The Empty Chair

Outside Spectrum Center, a fan held a handmade sign: SELL THE TEAM AGAIN. Online, the hashtags multiplied. #FireDaniel. #WorstGMEver. #HornetsDisaster. Daniel stood behind the glass, coffee cooling in his hand, while construction workers replaced banners for training camp. Down on the court, a small undrafted guard named Marcus Reed took corner threes with the intensity of a man fighting for oxygen. Shot after shot snapped through the net. Coach Malik Dawson walked up beside Daniel. "You know they're going to hate us for a while," Dawson said. Daniel nodded. "Good," he replied. "That means they're finally watching."