Capítulo 1263: Chapter 400: God Will Not Forgive Those Who Give Up Opportunities

Although Old Cat Mobley may seem a bit unruly, he is a person with a strong sense of team spirit.

Since joining the Warriors, he has consistently played the role of the sixth man. Even though this has caused a significant drop in his stats, and even though there are times he can’t get much playing time, he has never complained.

He will stand up for you in games and pass you the ball when you’re on fire.

He will lend a helping hand when you’re in trouble and warn you not to squander all your assets like a foolish, bottom-dwelling black man.

He’s the kind of player who is loved by everyone in the locker room.

So, when he woke up, the entire Warriors team was by his side.

Cattino Mobley had a rough idea of what had happened. He likely had a brush with death.

Before it all happened, he felt some chest tightness and breathlessness. But he thought, playing a commercial pick-up game shouldn’t cause any problems.

“What happened?” Old Cat asked weakly.

“Simply put, you nearly went to see Reggie Lewis.” Roger used just one sentence to make Cattino Mobley understand everything. Reggie Lewis’s name and what happened to him were well-known in the basketball world.

This name signifies heart disease, signifies tragedy and death.

“Damn…”

Mobley first thanked God for sparing his life, and he quickly realized something else — his career might be over.

Reggie Lewis should have saved his life, for he had collapsed more than once during training and games.

But in an era where awareness wasn’t strong enough, Reggie Lewis always resumed fighting as soon as he woke up, and nobody thought his heart might have issues.

This eventually ended his young life in 1993.

If Cattino Mobley didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes, he’d better not play anymore, or at least not play in NBA-level games.

As a player, Old Cat Mobley had no regrets left.

He had won two rings, fought alongside the best players in the world, and earned tens of millions of US dollars during his career, which was enough to ensure a worry-free life with his personality.

But as a Warriors player, he had regrets, as he couldn’t stick around until the day the dynasty was built.

But he wouldn’t say anything like, “Don’t mind me, I can still play.”

He cared about his life more than a dynasty. His life belonged not only to him but also to his family, his wife, and children.

So, he looked at Roger with a complex expression.

He wanted to continue contributing, but he was powerless to do anything next.

Roger met Old Cat’s gaze with a smile: “Take care and stay with your family. As for everything else, you don’t need to worry. You just need to know you’re always part of the dynasty, part of us.”

In the afternoon, Bob Bass and Mikhail Prokhorov came to visit Mobley in the Philadelphia hospital.

Although Cattino Mobley was no longer in critical condition, letting him play again was tantamount to murder.

Roger and Bob Bass had to consider a very realistic problem — who would take up the minutes and ball-handling duties left by Old Cat?

The Warriors were already short on ball handlers. Last season, adding Boris Diaw somewhat filled this gap, but now it had opened again.

Let Boris Diaw handle the second unit? The Frenchman’s greatest role was to join the starting lineup at specific moments to smooth the offense. If you really let him be the main ball handler for the second unit, he probably wouldn’t perform too well.

Though he could technically play five positions, he’s not truly a point guard.

Monta Ellis? He might have potential, he could handle the ball, but his potential couldn’t be realized immediately.

Roger hadn’t seen Monta Ellis on the training ground yet, but he was sure the guy needed some time to grow.

In the playoffs, facing defensive intensity he’d never experienced before with that slender frame, his mind would go blank — even the powerful Chosen One blanked out when facing Roger’s intense defense in the past two seasons, so much so that he couldn’t tell basketball and football apart.

Bob Bass knew his time was tight because the best role players were always the first to get snapped up in the free-agent market.

“I’ll bring back a qualified backup ball handler.”

“It doesn’t have to be a guard, just someone who can handle and defend the ball. One more thing, Bob.”

“What is it?”

“Stop staying up late.”

“Huh?”

“You’ve seen it; none of us know when accidents will come. God spared Old Cat, but that doesn’t mean He’ll spare all of us.”

In the following days, the Golden State Warriors came up empty in the market.

Raja Bell had already signed with the Spurs early on, and Earl Watson reached an agreement with the Denver Nuggets.

Damon Stoudamire was too inefficient, Bobby Simmons had excellent scoring ability, but “teamwork” never existed in his vocabulary, and Doug Christie, the only armed escort in that gorgeous Kings lineup, was already running on empty.

Almost all the suitable free agents for the Warriors had already found homes, while those still in the free-agent market didn’t quite fit with the team.

While the Warriors were busy, a few reporters were waiting outside a drug rehab center located in the Seattle suburbs.