Chapter 35: The King.
The Cavaliers' season training camp officially began the next day.
Training was scheduled to start at 9 a.m., but Han Sen arrived at the arena an hour early and headed to the gym.
He wanted to get in a session of strength training— about 45 minutes— before the team workout.
When Han Sen returned to the practice court after finishing his session, he noticed that the rest of the Cavaliers were already there.
His attention was immediately drawn to Shaquille O'Neal.
He was even bigger than Han Sen had imagined, and up close, he seemed like a giant.
With such a monstrous presence in the paint, it's no surprise how dominant he had been in his prime.
However, the "Big Diesel" wasn't exactly washed up yet. Last season with the Suns, he averaged 17.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game, made the All-NBA Third Team, and became only the second player after Michael Jordan to score 45+ points at age 37.
So, sure, you could say he was old, but to claim he had lost all his dominance would be ridiculous.
A more accurate statement would be that while his offensive dominance in the post was still there, his defensive abilities had declined to the point where someone else needed to cover for him.
After taking a good look at O'Neal, Han Sen noticed Cunningham approaching him.