Chapter 155 Choice

When Tang Tian said the second option, Popovich stared at him with a look of astonishment.

What kind of option was this?

But slowly, he withdrew his gaze.

When he lost Tang Tian, his relationship with Holt had deteriorated sharply.

Now, because of Leonard, if there were further major disagreements, it could very well lead to irreconcilable differences.

In a sense, what Tang Tian said was indeed an option.

"I know this sounds incredible at first, but it's not without precedent. Didn't the Clippers' previous owner, Sterling, get forced to sell the team?"

Tang Tian continued.

"So, if there's an exchange of benefits between Holt and Methodist Healthcare, and it's made public, I think he'll face a lot of pressure, and being forced to sell the team isn't impossible."

There was one thing Tang Tian didn't say: Holt was one of the team owners who voted against Xiao Hua back then.

Xiao Hua was sitting on pins and needles now, and if Holt had an accident, he would definitely kick him when he was down.

Originally, this matter didn't involve Holt, and Tang Tian just didn't want Popovich to be sad about Leonard's departure.

But since Holt was involved, he didn't mind messing with him a little.

Although he was now doing well in New Orleans, being kicked out back then still made him feel very uncomfortable.

He wasn't a gentleman, but he didn't mind being one to the people who kicked him out.

After all, a gentleman takes revenge, ten years is not too late.

He's only been gone for less than five years.

"All of this you're saying is just speculation, and I've known Pete for over a decade."

Popovich didn't want to do this kind of multiple-choice question.

"Old Man, I can be very frank with you. I hope Holt sells the team because I'm definitely unhappy with what he did to me back then.

"But actually, this matter has nothing to do with me. You're the one who has to make the choice.

"Actually, come to think of it, losing Leonard isn't a big deal. He's just a player after all."

Tang Tian continued.

That was basically the end of what he had to say.

It was entirely up to Popovich what he chose.

If Popovich stood on the same line with Holt as in history, then history would simply repeat itself and Leonard would be traded.

If Holt was forced to sell the team, that would be good news for him.

But that was all.

Popovich didn't speak anymore. He had now accepted the multiple-choice question Tang Tian had given him.

But this multiple-choice question was very difficult.

No matter which choice he made, it would be a struggle.

Tang Tian stayed with Popovich for lunch.

After lunch, Popovich went back to San Antonio.

Before he left, he didn't make a choice, or no one knew if he would make a choice.

After a four-day All-Star break, the Pelicans continued their homestand with a game against the Jazz.

The Jazz's Mitchell was performing fiercely, showing the potential of a Rookie of the Year, which also proved a truth.

If you don't know who to pick at the 13th pick, pick a 1.9-meter guard, you won't lose out.

The Kobe of the past, the Bulls' Booker, and the current Mitchell are all very good examples.

However, Mitchell, like Rozier, was still too young, and his performance against the Pelicans was bleak.

In addition, the Jazz's own offensive strength wasn't strong, so they didn't have much of a chance against the Pelicans.

The Pelicans easily defeated their opponents 116-76, extending their winning streak to 35 games.

The Pelicans' winning streak continued, and the fans' despair continued as well.

Time unknowingly came to January.

The Pelicans had been playing strong teams for the first two months, but this month the schedule became easier and they started playing various weak teams.

The Kings, Timberwolves, 76ers, Wizards, and Grizzlies were all teams that gave away points.

The Pelicans continued to advance triumphantly, extending their winning streak to 40 games.

They were really aiming for an 82-game winning streak!

In mid-January, the Pelicans hosted the Trail Blazers at home.

If they could continue to win the game, the Pelicans would have a perfect record at the halfway point of the season, which would sound like a godlike record.

Tang Tian was absent from this game because of Towns' fever, but the other three brothers were all there.

The Trail Blazers weren't a super team in the West, and fans thought that the Pelicans would have no problem winning this game.

But it was this seemingly ordinary game that surprised many people.

Lillard and McCollum's two guns had explosive hot hands in this game.

The former was 15 of 20 from the field, and the latter was 11 of 16, with a total of 12 three-pointers between them.

Lillard made a lucky logo three-pointer at the last moment to kill the Pelicans.

The Trail Blazers actually became the team to end the Pelicans' winning streak!

This was really unexpected.

However, with Tang Tian absent and the two guns playing above their level, the result wasn't too surprising.

It could only be said that everything went the Trail Blazers' way.

If Tang Tian came back, or the two teams played again, the Trail Blazers would have to lose at least nine out of ten games.

But the NBA is such a place, a land where miracles happen.

Lillard and McCollum also gained momentum because of this victory.

Walker in the East and Lillard in the West were both perennial All-Star omissions and were also regarded as rare old-school stars, each in their own city.

Now that Walker had switched to the Pelicans, Lillard seemed even more unique.

Just when fans were cheering for the Trail Blazers' two guns, an event in the West suddenly attracted everyone's attention.

According to local San Antonio reporters, there was an illegal exchange of benefits between Holt and the local healthcare institution Methodist Healthcare.

The reporter had secretly collected a lot of evidence and exposed it all at once.

It wasn't just the Leonard incident that was making a lot of noise now.

There was also Green's groin strain last year that was diagnosed as a sprain, and Metu's wrist fracture that was also diagnosed as a sprain...

This series of events all happened after the Spurs changed their cooperative healthcare institution two years ago.

One very direct fact after this evidence was exposed was that Holt, as the team owner, sacrificed the health of the players for personal gain.

This was a very serious matter, even involving the reputation of the Spurs.

For a time, the questioning of the team's big boss, Holt, reached an unprecedented peak.

Especially the fans in San Antonio, who were about to run to burn down Holt's estate.

They still resented Holt's insistence on letting Tang Tian go back then, and now there was the healthcare institution incident.

In addition, the team's performance this season after losing Leonard had been struggling.

All the negative emotions were piled up together, and they completely erupted.

"Let Holt get out of San Antonio."

This sentence became the unified slogan of the fans.

And this quickly got a response from the league.

Xiao Hua was already annoyed, and now Holt had caused such a thing again.

He knew that it was not just the Spurs' reputation that was being lost, but the league's as well.

He wasn't polite to this team owner who opposed his reinstatement, and quickly demanded that Holt sell the team from the league's perspective.