A/N: This is the first chapter of this new fic. I'd love to hear your thoughts and find out what you think.
Toronto, Canada
Monday, July 7, 2003
A taxi could be seen driving through the streets of downtown Toronto, heading straight toward 40 Bay Street, with the CN Tower visible through the window to the passenger, who had his eyes fixed on the streets passing by.
"First time in Toronto?" the taxi driver asked, looking at the person behind him in the rear-view mirror.
"You could say that," the passenger replied without even looking away from the window.
The weather in Toronto at this time of year was warm, being in the middle of summer, which was one of the best times to visit the city compared to the cold snowfalls in winter.
"So, what brings you here?" the driver asked in a friendly tone, trying to be pleasant while the car continued navigating the Toronto streets with total ease.
"Let's just say I came to try my luck," he said simply, while his hand on the seat tightened its grip on the duffel bag at his side, as if whatever was inside was extremely valuable.
"And where are you from?" the driver continued, turning the steering wheel to the left.
"I'm from a small town in Wisconsin, 30 minutes outside Milwaukee," he answered casually.
"Milwaukee," the driver whistled softly. "So, are you a Bucks fan?" the driver asked excitedly, thinking they had something in common.
"Guilty," the passenger said simply. "Are you an NBA fan?" this time it was his turn to ask the driver a question.
"Of course, and let me tell you, I don't know what they were thinking trading Ray Allen for Gary Payton," the driver said, causing the passenger to make a face this time as he recalled that trade.
The trade was so abrupt that it left all Bucks fans in shock, especially because the team traded away one of the best shooting guards and three-point shooters in the league—who was in his prime—for a veteran Gary Payton.
Needless to say, it was a complete failure, as no sooner had the season ended than Payton, along with Karl Malone, joined the Lakers as free agents to form a superteam with Shaq and Kobe.
With that lineup, the Los Angeles team once again became the clear favorite to win the playoffs this season, with people saying that the first superteam of the century had arrived.
What was most disastrous was that with Allen's departure, the team ended up with a 42-40 record, finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference and being eliminated in the first round by the New Jersey Nets. After that, head coach George Karl was fired.
"And tell me, are you a Raptors fan?" this time it was the passenger's turn to ask, causing the driver to make a face as he thought about the disastrous season the city's team had just had.
Founded in 1995 along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, both teams were the last two created as part of an NBA initiative to expand north of the border and gain more audience.
The idea was good at the time, but the only drawback was that Canadian basketball fans started out as a minority, leading the Grizzlies franchise to move to Memphis in 2001, leaving the Ontario franchise as the sole foreign representative in the entire NBA.
"Don't even mention it. This season was garbage. If Cleveland hadn't tanked games on purpose, we would've been last in our division," the driver grunted openly, recalling how disastrous the team had been this past season with a record of barely 24 wins.
Of course, that didn't compare to the Cavaliers' record, who finished the season with barely 17 wins, with several experts saying they lost games on purpose to land the basketball super-prodigy from Akron, LeBron James, who was the hope of the entire state of Ohio.
For the rest of the taxi ride, the driver didn't stop hurling insults at former head coach Lenny Wilkens, who, to no one's surprise, was fired at the end of the season.
His tirade came to an end once they reached their destination, with the cab stopping right outside the doors of an office building.
"By the way, what's your name, my friend?" the driver asked, turning around to face the person he had been talking to for the last half hour.
"Logan," he said. "Logan Anderson."
After saying that, he handed a 30 CAD bill to the driver. "Keep the change," he said, getting out of the car and heading straight into the office building in front of him.
The sliding doors opened automatically, welcoming Logan with the blast of the indoor air conditioning, which was running at full blast this time of year.
Taking a few moments to gather himself and take a deep breath, Logan approached the reception desk, where a secretary was typing on her computer, looking up as she heard footsteps coming in her direction.
"Good morning, do you have an appointment?" she asked with a professional smile.
"I have a meeting with Glen Grunwald under the name Logan Anderson," Logan said quickly, while the secretary rapidly typed on her computer, confirming that there was indeed a meeting scheduled, before picking up the phone at the corner of her desk.
"Yes, he's here now," Logan heard the secretary whisper softly while covering her mouth with her hand, before nodding to the person on the other end of the line.
"Go right ahead, they're waiting for you," she said with a smile, pointing toward the elevator in one of the corners of the building. Logan nodded before pressing the elevator button and stepping inside.
Once inside the elevator, Logan couldn't help but feel nervous, his palms sweaty as the elevator slowly went up the floors, heading straight to the place where his future could completely change depending on the decision made by the people inside that office.
With a soft chime, the elevator doors opened. Logan stepped out and saw another assistant outside the door, who simply gave him a look of recognition.
"Wait over there until they tell you you can go in," she said, pointing to some couches in a corner of the room.
Almost as if on autopilot, Logan walked over to the sofa while opening the briefcase he was carrying, checking the data and report he had inside, making sure everything was in order and going over everything he was going to say once he stepped inside.
Without realizing it, time slowly passed until the secretary finally gestured to him. "They're waiting for you inside," she said simply, pointing to the door where Logan's future would be decided.
With a nod, Logan headed to the door, and with one last encouraging thought, he opened it. He was met by a conference table where Glen Grunwald, General Manager of the Toronto Raptors, sat alongside several executives from Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the company that owned the Raptors.
"Logan Anderson," Glen Grunwald said, standing up from his chair and stepping forward to shake Logan's hand. "I remember your game against the Hawks where you dropped 30 points on them." That was the first thing Glen said to Logan.
That comment caused Logan to show a nostalgic smile on his face as he remembered those times as well.
He had originally been a professional basketball player, entering the 1993 draft and joining the Pistons with the 10th overall pick under Don Chaney at the twilight of the Bad Boys era, even sharing a locker room with veterans Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer.
With his aggressive and fast playstyle, he quickly earned coach Chaney's trust to get minutes and even replace Thomas in his second season in the NBA, being recognized by many as one of the future faces of the league.
However, that playstyle took a heavy toll on his body through numerous collisions with 220+ pound centers, missing several consecutive games due to minor injuries that gradually accumulated. Finally, in his third season during a game against the Orlando Magic, his knee made a distinct pop, leaving him collapsed on the floor.
Subsequent medical evaluations revealed he had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear alongside severely worn-out menisci. This forced him to miss the entire season and part of the next. With his contract expiring and management unwilling to renew him, Logan's playing career came to an abrupt end.
"Those days are in the past," Logan replied before pulling his hand back and shaking the hands of the other people present in the room. He then opened his briefcase, pulled out some documents, and distributed them to everyone at the table.
"First of all, I want to thank you for the opportunity you've given me," Logan said to everyone present in the room.
"Thank Isiah. He told us great things about you," Glen said.
Isiah Thomas was a co-owner of the Raptors until his departure in 1998 due to disputes over a buy-out attempt, but his friend Glen ended up becoming the team's General Manager anyway.
"I'll be sure to tell him next time I speak with him," Logan replied.
When Logan first joined the Pistons, Isiah didn't take long to take him under his wing and help him adapt to the team, training him to become his successor. But who could have predicted that just one season after Thomas retired, an injury would end Logan's career?
"Well, let's get down to business," one of the executives said, making the atmosphere turn completely serious. "You have great recommendations, but tell us, why should we let you take charge of our team?" As he asked, he narrowed his eyes to stare fixedly at him, as did several executives at the table.
"Ahem," Logan cleared his throat before beginning. "Well, once I retired, I joined Popovich's coaching staff as a video assistant, where I stayed for 3 years before joining Nelson's staff as a tactical analyst with the Mavericks," Logan began, delivering the speech he had rehearsed for days leading up to this opportunity, recounting all his experience up to this point.
"We know your track record, Mr. Anderson. What we want to know is why we should give you the head coaching job," one of the executives cut him off suddenly with a serious look. "Tell us, why should we hand the reins of this team to someone so young?" was the next question put to him.
At that, Logan's mind went blank for a moment before he took a deep breath. "Let me ask you a question: where do you think the NBA is heading in the next 5 years?"
At that question, several executives frowned while a few began to think about it.
"Right now, the most common tactics involve players having strictly defined roles, with the paint congested as players fight to score two points through long possessions and mid-range shots," Logan continued as he walked over to a computer connected to a projector, bringing up a series of slides.
"But what many are ignoring are shots from the three-point line and outside the paint," he continued, showing another slide displaying a collection of data. "Mathematically speaking, if we can get 36% of those shots to go through the hoop, it yields the exact same efficiency as a team shooting 54% on two-pointers." He continued displaying graphs and statistics to prove his point, demonstrating that three-point shooting was mathematically superior.
"Let's say someone takes 100 shots from both distances," he continued explaining. "If the three-point shooter makes 36 of them and the two-point shooter makes 54, both score 108 points—but the three-point shooter accomplishes it with far fewer made shots."
"Now imagine a center shooting from outside the paint," Logan said. "The average height of an NBA center is 6'11". Imagine a player of that size consistently hitting three-pointers—it would practically become an unguardable move." As he said this, the looks on several of their faces began to shift.
"We've already seen glimpses of this with Nowitzki on the Mavs," Logan added, pulling up a video showing Dirk's highlights from last season.
"All very interesting, Mr. Anderson, but do you really believe our roster can execute the concepts you're proposing?" asked one of the executives from a corner of the table.
That was a crucial question, as talking about concepts and executing them are two very different things, with execution being the hardest part.
"You have great players on the roster like Vince Carter, who has a consistent stroke," Logan began.
"But if you want my honest answer... not yet," he said frankly, looking closely at every single person in the room.
"I can't promise you immediate success next season or a deep playoff run," he said. "To be frank, I don't think anyone can," he continued. "What I can promise you is that I will ensure the Raptors become a competitive team with a distinct identity in the coming years if you trust me," Logan finished, standing in the center of the office and carefully reading the expressions everyone was giving him.
"I think we've heard enough, Mr. Anderson," one of the lead executives from Maple Leaf said.
"We will contact you once we have an answer," he concluded, nodding in his direction, as did the rest of the room before Logan walked out of the office.
Once outside, Logan let out all the air he had been holding in as he loosened his tie knot. "It's done," he said to himself before disappearing into the same elevator that had brought him up.
Authors thought
I'd like to hear your thoughts on this first episode, and you still have time to vote on whether you want him to be divorced or married, so if you haven't voted yet, this is your chance.
I also have another lead regarding the woman who may or may not be his wife.
Photo