RTN Chapter 3 The Farewell (Patreon)

American Airlines Center

The day after receiving the news, Logan didn't waste any time and headed early in the morning to the Dallas Mavericks practice facility on Victory Ave.

The American Airlines Center didn't just serve as the home court for the Mavs; it was also where the team practiced throughout the season, making the overall team logistics much simpler, although it came with the limitation of having only a single court for training.

Walking through the familiar hallways of the venue, Logan stopped at a particular door where large letters read: "Head Coach." Once there, he knocked on the door a few times, waiting for the person inside to let him in.

"Come in," said a voice from inside the office.

Once inside, Logan could see the interior of the office, dominated by a desk in the middle of the room that was covered in scattered papers on every corner. Sitting in a chair behind it was an elderly man with completely gray hair, meticulously reviewing the information on the sheets.

Looking up, the person seated at the desk finally noticed the person standing in front of the door. "Logan, my boy," he said, taking off his reading glasses and standing up.

The person in question was almost the same height as Logan, but unlike Logan, he easily weighed 210 lbs with a prominent belly, though he carried a cheerful smile on his face that made him look like a kindly old man.

"Hello, Don," Logan said, shaking the hand Don extended in his direction.

Don Nelson was the head coach of the Mavericks who, last season, led them to 3rd place in the Western Conference and 2nd in their division, trailing only Popovich's Spurs.

The Mavericks had played spectacularly, winning their first 14 consecutive games while boasting All-Star talent like Nowitzki and Nash, alongside a reliable sixth man in Van Exel.

"What brings you here so early? The prospect evaluation meeting isn't for another few days," Don said, surprised to see Logan in his office.

The meeting Don was referring to was one where they would analyze the prospects they would select in the draft held in New York in a few days, where the Mavs held the 29th and 57th picks, respectively.

With those picks, the top talent in this draft was ruled out, but they could still acquire reliable players who would increase bench depth or serve as assets for future trades.

Currently, the Mavs' roster was competitive enough for the upcoming season, with key players like Dirk locked under contract until 2006, so the future of the team was no concern at all.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about, Don," Logan said seriously as he took a seat in one of the chairs, causing the smile on Don's face to vanish into a solemn look.

"I got an offer from another team," Logan said straightforwardly, not wanting to drag the matter out any longer than necessary at this moment.

"Did Popovich or Jackson get in touch with you? Tell me, whatever salary they offered, we can match it or even increase it," Don said calmly.

"Money isn't the problem," Logan said, though inside he felt appreciated seeing how Don tried to retain him and even offered him a pay raise.

"Tell me, did they offer you a better position or some incentive? Tell me and I'll see what I can do," Don told him, still unwilling to give up a talent like Logan's.

"Well, unless you resign and give me your job, I don't think there's anything you can do," Logan finished with a smile.

"I see, so it was..." Don started to say, until his brain finally processed Logan's words, and a look of utter disbelief swept across his face. "You're joking, right?" he asked, as if wanting to confirm his ears weren't playing a trick on him.

"It's real. I got an opportunity to head coach a team," Logan said, unable to hide the news any longer.

With that confirmation, Don's mind short-circuited, unable to believe any team would be crazy enough to put someone so young in charge of a team. You know, he himself had become a head coach at 36, and only because Larry Costello walked away from the Bucks.

"Which team?" was the only question Don could manage to ask at that moment.

"Raptors," Logan said simply, knowing there was no point in hiding the news any longer, as it would eventually be revealed when the Raptors made the announcement in a few days.

"Them?" Don said, remembering how bad the Canadian team's season had been. "Are you sure about this?" Don asked, looking closely at Logan, searching for any sign of panic or hesitation in his gaze, only to find Logan's confident look.

"They aren't the best team, but they're giving me the opportunity. Plus, they'll let me rebuild the team according to my strategy," Logan explained simply, implying that it was a decision already made.

Maybe the Raptors weren't the most glamorous team right now, but Logan was confident he could turn that blank canvas into something never before seen in the league. Besides, with the team's record, he could develop them patiently.

"Well, if you've already made your decision, there's nothing I can do," Don said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Just remember that if things go wrong, you have a spot waiting for you here," Don added, willing to leave a door open in case Logan decided to return in the future.

"I appreciate it, Don. Truly," Logan told him with a genuine smile as he pulled out the resignation letter he had prepared and handed it to Don, who received it and placed it on one of the paper stacks without giving it a second look.

With that weight off his shoulders, Logan and Don spoke about the challenges of the upcoming season and draft predictions for this year, while Don shared some of his coaching experience.

"Do you know who you're drafting yet?" Don asked, hoping to get some relevant intel.

Despite having one of the worst records in franchise history, Toronto landed the 4th pick in the draft lottery, which would allow them to acquire one of the premier talents in this draft class behind teams like the Cavs, Pistons, and Nuggets.

Cleveland's top pick was common knowledge—LeBron James was the most anticipated player of this entire draft class.

"That's a trade secret," Logan replied simply, putting a finger to his lips, unwilling to reveal to a future rival who he would draft in a few days.

Shaking his head with a laugh, Don stood up before extending his hand toward Logan, who didn't hesitate to shake it himself before Don accompanied him out the door.

Once outside Don's office, Logan took some time to walk through the Mavs' facilities that he probably wouldn't see for a long time, eventually reaching the team's practice court.

"Hey Logan, what are you doing here, mein Freund?" a voice called out behind Logan, with a characteristic accent that stood out anywhere he went.

"I could ask you the same thing, Dirk," Logan said, turning around to face the person beside him, who was easily a head taller than Logan—something almost impossible considering Logan stands at nearly 6 foot 7.

"You know, a little practice before I go rest in Germany," Dirk answered, adjusting the sports bag hanging over his shoulder with a smile that didn't leave his face.

"Good for you," Logan said.

Out of the entire roster, Logan probably had the best relationship with Dirk. They hit it off from day one without any issues, and Logan had worked with him for countless hours to refine his shooting mechanics, which led to Dirk earning his first All-Star selection in the 2001-02 season.

"The question is, what are you doing here, my friend? Aside from the head coach, the rest of the coaching staff is off," Dirk asked, curious to run into Logan there.

"I just handed in my resignation, Dirk," Logan told him plainly, causing the smile on Dirk's face to disappear.

"Did you get into a fight with Don? If so, I could step in," Dirk said quickly, ready to intercede for Logan.

"It's nothing like that. I finally got my opportunity as a head coach," Logan told him, causing the smile to return to Dirk's face almost as if it had never vanished.

"That's awesome!" Dirk said, moving in to hug him while giving him a few pats on the back. "I guess that means next time we see each other, we'll be on opposite sides of the court," Dirk said.

"Or you could simply wait until your contract expires and transfer to my team," Logan told him, earning a laugh from Dirk at the comment. "Careful, because if the coach hears you, he's capable of kicking you out right now," Dirk warned playfully.

Of course Logan was joking. After all, Dirk had just renewed with the Mavs last season for 4 years and close to 48 million dollars, making him the highest-paid player on the team ahead of guys like Nash.

But after 2005, who knows? Maybe one day he could convince him to come play for his team.

"Well, whatever happens, I wish you the best," Dirk told him with a smile as Logan nodded in his direction and kept walking down the hallway until finally reaching the exit door.

"Viel Glück, mein Freund," Dirk could be heard murmuring in German behind him before he too went on his way.

Stepping out of the facility, Logan was greeted by the sun rays and Texas heat. Knowing these would be the last traces of heat he'd feel for a while, Logan took a few seconds to feel them before walking across the parking lot where his old pickup truck was waiting for him.

The drive lasted less than 20 minutes before finally arriving home and opening the door, finding it almost empty with several cardboard boxes stacked in the corners of the place.

In the middle of all that chaos was Isabelle, her hair firmly tied up in a high ponytail while she kept packing things into boxes for when the moving truck arrived to take them away.

"Hey babe," Logan said, wrapping his arms around Isa's waist from behind and planting a soft kiss on her cheek.

Isa smiled, letting herself be held while resting her head against Logan's chest. "How did it go with Don?" Isa asked, wanting to know if everything had gone well in the meeting.

"All good. He tried to convince me to stay, and I ran into Dirk too," Logan told her while catching her up on everything that happened in the meeting.

Isa listened to it all while humming softly before continuing to organize the dishes inside the box. "Do you need help with that?" Logan asked as he picked up a few plates and began wrapping them in old newspaper, stacking them on the kitchen table.

"Actually, yes," Isa said, handing him some kitchen utensils so Logan could start packing them into the boxes, making a team before everything in the house was finally packed and ready.

Outside the house, the sun was already close to setting, showing the last rays of daylight.

"And we're done," Isa said, finally sitting on the floor just like Logan, resting her head against his shoulder.

"By this time tomorrow, we'll be in Toronto," Logan told her, kissing the top of her head.

Their things would take at least 3 days to arrive in Toronto, so Logan and Isa would spend the first few days in a hotel until Logan signed his contract and they looked for a place to stay.

"I hope it doesn't rain," Isa said aloud, her eyes still fixed on the window, watching the sun slowly disappear over the horizon.

Then the two stayed in a comfortable silence until Isabelle suddenly remembered something. "Right, look what I found," she said, standing up as she opened one of the boxes in a corner and pulled out a worn basketball jersey.

"I thought I lost it," Logan said, looking with nostalgia at the jersey, which was all wrinkled and had probably seen better nights.

The jersey was a Detroit Pistons one, with the number 14 on the front and back, and the surname "Anderson" on the back in white letters.

That was the last jersey Logan had worn in his professional career, which he had kept more out of nostalgia than anything else in particular.

"It was in a box in the corner of the basement," Isa told him as she handed it to Logan, who briefly went silent as his fingers traced the fabric of the jersey in question.

"Do you still miss your playing days?" Isa suddenly asked, seeing how Logan was still admiring the jersey. "There are still days when I wonder what my life would be like now if I had never suffered the injury," Logan replied, his eyes still fixed on the jersey.

"But I also think that if that had happened, I wouldn't be where I am today," Logan told her, this time fixing his eyes on Isa while intertwining his hand with hers.

"And most importantly, if that were the case, maybe I never would have met you or be happily married to the most wonderful woman in the world," he finished saying with a smile. "So I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world." Before he could even finish what he was saying, Isabelle leaned in to kiss him.

After a while, they parted. "Hey, we haven't taken the bed down yet. Do you want to go upstairs and give it one last use?" Isa said, her hand sliding down slowly.

"Don't even doubt it," Logan told her, and immediately both stood up, with Isa taking Logan's hand as she led him upstairs.

Logan knew this was going to be a very long night.