LeBron James running away? He's going all in on Curry.

In July, in the tactics conference room at the Cleveland Cavaliers headquarters.

The four new recruits who have just completed their physical examinations and signed contracts—Marc Gasol, Paul Millsap, Klay Thompson, and Kawhi Leonard—are currently sitting at a long table.

Sitting next to him were the team's old guard, including Stephen Curry, Patrick Beverley, and Danny Green.

Faced with overwhelming media ridicule, who called them a group of "starless" low-paid laborers and overpriced pieces, the new recruits looked somewhat apprehensive and confused.

"Squeak—"

The conference room door was pushed open, and Su Yang strode in.

Following behind him were the smiling general manager Grant and the team's nominal head coach, Byron Scott.

"Welcome to Cleveland, guys."

Su Yang walked to the end of the long table, placed his hands on the tabletop, and scanned the faces of these "max-level" players who would shock the entire league in the future.

"I know what the media outside is saying about us. They say I'm crazy, that you guys are a bunch of fringe players. But believe me, everyone standing in this room is a championship piece I personally selected from all thirty teams in the league, with all my might!"

These highly affirmative words instantly calmed the restless hearts of the newlyweds.

Even a stoic young man like Leonard, who always had a blank expression, had a glint in his eyes.

"However, before our warships officially set sail, there is one thing I must make clear to everyone."

Su Yang changed the subject, raised his hand, and pointed directly at Stephen Curry sitting to the side.

"Stephen Curry is the absolute tactical core of this team now, and for the next decade. Our entire offensive system will revolve around him!"

Upon hearing this, the newlyweds were all taken aback.

In the 2011 NBA, building a team around a point guard who was easily targeted on defense? This completely overturned the traditional concept of basketball.

Ignoring the surprise of the crowd, Su Yang turned his head and looked at Byron Scott, the puppet commander standing to the side.

"Coach Scott, if I remember correctly, you won three championships with Magic Johnson when you played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 80s, right?"

Byron Scott paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, boss. Irwin is the greatest point guard I've ever seen."

"Then tell everyone here loudly, was it Magic Johnson who guarded the opposing team's top scorer and did all the dirty work back in the day?"

"Of course not," Scott answered truthfully. "Defending the perimeter playmakers is usually done by me or Michael Cooper. The physical battles inside are left to AC Green."

"Absolutely perfect."

Su Yang snapped his fingers, turned to look at the players, and began to instill his forward-thinking basketball philosophy.

"This is the law of conservation of energy in basketball! In the long history of the NBA, there are only a handful of teams that have won championships with the point guard position as their absolute core."

"Aside from Isaiah Thomas, the core of the 'Bad Boys' who succeeded through brute force and defensive maneuvers, the only one who truly makes history is Magic Johnson!"

"Why? Because point guards naturally face disadvantages in terms of size and stamina. They have to make trade-offs! If you expect a point guard to be all-around players, both orchestrating the offense and scoring like crazy, while also relentlessly attacking the opposing star on defense, the price will inevitably be that he's exhausted in the fourth quarter and his offensive firepower is severely lacking!"

"Historically, no championship-winning point guard has ever relied solely on individual defensive ability to shut down the opponent! Magic Johnson needed Byron Scott and AC Green, but Stephen Curry needs you!"

Su Yang stared directly at Klay, Leonard, Millsap, and Gasol.

"I won't let Stephen guard their sharpshooter. His defense is indeed our weak point, and your presence is there to fill that gap! On defense, you'll be his iron wall. On offense, he'll use his historic shooting to draw all double teams and create wide-open shots for you!"

Curry sat to the side, listening to his boss's unreserved trust and tactical bias, his eyes welled up with tears, and he clenched his fists tightly.

"From today onwards, our offensive philosophy will be singular: drastically increase the proportion of three-pointers!"

Su Yang continued outlining the tactical plan, "It's not just about shooting from the outside, the inside too! Mark, Paul! You two stop seeing yourselves as traditional interior laborers. I want you to develop your three-point shot! I want you to be able to pull the opposing big men out of the paint!"

"We...shoot threes?" Marc Gasol's eyes widened. He was a proper 2.16-meter center. In today's league, a center shooting threes was considered a waste of his job!

"That's right! We have to shoot! And we have to shoot accurately!"

Su Yang stated unequivocally, "I've poached Chip Engeldard, the best shooting coach in the league, from the Spurs with a high salary. During the upcoming training camp, Chip will help you all reshape your shooting mechanisms. Whenever you're on the court, you must dare to shoot!"

"As for the defensive end..."

Su Yang walked to the tactics board and drew a zone defense formation. "When facing targeted one-on-one attacks, we'll use zone defense and switching on everything! We'll specifically 'hide' Stephen, trying to get him to match up against the opponent's weakest offensive player. And you four, you must expand your defensive area as much as possible, cutting off all of their passing lanes!"

……

Two days later, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, a press conference was held to introduce the new recruits.

The press conference hall was packed with cameras and microphones. When Su Yang and his group of "new civilian reinforcements" sat down at the podium, questions from the audience, tinged with mockery, immediately arose.

"Mr. Su! It is widely believed that your decision to give up Kyrie Irving was a gamble of the century, and some even say it is the stupidest trade in NBA history!"

"You traded a huge amount of assets for a bunch of blue-collar pieces. Does that mean the Cavaliers are ready for a losing streak next season and continue chasing next year's number one draft pick?"

Faced with the sharp questioning from the ESPN reporter, Su Yang gently adjusted the microphone in front of him.

"Blue-collar? Stupid?"

"In this league, some people are obsessed with talent, some are obsessed with fame. But I only believe in perfect chemistry and an unstoppable system."

"You'll soon see that Kyrie Irving is indeed a good player, but he can never replace Stephen Curry's role in Cleveland. We don't need to go back to the old ways of the LeBron James era and pile on so-called All-Stars."

Su Yang straightened his back and, facing the cameras broadcasting live across the United States, declared his commitment to the new season:

"Just a few days ago, I gave my players the final goal for the new season."

"We will no longer tank; the days of being last are over."

"I hereby declare that the Cleveland Cavaliers in the new season will not only make the playoffs, but will also instill genuine fear in all the championship contenders in the entire league."

The reporters in the audience were initially taken aback, and then many of them couldn't help but let out low snickers.

A bunch of rough-and-tumble guys plus a injury-prone guard, in an Eastern Conference with the Heat's Big Three, the Bulls' Derrick Rose, and the Celtics' Big Three, talking about making the playoffs? And making the championship favorites tremble? That's just wishful thinking!

Seeing the indifferent reporters, Su Yang slowly stood up, buttoned his suit jacket, and left behind that slogan that seemed to have become a totem of Cleveland:

"Don't be so quick to laugh, gentlemen."

"Trust the process."