Champion Creed-Chapter 521 - 191: The First Triple Crown City? (Request for Monthly Tickets!)_2
Chapter 521: 191: The First Triple Crown City? (Request for Monthly Tickets!)_2
For the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Falcons, fans are pretty confident.
But because the Hawks are practically a new team, there are too many unknowns.
Fans can hardly wait to see the strength of this new Hawks team.
Under the spotlight, the first day of the Hawks training camp media day began.
Countless sports journalists poured into the Emory Healthcare Center for the press conference introducing the new players.
Since there were quite a few new players on the Hawks this year, the press conference was packed.
But when everyone stood up to showcase their Hawks jerseys, the majority of cameras were still focused on Roger.
If the Hawks team were a bus, then Roger was the one at the steering wheel.
Whether everyone could arrive at the destination safely depended on Roger.
During the press conference, journalists asked Roger a lot of questions.
Most of them were about his relationships with Pippen and Stevie Smith.
Those journalists hoping Roger would go off like a madman were disappointed, as he answered all questions without a slip.
Pippen and Stevie Smith did the same, at least on the surface the Hawks’ locker room seemed calm and peaceful.
Of course, Pippen didn’t tell the journalists that he was planning to leave after next season.
Stevie Smith also didn’t tell them that he was requesting a trade.
Apart from this disgruntled duo, the new players joining the team seemed rather cheerful.
Several people were excited about playing with Roger.
Clifford Robinson openly said, "I feel like for the first time in my life there’s hope to wear a championship ring."
Kurt Thomas was very happy, "Roger will lead me to victory, and victory will help me escape the shadows of my career."
Even Big Ben was confident enough to talk tough in front of the media, "Do you know me? No problem, you’ll recognize me in a few days. You’ll soon find out that I’m the best guardian by Roger’s side."
A journalist stood up, "Ben, as a shooting guard, how will you help shoulder the defensive pressure for Roger next season?"
Big Ben rolled his eyes immediately. Shooting guard? Are you blind? My build clearly shows that any normal person would know I really play in the post!
Seeing so many people trust him, and believe their careers could rise to another level by playing with him, made Roger quite happy.
But Pippen and Stevie Smith thought that bunch was too naive.
You guys really don’t understand Roger.
Without needing the season to start, you’ll find out how formidable he is during the preseason camp.
After the press conference ended, the Hawks players went to take the official photos for the season.
Each player was asked by the photographer to do various action poses.
When it was Big Ben’s turn, the photographer asked him to perform a spinning ball on his finger.
Big Ben froze in place, sweating profusely.
Contrary to what most fans would think, not all NBA players can spin a basketball on their finger, even though they are highly skilled.
For example, in the Dream Team of 2024, there were a tough center and a powerful slam dunker who couldn’t spin the ball on their finger.
As someone who treated basketball like football, Big Ben naturally didn’t have the skill to spin the ball on his finger.
You could completely see Big Ben as an athlete with strong jumping ability, a good reading of the game, but no basketball skills.
As Big Ben was standing there awkwardly, Roger came over and patted his shoulder, "You can do many other basketball moves, how about a one-handed catch? I think it’s cooler and suits you better."
Big Ben was completely won over by Roger’s gesture; he thought Roger would have no interest whatsoever in his fate.
Yet, here he was, stepping in to save the day for him.
And the excuse was perfect!
Low EQ: My teammate can’t spin the ball on his finger, don’t embarrass him.
High EQ: My teammate can do many other basketball moves.
Brilliant!
After the official photo shoot, Big Ben approached Roger, "Thanks for earlier, ’Truth.’
"I don’t like that nickname anymore, Big Ben."
Ben Wallace’s fondness for Roger increased further—did you hear that? He called me Big Ben!
Generally, players with ’big’ in front of their names are usually tall and big-sized.
In Ben Wallace’s career, Roger was the first to call him that!
"Sorry, what should I call you then? ’Agent’? That’s too weird."
"It doesn’t matter, just don’t call me ’Truth’."
"Got it, hey, if you’re free this evening, I’d like to treat you to dinner to express my thanks."
"You’d be better off spending that time brushing up on game tapes. You said you want to be my guardian, but no offense, your defensive judgment is too amateurish. If you want to win a championship, you’re far from ready.
Stop using height as an excuse. Dennis Rodman isn’t tall either, but he always causes me trouble on the court, that’s why I think you might be worth a shot. You have the potential to be an excellent defender; the key is how you convert your potential.
From now on, you should spend all your time on training and watching game tapes; you don’t have time to waste."
Roger coldly refused Big Ben’s invitation to dine together, but Big Ben wasn’t put off by this.
Because this was the first time someone had said to him besides Charles Oakley, "You might be worth a shot."
"I won’t let you down."
