"I have to find the right team and play the right kind of basketball. That’s why I came to Indiana."

Stephen Jackson spoke confidently to reporters on the opening day of training camp.

"I love playing with guys who are truly versatile and unselfish. You know, I’ve always been a fan of Little Sheep Su Xi. I appreciate everything he does on the court. He’s a really charismatic guy."

Stephen Jackson’s comments completely eased the reporters’ worries that the notorious troublemaker would cause problems in the locker room.

When he first joined, the people of Indiana were very concerned he would make the Pacers’ locker room even more volatile. The team was already full of hotheads—not a single one of them was a walk in the park.

During this past offseason, Little O’Neal was photographed playing volleyball with three female models on Miami Beach, Reggie Miller started dating a new young model, and Artest competed in a WWE match, declared himself the best fighter in the NBA, and even released a rap album titled *Me and My NBA Championship*.

He sank 1 million USD into the album, called in a lot of favors, and got big-name rappers to feature on it. But after its release, it was universally panned. Everyone said his singing sounded like a duck gurgling after being pushed underwater—no flow, a terrible voice, and moronic lyrics...

But Artest didn’t care. He just loved music.

The people of Indiana also liked that he was into music. At least he wasn’t out street racing like Kenny Anderson, who also got caught carrying ’weed’. Although that’s not a big deal in the United States, such negative press still made people worry about the level of chaos in the Pacers’ locker room: there were just too many "talented" individuals.

Bender got injured again. He was dancing in his own bathroom and broke a bone.

The insurance company even launched an investigation, thinking he might have been injured while participating in a high-risk sport prohibited by his contract. But the investigation confirmed that he really did just fall in the bathroom.

The Pacers and their fans had all but given up on Bender.

Although he was once a very talented forward, frequent injuries had completely drained his athleticism.

Rumors had been circulating since August that the Pacers were discussing a buyout with him.

However, Bender wanted more money, and the Pacers didn’t want to pay more.

The two sides were at a stalemate.

During the offseason, there were rumors that the Pacers were up for sale. After winning the championship, the club’s market value had increased.

But in the end, no deal was made.

There were many reasons the deal fell through.

For example, the other party was unwilling to pay a satisfactory price, Indiana wouldn’t allow the team to be relocated, and even though the Pacers won the championship last season, their profits didn’t even crack the league’s top ten...

Of course, there was also the most important reason: Su Xi hadn’t re-signed with the Pacers, and he would become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Su Xi’s future destination was capturing the attention of the entire league.

Even though many people said Su Xi wasn’t a superstar and that he would just be an ordinary star player if he left the Pacers.

But who wouldn’t want to get Su Xi? Actions speak louder than words.

A major controversy erupted during the offseason: Carlos Boozer left the Cavaliers. Boozer signed a six-year, 72 million USD contract with the Jazz.

He was a second-round pick, the second rookie after Arenas to benefit from this contractual loophole.

Originally, the league was discussing closing this loophole.

But then, for some unknown reason, most of the owners in the league suddenly put a halt to that agenda. Only the Cavaliers were still crying foul.

Why?

Because although Su Xi was a first-round pick, the nature of his current contract was the same as a second-round pick who signed a two-year rookie contract—in fact, he had even more freedom.

The owners weren’t stupid.

They would wait until the dust settled on Su Xi’s situation before closing the loophole.

The Pacers, on the other hand, were loudly publicizing how these types of contracts were detrimental to the home team, arguing that if they weren’t stopped, the Arenas and Carlos Boozer phenomena would become more and more common.

But the louder they shouted, the less inclined the owners were to act.

It’s worth mentioning that Carlos Boozer’s departure from the Cavaliers was also linked to Su Xi.

The Cavaliers had originally accused Carlos Boozer of going back on his word, claiming that Boozer had initially agreed to re-sign with them, only to betray his original team for money the moment he saw the bigger contract from the Jazz.

Boozer was tough, though; he didn’t just let it go. He went public and said directly, "The moment you traded Jack, I was already planning to leave. Everyone knows Jack and I are the closest, and Jason too. Now we’re all gone."

Jason Kapono was picked by the Bobcats in the expansion draft, which is one way the NBA welcomes new franchises. As a new team joining the league, the Bobcats could select one player from each team’s designated list of available players.

"The Cavaliers need to reflect on why so many people are jumping ship this season."

"The King isn’t almighty."

Carlos Boozer’s statement ignited a wave of public criticism against the Cavaliers and dredged up the old story of them trading Su Xi.

It was another round of beating a dead horse.

People who had left the Cavaliers, like Tony Battie, Kenny Anderson, and Stephen Jackson, also came out in support of Boozer.

It put the Cavaliers in a very passive position.

They had no choice but to quietly back down.

Su Xi saw Stephen Jackson in the locker room. He was a big, burly guy with rough features, and he seemed to be getting along well with Artest.