score.
After Chen Yan's 101 point game, he had become a madman, even a demon, in the eyes of every NBA coach.
Atlanta's aggressive targeting did produce results. They held Chen Yan to only 11 points in the 1st half, far below his usual output.
However, Chen Yan was not the kind of player who would simply stand around and do nothing. Although his scoring was limited, his assists surged to 12 by halftime, even more than his point total.
Of course, Phoenix's inside and outside players also had strong nights. They converted Chen Yan's passes into baskets again and again.
At halftime, the Suns led 61 to 49.
Chen Yan had not been completely without chances to shoot through the double teams. He simply chose to play along with Atlanta's defensive strategy, constantly using it to create open shots and easy baskets for his teammates.
On the surface, holding Chen Yan to 11 points in the 1st half made the Hawks' tactics look effective.
In reality, they were being controlled by him.
During halftime, Chen Yan repeatedly reminded his teammates to stay ready. If the Hawks kept double teaming him, he would keep creating chances for them.
Gentry, meanwhile, once again emphasized that Chen Yan must not be allowed to shoot.
He did not believe a player who had scored 101 points would be willing to pass for an entire game.
But Gentry was wrong.
Chen Yan really could pass for an entire game.
He had already scored 101 points. He was the player in the world who least needed to prove his scoring ability.
What Chen Yan cared about now was how to win more easily and more cleanly.
Throughout the entire 3rd quarter, he took only 1 shot and delivered 7 assists.
His value went far beyond those 7 assists. He kept moving, cutting, drawing defenders, and creating offensive openings that did not even show up in the box score.
At the end of 3 quarters, Phoenix led 93 to 76, stretching the margin to 17 points.
By then, Gentry's strategy could already be declared a failure.
Yet stubbornly, he continued to trap Chen Yan heavily in the 4th quarter.
Chen Yan added 3 more assists and scored 3 points in 4 and a half minutes.
The game quickly entered garbage time, and Chen Yan naturally clocked out.
He finished with a peculiar stat line of 15 points, 22 assists, and 5 rebounds.
Fans joked that when they saw the box score, they thought Nash had returned.
Without realizing it, Chen Yan had broken his own single game assist record.
After the game, Hawks coach Gentry said directly that Chen Yan was a genius who appeared only once in a century.
"When he scores, he is Jordan. When he passes, he is Magic Johnson. It all depends on who he wants to be."
Nash had also traveled with the team for this road trip. During his postgame interview, he joked that it might be time for him to retire on the spot, since the team apparently no longer needed him.
Jokes were jokes. Everyone understood Nash's importance.
He was the soul of the team. When he was on the court, Chen Yan could be freed from ball handling duties and focus more freely on scoring.
Aside from Chen Yan, another Suns player had a standout performance.
Stoudemire.
In this game, Stoudemire unleashed his offensive firepower and scored a season high 42 points.
The fans cheered that the Little Overlord had finally returned.
Even Chen Yan was excited. Stoudemire was his brother, and he genuinely wanted him to play well.
What Chen Yan did not expect was that Stoudemire would be absent from practice the next day.
After asking around, Chen Yan received an outrageous answer.
Stoudemire had been traded.
It was sudden.
Very sudden.
That morning, the Suns, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks reached a 3 team trade agreement.
The Suns sent out Stoudemire and Barea. In return, they received Rajon Rondo from the Boston Celtics, promising forward Danilo Gallinari from the New York Knicks, and Boston guard Eddie House. In addition, they acquired a 2012 1st round pick, a 2012 2nd round pick, and a 2013 2nd round pick from Boston, along with a 2011 2nd round pick from New York.
The Celtics sent out Rajon Rondo, Eddie House, Big Baby Davis, Marquis Daniels, a 2011 1st round pick, a 2012 1st round pick, a 2012 2nd round pick, and a 2013 2nd round pick. In return, they received Stoudemire and Nate Robinson.
The Knicks sent out Gallinari, Nate Robinson, and a 2011 2nd round pick. In return, they received Barea, Big Baby Davis, Marquis Daniels, and Boston's 2011 1st round pick.
This trade could be described as Boston directly mortgaging its future.
To acquire Stoudemire, they had essentially surrendered their draft assets for the next 3 years.
Durant was thrilled by the deal and immediately posted a welcome message for Stoudemire.
In Durant's eyes, Stoudemire was a hero who had helped Chen Yan win a championship.
Now that this hero was coming to Boston, did that not mean he could also win a championship?
Chen Yan's 1st reaction to the trade was shock.
Then came anger.
He was not angry that the team had traded Stoudemire. He had already mentally prepared himself for that possibility.
What angered him was that the team had traded away his good brother Barea.
And they had done it without warning.
Without saying a single word.
That summer, because of salary concerns, the team had traded Azubuike. Chen Yan had endured it.
Now they had traded away another brother without a word.
This time, he truly could not tolerate it.
In Chen Yan's eyes, the owner was a vampire. He wanted the team to perform well and make money, but he also wanted to minimize costs.
He wanted the horse to run, but refused to feed it grass.
How could there be such a convenient thing in this world?
The most pitiful person in the deal was Barea.
He received the news during practice, and he heard it from Chen Yan.
There had been no warning about the trade, and no one had informed him.
Barea froze for a full minute, then covered his head with a towel.
"Jose, I know you're hurting right now. I don't know how to comfort you either." Chen Yan patted Barea on the shoulder. "I'll miss the days we fought together. I hope you keep working hard with your new team. You'll always be my good brother."
Barea shook his head.
"They should have at least told me beforehand. Why didn't they give me any respect? I don't understand. I gave everything to this city, and in the end, they traded me away like I was just a commodity."
As Barea spoke, his voice began to choke.
Chen Yan could not hold back anymore.
"Damn it! Damn Sarver, and damn this management! They ruined a dynasty team. They're a bunch of idiots!"
Afterward, Chen Yan went straight to team management and had a major argument with them.
He knew the argument would not change the trade.
He was simply venting his fury.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
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