《Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters》


 Chapter 1: 1 Yu Fei

    "You''ve been moping around for days, what''s on your mind?"


    Outside the ssroom, Lin Kaiwen stared curiously at his friend.


    Right now, this guy was leaning against the wall with a look of utter despair. Despite his expression resembling that of a clueless teenager contemting suicide, Lin Kaiwen still wanted to persuade him to sit down somewhere.


    Because the guy was so damn tall!


    The other party had to lower his gaze to look at his friend, "How could I possibly be happy at a school like this?"


    "Are you crazy? Isn''t this the school of your dreams?"


    "The school of my dreams?"


    "This ''hilltop prison,'' a high school ranked beyond 1500 in the nation, with an alumnus who yed baseball in the 1930s, earning 150 US Dors per game, with only one bus stop, and the only fast food within 2 miles is McDonald''s, is this my dream school?"


    Lin Kaiwen wiped the stray spit from his face and nodded gently, "Yeah, that''s what you told me before, Ah Fei, what happened to you?"


    Yu Fei was stunned.


    Two days had passed, and he still couldn''t believe everything that had happened to him.


    Why?


    This question swirled in his mind.


    Why did he transmigrate? Why did he transmigrate into this person named Yu Fei? Why was Yu Fei''s school so shitty?


    Before the transmigration, Yu Fei had a carefree life. His family was well-off, with parents who were businesspeople and a very smart twin brother. It seemed he didn''t inherit the family''s business acumen but had loved basketball from a young age, being one of the first beneficiaries of the ambitious little basketball program under Chairman Yao''s regime.


    With excellent fundamentals and coordination, Yu Fei had been a prominent rising star until 14, in an era of social media explosion where searching for his highlights reel on video apps like Mars Sound and Low Hand was easy. However, his journey in basketball faced a Waterloo after the age of 14¡ªhe stopped growing taller.


    On August 1, 2023, just before he transmigrated, he had turned 18 but was only 172 centimeters tall. This effectively cut off his prospects for a professional career, but he wasn''t discouraged. At that time, various grassroots basketball organizations in China were flourishing, and even if he couldn''t y professionally, he could still make a living ying streetball or, at worst, go back home and live off his parents. The future was bright, and then he transmigrated.


    Yu Fei spent a day confirming the fact of transmigration and then another half a day digesting it.


    Until now, when Yu Feiined to Lin Kaiwen about his school, eliciting his friend''s astonishment.


    And then, Yu Fei said, "Let''s go."


    "Where to?"


    "The volleyball team."


    This body could be considered the biggest reward Yu Fei received after transmigrating.


    In his previous life, Yu Fei had always wished to grow taller, consuming many expensive but useless nutritional supplements for this purpose, but now, height was no longer an issue¡ªin fact, he felt it was a bit too much.


    This year, the 17-year-old Yu Fei stood at 6 feet 9 inches (206 cm) tall, with a wingspan that also looked impressive. Although he hadn''t measured it yet, by estimation, it should be at least +12 or even +15 in length.


    Yu Fei, inheriting this body, was a volleyball yer. Given his physical attributes, basketball would be a better choice for personal development and future prospects. But there was one problem: Yu Fei''s character was too weak, without the courage to confront others head-on on the basketball court, so any sport that involved physical confrontation was not suitable for him. After weighing options, only volleyball seemed right.


    And what Yu Fei had to do today was quit the volleyball team and then join the basketball team.


    He wasn''t sure if his body was suited for basketball, but when he casually dribbled at home, he felt no different from before. He could do everything he had been able to do in his past life and now could easily execute some moves that were impossible before.


    With his past-life foundation and this body, professional basketball might no longer be a dream.


    Without any issues, Yu Fei smoothly left the volleyball team.


    Because even with his visibly excellent physical attributes, Yu Fei was not an outstanding volleyball yer.


    Some senior team members had sarcastically said, "Apart from height, wingspan, and jumping ability, you''re good for nothing."


    Height, wingspan, and jumping ability are the most important natural talents in volleyball, yet Yu Fei, possessing these, was still "good for nothing," which showed just how low his level was.


    After leaving the volleyball team''s training ground, Lin Kaiwen sized up Yu Fei as if he were a paleontologist studying dinosaur fossils.


    "Ah Fei, are you troubled by something?"


    Having quit the volleyball team, Yu Fei had solidified his goals. The stress brought on by the unfamiliar environment after his time travel had significantly subsided. "You noticed?"


    "Do I need to notice?" Lin Kaiwen hated that each time he had a serious conversation with Yu Fei, he had to look up due to thetter''s height. "You''re the tallest person in the whole school, with mediocre grades, and no second friend besides me. A freak like you should naturally join a sports team. Now that you''ve left the volleyball team, do you want to be the number one freak in Kent Meridian High School history?"


    Yu Fei reminded Yu Fei of a dead buddy from his previous life, who was introverted, a bit secretive, ordinary-looking, with average grades, and a low-key personality. If he had a height of 206 centimeters and a heroic face, then he would be Yu Fei himself.


    "That''s why I''ve decided to make a change. Volleyball isn''t for me; I prefer ying basketball."


    Lin Kaiwen felt that the Yu Fei before him was all the more a stranger.


    "Do you remember why you chose volleyball at first?"


    "Not really,"


    "You thought basketball was too intense and not suitable for you."


    "That was before," Yu Fei said with a smile. "I''m no longer who I was."


    ¡ù¡ù¡ù


    Since Kent Meridian High School is situated on a hill, students usually stay at school to rest during lunch after school lets out in the morning.


    In the afternoon, Yu Fei had Lin Kaiwen help him obtain the school basketball team''s roster.


    After school, Yu Fei and Lin Kaiwen took the bus home.


    Yu Fei''s home was located in the East Mountain area of Kent City, in the Arlington Community. It was just at the second bus stop below the East Mountain where Kent Meridian High School was situated, so Yu Fei quickly bid Lin Kaiwen goodbye.


    Yu Fei''s mother, Yu Fenglin, ran a Chinese restaurant in Kent City. Since the restaurant was in the West Mountain area, Yu Fenglin often wasn''t at home to take care of the business.


    As for Yu Fei''s father, his rtionship with Yu Fenglin had fallen apart before Yu Fei had clear memories. After the two separated, Yu Fei''s biological father met with a car ident on an unremarkable morning and sumbed to his severe injuries.


    In the following years, Yu Fenglin raised Yu Fei on her own. Although she had dated a few times, none blossomed into a serious rtionship.


    Yu Fei returned home, as usual, to an empty house.


    Yu Fenglin hadn''te back for two days¡ªof course, that wasn''t entirely urate, she hade back, but at that time Yu Fei was in ss.


    Yu Fei saw the note his mother left on the refrigerator, written in Chinese: "Fi, there''s $30 under the sofa cushion, take care of dinner yourself."


    Take care of it himself? Well, first, he''d need a 2023 smartphone with apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash. Only then could he satisfyingly arrange a dinner for himself.


    Now, however... A post-2000s kid who had identally stepped into the early years of the new century had no choice but to go out, buy some noodles, tomatoes, and beef from the supermarket, and cook for himself.


    Yu Fei was not skilled in cooking, but tomato and beef noodles were hard to mess up.


    After a hasty meal, Yu Fei went back to his room to analyze the school basketball team''s roster.


    The results did not surprise Yu Fei.


    Kent Meridian High School''s sports teams had a grand team name¡ªRoyal Team. However, the overall strength of each school team matched the school''s national ranking very well.


    Among them, the boys'' basketball team suffered from a dearth of talent, with the center standing only 6 feet 5 inches tall.


    Yu Fei was aware that with his height, joining the team would surely mean ying as a center, but he preferred ying forward. In his past life, he was primarily a point guard, adept at ball control. Although he wasn''t sure if his body could adapt to his past life techniques, ying as a ball-handling forward would definitely be more to his liking than being in the paint.


    The current problem was he didn''t know what level his abilities would equate to in the U.S. high school basketball scene. Conveniently, theckluster school team would serve as a good test of his skills.

 Chapter 2: 2 The Second Life

    Even as a time traveler, he knew nothing about the world of 2000, which wasn''t his fault, even though he was part of a generation that could grasp the world with a smartphone. He couldn''t just make an investment at this critical juncture and change his life.


    Moreover, if he wanted to embark on a professional basketball career, his knowledge from his time wouldn''t be much help in this era, because he was born after 2000 and only started paying attention to the NBA after 2016. And he was embarrassed to admit that the yer who inspired his love for basketball was Kyrie Irving.


    Stephen A. Smith once dealt a wave of AOE damage to Irving''s fans on his show: "Anyone who likes Irving is sick."


    Yu Fei agreed.


    Yu Fei liked the Irving who shook Brandon Knight during the Rookie Challenge, the Irving who called for the ball to face off against Curry in the final minute of the fourth quarter in Game 7 of the 2016 finals and pulled up for a three-pointer, not the Irving after 2016 who was a team destroyer, detached from the world.


    This feeling was actually easy to understand. Yu Fei believed Zeng Fanbo would definitely understand him.


    When Zeng Fanbo went to the United States, he named himself "Kevin" because he liked Durant. Then Durant decided to make a decision that betrayed his forebears¡ªor rather, on the basis of what predecessors had done, took things to an extreme, a thoroughness that left no room for oveing¡ªhe joined the Golden State Warriors.


    Zeng Fanbo felt the same shame, not only refusing to admit he was a Durant fan, but also refusing to let his American ssmates/teammates call him Kevin, even preferring the awkwardness of them trying to pronounce his real name over hearing the word "Kevin."


    After washing up in the morning, Yu Fenglin had already prepared breakfast for her son.


    Yu Fei wolfed down the sandwich and then drank a ss of milk, "Mom, I quit the volleyball team."


    Yu Fenglin seemed indifferent, "Oh, is that so? It''s fine, you weren''t that good at it anyway."


    "You''re not angry?"


    "Whether you choose volleyball or give it up, it''s your own business, why should I be angry?"


    "What if I want to join the basketball team?"


    Yu Fenglin, watching TV, didn''t show much concern for her son''s major choice, "Whatever makes you happy."


    Yu Fei left, realizing that his mom was the antithesis of a stereotype.


    She wasn''t concerned about Yu Fei''s grades, just that he ate and drank well.


    She didn''t even mind that Yu Fei''s academic performance was only mediocre in the school.


    Maybe she had already prepared a backup n for Yu Fei; if he couldn''t do well in his studies, he could just work directly in the store.


    Perhaps this was Yu Fei''s destined life.


    But this Yu Fei was no longer that Yu Fei; everything was about to change.


    ¡ù¡ù¡ù


    Kent Meridian High School''s boys basketball coach Hank Sylvan heard an interesting piece of news from the volleyball team yesterday.


    The boy with the most outstanding physical talent the school has seen in nearly twenty years quit the volleyball team.


    Strangely enough, the volleyball coach, Levin McConnaughy, didn''t seem upset at all.


    Sylvan knew the kid. In fact, when he first enrolled, he was already close to two meters tall.


    Sylvan had thought about having him join the basketball team, but the kid had no interest in basketball; he insisted on joining the volleyball team, and Sylvan could only watch begrudgingly as a rare talent wasted his youth in volleyball at Kent.


    Years went by, and Sylvan had let go. When he heard the kid had quit the volleyball team yesterday, Sylvan had a moment of reflection; however, he didn''t expect that today, the kid he had dreamt of years ago would take the initiative toe exercise on the basketball court.


    It was early February; normally, this stage was the most crucial moment of the high school basketball season in America.


    All the major state championships had already entered the quarterfinals stage.


    But none of this concerned the Royal Team.


    Due to the mediocre Royal Team''s fourth-ce finish in the "Kent School District" qualifiers, they didn''t even make the regrpetition and were eliminated early on.


    Therefore, the school''s basketball court was not only avable for the team''s regr practice but also open for students to use.


    Sylvan had once admired Yu Fei, but now, yearster, Yu Fei didn''t look like someone who could y basketball.


    No matter how talented a person was, if they hadn''t even yed amateur basketball before turning 18, they had lost their potential to be trained.


    Prodigious talents like juwon might im to have only touched basketball at 15, but they certainly had some exposure to amateur basketball before that, whereas Yu Fei was already 17.


    Even if he was Kent Meridian''s most physically talented student in nearly two decades, it was unlikely he would achieve anything in basketball.


    Sylvan looked at Yu Fei and felt more and more regret.


    Narrow head, wide shoulders, very long arms ¨C although a bit slender, few yers his age were robust... no matter how you looked at it, he was a great prospect for basketball.


    "What a pity," Sylvan sighed.


    Yu Fei and Lin Kaiwen arrived at the court.


    The school''s basketball court was only a standard size, with two hoops.


    Currently, the half-court where Yu Fei and his friend were at was upied by two white girls ying badminton, looking quite pleased with themselves.


    On the other side, a bunch of dark-skinned Little ck Men were ying a 3v3 half-court basketball match.


    In a city like Kent, where whites and Asians make up 90% of the poption, the fact that K-M has so many ck students is inseparable from the school''s reputation, ranking, and tuition fees.


    However, even sewage aspires to rise to a higher level.


    No matter how many ck students there are, without talent, their basketball skills won''t shine.


    Talented ck yers would choose traditional high school basketball powerhouses right from the start and wouldn''t waste their time in a ce like K-M.

 Chapter 3: 2 Second Life_2

    The group of Little ck Men were ying with exuberance, and Lin Kaiwen was a bit timid, "Ah Fei, how about we just call it a day? You want to join the basketball team, right? Why don''t you just go directly to the coach?"


    But Yu Fei ignored Lin Kaiwen''s advice and walked straight onto the court, saying to the tallest ck man who was dominating the half-court, "Can we form a team?"


    The scene was incredibly quiet.


    Lin Kaiwen hid behind Yu Fei, and for the first time in his life, he felt thankful for his small stature.


    The tallest ck man was the school basketball team''s uing captain, Anthony Lawson, who, like Yu Fei, was a junior.


    Almost everyone in K-M knew Yu Fei.


    Some might not know his name, but they all knew him as the "tallest guy in school."


    When Lawson turned his head, Yu Fei barely suppressed augh.


    He looked like a taller version of the goiter-affected ck inte sensation Speed, withrger nostrils, thicker lips, and a more menacing gaze.


    "What did you say?" Lawson did not look very amiable.


    Yu Fei kept calm and raised his voice slightly, "Can my friend and I form a team and join you?"


    "Fi, forget it, didn''t you choose volleyball at first because you were afraid of the collisions on the basketball court? Big Tony is going to kill you!"


    This was the first time Yu Fei felt like he was the protagonist of a story.


    This was it: being looked down upon and then having some jumpin'' jack jeer at him.


    Yu Fei knew that guy, a former teammate from the volleyball team, a short ck man named Donnie.


    However, today Yu Fei wanted to prove that there could only be one Tony in this world, and that was Mr. Tony Damu, who had just started his professional career.


    Unless Anthony Lawson could perform the heaven-defying feat of cheating on his elder who introduced him to the profession, despite ruling over thousands of women, he shouldn''t be called Big Tony.


    "Yes, I''ve spent years reflecting, and now I''ve thought it through, I want to y basketball." Yu Fei''s next words scared little Lin Kaiwen''s courage away, "If I can beat you, I''ll consider joining the basketball team."


    Lawson''s boys started to get angry.


    "Big Tony is not someone you, a soft egg, can challenge!"


    "Big Tony will smash your chopstick legs!"


    "Tony, no need for you to act, I''ll teach him a lesson for you!"


    Just as Lin Kaiwen was preparing to sneak away with Yu Fei, Lawson waved his hand, "You can pick anyone to join your team, and then we can start."


    "Just a warning though, basketball is not some non-contact, sissy sport like volleyball."


    Yu Fei sent Lin Kaiwen to choose a teammate and said to Lawson, "Can I warm up a bit?"


    Lawson tossed the ball over to Yu Fei.


    Lin Kaiwen didn''t choose any of the ck men present; instead, he went outside the gym, while Yu Fei began dribbling the ball on his own.


    Even as he was just showing off his dribbling skills in ce, many were looking at him with newfound respect.


    This was not something a person without a solid basketball foundation could achieve.


    Watching Yu Fei continuously going in front, between his legs, behind his back, cross over, and variate within a small area, Selvan couldn''t help but draw closer.


    Selvan was surprised by Yu Fei''s coordination. Even big guys with good fundamentals, when performing these moves, would look choppy and awkward.


    But that feeling wasn''t there with Yu Fei.


    Selvan couldn''t help but recall, who was thest big man he''d seen do this.


    Kevin Gat? Seemed a bit off.


    Larry Johnson? Too short.


    Magic Johnson? Not quite.


    Finally, the edges of memory led him to the answer¡ªLamar Odom!


    Selvan wouldn''t rush topare Yu Fei with Odom just based on a dribbling showcase.


    After all, Yu Fei had never before appeared in the school basketball arena; how could he suddenly have such superb skills? If all he knew was dribbling, that still made sense.


    After all, dribbling, the basic of basics, could be practiced anywhere.


    In fact, Yu Fei himself was more surprised than the onlookers.


    He hadn''t seen big guys before.


    In his previous life, he had often encountered tall yers in amateur games, but they were either sluggish, technically crude, or uncoordinated.


    In half a century of China''s basketball history, only two yers had be legends in their youth due to possessing a flexibility, coordination, and skill set that belied their size.


    One was Wang Zhizhi and the other was Zhou Qi.


    However, Yu Fei had also met a terrifying giant at Naiga, who cast a shadow over him¡ªYang Hanshen from Zibo No. 11 High School.


    Of course,pared to Wang and Zhou, Yang Hanshen''s agility tended toward the traditional center, but Yu Fei believed his future was limitless. Unfortunately, he wouldn''t see it.


    Returning to himself, Yu Fei found that his past life''s skills and instincts had not faded and could be fully disyed in his new body, and even due to his height and wingspan, he was able to perform Durant-like big front-crossovers.


    After a while, Lin Kaiwen walked in with a nerdy-looking, bespectacled white boy.


    Seeing Lin Kaiwen''spanion, the contemptuous Little ck Men present burst intoughter.


    "Everyone''s here, let''s get started then."


    Lawson looked eager to defend his right as the next captain of the Royal Team.


    Meanwhile, Lin Kaiwen said to Yu Fei, "Ah Fei, did we bite off more than we can chew?"

 Chapter 4: 2 Second Life_3

    "You and your friend don''t have to do anything," Yu Fei confidently said, "I can handle it myself."


    Lin Kaiwen let out a surprised sound, "Ah???"


    Lawson, being a man of principle, felt that he didn''t need any help to deal with Yu Fei and his two friends, so he casually picked two henchmen to join the game.


    Seeing this, the sneering former teammate of Yu Fei began to mock him again, "Big Tony, you really think too highly of Fi by picking two reserves. Despite his height, he really can''t y basketball. You could even choose me and I''d still kick his ass!"


    The crowd erupted in jeers, but Lawson did not actually let that person join the game and instead handed the ball to Yu Fei, "We''ll y to eleven, and the side that scores continues the offense. You go first."


    "How embarrassing for me, I really don''t like taking advantage," Yu Fei stepped forward and left the ball outside, "As the defending team, by my understanding, you should y the first ball."


    Yu Fei''s actions had nothing to do with the reason he gave; he just wanted to take the opportunity to warm up. After all, counting from his arrival, he had been here for only two days, and he certainly did not want to leave behind any scenes of early human limb taming.


    Lawson passed the ball to his henchman, who moved into the paint to stick to Yu Fei.


    Yu Fei''s height advantage was immediately apparent.


    Whereas Lin Kaiwen and the white guy with sses were nervously watching their opponents, neither of them really knew how to y basketball.


    "Just guard the shot, and if they want toe in, let them," Yu Fei said to Lin Kaiwen in Mandarin, and then the white guy with sses was out of position.


    Yu Fei didn''t need to remind them actively; they would get broken through easily because they had no sense of lowering their center of gravity, and it was very easy to break through them."


    "The first point is mine!"


    The little ck guy who broke through the white guy with sses, boasting sausage-like full lips, was especially enthusiastic during hisyup. However, before he could get excited, Yu Fei''s block came from the sky.


    Perhaps in just an instant, Yu Fei shook off Lawson and exploded upward, raising his long arm to block the ball.


    The moment hepleted the block, Yu Fei adjusted his posture in mid-air,nded, and chased down the ball, dribbling it out to the three-point line.


    His outstanding mobility, excellent explosive power, and developed sports nerves were fully demonstrated in this y.


    While dribbling the ball, Yu Fei looked over to the crowd at his former teammate, and with a smile, he asked, "Donnie, when are youing up to try?"


    After speaking, Yu Fei lowered his center of gravity, crossed between his legs to shake off the little ck guy with sausage lips, and went straight into the free-throw line, catching the ball and taking two big steps to shoot and score with the "me burning sky"yup.


    Lawson was right under the basket, but he waspletely unable to stop Yu Fei; the gap in talent was like a chasm.


    "We get to continue on offense, right?"


    Yu Fei asked Lawson after picking the ball up from the ground with one hand.


    Lawson then entered the same state as Lin Kaiwen: "Ah?"


    And Yu Fei tossed the ball from the paint to Lin Kaiwen, shouting loudly, "Pass it to me!"


    Lin Kaiwen didn''t believe in identalb radiation leaks, alien bloodlines, mysterious experiments, gic legacy, or any of those gene mutations that only ur in superheroics.


    However, his good friend Yu Fei had indeed be different starting from yesterday.


    Basically, apart from the outward appearance, he was like a different person.


    Lin Kaiwen clumsily lobbed the ball to Yu Fei.


    Then Yu Fei turned, shedding the pressure Lawson had put on him, and threw his opponent to the floor; his eyes widened as he stared at the basket, his ambition surging, and he charged towards it with the ball. Lawson''s two teammates scrambled back under the basket in an attempt to halt Yu Fei''s charge.


    All in vain!


    They had barely lifted off the ground by 10 centimeters when Yu Fei had already jumped to the greatest height, a ce he had never reached in the previous eighteen years, and the ball in his hands hammered down into the basket, shattering not just the confidence of his opponents but also his previous life.


    All that once belonged to him had died on the previous morning, but it was also that moment when he was reborn. In this unexpectedly granted second life, he was sure he would do something great, to achieve eternal significance.


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "Juan Howard: MJ doesn''t know what I''m going through." ¡ª The Washington Post


    "The young genius from Georgia, Kwame Brown, has already be a big deal in the basketball world." ¡ª The Anta Constitution


    "The Kings Team should enjoy every day with C-Webb." ¡ª ESPN Dispatch


    "Here''s an unfortunate piece of news for everyone, the basketball team''s next captain ''Big Tony'' gotpletely defeated by an amateur enthusiast in the school gymnasium. The Royal Team has no future." ¡ª Kent Meridian High School Broadcast.


    (1) "Because the mediocre Royal Team is ranked fourth in the Kent School District preliminaries." Kent Meridian High School belongs to the 4A level in that district, and there are four 4A high schools in the Kent School District. So, being ranked fourth is essentially thest ce.

 Chapter 5: 3 Big Fei

    After Yu Feipleted his alley-oop, the game had already lost its meaning.


    The only interesting thing was that every time Yu Fei scored, he would look towards his former volleyball teammates, especially the one named Donnie.


    "When are youing up to kick my ass?"


    "Are youing or not?"


    Then, Donnie disappeared, just like those who sessfully dug a hole and buried themselves; he didn''t stay to be humiliated any further.


    As Yu Fei aplished another 1-on-3 feat, an air-changeyup dunk, the opponentspletely lost their will to fight.


    "Enough!" Anthony Lawson eximed, "You''ve won!"


    Yu Fei, still not having enough, asked, "Can we continue to y?"


    "No, let''s stop here. No one is your match, not just in K-M... but in all of Kent City!"


    Although Lawson had a tough and somewhatical face, he was a sincere person who could ept defeat. He wanted to know why Yu Fei had always yed volleyball before.


    Yu Fei didn''t tell him; he just wanted to continue ying basketball.


    Clearly, no one on the scene wanted to face off with him, but everyone hade to understand what Durant had realized in the summer of 2016.


    If you can''t beat them, join them.


    Everyone was willing to team up with Yu Fei.


    The problem was no one wanted to be Yu Fei''s opponent.


    And so, Yu Fei was granted the privilege of monopolizing the court, which was just as well since he wanted to fully utilize his new body to do all kinds of movements he couldn''t imagine in his previous life.


    Lawson volunteered to stay and be his practice partner, with Lin Kaiwen handling the passes.


    After ying for about half an hour, the negative effects of Yu Fei being Fei started to sweep in.


    Yu Fei had poor stamina. Although he had yed volleyball before, he hadn''t taken it seriously. Volleyball was just a pastime for him, a refuge that let everyone feel he wasn''t wasting his innate physical talent. He never wanted to work hard at volleyball, so coaches didn''t bother with him either. No one supervised his training, hence his poor physical condition.


    "Big Fei, with this stamina, if you had to y a full game, you couldst at most 10 minutes."


    Big Fei? This nickname made Yu Feiugh uncontrobly.


    This was originally a derogatory nickname earned by the LOL god through one MSI championship and some stubborn trash talk after the game. What had he done to deserve it?


    But it seemed like a tradition of the K-M basketball team; the strongest yer would always get a nickname with "Big," just as everyone called Mason "Big Tony."


    "10 minutes? You''re overestimating me. At most 5 minutes and I wouldn''t be able to keep up with the pace of the full game."


    Yu Fei and Lawson chatted idly.


    In the course of the conversation, they really hit it off, and Lawson brought up Yu Fei''s previousment about wanting to join the basketball team.


    He wanted to know if Yu Fei was serious about it.


    At that moment, the basketball coach, Hank Sylvan, who was secretly observing them, walked over.


    Lawson respectfully said, "Coach."


    Sylvan nodded to him in response.


    "Coach?" Yu Fei looked at the middle-aged white man with a pot belly in front of him and inexplicably felt like giving him a pair of sses would turn him into the white version of Coach Anxi.


    "Frye, do you like ying basketball?"


    Yu Fei decided to maintain his aloof persona and replied proudly, "I think I do."


    "Will you join the basketball team?" There was a sense of urgency in Sylvan''s tone.


    For Sylvan, a low-profile high school coach like him, aside from working at this inconsequential basketball school until his retirement, he had no other prospects; he could never get a head coach job at a strong high school basketball program.


    All coaches who transitioned from weak schools to strong ones had one thing inmon, they made themselves visible to others.


    How could someone be discovered at a school like K-M, which couldn''t even make a ssh in the Kent School District?


    Suddenly, Yu Fei became Sylvan''s hope for escaping the "Kent Prison."


    Yu Fei seemed oblivious to Sylvan''s eagerness and asked casually, "Would you like me to join?"


    "Please, you must join my team!" Sylvan said deferentially, adding politely as per the Royal Team etiquette, "Big Fei..."


    To end this moment that gave Yu Fei goosebumps, he "reluctantly" epted Sylvan''s invitation.


    Afterward, Yu Fei followed Sylvan to the office to fill out the application form to join the basketball team, then went back to the basketball court to continue ying.


    Sylvan called over other members of the basketball team and let Yu Fei continue ying half-court 3-on-3 games with them.


    Yu Fei''s performance was still dominant.


    But Sylvan also noticed Yu Fei''s issue.


    Admittedly, Yu Fei had excellent ball control, and at the low level of high school y, he could even y as a point guard, but if he were to make long-term ns, he had to y forward.


    Moreover, he had to y as a forward who leaned towards being a power forward.


    However, as a power forward, Yu Fei''s experience from his previous life would be of no help because he knew very little about the skills required in the post, with no habits of ying in the interior.


    "Frye, if you''re willing, I''d like to devise a systematic training n for you."


    This was the reason Yu Fei wanted to join the school team.


    Even a low-profile high school coach had a set of systematic training philosophies, and for Yu Fei, who had zero foundation in the post, Sylvan''s training n was just what the doctor ordered.


    "Of course, I need that kind of training!" Yu Fei epted eagerly.


    It was currently the spring semester, with four months left until the end of the term, and with no games for the school team to y, Yu Fei had plenty of time to train.


    Before leaving school that afternoon, Selvan gave Yu Fei another piece of advice, "I wouldn''t rmend you participate in any AAU games until your physical condition is strong enough to sustain you through a whole game. Those mercenary AAU teams will give up on you because of your stamina and weak fundamentals. Don''t trust the sweet talk of AAU coaches; most of them are swindlers."


    It was clear that Selvan, like many traditional coaches, despised the AAU deeply.


    And Yu Fei felt their aversion to the AAU was justified, as he came from the future, a time when American basketball was on the decline.


    After 2009, the leading star to emerge from the AAU system was Jason Tatum; thinking about this, American basketball was in trouble.


    Yu Fei didn''t n to rely solely on Selvan''s training program for improvement.


    For physical fitness, he had his own methods.


    The primary issue was that Yu Fei was negligent in exercising; his physical fitness was poor, not just inparison with professional athletes, but even with ordinary people.


    So, from that day on, Yu Fei would arrive at school an hour early every day, then go to the field for a slow jog, letting his body get used to the sensation of exercise before moving on to more strenuous activities.


    Selvan''s training n was not that appealing.


    Because it was just basic training.


    For every aspect of the inside line, Yu Fei had to start from scratch.


    Starting with sliding steps inside the three-point line, starting with positioning in the left and right short corner areas, starting with fighting for position, starting with pick-and-roll routes.


    It was boring, but useful.


    Even the most basic of the basics were things that Yu Fei was not good at.


    Day after day of basic trainingid the foundation for Yu Fei''s technical system and game awareness.


    Only with a solid foundation could he prepare for higher-level games.


    Yu Fenglin hadn''t paid much attention to her child for a while, mainly because she thought he was too mediocre.


    This mediocrity wasforting in a way that made one uninterested.


    Apart from his height and a face that greatly resembled his birth father''s, he hardly had any advantages.


    But recently, Yu Fenglin noticed something odd about her son.


    He left early and returnedte every day, his reason? Basketball team training.


    It was a legitimate reason, but Yu Fenglin never believed her child liked sports.


    He hated getting sweaty.


    Being tall was more like a punishment from God; in the United States, boys his height must y sports or be treated as an outcast. That''s why he used to y volleyball, a sport that tolerated ckers.


    But now, he came home smelling of sweat every day.


    Since Shawn Kemp turned himself into a fat pig during the 1998-99 NBA lockout, there was no more Rain Man, but Yu Fenglin felt that this nickname was now suitable for her son.


    On a certain day inte May, Yu Fenglin saw her son enter the house as sweaty as Rain Man, but his arms started to show the muscr development characteristic of adult men, no longer looking soft andcking in masculinity as before.


    "Frye!"


    She called out.


    "What''s up, Mom?"


    Yu Fei asked casually.


    "Have you encountered something recently?" Yu Fenglin asked worriedly, "Is everything going smoothly at school?"


    "It couldn''t be going more smoothly. Basketball is much more interesting than volleyball. I''ve made a lot of new friends there, the coach is quite good to me, um, my academic performance has improved too... Not to keep you waiting, I''m going to take a shower¡­"


    The drastic changes in Yu Fei made Yu Fenglin feel unfamiliar.


    Can sports really change a person?


    Yet, Yu Fenglin couldn''t say it was a bad change.


    Oh well... she didn''t dwell on it any longer. If the Titans could take down the Bills with a touchdown in thest 16 seconds¢Å, then her son could transform from Lily Liver¢Æ into Shawn Kemp.


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "Timberwolves'' Malik Sealy SG died in a car crash." ¡ª ESPN


    "Rick Pitino''s Holy Roman Empire has copsed!" ¡ª Boston Globe


    "Red Auerbach is skeptical of MJ aplishing anything in Washington." ¡ª The Washington Post


    "Frye Yu, the tallest student in the school, joined the basketball team in February this year, and immediately became a pivotal yer. Today we are fortunate to have him with us for an interview ¡ª hello, Frye, we know that you previously yed for the volleyball team, what made you decide to give up your two-and-a-half-year volleyball career in favor of basketball?"


    "You know, I was born to y basketball, but it took me a long time to figure that out."


    "All right, next question. Since you joined the basketball team after their season had ended, the next school year will be your first andst high school basketball season. What are your goals?"


    "You know, I''m a down-to-earth person. We didn''t even make it past the Kent School District preliminaries this year, so I want to be realistic with you, my goal for next year is to help the team be the state champions of Washington."


    ¡ª Kent Meridian High School School Newspaper


    ¢Å In the 1999 AFC wildcard game, the Tennessee Titans scored a touchdown to achieve ast-second victory over the Buffalo Bills, in what is known as the "Music City Miracle."


    ¢Æ Lily Liver is a ng term used to describe someone who is weak or cowardly.

 Chapter 6: 4 Im the One to Take You Home

    Inte June, Yu Fei''s spring semester came to an end.


    For the past four months, there were only two things in his life that mattered: school and training.


    Day after day of physical training and post y training had gradually given Yu Fei the stamina to y 4 minutes per quarter in a full game, as well as a basic understanding of ying in the post.


    (PS: High school games in America consist of four 8-minute quarters with a very fast pace, and teams favor a run-and-gun style of y where everyone runs like men possessed.)


    Yu Fei''s rate of improvement exceeded Hank Sylvan''s expectations.


    Initially, Sylvan hadn''t wanted Yu Fei to participate in AAU games during the vacation, but now, he had changed his mind.


    Even though Sylvan detested the existence of AAU, he had to admit that America''s youth basketball system could not do without it.


    For many unsung talents, AAU games were their only path to fame before encountering high-levelpetition.


    Yu Fei was already in his junior year, and among yers of his age group were many prodigies who had made their names known much earlier.


    Yu Fei didn''t have the time to remain an unknown. If he wanted to be a nationally recognized top high-school yer before the end of his high school career, this summer was crucial.


    Sylvan decided to set up an AAU team and take them to Seattle in early July to take part in a Nike regional invitational tournament.


    Yu Fei was his chosen ace.


    "Seattle?" Yu Fei hadn''t expected Sylvan to want to take him to Seattle to y AAU. ording to his understanding, shouldn''t they start from a small ce like Kent City?


    That was Yu Fei''s notion of low-profile growth and leveling up step by step.


    Sylvan knew what Yu Fei was thinking and said directly, "Kent is not a basketball city. The city has never produced an NBA yer. We have no established AAU tournaments, no celebrity-run training camps, and no invitationals. ying AAU here won''t be of any help to you."


    Yu Fei trusted that Sylvan would arrange everything well, so he had no objections and fully epted the n.


    Anyway, Seattle was only 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Kent City, very close and convenient for traveling, but Emerald City''s basketball atmosphere was iparable to that of Kent.


    That day, when Yu Fei returned home, he told his mother about going to Seattle to y in the AAU.


    Yu Fenglin only had one question, "Coach Sylvan will be going with you, right?"


    "Of course, I''ll be ying on his team," said Yu Fei.


    "Then go ahead," Yu Fenglin asked about the costs of participating in the AAU games, then didn''t say anything more.


    Yu Fei had be ustomed to his mother''s non-traditionalist approach. Although he was somewhat puzzled at the beginning, after spending more time together, he came to appreciate this quality.


    Nagging adults are like the annoying watermarks that pile up buffs in a video, the worst.


    In the following days, aside from training, Yu Fei also took some time to keep an eye on the 2000 NBA Finals.


    Even though he waspletely unaware of the current professional basketball scene, he knew that this was the first year of the OK Dynasty. But he hadn''t expected Shaquille O''Neal and Kobe to be at odds with each other already.


    Over the past few months, he frequently saw O''Nealining on TV about not getting the ball, and even though he didn''t name anyone, everyone knew who he was talking about.


    And Kobe was doing his own thing, saying that he would always be consistent, unaffected by anything.


    Despite internal discord within the Lakers, few people had faith in the Pacers.


    This aging team was setting up for theirst dance.


    Reggie Miller, Sam Perkins, Jalen Rose, and five other yers were set to be free agents that summer, and Larry Bird, who had his own coaching philosophy, had announced early in the season that this would be hisst year coaching.


    Not every team''sst dance could be as perfect as the ''98 Bulls.


    The only chance the Pacers had was Jalen Rose''s dignity-and-pride-staking, foot-undercut against Kobe. If he could have been more thorough, perhaps Kobe could have been sidelined, but unfortunately, that move only caused Kobe to miss two games. Moreover, in the two games that Kobe missed, the Pacers only won one of them, no team could lose as meekly as the Pacers did.


    ```


    Even when Kobe was undercut in the first game, leaving him with only 70% of his fighting capabilities, and in the decisive King of the Hill battle he angrily scored just 8 points to set an example for James, even when Bird sent Shaquille O''Neal to the free-throw line 39 times in a single game in an act of madness, the Pacers still couldn''t win.


    The result was so ring, in the game where Kobe scored just 8 points, in the match where O''Neal took 39 free throws, both games with strategies pushed to the extreme, the Pacers lost.


    Then you just have to admit that the skill was not up to par.


    4 to 2, the Lakers said goodbye to the Pacers, sounding the horn of a new era, with O''Neal being chosen as the Finals MVP, and in the locker room, he embraced Kobe, embodying the demeanor of a leader; "Without my little brother, I couldn''t have won this championship."


    Los Angeles Times writer Mike Bresnahan wrote with abandon, "Look at Shaq''s love for Kobe, look at the respect between them, all the rumors of discord at this moment have vanished into thin air! What''s important for us is not just that OK proved they could win the championship, but more importantly, that 22-year-old Kobe could watch 28-year-old Shaq slowly age, they would be the Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the new century."


    Yu Fei knew that these two wouldter have a fallout, so to him, Bresnahan''s sweet nothings were just an unburied reverse prophecy.


    Besides, even now, Kobe didn''t seem all that excited.


    What''s going on? Why does Kobe look a bit like Durant in the 2018 Game 3 when he made that long-distance three-pointer at the buzzer to defeat the Cavaliers?


    On his face was a sense of relief simr to that of Durant.


    Yu Fei didn''t think much of it because the world of the NBA was still very far away from him.


    The following week, Yu Fei lived life as usual.


    With the conclusion of the worst draft in history, the new millennium weed its seventh month.


    Yu Fei and six of his peers headed to Seattle under the leadership of Sylvan on a coach.


    Interestingly, among the six people apanying Yu Fei, there was also a girl.


    Her name is Quinn Thomas, known as the number one female high school basketball yer in Kent City, who led the Royal Team to the Washington State 4A championship tournament for four consecutive years.


    Before Yu Fei, Quinn was the star basketball yer of K-M, even Anthony Lawson had to line up behind her.


    This time, Quinn was also joining Sylvan''s team, to participate in the Nike regional invitation tournament held in Seattle.


    This is what''s interesting about AAU, they allow mixed-gender teams, and Sylvan believes that even though Quinn is far less physical than her male counterparts, her infamous three-point shooting in Kent City could still be of help.


    Aside from Quinn, the others were members of the school team, namely Anthony Lawson, Muhammed Hili (Power Forward), Kevin Hughes (Shooting Guard), Bobby Jonas (Point Guard), and Andre Moore (Small Forward).


    Moreover, both Bobby Jonas and Andre Moore were seniors who had graduated.


    Sylvan, looking to instantly increase the team''s fighting power, asked them toe over and help out temporarily.


    Jonas was the former captain of the Royal Team, standing no taller than 5 feet 7 inches, a dedicated point guard, averaging 22 points over four high school years and was the all-time leading scorer for the Royal Team. His biggest issue was not being able to carry his teammates, while Moore was a 6 feet 2 inches small forward, a decent 3D yer within the scope of Kent City.


    Looking around, the tallest on the team was naturally Yu Fei, followed by the 6 feet 6 inches Lawson, and then the 6 feet 4 inches Hili who mainly yed power forward. It could be said to be a team quite poor in terms of talent.


    As Sylvan put it, even in Kent City, this would be a below-average team, and to expect to grab a spot in the Nike regional invitation tournament held in Seattle would be simply out of the question.


    Unless Yu Fei could exhibit the prowess of a top regional yer (state-level).


    Since the whole team came from the same school, Yu Fei and his AAU team used the school team''s name directly ¨C the Royal Team.


    Having never participated in any AAU tournament before, they were rated as a Category C team by the organizers, and they had to win both matches on the first day in order to progress to the official tournament the next day.


    The Royal Team''s first opponent was also a new team without apetition record ¨C they called themselves Starfish.


    But Yu Fei noticed that nearby there were many college scouts paying close attention to the tall yers of the Starfish Team.


    Before the game, both teams had five minutes of warm-up time, and the tall yer from the Starfish Team swaggered over, pointing rudely at Yu Fei, said, "Hey, the Asian kid!"


    Yu Fei asked kindly, "What''s up?"


    "My name is Jeffrey Dai," he introduced himself, but both his expression and tone were annoying, "Jeffrey Dai from Seattle Prep High School! You better remember my name, because in a few years you''ll see me on TV, and then you''ll remember how I sent you home today!"


    ```

 Chapter 7: 5: Jeffrey Dais Long Day

    "... because in a few years, you''ll see me on TV, and you''ll remember how you got sent home by me today!"


    Jeffrey Dai said with an air of arrogance, making Yu Fei wonder if there was any clutz in the NBA with that name.


    He thought hard about it.


    One thing was for sure, there was no such person in the NBA after 2016.


    What about before then?


    He wasn''t familiar with the NBA before 2016; one could say it was a blind spot in his knowledge.


    But, he had definitely never heard of a basketball star named Jeffrey Dai in the NBA.


    So it was certain that even if this guy had made it to the NBA, he hadn''t made much of a name for himself.


    Moreover, as a fellow interior yer, Jeffrey Dai''s registered height was the same as Yu Fei, both at 6 feet 9 inches, but a closerparison revealed that the other guy was obviously a bit shorter.


    So, the height the other guy reported was most likely in shoes.


    While the height Yu Fei reported was his barefoot height, and ording to the way American basketball yers report their height, even if he reported 6 feet 10 inches, it wouldn''t be a problem.


    Yu Fei didn''t say much to Dai and went back to warming up after listening to the other''s trash talk.


    Instead, it was Hank Sylvan who told Yu Fei to pay more attention to Jeffrey Dai.


    "Fi, the Starfish Team''s roster is simr to ours," Sylvan said, "Jeffrey Dai is the only one worth noting."


    Typically, stars who choose to join mediocre teams are looking to amass arge volume of ball possession in order to produce eye-catching stats and make a name for themselves.


    "Is that guy really that good?" Yu Fei asked.


    Sylvan smiled and said, "Seattle Prep High School is this year''s 3A state champion in Washington, and Jeffrey Dai is their core interior yer."


    Hearing that, Yu Fei smiled.


    He came from Kent Meridian High School in Kent School District, which couldn''t even make it past the prelims, while the other guy was the core interior yer for the state champions of Washington. It was normal for him not to consider Yu Fei important.


    Yu Fei watched Dai''s pre-game warm-up.


    He found that Dai was a rather traditional interior yer, with virtually no ability to handle the ball at high post¡ªjust receiving the ball at the low post to back in, then using his decent physical quality for high school level to dominate the paint.


    "I think I can handle him," Yu Fei said.


    "You have to handle him," Sylvan stressed, pointing to the sidelines. "See those people over there?"


    Yu Fei saw a group of professionals gathered for the new star as Sylvan had directed.


    "Among those people are college scouts and coaches, as well as star scouts from various sports goodspanies, and sports writers from the Washington area. The only reason they''re paying attention to this game is they want to see if Jeffrey Dai has grownpared to two months ago''s state championship, because he''s a talent who might y in the NBA in the future." Sylvanughed a little, "If you defeat him, no one will pay attention to Dai anymore. You''ll rece him and be the star of hope for Washington State!"


    Yu Fei listened, excited.


    "Is Jeffrey Dai the top high school yer in Washington State?"


    "Not exactly, there is no definitive number one high school yer in Washington State. People like Jeffrey Dai, Aaron Fitzgerald from Kennedy High School (Aaron Fitzgerald SF), Errol Knight from Chief Sealth High School (Erroll Knight SF), Mike Bethea from Rainier Beach High School (Mike Bethea C), and Brandon Roy from Garfield High School (Brandon Roy PG/SG/SF). If I had to pick a number one high school yer from Washington State among these, I would choose Brandon Roy," Sylvan smiled, "He''s the only one unanimously selected to the Washington State first team among these yers."


    The names and schools mentioned earlier seemed like a spell to Yu Fei.


    They didn''t ring a bell for him.


    But when Brandon Roy''s name came up, Yu Fei couldn''t help but open his mouth to say something.


    Brandon Roy, a famous shooting star yer of the new century, rose and fell as rapidly, and judging from the years he was active, Yu Fei would have had a hard time recognizing him if not by chance.


    In Roy''s Trail zers lineage, there was a yer named Damian Lird, the one-man-one-city league champion as of the summer of 2023.


    In the first round of 2019 Game 5, Lird sank an unbelievable long-distance three-pointer to defeat the Thunder, ending the brotherhood basketball of Paul George and Russell Westbrook. George, who had spent a month making fun of the Lakers and even nned a documentary about why he decided to stay in Ohoma City, finally understood the profound truth Tong Dawei expressed in "American Dreams in China": Never start a business with a good brother.


    However, Lird is not Curry. With a super-long three-pointer just like Curry''s, his was more difficult, urring in the do-or-die yoff game, yet he couldn''t captivate the opposing key yer like Curry did.


    This was one of the NBA''s underrated "I am not him" potential cases in the 2010s.


    Yu Fei got to know of Roy starting from the Shot that Lird used to end Westbrook''s era at the Thunder.


    It was unintentional.


    Just like Lird''s 0.8-second clutch three-pointer against the Rockets in the 2014 yoffs, every time he did something like that, people would remember Roy''s Shot over the Rockets.


    Yu Fei had watched a highlight reel of Roy''s three-pointer, but he felt that shot should have counted as after the buzzer.


    But the NBA is a league of stars, where stars enjoy privileges, and you can''t rewind time to disrupt their great moments.


    Now, hearing the name Roy again, Yu Fei couldn''t help but ask, "Is Brandon Roy also here?"


    "The Nike Regional Invitational is one of the most influential AAU events in the State of Washington. I think he''s likely toe, but if you can''t get past Jeffrey Dai, even if he''s here, what use would that be?"


    So, after all is said and done, the first thing is to win the game.


    Yu Fei''s fighting spirit soared. He started by dribbling, then tried several wildly inurate shots before ending the warm-up with a dunk.


    The Royal Team''s starting lineup was Bobby Jonas, Quinn Thomas, Andre Moore, Anthony Lawson, and Yu Fei.


    When Jeffrey Dai saw a female yer on the Royal Team, heughed and asked, "Do you guys think this is an exhibition game?"


    "If your skill is less than half of what your confidence implies, this might indeed turn into an exhibition game," Yu Fei responded calmly.


    "Then let''s give it a try!"


    Dai was determined to prove himself.


    During the jump ball phase, having no real experience as an insider, Yu Fei failed to catch the right timing to jump, and Dai won the ball for the Starfish Team.


    "Give me the ball!" Dai yelled, sticking close to Yu Fei, "I''m going to knock this chopstick person down!"


    Obviously, no one on the Starfish Team was going to go against Dai''s will.


    Even though Dai hadn''t fully established his position, they still passed him the ball.


    This was a big taboo for insiders.


    It seemed that Yu Fei, forced to defend against Dai, suddenly exerted strength, pping the ball away from behind him with her wingspan.


    Jonas picked up the ball, and the Royal Teamunched a three-line fast break, and then Yu Fei understood why Jonas was so good at scoring but unable to lead K-M out of the Kent School District''s preliminaries.


    He was the kind of yer that once he got the ball, all he saw was the basket.


    In a three-on-two fast break, he insisted on taking on two defenders by himself and got blocked.


    "It was just luck you hadst time!" Dai shouted arrogantly, "I''m the protagonist of the game, and you''re just a pathetic side character. Get ready to witness my strength!"


    Finally learning his lesson, Dai used his strong body to secure his position, caught the pass from his teammate, leaned in hard, then turned with the ball.


    In Seattle, few insiders could withstand this move of his.


    Just as he was sure that Yu Fei was like those he had easily crushed, the ball he pushed up was fiercely blocked by a wide palm.


    ???


    Dai''s mind went nk, while Yu Fei, right after blocking Dai, sprinted forward at full speed.


    Quinn Thomas, the only female yer on the court, made a beautiful pass to Yu Fei.


    Yu Fei dribbled, encountered interception from the opposing guard, and in less than half a second, stopped abruptly, spun around, and like a guard, shook off the defender.


    The scouts who came specifically for Jeffrey Dai shifted their attention to him.


    Yu Fei charged into the open frontcourt paint, leapt powerfully to receive the ball, and then connected with a windmill dunk that ignited the crowd.


    "Excellent defensive habits, impressive athleticism, thebination of height and guard-like ball-handling, and an extremely quick first step and jump..." A college scout from Southern California wrote this down in his notes, "Compared to him, Jeffrey Dai pales significantly."


    "What''s his name?"


    "Who is he?"


    "The Royal Team? From Kent Meridian High School?"


    "Who has heard of this school?"


    It only took one round for Jeffrey Dai to go from protagonist to side character.


    Talent cannot be hidden.


    Especially on the basketball court, where mediocre talents can be spotted at a nce, while the seeds of greatness, even if yet to sprout, shine brightly, beyond measurement.


    Yu Fei returned to the backcourt and said to Dai, who was still dazed, "Hey, your lead role aura was really dazzling just now. Let me take another good look at it."


    For Jeffrey Dai, this would be the longest day of his life.


    PS: Starting tomorrow, two chapters a day

 Chapter 8: 6: Become the Top Player in the State of Washington First

    Yu Fei hadn''t lost his reason, he knew he had to y two games today, and besides shooting, physical strength was his most urgent weakness to improve, so the spectacle of running full speed from the backcourt to the frontcourt for a m dunk was enough to be yed just once.


    He had sessfully attracted everyone''s attention, now he just needed to use his talent to y good defense, and let his teammates counterattack at will.


    Counterattacks are the mainstream of high school basketball.


    Especially in an era that hasn''t yet embraced the three-pointer for all, there are not many long rebounds in a game, and the direct impact of rim protectors on the game is huge.


    Yu Fei had never known that his blocking instinct was so good.


    No wonder, in his previous life he had never been a rim protector in the paint, without many opportunities for help defense and blocks, how could he confirm his talent?


    Now, Yu Fei''s body made him realize that he might possess defensive qualities simr to those of Anthony Davis.


    Help defense and blocking came to him as naturally as instinct.


    Jeffrey Dai, with his dignity bruised, was eager to restore it, choosing to forcefully attack Yu Fei nearly every time.


    And Yu Fei used the same tactic each time; feign weakness, then jump up to block and stop his advances.


    During the whole game, Dai attempted to score on Yu Fei fifteen times, seeding only three times and drawing three fouls.


    However, in his direct matchups with Dai, Yu Fei faced him and blocked him seven times, sessfully defending twelve out of fifteen one-on-ones, scoring a beastly triple-double of 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 blocks, leading the Royal Team to a victory by a 27-point margin.


    Yu Feipletely destroyed Jeffrey Dai.


    He didn''t think the other''s ability was that strong, at best he was an early bloomer with brute force, okay for high school, but not effective in college, and as for the NBA? Don''t even think about it.


    At the end of the game, Yu Fei''s piece of trash talk shattered Dai''s confidence, causing him to lose his rationale.


    "Didn''t you say that I would see you on TV in a few years?" Yu Fei asked amiably with an outstretched hand, smiling, "Could it be you have ns for a sex-change operation soon? After bing a woman, you might have a chance to y in the WNBA, and then I could see you on TV."


    Jeffrey Dai, heralded as the leading high school post yer in the State of Washington, couldn''t bear the humiliation, his eyes turning bloodshot with anger, and while crying pearls, he let out a roar and shoved Yu Fei hard.


    Yu Fei''s teammates, quick to react, stepped forward to intervene.


    The scene turned into utter chaos.


    Yu Fei, however, sat on the groundughing, expressing regret at Dai''s rage and his attempt to hit him: "You should continue being a man, just the thought of there being a woman as ugly, self-loving, and hot-tempered as you in this world is enough to break me down."


    "I''m going to ughter you!"


    Dai roared furiously.


    Even Bobby Jonas, the former captain of the Royal Team, couldn''t help but lecture his junior: "You should talk less!"


    Yu Fei spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness.


    The oue of this fiasco was that Jeffrey Dai was expelled from the court; he couldn''t even stay on as a spectator, while Yu Fei was led by an official to the media to have his photo taken.


    This was supposed to be a pre-contest no one cared about.


    It only became a focal point because of Jeffrey Dai''s participation.


    However, Dai''s media attractivity ultimately made Yu Fei, who would be a star the media would pay great attention to, even if the Royal Team''s AAU journey ended here.


    Afterward, the Royal Team had only two hours to rest before facing a team from the Seattle Bay Area.


    Since there were no high school stars like Jeffrey Dai on the day''s second opponent, Yu Fei didn''t feel any pressure with individual matchups.


    In that match, Yu Fei once again had a double-double in blocks, but since the Royal Team was ying a fast break game throughout, with not many set ys, his scoring was meager, with just 8 points, but 17 rebounds and 10 blocks.


    The Royal Team achieved two consecutive victories and officially qualified for the Nike regional tournament.


    That afternoon, some college scouts approached Hank Sylvan, wanting to learn more about Yu Fei.


    Sylvan rejected them all.


    Want to gain the advantage of being nearby? Not so easy!


    This was just like the Japanese underworld scouts harassing the beautiful girls on the streets to descend into their world.


    Only those who can be swayed by a few words on the street are considered mediocre, disposable products on the assembly line for the industry. The true big shots are like Arisa Oda, who insure their bodies for a hundred million yen, or Suzu Honjo, who wouldn''t debut without ten thousand pre-orders for her first album.


    By that logic, Yu Fei was now a hot item.


    Selvan hoped that from next season, the scouts would fill the stands at Royal Team''s games. Only then could Yu Fei''s exposure be truly maximized, and he could also showcase his talent in front of the college basketball world. This was his best opportunity to escape the "hell of Kent."


    Apart from Yu Fei, some of his teammates also received additional attention.


    For example, Bobby Jonas, the captain of the previous term who had graduated.


    As the top scorer in Royal Team''s history, it was always a regret that Jonas didn''t get an offer from the NCAA First Division League.


    This time, in front of a group of college scouts, he demonstrated his excellent ability in rotation offense.


    Thoughcking in height, vision, and only average in organizational ability, and still not very good at shooting, his scoring ability was evident for all to see. His fast breaks were threatening following Yu Fei''s blocked shots.


    A few colleges took an interest in him.


    And Anthony Lawson, the current captain of the Royal Team, went directly to Yu Fei''s hotel room to express his gratitude.


    He brought Yu Fei''s favorite pork cutlet rice.


    "Fei, do you know? There was an assistant coach from UCLA at the game today, he talked a lot with me," Lawson said excitedly, "I really feel like I might be going home with a college offer."


    "Mhm..."


    Yu Fei wasn''t listening to him at all, just focusing on his pork cutlet rice.


    Pork cutlet isn''t that delicious to talk about, and taste-wise, it''s definitely not as good as chicken cutlet.


    But for some reason, Yu Fei just loved the slightly woody and slightly gamey meaty aroma of pork cutlet, which made for a very satisfying meal.


    "Fei, if you can get into a First Division League school, which one would you like to go to?"


    The pork cutlet rice was too dry, which was the biggest problem with American food¡ªit was filling but not bnced. The pork cutlet rice came with no side dish to cut the fat, and he always had to drink a lot of beverages.


    While drinking, Yu Fei heard Lawson''s question clearly.


    After thinking for a moment, he simply replied, "Any is fine."


    "Any? I think you''ll get offers from dozens of colleges. Even Jeffrey Dai, whom you outyed today, got offers from over a dozen colleges, let alone you," Lawson said.


    Yu Fei didn''t take his words to heart.


    In fact,pared to ying in the NCAA, he had a bigger n in mind.


    After Kevin Gat, Kobe Bryant, and Tracy McGrady¡ªthe three top high school yers in the country¡ªfound sess in the NBA, going from high school straight to the NBA was no longer problematic. No one doubted the ability of high schoolers to fulfill their potential, and NBA executives were eager to tap into that kind of sustainable raw talent at the draft.


    In a way, the participation of high schoolers in the draft indirectly led to the unwritten rule for future stars of the NCAA First Division League to "y for only one year."


    The younger and more talented you are, the sooner you earn money, the sooner you y top-level basketball to develop your potential.


    This is why people love the young.


    Yu Fei entertained this thought because he felt he was now simr to Anthony Davis, who had experienced a sudden growth spurt and evolution in physical fitness without losing his original skill and sense of the ball.


    Until today, it was just a passing thought, but after getting the better of Jeffrey Dai, he felt that maybe he really could skip college.


    However, before making this decision, he first had to test his mettle against top American high school yers like Kwame Brown, Eddie Curry, and Tyson Chandler.


    Only by going head-to-head with them could Yu Fei gauge his strength at the NBA level, but that was a concern forter. For now, his goal was to be the MVP of the Nike Regional Invitation, just as he told The Seattle Times reporter that afternoon.


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "T-MAC wants to leave Toronto, stating his reason as wanting to get closer to a championship, but we all know that''s not the real reason." ¡ª The Toronto Star.


    "Michael Jordan gestured ''five'' to the public, promising that the Wizards would achieve a 50% win rate next season." ¡ª The Washington Post.


    "With Rick Barry at the helm and Clyde Drexler leading, the official confirmation is in: an NBA Legend Team will be visiting China this August." ¡ª Old Wave Sports.


    "Today, Frye Yu is still an unfamiliar name in high school basketball, but I believe it won''t be long before we''reparing him to Kwame Brown, Kelvin Torbert, and DaJuan Wagner. But, as he said himself, he needs to stay grounded and be Washington State''s leading yer first." ¡ª The Seattle Times.

 Chapter 9: 7 Frye - The Top High School Student in America

    The next day, the four-day Nike Regional Invitational officially began.


    The format of the official games was quite interesting; each game was divided into two halves, eachsting 10 minutes, with each team ying an average of two games per day.


    Due to time constraints and therge number of participating teams, the organizers introduced such a rule to amodate all teams.


    And this format was particrly suitable for Yu Fei, whose stamina was still not up to the challenge of ying two full games in one day.


    Before today''s games started, Hank Sylvan had already received the rosters of their two opponents.


    Although it was an officialpetition, the levels of the participating teams varied widely. Among Royal Team''s two opponents that day, one was a weaker team, while the other was acknowledged as a tough team in the invitationals.


    A team with two top state-level high school yers¡ªthe Cheeseburger.


    Yu Fei felt they''d sound more televisually impactful if they were called the Cheeseburger Snow Leopards.


    The Cheeseburger team boasted Seattle''s leading Point Guard, Chris Hill, as well as Michael Fey, one of the top hundred high school yers in the country.


    Let''s not talk about Hill for now. Although Fey was among the top hundred high school yers in the nation, he was just barely on the list.


    Because he was ranked exactly one hundredth...


    Just like Jeffrey Dai, who Yu Fei had handled easily the day before, was ranked 88th amongst high school yers. Logically, Yu Fei, who defeated Dai effortlessly, should have no trouble defeating Fey too.


    But Sylvan didn''t think it would be that simple, because Fey was a seven-foot tall yer, the first seven-footer opponent Yu Fei had encountered since he started ying.


    His low ranking was because scouts believed a giant like Fey, whocked speed, couldn''t survive in higher-level games, yet his current ability was among the top for high school yers.


    Yu Fei wasn''t that worried because it wasn''t difficult to deal with big, clumsy yers. It was the one called Seattle''s top Point Guard who could be problematic.


    If Yu Fei blew up Fey in the paint during the game, but waspletely outyed by Hill on the outside, the oue of the game would be uncertain.


    Sylvan reassured him, "Don''t worry, Chris Hill is a traditional Point Guard, and going solo on the offense isn''t his forte."


    Yu Fei, inexperienced as he was, didn''t know what a traditional Point Guard was, but he knew how such guards, who didn''t specialize in offense, yed the game. There were plenty in the history of China''s men''s basketball team¡ªreliable and disciplined.


    With a good understanding of their opponents, Royal Team''s first game of the day began.


    As per the pre-game n, Yu Fei purposely conserved his energy during the first game.


    He barely ran across the court, participated in pick-and-rolls only at the perimeter, hardly handled the ball, and let Bobby Jonas and the others y.


    In terms of possession y, Royal Team''s sess rate was not as high as their opponents'', which disappointed the professionals who were impressed by Yu Fei the day before.


    They began to doubt whether Yu Fei was a jumping jack who couldn''t y offense at all.


    However, they hadn''t forgotten how Yu Fei had blocked Jeffrey Dai the day before, took the ball, pivoted, shook off his guard, and went up the court toplete a windmill dunk.


    Having such skills, why didn''t Yu Fei show them off?


    This game did not give them an answer.


    With a leisurely 4 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 blocks, Yu Fei led Royal Team to victory on the strength of impregnable interior defense and efficient defensive counterattacks.


    After a two-hour break, they would face their second opponents of the day¡ªthe Cheeseburger.


    During the two hours of rest, Yu Fei finally met Seattle''s top high school yer, Brandon Roy, as described by Sylvan.


    Roy''s team consisted of five yers from Garfield High School, so they named their team Five Tigers.


    Yu Fei watched the Five Tigers y for a while and felt they should be the strongest team in the tournament.


    All five members of the team were superior in ability and teamworkpared to any other team.


    Roy, without a doubt, was the best among them. While he didn''t seem as versatile as what Yu Fei would learnter, his style as a high school yer was already very mature.


    Watching the Five Tigers dominate their opponents to the point of running up the score, Yu Fei felt the pressure, realizing that winning MVP of the tournament wouldn''t be easy.


    After resting for a while longer, Yu Fei returned to his teammates to seriously prepare for the second game of the day.


    During the warm-up, Yu Fei practiced his mid-range shots.


    In his past life, his shooting was hit-or-miss. Having traveled to this life for less than half a year, there was so much to practice¡ªfundamentals in the paint and physical fitness took priority, so his shooting, which could be improved gradually, had fallen behind.


    Yu Fei felt that the yer called Fey wouldn''t easily leave the paint to guard his shooting, so using the warm-up to get a feel for his shots as much as possible would help with the game. Unfortunately, he couldn''t find the right touch. This meant he would need to rely more on speed and rhythm, as well as the floaters he had developed in his previous life specifically for dealing with taller yers, when challenging Fey.


    Before the game started, Sylvan strategically did not include the team''s top shooter, Quinn Thomas, in the starting lineup.


    Although she was a female yer, Quinn had proven herself in thest two days of thepetition with a performance that was not inferior to the men''s. Despite struggling with physical confrontations, having Yu Fei as a shot blocker in the paint meant all she needed to do was shoot three-pointers, and she did that job well.


    For this game, Sylvan changed tactics. Besides Anthony Lawson, who had been consistently paired with Yu Fei, he also put in Mohammed Hilly, an undersized frontcourt yer from the same grade as Yu Fei.


    If it weren''t for Yu Fei joining the team, Hilly and Lawson would have been the starting frontcourt duo for the new Royal Team.


    But a frontcourt starting pair both under two meters in heightckedpetitiveness.


    Thankfully, Sylvan no longer had to worry about the team''s height issue.


    Hilly starting was meant to let Yu Feipletely showcase his talent in front of the professionals present at the venue.


    Yu Fei made his debut as a small forward in the starting lineup for the first time at the invitational.


    Since the Royal Team and Cheeseburger Team''s game was one of thest few matches of the day, and the court featured three stars of hope that had garnered much attention, it received the most focus.


    There were professionals from colleges and the media, as well as team members who had finished their matches.


    Before the game even started, Michael Fey mocked Lawson, who was about to jump ball with him, "What do I see? Just a measly shrimp, thinking they''re a roadblock. Where''s that Chinese guy who imed to have blown Jeffrey Dai away? Doesn''t he dare to match up with me?"


    "You!" Lawson, aggravated, looked as though steam was about to burst from his nostrils.


    At this point, the referee signaled that the two sides were not allowed tomunicate.


    During the jump ball phase, Fey easily won possession for his team.


    Following that, Chris Hill, recognized as Seattle''s top point guard, called for a pick and roll to break through Bobby Jonas''s defense. His absolute speed wasn''t fast, but his height of 1.9 meters was a giant among high school basketball, and he directly lobbed a high pass to Fey.


    Fey violently pushed Lawson aside and dunked with force, tauntingly pulling on the basket afternding and roaring, "So you want to be a roadblock? Ha!"


    Fey''s dominance inside led to a flurry of discussion among the crowd.


    Brandon Roy''s teammatesmented, "That jerk ys too easily inside; I don''t think the Royal Team can stop him. That Frye doesn''t even dare to go inside. So much for Washington state''s lost star, I think it''s all media hype!"


    The others voiced their agreement, while Roy remained silent.


    Because he had noticed something unusual.


    That "Frye" was actually calling for the ball from the backcourt and dribbling it to the frontcourt himself.


    Suddenly, the Cheeseburger Team didn''t know who should defend him.


    Fey''s speed wasn''t suitable for leaving the paint, and the others weren''t tall enough.


    Chris Hill made his judgment; he thought Yu Fei was showing off, trying to hype himself up, when in reality he didn''t have that good of ball-handling skills.


    So Hill suddenly pressed up aggressively as Yu Fei crossed halfcourt.


    However, Yu Fei maturely chose to back him down defensively, then executed a beautiful spin move to shake off Hill and drove straight inside the three-point line, making a floater over Michael Fey''s outstretched hand to score off the backboard.


    Looking at Fey''s face, which clearly showed he hadn''t expected that, Yu Fei taunted, "A roadblock? Heh!"


    On the way back to defense, Yu Fei said to Lawson, "Tony, you''ll have to buy me some time, or else I can''t help you with the defense!"


    Lawson replied, "I''ll try my best!"


    It was indeed a tough ask for Lawson, standing only at 1.96 meters barefoot, to guard Fey, but this was a calcted decision by Sylvan. If Yu Fei were to take on the defense, it would be too draining for him.


    From the stat sheet, it was clear that when Fey got the ball, all he did was attack the basket without any ymaking ability.


    Thus, having one person act as a punching bag to guard him, with Yu Fei supporting defense from the wing, was the best strategy.


    Afterward, Sakuragi Hanamichi''s low center of gravity in the single-defense against Little Riverfield became a reality in Yu Fei''s perspective.


    In order to buy time for Yu Fei to help on defense, Lawson hunkered down and took the hits, practically battling with his life on the line.


    It was worth it.


    Fey''s offense was no longer the simple catch, pump, and m dunk.


    His attack was dyed, and when he lifted the ball again, Yu Fei was already there with the help defense, and under the double-team, Fey made an errant pass.


    Bobby Jonas scored on the counter.


    After that, Yu Fei exploited Fey''s weakness against fronting defense and had Lawson front him. Hill risked a lob pass, which was intercepted by Yu Fei.


    When Fey finally caught the ball and pushed Lawson aside with his rear, ready to power dunk and release his frustration, Yu Fei had already returned under the basket. With a single-foot takeoff, he jumped nearly a meter high and pped the ball out of Fey''s hands and out of bounds, unleashing a tsunami-like cheer from the crowd.


    Fey, knocked to the ground with the ball, looked unsettled trying to spot its location, only to see Yu Fei already at the ball''s spot, grabbing it with one hand, and taunted softly, "You''re ranked a hundred in the nation for a reason, Jeffrey Dai is already on the road to sex reassignment surgery, do you want to join him?"


    Due to Yu Fei''s insulting trash talk, he received a T from the referee.


    Furthermore, the referee warned that a repeat offense would result in ejection from the game.


    Yet this T had no impact on the situation.


    Michael Fey waspletely broken down.


    His teammate, praised as Seattle''s number one point guard, Chris Hill, attempted to salvage the situation with his individual skills, but as Sylvan said, he was a pure point guard without the ability to switch into a one-man carry mode.


    Meanwhile, Yu Fei showed another aspect of himself in this game.


    When he had the ball, his performance was entirely different, like a yer on apletely different level.


    "The top yer from Washington state?"


    A sports journalist at the venue thought for a moment, scratched out that line, and wrote in his notebook instead, "Frye Yu is one of America''s top high school yers."

 Chapter 10: 8: Best Player, First Team, Want Them All

    Yu Fei''s performance on the second day of the Nike Regional Invitation Tournament cemented his reputation as one of the top high school yers in the State of Washington.


    And in the eyes of some sports writers, Yu Fei wasn''t just a top high school yer in Washington, but among the best nationwide.


    In the following day''s regional invitation tournament, Yu Fei led his team to back-to-back victories with stats of 8 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 blocks as well as 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 blocks, and they advanced to the finals on the fourth day.


    This time, the Royal Team couldn''t continue their winning streak because they met the Five Tigers Team led by Brandon Roy.


    The gap in nominal strength surpassed the limit that Yu Fei could make up for.


    Before the game, Hank Selvan told Yu Fei not to think about winning or losing but to focus on his individual performance.


    Selvan was pragmatic because even if they won in the end, it wouldn''t make much of a difference for the other members of the Royal Team, but if Yu Fei could prove he was the strongest yer in the game, it would mean his ability surpassed Roy''s.


    As the best yer in Washington State in the eyes of many, if Yu Fei''s performance outshone Roy''s, the title would transfer to him.


    Ultimately, Yu Fei lived up to expectations, scoring 32 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and adding 6 assists and 6 blocks against the Five Tigers Team. Although the Royal Team didn''t win, he was widely recognized as the best yer of the game.


    Through this game, Yu Fei and Roy became friends.


    After the game, they talked for half an hour off the court.


    Then, the Five Tigers Team participated in the final championship match.


    Unsurprisingly, the Five Tigers Team, being the strongest both in skill and team chemistry, won the championship. With that, the officialpetition segment of the Nike Regional Invitation Tournament in Seattle came to a close.


    There was a day of exhibition matches nned for tomorrow, and the tournament''s MVP and the best team lineup would be announced.


    That evening, Selvan took his team to a nearby famous Turkish restaurant to enjoy barbecue.


    Some shared their good news.


    The AAU tournament had the greatest impact on Fei, but the others benefited as well.


    For instance, the team''s only female yer, Quinn Thomas, already known as a prominent yer in Kent City, gained the attention of many colleges by performing well in the AAU tournament with the Royal Team.


    Without making a name for herself, even if Quinn shined in Kent City, it would be hard for outsiders to notice her.


    Because Kent City was a true basketball desert.


    The former team captain, Bobby Jonas, was filled with pride. As the Royal Team''s second-highest scorer, he officially received a college offer from California State University, Northridge after the day''s game.


    When Jonas mentioned the name of the school, everyone looked puzzled.


    Only Yu Fei knew that it was a First Division League college ranked several hundred ces down the list.


    The 2020 CBA draft''s number-one pick, Qu Junxuan, hailed from this school.


    One could say it was a lousy school.


    But even if it was lousy, it was still a First Division League college.


    For Jonas, who had already been preparing to attend amunity college, this offer not only saved his summer but could also change his life.


    And Jonas knew that none of this would have been possible without Yu Fei.


    Just as Jonas was about to say overly-sentimental words that would make Yu Fei''s skin crawl, Lawson chimed in, "Bobby, if you really want to thank Big Fei, you should buy him a pork chop rice."


    Everyone burst intoughter, and Jonas, a bit embarrassed, said, "Next time, for sure."


    "Forget next time. Seattle''s pork chop rice isn''t good. I still prefer that Pork Chop Immortal in Kent City, that''s the real deal..."


    Today was a happy day, and nearly everyone was in high spirits.


    The only exception was Anthony Lawson, who seemed down.


    Yu Fei noticed his mood.


    So, when they returned to the hotel, he made a point of visiting Lawson''s room to find out what was on his mind.


    "Don''t tell me you''re upset that we didn''t win the final championship," Yu Fei said with a smile. "If that''s the case, I''m out of here."


    "No, of course not, getting this far is already a huge surprise," Lawson replied with a slight smile.


    "What are you thinking about?" Yu Fei asked.


    Lawson said, "It was only today that I realized no colleges are really interested in me. In fact, they only paid attention to me in order to make a connection with you."


    Yu Fei was surprised that Lawson had onlye to realize this now.


    Should Lawson have been surprised? After all, what prospects does a center, who is not even two meters tall, have?


    Even Ben Wace, as short as he is for a center, stands at two meters.


    The only NBA centers under two meters that Yu Fei could think of were Chuck Hayes and the fat "role-ying enthusiast" tiger.


    The problem is, Lawson does not have the impressive defense of Hayes, nor does he have the fat tiger''s alien physical quality of almost inhuman intuition.


    He is just an average traditional center, but under two meters tall.


    Such talent, let alone the NBA, even if taken overseas, he wouldn''t have a future.


    It was quite normal for college basketball to take no notice of him. It was only the sudden surge in attention towards the Royal Team in thest two days that caused him to have some misced illusions, but today''s events totally changed his recognition.


    "A college official told me that I could get their offer, but only if you promise to go to their school," Lawson said.


    Yu Fei finally understood the dilemma Lawson was facing.


    Everyone on the Royal Team was basking in Yu Fei''s glory, which was a tacit fact.


    They could deceive themselves into believing that the attention they got from the outside world was a reflection of their own talent.


    But with Lawson, things were too explicit.


    "It''s an insult to you, Tony," Yu Fei said. "You should tell him to get lost. You don''t need to respect someone who doesn''t respect your efforts."


    "Frye, do you think I could get an offer like Bobby did?" Lawson asked.


    "I don''t know, Tony," Yu Fei replied. "Who can say what the future holds? Just like with me¡ªcould you have imagined I woulde this far a few months ago? Anything is possible."


    After a night passed, Yu Fei headed back to the Nike regional invitation tournament venue.


    The official games had ended, but today there would still be a celebrity game, a dunk contest, and a three-point contest.


    As a member of the celebrity team, not to mention the individual contests, Yu Fei showed great chemistry with Roy throughout the celebrity game.


    As Roy was off his shooting game, Yu Fei essentially controlled the game, his dunking show leaving fans regretful that he did not sign up for the dunk contest, and his fancy dribbling was a feast for the eyes of the audience.


    Some college scouts startedparing him to Lamar Odom.


    Others even went as far as calling him the yellow-skinned Magic Johnson.


    In the end, Yu Fei, with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists, was named the MVP of the celebrity game.


    Without a doubt, he was the best yer of the invitation tournament.


    After all events concluded, Yu Fei was elected the tournament MVP by a wide margin and, along with Roy and four others, made it to the all-star team.


    When the invitation tournament''s initiator, Brad Smith, handed him the best yer trophy and the 5000 US Dor prize, he looked at Yu Fei earnestly and said from the bottom of his heart, "Keep it up, kid. You are one of the best high school yers I''ve ever seen."


    From that point on, Yu Fei was no longer an ignored sign in high school basketball. He became a notable name, one that scouts would observe under a magnifying ss regardless of where he yed.


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "I love Toronto and Vince, but I adore the championship even more. Ondo can bring me closer to it," Tracy McGrady told a reporter from The Ondo Sentinel.


    "Patrick is a great yer, and once the timees, we will seize the victory to win. Basketball is unpredictable; sometimes, you have the best yers and still fail to win," we can consider that the Knicks are willing to wait another year to see if Ewing can regain his form; if Ewing wants to leave, let him. However, other teams in the Eastern Conference are recruiting, and both Miami and Ondo are sharpening their ws. It won''t be easy for the Knicks to win the championship; opportunities are fleeting. So, the Knicks should make up their minds to turn the page and start anew. ¡ª¡ª The New York Times


    "It wouldn''t surprise me if these high school students dere for the 2001 NBA Draft: Eddie Curry, Kevin Torbert, Kwame Brown, DaJuan Wagner, Tyson Chandler, Ousmane Cisse (PF), Julius Hodge (SF), Desagana Diop, Rick Rickert (PF), and David Lee." ¡ª¡ª Special Edition of Sports Illustrated: Faces in the Crowd


    "The Seattle Nike regional invitation tournament concluded yesterday, with the eleventh grader Frye being chosen as the MVP. Could this kid from Kent City be the first NBA yer from the region?" ¡ª¡ª Special Edition of Sports Illustrated: High School Basketball Roundup


    Thanks to jamesxu-SBZ for the Sovereign reward, and also thanks to KWRCZJQ, Naya is Watching You, Seeking 3999, King of Supreme Imperial Jade Emperor of Heaven Equaling Heaven, Little Bear Hands Up 7777777, Fankun, Wind of Autumn Twilight, Spontaneous Combusion of Wood, M Xuan, I am Mai Mai Lang, Forever Loyal to Pepsi, Stranger from Akagi, Deer Who Loves Crunching, Student Xiao Mo a, Little Wolf Ah Little Wolf Ah, Educate Me Murong, McGrady Moments, rx78, August Nan Su, Purple Night Longing for their rewards.


    PS: Please rmend and follow, it''s really important to me

 Chapter 11: 9 You know, Brandon Roy is my good brother.

    ```


    Yu Fei spent hisst night in Seattle at Brandon Roy''s house.


    It was initially Roy''s invitation, as he was a Seattle local and the Nike regional invitation tournament was taking ce in Northwest Seattle, right near his home.


    After talking it over with Hank Sylvan, Yu Fei went home with Roy.


    The main reason Yu Fei epted Roy''s invitation was that they got along well. Roy did not fit Yu Fei''s stereotype of African Americans; he was humble, polite, considerate, and did not use regional ng or pepper his speech with "yo" or "what''s up" constantly.


    From this perspective, Roy''s behavior was more akin to that of white people.


    Due to the negative coverage of African Americans in his previous life''s domestic news, Yu Fei had a bit of a stereotypical bias against them, even though he was friends with someone like Anthony Lawson, a pure African American. The impression hadn''t dissipated.


    This was where Roy was valuable; his personality matched Yu Fei''s, and hecked the African American traits Yu Fei disliked.


    Then there were two secondary reasons. Roy was the only person in the camp that Yu Fei was certain could make it to the NBA in the future, and he was curious about what life was like for a future NBA all-star before bing famous.


    What he found was somewhat surprising.


    Unlike the typical Hollywood rags-to-riches stories prevalent in the NBA, Roy''s life was quite ordinary. His father, Tony, was a city bus driver outside the Seattle Metro Station, often leaving for work at 5 a.m. and returning home at 7 p.m. Roy''s mother, Gina, worked at a cafeteria, frequently providing free lunches to kids who couldn''t afford them.


    By this measure, Roy was already winning much more than most African Americans¡ªhe at least had a father.


    In this regard, even Yu Fei was losing out.


    Roy''s family wasn''t wealthy, but they never struggled. The hardest times saw the family of six squeezed into a two-bedroom apartment or living in the grandmother''s house on Beacon Hill. But Roy never felt his lifecked anything.


    When Roy asked about Yu Fei''s family, Yu Fei simply responded, "I live with my mom. Um, I don''t feel I''m missing out on anything."


    Roy didn''t ask about Yu Fei''s dad because Yu Fei didn''t mention him.


    Normally, there are only a few situations in which a dad would be missing from this scenario.


    A, He''s dead, for whatever reason.


    B, He''s divorced from his wife and doesn''t care about the family.


    C, He''s an irresponsible piece of human trash.


    Roy steered away from topics that would make both him and Yu Fei ufortable, and after dinner, they sat in the room andunched into a heated debate about the Greatest of All Time.


    As a lifelong Seattleite, Roy had been a Supersonics fan since he was a child and didn''t like Jordan.


    So, he directly cursed Jordan''s stint as a Wizards GM: "I can say with certainty that MJ has already failed halfway in Washington!"


    Yu Fei, eating the snacks Roy''s mother had sent over, smiled and asked, "How so?"


    At that moment, Roy''s face disyed one of the mostplex expressions Yu Fei had ever seen. There was a sense of Schadenfreude over Jordan''s impending failure, a fleeting review of painful memories, and a wariness of Jordan''s dominance.


    The mix of emotions crafted Roy''s expression at that moment; he tried tough but couldn''t quite do it, and he tried to make a bold prediction butcked the confidence.


    "Because he has never lost before!" Roy''s statement was more philosophical than predictive.


    Yu Fei didn''t want to y the prophet, so he said, "But he''s the biggest asshole of all time, you can''t underestimate him."


    "Exactly, he''s the most detestable asshole of all time!" Roy''s words and expressions were filled with the kind of wariness encountered by those who had been dominated by Jordan.


    "Whenever you think he''s gone as far as he can go, he rises to an even greater level of asshole!"


    True, but to be fair, although the ''96 Supersonics had no chance of winning the series against the Bulls, they did manage to turn Jordan into Kobe through Ron Harper''s "X-rated defense." That was the championship Jordan relied on his teammates the most. The Bulls, having seized the match point early, were overturned two games in a row by the Supersonics, yet this incidentally led to the storybook ending of Jordan''s Father''s Day championship victory.


    Inter years, the media tended to hype up the narrative that "Jordan deliberately lost two games to set up the Father''s Day championship," by then the Supersonics fans were numb and unreactive. Their team had been stolen from them after 2008.


    With the team gone, what was the point of revisiting the past?


    The part about Jordan that Roy hated the most was this. Jordan''s team had overhyped the Father''s Day championship win to the point that the poster of Jordan clutching a basketball while mourning his deceased father in the locker room was extremely popr for a while.


    "Have you seen that poster? It''s the most shameless piece of hype I''ve ever seen! Anyone with insight could tell that the shoes under Michael''s feet were brand-new; he was totally selling his shoes!"


    Hmm... Yu Fei admired Roy''s insight, much like he admired those who noticed that LeBron only read the introduction of books every time he was photographed reading.


    But this alone couldn''t prove that the GOAT was using his deceased father to sell shoes, right? Unless something as dubious as LeBron''s afterthoughts on Malcolm X''s autobiography urred¢Å.


    After the fierce critique of Jordan, Roy talked about his ns for the future.


    He nned to continue ying in AAU games with the Five Tigers Team.


    Moreover, Roy also invited Yu Fei to join the Five Tigers Team.


    ```


    ```


    It was clear that this had been Roy''s initial n.


    In terms of skill, Roy definitely belonged to the top tier of high school basketball yers, but their frontcourtcked dominance. If Yu Fei could join, then the strength of the Five Tigers Team would undergo a qualitative change; they could even hold their own in those fiercelypetitive AAU tournaments in California.


    "Thank you for the invitation, Brandon, but I must decline," Yu Fei said, having finished the pastries made by Roy''s mother by himself. "Because I have other ns afterward."


    Roy continued to persuade, "Fi, you''ve just made a name for yourself and need to keep building on it through AAU tournaments. Otherwise, I can guarantee that in less than half a month, people will forget about you."


    Yu Fei believed in the hype power of the AAU, but he did not need it now.


    The goal of participating in the Nike regional invitational had been fully achieved; through thispetition, at least, Yu Fei''s status as a top high school yer in the State of Washington had been established.


    In the following months, although there would be AAU tournaments everywhere, aside from increasing Yu Fei''s college offers and improving his high school ranking, they would not be of any other help.


    Going to college had always been Yu Fei''s backup choice.


    His goal was to go straight from high school to the NBA.


    The halo of "top high school yer in the State of Washington" was a ticket for him.


    A ticket to the status of a top high school yer nationwide.


    If he could be one of the top high school yers in the country by the following year, he would have the qualifications to skip college, register for the 2001 draft, and be selected in the first round by an NBA team.


    Before that, Yu Fei needed to continue his internal training.


    His physical fitness problems had yet to bepletely resolved, his fundamentals in the paint needed further consolidation, and shooting was the weak point he would focus on for his senior season.


    With so many weaknesses to address, a multitude of games was not beneficial for Yu Fei at the moment.


    Roy, unable to convince Yu Fei, sighed and couldn''t help feeling regretful.


    But after all, it was a matter of personal will, and could not be forced.


    Then, Roy brought up another matter, "Fi, have you heard of the ABCD Camp?"


    Yu Fei looked puzzled.


    "It''s the best training camp in the country," exined Roy. "KG, Kobe, Tracy McGrady¡ªall became famous there."


    Yu Fei asked, "Have you participated?"


    "I was invited this year, but I didn''t dare to go..." said Roy with a look of regret. "I wasn''t in good form at the time. But next year, I definitely want to go. If I perform well at the ABCD Camp, maybe I''ll go straight to the NBA draft after high school."


    Yu Fei had not expected Roy to have such a n.


    He had always thought of Roy as someone who would dutifully go to college; to think that Roy also contemted skipping college?


    Is that something you should be contemting?


    "Don''t you want to go to college?"


    Yu Fei asked.


    "Of course, I do,"


    Roy answered.


    "Yet you still want to skip college and go straight to the NBA draft?"


    "The premise of going to college is to have a college to go to..." Roy turned into a pessimist. "If I have a 10% chance of making it to the NBA directly from high school, then my chances of getting into college are zero."


    Although there were differences between the Chinese and American curric, after transmigrating, Yu Fei quickly adapted to the high school courses and could be said to have managed both training and study without dropping the ball. He could not believe that Roy''s reason for not being able to go to college was insufficient grades.


    Despite wanting tough, seeing as he had enjoyed the pastries made by Roy''s mother, Yu Fei held back and said, "Hmm... Brandon, I''m sorry to hear that."


    ¢Å "Uh, I started reading about a few days ago, and over these years, I read a lot of books. This is the first time I''ve read this book from beginning to end. Uh, Ma was a very... a very intelligent man, extremely, extremely, extremely smart. In fact, uh, the things he said and did in the ''60s, what happened in that era, it''s still happening now. He also let me know how powerful ck people can be; our power is strong, but we need to unite, present a united front, because there will always be challenges, and challenges will weaken us, make us feel that ck people are not kings and queens, he is a person of powerful thought."¡ªLeBron James'' reflections after reading the autobiography of Ma X¢Æ.


    ¢Æ A podcaster asked Richard Jefferson, "Richard, does LeBron really like reading books in the locker room?"


    Jefferson replied, "Honestly, he just likes scribbling on them¢Ç."


    ¢Ç I think this is the only exnation for why he read a book and came up with such a jumbled reflection.


    ```

 Chapter 12: 10 The High School Student Who Comes Once Every 50 Years

    After returning to Kent from Seattle, Yu Fei''s life quietly began to change.


    Calls from First Division League colleges starteding to Yu Fei''s house.


    In most cases, it was Yu Fenglin who answered the phone.


    Initially, Yu Fenglin, mistaking the university recruiters'' overly ingratiating tone for deceit, presumed them to be con artists.


    Then, the phone calls grew more frequent, from all sorts of universities.


    One day, Yu Fenglin found an offer from the University of Washington in her mailbox, which greatly surprised her and led her to reassess her son and the incessant calls to their home.


    Yu Fenglin never expected her son to amount to much.


    It wasn''t that she didn''t have aspirations for her child; rather, she had sensed early on that he wouldn''t achieve greatness and would be grateful if he could simply take over her shop in West City peacefully.


    Lately, these recruitment calls, akin to scam calls, kept painting a future for her son as if he were a future superstar.


    They said that Yu Fei could y professional basketball.


    If he went to their school, he would be better prepared before entering professional basketball.


    When Yu Fenglin determined these calls weren''t scams, her view of her son did a 180-degree turn.


    Yet she still did not interfere with Yu Fei''sings and goings.


    Every day when Yu Fei came home, Yu Fenglin would tell him how many colleges had called.


    And Yu Fei''s response was always, "Mom, just deal with them."


    This damn kid, always making things difficult for his mother. If I knew how to handle it, would I still be worried?


    Yu Fenglin privately sought advice from many people.


    But the issue was that she knew mostly Asians or fellow Chinese living in the United States; neither the Chinese nor the Asians ever imagined their children ying professional basketball.


    They hoped their children would grow up to bewyers or doctors.


    Only ck families would hope for their children to change their destinies through sports.


    Yu Fenglin was open-minded enough; she allowed her son to be a wastrel, but to her surprise, in less than six months, the kid seemed to have transformedpletely.


    As Yu Fei''s life changed, Yu Fenglin also had no choice but to change.


    She began looking up information online, trying to figure out how to deal with the annoying college recruitment calls.


    Ironically, the most reliable advice she found online was to change the phone number...


    But she also found some information online¡ªonly high school stars with brilliant futures would be pursued by college basketball teams. For such individuals, attending college wasn''t the issue; choosing which one was the challenge.


    Yu Fenglin, who once thought her son had no brighter future than attendingmunity college and living an insignificant life, experienced the second most profound shock of her life.


    ¡ù¡ù¡ù


    Yu Fei was unaware of the emotional roller coaster his mother had been on during this period.


    And it wasn''t just his mother who felt life was changing; he himself sensed a profound shift.


    He was no longer known as "the tallest guy in school," but rather as "Big Fei, who might y in the NBA in the future," or "K-M''s Big Fei."


    Anthony Lawson once wanted to make Yu Fei the captain of the next team.


    But Yu Fei was well aware of his limitations; he had been on the school team for less than half a year and hadn''t yed in a single official game for the school. Why would he qualify as captain? So, even though Lawson tried to step down three times, Yu Fei never epted.


    After returning to Kent, Yu Fei found himself a local celebrity.


    Sports Illustrated reported on him.


    The city newspaper of Kent reported on him too.


    A local television station in Seattle wanted to have him on their show.


    Suddenly, Yu Fei became a moving symbol of the region.


    As long as he was in Kent, wherever he went, he would be recognized.


    "You''re the basketball legend of Kent Meridian High School, Big Fei?"


    When someone said this to Yu Fei, he felt so awkward he wished he could dig a hole and bury himself.


    That''s the downside of bing famous.


    But there were also plenty of upsides, the most noticeable being that Yu Fei''s rate of getting free meals in Kent City shot up dramatically.


    Then, his poprity with the school''s females also started climbing at an extremely ferocious pace.


    Yu Fei wasn''t celibate; he just had never seen a woman at school who caught his eye.


    This had to do with his taste in aesthetics.


    It goes back to his previous life when his ssmates in the car club were discussing which of the dark industry teachers from the ind nation was the best¡ªsome said Mikami, some said Aoi, some said Kizaki, while some went retro talking about Matsushima and Aoi, and Yu Fei quietlymented, "Ang White is the greatest!"


    If you understand and agree with this statement, congrattions, your preference is aligned with Yu Fei''s. If you don''t know these two, or you do but disagree, then congrattions, your taste is rtively normal, and you would never encounter the troubles Yu Fei faces.


    If we have to detail these two styles, it''s like one could join a dark industry version of "Sister Wave," and the other couldpete in a dark industry natural European cup size contest.


    And without any scandals, while others could form a group in the dark industry''s "Sister Wave," Ang White might barely make it into the top 15 of the dark industry natural European cuppetition history.


    Neither style is mainstream in the United States at the moment.


    "American Pie" debuted two years ago, contributing an epic pop culture term to the general public¡ªMILF. But it would still take some time for MILF to be a trend, while thedies withrge cups still suffered from the influence of Jane Fonda''s nationwide fitness craze from the 1980s.


    Slim aesthetics are still mainstream.


    Therefore, the chances of Yu Fei finding a woman he liked in Kent were almost nonexistent.


    Luckily, he wasn''t in the mood for that at the moment.


    After returning from Seattle, Yu Fei started a new round of intense training.


    But Yu Fei had no time to rest; he had to build the stamina to handle most of a full-court game before his senior year.


    He needed to continue to consolidate his fundamentals in the paint.


    His shooting training, however, hit a standstill.


    Neither Yu Fei nor Selvan knew what kind of shooting form was right.


    In half a month, Yu Fei tried many shooting forms, but none feltfortable.


    Having no other choice, Selvan had to seek help from former yers who had graduated.


    Quint DiMio was a legendary figure in the history of Kent Meridian High School.


    In the barren basketball history of K-M, there was only one instance of breaking out of Kent and advancing to the 4A Championship elimination games in the State of Washington.


    That was back in 1995 when DiMio, a senior, carried the Royal Team to the state championship stage with a versatile core performance averaging 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists per game.


    DiMio was a 180cm shooting guard, and with neither his height nor his position having professional prospects, his talent was enough for the high school level.


    DiMio was known for his shooting and once hit three ultra-long three-pointers in a row in a game. There was also a campus legend about him receiving an inbounds pass from a teammate and nailing an ultra-long three-pointer at the buzzer to defeat their opponent.


    Even such a character could only secure offers from second-division leagues, ending up sitting on the bench for four years and graduating without a sound.


    As impressive as his high school career was, his college career was just as unremarkable.


    After college, DiMio stayed at the university as an assistant coach, which is the ideal job for most basketball specialistscking professional prospects.


    When DiMio heard from Selvan that K-M had a once-in-fifty-years genius, he thought it was just bragging.


    "You don''t believe it? Thene and see for yourself. I guarantee that if you y one-on-one with him, you won''t score a single point!"


    "Alright, alright!" DiMio thus bought a ticket to go home, "I want to see for myself what this once-in-fifty-years high school student is capable of!"


    Thanks to Xiangyang Yijiu, Silent Lamb, Wounded Fireworks, Light Blue Love, and Spartacus Bus 2 for their rewards; thank you for the support.


    Asking for follow-ups, rmendations, and monthly tickets... As for inted praise like the starry sky, that, I don''t want¡ªNOOOO!!!


    PS: Lately, many have been asking me if there''s a future for men''s basketball.


    My answer is: Join me in making a wish for Guo Haowen, Zeng Fanbo, Cui Yongxi, Wang Junjie, and Yang Hanshen to reach their potential, and for Zhao Weilun to grow an additional 5-10 centimeters. What, you''re an atheist? Well then, you should wish even more. If atheists start making wishes, then aside from bouncing back from rock bottom, men''s basketball can only end up perpetually terrible like the national ser team, and you wouldn''t want that oue, right? If not, then hurry and join our wishing brigade. Even if it''s not effective, life isn''t just about basketball. Dreams can be realized in basketball stories, and we all want to be champions in life, to win!

 Chapter 13: 11 There Will Never Be Another Day Like This

    Quentin DiMio, intent on mentoring his underssmen and solidifying his own legendary status at Kent Meridian, returned to his hometown. When he met Yu Fei, he could hardly believe that such a shoddy school like KM could attract a student who appeared to have such extraordinary static talent.


    However, basketball isn''t a game you can y well just by having height and long arms.


    DiMio still believed that his own skills were sufficient to coach Yu Fei.


    Yu Fei did not give his senior face, and the one-on-one game concluded with a score of 11 to 0.


    DiMio waspletely suffocated under Yu Fei''s defense and couldn''t find any opportunity to score.


    It was during the one-on-one with Yu Fei that DiMio discovered a terrifying talent of his: theteral speed that could actually keep up with himself.


    It should be known that DiMio was only six feet tall. Although not absolutely fast, he was not someone that ordinary big men could keep up with.


    If Yu Fei could keep up with him, he could keep up with anyone.


    DiMio''s mind went nk, unable to believe that Kent Meridian had recruited a yer with top-notch static and dynamic talent.


    "What grade are you in this year?" DiMio thought Yu Fei was a lowerssman.


    That was normal; East Asians with their youthful appearance all looked like kids to Caucasians.


    "I''ll be a senior soon," said Yu Fei.


    DiMio, shocked, turned to Sylvan. He wanted to know why Sylvan had only now told him about such a figure at Kent Meridian.


    Unexpectedly, Sylvan also had a look of helplessness because exining this matter would take a long time.


    DiMio had seen the world; he knew that Yu Fei''s talent was sufficient to knock on the doors of the NBA.


    Therefore, when Sylvan asked him to be Yu Fei''s shooting coach, he agreed.


    This was not out of kindness; both DiMio and Sylvan didn''t want to continue wasting their lives on a sinking basketball tform.


    If Yu Fei eventually made it into the NBA, having been Yu Fei''s shooting coach would be an indelible mark on DiMio''s resume.


    With DiMio joining, the overhaul n for Yu Fei''s shooting technique entered a new phase.


    DiMio put forth the term "shooting mechanics."


    The so-called shooting mechanics can be understood as theplete set of movements from lifting the ball from the chest to above the head, and the basic principle that underpins these mechanics ¨C the power generation of shooting ¨C is whether the foot corresponding to the shooting hand exerts force during the shot, thereby creating the timing for the shot.


    Yu Fei''s dominant hand was naturally his right, so mastering the timing of power generation from the bottom of his right foot (for jumping) when shooting was the key.


    Yu Fei started to constantly adjust his shooting technique.


    Moreover, he had a special request.


    The new shooting technique should not only serve for catch-and-shoot situations, but when he decided to increase his scoring threat in the future ¨C for instance, when he wanted to pull up for a jump shot after a dribble ¨C the existing shooting mechanics should bepatible with the mechanics required for dribble-pull-up shots.


    Since the rhythms of catch-and-shooting and dribble-shooting arepletely different, finding a shooting technique that suits both rhythms was no easy task.


    Yu Fei and DiMio spent three days to adjust and find the most suitable posture.


    From then on, Yu Fei''s summer training officially began.


    Shooting training became the top priority, followed by post moves training, and only then came the physical conditioning.


    Coach Anxi once set a 7-day, 20,000-ball n for Sakuragi to quickly master the mid-range shot, which worked out to more than 2,800 balls a day on average.


    Yu Fei wasn''t that crazy, but his regimen was still intense.


    Starting on July 20, Yu Fei performed 600 mid to long-range shooting exercises every day (counted whether the shots went in or not),bined with basic post moves training and physical conditioning, he spent the most exhausting summer vacation of his life.


    In early September, the new school year began, and Yu Fei officially became a senior.


    During the summer, Yu Fei tanned quite a bit, but his improvements were significant.


    "Ah Fei, did you buy thest issue of ''Sports Illustrated''?" Lin Kaiwen asked while taking out thetest issue of the magazine.


    Yu Fei said with a faint smile, "I''ve been quite busy recently..."


    "You have to see it; ''Sports Illustrated'' ranked you in the top 50 in the nation!" Lin Kaiwen said, "Moreover, they said that if it weren''t for you ying too few games in thest few months, there were even people who wanted to rank you in the top 30 nationwide!"


    Yu Fei was only concerned about one thing, "Who''s number one in the nation?"


    "Eddie Curry!"


    Eddie Curry? Yu Fei had heard this name more than once.


    Forgive his ignorance, but among the people he knew, the NBA yers named Curry were only the Golden State Dunk King and his brother.


    This Eddie Curry was aplete stranger to him.


    That wasn''t surprising, as there have been plenty of overshadowed number ones in America.


    Yu Fei went to ss as before.


    But when sses ended, more and more people actively sought to chat with him, wanting to get close to him.


    Moreover, half of the poption here were girls.


    Given the overall attractiveness of the girls at K-M, it would be difficult for Yu Fei to find a date before he graduated. To avoid annoying flirtations, he would head to the basketball court whenever he had time.


    Like previous years, the Royal Team weed some fresh blood this year, but they were all of average talent.


    Even with someone like Yu Fei, no one woulde study at this "mountain prison" for his sake.


    However, Selvan never really counted on the freshmen to strengthen the team''s power anyway.


    You could say that all their hopes rested on Yu Fei.


    Apart from the freshmen, the coaching staff of the Royal Team also weed a new face.


    That was Quentin DiMio, who had spent the summer helping Yu Fei train.


    DiMio had quit his college job and returned to his high school alma mater to be a humble assistant coach¡ªnot to seed Selvan.


    In a way, DiMio had be Yu Fei''s personal coach.


    He just needed a legitimate role to participate in the Royal Team''s daily training.


    At the same time, DiMio also became an important consultant for Yu Fei''s mother.


    In terms of choosing schools, DiMio made a bolder hypothesis to Yu Fei''s mother, "Madam, don''t rush to choose a college. If Fei is outstanding enough, maybe he can skip college and go straight to the NBA."


    This prospect was so dreamy that Yu Fenglin had already imagined how much her life would change when that day arrived.


    Would that day reallye?


    The ancients said that a mother''s status is elevated by her son''s sess. Would she also have such a day?


    She didn''t know, she could only wait.


    The first training of the new season for the Kent Meridian High School Royal Team started in a cheerful atmosphere.


    Selvan had everyone share their goals for the new season. When it was Anthony Lawson''s turn, he hesitated, "Getting into the elimination round of the state championship?"


    "Big Tony, we have Big Fei, who''s among the top 40 high school yers nationwide. Just getting into the state championship elimination round is enough?" a veteran of the same grade teased Lawson.


    Lawson''s nostrils red, a result of a sharp intake of breath, "Well then, what would be a good enough result?"


    "No, you''re the captain, you tell us."


    Cornered, Lawson stomped his foot and shouted a grand aspiration that past captains of the Royal Team dared not wish for, "We''re going for the champion of Washington State!"


    "Hmm, hmm..." Yu Fei nodded, "I''d have more confidence if you could talk with less sniffling."


    Half a monthter, the Royal Team faced the Kent School District''s preliminary matches.


    Because the Kent School District was weaker in basketball andcked the atmosphere, it didn''t have the qualifications to participate directly in the city championship. Only two of the four 4A high schools would get a spot in the new season''s city championship.


    Last year, the Royal Team had started with two consecutive defeats, losing the qualification for the city championship, and then lost to Burton High School, another underperforming team, in the third- and fourth-ce ranking match, ending up in fourth ce with ignominy.


    The Royal Team''s first match in the preliminaries was against Kentwood High School, who had been the dominant force in the Kent School District for the past five years. The reasons were simple:pared to K-M, which was built on a mountain like a prison, they were in a better location, had better student sources, and received decent yers every year who were game-ready.


    And even though K-M had Yu Fei, one of the top 40 high school yers in the nation, Kentwood High School wouldn''t just roll over.


    "As soon as that Chinese guy gets the ball, the two closest yers to him should double team immediately! Just handle him, and the others will be easy to deal with!" the coach of Kentwood High School made such a deployment.


    Unfortunately for them, Yu Fei was not the type of inside yer they imagined who only knew how to drive to the basket.


    The double-teaming tactic of Kentwood High School waspletely shattered by Yu Fei''s passing.


    From the moment Kentwood High School''s core strategy failed, every method they used against Yu Fei became ineffective.


    No matter what kind of yer matched up against him, Yu Fei had a solution.


    Even if they risked setting up a fake zone defense, it was no use; Yu Fei took the opportunity to test the results of his 600 shots a day during the summer.


    In this game, Yu Fei didn''t actively go inside. All of his points in the paint came from fast-breaks. Instead, he made 14 shots from the outside. Because he was on fire, he made 8 of them, scoring a wild 45 points, grabbing 20 rebounds, dishing out 13 assists, and blocking 9 shots by the end of the game.


    Kent Meridian High School won against Kentwood High School with a 46-point lead, opening a new chapter in the history of high school basketballpetition in Kent School District.


    At the end of the game, the coach of Kentwood High School was grinding his teeth in frustration at having a yer like Yu Fei on the Royal Team.


    Why? How could thisst-ce junk of a team fromst year be so strong just because it added a top high school yer?


    Hank Sylvan jogged over to his old rival with a big, cheeky grin on his face. Seeing his expression as if he had been screwed over by fate, he felt an immense satisfaction.


    It was the best day of the year...


    "You know, if Frye were on our team, he would go even further," the head coach of Kentwood High School said sorely.


    Hearing this, Sylvan climaxed in his mind for a few seconds before losing himself in pride, "No, even on our team, he would be enough to win the champion of Washington State. We at Kent Meridian High School will be the first team in the Kent School District to win the state championship!"


    The other coach''s face, full of jealousy and undeniable envy, gave Sylvan the greatest satisfaction of his life. This wasn''t just the best day of the year; it was the best day of his life.


    Such a day would nevere again.

 Chapter 14: 12 Frye is Next

    Yu Fei''s dominant performance at Kentwood High School swept through Kent City like the wind.


    The statistics of 45 points, 20 rebounds, 13 assists, and 9 blocks were absurd, but Yu Fei believed that any top 40 high school yer in the United States could achieve such a performance in this kind of game.


    Moreover, Kentwood High School was their strongestpetitor in the Kent School District.


    In the remaining two games, he could easily put up even better numbers if he wanted to.


    Yu Fei did not revel in the joy of crushing weak opponents.


    After ying against Kentwood High School, he felt he still had plenty of energy left, so he went back to school to train for an additional two hours.


    After nearly half a year of training, Yu Fei''s physical fitness was no longer an issue.


    He could now easily handle a full game.


    When he went back to school for extra training, Quentin DiMio mentioned something unusual to Yu Fei, "Fi, did you notice those people with cameras on the sidelines today?"


    While practicing his dribbling and jump shots, Yu Fei asked, "Seem like college scouts, right?"


    Attention from college basketball was nothing new.


    Although Yu Fei hadn''t officially visited any college yet, there were always colleges from the Pu Xin that proactively offered him full schrships, harboring some fantasies.


    "If those college coaches could see your highlight reel from today''s game, I believe you''d receive 50 offers tomorrow," DiMio said.


    "Isn''t that a bit exaggerated?"


    Yu Fei responded nonchntly.


    DiMio was probably the first person to see through Yu Fei''s thoughts.


    "Right, for a talent like you, going to college would be a waste of time. It''s more practical to enter the NBA as soon as possible," DiMio said.


    DiMio''s words made Yu Fei stop what he was doing.


    He looked at DiMio and asked with a smile, "Is that what you think?"


    DiMio countered, "Don''t you think the same?"


    Yu Fei just smiled, without answering.


    DiMio felt he had an understanding.


    He was sure that Yu Fei shared his thoughts, which excited him.


    Although Yu Fei had no intention of building his own team, the few T1-level high schoolers at the top of the pyramid all had arge group of people strategizing for them.


    DiMio wanted to be Yu Fei''s assistant, but he also knew he had to prove he could be of help to Yu Fei.


    Yu Fei didn''t have time to guess DiMio''s thoughts. After school started, the intensity of his training dropped a little because the team had daily practices and games to y.


    In his free time when not ying basketball, Yu Fei would read some books.


    Unlike James, who would sometimes color in the books as he read, Yu Fei seriously read several sports biographies.


    This helped him understand the era.


    The book he was currently reading was titled "Born to Believe," the autobiography of former Raptors coach Butch Carter.


    To many fans, Butch Carter was an utterly unknown figure. He had a mediocre career as a yer and, as a coach, only led the Raptors for three years before leaving the front line.


    History was full of people like him.


    However, coincidentally, the time when Carter caused the most trouble was precisely the period when Yu Fei had just arrived through time travel.


    He witnessed Carter''sst madness in Toronto.


    Carter''s troublemaking skills, among the coaches Yu Fei had seen in both his past and present lives, were quite explosive. When the team started doing well, he sued Marcus Camby, who had once yed for him, for US$5 million for nder. Then, during a losing streak, he criticized the veterans on the team forcking leadership and cut their ying time. When he realized he was gradually losing control of the team and no one was willing to follow his lead, he wrongly thought his authority was insufficient, so he shamelessly applied to the team owner for higher powers¡ª"Hey, Boss, is the general manager position vacant? How about this, don''t assign me a general manager; I''ll do both the general manager and coach jobs."


    His final move angered the de facto general manager (Vice President and Assistant General Manager) of the Raptors, Glenn Grunwald, led to the team''s disintegration, and Carter was swiftly fired after the season ended. Less than half a monthter, it was announced that his personal autobiography would be listed on Amazon.


    Carter might be an idiot, but that didn''t stop Yu Fei from buying his autobiography.


    Because Yu Fei felt that he would definitely y in the NBA in the future, and his luck couldn''t be so good that he''d only encounter wise coaches and management throughout his entire career.


    He needed to see these negative examples of coaches and GMs to understand how their foolishness was triggered through what sort of thought processes.


    Unfortunately, it was a boring autobiography. Carter skillfully avoided his real-life mistakes, extensively discussing the hardships and difficulties of ck athletes achieving the American dream. He also tantly betrayed his college coach, Bob Knight, using Knight of openly calling Isiah Thomas the N-word during practice.


    At that time, Knight was at a historical low point regarding his personal reputation. Last spring, the release of a videotape showing Knight''s choking of former yer Neil Reed sparked an investigation by the university, after which Indiana University President, Myles Brand, announced that the school would implement a new "zero tolerance policy." If Knight made another mistake, he would be fired immediately.


    Yu Fei did not want to link these two events together because it seemed like Carter was kicking Knight when he was down and using the race card to promote his autobiography. But considering Carter''s character at the Raptors and the involved party Thomas''s categorical denial of Knight calling him the N-word, it only proved that Carter was indeed the asshole Yu Fei thought he was.

 Chapter 15: 12 Frye is Next_2

    However, Yu Fei had never expected, and neither had Carter, that this minor incident was but an ignored pre-warning before Knight fell into the abyss.


    Yu Fei continued his journey through the preliminary rounds.


    The next day, Kent Meridian High School had a back-to-back game against Kent Lake Borton High School.


    After the rise of K-M, this school, which fought a tough game to secure the third ce in Kent School District''s preliminariesst year, became easy prey.


    The oue of the match was never in doubt.


    The only change was at the sidelines.


    Yu Fenglin came to watch Yu Fei''s game in person for the first time.


    And Quint DiMio from the Royal Team, at his own expense, bought a portable camcorder to capture Yu Fei''s highlights.


    Since the opponent was too weak, Yu Fei only yed for 20 minutes but still managed to effortlessly score 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 blocks.


    The Royal Team achieved two consecutive victories, securing first ce in the Kent School District in advance, and qualified for the city championship.


    DiMio''s camcorder caught the attention of many.


    90% of the footage he captured featured Yu Fei; he turned the remaining 10% belonging to other yers into a video, which he yed in Selvan''s office to the delight of the Royal Team. As for Yu Fei''s highlights, he decided to save them up gradually and, when he could edit a 5-minute highlight reel, send it off to those influential organizations.


    The entire process, from the cost of the camcorder to all the follow-up work, were financed andpleted by DiMio alone.


    Yu Fei took note of his dedication.


    Yu Fei knew that if he wanted to skip college and enter the NBA draft directly, having a supportive entourage was essential, and since DiMio was so dedicated and a pleasant person to be around, why not make him part of his team?


    Yu Fei didn''t initiate a heart-to-heart with DiMio.


    DiMio continued to work for him, and Yu Fei still asked for his help in training, but he started to spend more time with DiMio normally.


    They would chat, discuss current affairs, and treat each other to meals.


    When Yu Fei took the initiative to invite DiMio to his home for dinner, DiMio knew he was in.


    Two dayster, on thest day of Kent School District''s preliminaries, DiMio told Yu Fei before the game that many First Division League coaches hade specifically for him.


    "Put on a good show, it''s showtime!"


    Before the game, DiMio said, carrying the camcorder.


    Thus, Yu Fei asked Selvan for 28 minutes of ying time, and also, he wanted to handle more than half of the team''s shooting rights.


    An official high school match has only 8 minutes per quarter, ying for 28 minutes meant Yu Fei could rest for at most 1 minute each quarter.


    Selvan, seeing the setup at the venue, understood the reason behind Yu Fei''s excitement.


    He simply shrugged, "Be careful not to get injured."


    Yu Fei started by making an opening jumper, then stole the opponent''s pass for a fast-break dunk, and followed it with a block and another fast-break m.


    He began to dominate the court, from the frontcourt to the backcourt, his presence was everywhere.


    What was most terrifying was that he was particrly on form today, sinking all of his first 10 shots. This surge in confidence made each of his three-pointerse from further out than thest.


    He sunk 6 three-pointers in a row, then returned to the standard three-point line to shoot another, only to miss.


    ```


    So what? Yu Fei felt the shot wouldn''t go in as he released it, so he immediately rushed in after shooting. The long rebound from his three-point attempt almost instantlynded in his hands. It was just like that jaw-dropping footage of Viktor Wembanyama before the draft¡ªtaking a shot from downtown, missing, grabbing his own rebound, and then finishing with a dunk.


    For the scouts and coaches in attendance, today''s opponent offered no reference value.


    But most of them had seen Yu Fei''s performance a few months ago at the Nike regional invitational.


    What they could be sure of was that Yu Fei didn''t have such a rich arsenal of skills back then.


    Especially this shooting skill; it was much better than before.


    The low intensity of the game and the inferior level of the opponents might exin some things, but not this shot.


    It showed that Yu Fei had been improving.


    At halftime, many college coaches wanted to chat with Yu Fei.


    But Yu Fei merely nodded at them and then walked away.


    Then, someone noticed something terrifying, "Frye scored 34 points in the first half?"


    "Could he hit 100 points?"


    Yu Fei didn''t score 100 points, as the game quickly descended into garbage time with the opponent''s line crumpling.


    Yu Fei, initially ted for 28 minutes of y, could no longer bear to pad his stats with a 50-point lead staring him down.


    Just like that, he sat out the rest of the game.


    In just 24 minutes, he shed 48 points, 18 rebounds, and 5 blocks; everyone saw his improvement, especially Gary Smith from "Sports Illustrated."


    Yu Fei''s performance quickened his pulse.


    After Yu Fei left the court, his dominant aura still lingered, reminiscent of Tiger Woods in 1996 or Mike Tyson in 1988.


    Smith had not witnessed Michael Jordan in 1984 or other legends who dominated their fields in person, but he believed they all shared amon trait¡ªa presence that enshrouded the room.


    "Is Frye the next one?"


    Smith rapidly wrote down the sentence in his notebook.


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "In any other NBA city, hiring the 62-year-old Lenny Wilkens as a coach might be seen as a step backward. But not in Toronto, where Wilkens is hailed as a savior. This most sessful coach in league history has brought immediate stability to a fledgling team that underwent three coaching changes in five years." ¡ª "Toronto Star"


    "David Falk''s threat to the Clippers did not work, and after months of tug-of-war, Donald Sterling got Darius Miles into his estate as desired." ¡ª "Los Angeles Times"


    "With Jerry West stepping down, the Los Angeles Lakers have entered a new era." ¡ª "Los Angeles Daily News"


    "The controversial 29-year reign of Bob Knight at Indiana University dramatically ended after he gave an impolite student a lesson in manners1." ¡ª "Sports Illustrated"


    "Good morning, Kent City, yesterday afternoon, Frye, a senior at Kent Meridian High School, scored 48 points in the Kent School District basketball game." ¡ª Kent City Broadcast


    1 The incident went like this: an impolite student called Bob Knight by his name directly, and then Knight pulled him into a corner and went ballistic in the "blow-dryer mode," iming it was a "lesson in manners," after which he was fired.


    PS: TVB seems to have recently produced a "Tokyo Love Story." With TVB capable of shooting anything, they surely won''t venture into making Avy a porn actress, right? If the male lead actually turns out to be a porn actor, then I must watch it. If anyone has seen it, let me know.


    PPS: Please follow, rmend, and vote for the monthly ticket.


    ```

 Chapter 16: 13 Everything Depends on Yu Fei

    ```


    Since 1983, Gary Smith had been working for Sports Illustrated, arguably one of the magazine''s most important writers.


    Over 17 years, Smith averaged at least four feature profile articles for the magazine every year.


    He had 14 articles selected for Sports Illustrated''s Best of the Century, the most of any writer, including his 1996 piece on Tiger Woods, which was named the best sports article of the 20th century.


    All this time, Smith had been one of the most influential writers in the world of sports.


    Had he not coincidentallye to Seattle for vacation, he might never have heard of Yu Fei''s name, let alone felt the urge to watch him y in person.


    The experience vastly exceeded Smith''s expectations.


    Strictly speaking, Yu Fei''spetition today was hardly worth mentioning, but having seen countless stars, Smith was convinced Yu Fei was a star of the future.


    He decided to keep aprehensive and ongoing observation of the young man.


    Coincidentally, he still had to write an article for Sports Illustrated this year, and the editors had given him free rein; he had been worried about finding a good subject.


    Then Yu Fei appeared.


    Talented and improving rapidly;


    Emerging out of nowhere, shining like a star;


    Being an Asian-American might be the most uniquebel on Yu Fei, giving him a Woods-like special tag.


    At the same time, he, like those superstars who dominate the sports world, had the ability tomand a room.


    That day, Smith did not approach Yu Fei to introduce himself.


    Rather than making close contact with Yu Fei, he preferred to observe how the kid performed under the pressure of fame.


    This was also a standard to measure a star.


    About four years ago, a basketball prodigy named Richie Parker appeared in the New York high school basketball scene. He had a bright future but engaged in reckless behavior after bing famous and ultimatelymitted an unforgivable crime, which led to his downfall and ruined prospects.


    What Smith hadn''t expected was that, after ying a beautiful game, Yu Fei didn''t rush to chat with the college coaches who hade from far away.


    He even left without greeting anyone.


    As if none of these people mattered to him at all.


    "Hello, Coach, I''m a reporter from The Seattle Times, may I interview Frye?"


    The Seattle Times? That was the most influential newspaper near Kent City.


    The person dealing with the reporter was Kent Meridian High School''s assistant coach, Quentin DiMio.


    DiMio told the reporter, "Sorry, Frye won''t be doing interviews today, he''s in a hurry to go home for pork chop rice."


    No high school star would refuse the chance of being featured in a major newspaper.


    Yet,pared to increasing his own exposure, Yu Fei was more anxious to get back to eat pork chop rice, the taste of which Smith could not fathom.


    Given the urgency disyed by Yu Fei, as well as the opportunity he had forsaken, one could imagine how much he valued pork chop rice.


    However, DiMio didn''t close the conversation there; he was a smart man. "However, if you are free tomorrow, you cane to K-M, maybe Frye will agree to do a special interview with you."


    Smart, a special interview was more formal and serious than a post-game interview.


    The reporter from The Seattle Times agreed.


    Gary Smith didn''t show himself, sticking to his original n of watching silently from the side before exchanging words with that reporter from The Times.


    Smith believed the local reporter surely knew more about Yu Fei than he did.


    Smith wanted to know what other special things there were about Yu Fei.


    The Times reporter smiled and said, "The most special thing about this kid is... it''s like he has been chosen by God."


    It was like being chosen by heaven itself...


    That phrase plucked at Gary Smith''s heartstrings, and the face of Tiger Woods shed through his mind.


    "Why do you say that?" asked Smith.


    The reporter said, "Frye used to y volleyball until his junior year."


    This revtion surprised Smith.


    Then the reporter added, "One day early this year, he found that basketball was more fun, so he quit the volleyball team to join the basketball team. For a teenager his age, considering a professional future, starting basketball now is already toote. However, it''s as if basketball chose him rather than vice versa, and in just a few months he has be one of the top 40 high school yers in the nation. After watching his game today, I believe he absolutely has the talent of a national top 10."


    "Now, think about this¡ªhe only started ying basketball in a systematic way from the beginning of this year," the reporter eximed. "I think that''s more astonishing than Hakeem juwon''s legendary story."


    Gary Smith was even more convinced that his choice was correct.


    He stayed in Kent City, attending every basketball game of Kent Meridian High School.


    ```


    He witnessed the dramatic changes in the sports world.


    Jerry West left the Lakers Team.


    Dan Marino''s jersey was retired.


    Bob Knight was almost forcibly driven out of Indiana University.


    Vince Carter soared over a seven-foot center from France toplete the first dunk in history.


    Any of these events could make apelling feature article and be highly attractive to the public.


    But Smith was not interested in these urrences, as too many were already focused on those celebrities who had achieved fame and sess.


    It was prodigies with gic mutations like Yu Fei who were Smith''s favorite subjects to observe.


    After entering the city championship from the Kent School District, the Royal Team kept on winning.


    Indeed, thepetition in the city championship was far more intense than in the small pond of the Kent School District, but for Fei, it still wasn''t a challenge.


    Because Kent Meridian High School was a 4A school.


    The 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A ssification denoted the size of the schools, not their level, but in fact, basketballpetitiveness at schools with arger student body, like those that are 4A, tends to be much weaker than at 3A schools.


    Therefore, although the Royal Team faced some challenges in the city championship, Yu Fei had enough energy to break through the strong adversaries in front of him.


    During November and December of 2000, the Royal Team achieved an 18-game winning streak, advancing to the State of Washington''s 4A basketball championship as the top seed.


    Yu Fei''s fame grew louder and louder as his stats and game highlights spread.


    Gradually, he became not just a basketball star in Washington, but a notable figure nationwide.


    Two months of matches elevated Yu Fei''s high school ranking from the top 40 in the United States to the top 20.


    His exposure to lower-levelpetition was the outside world''s biggest concern about Fei.


    The issue wasn''t that thepetition in Yu Fei''s district was weak.


    In terms of weakpetition, Kwame Brown''s district takes the cake, where even the 3A schools are like small ponds within small ponds, and except for Brown himself, you can''t find a second yer among the top 100 in the country.


    As the state championship approached, Yu Fei''s average ying time per game shot up dramatically.


    If the Royal Team wanted to win the championship, they would need to win six games in the tournament.


    During the series, the Royal Team faced two close calls, with both matchesing down to the wire.


    However, Yu Fei''s crucial offensive rebound for a put-back The Shot and his pump-fake three-pointer for another The Shot sent the crowd into a frenzy.


    Yu Fei became more and more formidable, advancing to the final with an average of 36 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists, and 8 blocks per game in the state championship.


    Their finals opponent would be Long Beach High School from Washington, which boasted two top-100 nationally ranked yers.


    The finals venue for Kent Meridian High School versus Long Beach High School was set to be at the Seattle SuperSonics'' home court, Key Arena.


    At the same time, Seattle''s most popr sports channel Q13 FOX would broadcast the match live.


    On the day of the match, there wasn''t a single empty seat to be seen, epassing fans from both teams and coaches, scouts, and recruiters from top high schools across the country.


    From aparison of strengths, Long Beach High School had an overwhelming advantage on paper.


    The only chance for Kent Meridian High School to win rested with Yu Fei.


    ording to the logic of team sports, Long Beach High School had a 100% chance of victory, but basketball is a sport where a superstar can level disparities between teams.


    The cheers from the crowd made it clear who the main character was.


    When Yu Fei ran onto the court, 2/3 of the audience stood up, cheering and apuding.


    No matter who won the championship, Yu Fei had already earned the reputation of being Seattle''s son, even though he was a Kentite.


    Yu Fei and Anthony Lawson walked to center court, and across from them, the core yers of Long Beach High School approached.


    Larry Turner, the center ranked 71st in the nation, provocatively said, "Big Fei, do you believe that even if you score 100 points tonight, the winner will still be us?"


    Yu Fei calmly shook Turner''s hand and said coldly, "Put away that smug face, unless you want me to drop 100 points on your heads."


    Hearing this, Long Beach High School''s key guard, Errol Knight, ranked 80th in the nation, said, "Hey Big Fei, even if you get 100 points, what does it matter? We just need to score 101 points to win the game."


    Yu Fei wanted to argue back but found himself at a loss for words, realizing that his own strong-willed captain, Anthony Lawson, had beenpletely overpowered by the opposition, unable to speak.


    Just when Yu Fei felt that tonight might be a disaster, Lawson suddenly called out to Turner and Knight, shouting, "If you can score 101 points, I''ll help Frye score those winning 2 points, because it''s us from K-M who will take the overall championship. You two bastards better remember what I said!"


    At least we haven''t lost in terms of momentum," Yu Fei thought, feeling optimistic.


    Lawson said with a stern face, "We can''t lose the match either."


    As much as he talked, Lawson knew all too well that everything depended on Yu Fei.

 Chapter 17: 14 This is Still a Mystery

    Larry Turner, although officially listed at 6 feet 10 inches, was clearly the same height as Yu Fei when they jumped for the ball.


    This wasn''t Turner''s problem, this was Yu Fei''s problem.


    ounting for shoe height, Yu Fei was also 6 feet 10 inches, but who could me him for being real?


    Ranked 71st nationwide, Turner''s ying style, focused on defense and inside scoring as a traditional center, was somewhat simr to Jeffrey Dai, who had been fiercely schooled by Yu Fei before.


    As both sides jumped for the ball, Yu Fei, with his lightning-fast leap, hit the ball directly to the Royal Team''s starting shooting guard, Will Perkins.


    Perkins, under 1.9 meters tall, was the second leading scorer for the Royal Team, averaging 18 points a game, a valuable asset for Yu Fei.


    As the only eleventh grader in the starting lineup, Perkins excelled at only two things: fast breaks and shooting threes.


    And this was exactly the help Yu Fei needed.


    Due to Yu Fei''s many blocks and defensive assists per game, the Royal Team had numerous defensive counter-attack opportunities, which was when Perkins shone.


    In settled y, Perkins was also known for his daring three-point shots.


    With his excellent counter-attacking skills and outside shooting, Perkins, riding on the coattails of Yu Fei, had caught the interest of the NCAA First Division League, currently holding three offers, a future full of promise.


    Tonight, opening with the first ball of the game, Perkins quickly drove upcourt, opting for a trailing three.


    Unfortunately, the arc was off, and the ball brushed the rim and out.


    Long Beach High School wanted to counter quickly.


    Their starting point guard, Josh Barnard, rushed upcourt and went for ayup.


    However, his shot was halfway there when it was swatted to the ground by Yu Fei, who had quickly recovered in defense.


    Barnard''s athletic ability couldn''tpare with Yu Fei''s, and even though he had jumped first, Yu Fei still managed to catch the ball and throw a stunning full-court pass soon afternding.


    Ahead, Anthony Lawson scored an easy basket for the Royal Team, opening the game.


    "Tony, you should have dunked that!"


    Yu Fei was particr about Lawson''s choice of attack.


    Unquestioned about his offensive decision, the captain of the Royal Team casually countered, "You think everyone can jump like you?"


    The Royal Team''s defensive rounds had a distinctive feature. Talent-wise, apart from Yu Fei, everyone else was inferior to the opposition. Hence, they didn''t aim to fully shut down their opponents on the defense but rather limited their shooting. If the opponents wanted to break through and challenge Yu Fei, they were wee to try.


    Having been blocked by Yu Fei once, Barnard didn''t lose faith and attempted to break through again, choosing a high lob, but still faced serious interference from Yu Fei.


    Barnard missed the floater, Lawson secured the rebound, and passed it to Yu Fei to advance.


    The crowd at Key Arena began to erupt; this was Yu Fei''s signature style.


    Such arge figure, dribbling all the way from the backcourt to the front, could easily handle the close pressure from the opponent''s guards.


    This convinced many college scouts that Yu Fei could y as a point guard at a higher level ofpetition.


    Long Beach High School''s other top national yer, Errol Knight, took the initiative in intercepting Yu Fei.


    Knight''s rank of 80th nationwide was mainly due to two aspects: he had decent one-on-one defensive skills, and he posed a threat when carrying the ball.


    This was a well-rounded forward-guard.


    Unfortunately for Knight, theck of formidable physicality limited his ceiling, and whether his offensive skills would be effective on a higher stage was in question.


    Yu Fei did not give up on dribbling because of Knight''s defensive reputation. Instead, he powered forward relying on his physicality, then lowered his center of gravity and started a show-stopping performance.


    Beyond the three-point line at the top of the key, Yu Fei performed continuous between-the-legs crossovers. The basketball seemed too small for hisrge hands, which controlled it effortlessly, and his sense for the game was so keen. This terrifying coordination, in stark contrast to his stature, caused a seismic shift in the pupils of the audience.


    Yu Fei repeatedly faked left and right, leaving Knight two body lengths behind, and then pulled up tounch a three.


    "Swish!"


    "Frye is putting on a show!" the in-gamementator shouted excitedly. "Of all the best 100 high school yers in Seattle, 99 of them would be scared to face Errol Knight''s defense. Unfortunately, Errol met the one person today who is not only not afraid of him but has also left him helpless."


    A dissatisfied Knight responded to Yu Fei with an ultra-long three.


    Afterward, Yu Fei got the ball high up, took a strong step to get past his opponent, and dunked over the opponent''s power forward for a 2+1.


    "Who''s guarding me?" Yu Fei mocked as he looked at the opponent he''d just dunked on. "Why can''t I feel the presence of any defense?"


    Larry Turner couldn''t hold back and stood up for his teammate. "Hasn''t anyone ever taught you about sportsmanship on the court, Big Fei?"


    Yu Fei chest-bumped Turner. "Who''s to me for him getting posterized, and you have the nerve to speak up for him?"


    The tension red between them, the insults flying. Then the referee intervened, preventing the situation from escting and sternly warned both parties.


    Yu Fei hadn''t yet developed his own style when it came to dealing with opponents.


    The trash talk now was less about humiliating the opponent and more a strategic move.


    One couldn''t say much about Turner, but his defense was better than that of the simrly styled Jeffrey Dai. Besides, he knew he couldn''t score on Yu Fei''s defense, so he hardly ever asked for the ball to take an offensive shot.


    This was a man with self-awareness.


    But could anger make this rationality disappear?


    The answer was yes.


    Yu Fei deliberately appeared weaker in the post, giving Turner an excellent offensive opportunity.


    Turner, receiving the ball, pushed off Yu Fei with all his might, failing to notice that Yu Fei had only taken a step back, still with plenty of room and energy to block the shot.


    By the time Turner realized Yu Fei could still react defensively, it was already toote.


    Yu Fei pped Turner''s shot away, and although Turner''s teammate secured the ball, they had only a few seconds left of the shot clock and were forced to attempt an unlikely buzzer-beating three-pointer.


    The shooter was Knight, who had earlier nailed a long three-pointer, but this time, he wasn''t lucky.


    The missed long-distance three led to a long rebound, which the Royal Team secured, and they immediately began their counterattack.


    Will Perkins moved to his favorite spot and boldly fired a fast-break three-pointer.


    Shooting like that in a fast break while having a numerical advantage was undoubtedly madness.


    Perkins wanted to quickly widen the score gap, but his shooting touch didn''t support him in this endeavor.


    "Bang!"


    It missed, but...


    Yu Fei appeared in the frontcourt, grabbed the offensive rebound, dunked immediately, and drew a defensive foul from the opponent, earning another 2+1.


    "Frye Yu is as hot as a boiling furnace!"


    Yu Fei, wearing Kent Meridian High School''s Royal Team''s dark blue and ck jersey with the number 5, meant nothing to him. But to the opponent, that number was the grim reaper''s.


    Be it Larry Turner or Errol Knight, every Long Beach High School yer who saw that number would embarrass themselves on the court.


    "Why was there a foul?" Yu Fei arrogantlyughed and asked, "Clearly, no one is guarding me!"


    The referee snapped, "No talking, this is yourst warning!"


    "Sorry, please let me say onest thing." Yu Fei turned around, looked down at his opponents with a superior attitude, and dered, "To deal with you guys, just scoring 50 points is enough for me!"


    That was his deration, he was going for 50 points.


    Yu Fei''s words soared through the court like an eagle''s cry, and everyone who heard could feel the absolute confidence in those words. They could even scent the confidence itself, which, like a fierce beast baring its ws, was ripping apart Long Beach High School''s pride.


    This world is sick, this world is wicked.


    The eagle circles above, the noose falls, the doves coo incessantly, and the funereal march for Long Beach High School has begun.


    "Swish!"


    Yu Fei made the free throw.


    The opponents were dumbfounded, Key Arena erupted in cheers for Yu Fei, and everyone nced at Larry Turner''s face, which showed nothing but dejection and unease.


    Sitting at the center of the venue, Gary Smith wrote, "At the end of the first half, Frye Yu dominated with 38 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and 7 blocks. The skies of Washington State are within his reach, and Long Beach High School is destined to be a minor stumbling block in his journey. After today, the college basketball world''s interest and pursuit of him will grow tenfold. Yet thus far, he has shown no interest in college. Is this really what he wants? Where will his next stop be? It remains a mystery."


    Please follow, rmend, and vote for the monthly ticket.


    Thank you to Tao Chenggong, I Am Runner-Up, Avnche Ah Bloodbath, ZL59, Wishing Life Was Like a Clear Spring, and Unsought Guest for their support.

 Chapter 18: 15: Youre Just Like My Child

    Some top college basketball recruiters, who had only heard of Yu Fei but had never seen him y in person, had initially worried that his stature wouldn''t be sufficient for him to y as a center in higher-level games.


    Now, those thoughts had vanished.


    Yu Fei had always yed as a center because, aside from him, the Royal Team had no one else capable of fulfilling the role of a center in high-standard high schoolpetitions.


    Defensively, he was a center, dutifully serving as the defensive anchor, but on offense, he showed no difference from a forward or even a guard.


    He liked to dribble, had adept ball-handling skills, could pull off various guard-like dribbling moves, and possessed a shooting ability. Though he had only recently developed this skill, he was full of confidence, willing to take shots, and his shooting form looked good; with persistent practice, he was sure to turn shooting into a standard weapon in his offensive arsenal.


    Long Beach High School was crushed by Yu Fei on both offense and defense.


    They couldn''t effectively prate the zone guarded by Yu Fei.


    The closer they tried to get to the basket, the less sess they had.


    This was Long Beach High School''s biggest problem; they were a team that liked to y inside, but theycked a powerful weapon on the perimeter. Before, relying on Larry Turner and the overall superiority of their roster, they could score in the paint against other teams, but against a talent like Yu Fei, who was beyond the level of a Washington State 4A high school yer, they were stopped in their tracks.


    Worse yet, Yu Fei not only dominated defensively¡ªhis performance on offense was equally devastating.


    With enthusiasm, Yu Fei exhibited graceful guard skills that made it easy to forget he was a center who kept serving up blocks to the opposing yers.


    In the first half, his shooting touch was a bit off, but starting from the second half, he began to hit open threes, and then Long Beach High School could no longer leave him open.


    Yu Fei demolished Long Beach High School with his exceptional control over both offense and defense, scoring 51 points, 18 rebounds, 6 assists, and 10 blocks in this championship battle, leading Kent Meridian High School to its first-ever state championship.


    The moment the game ended, Yu Fei was surrounded by his teammates, and the Key Arena was engulfed in an indescribable frenzy.


    The experts, scouts, and college recruiters who hade to watch him all felt the trip was worthwhile.


    Yu Fei was the real deal.


    This was not just because Yu Fei single-handedly tore apart Long Beach High School, but also because he showcased many skills that could be effective at even higher levels ofpetition.


    Yu Fei was unanimously recognized as a top ten high school yer in the nation.


    The rational industry professionals gradually left the venue.


    The on-site celebration ceremony then began.


    Yu Fei, wearing a cap with the Kent Meridian High School logo, climbed onto a folding chair and cut down the to hand over to the principal.


    Afterward, Gary Payton from the Seattle SuperSonics presented Yu Fei with the MVP trophy.


    Honestly, before his time travel, there was a long period when Yu Fei had not known who Payton was.


    Exaggeration? Not at all.


    Who could me him when Payton and the other SuperSonics legends had lost their roots? Their team had been sneakily moved to Ohoma, and they refused to recognize the new team, so the Ohoma City Thunder Team also righteously disassociated with them, mutually ignoring each other.


    Without a team, it wasn''t until 2008 that Payton began appearing frequently on public tforms,rgely due to the glow from the great Michael Jordan. At that time, as the United States was struggling with the pandemic, Jordan''s documentary "The Last Dance" was released, featuring (and to some extent, embarrassing) Payton.


    Yu Fei happened to have watched the documentary, and while he didn''t know Payton at the time, he felt that Jordan''s way of humiliating past rivals in the film was in poor taste, something that the honorable never did.


    Hmm... But then again, ever since transmigrating, Yu Fei, with his new body and past life skills dominating the court, rarely encountered an adversary, and he suddenly understood that despicable mindset of Michael Jordan''s, "The strong should thoroughly humiliate the weak."


    Whenever he humiliated his opponents on the court, his heart would surge with pleasureparable to that of a perfect hand job, but afterwards, he would feel ashamed of his behavior, believing he should not act that way.


    Yet, as the game went on, he would get carried away, disregarding his opponents'' dignity, spewing all sorts of unbearable trash talk, and then that joy didn''t diminish at all, which intoxicated him and left him conflicted.


    He wondered if he had somehow developed a psychological disorder that he was unaware of due to improperly transmigrating into Yu Fei.


    Hmm, the topic has strayed; let''s return from the wanderings of Yu Fei''s mind back to reality.


    Having witnessed Yu Fei''s performance firsthand, Payton didn''t forget to adopt a senior''s posture when handing over the trophy, educating the younger generation, "Kid, you''re amazing, I like your attitude on the court and I also enjoy your trash talk but let me tell you, if you want to make it to the NBA, you still have to develop your inside scoring abilities. You''re too tall to always be handling the ball outside, got it? Got it, that''s good; Uncle here, I fucking love obedient little brats like you!"


    Yu Fei smiled in agreement with Payton, "Thank you for telling me this, I''m very grateful."


    Couldn''t he perform inside attacks? To be fair, that kind of traditional inside post-up was not exactly his thing, but he had been learning it for quite a while.


    The reason he didn''t use post-ups was because that skill didn''t offer good enough returns for him at the moment.


    Post-ups were tiring, and when it came to reliability, they weren''t as good as mid-to-long range shots. Facing a formidable foe like Long Beach High School, the Royal Team couldn''t afford errors, and Yu Fei had to y the game in the way he was best at.


    Developing his inside offensive game was definitely on the agenda, but not for now.


    What he needed now was to win.


    He had won, and that was enough.


    Afterwards, all the Washington State 4A high school basketball teams that entered the finals gathered on site tomence the awarding of various prizes.


    Yu Fei received several of the most important awards; the rest were not worth mentioning.


    Later, the basketball team yers and their parents met up and booked a restaurant near Key Arena for a group meal.


    Inside, they celebrated and frolicked, everyone forgetting themselves in the excitement.


    For the Royal Team, the state championship was something they had not even dared to dream of, and now it had be a reality.


    The principal of Kent Meridian High School spoke movingly in her toast, and many of the parents were natives of Kent City. They were born there, grew up there, and would eventually be buried there. When they realized that the state championship won by the Royal Team was not only the first overall championship in K-M''s history but also the first high school basketball state championship in the history of Kent City, most of them proudly shed tears.


    Since the start of the dinner, people continuously entered the restaurant to congratte the Royal Team.


    Sport has a kind of magic that can make people stop caring about other external matters.


    Today, in 2001, the United States is entering a turning point into the new century, during which the established order since the Cold War era of the past century will bepletely overturned.


    Inparison to the unpredictable major era, Yu Fei is just a unique ordinary person. His presence is special not only to Kent City but also to Seattle, which is ten miles away. Today, he led Kent Meridian High School to win the state championship, and the news devoured everything around it like a whirlpool.


    All of a sudden, this dark-haired, yellow-skinned twelfth-grader became the most popr topic in Washington State, and the waves generated engulfed both Yu Fei and Seattle. He became even more popr than Gary Payton and Rashard Lewis.


    The people who watched him grow up were filled with hope, and what were once vague or wavering expectations had now be a belief. They believed that one day in the future, Yu Fei would step onto a bigger stage and, with a cold smile,pletely destroy hispetitors just as he did today.


    The funniest thing was when they were full and ready to go home, the restaurant owner came over. She was a Latinady in her sixties, dressed elegantly¡ªjust like thosedies who frequent the country club. She approached Yu Fei and said sincerely, "Fi, watching youpete with the other yers made me feel as if I was watching my own son. Congrattions on your victory."


    Yu Fei smiled politely and replied, "Thank you for the support, I also felt a grandmotherly warmth in you."

 Chapter 19: 16 Sonny

    In March 2001, Chris Dennis arrived in Pornd with a box of VHS tapes, guarding them as if they were priceless treasures. Dennis, a Seattle native, had attended his brother''s Nike regional invitational the previous year. However, he was drawn to another kid who was taller and more remarkable than his own brother.


    Dennis inquired and learned the kid''s name was Frye. At that time, he contacted the staff of the ABCD Camp, saying, "I''ve seen a kid who is going to be better than Lamar Odom."


    The staff was not impressed with Dennis''s exaggeration and didn''t think someone capable of beingpared to the NBA''s most promising power forward would suddenly emerge from Seattle.


    Nevertheless, Dennis was not discouraged and went to as many of Fei''s games as he could. He also struck up a friendship with Fei''s coach, Hank Sylvan, and closely followed Fei''s performances on the Royal Team. During the final of the Washington State 4A high school championship, Dennis recorded the game with a portable video camera.


    Now he had brought this tape to Pornd with a single goal in mind¡ªto show it to his boss, the most influential figure in the basketball footwear industry.


    John Paul Vincent Varo, who preferred to be called Sonny, was almost seen as the godfather of the basketball shoe industry by everyone involved in basketball. In the 1960s, Varo founded a national high school basketball all-star game, and over the next twenty years, he built close rtionships with top college coaches and elite high school yers across the country. Eventually, he joined Nike and signed 21-year-old Michael Jordan to the most valuable endorsement contract in sports history in 1984.


    At that time, Converse and Adidas dominated the basketball shoe industry. Nike''s decision to pay Jordan a $250,000 endorsement fee during his rookie season was considered rash and reckless by the industry. However, the skepticism quickly vanished as Jordan''s first NBA season brought in sales of $126 million for Nike. Suddenly, Nike sped past Converse and Adidas to be the most influential entity in basketball, and Varo solidified his position in the industry.


    Alongside signing Jordan, Varo convinced Nike to start sponsoring an annual top high school basketball camp. He created the concept and name¡ªABCD Camp¡ªwith the letters standing for academic improvement and career development. Varo cleverly kept the rights to the name, while Nike provided financial support for the camp. Although there were many top basketball camps in the United States at the time, all of them charged high registration fees, which naturally barred some financially struggling high school stars. Varo abolished the fees, invited top college coaches to the camp, and provided Nike athletic gear for the yers. Additionally, each elite high school yer at the camp could take home $1,000 worth of Nike shoes and apparel. Soon, Varo''s camp became the preferred venue for America''s top high school basketball yers to showcase their talents, and Nike became the most popr name in high school basketball by signing shoe contracts with coaches and attracting colleges and academies with apparel contracts. Varo became the authority figure for college yer sponsorship deals.


    With his impressive track record and control over the basketball camps, Varo became one of Nike''s decision-makers. However, due to disputes over interests, he left Nike, but Nike still maintained its influence over the ABCD Camp. The increasingly independent Jordan brand always sponsored the camp, but that didn''t stop Varo from bringing his ABCD Camp under Adidas and pushing a series of high school athletes to sign, including Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady.


    At Adidas, Varo relied on awork of AAU coaches and scouts to help discover and recruit top high school yers for the Adidas roster. He had two long-term partners¡ªCalvin Andrews and Mark Oliver.


    Suddenly, field worker Chris Dennis joined Andrews and Oliver in the Adidas suite. Then, Dennis put Fei''s game tape into the VCR and pressed y. Andrews and Oliver were impressed with what they saw on screen, with one of them eximing, "Damn!"


    When Varo walked into the suite, he saw everyone gathered around the TV and asked what they were watching.


    "He''s Frye," Oliver said.


    Varo looked clueless.


    "He''s a senior from Kent City, in Washington State," Oliver exined. "Chris thinks he might be better than Lamar Odom."


    Varo rolled his eyes, moved closer to the TV, and the others made some room for him. Varo squinted his eyes and spent a minute watching the game footage Dennis had shot from a distance.


    Despite the remote angle, Varo recognized that the game was a 4A-level high school basketball game in Washington State.


    "4A? And in Washington?" Varo asked. "Where did this kide from? You said he''s a senior? Why haven''t I heard his name before?"


    After the previous year''s Nike regional invitational, Fei had gained some fame in high school basketball circles, but the reputation he had built in the regional AAUpetition wasn''t enough to impress a big shot like Varo.


    Dennis exined, "Before his junior year, Fi was ying volleyball. He really made a name for himself startingst year... I think he''s a sleeping giant awakening, with immense potential."


    Varo didn''t respond to Dennis.


    He continued to watch the game footage.


    The traits Fei disyed were all-around.


    You''d say he''s a center, but apart from during defense, he rarely stayed inside. But if you call him a guard, it''d be hard for someone of his size to y as a guard in high-level games.


    Chris Dennis was right, this indeed is a Lamar Odom style of y.


    But Wakaro had seen Odom at the same age, and back then, Odom was the undisputed number one high school yer in the United States, stronger than Yu Fei is now.


    However, even though the quality of thepetition he''s been in isn''t high, Yu Fei''s performance can be called outstanding.


    He is undoubtedly one of the top ten high school yers in the nation.


    Considering that he has been systematically ying basketball for just over a year, this is amazing.


    Odom''s career in the NBA had stagnated, and the title "left-handed magician" seems forever to be just that, a title. Will Yu Fei be different? Will he maintain his current rate of progress?


    As Yu Feipleted a defensive block on an opposing three-point attempt and caught up with the loose ball to score a dunk in the frontcourt, Wakaro had no more doubts about Yu Fei''s ability. He looked at Dennis, "I think, if Fi joins this year''s ABCD Camp, things will be more interesting."


    Dennis was ted inside, his fists clenched; he knew his suggestion was epted, and even someone like Sonny Wakaro thought Yu Fei was a future star worthy of significant attention.


    If Yu Fei establishes a deeper connection with Sonny in the future, and even signs with Adidas, then his act today of rmending Yu Fei to Sonny might be, like when Sonny signed Jordan to Nike, theunching point of his career.


    Dennis went to do the follow-up work, and Wakaro turned and walked out of the suite.


    Everything here remained as usual.


    ¡ù¡ù¡ù


    After helping the school win the state championship, Yu Fei officially came to a crossroads in his career.


    Theoretically, his senior year as part of the basketball team had ended.


    The state championship was the finish line.


    Next, he could either skip college like those top high school yers confident in themselves and dere for the NBA draft or actively deal with recruitment from colleges and carefully select one.


    Within a week of winning the state championship, Yu Fei received offers from 12 different colleges, and prestigious schools like Duke, North Carolina, and Kansas invited him for visits.


    This showed more sincerity than just giving him an offer.


    Just as Yu Fei was considering his next steps, a staff member from the ABCD Camp named Chris Dennis called home. He imed they wanted to invite Yu Fei to New Jersey in April for this year''s ABCD Camp and that Dennis said he was friends with Selvan and would ensure that Yu Fei''s food, amodation, and travel were taken care of in New Jersey.


    Yu Fei couldn''t dismiss the possibility that this was a scam, so he went to confirm with Selvan.


    "Was it Chris who called? It looks like he has already convinced Sonny." Selvan patted Yu Fei''s shoulder happily. "Fi, congrattions, those who get directly invited to the ABCD Camp are usually the nation''s top high school yers. It''s their recognition of your performance in the recent period."


    After confirming it was true, Yu Fei breathed a sigh of relief.


    He wanted to dere for the draft this year, but the Washington state championship alone clearly wasn''t enough for a strong footing. If he could prove his worth at the ABCD Camp, he would truly be in the sights of the NBA.


    Just as Yu Fei was about to leave, he saw a resignation letter on Selvan''s desk.


    "Coach, what''s this?"

 Chapter 20: 17 The Only Way

    "Coach, what is this?"


    Selvan didn''t have any intention to hide the matter and replied with a faint smile, "As you see, it''s my resignation letter."


    Yu Fei was not surprised; in fact, he would understand if anyone wanted to leave K-M.


    Even though they had just won the state championship, as long as there was an opportunity to move to a higher tform, Selvan wouldn''t hesitate.


    Because K-M was always K-M, it would not change just because of a state championship.


    "When did this happen?" Yu Fei asked.


    "A few days ago, St. John''s College approached me. They hope that I could be an assistant coach there," Selvan said with some excitement, "I''ve always been waiting for such an opportunity!"


    Yu Fei sincerely smiled and said, "Congrattions on escaping the prison, Coach."


    "Do you also think of this ce as a prison?" Selvan looked at Yu Fei curiously. He thought that a student like Yu Fei would have some sense of pride for his alma mater.


    Kent Meridian High School was situated up on the eastern hill, and Yu Fei''s home was down the hill, so it made perfect sense for him to attend school there.


    It was unexpected that Yu Fei had the same view of K-M.


    "For everyone up on the hill, K-M is a prison," said Yu Fei.


    Selvan looked at the young man before him and couldn''t help but think that in just one year, K-M had transformed from a prison on the hill of Kent City to a school of city honor.


    And Yu Fei was the main driver of this transformation.


    Without him, this would not have been possible.


    Even the assistant coaching job at St. John''s College for Selvan was a result of Yu Fei''s joining the Royal Team and their entry into the state championships, which brought Selvan into the view of college basketball.


    But the beneficiaries weren''t just Selvan alone.


    Four yers from the Royal Team received full schrships to First Division League, and even assistant coach Quentin DiMio got noticed by college basketball.


    Thinking of this, Selvan couldn''t help but say to Yu Fei, "Fi, I must thank you. Without you, I wouldn''t have this opportunity."


    Yu Fei didn''t hypocritically respond with praise for Selvan''s outstanding talent; instead, he joked, "I ept thanks, a pork chop rice meal will do."


    "Before I leave, I''ll treat you to a super-sized pork chop rice meal," Selvan chuckled.


    After walking out of Selvan''s office, Yu Fei went to find DiMio to tell him about attending the ABCD Camp.


    DiMio was thrilled, "This is a great opportunity. If you''re nning to enter this year''s draft, this will be the final test before you make that decision."


    Kevin Gat made a name for himself at the ABCD Camp, Kobe Bryant blew away everyone at the camp, Tracy McGrady went from an unknown self-registering participant, a nobody who couldn''t even get a number at the camp, to the top-ranked high school yer there, and then there were Lamar Odom, Darius Miles...


    In the past six years, every high school basketball prodigy worth mentioning left their mark at the ABCD Camp.


    DiMio''s issue was that he wanted to go too, but the ABCD Camp organizers only provided amodation services to Yu Fei.


    There were many high schoolers with entourages at the camp, especially the top-tier ones, with their retinues clearly defined in roles: some to lift the mood, some to capture highlight footage, and others acting as the yer''s business agents, negotiating with shoepanies.


    Generally, high school students who had their own business agents were those nning to skip college and go straight into the draft.


    "No worries, the campsts only four days. We can definitely find a hotel," Yu Fei decided resolutely.


    DiMio started preparing for it.


    There was plenty of time, as it was early February and the ABCD Camp would take ce in early March, giving them a month to n.


    Having confirmed that DiMio would go with him, Yu Fei went to tell his mother about it.


    When Yu Fenglin heard that next month her son would be attending an event even more prestigious than the Nike regional invitation tournament, she was no longer surprised.


    "If they invited you, then go for it," Yu Fenglin said, "Do you need me to do anything?"


    Yu Fei said somewhat bashfully, "Well... Quint is going toe with me, but they''re only hosting me, so we n to find a hotel there."


    Yu Fenglin understood immediately¡ªthe kid needed some funds.


    "When does the camp start?"


    "It starts on the tenth of next month."


    "Go and ask that person in charge for the exact location," Yu Fenglin said. "When the timees, I''ll help you guys find a safe hotel."


    A safe hotel...


    Yu Fei wondered what an unsafe hotel would look like¡ªwould there be people slipping sexy calling cards under the hotel room doors?


    But since his mother wanted to handle this matter, Yu Fei had no reason to refuse. After all, adults definitely knew how to pick hotels better than he did¡ªthey had been there before, if you know what I mean.


    Afterwards, Yu Fei contacted Brandon Roy.


    The moment Roy answered the phone, he heard from the other end, "Hey, Mr. Basketball of Washington State for the year 2000, do you have any ns for next month?"


    "I''m nning to go to New Jersey for the ABCD Camp next month," Royughed. "How about you? Any ns, um, should I call you this, Mr. Basketball of Washington State for 2001?"


    Ever since Roy was named Mr. Basketball of Washington Statest year, Yu Fei had been calling him by that title.


    But this year, Yu Fei''s reputation had skyrocketed, and it was certain that Roy would not be named Mr. Basketball of Washington State for two consecutive years.


    "You know, no one understands these so-called training camps better than I do," Yu Fei bragged a little, "I didn''t want to go really... but the staff insisted on inviting me and even arranged my amodations and meals. I simply couldn''t decline such generous hospitality."


    Roy''s eyes widened, "They invited you?"


    "Yeah, didn''t they invite you?"


    Roy was embarrassed.


    Last year he had received an invitation, back then he was the most watched junior in Washington State.


    But this year, Yu Fei had made a big ssh, practically drawing away all the external attention from the top high school yers in Washington State. Some scouts were even saying Roy''s progress was slow, his high school ranking had not gone up but down. He used to be in the top 70 high school yers nationwide, but now his name was not even on the big board, and on the small board, he had been relegated to the top 80 or top 90.


    "So, you''re saying you can bring home $1000 worth of Nike gear after that?" Roy sessfully changed the subject.


    "You know, no one understands the ins and outs of these so-called brand-name basketball gears better than I do, I never care for such external belongings."


    "I care, if you don''t want it you can give it to me."


    Right then, Roy couldn''t imagine that in the future he could have any brand''s athletic gear he wanted, as long as he desired.


    "Sure, you can pick them yourself when the timees."


    "Is that a promise?"


    "Promise."


    "I love you to death, Big Fei!" Roy said mushily, "Really, I would even offer you my Mr. Basketball of Washington State title from 2000."


    Yu Fei switched back to his irritating tone, "You know, no one understands better than I do..."


    At that moment, Roy really wanted to curse him for being an idiot and hang up the phone, but for the sake of Nike gear worth $1000, he not only endured it but also put on a smile.


    This is the necessary path for an early matured boy to transform into a man.


    You must be able to be both soft and hard, flexible and resilient.


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "One of the reasons the Memphis Grizzlies are interested in trading Shareef Abdur-Rahim or Mike Bibby is that they need another first-round draft pick. This is the iy of a time bomb from their trade with the Detroit Pistons in 1997 to get Otis Thorpe. Because of that trade, the Grizzlies can choose to give up a draft pick among the top 18 selections this year. Vancouver would rather obtain another team''s draft pick by making trades and keeping their own, which will undoubtedly be a lottery pick. If the Grizzlies do notplete a trade in 2001, they face the risk of losing a higher pick in the following two years: in 2002, the Vancouver draft pick is only protected if it''s among the top five, and in 2003, it''s only protected if it is the first overall." ¡ª Sports Illustrated


    "Kings guard Jason Williams is suspected of using racistnguage towards a fan during a game." ¡ª Los Angeles Times


    "Ideally, we would like Dikembe to finish his career with us," said Anta Hawks general manager Pete Babcock. ¡ª Anta Constitution


    Kobe Bryant has grown into a perfect team yer and is seen as an important reason for the Lakers'' back-to-back NBA championships (if it happens). ¡ª Associated Press


    "Good morning, Seattle. The most outstanding high school basketball yer from the State of Washington will be heading to New Jersey next month for the ABCD Camp." ¡ª The Seattle Times

 Chapter 21: 18: The Fearful Battle with the Lizard

    From Yu Fei''s location in the State of Washington to New Jersey is a pretty long journey. The distance between the two states is about 2,800 miles (around 4,500 kilometers), a span across the entire United States.


    On March 10, 2001, Yu Fei and Quentin DiMio took a flight from Seattle-Ta International Airport to New Jersey.


    As an invited yer, Yu Fei received two tickets. One was for him, and the other for a guardian.


    This turned out to be a favor for DiMio, as it saved him the cost of a ne ticket to New Jersey.


    "You know, I''ve never flown business ss in my life," DiMio said excitedly, "and I''ve never been to New Jersey."


    Dragging his luggage, Yu Fei said indifferently, "Then I''m honored to have taken your business ss and New Jersey virginity."


    Yu Fei and DiMio settled into their seats with their luggage.


    Just as the two were about to say something, the in-flight announcement came on:


    "Ladies and gentlemen, wee aboard XYZ Airline''s flight from Seattle to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. I am your captain. First, on behalf of the entire crew, I would like to extend a sincere wee and thanks to you... Our flight time is expected to be 5 hours, and the weather conditions are good..."


    "Thank you again for choosing XYZ Airline for your flight. If you have any questions or need any assistance, please ask our crew for help. We wish you a pleasant journey."


    DiMioposed himself, "I need to take a nap; this really feels like a dream."


    Yu Fei didn''t say anything.


    He suddenly felt that if he were the main character in a movie, this trip would either end in the next frame or cut to a montage with a soundtrack, and if it were thetter, he hoped his soundtrack would be Kafe.Hu''s "Economy ss." Despite sitting in business ss, the lyrics were still applicable.


    What, you ask who is Kafe.Hu? Why isn''t the soundtrack Jay Chou''s "Sunny Day" or Beyond''s "Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies"? Hey, it''s like this after all, and the fact that Yu Fei didn''t rmend "The Solitary Brave" is already quite restrained. Besides, that song should belong to the post-2010s, let''s leave it to the transmigrators from that decade.


    After a five-hour flight, Yu Fei and DiMio arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport smoothly.


    Yu Fei had just left the airport when he saw a group of media not far away interviewing a seemingly very famous superstar.


    The most annoying part was theckey; the person whose voice was as loud as a megaphone acted like an NBA team''s PR officer, loudly indicating who could and who couldn''t ask questions.


    If he only had a loud voice that would be one thing, but he also had a face like a horse, a face that could make Lonzo Ball and Rajon Rondo bow down. If Benedict Cumberbatch proved that a horse-like face could be handsome, then this person was the counterexample.


    He proved just how ugly a horse-like face could be.


    Yu Fei found it difficult to describe the person''s appearance with positive terms, but ugliness has its advantages too. Being as memorable as Ewing could also make you standout.


    What puzzled Yu Fei was the main character behind theckey.


    Apart from the media''s interest in him, his followers were also trying hard, with someone carrying a portable video camera filming everywhere and loudly babbling, "ABCD Camp, herees Diop!"


    "Who''s that?" Yu Fei asked.


    Ever since he joined Yu Fei''s team, DiMio had intentionally kept up with information about high school stars. After careful recognition, he identified the person: "DeAngelo Collins (PF), the high schooler ranked fifth in the nation, reportedly the highest-ranked yer attending the ABCD Camp."


    "The top four aren''t attending?" Yu Fei asked, surprised.


    DiMio shook his head and said, "They attendedst year and have already proven their abilities in the camp. For Kwame Brown, Eddie Curry, and Tyson Chandler, the most important thing now is to maintain their training regimen and avoid risks, because if they get injured in a game, it would be the end of them."


    "So..."


    "Exactly,pared to their peers of the same age, juniors typically have more impact, but with DeAngelo Collins attending this year, the seniors will also be strong contenders."


    Yu Fei looked at the guy curiously.


    If he was ranked fifth in the nation, he wouldn''t havee to the ABCD Camp.


    Because it wouldn''t make sense.


    Even if he became the camp''s best, that was to be expected.


    If you''re ranked fifth in the nation, who else would be the best but you?


    But if he was blown out by juniors, or even seniors attending the camp, that would be a real problem.


    Collins was a big mouth, and when the media asked him what his goal for the ABCD Camp was, he blurted out without hesitation, "I will be ranked number one at the end of camp, I will take home the MVP, I''m not here to y, I''m here to show off my talent, I lovepetition, you know that''s how I am, no one can stop me!"


    Then his minions began to echo him, and the whole scene was bustling.


    "If he''s ranked fifth in the nation, what''s he doing here?" Yu Fei asked.


    DiMioughed and said, "Actually, he''s been around the top 30 in the nation untilst month''s state championship game. He directly took down Desagana Diop''s team, ranked seventh in the nation, scoring 44 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. That''s when his ranking shot up like a rocket."


    ```


    Those who rise through the ranks by defeating highly ranked yers either think too highly of themselves, believing they''re unmatched among their peers, or they have even greater ambitions.


    For instance, dominating at the ABCD Camp to win MVP and then using the resulting fame to boost their draft prospects.


    After all, yers who suddenly climb the high school rankings tend to be ced too high. If they don''t keep promoting themselves, even going into the draft as the nation''s fifth-best high school yer doesn''t guarantee a high pick.


    "Let''s go," Yu Fei said with self-mockery, "there''s not a bunch of media here just to interview me."


    DiMio''s eyes darted around: "If you need it, I can arrange that for you."


    Yu Fei nced at the media interviewing Collins with a corner of his eye. "Are those setups too?"


    "Hard to say, but after all, he''s the newly minted fifth in the nation. Maybe he is really that popr."


    "Forget it, I don''t want the media following me wherever I go."


    Yu Fei and DiMio hailed a taxi and headed to the Marriott Hotel they had booked in advance.


    Originally, Yu Fei''s mother had chosen a different hotel for him, but Yu Fei and Roy decided to stay together after getting corporate sponsorship at an AAU tournament, which allowed them to afford a five-star hotel like Marriott.


    Yu Fei checked in without a hitch and then went straight to find Brandon Roy.


    Roy was staying at the same hotel, just one floor apart from Yu Fei''s room.


    To get used to New Jersey, Roy had arrived a day earlier.


    Yu Feimented on this: "I feel sorry for your parents; they had to pay an extra day''s room charge for their prodigal son."


    What was there to adjust to? He didn''t understand; this wasn''t a home or away game. This was a training camp, and if there were any spectators, they were friendly ones who spoke pleasantly.


    "Hey, Fi, do you know who the strongest yer at this ABCD Camp is?"


    Roy had a confident look on his face.


    If Yu Fei hadn''t seen DeAngelo Collins at the airport, he might not have known.


    Now... rolling his eyes, he retorted, "DeAngelo Collins?"


    "You know him?"


    "Just found out today," Yu Fei replied. "I saw a big group of media crowding around him outside the airport."


    "May God help me not to run into him in the camp''s games," Roy turned into a shy lizard. "You know? He''s called the 6-foot-9 Shaquille O''Neal."


    "Huh?"


    "Hepletely blew Desagana Diop away in the state championship game, and that guy is touted as the next Dikembe Mutombo!"


    "Hm?"


    Yu Fei wondered what he could do to snap Roy out of it. Hey, Chinese fans call you Contra, can''t you be a bit tougher?


    "No, I think we need to take action! How about this, we approach him tomorrow, make friends and invite him to join our team. I''m sure he won''t refuse," Roy said excitedly, as if he''d struck upon a brilliant idea, "You''re ranked 16th nationwide, and I''m ranked... well, I was 58th in the nationst year. Would he turn down two top 60 helpers? Even the real Shaquille O''Neal needed Kobe Bryant''s help to win championships!"


    Yu Fei looked at him with the pitying gaze reserved for the intellectually challenged.


    Roy smugly countered, "Isn''t my idea brilliant?"


    "Brandon, the more I think about it, the more I understand why you might not make it into college," Yu Fei shook his head regretfully. "Did you spend all that money on ne tickets and a hotel stay just to kiss that jerk''s feet? It''s bad enough you went nuts, but to dare drag me into it? How could I, proudly ranked 16th nationwide, possibly go andtch onto that idiot? I tell you, it''s not happening, and don''t even think about clinging to his coattails¡ªyou should be clinging to mine!"


    "But he''s the so-called 6-foot-9 Shaq..."


    "Then I''m the fucking 6-foot-9 Hakeem juwon!"


    The topic ended there, but Roy was still reluctant: "Wait till he knocks you down on the court, then you''ll see how great my idea was!"


    Yu Fei didn''t understand what was wrong with the world. Why was Brandon Roy such a wimp? But then again, if he had transitioned to a world where Kobe was praised as the perfect team yer, he could ept Roy being wimpy.


    Moreover,pared to the reasons cited for Kobe being the perfect team yer¡ªwatching movies with teammates asionally and cracking jokes on nes and buses¡ªthe evidence for Roy being wimpy was more direct, more irrefutable.


    Yu Fei really wanted to find a tape recorder and have Roy repeat what he''d just said. He was sure that this fool would regret having spoken such words one day.


    Please follow the story for updates, and your votes are appreciated.


    ```

 Chapter 22: 19 The Interesting Young Man

    ```


    The ABCD Camp was held at the Rosman Center, which is the home venue for all sports teams at Fairleigh Dickinson University.


    Today, 220 basketball yers from the 2001, 2002, and 2003 high school sses gathered here.


    Sonny Vacarro gave his speech, which he had tirelessly repeated since 1986, talking about the present, the future, about the high school students themselves, and how significant this stage was for them.


    Anyone who had seen the second part of "iPartment" would surely remember Zhang Wei, the head of an orphanage, who told the same story at every charity evening. He must have told it a million times, so he could recite it with genuine emotion. Vacarro did the same, listing three recent examples to resonate with the high school stars in the audience.


    For Fei, it was the same old spiel.


    He mentioned Gat, whose massive contract needed no introduction; every person in the room dreamed of bing a billionaire.


    Then came Kobe, the hottest young superstar of the moment.


    Finally, he brought up McGrady, who justst year signed amercial endorsement that brought him an eight-figure annual ie, a sum that was only a small part of his limitless financial prospects.


    What was the most exciting event of the day?


    It wasn''t Vacarro''s speech, but the arrival of a legendary figure.


    The appearance of Kobe Bryant, the protagonist of Vacarro''s stories, caused a stir on site.


    For Fei, this scene was particrly stunning.


    Because he came from 2023, even though the shadow of Kobe''s passing had cleared, it was still one of the most impactful social events he had experienced in his previous life.


    Surprisingly, Kobe, who entered the NBA straight out of high school, actually advised the young attendees to carefully consider skipping college: "Don''t put all your eggs in one basket. I may have seeded now, as have KG and T-Mac, but we''ve all faced challenges you can''t imagine."


    Hearing Kobe say this, Vacarro, who had just finished his impassioned story, almost turned ck with irritation.


    Vacarro had a dream, and that was to destroy the NCAA.


    However, the NCAA, a behemoth in American society, was too big to fail, so his second dream was apromise¡ªto make NCAA basketball dull andcking in star power.


    It wasn''t that Vacarro inherently shed with college basketball; their feud had a long history going back to the mid-80s. As time progressed and their disputes sharpened, Vacarro vowed to send all the talented yers to the NBA.


    Unexpectedly, Kobe began to sing a different tune, but Vacarro couldn''t say anything. How could he? Kobe was the most popr superstar of the moment. The Associated Press had said he matured, a perfect team yer, and he would affectionately call him "Uncle Sonny" when they met. What could he do when the kid was being immature? Justugh it off and cover it up.


    Afterward, Kobe invited the high schoolers in the audience to ask him questions.


    "Here''s your chance, Fi!" Roy whispered.


    This was the first time Fei learned that there was such a thing as an "opportunity" here.


    "What opportunity?"


    "I''m gonna tell Kobe I''m his fan and get him to sign my jersey, shoes, underwear, socks¡­" Roy teased Fei.


    Fei couldn''t help but chuckle, "You could ask him to sign your butt, you might have a better chance at that."


    Roy eagerly raised his hand, and his ambition caught Kobe''s attention.


    So, Kobe pointed at him.


    "Yo, Kobe, I''m your fan."


    Yo your mom, can you be normal?


    Fei felt sad that he had to be friends with this idiot.


    Seattle was so big, why did he have to know this person?


    "Thank you, what''s your question?" Kobe said, unfazed by Roy''s flippancy.


    Roy asked, "Can I get your autograph?"


    Everyone at the siteughed.


    Kobe couldn''t possibly agree because once he did, everyone would make the same request.


    "Only if you be the number one yer in the camp."


    Roy sat down and started muttering, "I knew he''d reject me. Good thing I''m not really his fan. I don''t even like the guy; he''s just a jerk protected by Shaq."


    Exactly, spot on. Fei nodded with a smile.


    A momentter, DeAngelo Collins, the most attention-grabbing yer of the camp, raised his hand.


    He was the type who naturally drew attention, even as the one asking a question, he was highly regarded.


    Collins didn''t act like a fan; instead, he saw himself as a star. So, he said, "Kobe, can you y one-on-one with me?"


    "Not now," Kobe was aware of what he was thinking.


    Collins persisted, "When can we?"


    ```


    Kobe Bryant had left a legend at the ABCD Camp of blowing away active NBA yers, and if DeAngelo Collins could perform well in a one-on-one with Kobe, it would be a huge boon for him.


    Kobe, with a smile on his face, told Collins, "When you enter the League, I''ll beat you in every way possible,"


    Apart from Collins'' request for a one-on-one, the Q&A session was boring.


    Yu Fei even wished for more prodigious youths like Roy.


    Unfortunately, in a camp predominantly attended by ck yers, the Q&A session gave Kobe the feeling of being in a job interview.


    He had a desire to break this dull deadlock.


    So, he suddenly raised his hand.


    "You want an autograph too?" Roy sneered, "I, the 58th ranked high school yer in the United States, don''t have one, so how could you, ranked 16th, get one?"


    "Just a reminder, your ranking is fromst year, and this year you''ve already fallen out of the mainstream rankings," Yu Fei responded.


    "That''s because they''re blind!"


    Roy eximed in a low growl, while Kobe nodded towards Yu Fei, who he also found quite special.


    This was the only Asian face in the crowd.


    "Hello, Mr. Bryant," Yu Fei deliberately projected the image of a nerdy Asian.


    As he spoke, Yu Fei felt his pretentiousness skyrocket, wishing he had worn a pair of non-prescription sses toplete the look.


    "Hello," Kobe replied.


    Kobe liked polite youngsters, as he had always been courteous since he was a child, and did not take to the ck-style banter.


    "May I ask you some questions about yourself?" Now, Yu Fei embodied the persona of an innocent and naive big boy.


    Kobe, from years of dealing with the media, was cautious, but looking into Yu Fei''s seemingly pure and admiring big, glistening eyes, how could such a youth set a trap for him?


    "As long as it doesn''t involve privacy..." Kobe yed it safe.


    "Umm..." Yu Fei still had the same demeanor, seemingly a fan who just wanted to know something he didn''t, "Mr. Bryant, I have always been a loyal fan of yours, and I think you are the best yer on the Lakers team. But Shaquille O''Neal is so annoying; he just stands in the paint and asks for the ball. He iszy and fat, with no professional spirit. When are you going to rece him as the best yer on the Lakers team?"


    Sssss...


    Brandon Roy wasn''t the only one sucking in a breath of cold air.


    He stared with wide eyes, trying to convey a message to Yu Fei: There will never be a "loyal" fan like you again!


    Originally, Kobe''s public disruption of Sonny Vacarro''s event was irritating enough, and the Q&A was lulling to sleep. Unexpectedly, a pure-hearted big boy emerged from the crowd, ying his cards so unorthodoxly it gave Kobe a fierce gank.


    "Who is that kid?" Vacarro asked, holding back augh.


    "Er... from the looks of it... he should be the Kent boy Chris rmended."


    Sonny remembered now, "Frye Yu?"


    "Yes, that should be him."


    The ce fell silent, everyone holding their breath, waiting to see how Kobe would respond.


    Kobe looked at Yu Fei seriously and asked, "Kid, what''s your name?"


    "I am Yu Fei from Kent." When Yu Fei said his name, he didn''t use English but perfectly normal Chinese.


    Kobe inwardly agreed with what Yu Fei had just said; that was exactly what he resented about Shaquille O''Neal.


    But now, he couldn''t juste out and say it. Otherwise, all the hard work the media had put into building his shining image would be wasted, wouldn''t it?


    Such are the hardships of being seen as a perfect team yer made of paper, just so you know.


    "The young man from Kent, you''ve asked a good question," Kobe hadn''t a clue of Yu Fei''s name, but he surely wouldn''t forget his face, "If one day, Shaq says to me, ''Kobe, I don''t want to carry the burden every night, you have to help me.'' I''ll tell him I''m ready, and that will be the beginning of bing the best yer on the Lakers team."


    The pure-hearted big boy continued to ask, "What if Shaq never makes such a request?"


    "That''s okay, I''m only 21," Kobe suddenly turned into the most magnanimous second-inmand in history, "When I''m 28, how old will Shaq be? 40? My time wille!"


    Yu Fei suddenly felt that the Associated Press''s praise of Kobe was too restrained. They should see this¡ªKobe was fully into his role, believing himself to be the best second-inmand ever, pretending to have the patience to wait for Shaquille O''Neal to age, and feigning youth to miscalcte Shaq''s age.


    Let''s delete from our memories how Smush Parker once set Kobe up, for Kobe''s memory was not good at all!


    "Thank you, I have no more questions," Yu Fei said.


    Yu Fei sat down.


    What an interesting young man! That''s what Kobe thought at the time.

 Chapter 23: 20 I Joined

    Yu Fei sat down, and the questioning continued.


    Others were still asking boring questions, while Yu Fei had clearly be an impressive figure.


    A small group of people quietly inquired about his background.


    When they learned that Yu Fei was ranked 16th in the United States for the ss of 2001, everyone was surprised.


    Brandon Roy even questioned Yu Fei, "You were never a fan of Kobe, were you? Why did you ask those questions?"


    "Because there are a lot of media here, and I believe someone will write about my questions in the news," Yu Fei said with a smile. "If Kobe and Shaq have a falling out in the future, maybe they can find some clues in Kobe''s statements today."


    A falling out?


    Roy had not expected Yu Fei to make such a malevolent prediction about the golden duo, "How dare you say that?"


    How dare I? Let''s not talk about the fact that this was something Yu Fei, as a time traveler, knew would happen early on. After the new century, no duo was more dominant and dramatic than Shaq and Kobe¡ªBoston''s Big Three, Miami''s Big Three, Thunder''s Young Trio, the Spurs'' Big Three, the Ssh Brothers, the Tsunami Duo, the Brooklyn Nets'' Big Five, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George... The list could go on, but none couldpare to Shaq and Kobe, right? They neither had Shaq and Kobe''s aplishments nor their dramas. The formation and dissolution of Shaq and Kobe perfectly fit the epic narrative of professional sports.


    In 2001, who could have foreseen the end of Shaq and Kobe?


    Yu Fei saw some signs in an interview with Kobest month.


    It was at the beginning of this season when a championship had constructed Kobe as a fully sessful person, a rare young yer who found bnce between sports and celebrity status. However, at that time, Shaquille O''Neal was the favorite for MVP, while Kobe was never part of the discussions; meanwhile, Iverson was a pop culture icon, and Carter was rising in the Eastern Conference, stealing all the limelightpletely surpassing Kobe as the recognized sessor closest to Jordan.


    In a post-game interview with NBC in February of that year, NBC asked Kobe if he was challenged by Carter''s 51 points in a single game and wanted to know if he intended to attempt the same feat. A sh of annoyance crossed Kobe''s face, and he indignantly replied, "Dude, why would you ask those questions?"


    Yu Fei swore this was the NBA version of "What the hell?!!!" Kobe''s jealousy was apparent; his desire to be "the man" on the team like Iverson and Carter was unmistakable, but at the time, he had to wear the hat of the perfect team yer, and perfect team yers do not do such things.


    Kobe quickly regained hisposure and denied anypetition between himself and Carter on the spot.


    Furthermore, Kobe stated, "My current situation is perfect, I can learn every aspect of the game without people scrutinizing my every move. What''s interesting is that people are too curious about me. Am I jealous of Shaq? Is Shaq jealous of me? Am I jealous of Vince? I''m not that kind of person. Shaq is ying brilliantly¡ªno one wants to see him y like that more than I do. Vince? I''m very, very happy for Vince. I like what he is doing."


    A wless answer, but if you add a "Yes" after every question Kobe was asked, and if you change thest "like" to "jealous," it would perfectly reflect Kobe''s state of mind.


    Every superstar needs a public image¡ªthat''s what the public wants.


    How long Kobe had to y this role depended on when he would take a trip to Eagle County.


    After the Q&A session, Kobe hadpleted his duty.


    Before leaving, he promised the yers present that he would return on thest day of camp to award the top-ranked high school student.


    Next came the team formation phase.


    This phase didn''t have many rules, as Wakaro allowed yers to form groups because there was no championshippetition in the camp.


    The seniors formed the upperssmen group, and sophomores and juniors formed the underssmen group. Juniors could join the senior teams.


    After the teams were formed, each team yed three 20-minute games each day,sting three days. On the fourth day, the ABCD Camp staff, representatives from various media, and college coaches selected the all-star lineup to y in the all-star game.


    Yu Fei and Roy formed a team, which they named Emerald City as a testament to where they were from.


    Roy noticed that DeAngelo Collins'' team was popr and that many seniors wanting to ride on his coattails were eager to join Collins'' team.


    But Collins was not just epting anyone; he only allowed seniors ranked in the top 100 nationwide and juniors in the top 50 into his team.


    "It''s all your fault, we missed a great opportunity!" Roy said as if he saw the chance for the media to notice him slipping away.


    Yu Fei mocked, "He only wants seniors who are ranked in the top 100 nationwide; seems like you don''t qualify, do you?"


    Taken aback by thement, Roy then defensively said, "I''m still among the top 100 high school students in the country on some lists!"


    "Like The Seattle Times? Oh no, they wouldn''t be so silly. I guess the paper that ranked you in the top 100 must be Garfield High School''s school newspaper, right?"


    "How could it be?!"


    "No need to exin, everyone looks at the mainstream rankings, and the reality is you''re no longer in the mainstream top 100. ept it; you can''t join his team!"


    Deted, Roy asked, "What do we do next?"


    "What to do? Can you believe you''re asking me that?" Yu Fei said indignantly, "I''m ranked 16th in the country; am I supposed to recruit people? You go recruit for me!"


    "Me?"


    "Who if not you?" Yu Fei said fiercely, "If you can''t schmooze a few fools to join the team, don''t me me for kicking you out of the team!"


    Roy was not ustomed to being treated this way and immediately retorted, "Kick me out, and Emerald City will be left with just you. How would you y then?"


    Yu Feiughed slyly, "Guess what, would DeAngelo Collins refuse to ept the 16th ranked high school student in the country to join his team?"


    "Just wait a moment, I''ll go find a few dumb underssmen for you!"


    Roy was very tactful. It was tough to recruit top-100 yers from his own grade, but wasn''t it easy to fool a few lower-grade nobodies?


    Moreover, although Yu Fei''s reputation wasn''t as prominent as Collins'', he was still a top-20 high school yer in the country, which was certainly attractive.


    Yu Fei didn''tpletely leave the recruitment to Roy; he decided to look around himself.


    One thing was for sure, the ABCD Camp was America''s premier high school basketball camp, so among the yers of three different age groups who came to the camp, there surely were some future stars he recognized.


    Even among them, there might be someone like Iguod who didn''t realize they could be NBA All-Stars in the future.


    Even if they were being bullied here, Yu Fei could stand up for them.


    Being their big brother, once they all made it to the NBA, would they forget this old kindness?


    Maybe one day they could y brotherhood basketball together?


    As Yu Fei walked around, he suddenly saw not far away, a thin ck kid with big ears and a buzz cut was pleading with an upperssman to let him join his team.


    "Will, please believe me, I can protect your team... I..."


    Clearly, the upperssman doubted his abilities, "Don''t even think about it, I would never let an eleventh-grader join my team!"


    "Go y your damn lower-level games, your tiny body would get crushed in a higher-level game!" The upperssman shook his head dismissively, bluntly rejecting him.


    The ck kid with big ears looked embarrassed, as this obviously wasn''t the first team to have turned him down.


    Just as he was about to brazenly look for another team, an Asian youth appeared in his sight.


    The other party was looking at him too.


    He remembered this person¡ªhe was the guy who asked Kobe that weird question.


    "Got a problem?" Seeing that the other party seemed more and more like they were mocking him, the ck kid with big ears asked indignantly.


    Although he didn''t look the same as he would in the future when he stole the NBA Finals MVP from Stephen Curry, Yu Fei still recognized him.


    "Andre Iguod?"


    Yu Fei asked with a smile.


    "You know me?" Iguod was secretly surprised.


    Yu Fei said nonchntly, "I think I''ve heard your name somewhere, but that''s not important. It looks like that guy just rejected you?"


    "So what if he did?" Iguod felt more and more like Yu Fei was up to no good.


    "Who rejected you?"


    Annoyed, Iguod said, "Big Will, he''s ranked 54th in the country, and Roger Powell Jr., who is ranked 62nd in the country... Damn, why am I telling you this? What do you want?!"


    Yu Fei didn''t have particrly good or bad feelings about Iguod.


    Putting aside his performance with the Warriors, his refusal to y for the Memphis Grizzlies at the end of his career really soured people''s perception of him.


    He acted as if he was some noble old soldier too dignified to y for a team that seemed to be rebuilding.


    But the current Iguod was quite amusing, like a straightforward country bumpkin.


    With that thought, Yu Fei said casually, "Well, as the 16th-ranked high school yer in the country from the ss of 2001, I formally invite you to join my team. Then you''ll have the chance to prove that Big Will and whoever else made a mistake."


    In an instant, Iguod''s heartbeat quickened.


    This was an incredibly exciting feeling!


    He regretted his poor attitude towards Yu Fei...


    "A 16th national rank...?" Iguod asked incredulously, "You''re not lying to me, are you?"


    Yu Fei smiled and said, "I''m Yu Fei from Seattle. You can check my ranking with the staff. Now I''ll ask you again, do you want to join my team?"


    "This... this... of course!" Iguod said loudly, "I''m in!"


    PS: Who ys "Fearless Contract",st night I duo-queued with my cousin, 5 losses and 1 win. I''m almost emo; I urgently need a strong leader for the team. Of course, I won''t fall behind on my writing work while ying; I''ve already decided to publish next month, so I''m currently stocking up on drafts for a bigger update on the day of publication (I wouldn''t dare say an explosive update, since I''ve heard of a recent publication monster who dropped 50 chapters in one go).


    Finally, I ask for follows and votes, which are truly important for me and any author in their new book period.


    Thanks to Yuren, Shawn, Mukongyi, Xingyin Yue Ming, Xia Qingyou, Zhong Yun Shuzhou, book friend 20190417172921404, and Sad City for the rewards.

 Chapter 24: 21: Hes really something!

    And so, Andre Iguod, ranked 68th among all high school students in the United States in the ss of 2002, joined Yu Fei''s Jade Team.


    Why was it so difficult for the 68th-ranked Iguod to join the team of upperssmen? There were two main reasons: Iguod himself did not possess the immediatebat effectiveness needed topete at a higher level, or else he wouldn''t have been ranked 68th. Secondly, during the adolescent stage, even if there''s only a one-grade difference, the gap in immediatebat effectiveness is very apparent.


    This is also the reason why, under our national sports system, athletes would sometimes change their age in pursuit of better youth achievements.


    At this stage, being just one year older can bring a significant advantage. What about being two, three, or even four years older?


    Since ancient times, those super talents who can fight above their level have always been a minority.


    Just as Yu Fei was preparing to take Iguod to see how many people Roy had recruited, a mature and steady-looking young man suddenly walked past him.


    Because his face was so recognizable, it made Yu Fei''s DNA resonate with a jolt, like a facial shockwave.


    Yu Fei abruptly turned around, looking at him¡ªhe was wearing number 155.


    "Hey!" Yu Fei yelled out.


    In that instant, Yu Fei was like Tang Ren from "Detective Chinatown" who went to the police station to stir up trouble, with a loud "Surprised~~~" that drew everyone''s attention to him in the gymnasium.


    Number 155 turned around, and despite his thick hair, despite the fact he didn''t yet exude the air of a king, despite him being just one of the few sophomores in the camp at the time... that face was already one of the most unforgettable ones for Yu Fei from his past life.


    LeBron James!


    Yu Fei had not expected to see him here!


    Which one felt more out of ce to Yu Fei, the short-haired Kobe or the envious hairline of LeBron James?


    The answer was thetter.


    It''s still the same words, Kobe didn''t leave much in Yu Fei''s youth, but LeBron James, who stopped wearing his headband after 2015, pushing his battle with the receding hairline to the forefront, was the basketball star with the deepest impression for all basketball fans born after 2000.


    "Do you know me?" James asked.


    Yu Fei said, "I don''t, but isn''t this tform meant for us to get to know each other?"


    James smiled, "You''re right. I''m LeBron James from Akron, and I''m ranked number one in the ss of 2003."


    Introducing oneself and casually mentioning one''s national high school ranking was an unspoken rule of the camp¡ªJames wasn''t doing it to show off.


    He didn''t need to show off.


    "My name is Yu Fei, from Kent," Yu Fei said. "I''m ranked 16th in the ss of 2001...LeBron, since you''re ranked first, I assume you''ve already joined a team?"


    James nodded, "I have my own team."


    Since James was from the ss of 2003, definitely in a lower grade, Yu Fei could neither be his teammate nor hispetitor.


    After a brief introduction, Yu Fei walked away with Iguod.


    "Fi, do you know that kid?"


    It was interesting that Iguod referred to James as a kid.


    But LeBron was only fifteen and a half at the time, indeed still a child.


    Though he looked mature, his face still held a trace of youth.


    "Don''t you follow the news, Andre?" Yu Fei said. "Mr. Wakaro has been saying that he saw a kid in Akron who would be better than Kobe, T-MAC, and KG, and that''s him."


    "Him?"


    Better than Gat, Kobe, and McGrady?


    Iguod expressed his doubt.


    It''s normal to have doubts, even in 2003 when James entered the NBA amid a historically unique hype. If someone had told you then that, in 20 years, this guy would break Jabbar''s all-time scoring record, would you believe it?


    Someone like James who didn''t just live up to the hype but greatly surpassed the pre-draft expectations is indeed very rare.


    After a while, Yu Fei finally located Roy with Iguod.


    To Yu Fei''s surprise, in just a little while Roy had actually managed to persuade three people to join the team.


    And among them, there was one face that Yu Fei recognized.


    It was a Caucasian guy.


    "Captain, my name is Francisco Garcia, I was born in the Dominican Republic but grew up in the United States, and I''m currently ranked 77th in the 2002 national ss," he said.


    Yu Fei vaguely remembered Garcia ying for the Rockets during Harden''s era.


    As for how well he yed, Yu Fei wasn''t clear; he certainly wasn''t a star.


    But if someone had started their career at this time and was still ying in the NBA during Harden''s era, then he must certainly have been a qualified role yer in the NBA for many years.


    The other two were ssmates of Yu Fei and Roy.


    They were B.J. Elder, an unrankedbo guard, and Wes Wilkinson, a Caucasian center, ranked 100th in the ss of 2001 national ss.


    When Yu Fei heard that Wilkinson was ranked top 100 in the United States, he said with augh, "Looks like you''re the one who took Brandon''s spot, and you still dare to join my team? Don''t you know Brandon is my good brother?"


    Wilkinson replied cheerfully, "Actually, I''ve always wanted to find an opportunity to give up my ranking. If I can help Brandon return to the top 100 in the nation at this camp, I would be immensely grateful. Being in the top 100 is too boring for me."


    This Versailles-like behavior left Roy and Elder feeling quite ufortable.


    However, with this, Jade Team''s roster had reached six people. Since the games at ABCD Camp were not very long, six yers were barely enough.


    About an hourter, most teams had finished their recruitment.


    During this time, Yu Fei had recruited a point guard named Gary Ervin, who was ranked 94th in the nation for the ss of 2002.


    Being a junior and with a rtively low ranking, he was picked up by Yu Fei at the very end.


    It''s worth mentioning that DeAngelo Collins''s Oscar Team had 11 yers, and nearly all were well-known upperssmen from the ss of 2001.


    Such a team, if let loose in an AAU game, would undoubtedly be a devastating force.


    No AAU Team could boast such a multitude of high school stars.


    Even worse for Jade Team, they were in the same division as Oscar Team, and ording to the round-robin schedule, the two teams would meet on the third day, thest day of round-robin y.


    Yu Fei didn''t seem to care, but Roy was scared to death.


    "That''s the guy they call the 6-foot-9 Shaq, and he''s got a bunch of top high schoolers to back him up. How on earth are we going to y this match?"


    The first day''s game hadn''t even started, and clever Roy was already worrying about day three''s game.


    "Yeah, Oscar Team will indeed be tough to handle, but I''m more interested in who our first opponent of the day is," Yu Fei asked.


    Roy turned to someone else and asked, "B.J., you''ve seen the schedule, you should know who our first opponent is, right?"


    B.J. Elder said, "It''s a team called Oscar."


    Hearing that name, Iguod reacted, "That''s Big Will''s team!"


    "Big Will?"


    "The guy who turned me down," Iguod exined. "Will Bynum, a high school senior ranked 53rd nationally, and he''s also the captain of the Oscar Team."


    Will Bynum? Another name that sounded familiar.


    "Shouldn''t you be happy?" Yu Fei said to Iguod, "Your chance for revenge hase so quickly!"


    Realizing what Yu Fei meant, Iguod smiled, "Yes, I''ll prove that he made a wrong judgment!"


    "No, you don''t need to prove anything to him, you need to prove to me that I haven''t made a wrong judgment," Yu Fei said, educating Iguod like a big brother leading the pack.


    Iguod nodded like a pecking chicken, "Fi, I definitely won''t let you down!"


    A few minutester, staff came to remind Yu Fei that their game against the Oscar Team was about to start.


    So, Yu Fei led his teammates to the court, which was located in Rosman Center''s Court 10.


    When Will Bynum saw Iguod representing Jade Team, he was surprised.


    He didn''t understand why a top-20 high schooler like Yu Fei would agree to let a junior join his team.


    "Aren''t you worried he''ll hold you back?" Bynum asked, in a hurtful tone.


    Yu Fei suddenly felt a bit exasperated with time-traveling; why did he find everyone so familiar yet still couldn''t recognize them?


    Will Bynum? Even the name felt vaguely familiar.


    "You''re too short, Will," Yu Fei said impatiently.


    Bitterly, Bynum asked, "What do you mean?"


    "You''re like a frog in a well, shortsighted, unable to see Andre''s future," Yu Fei dered in front of Iguod, "I''ll bet Andre will make it to the NBA, while you¡ªI''m sorry to say¡ªheading overseas to be a mediocre American yer seems to be your destiny!"


    Initially, Bynum had a fair amount of respect for a top-20 yer like Yu Fei, but since Yu Fei started off by trying to put him down, Bynum couldn''t care less.


    The tension between the two was palpable from the start.


    Then, Wilkinson helped Jade Team win the opening ball possession, and Yu Fei received it, moving to the frontcourt. Knowing that countless eyes were on him, he showboated his dribbling skills. Faced with Bynum''s tight defense, he remained unruffled, used his behind to fend him off, and teasingly asked, "Anxious? Just because you won''t make it to the NBA in the future? Isn''t that a bit much? Hey, Andre!"


    No sooner had Yu Fei spoken than Iguod charged toward the basket.


    Yu Fei casually gathered the ball, and like those scheming viins in martial arts novels who relish using hidden weapons, he mockingly hurled the ball into the air like a dart.


    Bynum, being too short, was simply unable to stop Yu Fei.


    The basketball soared, Iguod leaped to catch it, and promptly mmed it into the hoop.


    "Cool, Andre!"


    Roy knew Iguod had some skills; otherwise, Yu Fei wouldn''t have recruited him. He didn''t expect this guy to be... downright talented!


    (1) What defines a big shot? A quick primer: if top rookies are about to debut in the dark world, such people are called big shots. Congrattions, you''ve just learned another piece of useless knowledge.

 Chapter 25: 22 He is here for a reason

    Sonny Vacarro had a pair of widely recognized "Fire Eyes," able to distinguish the true talents on the court.


    Actually, this wasn''t so much a skill, because real geniuses are quite easy to spot.


    Vacarro was confident in his eye for talent, even though he wasn''t always spot-on.


    About ten years ago, he had spotted a high school student at the ABCD Camp and convinced Nike to offer him a half a million US Dor endorsement contract, only for the kid to rapidly fall from grace after getting a taste of big money.


    This incident taught Vacarro a great lesson; ever since then, when observing high school yers, he paid attention to character and temperament as well as talent and skill.


    People with bad characters don''t know how to be grateful and aren''t worth supporting.


    Those with poor temperament can hardly achieve greatness, let alone be worth angel investment.


    The quintessential "This kid is something special" story that Vacarro liked to recount was that of Kobe Bryant in 1995. At that time, Kobe, still a lowerssman, struggled to be the best yer at the ABCD Camp, but he told Vacarro on closing day, "I might not be the best yer in camp right now, but next year I will be."


    Vacarro still remembered Kobe''s demeanor at that moment; he had already foreseen the future of a basketball superstar.


    So many years had passed, and Vacarro met countless people, yet he couldn''t figure out Yu Fei.


    From the fact that he dared to ask Kobe an out-of-bounds question, it was obvious that he had guts, but he didn''t seem too intelligent, since his team had several younger students, which was not conducive to his team''spetitiveness.


    Just when Vacarro thought Yu Fei was going to suffer a big loss, he started the game by throwing an alley-oop pass to a lowerssman.


    Then he matched up with the shortest yer on the opposing team.


    As far as Vacarro knew, Yu Fei was a post yer.


    "Chris, what position does that kid Frye actually y?" Vacarro asked, puzzled.


    Chris Dennis, the one who had rmended Yu Fei for the camp, was also baffled.


    "Frye has always yed center in the school team; he is an inside yer with the skills of a guard..."


    "But he''s currently matching up against the opposing guard, and judging by his defense, histeral movement is quick, he can totally keep up."


    Then, Yu Fei blocked Will Bynum with a big rejection.


    "If the scouts saw his performance now, maybe his national ranking would rise," Vacarro started to suspect that Yu Fei ying the post was out of necessity.


    Given that his school was weak, and as the tallest person on the team, it was normal for him to fill in as center.


    To be honest, whether filling in as center or actually being a center with the ball-handling of a guard, this was nothing unusual.


    Youth basketball was, after all, a circle teeming with wonders.


    However, many of these wonders lost their spirit when stepping into the adult-level college games.


    Yet, the agility Yu Fei disyed, enough to guard a guard, couldn''t be simply summed up as a wonder.


    This was genuine talent.


    A big man capable of guarding a guard on defense had limitless possibilities.


    As Vacarro watched, he began to sense something was off.


    Yu Fei was more than just matching up with guards; he was outright ying as a guard.


    Since the team had Will Wilkins, Yu Fei didn''t need to y center; he let Iguod y power forward while he took over ball-handling duties in a big way.


    This time, he didn''t pass.


    Facing Bynum''s size disadvantage, he chose to bulldoze through with his body, breaking into the paint and nailing the trademark floater off the ss.


    Half a minuteter, Yu Fei intercepted an opponent''s pass and went coast to coast for a thunderous dunk.


    Helping on defense, he disrupted the opponent''s shooting opportunity, seized the rebound and broke away; at the opponent''s free throw line, he pulled up for a jump shot.


    Aside from low-post y and three-pointers, Yu Fei disyed a full range of offensive skills.


    "He doesn''t quite resemble Lamar Odom anymore," Vacarroughed, "He reminds me of someone else."


    Dennis asked, "Who?"


    Vacarroughed and said, "That enthusiastic kid at the draft who was overly affectionate with Mr. Commissioner."


    This was almost the most popr draft joke sincest year.


    In the year 2000, number four pick Darius Miles, after having his name called by David Stern, became so emotionally overwhelmed that he walked up to the stage and gave a stunned Stern a very intimate full-body hug.


    This prompted Stern to immediately issue detailed instructions on how the drafted yers should embrace themissioner at the end of the draft.


    Poor Darius Miles'' professional career had started under a cloud.


    Originally, Vacarro also believed that Miles would be the next generation''s superstar and would outshine Gat.


    As a result, after a year had passed, there was no sign of Darius Miles''s talent being realized.


    However, Darius still had time. They say to watch a rookie for three years; if there''s no indication of the potential to grow into a star within the first three years of a professional career, then one can say with 95% certainty that it will probably never happen.


    Now, when Vacarro mentioned that Yu Fei reminded him of Darius, was that a positive sign?


    Chris Dennis felt uncertain.


    When Vacarro saw Yu Fei''s team end the half with a 19-point lead, he decided to leave and watch games on other courts.


    "Keep an eye on him, this kid is special."


    In any case, Yu Fei made it onto Vacarro''s daily observation list.


    ¡ù¡ù¡ù


    Yu Fei was unaware of how many people were watching him. During the game against the Oscar Team, besides trying to y at his best, he was recalling who Will Bynum was.


    Finally, when he sat down for a rest in the second half, he remembered.


    Will Bynum was a foreign yer in the CBA, but Yu Fei didn''t have a strong memory of him because his active seasons were probably between 2012-2014. At that time, the previous life''s Yu Fei was not even 10 years old. He remembered Bynum because he had watched Guangdong Team games with his father. Although they were not from Guangdong, because their own province didn''t have a CBA team, if one wanted to watch CBA games at that time, Guangdong Team was an ideal choice, as they had the star yer Space Easy.


    And Bynum was a foreign yer for Guangdong Team.


    But Yu Fei was too young back then and didn''t remember very clearly. By matching Bynum''s face with "picking locks" time and again, he finally pieced together aplete image from the fragments of memory in his mind.


    This forced him to confront much from his past, something he had been trying to avoid. After transmigrating, he had avoided recalling the things from his former life and had focused solely on training hard, determined not to waste his talent. But now, Bynum had inadvertently caused him to remember a lot.


    A few minutester, the game ended, and the Jade Team''s first battle concluded with a victory.


    Yu Fei wiped the moisture from the corner of his eyes and reinforced his resolve. Once, even ying professional basketball in China seemed like a lofty dream, but now, he could even see the doors of the NBA opening up to him.


    If there really was a God above, then there was a reason for him being here.


    He was determined to walk this path and to go further than anyone else.


    "You''re awesome, Frye,"


    Bynum said to Yu Fei after the game.


    Yu Fei didn''t appreciate the praise; instead, he responded, "You should apologize to Andre. You were wrong about him; he''s great and can be of help."


    "I will," Bynum said, then walked towards Iguod.


    Suddenly, a loud noise came from not too far away.


    Everyone''s gaze shifted to that court, where DeAngelo Collins was seen gripping the rim fiercely, sitting on top of two people who had apparently been knocked over by him.


    Even though he had already scored with the dunk, he did not forget to humiliate his opponents by yanking on the rim, "You think you can stop me?!"


    After delivering his trash-talk, Collins''sckeys on the sidelines loudly echoed it; he was certainly the only yer to create a home crowd feel on the court.


    "That big brother is also very impressive, but I don''t like him," Bynum''s head shook, "It''s not that I don''t like him as a person; I just don''t like his poor imitation of the ''Fab Five.'' It''s really not the same."


    Yu Fei just shrugged, not engaging in the conversation.


    He didn''t like the Michigan Fab Five, especially after learning about them; he thought most of what they left behind was negative:


    They brought a street-style thug attitude into college basketball, where everyone started to relish humiliating their opponents when in the lead, throwing out unfriendly trash talk, and dunking with excessive rim-hanging to taunt thepetition;


    The fact that all five of them, who were selected for the McDonald''s All-American Game, teamed up for college, was something else.


    The problem was that the Fab Five''s grandstanding did not trante into substantive achievements.


    After the game with the Oscar Team, Yu Fei and his team took a 20-minute break before diving into their second game of the day.


    This time they faced a mixed team led by eleventh graders. With Yu Fei struggling to find his range from the mid and long-distance, Roy took over the offense and powered through, helping the Jade Team to another victory.


    In theirst game of the day, the Jade Team came up against the Inglewood Team, which had also refused to let Iguod join.


    With scores to settle and vendettas to uphold, Yu Feibined pration and shooting, assisting Iguod while also rediscovering his shooting touch. The oue, naturally, was unrivaled.


    The Jade Team ended the first day of the ABCD Camp undefeated in three games.


    Yu Fei was selected for the day''s best lineup with an average of 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.


    Moreover,pared to his time in the school team, the biggest difference for Yu Fei in the camp was his registered positions.


    His primary position was point guard, his secondary was small forward, and his third was power forward.


    This caused the scouts'' evaluations of him to swing from one extreme to the other.


    NBA scouts onsite wrote in their observation logs of Yu Fei, "It''s hard to have an urate assessment of Frye Yu. He can protect the rim like a center, attack the zone like a small forward, and push the ball up like a guard. He can also hit the top-of-the-arc three-pointer, is quite confident in his mid-range jumper, and while not very urate, his shooting form is good. He seemingly can do it all, andparing him to Lamar Odom, the ABCD Camp version of Frye seems more like an intermediate between Darius Miles and Scottie Pippen. The question is, can he make these skills work in college, or even, if he went straight to the NBA, could he still do what he did today? If the answer is yes, then he should be the number one draft pick for 2001. If the answer is no, then his future willrgely depend on how the team develops him and his own efforts."


    Finally, the first round of rmendations would start next week. Thanks to everyone''s support, although I haven''t walked the rmended route this week, my data is still good. Please continue to maintain it. There''s no way around it for a new book. After theunch, I won''t beg endlessly like an olddy for "follows and votes."

 Chapter 26: 23: Darius Miles or Scottie Pippen?

    When Yu Fei saw his name on the list of the best lineup for the first day of the training camp, he was very happy. It signified that his performance today had won the recognition of the professionals.


    He also noticed that James had been selected for today''s best lineup of the lower grades.


    It was a surprising incident.


    What Yu Fei did not expect was that he saw another familiar name at the camp¡ªif speaking in terms of the year 2023, this name would make his pupils quake and his DNA dance.


    Indeed, this training camp for Yu Fei was a DNA-not-dancing challenge.


    In the higher grades today''s best lineup, Yu Fei saw Carmelo Anthony!


    The list noted that Anthony belonged to the ss of 2002, 17 years old, from Towson Catholic High School¢Å, currently ying for the Ace Team, positioned as shooting guard and small forward.


    As an eleventh-grader, Anthony was emerging as a standout at the camp. Before this, hardly anyone knew him because both his high school and its district were not strong, and his national ranking was outside the top 50 for the ss of 2002.


    This kind of ranking had no appeal in thepetition among the higher grades.


    However, he proved his mettle in a one-on-one proving game, managed to join the higher grades team, and on the first day of the camp, he averaged 25 points per game, firmly making it into the best lineup.


    "An eleventh-grader is that awesome?"


    Iguod, who practically got stuffed today with the passes from Yu Fei, felt that thepetition in the higher grades was nothing special. But when he saw a fellow grade-mate ughtering in the higher grades group, the feeling of disparity immediately showed on his face.


    Roy took a look at the schedule and said with surprise, "The Ace Team is in our group."


    "When?" Yu Fei asked.


    "The second game tomorrow," Roy replied with a smile, "But they''re unlucky since after ying against us, they''ll have to y against DeAngelo Collins'' team."


    Yu Fei did not see Anthony today.


    He felt that he should have crossed paths with Anthony, but Anthony''s appearance wasn''t as recognizable as James''.


    After all, not everyone looks as mature as James who, at only 16 and a half, appeared much older.


    "You''re feeling smug now, but if you screw up in front of an eleventh-grader tomorrow, don''t even say you''ve been to the ABCD Camp when you get back to Seattle."


    After taking a jab at Roy, Yu Fei left the court with his team.


    When Iguod found out that Yu Fei chose not to stay in the yers'' dormitory but instead opened a room at the nearby Marriott Hotel, he said enviously, "Your family must be very rich."


    Yu Fei did not reveal the truth to Iguod.


    After returning to the hotel and freshening up, Yu Fei decided to treat everyone to dinner.


    Aside from Roy and DiMio, everyone else was very excited.


    "Brandon, the boss is treating, why aren''t you excited?" E.J Elders, a substitute of the Jade Team, asked.


    Roy rolled his eyes and said, "It''s just pork cutlet rice. What''s there to be happy about?"


    Yu Fei asked with a smile that hid a knife, "You have a problem with that?"


    Roy shook his head and said, "No. I just think, with our status, we deserve a better dinner."


    "What status? The one where your national ranking got pushed out of the top hundred? Or the one as a bully who preys on the weak?" Yu Fei said helplessly, "Beforeing here, I participated in the Kent City AAUpetition and won a prize of 2,000 US dors. If you all can put on a good performance in the next two days, I promise I''ll treat you to a big meal on thest day of camp!"


    Yu Fei led his little brothers into a restaurant with good business, and after ordering their meals, they began to chat.


    Interestingly, the members of the Jade Team had nearly one thing inmon¡ªthey all came from single-parent families.


    Not to mention Yu Fei, Iguod''s father only appeared when he was 10 years old, E.J Elders had never seen his father, Francisco Garcia wouldn''t talk about his father at all, and Will Wilkins said that his parents divorced early, and he grew up under his father''s stick and belt.


    "Guys, I''m really happy to know you," Yu Fei raised a ss of c, "To single-parent families."


    Everyone raised their sses, except for Roy who hesitated.


    "Uh... my parents are both around..." Roy said awkwardly, "Should I still toast to single-parent families?"


    "Your parents are both around?" Yu Feiughed teasingly, "Everyone sitting here is from single-parent nobility, without a dad or a mom. You have both parents, so you don''t deserve to sit here at all."


    With Roy''s experience, it was hard for him to catch Yu Fei''s teasing. DiMio smiled and helped him out, "You all are luckier than me; I was raised by my grandmother."


    ```


    "Who would have thought such a small dinner table could show us the diversity of American families," Yu Fei changed his tone. "Well then, here''s to lumberjacks."


    Before Hollywood ushered in the big era of lumberjacks with the Fast and Furious franchise, American blockbusters were still decent. So Yu Fei decided he would be a lumberjack before the lumberjack heroes took over the screen.


    ¡ù¡ù¡ù


    The ABCD Training Camp had a war room where staff members would gather to discuss yer performances after the day''s activities.


    Jonathan Burnham, Wakaro''s most trusted scout.


    Vn Sam, a professional in the basketball industry with 40 years of experience.


    Daniel House, a recognized basketball expert...


    The most authoritative figures of the ABCD Camp were gathered there, and Wakaro had only one question, "Answer me with just one name¡ªwho was the most impressive yer you saw today?"


    "LeBron James."


    Vn Sam, who focused on the lower grades, said, "He''s the real deal, I can almost certainly say he will be the yer with the brightest future in ABCD history."


    "Carmelo Anthony," said Daniel House. "He holds his own even against twelfth-graders, and moreover, his scoring skills are something many yers will never possess in their lifetimes."


    Then, Wakaro looked towards Jonathan Burnham, who was responsible for observing the upper grades.


    Wakaro was particrly interested in his opinion.


    Since 1995, almost all of Burnham''s predictions had been spot on.


    He thought Gat was extraordinary, Kobe would be the next superstar, McGrady a genius, and Odom''s ambition and focus would be his shackles... The only exception was Darius Miles.


    Burnham had thought Miles would be a small forward version of Kevin Gat, but that hadn''te true yet.


    Even though Miles had just finished his rookie season, it was almost certain he was not a prodigy like Gat.


    Compared to previous years, this year''s returning yers at the ABCD Camp had only a few worth paying extra attention to.


    DeAngelo Collins would have been an easy answer, but Burnham wasn''t optimistic about Collins''s current level of y tranting into higher-level games.


    The name Frye lingered in Burnham''s mind.


    However, in some ways, Yu Fei was too simr to Miles.


    Wakaro asked, "Jonathan, wasn''t there any twelfth-grader who made a deep impression on you today?"


    After a few seconds of hesitation, Burnham finally said, "I''m not sure if Frye is the seconding of Darius Miles, or if he''s the second Scottie Pippen."


    Burnham''s response reminded Wakaro of that interesting young man.


    Whether it was being the only Asian American in the camp, or his unconventional question during Kobe''s Q&A session that crossed the line, or his performance today, all of it made Wakaro remember him.


    "What concerns you?" Wakaro asked.


    Burnham said, "His ying style is chaotic, we know he ys center at school, but in the camp, he is entirely a point guard! A 6-foot-9-inch (208CM) point guard!"


    "I cannot imagine him ying as a point guard in the NBA, but if you consider him a 6-foot-9-inch small forward, his dribbling skills aren''t so terrifying," Burnham said. "I have seen many forwards with good ball-handling and excellent physical conditions, but out of ten such yers, only one bes a Scottie Pippen, and a few be erratic two-way swingmen like Billy Owens. The rest, like Brad Sellers, just disappear into the crowd."


    The miscalction on Miles had cast a shadow over Burnham''s eyes, but Wakaro trusted his own judgment more.


    He too had misjudged a promising young man, but that only resulted in a loss of half a million dors.


    What he sought were those with the potential to bring in billions.


    This year, he saw a James among the younger yers. How about the senior group? Could Yu Fei be that person? And if he wasn''t, what about it? Such individuals didn''te along every year anyway.


    So, with a smile, Wakaro gave his mantra, "Let''s wait and see."


    ¢Å Carmelo Anthony only transferred to Oak Hill High School in his senior year.


    ¢Æ Billy Owens, the third overall pick of the 1991 draft, was pre-draft hyped as abination of Magic Bird, followed the footsteps of Wilkins who adamantly refused to go to Utah, prompting his team to trade him, the second generation of ''high hope, low achievement'' brother.


    ¢Ç Brad Sellers, the odd talent whom the Chicago Bulls selected with the ninth pick in the 1986 draft, was hyped pre-draft as a 7-foot tall yers with a sharpshooter''s touch, a ball-handling wizard, and a rebounding fool. He didn''t stand up to Jordan''s bullying and was even deemed a draft flop by Krause before his first season was over. Thus, in the 1987 draft, Krause selected based on Sellers'' characteristics, picking a rebounding big man (Oakley) and a ball-handling forward (Pippen).


    ```

 Chapter 27: 24 Focus After Focus

    ABCD Camp Day Two


    Yu Fei got up at seven in the morning.


    After his journey through time, he had developed the habit of getting up early to jog in the school yground.


    But in New Jersey, he couldn''t find a safe ce for morning runs, so the only option was the gym at the Marriott Hotel, which provided breakfast, drinks, and all reasonable services.


    Although he couldn''t run on the yground and breathe the fresh morning air, he could still enjoy VIP service at a five-star hotel while exercising on the treadmill... It was barely eptable.


    At eight-thirty, aftering back from his workout, Yu Fei provided Roy with a professional wake-up call service.


    When Roy wanted to stay in bed, Yu Fei kindly ced a piece of ice in his crotch.


    "What the hell???"


    Roy woke up, and Yu Fei was sure he would remember this moment every time he felt like oversleeping in the future.


    "We need to go early to get a good spot on the court, so you''d better hurry up," Yu Fei urged.


    By nine-thirty in the morning, Yu Fei and Roy arrived at the Rosman Center to meet up with the rest of the Jade Team.


    Iguod had arrived the earliest, and those who arrived early had the obligation to secure the best spot for their teammates.


    So, Iguod grabbed the court with the prime location in the center of Rosman Center: it was situated right in the middle, with a supermarket in front, where they could buy snacks and drinks, and behind it was the popr area crowded with professionals.


    Practicing here, the experts couldn''t help but notice them.


    Just as Yu Fei and his teammates were preparing to warm up, DeAngelo Collins''sckey, the owner of the ugliest horse face in Yu Fei''s mind, appeared.


    He strutted onto the court and pointed at Iguod, saying, "Hey, this court isn''t yours."


    Iguod looked at him awkwardly, unsure of how to respond.


    "Does it belong to you then?" Roy asked smartly.


    Yu Fei swore that if the ugliest horse face acknowledged that, Roy would take his word for it.


    "This is DC''s exclusive court!" the owner of the ugliest horse face said arrogantly, "If you don''t want to anger DC, then kindly clear the court now, and I can keep him from finding out about this!"


    Yu Feiy on the ground, while Will Wilkins was helping him stretch.


    Hearing the other party''s words, Yu Fei couldn''t helpughing, "There''s actually something called an exclusive court here? I wasn''t aware. Is that some sort of privilege for the top five yers in the nation?"


    "DC was training here yesterday, and he''s going to train here today too!" the owner of the ugliest horse face said loudly.


    "He''s not going to train here today." Yu Fei stood up, his height and presence made the other feel intimidated, "As his dog, if you want to secure a good spot for your master, you should''ve gotten up early like us, not make impolite demands like a mad dog. Even the most foolish dog will bully others with its master''s power, yet here you are alone, barking at us?"


    "What... what do you want to do?!"


    Yu Fei looked at the owner of the ugliest horse face, who was only about 1.7 meters tall ¨C the same height he had in his previous life.


    At 1.7 meters, he couldn''t possibly aplish anything on the basketball court.


    And now... he definitely wouldn''t easily give up anything within his grasp, not even a better positioned basketball court.


    "Don''t worry, unless you bite me first, I won''t hit a dog. I''m a dog lover," said Yu Fei, smiling while grabbing the other guy''s cor, lifting him up almost off his feet, "Go tell your master, the 16th-ranked Yu Fei in the nation sends his regards."


    "Scram!"


    The owner of the ugliest horse face left the scene in an embarrassing fashion, and Yu Fei turned around as if nothing had happened and said, "Let''s start our training."


    Collins did note to seek justice.


    After all, Yu Fei was also the 16th best yer in the nation. Strictly speaking, the top 20 yers could be considered in the same bracket, and Collins might not have the advantage if they shed.


    Collins didn''te to im the court, but the news of Yu Fei upying Collins''s spot spread quickly.


    This was the first time someone in the camp dared to challenge Collins.


    Probably realizing his reputation was damaged because of this incident, Collins came over before the first game of the day to challenge Yu Fei.


    "Are you Yu Fei?"


    "If you''vee to ask for this court, I must regretfully decline."


    ```


    "Humph!" Collins arrogantly dered, "I know what you''re thinking. You believe professional scouts will notice you here, but sadly, you''re not me, and you never will be. The reason this ce garners attention is because I practice here. Once I''m gone, no one will care anymore!"


    ```


    Yu Fei didn''t deny what he said, but there are always exceptions.


    "If I beat you tomorrow, they will start paying attention to me," Yu Fei said indifferently. "Tell me, if I defeat the number five in the nation, do you think I could take your ce and rise to fifth in the next national high school rankings?"


    Collins became furious at the thought, as if it were his worst nightmare.


    What he feared the most was someone emerging to knock him down and take all the attention he had.


    Hearing Yu Fei''s words, he became almost livid with anger but didn''t dare to act out of line here, so he could only re at Yu Fei with a ferocious expression, "Tomorrow I''ll show you that the gap between you and me is more than just 11 spots!"


    What if, by chance, the national experts all realize you don''t deserve that fifth ranking?


    Would your n to jump straight from high school to the NBA fall apart?


    After Collins had left, DiMio finally entered the court with his camera.


    "Thanks to that kid, this ce became as rowdy as the Phoenix Suns Team for a while," DiMioughed.


    Will Wilkins, who was quite knowledgeable about the NBA, said, "That may not be an appropriateparison."


    "Isn''t it a good analogy? How cool is that. We''re like the Suns Team!" Roy said proudly, "We have Anfernee Hardaway, Jason Kidd, Clifford Robinson..."


    Then Wilkins patiently exined to the boneheaded Roy, who seldom read books or followed the news, why the analogy wasn''t ttering.


    The Suns were undoubtedly the NBA team with the most scandals this year.


    In the past three months, they had issues ranging from Anfernee wielding a gun to threaten his wife in front of their eight-year-old daughter, Jason Kidd, who justpleted his journey with the Dream Team, being used of beating his wife with a supposedly 100% hit rate, and their top scorer Clifford Robinson being arrested for illegal possession of a firearm.


    "So that makes Fi the wife-beater, and I''m the attempted murderer..." Roy said, his thought process seemingly different from everyone else''s. "The question arises, who in our team is Clifford Robinson?"


    Iguod and Wilkins exchanged nces, both feeling like they were the Robinson of the group.


    Yu Fei sighed and ignored them.


    The Jade Team''s first game of the day was at two in the afternoon, against a team led by the 45th-ranked twelfth-grader nationwide.


    Interestingly, apart from that 45th-ranked twelfth-grader, all other yers on the opposing team were eleventh-graders.


    The reason for forming the team was simple; the twelfth-grader wanted to create a one-man team to monopolize the ball.


    Unfortunately, they met Yu Fei.


    Under Yu Fei''s defense, the opposing team yed an incredibly ugly game, shooting 7 for 32, and the Jade Team won by andslide 35 points.


    But this exciting game failed to attract much of an audience, as most professionals were drawn to the ''battle of the century'' between the younger LeBron James and Sebastian Telfair.


    As the only two tenth-graders invited to ABCD Camp from the ss of 2003, James and Telfair stood out as the aces of their respective teams, already seen as the future NBA draft''s number one and two picks. Their confrontation was a must-watch epic battle.


    Even after finishing their game, Yu Fei and his team went to join the crowd.


    From the looks of it, James and Telfair were neck and neck in terms of performance and stats.


    However, even Yu Fei, with his less experienced past life, could tell that James''s prospects far outshone Telfair''s.


    Telfair was a typical New York street point guard, full of fancy moves, good at pleasing the crowd, but James, despite his young age, already had the ability to control the game, an outstanding vision, and a willingness to share the ball. It was obvious that his teammates enjoyed ying with him. At this moment, he had not yet developed that future habit of "not being able to eat or sleep if no one creates space for me," nor would he just stand with his hands on his hips because the ball was in someone else''s hands.


    Then, Yu Fei noticed Anthony in the front row, cheering relentlessly for James, clearly indicating they knew each other and had a close rtionship, like brothers-in-arms.


    Such tight brothers did not bring their talents together when it came to teaming up? It just showed they weren''t tight enough.


    True brotherhood is like Durant and Irving, especially Durant''s affection for Irving; that''s real brotherhood.


    The game concluded with James''s team victorious and the professionals summarizing it as "a match that fully met expectations between two geniuses."


    Now it was time for the upperssmen to prepare for their second match.


    Yu Fei''s Jade Team and Anthony''s Ace Team entered the court. On the sidelines, James came to root for the Ace Team, just as Anthony had unabashedly supported him before.


    If James''s and Telfair''s showdown was today''s first highlight match, then Yu Fei''s confrontation with Anthony was today''s second highlight.


    More and more yers, scouts, and college coaches clustered around the court.


    The referee quickly went over the game regtions and court etiquette before tossing the ball up to start the game.

 Chapter 28: 25 Because You Are Too Weak

    Sonny Vacarro and his assistant stood on the sidelines, Hubie Brown watched the court intently, and Jerry West, who had already retired from the Lakers Team, sat quietly not far away. Gary Smith from Sports Illustrated, NBA scouts, college coaches... Countless professionals were interested in the face-off between Yu Fei and Anthony.


    There was no doubt that this game''s level of interest had surpassed that of the duel between James and Telfair.


    Because no matter how much potential these two underssmen prodigies had, they were still sophomores, with a future full of uncertainty, while Yu Fei and Anthony were different. One had already established his status among his peers, and his match against DeAngelo Collins tomorrow would be decisive. The other was a new star who had emerged at ABCD Camp, seen as the second Tracy McGrady.


    Before the camp, Anthony''s reputation in the ss of 2002 was only slightly better than McGrady''s had been in 1997.


    However, after yesterday''s game, Anthony''s strong immediatebat strength and mature skills, along with his young age, born in May 1984, left people seeing both power and potential.


    By the end of the camp, Anthony would catapult into the top five high school yers of the ss of 2002 based on his performance at the camp, and many would debate whether he was better than Amar''e Stoudemire.


    Anthony''s center on the Ace Team was about seven feet tall and ck; he had easily defeated Wilkins.


    With ball in hand, Anthony showed his prowess on the first offense, pulling up and then stopping suddenly for a jump shot against Iguod''s defense.


    "Swish!"


    Yu Fei didn''tment on Anthony''s ball handling, but just from his shooting form, he deserved the title of a "born scorer."


    Being one with the ball is a broad concept that generally refers to ball-handling ability. But in reality, it includes many indicators.


    Stability while dribbling, coordination with the ball, bnce while moving with the ball in the air, and the smoothness with which the ball leaves the hands and is picked up from the ground.


    The most outstanding aspect of Anthony''s innate ball-handling talent was the way he picked up the ball from the ground and lifted it overhead.


    It was so smooth it gave watchers the chills.


    Iguod was not one to admit defeat; through yesterday''s game, he gained positive feedback, building his confidence¡ªnot just Anthony.


    Helping Yu Fei, Iguod likewise received appreciation from the scouts.


    He didn''t think Anthony was better than him; he wanted to sh with the opponent.


    So, as Yu Fei dribbled past half-court, he eagerly gestured for the ball.


    Yu Fei promptly passed it because, in his impression, Anthony''s defense was poor.


    What Yu Fei didn''t know was that Anthony wasn''t always bad at defense; his entanglement with Kobe in the 2009 Western Conference Finals revealed another side of him. Unfortunately, that bloodthirsty Melo only appeared for one series, and Yu Fei had never seen it, since he was only four years old at the time.


    For Anthony, if he wanted to do something on the court, there was nothing he couldn''t do.


    The issue was that he didn''t want to y defense well.


    But that was a matter for the future. Now, he needed to make a name for himself, so he could not show weakness on the defensive end, not just the offensive one.


    With Anthony''s full effort on defense, Iguod was forced to take a difficult shot that missed.


    The rebound flew out,nding right where Yu Fei was positioned.


    However, Yu Fei didn''t catch the rebound. Instead, he lightly tapped the ball toward the basket, altering its flight path.


    Will Wilkins received Yu Fei''s exquisite pass and scored easily underneath.


    "Will, you wouldn''t dunk that kind of ball?" Yu Fei teased.


    Wilkins replied helplessly, "Big Fei, do you think everyone can jump like you?"


    Afterwards, Yu Fei gave Wilkins a high-five.


    Whether it was his splendid pass or his response to a teammate''s score, both left a profound impression.


    Especially for Sonny Vacarro, who found a unique trait in Yu Fei.


    NBA scouts and college coaches were engrossed by Anthony''s versatility, but to him, while Anthony was excellent, even outstanding, hecked a dazzling quality.


    He was just a scorer.


    What he''s doing at his age isn''t any different from what Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker, and Jamal Mashburn did.


    Therefore, Sonny focused more on Yu Fei.


    Because Anthony''s growth curve was transparent and predictable, in the best case, he could be the next Bernard King, while Sonny preferred those yers whose potential was hard to foresee.


    Thus, he wanted to observe Yu Fei more carefully.


    Yu Fei had an incredible growth rate, going from an amateur yer to one of the top 20 high school prospects with NBA potential in just one year. Such a trajectory was simply not replicable; the key question was whether he could maintain that rate of progress. If so, what was his ceiling?


    Anthony continued to perform well on the offensive end.


    He noticed that many professionals in the basketball world were watching him.


    He knew where his strengthsy¡ªnot in defense, but in offense.


    Offense would be his bread and butter. As for defense? A minimal showing was enough; no one cares if a young yer is good or bad at defense, much like no one really minds if a young yer''s physique isn''t very strong.


    After all, everyone has a growth curve. A teenager less than 16 years old who''s as physically developed as an adult, like James, is a rare phenomenon that appears maybe once every twenty years. Even James''s defense at this stage isn''t great, so Anthony didn''t ce high demands on himself defensively. He just yed a few minutes of serious defense at the start, and then realized that people preferred to see his offensive performance. So he relegated "serious defense" to the level of "casual defense."


    However, the other main character of this game¡ªYu Fei¡ªwas putting most of his energy into defense.


    Because Yu Fei was aware that there were many NBA scouts in attendance.


    Showing off his offensive skills in front of them was meaningless¡ªhigh school level skills were difficult to execute in the NBA. Every young yer who wanted to secure a spot in the NBA needed to have a "grunt''s" attributes.


    Therefore, Yu Fei spared no effort in showcasing his help defense, switching, and guarding against point guards and small forwards¡ªto let them see that even in the NBA, he could hold his ground with his defense.


    Though Yu Fei wanted to keep a low profile, he had an opponent who insisted on challenging him.


    This person was not Anthony but his teammate, Lenny Cooke¡ªa high school junior from the ss of 2002 like Anthony, who had been more renowned than Anthony before ABCD Camp began.


    Cooke was currently ranked 12th nationwide for the ss of 2002, but experts generally believed he would fall outside of the top 20 once the camp was over.


    That''s because Cooke had failed to perform well enough at ABCD Camp to improve his ranking, instead he ended up being a foil to James, whopletely outssed him on the court.


    Then, his teammate Anthony, who had been ying possum, repeatedly crushed the seniors, bing the eleventh-grade student who received the most attention at the camp. For Cooke, who was determined to skip the NCAA and enter the draft the following year, dismantling Yu Fei was one of the two remaining options to rebuild his reputation.


    The other option was to defeat DeAngelo Collins, ranked fifth nationwide for the ss of 2001, in the next game.


    But the destructive inside force of the so-called 6-foot-9 Shaquille O''Neal made Cooke apprehensive; he was not confident he could beat him. Compared to that, Yu Fei, ranked 16th nationwide for the ss of 2001, seemed harmless and perfect as a stepping stone.


    "Hey, why do you keep passing? That''s cowardly. Scouts don''t care how good your passing is!" Cooke provoked Yu Fei. "But looking at you, I guess you''re probably not good at offense either. I have no clue how you managed to get into the top 20 in the nation."


    Following that, Anthony missed a pull-up jumper from outside, and Yu Fei firmly boxed out Lenny, unfairlynding a hard elbow on him. He immediately grabbed the defensive rebound and then said, "You''re right, do you know why?"


    After that, Yu Fei drove the ball to the frontcourt, stopped suddenly, backed dribbled to shake off an unguarded Anthony, and followed up with a powerful tomahawk dunk that deepened people''s impression of his ball-handling ability.


    "You dare to y dirty?!" Lenny cried out, holding his mouth.


    Yu Fei ignored his anger, taunting, "If you can''t defend even this, no wonder you got blown out by younger yers."


    Damn nuisance! There were too many people watching, so Cooke restrained himself from making racial attacks against Yu Fei, but that didn''t stop him from losing control.


    Cooke blocked Yu Fei with his body and shouted to Anthony, "Melo, give me the ball!"


    Anthony made the pass, but he was skeptical about Cooke''s chance of sess on offense¡ªjust looking at Cooke''s unstable center of gravity when asking for the ball made it obvious. That Frye was simply toying with him.


    Yu Fei had the advantage in the matchup against Cooke, especially in terms of physical confrontation; he could have easily disrupted Anthony''s pass, but he chose not to because if Cooke didn''t receive the ball, he couldn''t humiliate him on defense.


    Cooke''s self-assured pivot gave him the illusion that he had shaken off the defense.


    But when he leaped to dunk, Yu Fei''s defense loomed higher, decisively shutting down his attempt to score and swatting the ball out of bounds.


    "Number 35 (Anthony) chose to team up with you for a reason," Yu Fei went to the side of the court, picked up the ball with one hand, and said cuttingly, "because you''re weak, and you''re just right as a backdrop to make him look good."

 Chapter 29: 26 Are you fucking kidding me?

    Lenny Cook kept facing setbacks, making it difficult for the Ace Team to secure a second stable point of offense.


    Fortunately, Carmelo Anthony was always Anthony, his defensive game might not be impressive, but on offense, he was nothing short of dazzling.


    Compared with Anthony, Iguod, another yer from the ss of 2002 with a simr build, seemed to fall far behind.


    Iguodcked the versatile offensive skills of Anthony and also didn''t have reliable scoring methods; he seemed capable of everything, but against slightly stronger opponents, he would falter as if he could do nothing at all.


    What people praised most about Anthony was his physical talent.


    His body allowed one to glimpse the future.


    Then, Brandon Roy made his move.


    One could see how much difference a year made looking at Roy.


    At this time, Roy was not yet the future NBA yer who would score 30,000 points, just as the current Anthony was not yet the kaleidoscope of offense he would be.


    In terms of rankings, Roy wouldn''t have made it into the top 100 nationwide for the ss of 2001, whereas Anthony would certainlynd in the top five for the ss of 2002 after the camp, but Roy still managed to score continuously with his mature ying style and helped the Jade Team withstand the pressure during Anthony''s fiercest attacks.


    Roy''s breakout was also closely linked to Yu Fei.


    Every drive and shot by Roy came from a pass by Yu Fei.


    This was another technical characteristic from Yu Fei''s previous life. Since he was not tall enough back then, he often fed the ball to the talented yers and shooters on his team, and over time, he naturally learned how to deliverfortable passes to his teammates.


    After ying as a center at K-M for a year, Yu Fei mostly converted his physical talent into performances in front of the scouts, and it was at the ABCD Camp that he really began to y with more freedom.


    Today, he first allowed the experts to see his defense, then his leadership, followed by his organization and passing.


    These disys of skill were different from Anthony''s pure offensive talent.


    Talented and versatile youngsters often have more possibilities.


    As for Anthony, people could easily find a temte for him¡ªPierce or Mashburn.


    What about Yu Fei? Before joining the camp, everyone thought he resembled Lamar Odom, but now he seemed more like a taller Scottie Pippen.


    Could he still surprise everyone?


    Anthony''s step-back jumper was still smooth but missed the mark.


    Yu Fei sensed the rebound''snding spot, positioned himself in advance, leaped to catch the ball, and the moment hended, he bellowed "Fast break," prompting three yers from the Jade Team to rapidly descend the court.


    On the move, Yu Fei looked left and right, eventually assisting Iguod in a fast break m dunk.


    "AI!" Yu Fei shouted to Iguod, "I won''t watch the dunk contest the day after tomorrow if you''re not in it!"


    Excited, Iguod responded, "I''ll definitely take part!"


    This scene was observed by the 63-year-old Jerry West, who normally didn''t like watching young people y basketball because he appreciated perfection.


    If you expect to see perfection in a high school game, you must be crazy.


    He wouldn''t be here if he hadn''t been idling at home, and he certainly wouldn''t have attended if Sonny hadn''t invited him while he was idling. But since he was there, out of professional habit, he seriously observed the young yers'' performances.


    LeBron James had great potential, DeAngelo Collins was all hype with no substance, a 6''9" Shaquille O''Neal? Humph, Shaq was called the "seven-foot Barkley" when he debuted, so any pint-sized Shaq should have Barkley as his game temte. But does Collins have anything on him that resembles Barkley?


    A physically mature high school center often meant losing oneself in higher levels of y. West sincerely hoped that Collins wasn''t the next case, but he was 99% sure he was.


    And what about Carmelo Anthony? Scouts said he possessed techniques many NBA yers never acquire in their careers, but isn''t that another form of precocity? Having been in contact with basketball for nearly 50 years, West had seen many such cases. Anthony''s performance wasn''t any different from the offensive forwards who abhorred defense emerging in the early ''80s. Considering his attitude towards defense, West could even make a bold prediction¡ªAnthony''s future wouldn''t be much different from those yers.


    A couple of All-NBA selections and a decade as an All-Star regr¡ªthat''s quite something, right? Indeed, it is something, but West wasn''t excited about a youth emerging from the ABCD Camp with such prospects.


    One could say there was no one in the camp that moved West''s heart like Kobe did back in the day. LeBron might warrant another look, but the others... none, not a single one.


    There was, however, one person who gave West just as many questions as Kobe did back then.


    West watched the young man named Frye Yu attentively.


    His face was a rarity in American basketball circles; who was thest Asian to make a name for himself in high school basketball? West didn''t know, maybe there never was such a person. Moreover, he never liked Asians, not because of racism, but because of a scar left in his heart by war¢Å, but this didn''t affect his opinion of Fei''s on-court performance, just as he didn''t like Chambein, but they still won the championship together.


    By a perfectionist''s standards, Fei was a mess.


    Terrible offensive skillset, uncoordinated jump shot,ck of detail in his fakes, and aggressive defensive style.


    Fei didn''t seem to understand Russell''s philosophy of the game; like other high schoolers addicted to shot blocking, he wanted to block every opponent''s shot instead of instilling fear in the opponent that "any of my shots could be blocked."


    But then again, he had many highlights.


    His height and wingspan fully met the modern forward''s requirements, and he possessed extremely refined ball-handling skills for his height, fullyparable to Lamar Odom. His shooting mechanics needed improvement, but his shot stability near the free-throw line was very good, and every shot selection was rational, creating a striking contrast with his defensive style.


    Leadership on the team, control during set ys, and savvy organizing¡ªthese were his highlights.


    If Fei had only these qualities, West would quickly ssify him as an Odom-style tall ball handler and then ignore him.


    The problem was, Fei had more than these.


    His basketballnguage was worth savoring.


    Fei possessed a vengeful attitude; if Anthony scored on him, he would make sure to return the favor next round.


    He put pressure on his teammates and even, if a teammate''s finishing wasn''t good enough, he would show his dissatisfaction.


    When the arrogant Lenny Cook provoked him, he used brutal matchups and trash talk to make him crumble.


    When he was satisfied with a teammate''s finishing, he could generously give praise.


    Some of these behaviors were rted to his temperament in the game, some to leadership, some to personality.


    And to a great extent, where a talented yer ultimately ends up depends on these factors.


    Given Fei''s talent and game temperament, how far could he go?


    West couldn''t have an answer, but if he had this year''s lottery pick (assuming Fei entered this year''s draft), he might take a gamble on Fei.


    Yet, he wasn''t sure it was a solid choice, unless Fei showed more reliable performance.


    By the end of the first half, the Jade Team and the Ace Team were tied, and Wakaro came over to probe West''s interest; "What do you think, Jerry, any yers catching your eye?"


    "Cameron is not bad," West gave Wakaro an answer that couldn''t possibly be wrong.


    "I''m also quite optimistic about that kid," Wakaro nodded in agreement, then asked, "What do you think of Frye?"


    West didn''t want to show his fondness for Fei, because Wakaro was with Adidas, and once he showed he appreciated Fei more, it could bring a lot of unexpected implications.


    Plus, he genuinely didn''t want to openly show favor to Fei, and again, he never liked Asians.


    "His talent is not bad..." West said cautiously, "But everything is quite rough. Of course, his ball-handling is impressive."


    Wakaro seemed to know West would say this.


    Everyone who didn''t know Fei would have such an assessment, a very rational one.


    There''s nothing wrong with being rational, but if it''s rationality without understanding the details, then it is another form of bias.


    "What if I told you that he was still ying volleyball at the beginning ofst year and, if you calcte carefully, he''s had only one year of systematic basketball training? Would you still hold the same view?"


    Wakaro looked at ''LOGO man'' with a smile, eagerly awaiting his response.


    West''s cheeks twitched, "F***, are you f***ing kidding me?"


    Wakaro''s smile confirmed the truth of his statement.


    When West looked at Fei again, his perception waspletely different.

 Chapter 30: 27 The Biggest Uncertainty Since 1979

    The Jade Team and the Ace Team started the second half with Anthony hitting two consecutive three-pointers right off the bat, taking an early lead. Lenny Cook seemed to have an epiphany and stopped trying to sh directly with Yu Fei.


    The Ace Team sailed smoothly, leading by as much as nine points at one point.


    Since a half onlysts 10 minutes at the ABCD Camp, a nine-point lead was significant.


    It appeared that Anthony, with his superior offensive talent, was about to win the game for the Ace Team.


    With less than five minutes left in the game, Roy, like a shooter in a 2K game who''s gone cold, waspletely unable to score.


    Iguod was blown out by Anthony and had lost all confidence.


    After quickly crossing half court, Yu Fei slowed down the pace, dribbling leisurely to the top of the arc. Cook lowered his center of gravity but wasn''t very wary.


    That''s because Yu Fei had seldom initiated an attack from beyond the three-point line that day.


    However, suddenly lowering his stance, Yu Fei''s basketball crossed from his left hand to his right hand under his legs, a sharp change of direction¡ªCook shifted his weight to one side and was rendered powerless against Yu Fei''s next crossover.


    When Yu Fei executed the second crossover under the legs, Cook''s defense had already crumbled, he couldn''t even make a move, his body frozen in ce.


    Yu Fei took arge stride inside the three-point line, dribbled once more, gathered, stepped forward, and leapt for a powerful dunk.


    "Andre!" Yu Fei yelled in the frontcourt, pointing at Cook, "This trash is for you to handle, Cameron is mine."


    "What did you say?"


    Cook was angry at Yu Fei''s derogatory remark, but he couldn''t muster a response. Seeing that his defender was Iguod, he thought about giving tit for tat.


    If he couldn''t y against Yu Fei, he couldn''t possibly not y against Iguod, could he?


    Cook thought so, and he acted on it.


    He overestimated his own abilities. With his physical talent and skills, he could have scored over Iguod with some patience and rhythm.


    But he insisted on taking difficult, long-range, pull-up shots like Anthony.


    He wasn''t Anthony, nor would he ever be.


    What''s worse, Cook, in his desire to make a good impression on the professionals, was shutting his own NBA door.


    Yu Fei grabbed the rebound and immediately went for a coast-to-coast fast break.


    After crossing half court, he again adjusted the pace, loudly calling his teammates to set up a screen.


    Before Anthony could react, having just positioned himself, Roy had already constructed a fragile human wall by his side.


    Yu Fei made a dribble under the legs, elerating toward the screen direction. Anthony didn''t n to fight through the screen and simply watched his opponent dribble into an undefended space.


    At that moment, Yu Fei crossed under the legs again, transferring the ball from his left to his right hand, hitting a perfect shooting rhythm.


    In an instant, Yu Fei gathered the ball, hoisted up, and soared into the air, elongating his body.


    "Swoosh!"


    It was almost a chasedown three-pointer.


    In less than a minute, the gap closed to four points.


    Gary Smith, the chief writer from Sports Illustrated who had been following Yu Fei for months, had many insights upon seeing his performance against some of America''s best high schoolers.


    He might have been the most knowledgeable person about Yu Fei among the professionals present.


    If the intensity of the State of Washington''s 4A championship was insufficient to confirm Yu Fei''s talent, then Yu Fei''s performance at ABCD Camp was proving something.


    What fascinated people even more was Yu Fei''s ability to exert force at crucial moments, just as the Jade Team was close to copsing.


    This was the true nature of a star yer.


    Many yers excel during regr y, but once they reach a tense moment, they miss the mark, lose sight of the hoop, and squander a good situation.


    Only a few can withstand that suffocating pressure and dare to take responsibility.


    After making that three-pointer, Yu Fei provocatively gestured across his neck toward Anthony, "Cameron, if you pass the ball to that trash again, you''re going to lose!"


    When he delivered this statement, Smith was sitting in the front row less than 10 meters away from him.


    A smile crossed his face.


    He was provoking, sowing discord, and piling on the pressure to his opponents.


    Although youthful, it was more than enough to handle high schoolers.


    This was a bold and resourceful youth, reminding Smith of Larry Bird in his prime.


    Yu Fei possessed a peculiar charm, one that attracted insightful observers like Smith.


    Anthony took the bait ¡ª he certainly didn''t want the team''s advantage to be ruined by Lenny Cook alone, so he ignored Cook''s demand for the ball and decisivelyunched an offensive against Yu Fei''s defense.


    The game''s most closely watched pair was ready to settle the score.


    Anthony responded to Yu Fei with a difficult jump shot.


    Afterward, Yu Fei shook off Anthony''s defense with a change of direction andpleted another breakout dunk.


    Anthony dribbled to the front court and hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc.


    Yu Fei sank a simple, unadorned pull-up three-pointer.


    The duel between the twosted until the final 90 seconds of the game when Anthony fired a three-pointer, but missed, and twisted his ankle uponnding.


    As Anthony was carried off the court, the Ace Team still led by two points, but his exit effectively announced the oue of the match.


    Yu Fei emphatically blocked Cook and caught up with the ball, foregoing the opportunity for a fast-break dunk and instead smashing the ball towards the front court''s backboard.


    The rebounding basketball was caught by the leaping Iguod, whopleted a thunderous m dunk.


    It was a moment of showmanship and also the judgment of the strongest.


    Yu Fei continued to humiliate Cook, "I hear you want to dere for the draft next year? Ridiculous, what makes you think you''re NBA material?"


    Under the pressure of his opponent, Cook crumbled.


    He shot an abysmal airball, allowing the Jade Team to counter with The Shot in thest 20 seconds.


    "Hey, Lenny," Yu Fei said cuttingly, "Don''t forget to bring an oxygen tank on your way home tomorrow. I''m worried you''ll suffocate before you get there."


    It was over; the Ace Team copsed after Anthony''s injury exit.


    Lenny Cook was disgracefully exposed, while Yu Fei received high praise from Hubie Brown and many other professionals.


    Now, like Smith, they felt the charm emanating from Yu Fei.


    "Frye, if we had a kid as outstanding as you at home, I''d be the happiest old man in the world," Brown expressed his fondness for Yu Fei openly.


    Brown''s affection for Yu Fei reminded Smith of an anecdote he had heard in Seattle.


    It was said that on the night Yu Fei led his team to the state championship, an elderly Latina woman told him that watching him y was like watching her own child.


    Smith''s heart beat rapidly; he too wanted to exchange a few words with Yu Fei. He wanted to tell the young man that he was preparing to write a column about him in Sports Illustrated and that it would be good for him if he aspired to the NBA.


    It sounded as though Smith wanted to gain something from Yu Fei.


    But he had no ulterior motives. From the moment he took an interest in Yu Fei, the only reason driving him to start this job was one ¡ª he liked the kid.


    By Sonny Vacarro''s side, after watching the game, Jerry West mused, "One year? How could that be possible?"


    Wakaroughed, "I didn''t believe it at first either, but it''s true."


    "If that''s the case..." West instinctively wanted to say he was a yer not to be missed, but the reality was he had no current connection to the NBA.


    Even if Yu Fei was a yer not to be missed, what did it mean to him?


    He had no chance to trade for an all-star center, obtain a lottery pick, and then make a surprising move at the draft anymore.


    "So what?" Vacarro pressed.


    "He will be the biggest uncertainty since 1979," West said, "He''s either Michael Olowokandi or Magic Johnson, with no middle ground."

 Chapter 31: 28 He did not compete

    ```


    "He is either Michael Olowokandi or Magic Johnson, no in-between,"


    As Sonny Wakaro savored Jerry West''s words, he felt they were pointed.


    He knew exactly why West mentioned Olowokandi¡ªbecause here was a yer who, before entering the NBA, made huge improvements every year, so much so that in 1998 the Clippers foolishly believed he could progress just as well in the NBA. They chose him with the first overall pick of the 1998 draft, expecting him to be the Clippers'' own juwon.


    As beautiful as the Clippers'' dream was, the shatter was equally dazzling¡ªOlowokandi raised Elgin Baylor''s blood pressure in just one month.


    But why would Magic Johnsone up in West''s speech?


    "Magic?" Wakaro expressed his confusion.


    A scarcely perceptible sneer appeared on West''s lips, "1979 wasn''t like now; back then many people questioned whether a big man like Ervin could y point guard professionally, and I was one of those who had great doubts. I preferred Sidney Moncrief to him."


    "Whenever I have doubts about such yers with great unknowns, it turns out that I am wrong. It was so with Ervin, with Kobe, and with Frye?" West said indifferently, "Who knows."


    West was a stubborn man, and Wakaro didn''t know how many young yers could be looked upon favorably by him without reservation.


    He didn''t believe Magic Johnson would make it, was skeptical about Kobe, whom he personally drafted into the team, and felt the same about Fei.


    But if West startedparing Yu Fei with Kobe and Magic Johnson, did it mean this kid indeed had some qualities that West saw favorably?


    "I get your point, Jerry," Wakaroughed, "Adidas will sign Frye."


    West yed a bit of cold humor on Wakaro, "Maybe Frye prefers Nike? He is of the ''I wanna be like Mike'' generation."


    "Speaking of Mike... I haven''t seen him for a while. Is he doing well in D.C.?"


    At this, West''s brow furrowed seriously, "A mess."


    ¡ù¡ù¡ù


    Some people have abysses in their hearts that even love and honor cannot fill ¡ª unreachable inner voids.


    Michael Jordan was restless, having gained 30 pounds since his retirement because he believed he wouldn''t y again, a conviction shared by most sports superstars at the onset of their retirement.


    To an athlete off the court, retirement seems like an endless summer vacation¡ªgolf, parties, business partnerships... Jordan could recklessly gamble at casinos day and night, smoke endless cigars, drink limitless brandy, and never have to train at 7 AM again. No annoying teammates or irritable coaches. No buzzing reporters. The quiet days were a balm, a respite after two decades of incessant busyness and relentless pursuit of victory. It was very good for him until one day, it wasn''t.


    Sitting in his office in Washington, Jordan found it hard to settle down, crazed for his ex-wife toe back. He felt that void. It was the precise moment he wanted to return to that thing he thought he had left behind for good three years ago.


    This feeling had been bothering Jordan since the end of thest year, and now, several monthster, he started letting the media specte about a possibleeback. This caused such a stir that The Washington Post had its Wizards beat reporter request an exclusive interview with him.


    Jordan agreed to the interview.


    For about half the time, he talked about what being a yer meant to him and how much he missed it.


    "It''s an unmatched feeling," Jordan said longingly, hinting at his regret for leaving the court, dissatisfied with the honors of his ying days. The peacefulness of his executive life, once eagerly sought, had be a gilded cage.


    At that point, The Washington Post''s reporter Steve Wyche asked, "Then why did you retire in the first ce?"


    "I didn''t want to retire," Jordan muttered, shrugging, "I never wanted to retire."


    With that, he looked out the window, and Wyche realized he was sitting on a chair across the president''s office desk from Jordan, who, as a minor shareholder and president of basketball operations, reigned over the lowly Washington Wizards¡ªwith their standing in the NBA, Jordan was akin to a dwarf kingdom''s king. Against any team, the home attendance hardly ever reached half capacity.


    Without meaning to, Jordan waved his cigar and stroked his bald head. "I misspeting."


    As he spoke, he put down his cigar and patted his waist subconsciously, feeling ayer of fat.


    By appearances, he was still that Jordan¡ªthe man with a slightly knock-kneed walk, the one who would stare at others with a polite yet somewhat distant gaze, who wrapped himself in a little world, a global celebrity who never wanted his privacy pierced. What was worst for Jordan was that his own legend was rusting away because the public was eager for a new face to take his ce, trying to seat stars who hadn''t achieved a tenth of his sesses in that chair.


    "I don''t want to sound angry," Jordan mumbled, "I just want to say that when Michael Jordan is not on the court¡ª" He suddenly stopped, realizing what he wanted to convey and thinking about the hype surrounding Kobe, Carter, and McGrady, "if someone¡ªfor example, Kobe recently scores 51 points in a game. That''s big news. Then the media startsparing him with Michael Jordan. But people often forget that Michael Jordan once did the same thing for three consecutive games. You know what I mean?... People tend to follow current yers because they haven''t seen Michael Jordan on the basketball court for two years."


    ```


    Suddenly, Jordan became his own most steadfast supporter, beginning to borate on the achievements of this yer he called "Michael Jordan," discussing himself at length. This made Wyche ufortable, for in Wyche''s perception, Jordan was rational and serious. It was only the arrogant fools, full of themselves, who referred to themselves in the third person, and this image had never been associated with Michael Jordan.


    It seemed to show that even the gods of the basketball world have their vulnerable sides.


    Wyche kept silent, the interview was less of an interview and more of a vent for Jordan, because Wyche was his man, and this man would never put what they discussed today into the newspaper tomorrow.


    "I read some reports about Kobe or Vince Carter, and they ignite thepetitive desire inside me, you know," Jordan said. "And I hear things that make me ufortable. Someone ys outstandingly, like Vince, like Kobe, and the way people on television talk about them is as if they talk about Michael Jordan. It lights up mypetitive desire because they don''t understand that Michael Jordan has done all of this ¡ª and done it better."


    Jordan paused, examining himself.


    "I miss that crazy feeling. Wild, insane, everything hanging in the bnce at the deciding moment. I really want to y against those guys. But I ¡ª"


    "Bang bang!"


    The assistant general manager of the Wizards, Rod Higgins, interrupted His Airness''s reverie, "Michael, our scouts have found something at the ABCD Camp."


    Jordan asked, "The one run by Sonny?"


    "Yes."


    Jordan was not interested in this year''s ABCD Camp, as only DeAngelo Collins from the top ten seniors nationwide had participated. Although Collins ranked fifth nationwide, Jordan had seen his AAU games and was not impressed. The so-called "Mini Shaq" was nonsense ¨C not only had he yed against Shaquille O''Neal, but he was also buddies with the real "Mini Shaq" (Barkley), and he knew what Shaq was like. Collins was at best a matured battler whose development far exceeded his peers.


    This kind of yer would be exposed once they entered professional basketball.


    Therefore, Jordan really did not want to see the scouting reports from the ABCD Camp.


    But if the scouts had found nothing, Higgins wouldn''t bring the report to him; he knew his own temper.


    His time was precious, especially during office hours in D.C., considering he didn''t even live in D.C. and came to the office less than five times a month ¨C how could he afford to waste it?


    Jordan took a look at the scouting report, which highlighted an Asian youth named Frye Yu. The Wizards'' scouts believed he was the biggest surprise of the ABCD Camp and had the potential to be ranked in the top ten nationwide after the camp ended. Moreover, he had not yet chosen a college, pointing to a possibility of entering the NBA Draft early. As for his ying style...


    Jordan focused on the bolded temte: a taller Scottie Pippen.


    Even someone as formidable as Jordan could not imagine how a taller Pippen would y. The scouting report seemed more like mindless hype for a newly risen star, with very obvious immediate effects.


    Yet the Wizards had already secured a spot at the draft lottery; could they really overlook someone like that?


    "Has the camp ended?" Jordan asked.


    Higgins replied, "Today is the second day of the camp, there''s one more day of games tomorrow, and the day after will hold the All-Star game."


    Jordan was aware that Sonny Vacarro had a fall out with Nike, and being Nike''s lifetime partner, he wasn''t supposed to attend the ABCD Camp, but times had changed.


    In addition to being Nike''s partner, he was also the president of the Wizards. Nike would not make things difficult for him over this, and given that the D.C. media had recently med him for not taking his presidential duties seriously, treating it as a part-time job ¨C it was time to show them what Mr. President looked like when he was serious about his work.


    "Tell JD (Wizards'' scout) that I''ll be in New Jersey tomorrow; let him give Sonny a heads up and make preparations," Jordanmanded, his tone like the Emperor directing his eunuch.


    Higgins respectfully responded, "No problem."


    Then, Jordan turned towards Wyche, "Where were we in our conversation?"


    Wyche nced at the time; there were still a few hours before the Wizards'' game tonight. Jordan seemed busy; perhaps it was time to end the interview.


    "Am I disturbing you too much?" Wyche said. "You have a game tonight."


    "No," Jordan whispered, "not at all."


    The Wizards were to host the Phdelphia 76ers and Allen Iverson in approximately four hours. But Jordan was right: he did not have a game.

 Chapter 32: 29 He Deserves a Cruel Massacre

    The second day of the ABCD Camp was like a dream for Yu Fei, as he defeated Anthony''s team.


    As one of the most powerful scorers of the new century, Anthony was a star athlete who had ranked highly in Yu Fei''s former life. This victory didn''t mean much, after all, Yu Fei was still two years older than Anthony.


    It''s quite normal for an 18-year-old to win against a 16-year-old.


    The third game went smoothly for the Jade Team as well.


    As for the Ace Team''s subsequent games, due to Anthony''s injury and withdrawal, they werepletely overwhelmed by DeAngelo Collins''s team.


    After that day''spetition concluded, Yu Fei was once again selected for the Best Lineup of the Day.


    After resting for a night, Yu Fei went about his routine, waking Roy up for his morning call service.


    Even though there was an All-Star game tomorrow, theoretically, for those who couldn''t participate in the All-Star game, today was thest day of the ABCD Camp. Roy, after getting up, confidently dered, "The more I sleep, the better I y. I''ll be the camp''s Tracy McGrady!"


    Roy didn''t mean he wanted to stand out from the camp like McGrady did back in the day, but rather, he was making a joke based on McGrady.


    After joining the Magic Team for the new season, McGrady identally became the team''s leading yer due to Hill''s injury, and, unexpectedly, the once secondary yer McGrady put on a performanceparable to Jordan''s.


    Doc Rivers said that McGrady was still growing because he loved to sleep¡ªYu Fei now understood where McGrady''s sleepy eyes came from¡ªas this habit was so severe that McGrady could fall asleep during the Magic Team''s video analysis sessions.


    Seeing Roy like this, Yu Fei skillfully shot back, "Speaking of which, maybe you''ll turn out to be Glen Rice, not T-MAC."


    Glen Rice was yet another yer prone to sleepiness, but for Rice, sleepiness seemed more like an excuse. When criticized for failing to maintain an athlete''s physique, he defended himself by iming he was so tired during training that he fell asleep on the exercise bike.


    "If you''re not rooting for me, then you might have to face DeAngelo Collins on your own today!" Roy muttered. "Little Shark is no joke!"


    Yu Fei had been observing Collins for two days and didn''t think Collins would be a tougher opponent than Anthony.


    After all, offensive yers like Anthony are unstoppable when they''re on a roll, whereas Collins, whether a real Little Shark or not, was still a post yer. He liked to work in the low post which highly relied on his teammates'' ability to pass the ball, and he was a yer with limited defensive range.


    Devising a strategy against Collins would be much easier than against Anthony.


    Moreover, considering Collins''s national ranking, and Yu Fei''s n to bypass college and enter the NBA Draft directly, thoroughly beating Collins would significantly boost his own reputation and be nothing but beneficial for his draft prospects.


    "Just focus on defense today," Yu Fei said confidently. "I''ll take care of the fake shark."


    Roy, seeing the confidence on Yu Fei''s face, chose not to say anything further.


    At two in the afternoon, at Roseman University


    Sonny Vacarro received a surprising piece of news the night before¡ªYu Fei''s performance had caught the attention of Michael Jordan, and His Airness nned to personally make an appearance today.


    If Jordan were still ying, Vacarro wouldn''t believe this could happen.


    As a yer, Jordan was like a deity to Nike, and under no circumstances would Nike allow him to show up at an Adidas-sponsored camp.


    But as the president of the Wizards Team, Jordan had both the right and obligation to scout talent on site, irrespective of whichpany sponsored the camp.


    Jordan sneakers were still the most lucrative asset under Nike, but that had nothing to do with Wizards'' Jordan. People were enticed to buy Jordan shoes by the high-flying dominator who wore the Bulls'' number 23 jersey, by the deity who silenced the NBA in the ''90s. Wizards'' Jordan? That once-a-month office attendant with a potbelly ying part-time celebrity? Not appealing at all.


    The Jordan era had ended, and Tiger Woods was now Nike''s darling.


    Despite that, Vacarro still needed to make the necessary arrangements for his old friend.


    Jordan coulde, but not make a public appearance; he had to stay discreetly in a private box.


    Vacarro instructed his most trusted employee to organize the matter.


    Soon enough, the employee returned and reported, "I''ve settled the guest in Box 244. It''s right in front of center court, with a good view of the entire field, very discreet and not easily noticeable, unless he chooses to walk out on his own..."


    "Very good, carry on," Vacarro said, and then suddenly called the employee back, "Listen, I don''t want any media to catch wind of this. Make sure everyone keeps their mouths shut tight!"


    ¡ù¡ù¡ù


    DeAngelo Collins''s Grey Wolf Team had emerged victorious in all six of their games over the past two days.


    Collins, worthy of his ranking as the fifth-best high school yer in the nation, averaged 26 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage close to 70%.


    The biggest difference between Collins and the others was that he brought his own entourage. Every time he got the ball, dozens of people in the audience would cheer for him, and whenever he scored, the same crowd would jeer at his opponents.


    During those two days, a name kept buzzing in their ears.


    The buzz around this name was even greater than that around Collins.


    That name was Yu Fei, ranked 16th in the nation.


    Collins was known as the "Pocket Shaq," but Yu Fei was no less impressive, with scouts giving him the evaluation of a taller version of Scottie Pippen.


    Both parties held each other in low esteem behind the scenes, eagerly anticipating and secretly straining for today''s game.


    Moreover, this much-anticipated marquee matchup did not make people wait for long; the game between Jade Team and Grey Wolf Team was ted to be the first match of the day.


    During warm-ups, Yu Fei casually missed a dunk.


    The ball flew to the other side.


    Picking up the ball, Collins disrespectfully kicked it back and arrogantly shouted, "Hey, you may be Scottie Pippen, but without MJ you ain''t shit!"


    Collins didn''t know that Jordan was present in a nearby suite, watching the two teams warm up.


    Unfortunately, even as he belittled Pippen, Jordan couldn''t hear him.


    Therefore, Yu Fei''s next words would not offend Jordan.


    After all, he hailed from the year 2023, born two years after Jordan''s third retirement. He hadn''t watched a single game of Jordan''s, much like Brandon Miller never had. To him, "Jordan" was just a name; that name wasn''t even as significant to him as China''s "Jordan" shoes, nor as imposing as the "Michael" in Ip Man who nearly beat Donnie Yen to death.


    Besides, it was an era overly obsessed with entertainment. A decade earlier, fans revered Jordan as a god; by that time, however, fans treating everything with levity would flippantly call him "Dan Zi."


    In such a context, Yu Fei had no psychological barrier to belittling Jordan, "Let me tell you a fact, without Scottie Pippen, MJ would''ve been left hanging in the first round of the yoffs; another fact is, you''re not the Shark, and even if you were, you''dck a Kobe by your side. A Shark without Kobe is just a fat African mudd fish, and I''ll grill you on the court."


    Yu Fei''s verbal sparring with Collins immediately displeased Collins''s entourage.


    They stood up, spewing all manner of unspeakable words to denigrate Yu Fei.


    Yu Fei ignored them, letting Collins''s entourage spout their nonsense while he continued to warm up.


    "Kids these days have no manners, outsourcing trash talk?" Jordan, lighting a Cuban cigar, shook his head disdainfully.


    Jordan''s loyalckey Rodney Higgins asked, "Michael, should we have Sonnye over?"


    "No need to bother," said Jordan, "This is his turf; he''lle over when he has the time."


    After 15 minutes of warm-up, the game was about to begin.


    Quentin DiMio continued to film with his camera.


    Curious, Roy asked, "Quentin, what exactly have you been filming these past few days?"


    "Material," DiMio replied, "If wee back loaded with victories, we might make a documentary about the Jade Team."


    Everyone, except for Yu Fei, cried out in excitement.


    Yu Fei knew about DiMio''s ns; he wasn''t surprised or expectant, his eyes fixed on the court¡ªCollins and his team had already taken the stage, their faces smug as if they had everything under control.


    In the past year, Yu Fei had shattered many a basketball dream, and he didn''t mind adding one more.


    Given DeAngelo Collins''s reputation and his grand entrance, he deserved a brutal takedown.

 Chapter 33: 30 The End of DeAngelo Collins

    Since Gat, Kobe, and McGrady proved that high-schoolers could seed in the NBA, more and more high school yers felt no need to take the college challenge.


    DeAngelo Collins was one of them, cocky and full of himself, he thought of college as nothing but a burden.


    Today''s game against the Jade Team was billed as the ultimate battle, with Yu Fei having a photographer, Quentin Demio, on his side, and Collins followed by a professional film crew aiming to shoot a documentary about his rise from an obscure street kid to an NBA star.


    The warm-up ended, and the starting yers of both teams stood at center court.


    Surrounding them were hundreds of scouts and college coaches, including Louisville Team head coach Rick Pitino and Milwaukee Bucks Team general manager Ernie Grunfeld, as well as Wizards Team president Michael Jordan lurking in the background.


    Before the game started, Yu Fei had Will Wilkins step back; he wanted to jump ball against Collins.


    This move displeased Collins''s friends.


    A group of thugs from New York made various noises to distract Yu Fei.


    "Hey, Chinese guy, D-Lo''s going to show you the gap!"


    "Fifth and sixteenth arepletely different!"


    "D-Lo''s going to teach you a harsh lesson!"


    Clearly, their trash talk was to Collins''s liking.


    Collins smiled confidently, tacitly approving of his supporters'' behavior, while Yu Fei did not respond to the crowd, merely waiting for the referee to toss the ball into the air.


    Having not yed center for a while, Yu Fei felt rusty jumping for the ball and Collins won possession for the Grey Wolf Team.


    Without a doubt, the Grey Wolf Team was Collins''s one-man show, although surrounded by top 100 seniors and top 50 juniors nationwide, it was a team led by Collins.


    Only when Collins approved could others start their show.


    For Collins, who was eager to prove to everyone he was far superior to Yu Fei, no one was allowed to take the ball from him before he achieved his objective.


    The first y, Collins went hard with a back-down against Wilkins; he stayed in the post for about 10 seconds, and in this match, where no one would call a five-second backing vition, his post move was truly devastating.


    Unable to stop him, Wilkins gave up the score to Collins''s sheer force.


    Collins''s entourage erupted into raucous cheers.


    Next, Roy''s drive met with Collins''s volleyball-style block.


    "Easy!!!"


    Collins''s friends loudly mocked the Jade Team.


    "Brandon, just stand outside." Yu Fei pulled Roy up from the floor and had him inbound the ball.


    Roy looked resigned; his shooting was off today, and prating meant he couldn''t escape Collins''s defense.


    Jade Team inbounded from the sideline, Yu Fei got the ball, facing off against Levi Watkins, the 60th ranked SF from the ss of 2001, with no excess movement, just a shooting fake to get his opponent off bnce, he burst inside the three-point line, took another step inside the foul line, gathered the ball and leaped powerfully into the air.


    Collins didn''t expect his teammate to be broken so quickly, nor did he expect Yu Fei to disregard his interior defensepletely.


    His help defense hesitated for a second, and that one second was enough to decide the oue of this offense and defense.


    Yu Fei''s right hand shed past Collins''s block, glided like a butterfly over his body to finish with a thunderous dunk.


    Collins red as if he had been greatly humiliated.


    Yu Fei turned towards Collins''s disciples, tauntingly asked, "Why aren''t you guys yelling anymore? Continue, let me enjoy it more."


    They satisfied Yu Fei, hurling even uglier trash talk, believing that Collins would definitely take his revenge.


    Collins continued to y low post.


    In Yu Fei''s view, his offensive means were too one-dimensional.


    If they let Collins y one-on-one like this, perhaps he would be unbeatable, but why should they let him?


    Previous teams Collins faced may not have had a forward with the height, wingspan, and athletic ability, but the Jade Team could use Wilkins to hold the inside and Yu Fei to interfere from behind.


    The same offensive move, but this time, Collins was frustrated under the double team.


    ```


    This was simply inconceivable for him, for no opponent before had been able to withstand his strength.


    Wilkins seemed to be able to only hard guard, but he bought enough time for Fei toplete the help defense.


    Five seconds after Collins''s failed offense, Fei drove the fast break and mmed the ball against the board, with Iguod following up gleefully,pleting an alley-oop dunk.


    In this world another prophet will emerge, as endless seas will carry another divine ship, the beloved heroes will be vanquished and never recover, and even great Achilles will be returned to Thessaly.


    DeAngelo Collins failed to understand this principle. Ignoring his teammates'' wishes to share the burden, he took the ball again, attempting to breach the opponent''s defense.


    This time, Wilkins pretended to be overwhelmed, letting him prate deep into their territory, and just as Collins was about to finish his move, Fei appeared from the heavens and plucked the ball with both hands.


    The atmosphere in the Rosman Center became wild.


    Collins''s supporters fell silent, and scouts, college coaches, and NBA professionals were all shocked by the young man before them.


    The number five high school yer in all of America seemed to be no match for him.


    Fei dribbled to the front court, and Levi Watkins still did his best to defend. He caught up, blocking Fei''s path.


    "Don''t you feel ashamed following someone like that? You''re at least a top 60 in America."


    Fei had barely finished his trash talking when he suddenly stopped and pulled back, popping a high-arc three-pointer over Watkins that was unblockable.


    "Swish!!!"


    Fei turned toward Collins''s friends and family, smiling and said, "The noisy dwarfs finally shut up."


    Fei did not remind Michael Jordan of Scottie Pippen, or rather, today''s Fei didn''t resemble Pippen at all.


    Whether it was his zone defense that spanned the area inside the three-point line, his unstoppable fast breaks, or the abrupt stop-and-pop three-pointer that seemedpletely mismatched with his stature, Jordan was reminded of another former teammate, Brad Sellers (SF/PF/C), whopletely lost out to Pippen in internal teampetition.


    Jordan often heard people say that someone has the talent of a superstar from the neck down. If this statement applied to Sellers, then his entire body was filled with superstar talent, except hecked the big heart and tough character necessary to be a true superstar.


    Sellers could not withstand Jordan''s tests, nor could he face Pippen''spetitive drive¡ªin fact, fragile inner strength was precisely why Sellers fell to the ninth pick in 1986, which wasn''t even a lottery pick back then.


    Jordan believed in his first instincts.


    Fei''s first impression on him was wless.


    The exceptional static and dynamic talent at the forward position, the technical reserves that allowed him to move up a level effortlessly, the full-fledged fighting spirit andpetitive desire, and the ability to perform excellently even in the face of a challenging game environment.


    His mentality and mental strength were far stronger than Sellers''s.


    What was surprising was that this was just the beginning of Fei''s rampage.


    Half a minuteter, Fei called for a pick and roll on the outside and named Collins.


    If Collins didn''t step out, Fei would take a three-pointer. And he hit it again!


    That three-pointer elicited a "Wow" from the crowd because it proved that Fei''s three-point shot was a regr move, not just a lucky fluke.


    The mentally unbnced Collins actually lost the ball during a one-on-one low post offense, Fei picked up the ball and sprinted to the front court toplete a spin and a behind-the-back dunk.


    As the game continued, one of Collins''s fatal weaknesses was exploited by Fei¡ªif faced with a pick and roll, he was clueless.


    If Collins didn''t step out, he would be easily bypassed even if he dide out.


    Moreover, once Collins struggled on the offensive end, hecked the ability to create opportunities for his teammates.


    Unfortunately, this was one of Fei''s strongest aspects.


    Fei''s performance gradually matched the description given to Jordan by the Wizards'' scout¡ªthe taller version of Scottie Pippen.


    With three minutes left in the game, the decisive moment of the match urred.


    Fei called for another pick and roll from the outside, Collins still didn''te out.


    But Fei didn''t opt for an outside shot; instead, he drove the ball straight to the rim. Undoubtedly, the era of DeAngelo Collins as a top yer in America hade to an end, his downfall heralded the rise of another dazzling star, a destiny determined from the start, time always sweeps away what doesn''t belong.


    Fei erupted like a whale breaking the ocean surface, mming a barbaric dunk against Collins''s body, the thunderous sound brought the game to its climax.


    This was the end of DeAngelo Collins.


    ```

 Chapter 34: 31: Heartwarming Big Boy

    The Jade Team defeated the Grey Wolf Team with a final score of 54 to 35, iming a sweeping victory.


    Yu Fei crushed DeAngelo Collins just as he had predicted before the game, with Collins'' pressure not even amounting to half of what Anthony brought the day before.


    In this game, Yu Fei delivered a thoroughly well-rounded performance with 21 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 7 blocks, and 3 steals. Despitemitting 3 turnovers, it didn''t detract from his game, as his performance was what Collins could only dream of for himself.


    This was nearly a career-shattering game for Collins, who only managed 8 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks, showing none of the poise expected from the nation''s fifth-ranked high school yer.


    This battle not only clinched for Yu Fei the title of the best high school senior at this year''s ABCD Camp but also disqualified Collins from contesting for that title¡ªeach ABCD Camp awards two MVPs for the upperssmen and one MVP for the underssmen, with the catch that the upperssmen''s MVPs are picked from both the twelfth graders and eleventh graders who yed in the upperssmen''s games, while the underssmen''s MVP is selected from the eleventh and the rare tenth graders whopeted in their games.


    Before this game, the upperssmen''s MVP was all but guaranteed to be Collins'', but after this game, no one felt he was eligible anymore.


    Yu Fei now possessed everything Collins used to have.


    After the game, even though Yu Fei still had two more games to y, he received warm congrattions.


    Anthony, who had faced off against him yesterday, came over to greet him, and James also wanted to get acquainted, not to mention others¡ªeveryone wanted to get to know him a little.


    Michael Jordan left the Rosman Center quietly after watching the game.


    He felt his trip was fruitful, as Yu Fei''s performance made a profound impression on him. If this year they drew a lottery pick around 5-10, he would consider using it to draft Yu Fei.


    However, if the Wizards ended up with a top-five pick, then it would be unlikely for Yu Fei to be within their contemtion.


    That''s because there were three high school prodigies confirmed to enter the draft early this year, none of whom attended the ABCD Camp, as there was no need for it¡ªthey had cemented their status as early as their junior year, only upstarts like DeAngelo Collins who suddenly rose to prominence would feel insecure.


    But in the end, that sense of insecurityes from ack of innate talent¡ªif Collins had absolute confidence in his own talent, he wouldn''t have attended this year''s ABCD Camp.


    During the second game of the day for the Jade Team, Yu Fei yed for 14 minutes, helping his team establish an absolute advantage before taking a seat and doing an exclusive interview with Gary Smith, the chief writer of Sports Illustrated.


    It was a very unexpected opportunity.


    Yu Fei wasn''t familiar with Smith, but he knew Sports Illustrated, and even more so the significance of being the magazine''s chief writer.


    So when Smith''s first words were, "Frye, I''ve actually been following you for quite a while now," Yu Fei felt a startling surprise that made his hair stand on end.


    Thinking Smith was just being courteous, he politely responded, "It''s my honor."


    "I didn''t mean to pay attention to you," said Smith, "It was by ident. I happened to be on vacation in Seattle, and you happened to be ying there. If I had to pinpoint the reason, I''d say it was God''s arrangement."


    God''s arrangement?


    To Yu Fei''s knowledge, it was rare for Westerners who often invoke God to truly believe in His existence.


    What surprised him the most, however, was that Smith wasn''t just being polite; he really had been following him for a while?


    "You actually pay attention to such a nichepetition?"


    Smith, of course, wasn''t that idle, so he emphasized, "It was an ident. If things were to happen all over again, perhaps I would have ignored you like everyone else."


    "Just like DeAngelo Collins?" Yu Fei joked.


    "No," Smith''s response finally convinced Yu Fei that the chief writer''s long-term attention was not just lip service, "like Jeffrey Dai."


    Jeffrey Dai was the first stumbling block on Yu Fei''s path to fame, ying the same role in the Seattle regional invitational as Collins did today.


    The fact that Smith could name drop Dai showed that his words were true.


    "I believe what you said," Yu Fei replied, "and I believe you''re serious."


    Under such circumstances, this informal private interview began with a formal air.


    "After defeating DeAngelo Collins, you''ve solidified your status as a top-tier high school yer in the nation. What''s your next n? College or the NBA?"


    Yu Fei asked, "When will my words appear in Sports Illustrated?"


    "Not until next month at the earliest," said Smith.


    That was fine by Yu Fei; he didn''t think there was anything to hide. Besides, leveraging Smith''s reputation in the industry to create buzz for himself wasn''t a bad idea at all.


    "I want to follow in Shawn Kemp''s footsteps and take my talent to the NBA," Yu Fei said.


    This answer didn''t surprise Smith; these days, there are few exceptionally talented high schoolers who don''t want to jump straight into the NBA.


    After getting that answer, his questions began to drift toward Fei''s personal life.


    "Did you really never y basketball before eleventh grade?"


    "I yed casually, but I never underwent systematic training."


    "When did you start to feel that you were better suited for basketball?"


    "When I was very young."


    "But you initially chose volleyball."


    "Because I was a weak child," Fei said with a serious face. "I was afraid of the physical confrontations on the basketball court."


    With a teasing tone, Smith asked, "So I''m curious, where did that weak child go?"


    "He died," Fei answered. "One night a year ago, that weak child had a dream. He dreamt of a future where he was nothing but mediocre, so he aimlessly walked the streets, discovering that the path under his feet had veered away from the main road, leading him to a dpidated path toward the slums. There, a group of untalented people were ying basketball with all their might, belittling the weak boy, full of anger. They imed the boy''s situation was a disgrace to them, and if they had the boy''s talent, they would be millionaires and take their families away from that damn ce."


    Gary Smith''s expression gradually turned solemn.


    Meanwhile, Fei continued, "When the boy woke up, tears were streaming down his face. He was contemting what the purpose of his existence on this earth was."


    "That was the day the weak boy died."


    Smith had never expected to hear such a moving story from an eighteen-year-old boy. "It sounds just like a remake of ''Good Will Hunting.''"


    However, Smith''s sentiment was fleeting because Fei nodded and said, "Yes, what I just said was all made up on the spot, inspired by Matt Damon''s ''Good Will Hunting.'' You can put the story I fabricated into your article as is, since people don''t care about the authenticity of a story; they just want to read a moving, inspirational tale."


    With a forced smile, Smith said, "You''re very considerate."


    If only Jeffrey Dai and DeAngelo Collins could think that way about themselves, he thought.


    Such an empathetic and warm-hearted big boy is rare to find these days.


    "Would you like to talk about your family?" Smith asked with tact, ready to drop the subject if Fei didn''t want to discuss it.


    Fei said, "I grew up with just my mom, and I rarely saw other family members... um, my mom runs a Chinese restaurant in Kent City, and business is pretty good."


    Smith then asked, "Would you like to talk about your father?"


    Fei''s face still wore a slight smile, but if Smith had been paying close attention, he would have seen the boy''s face stiffen.


    It was proof of a sudden drop in emotions.


    "There''s not much to talk about," Fei said. "He''s already dead."


    With plenty of interview experience, Smith took only a second to sense the interviewee''s feelings about the current topic, so he quickly steered the conversation toward lighter matters.


    Like Fei''s insights from this training camp, whether Fei had a girlfriend, or how he was preparing for his ns to attend the NBA Draft in June...


    Fei was not that protective of his privacy and answered all these questions openly, providing so much detail that even Gary Smith was surprised.


    Actually, Fei didn''t need to be so candid; for instance, he didn''t have to swear up and down that there were no Kate Winslet-type beauties at Kent Meridian High School that he fancied.


    Really, that kind of information was unnecessary.


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "Next Stop College/NBA? Frye Yu Shines at ABCD Camp!" ¡ª ESPN News sh


    "David Stern officially approves the relocation n for the Memphis Grizzlies." ¡ª Vancouver Times


    "King''s guard Jason Williams fined for racist and homophobicments." ¡ª Los Angeles Times


    "Kobe makes an appearance at ABCD Camp today, presenting the MVP award to Asian basketball prodigy." ¡ª Orange County Chronicle


    "Good night, Kentites, before rewarding yourself with a beer, you should know that Kent Meridian High School senior, Frye Yu, ranked first at this year''s ABCD Camp." ¡ª Kent City Broadcast


    Thanks to Uncle Pickles, Managing_Pigs_Chuckle, Orange Sonata, Tree Is Thus 12, Desecrator_Ultra, Yeap, Forever Love Pepsi (nice ID, though a bit difficult to pronounce), Ah_You_I_Meet, Happy_Fish, norteor, Listen To My Story of Storm, Michael Reed, Moon Across The Sky, Sad City, and reader 20190418182921404 for their rewards. Thank you, everyone.

 Chapter 35: 32 Uncle Sunny

    The fourth day of the camp was the all-star game, and before the start of the all-star game, Sonny Vacarro personally awarded the best yers of the upper and lower grade groups.


    The best yers of the upper grade group were Yu Fei and Antonio Lawrence (PG), who was ranked No. 42 in the whole of America for the ss of 2001.


    There was no suspense in the selection of the lower grade group''s best yers, with LeBron James and Sebastian Telfair being chosen.


    Furthermore, ording to the unanimous opinion of the ABCD Camp scouts, Yu Fei officially surpassed DeAngelo Collins on the fourth day of the camp to be the top yer of the camp.


    In the subsequent all-star game, the Jade Team certainly stole the spotlight, with Yu Fei participating in the main game and the m dunk contest, Iguod in the m dunk contest, and Roy in the skills challenge and three-point contest, but none of them won the championship in the individual events.


    Fortunately, as the newly minted number one yer of the camp, Yu Fei got to team up with James in the all-star game, and Little Bron''s assists nearly stuffed him full.


    Yu Fei scored 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a single game, and after lifting the all-star game MVP trophy, he ended his ABCD Camp journey perfectly.


    After the camp ended, ording to the original n, Yu Fei was to capitalize on the momentum by announcing his entry into the NBA Draft of 2001 before returning to his hometown.


    But an invitation from Sonny Vacarro caused Yu Fei to postpone his ns.


    Vacarro invited Yu Fei to join a top AAU Team in Oand, California, but the team wasn''t going to participate in any AAUpetitions; instead, they were scheduled to y exhibition games.


    After these exhibition games are over, Vacarro, on behalf of Adidas, would show Yu Fei their "sincerity."


    Moreover, Adidas would cover the costs of round-trip flights, hotel amodation, and meals for Yu Fei''s trip.


    All Yu Fei had to do was get ready to travel again, keep the right mindset, and spend another weekend listening to 2PAC''s "California Love."


    Those were the days immediately following the end of the ABCD Camp when Yu Fei''s national ranking jumped up eleven spots, officially taking over DeAngelo Collins'' position, and rising to No. 5 in the nation.


    Collins did not fall to the sixth spot as expected, but instead plummeted all the way to Yu Fei''s former position¡ªNo. 16 in the nation.


    Yu Fei didn''t care about Collins; he only knew he was in a position that drew nationwide attention. There were only four high school yers ranked ahead of him, and certainly, he had no chance to prove himself better than the top four before the draft.


    Eddie Curry, Tyson Chandler, Kwame Brown, DaJuan Wagner.


    Yu Feimitted these four names to memory.


    Then, Yu Fei joined the renowned Oand Soldiers, and when he saw LeBron James on the team, he knew theing days wouldn''t be uneventful.


    Before Yu Fei''s arrival, the Soldiers might have revolved around James, but now, even though he was ranked No. 1 in the entire nation for the ss of 2003, he had to defer to the yer ranked No. 5 in the ss of 2001.


    James didn''t show any dissatisfaction and said to Yu Fei, "I will help you perform better, just like I did in the all-star game a few days ago!"


    Carefully considering James'' words, one could sense that he still wished to control the team''s ball possession.


    Yu Fei, like a reincarnation of DeAngelo Collins, nodded slightly and said, "Yes, we''ve worked together before, and I know you''ll assist me well."


    James smiled, "That''s for sure!"


    "Haha!" Yu Feiughed heartily, "I just knew that us two kids without fathers would cooperate closely!"


    In the first game, even though they were not familiar with the team''s tactical system, Yu Fei and James'' talent and readiness for battle meant they could disregard all that.


    The ball possession distribution between Yu Fei and James was sixty-forty.


    Yu Fei sixty, James forty.


    "Hey, LeBron, go for a dunk!"


    This was Yu Fei''s favorite thing to do.


    In a set y, he would suddenly call for a pick and roll, pointing at the hoop for James to charge, then all he needed to do was toss the ball high up into the air,


    Then, when it was James'' turn to feed the ball to Yu Fei, Yu Fei became nitpicky.


    LeBron, you should do it like this...


    LeBron, you should do it like that...


    LeBron, if you keep passing the ball so carelessly, ''The Chosen One'' is going to get angry.


    James knew that Yu Fei was mostly joking, so even though he heard these words, he didn''t take them to heart.


    But unknowingly, a new hierarchy had been established.


    In this team, Yu Fei''s status was supreme, and even LeBron had to follow his orders.


    Then, because they hadn''t encountered any strong opponents, the two of them almost dominated the games whileughing and joking.


    In the following days, Yu Fei couldn''t vouch for others, but he knew he was having a great time, especially when considering the satisfaction of LeBron looking to him for approval each time he had the ball¡ªit was indescribable.


    They had to y three exhibition games in three days, and during this period, Yu Fei dered over and over, "This is my team, and I intend to take LeBron and the others under my wing."


    As an underssman, although LeBron had his ambitions, he didn''t feel that being Yu Fei''s little brother was shameful. He even told the media, "Fi is like a big brother to me."


    Yu Fei further showcased himself in the games. Almost all the professionals who observed him believed that he had the talent and readiness to directly challenge the NBA.


    After the exhibition games of The Oand Soldiers, Yu Fei met Vacarro and his wife Pam in the Marriott Hotel he was staying at.


    The hotel was also upied by several of Vacarro''s trusted people, one of whom was Chris Dennis, whom Yu Fei didn''t know was the first in Vacarro''s camp to spot his talent.


    Suddenly, Dennis pulled out a pair of exquisite sneakers and tossed them to Yu Fei.


    Yu Fei noticed the unique designs on them, along with his own signature and the No. 44¡ªthe number from his camp jersey.


    He immediately realized that these might be Adidas sneakers designed especially for him.


    Yu Fei excitedly looked at Dennis.


    Dennis said, "If you tell me you''re joining the NBA at the end of high school and are willing to join the Adidas family, I''ll give you the other shoe."


    Witnessing this scene, Quentin DiMio couldn''t believe what was happening before him; had Adidas really designed a custom pair of sneakers just to woo Yu Fei?


    Had the same thing happened with McGrady, Kobe, and Gat?


    "I''m in!" Yu Fei lost his rationality, consumed by the desire to have his own signature sneakers immediately, "I''m in!"


    Dennis then tossed the other shoe to Yu Fei.


    Vacarro chuckled, "So you''ve decided to skip college and enter this year''s NBA draft?"


    "Yes," Yu Fei nodded.


    Vacarro eximed, "Bingo!"


    "You''ve made a great decision, kid, but before that, you need to announce it publicly, then find a reliable agent. If you don''t know who''s reliable, I can rmend a few people to you..."


    Yu Fei''s rtionship with Vacarro quickly heated up.


    Initially, Yu Fei was skeptical about Vacarro''s intentions, but the more he got to know him, the more he believed that this man, known as "Uncle Sonny," was so wholeheartedly helping high school yers not just out of a desire to get back at the NCAA but also because it was a win-win for him.


    Almost every high school star he had helped maintained good rtions with him, and as these individuals achieved sess in the NBA, they boosted his reputation andwork. In the process, he obtained everything he wanted.


    From then on, Yu Fei began calling Vacarro "Uncle Sonny."


    Before leaving California, Yu Fei learned why Vacarro had someone bring him a pair of custom sneakers¡ªstarting next year, Adidas nned to organize a national AAU championship in Seattle and they wanted Yu Fei to represent them locally, wearing those sneakers in a promotional shoot.


    This was a good deal for Yu Fei, so he agreed outright, with ns to shoot the promotional video in Seattle at the end of April.


    Before that, Yu Fei had to return to Kent City, resume his life as a senior, and maintain his training to ensure he graduated smoothly. Then, he would find the right time to dere for this year''s draft and publicly scout for an agent.


    There was a lot to do, butpared to before, these things were naturally unfolding, as the door to the NBA had already swung open for him.

 Chapter 36: 33 Yu Feis People

    In early April, Yu Fei and Quentin DiMio returned to Kent City together.


    Yu Fei''s life briefly returned to tranquility, consisting of nothing but sses and training every day.


    The day after arriving home, Yu Fei shared his ns with his mother before going to school, "Mom, I n to enter this year''s NBA Draft."


    For some time now, Yu Fenglin had heard a lot about this matter.


    Yu Fei was a top high school yer in the nation,


    and had the potential to make it to the NBA;


    Yu Fenglin had a clear understanding of both facts, but skipping college to enter the NBA Draft meant giving up any pursuit of academia.


    Even if Yu Fenglin didn''t think Yu Fei could excel in his studies, she still felt an indescribable unease.


    "What if things don''t go well in the NBA?" Yu Fenglin asked.


    Yu Feiughed and replied, "I think I should be picked within the top fifteen, and if I am the fifteenth pick this year, I can sign a contract worth 4 million US dors over four years. Mom, four years, 4 million US dors."


    Indeed, this figure caused a major shock to Yu Fenglin''s pupils.


    Even if Yu Fei didn''t make a fortune, their family''s life would still be decent, but 4 million US dors could afford them an entirely different lifestyle.


    "If you''re ready," Yu Fenglin said, "then go ahead and do it."


    Yu Fei knew that his mother would not be his issue.


    In fact, if Yu Fei came from a ck family, the hesitation shown by Yu Fenglin thatsted less than a minute would not have urred. For most ck people, it seems that the only way to leapfrog social sses is through making it big in professional sports.


    Yu Fei went to school.


    It had been nearly two weeks since hisst ss.


    Upon entering the campus, Yu Fei was greeted wherever he went. Not wanting to linger outside, he walked briskly into the ssroom and gently tapped Lin Kaiwen''s shoulder, "Morning!"


    "Don''t bother me!" Lin Kaiwen snapped with a scowl, "I''m in a bad mood!"


    When your friends, regardless of their gender, say something like that to you, you definitely shouldn''t let them be. Instead, you should keep annoying them until they find someone to talk to.


    "Tell me what''s bothering you, cheer me up," Yu Fei said with a smile.


    Lin Kaiwen didn''t respond and just red fiercely at a short-haired girl in the front row.


    That girl was Elizabeth, a Chinese-American mix. Yu Fei also knew that Lin Kaiwen had recently been trying to court her, and judging by his demeanor, it seemed things were not going well.


    "Did Elizabeth reject your advances?" Yu Fei asked.


    Finally losing hisposure, Lin Kaiwen admitted, "She doesn''t like me because I''m not Leo (Leonardo DiCaprio)."


    It seems that countless women born between 1975 and 1985 fell in love with Leonardo DiCaprio; in the years following the release of Titanic, he might have been a serious contender for heartthrob status, not just for Elizabeth. Most of the girls Yu Fei saw at K-M would dly sell their souls to share a milkshake with the guy, embodying the image of Leonardo DiCaprio. For women of this age group, Leo was the new Elvis; they were not actually in love with Leonardo DiCaprio, but rather with the Romeo and Jack he portrayed, allowing them to generate tons of fantasies in their skulls and delude themselves into believing these storylines could happen to them.


    Just like countless women today who obsess over F4 after watching Meteor Garden, if you want to pursue a passionate F4 girl, you''ll have to outdo the image of Zhou Yumin/Yan Chengxu in their minds and have the ability to create scenarios even more romantic than "apanying you to watch meteor showers fall upon this Earth."


    How is an ordinary man supposed topete against such crap?


    So Lin Kaiwen was thoroughly defeated.


    In the days that followed, Yu Fei focused on catching up with his deferred academics and began a new phase of his training.


    Based on his performance at ABCD Camp, Yu Fei believed his future position in the NBA would be as a swingman forward, hence he started to practice mid- and long-range shooting inrge quantities and reinforced his inside-game fundamentals as per the training n originally devised by Selvan.


    By this time, the school team was on break, and with Selvan''s departure, the school promised to hire a more qualified coach by summer, but the Royal Team was already in a state of de facto suspension.


    It''s hard to imagine this is a team that just won the state championship.


    If Yu Fei wanted to maintain the quality of his training, he needed someone to practice with.


    But of the yers in his grade, some had already secured First Division League schrships and were fully focused on their studies, fearing they might end up like Brandon Roy, a failure in every subject, unable to enter college due to poor academic performance. Others realized they had no future in basketball andpletely gave up the sport, aiming to dedicate themselves to their studies in hopes of being admitted into a good university.


    Only Anthony Lawson was there to help Yu Fei train.


    But Yu Fei knew that if Lawson''s academic performance were at Garfield High School basketball team, he would be considered a prodigy on par with Roy, a talent once in a generation.


    He had finally received a college offer, and he should have been focusing on his studies; instead, he was spending his days practicing with Yu Fei?


    Yu Fei was moved but also perplexed.


    After a week like this, Yu Fei couldn''t help asking, "Tony, the semester is almost over. Why do you keeping to the court every day?"


    Lawson looked up slightly, hisrge nostrils almost aligning with Yu Fei''s eyes, "That''s what I want to ask you."


    "Me?" Yu Fei didn''t hide the truth, "I''ve decided to enter this year''s NBA Draft, so I must maintain my training. I don''t want to embarrass myself during the tryouts."


    Yu Fei''s answer confirmed Lawson''s guess.


    From this year onwards, Yu Fei''s reputation soared. After attending the ABCD Camp, he became unstoppable, with broadcasts and newspapers in Kent City featuring him almost daily.


    Lawson witnessed how the broadcasts and newspapers described Yu Fei evolved from "the top high school student in Kent City" to "the top high school student in the State of Washington" to "the top high school student in the country" to "one of the top five high school students in the country" to "a potential NBA yer."


    It wasn''t strange that Yu Fei wanted to go directly into the NBA Draft. If it were Lawson, he would do the same.


    Compared to the African American basketball yers that weremonly seen around the courts with Yu Fei, Lawson''s family was well off. He had both parents, and his siblings showed him respect. Now that he had received a college offer, his life could be considered perfect. But Lawson knew that with his talent, even if he yed in the NCAA First Division League, he wouldn''t have a professional future.


    Then, he saw Quentin DiMio busying around Yu Fei every day. Officially, DiMio was an assistant coach to the Royal Team, but in reality, he seemed more like Yu Fei''s personal assistant. Lawson rememberedining to Selvan during the season that DiMio didn''t like helping other yers on the team. Selvan hadughed and said, "Don''t mind it; he''s a man of Frye."


    At the same time, the Phdelphia 76ers traded for Dikembe Mutombo by the trade deadline, officially making them one of the strongest teams in the Eastern Conference. Allen Iverson''s rise was as fast as a rocket''s. His crude hip-hop music, rumors of falling out with Larry Brown, and gossips about the 76ers nning to trade him all vanished. Suddenly, he became the year''s most recognizable pop culture icon. His tattoos, cornrows, indomitable spirit, and Sisyphean resolve became the qualities people eagerly admired.


    Of course, there was also his generosity and warmth towards his friends.


    Those protected under Iverson''s wing were known as "Iverson''s people."


    Lawson didn''t want to be a vampire clinging to Yu Fei like those who clung to Iverson; he was well aware that Yu Fei might be the most promising person he had ever seen. Yu Fei''s future was bright, and if he could keep pace with him, his future would change.


    That day, Yu Fei didn''t figure out Lawson''s thoughts, but a few dayster, he did.


    Lawson wanted to work for him, just like DiMio.


    Yu Fei didn''t reject Lawson. Having known each other for over a year, he felt that Lawson was straightforward, responsible, and trustworthy.


    Therefore, Yu Fei began letting Lawson be his training partner without any qualms and started to boss him around just as he did with DiMio.


    Lawson had no objections; in fact, he was excited because it proved he had sessfully joined this nascent team.


    And they had another important matter to attend to.


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "If Michael decides toe back, I will follow suit. Who wouldn''t want to see me and Michael y on the same team?" Charles Barkley said on TNT: Inside the NBA.


    "Chinese yer Wang Zhizhi scored 6 points and 3 rebounds in his historic debut." ¡ª Das Morning News


    "If the 7-foot-6 Chinese center Yao Ming enters the draft this year, he would be the undisputed number one overall pick." ¡ª Sports Illustrated


    "Frye Yu, a senior at Kent Meridian High School, is publicly recruiting an agent." ¡ª The Seattle Times

 Chapter 37: 34: The Chosen One

    Yu Fei openly recruited agents, indirectly announcing that he would forego his college eligibility to enter this year''s NBA Draft.


    In Quentin DiMio''s view, it was too subdued. Given Yu Fei''s local prestige, he could have made a big ssh by inviting media from the State of Washington to a press conference and then announced his draft decision just like Kobe Bryant did in his time.


    Looking back on Kobe''s approach, Yu Fei considered it reckless and frivolous. Kobe had announced his intention to bring his talents to the NBA in front of dozens of media outlets, nonchntly wearing sunsses.


    Back then, people saw Kobe as too ostentatious and mboyant, and his actions brought him many negative reviews.


    Actually, it was a move made out of necessity, because, by the standards of the time, Kobe didn''t have the immediately obvious super talent like Kevin Gat. Promoting himself in this way was one of Kobe''s strategies to get noticed by more and more people.


    Now, with no more doubts about the maturation rate of high school yers in the NBA, Yu Fei didn''t need to promote himself like Kobe once did.


    Besides, he was only fifth nationwide in the 2001 ss, and three of the four yers ranked ahead of him had decided to enter the draft without resorting to Kobe''s methods.


    That was wise, and Yu Fei did the same.


    Choosing a reliable agent was the most important thing at the momentpared to creating a spectacle.


    Many agents were interested in Yu Fei, but the only one who truly entered his heart was rmended by Sonny Vacarro¡ªArn Herschel Tellem.


    Tellem was 47 that year, a Jew from Phdelphia who initially worked as awyer until he switched to being an agent in the early ''80s, first representing baseball yers until 1996, when he began to represent a high school basketball yer named Kobe Bryant.


    Kobe''s sess broadened Tellem''s ventures into basketball, and using Kobe''s example, he targeted clients who were young yers ready to join the League¡ªpreferably those straight out of high school.


    Tellem was unstoppable from there, bing an angel in the eyes of those who wanted to jump directly from high school to the NBA.


    Tracy McGrady in 1997;


    Darius Miles in 2000;


    And this year, Kwame Brown, Eddie Curry, and Tyson Chandler were all under his wing.


    Furthermore, Tellem was not like the vampire agents such as David Falk and Dan Fegan, who were loathed by NBA executives; his reputation in professional basketball was excellent, known for being upright and empathetic.


    Yu Fei thought this was rare. He didn''t need an agent like Falk, who dared to bleed NBA teams in a specific era, because the NBA would be more and more professional. The value of a yer''s contract would entirely depend on his own ability and demands; nor did he need an agent like Fegan, who instigated yers to sign "yin-yang contracts" and arrange one-on-one workouts with chairs.


    Yu Fei''s concern about Tellem was that he already had too many yers under his umbre who would be selected in the 2001 Draft.


    "When I encounter problems, will you be able to appear right away?" Yu Fei asked.


    Tellem gave Yu Fei a bright smile, "Anything within my scope of business, if you face a problem one second, my call will reach the team''s office the next second."


    Yu Fei then asked, "What if it''s beyond your business scope?"


    Tellem joked, "If one day you suddenly want to kill everyone in the locker room, I won''t buy you a gun."


    Yu Fei chuckled. Tellem gave him a very reliable impression.


    Truthfully, he didn''t know if this person was the most suitable choice. The biggest difference between him and other time travelers was theck of sufficient qualifications. After all, how could the experiences of a vibrant teenager from his former life help a seventeen-year-old youth he had embodied in? He had never even stepped out into society.


    Yu Fei made his considerations based on character, qualifications, professional opinions, yer evaluations, and the impression from their meeting.


    Tellem had a good character, extensive qualifications, a key rmendation from an industry heavyweight like Vacarro, and first-rate clients led by Kobe and McGrady singing his praises. After meeting him, Yu Fei felt he was very dependable, and with his long track record of representing high school yers, as the next high school yer to enter the NBA, Yu Fei believed he couldn''t find a more suitable candidate than Tellem.


    That very evening, Yu Fei introduced Tellem to Yu Fenglin.


    Yu Fenglin''s impression of Tellem was strikingly consistent with Yu Fei''s.


    From that point on, there was no doubt about it.


    Two dayster, Kevin began negotiating the agent contract with Trem.


    Having never experienced such a thing in his previous life, Kevin was dizzy with all the professional jargon, and it took him half a day to understand the various terms.


    After another half day of negotiations, Kevin and Trem''s agency contract was finalized as follows.


    It was a four-year contract, with Trem taking 4% of Kevin''s future rookie contract as amission. However, Kevin also needed to give Trem 6% of the ie from his rookie contract for off-season travel expenses, litigation attorney fees, and promotion fees formercial activities. Kevin could choose not to provide this money, but if he didn''t, he would have to handle these matters himself.


    All rookies would provide this money, and Kevin was no exception. Moreover, themission Trem was charging was very low. Normally, agents would take a 10%mission on contract ie, but he only wanted 4%, which was a bargain price. Kevin agreed to this without hesitation.


    Then there was the issue of agent authorization, which meant whether the agent had the right to represent the athlete in signingmercial endorsement agreements or contract negotiations. Kevin first entrusted Trem with full authority to negotiate his yer contract and then gave Trem the right to negotiatemercial endorsements.


    The contract was filled with numerous uses and requirements.


    Kevin and Trem started discussing the contract during lunchtime. By the time they reached an agreement andpleted signing, it was already dinner time.


    "To celebrate the signing, dinner is on me tonight," Trem said with a smile, "Let''smemorate this day with the best steak."


    At that moment, Quentin DiMio interjected teasingly, "Aern, it''s time to get to know your client better. Compared to steak, Frye prefers pork chop rice from Pork Chop Immortal."


    The news of Kevin signing with an agent rapidly reached the top, and the college coaches who had hoped to recruit him frantically during the summer vacation reluctantly gave up their attention to him.


    Then, the media and city broadcast in Kent City began to actively promote Kevin.


    Kevin would be the first NBA yer toe out of Kent City, and he was the pride of the Kentites.


    Seattle shamelessly branded Kevin with the title "Son of Seattle," which, to the Kentites, was ridiculous and despicable.


    But this was like James always saying, "I''m just a kid from Akron." Clevnd is Clevnd, Akron is Akron. Simrly, Seattle is Seattle, Kent is Kent. Although these cities are very close geographically, their boundaries are clear.


    Inte April, just before the NBA yoffs, Kevin went to Seattle to shoot a promotional video for Adidas.


    Thus, the moniker "Son of Seattle" grew even more prominent, after all, Kevin had never had the opportunity to film a promotional video for Kent.


    After the Seattle shooting n was over, the hype for Kevin in the State of Washington started to intensify.


    Kevin''s name began to make its way into the offices of NBA teams, but what truly gave him an undeniable prospect for the top fifteen picks of the 2001 NBA Draft was the explosive feature about him published by Sports Illustrated on April 30th. Written by the magazine''s most prestigious chief writer, Gary Smith, the lengthy article was titled¡ª


    April 30, 2001


    "The Chosen One" (The Chosen One)


    Epigraph: Frye Yu believes he is the chosen one by God, but to those who worship him, his destiny is not only to be the greatest basketball yer from the State of Washington but also to change the world. Will fame crush him?


    "...A few months ago, when Frye led Kent Meridian High School to its first state championship with a dominant performance, he developed a charm that transcended regional limits, and Seattle went crazy about the young man.


    It was an extraordinary night. A sd, a piece of bread, a steak, half a potato, a slice of cake on the table, the clinking of forks, someone making jokes on the stage, and the mixed murmur of conversation filled the room. Then a fat man with messy hair stood up. His voice trembled, tears welled, choking on sobs while swallowing his cries, and all the mundane things dissipated.


    "Please forgive me... but when I talk about Frye, I get very emotional... My heart... is so full of... joy... when I realize... this young man... will be able to... help so many people... He will transcend the sport... and bring to the world... a heroism never seen before... The world will be better... for his presence... and his emergence... I only im a small part in it... because I know God himself chose me and K-M... to nurture this young man... and enable him to contribute to people... He is our treasure... Please ept it... and use it wisely... Thank you."


    Blinking away tears, the man found himself surrounded by the respect of his students and the apuse of their parents; everyone stood up. Never in the history of Washington had a school principal talked about a student in this way. Most principals leave before their students enter this field or remain silent; few students are praised like this because no one wants their student to wander and get lost in the wilderness of absurdity and sorrow thates with bing famous too early.


    When the party was over and everyone was ready to leave, a well-dressed Latin American woman in her fifties¡ªwhom we see in every country club¡ªcame up to them and said, "Frye, when I watch youpete with other yers, it feels like I''m watching my own son."


    At that moment, we could feel the tremble of the cosmicpass as humans looked into the eyes of someone from another race and saw their own kin.


    Is Frye Yu ''the one''? Will he have a chance to change the deste state of Asian Americans in professional sports? Only time can tell, but my answer is the same as the Kentites, the Seattlites, and the Washingtonians.


    He is "The Chosen One."

 Chapter 38: 35: The Saint of Thieves

    Gary Smith''s article had an immediately strong reaction upon publication.


    "The Chosen One," this loud title was not the first time it appeared on Sports Illustrated.


    Thest person to use this title was Tiger Woods in 1996, who then lived up to expectations and became the greatest golfer of all time, ascending to Nike''s leading figure after Michael Jordan''s retirement.


    No one doubted Smith''s professionalism, but what puzzled people was why the protagonist of this article was not Kwame Brown, Eddie Curry, DaJuan Wagner, or Tyson Chandler who were ranked ahead of Yu Fei.


    In terms of talent, the three centers were undeniably superior to Yu Fei, and looking at immediate strength, Wagner, who had previously scored a hundred points in a single game, was the most powerful high school yer of the 2001 ss.


    Why was it Yu Fei?


    Gary Smith''s exnation was poetic and romantic, "I only made the same choice as God."


    From that day on, Yu Fei never fell out of the top 15 in any major draft prediction.


    For Yu Fei himself, the incident was more surprising than to the public.


    Did he identally steal LeBron James''s second most famous nickname?


    In the first twenty years of the new century, "The Chosen One" in the United States referred to Woods and James, but in China, golf was a niche sport and nobody cared whether Woods was the dog''s bollocks in golf; James was the only "The Chosen One."


    And James earned this nickname because of an article published by Sports Illustrated in 2002.


    Now, Yu Fei had received this title ahead of James.


    He had no special feelings about the name "The Chosen One," but to have stolen one of the best-knownbels from James was a little troubling after all, considering the days they fought side by side for the Oand Sentinels, remembering the Akron pizza James made with his own hands, remembering James saying "Frye is my big brother." Wasn''t that a wonderful time? Two fatherless youths joyously sprinting across the court, proudly disying their talent. How did things get to this point?


    Feeling ashamed, Yu Fei chose to go to the most famous tattoo shop in Seattle before leaving town and had "The Chosen One" inked on his back.


    Although the whole process was unpleasant and filled with guilt, when it ended, Yu Fei felt his spiritual power momentarily reach the level of Grandfather Yue Fei, who also spent his life living up to the words "serve the country with the utmost loyalty." Now, Yu Fei also had to prove that he was the genuine, undoubted, unquestionably authentic "The Chosen One," and Woods and James better stay away¢Å.


    After this, Yu Fei returned to his hometown.


    Gary Smithpletely opened up Yu Fei''s fame, but this year''s NBA lottery drawing was not untilte May, meaning there was still half a month before then for Yu Fei to prepare for his tryouts.


    With the situation at this point, many issues had beenid on the table, and the first thing Yu Fei had to do was to put his studies on hold and officially form a team.


    The very first day he got home, Team Yu Fei was established.


    For now, there were only four members on the team: Yu Fei himself, Quentin DiMio, Anthony Lawson, and Arne Trem.


    The specific division ofbor for the team was still unclear.


    For the time being, DiMio and Lawson''s main task was to help Yu Fei train.


    But Yu Fei also hoped that they could find suitable tforms for themselves in the future, just as James made Rich Paul one of the most influential agents by leveraging his own influence.


    As her son''s good days approached, Yu Fenglin felt a sense of fear about gaining and losing.


    For the past 18 years, she had supported the small family by herself. The initial days were tough. With the economic support from her family, the meager alimony from her ex-husband, and working several jobs with a 997 schedule, she finally earned enough start-up funds to open a store. From then on, her and her son''s life had its ups and downs, but overall it was not bad.


    But no matter what, it was still within the realm of an ordinary family.


    All of a sudden, her son was about to be a millionaire earning millions of US dors, and her life would bepletely different. It was like a dream.


    ```


    Looking back, Yu Fei had gone from being a despised weakling to "The Chosen One" in just over a year.


    Is this really true? She didn''t know how long it would take to fully ept this.


    Yu Fei didn''t have the sense of profound loss his mother felt. His only understanding of this year''s draft was that the Washington Wizards had selected Kwame Brown with their first overall pick. Then, His Airness, falsely dubbed as a trickster by Scottie Pippen, who had said that Jordan was nothing special before he came along, started his career as a drafting genius.


    What, Jordan wasn''t a trickster? Humph, even if a false god had conquered a generation, if he couldn''t even win over his most reliable partner, what right did he have to be called a trickster? Imagine Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving, and Anthony Davisshing out at James as a hypocrite after retirement, and iming that his career stats of 40000+ points, 10000+ rebounds, and 10000+ assists wouldn''t get their approval?


    You know, despite Wade having to deal with the 2011 Finals version of James, Irving always looking down on James in an indescribable way, and Davis going downhill after every season in the zone - not only failing to have a "this team is yours" moment but also being ridiculed by LeBron fans both domestic and abroad for being fragile and not training hard - the chances of such a scenario happening are almost zero.


    Yu Fei stopped daydreaming, no longer psychologically carping about the original Big Fei. Instead, he made a call to his good brother, Brandon Roy.


    Unlike the endlessly glorious Yu Fei, Roy felt pessimistic about his NBA prospects.


    Attending ABCD Camp seemed to have added nothing to his future prospects. Though he had received offers from a few more colleges, what was the use? Without those schools seriously opening the back door to lower admission standards, what good were those offers to someone like him?


    Having no confidence in his academic abilities, Roy was dead set on entering the NBA Draft. But when he tried to openly recruit scouts like Yu Fei did, all he got were calls from international scammers. Legitimate US scouts just didn''t have time to waste on a likely idiot¡ªan idiot who failed every subject and didn''t rank in the nation''s top 100 yers.


    If it wasn''t for hearing about Roy''s deeds in his past life, Yu Fei wouldn''t have believed that this guy could make it in the NBA.


    There were really no signs.


    That''s typical of a yer who peakste in his career.


    Moreover, the skills that allowed Roy to make a name for himself in the NBA were all honed during his college years. If he really went from high school straight to the NBA, would he still have that environment and atmosphere to train tirelessly? Would he still have four years to intensely develop his skills?


    The NBA''s minor leagues are akin to a battlefield. Every fringe yer wants to survive in the world''s most lucrative league. Leveling up is something first-round picks worry about; for second-rounders and undrafted yers, it''s all about immediate performance.


    "God is so unfair. Just a year ago, we were at the same starting line. Howe in the blink of an eye, you, the guy I left far behind, have run ahead of me?"


    Royined bitterly.


    Yu Fei wanted tough but couldn''t.


    If what Roy said was true, then Yu Fei didn''t just run ahead of him; he was already standing on the finish line.


    Why? Because, at the very least, Yu Fei was currently projected as a fifteenth pick in the first round.


    No matter what, he would make it to the NBA.


    While Roy was just struggling to seize the few opportunities he thought he had.


    But Yu Fei had just partnered with Roy at the ABCD Camp. Considering Roy''s current level of readiness and skill, never mind whether an NBA team would be interested, even if a team irrationally chose him, he would have a hard time establishing himself in the NBA.


    The biggest difference between college and the NBA is that college can provide a nurturing environment forte bloomers to level up slowly.


    Roy in his previous life was exactly that type of yer. What about in this life?


    Yu Fei did not want to change Roy''s life trajectory, but now Roy was dead set on entering the NBA draft, which made it very hard to dissuade him, so he opted to offer constion instead.


    That night, Yu Fei bought a new calendar and circled the date of May 21st.


    That was the day of the draft lottery.


    (1)Hmm, it''s time to discuss who among Yu Fei, S11''s Scout, and Iguod in 2015 is the true Master of Thievery.


    ```

 Chapter 39: 36: Thanks for believing in me, but dont do it next time.

    Waiting for the NBA Draft Lottery is boring.


    Yu Fei trained intensively while watching television and reading newspapers.


    Sports Illustrated was a must-read for him in every issue.


    This helped him understand the era.


    Before crossing over, Yu Fei thought Victor Wembanyama''s draft hype could rival that of Lebron James in 2003, but now it seems that a more appropriateparison for the former might be Yao Ming during the years 2000-2002.


    This isn''t to say their styles are simr, but rather their hype and the American public''s various imaginings of them.


    Wembanyama incites wild fantasies for having frightening coordination, ball-handling, shooting, and mobility for someone at the 220cm height level, which looks like abination of Rudy Gobert and Durant.


    Yao Ming? Barefoot at 223cm, and reaching 229cm with shoes, he also had exceptional speed for that height, along with inside scoring techniques and a soft shooting touch, looking like a filled-out version of Rik Smits.


    Those familiar with the NBA Draft history know that those dubbed "the filled-out version of XX" usually don''t develop smoothly.


    As many Americans who adored Yao Ming, there were as many who belittled him.


    However, unquestionably, whether Yao had entered the 2000 or the 2001 Draft, he could have easily surpassed Kenyon Martin and the destined Kwame Brown to be the first pick.


    Even if you extend the time period to the first decade of the new century, the only ones who could have prevented Yao from being the top pick would be LeBron James in 2003 and Greg Oden in 2007.


    Such a talent recently caused a stir in the basketball world because of his agent.


    Self-proimed to recruit heroes with the influence of His Airness, and none dare to defy, David Falk imed that Yao Ming had signed with him, then Yao sent a letter ofint to the yers'' union and David Stern, to which Falk retorted it was the despicable tactic of Bill Duffy, sensing the roar of a desperate man in Yao''sint letter...


    Exciting, too exciting. If Yu Fei wasn''t so tired from his daily training, he would really want to buy all sorts of sports tabloids and pleasantly munch on melon seeds.


    On May 20th, the day before the NBA Draft Lottery, Yu Fei returned to school and participated in a retirement ceremony with Anthony Lawson and others.


    Although Lawson hoped the team''s underssmen could continue their glory, Yu Fei nced over and wondered how the talent-average Royal Team could continue any glory?


    The coach who led them to a championship left NCAA at the first chance, the school hasn''t seriously recruited a new coach to date, the senior yers who won the championship are about to retire, and the state championship title in Kent City has no attraction; it''s still Kent''s "mountain prison."


    After the retirement ceremony, Yu Fei went to have hisst KFC meal on the east hill with Lin Kaiwen.


    Then the next day, May 21st, also happened to be the day of the 2001 NBA Draft Lottery.


    Since the lottery started after 8:30 PM, Yu Fei intentionally kept his stomach empty, invited DiMio and Lawson, and ordered a table of takeout.


    They ate while watching the lottery.


    Before the lottery began, Lawson, like a soothsayer, said, "Trust me, Washington is going to win the first pick."


    This was undoubtedly the smartest Yu Fei had seen Lawson in the over a year he''d known him.


    "Why?" Yu Fei asked.


    Lawson said indignantly, "Because David Stern likes to kiss MJ''s ass, he will definitely give the first pick to Washington as a reward for MJ''s help over the years."


    Now, Yu Fei understood why there were so many conspiracy theories about the 1985 Draft Lottery.


    Americans just love this stuff.


    The Wizards Team had the third-highest odds of winning the first pick, and it wasn''t surprising when they did, as the worst team hadn''t won it since 1990.


    The Chicago Bulls were the worst team at this lottery, and after Jerry Krause got his wish to drive Jordan out of Chicago, he swore the Bulls'' rebuild wouldn''t be as erratic as The Celtics'', but two yearster, they won only 31 games post-Jordan era.


    Among all the executives attending the lottery, only Wizards Team president Jordan and Head Coach Doug Collins were absent.


    Then, the Wizards Team, with the third-highest probability, snagged the first pick.


    As an authentic African American from the midwestern United States, Anthony Lawson yelled, "Rigged! Rigged! David Stern, that damned scoundrel!"


    However, if there really was a rigged scenario, then the Clippers wouldn''t have gotten the second pick with the seventh-highest odds.


    As the historically worst team in the NBA, facing a draft with so much high-talented neers, sending them to the Clippers, is that really for the NBA''s best interest?


    The teams after the Clippers were the Anta Hawks, Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, Brooklyn Nets, Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Supersonics, and Rockets.


    As the representative of the Wizards Team on site, Rod Higgins said, "We keep all options open."


    Why?


    "There''s no Patrick Ewing, no Shaquille O''Neal in this Draft."


    Higgins''ments fueled spection about rumors of Jordan considering aeback.


    If Jordan really wanted to return, he''d surely want to trade the first pick for immediate help. Who would want to wait for a young sapling to grow? Trade, trade, trade, everything can be traded.


    ```


    As soon as the results were out, Yu Fei turned off the TV.


    "You guys think¡­"


    Before Yu Fei could finish his sentence, he remembered that DiMio and Lawson weren''t NBA experts, so they probably couldn''t tell which team would suit him best.


    "I think Golden State isn''t bad," DiMio said, "They are in the middle of a rebuild, and even though Antawn Jamison''s position shes with yours, the functions you both serve on the court are quite distinct."


    Yu Fei chuckled, "I don''t think they will choose me with the fifth pick."


    The draft was shaping up like this: first, the top three high school prospects would secure three of the top five spots. Then, Jason Richardson and Shane Battier, two immensely talented and battle-ready college yers who had proven themselves, would likely fill two of the top six spots.


    Lawson''s eyes bulged as if he was still immersed in the "back-room dealings."


    Yu Fei continued to eat his meal, calmly waiting for a call from his agent.


    About half an hourter, Arne Trem called.


    "How are things looking?" asked Yu Fei.


    "Everything''s arranged," said Trem, "Day after tomorrow is the first stop, you''re heading to Houston."


    "Houston?" Yu Fei thought in confusion; he remembered the Rockets had the thirteenth pick in the first round.


    Of course, that was a decent position. The thirteenth pick had a BUFF, but Yu Fei had no sentimental attachment to the Rockets; the Yao-McGrady era meant nothing to him. Post Yao-McGrady, he remembered Yao as a media figure who often made outrageous statements and liked to use "what ifs" to reconstruct his professional career, while the other was a basketball association executive whose reputation was mixed.


    However, regardless of his feelings, he would still focus on preparing for the first tryout, as many yers managed to change perceptions through their workout performances.


    "And after that?" Yu Fei inquired.


    "Next is New Jersey, followed by Boston, and finally Memphis," Trem exined, "That''s the current schedule. Don''t worry, I believe you''ll be picked in the top eight. Both Washington and Clevnd are interested in you."


    Let''s not mention Clevnd. Yu Fei stole LeBron''s nickname and certainly wouldn''t steal his throne; such a great and warm home should be left for LeBron himself.


    Washington?


    Yu Fei thought Trem was joking, "Washington has the number one pick¡­"


    "Do you think you don''t stand a chance of being the first overall pick?" Trem joked.


    How could one say such a thing? Yu Fei wanted to be the first pick, but one must be realistic.


    For the Wizards to use the first overall pick on Yu Fei, it''s equally unlikely as the Cavaliers selecting Giannis with the first overall pick in 2013.


    The decision might be correct, but the executive making such a call would likely be fired from the professional basketball circle before being vindicated.


    Of course, if Jordan really went crazy and used the first pick on Yu Fei, Yu Fei believed that with His Airness''s prestige, he wouldn''t be kicked out so soon.


    But then Yu Fei himself might not be able to handle it. How many yers have actually thrived when His Airness had high hopes for them?


    That''s a curse, the most negative BUFF a rookie could receive after Elgin Baylor in the NBA.


    "I want to be the first pick, but I particrly don''t wish to be Washington''s first pick," Yu Fei affirmed.


    "Haha, indeed, being teammates with Michael is tough," Trem said, "But Michael really thinks highly of you."


    Dang it, Dan?!


    "Please tell Michael thank you for his high opinion, but next time, maybe he shouldn''t," Yu Fei replied.


    After speaking, Yu Fei handed the phone to Yu Fenglin as she had some things to learn from Trem.


    The news that Jordan thought highly of him was so startling that Yu Fei overlooked another message Trem brought¡ª"Being teammates with Michael is indeed tough"¡ªwhich suggested that Jordan was seriously considering aeback.


    Then, Yu Fei began marking the tryout dates on the calendar.


    May 23rd, tryout for the Houston Rockets.


    May 25th, tryout for the New Jersey Nets.


    May 27th¡­


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "The legalization of the zone defense, introducing the defensive three-second rule, what does it mean for professional basketball?" ¡ª Sports Illustrated


    "Chinese basketball star Yao Ming will have to wait at least another year before he can y in the NBA, as the Shanghai Team has refused to let him enter this summer''s NBA Draft." ¡ª The New York Times


    "Allen Iverson is the shortest yer in NBA history to be the regr season MVP." ¡ª ESPN News Dispatch


    "You almost expect to wake up one morning and see Frye Yu''s silhouette staring at you from the walls of downtown office buildings. Goodnight, Kent City." ¡ª Kent City Broadcast


    ```

 Chapter 40: 37: The Arrogant Youngster

    On May 23rd, Yu Fei came to Houston with Quentin DiMio and Anthony Lawson.


    Just like in his previous life, where Yu Fei had no fondness for Harden, or the Rockets team that followed, he held the same sentiment in this life.


    The Rockets were a team that couldn''t afford to lose.


    Though Aviation City was considered arge city, the Rockets were by no means a big market team. If the team didn''t showpetitiveness, or if it didn''t embody the "courage and perseverance" that Texans admired, instead degenerating into the typical rebuild teams by tanking, the fans would quickly abandon them.


    The current owner of the Rockets, Alexander, wouldn''t allow such a situation to ur. Hence, even as juwon grew too old to y, the team had to look forward. Subsequently, a dispute between juwon and Coach Tomjanovich led juwon to request to be cut from the team. Before management could make a decision, juwon suffered from a blood clot. As a result, his rtionship with the team mysteriously improved. By the season''s end, juwon, believing he could still contribute an average of 11 points and 7 rebounds per game, felt he deserved a contract beyond the sry cap for his retirement.


    Publicly, the Rockets professed they would reach a new agreement with juwon, but behind the scenes, they were already looking for a new team for their number one franchise star. This breakup was inevitable, like the split between Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.


    The problem was, Brother Tom''s split was due to an affair with a fox spirit, what about the Rockets? They only had the 13th pick.


    Fonde Recreation Center


    This was the training camp base for the Rockets, where Yu Fei met their head coach, Rudy Tomjanovich.


    Afterward, Dennis Lindsey, the Director of Personnel, took Yu Fei to a spacious office.


    This is where they would interview Yu Fei.


    Last night, Trem briefed Yu Fei on the tryout process. He mentioned that some "particr" teams had an interview phase, and some teams even heavily emphasized it ¨C in history, some top five prospects dropped out of the top ten because of a poor interview performance.


    "Are you nervous, Frye?" Lindsey asked with a smile.


    Would one feel nervous being interviewed by a team in turmoil with their franchise star? Of course not.


    At the same time, DiMio and Lawson were asked to leave the interview room.


    This was reasonable, as only a solo interview could reflect the actual state of the interviewee.


    DiMio gave Yu Fei a look that said, "Answer well," and Yu Fei casually waved his hand to signal confidence.


    Yu Fei, with an air of innocent naivety, said, "Your voice is very pleasant to listen to, everyone here is so kind, why would I be nervous?"


    "OK, then let''s officially begin."


    Coach Tomjanovich''s straightforward approach to questioning was refreshing: "What do you think is the worst aspect of your game as a basketball yer?"


    Too kind, never trash-talked, so never got my brains beaten out on the court?


    Yu Fei confidently said, "I don''t think I have a bad side."


    Lindsey then asked, "How do we know that you are a unique yer and not just another talker?"


    Wait, who forced me to have this little chat here with you guys?


    Yu Fei replied with a light smile: "I don''t know what I can do here other than talk."


    Coach Tomjanovich couldn''t help butugh.


    Lindsey, having no choice, continued with the next question: "Historically, Asian basketball yers haven''t been able to secure a foothold in the NBA. How will you prove that you can?"


    "Who was thest Asian basketball yer unable to secure a foothold in the NBA?"


    "Mitsusaka Wataru."


    Hearing the name, Yu Fei identified him as a ''little brat''.


    "How tall is he?"


    "5 feet 7 inches."


    Yu Fei, already toozy to ask which era this ''little brat''¡ªno, old brat¡ªyed in the NBA, just wanted to know if the interviews with all NBA teams were this stupid.


    Before crossing over, Yu Fei thought the best career a yer with average talent could have was like Wansheng Wei from Peking University, the legendary center: getting selected by a top team, then securing three consecutive championships. On the court, he could score the winning shot against peak Zhou Qi, and off the court, dare to spout historical trash-talk against CBA''s spoiled brats.


    Deciding to emte Wansheng Wei, Yu Fei stood up and said to Coach Tomjanovich and Lindsey, "Can we just start ying? I don''t think this interview makes any sense, I don''t want to continue. There are many more tryouts to attend, and I don''t want to waste time here."


    Yu Fei indirectly reminded Coach Tomjanovich and Lindsey of a fact.


    That if Yu Fei performed well in the tryouts, it was unlikely his draft position would fall out of the top ten. Attending a tryout for the Rockets, who only had the 13th pick, was already a humble gesture.


    "How was it?" Lawson asked, "Why so quick?"


    Yu Fei proudly replied, "I think I made a strong impression."


    Then, DiMio came over with a grim look on his face.


    "We might havee to the wrong ce," DiMio said. "Frye, do you know Eddie Griffin?"


    "Yeah, the forward from Seton Hall University," said Yu Fei. "He''s entering the draft this year, right?"


    DiMio asked, "Do you know what the outside world says about him?"


    Yu Fei stayed silent, eager for more details.


    "They say Eddie Griffin is a mature version of Frye Yu," DiMio observed Yu Fei''s expression closely, noticing no unusual reaction.


    Yu Fei shrugged, "I''ve known about this for a while."


    Not only was Yu Fei aware of Griffin, a yer whose height, wingspan, and style of y were very simr to his own, but he also knew thatparisons between the two had been circting sincest month.


    For NBA teams, Griffin was more attractive because his talent had been tested in the NCAA.


    Yu Fei was just a high schooler, hence a bit riskier.


    Since their styles were simr, the one whopeted at a higher level naturally had the upper hand.


    This news wasn''t surprising to Yu Fei, what he wanted to know was why DiMio said they hade to the wrong ce.


    "Their head coach..." DiMio''s nce shifted toward Rudy Tomjanovich who was busy with the preparations for the tryout, "He has publicly stated that if the Rockets had the number one pick, they would choose Eddie Griffin."


    "Do you believe it?"


    "I do; it''s ttery."


    "That sounds harsh," Yu Feiughed, "Currying favor sounds more appropriate."


    DiMio asked unexpectedly, "Aren''t you angry?"


    "Why should I be? The draft is a two-way street. If they prefer Eddie Griffin, Houston is by no means my top choice either."


    Then, Yu Fei went through physical measurements, impressing everyone, followed by participation in a scrimmage.


    The yers who came to Houston for the tryout today were mostly upperssmen, with the only one who seemed to pose a real challenge to Yu Fei being Jarron Collins, the center from Stanford University.


    Yu Fei had no qualms about going all-out against these second-round prospects who barely had any draft buzz. ying from the perimeter to the inside, from point guard to center, he racked up 28 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 blocks.


    After the scrimmage, Yu Fei took a quick shower, changed clothes, and left with a brief goodbye.


    He didn''t even give the Rockets the chance to dine with him.


    That evening, Rudy Tomjanovich and his coaching staff had a meeting for over an hour, specifically discussing Yu Fei''s performance that day.


    A major argument for Griffin''s superiority was that he had proven himself in college.


    Yet, today Yu Fei had dominated against seasoned NCAA yers, which was equally persuasive.


    Name: Yu Fei/Frye Fi


    Birthday: December 30, 1982


    Height: 6 feet 9 inches (206cm), height in shoes 6 feet 10 inches (208cm), wingspan 7 feet 3 inches (220cm)


    Weight: 222 pounds (99kg)


    Standing reach: 8 feet 9 inches (274cm)


    Vertical leap (no running start): 30 inches (75cm)


    As Rudy Tomjanovich pondered over the physical measurement data which was almost identical to Eddie Griffin''s, he fell into deep thought.


    To be fair, Yu Fei hadn''t left a good impression on Tomjanovich, mainly due to his poor interview performance.


    Yu Fei seemed disinterested in Houston, showing impatience during the interview.


    However, Eddie Griffin wasn''t wless either; otherwise, he would have been the consensual first pick, not just Tomjanovich''s personal top choice.


    Suddenly, Yu Fei''s interview demeanor came to mind, bringing with it a wave of disdain and irritation reminiscent of the aftermath Kermit Washington had left on Tomjanovich''s head in 1978.


    Tomjanovich overwhelmingly favored Griffin because he seemed more like an inside yer than Yu Fei.


    The talent Yu Fei showcased today was remarkable; his ball handling was polished, he could initiate offense from outside,mand the team as a point forward, and demonstrate a variety of skills. He practically showed everything except his potential dominance as an inside yer.


    Could his strengths transition to the NBA?


    No, his stature ruled out the possibility of him being an NBA-level point guard. There is only one Magic Johnson.


    Tomjanovich''s heart was set on Eddie Griffin; he stopped considering Yu Fei.


    "Did we send a tryout invitation to Eddie''s agent?" Tomjanovich asked.


    Daniel Lindsey replied helplessly, "Yes."


    "When does the tryout start?" Tomjanovich asked, excited.


    Lindsey sorrowfully said, "He declined our invitation."


    Tomjanovich''s eyes returned to Yu Fei''s measurement chart.


    Suddenly, he felt this impatient yet arrogant young man wasn''t so bad after all.


    Thanks to Little Bear Hands Up 7777777, gsk_32, Pretend Pig Laugh Tiger, Just the Little Brother Me, Bookfriend20230222114742911, Manchuan Qing Meng Ya Xing He hzl, Little John Khan, Sparta Bus 2, iceBerG Zi Chen, Chu Yue Bai Yun Bian, Bookfriend20220924035445995, Taiwan Bro, I am the Runner-Up for your tips. Thank you all for your support.

 Chapter 41: 38 Ah???

    On the evening of the tryouts with the Houston Rockets, Yu Fei received a call from his agent at the hotel.


    "Congrattions," said Arne Trem to Yu Fei, "Everyone who has seen your performance is impressed, it''s just..."


    Yu Fei asked with a smile, "Is it that my interview performance wasn''t good?"


    "Not really, Houston thinks you''re very frank, which has its pros and cons, but you''ve undoubtedly won their recognition," Trem said, "They''ve promised me that if you drop to the thirteenth draft pick, they''ll select you."


    If they were really interested, they should consider trading up to improve their draft position.


    Yu Fei quickly set aside the Rockets'' draft promise.


    "How about New Jersey?" Yu Fei inquired.


    "It''s not the ideal choice for you," Trem said, "ying on the same team as Stephon Marbury is not ideal for any rookie."


    Marbury was probably the yer from the ''96 golden generation that Yu Fei was most familiar with, apart from Kobe, because he came to y in the CBA at the end of his career.


    Unlike Steve Francis, Tracy McGrady, Gilbert Arenas, Carlos Boozer, Ron Artest, Josh Smith, Al Jefferson, and Amar''e Stoudemire, who were all past their prime by the time they came to the CBA, Marbury was more like someone who still had some gas left but had lost his direction in the NBA. The CBA allowed him to rediscover the joy of ying, and his time in Beijing proved his worth as a basketball yer.


    During the years Marbury dominated the CBA, Yu Fei was still young, and he only knew of Marbury as a legend in the CBA. What left the deepest impression was his unremarkable coaching career with the Beikong team (which hadn''t ended yet).


    "I don''t think New Jersey is worse than Houston."


    Yu Fei''s fondness for the Brooklyn Nets also came from his past life, a future where the team belonged to Tsai, the owner. Yu Fei liked the Nets and supported Tsai and his lineage, not because of cultural identity with the Chinese, but because this man truly supported Chinese basketball with his wealth.


    The annual Tsai Foundation Training Camp selected a group of promising young yers to further their studies in the United States. Although Yu Fei wasn''t a beneficiary, he had nothing but respect for such initiatives.


    Although Trem was curious about what Yu Fei considered "poor," he was more interested in knowing, "Which do you dislike more, Houston or Washington?"


    "Houston."


    In Washington, at least he could "fight to prove the scouting vision of the first Big Fei"; what would he get in Houston?


    Be used by the owner as a tool to lure Asian fans and be heavily exploited?


    ying hard made no sense; the Rockets'' owners, past, present, and future, were all known for being stingy.


    Forget about them paying luxury tax for a championship.


    It''s rare for a yer like juwon, who didn''t need luxury tax and could win two championships for the team during Jordan''s baseball hiatus, not to receive the fortune of retiring with the team. What was the point of ying for such a team?


    Before the call ended, Trem gave Yu Fei onest piece of advice.


    "If there are no yers of the same caliber as you during the tryouts, you can refuse to participate in scrimmage games."


    On the surface, Trem''s advice was to avoid injuries, but in reality, he was afraid of Yu Fei bing someone else''s wingman.


    As an unknown neer, Yu Fei was the one who rose to fame by stepping over the heads of America''s top high school yers; he knew this feeling all too well.


    But if he skipped the scrimmages and only took part in physical and technical tests, his advantages wouldn''t be as obvious.


    Yu Fei considered himself a practical yer with a great feel for the game; it was during technical tests that he was average because his shooting wasn''t stable enough.


    The next day, Yu Fei was the first rookie to report to the Brooklyn Nets'' training facility.


    Nets Head Coach Byron Scott greeted Yu Fei warmly.


    Yu Fei didn''t have much of an impression of Scott but felt he was full of passion and energy, a very lively coach.


    There was one thing about the Nets that Yu Fei appreciated: they didn''t do the whole interview ordeal.


    In Scott''s words, when they picked Kenyon Martinst year, they didn''t even ask for his physical report, only making himplete 20 dunks during the tryouts.


    If it were up to Yu Fei, he would opt to hand in the physical report, after all, dunking 20 times was tiring.


    Afterward, Yu Fei underwent a physical test. With experience from the Rockets'' physical test, this went very smoothly, followed by the technical test.


    The Nets took Yu Fei''s technical test seriously, not only with detailed shooting tests and positioning tests but also shooting tests with mild interference, the interfering party being Keith Van Horn, whose face read "I''d rather someone at home died than be here for this practice."


    Fei didn''t know why Scott had Van Horne as a practice yer, considering that Van Horn was famously known for his non-contact defense.


    There was a well-known joke about Van Horn maintaining a distance of over a meter from Kemp during matchups, because he didn''t want his fingers to get sweaty from Kemp''s perspiration.


    Facing such a poor defender, Fei''s originally unstable shooting surprisingly became stable, making 20 out of 20 close-range shots, 17 out of 20 mid-range shots from five different angles, and even exceeding expectations from the three-point line, making 16 out of 20 shots from five spots.


    Byron Scott''s heart raced as he watched.


    "Damn, he''s really good!" Scott eximed in surprise.


    Assistant coach Lawrence Frank said, "Frye is undoubtedly one of the most promising yers in this year''s draft."


    Scott pondered before asking, "Do you think he''s better than Eddie Griffin?"


    "It''s a close call," Lawrence made his choice, "I would pick Frye."


    Fei''s performance in the trial today was stunning, but Scott couldn''t make up his mind, because they didn''t need a wing.


    Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson, Aaron Williams... The Brooklyn Nets had both quality and quantity in their wings; what they werecking was a ymaker.


    Lost in Minnesota.


    Only a ymaker could drive the Nets'' carriage forward.


    The reason Scott was eager to invite Fei was that he had heard Fei''s style of y was reminiscent of Pippen''s, but he was taller.


    After watching his skill test, Scott looked forward to Fei''s performance in the matchup even more.


    However, Fei felt that he had done very well in the skill tests today, but there were no potential lottery picks among those who came to the Nets'' trial today. Even if he yed well, it wouldn''t enhance his evaluation, so he decided to follow Trem''s advice and declined the matchup, citing difort in his legs.


    Although he didn''t get to see Fei''s performance in a five-on-five full-court game, Scott was still interested in him. After the trial, he invited Fei to a nearby French restaurant for dinner.


    During the meal, Scott casually asked, "Frye, if I invited you for a private workout, would you attend?"


    "I don''t know," Feiughed, "because my schedule is set by my agent."


    Scott appeared quite taken with Fei, "I''ll give him a call."


    After returning to the hotel, Fei called Trem to report in detail about the conversation at the dinner table.


    "Don''t take Byron''s words too seriously; he''s known for losing interest quickly," Trem said reasonably, "The important thing is that you performed very well in your skill tests today, and the news has gotten out. Clevnd has just officially sent you an invitation to try out."


    "What?" Fei almost blurted out.


    "Is there a problem?"


    "No, I just find it a bit sudden¡­" Fei asked, "What''s Clevnd''s situation like?"


    Trem then briefed Fei on the Cavaliers'' situation, which was that they were a middle-of-the-pack team which seemed like they could make the yoffs if they pushed hard, but wouldn''t get far and weren''t determined to tank unless there was an undeniable reason.


    Fei had never thought that he would y for the Cavaliers, but if it really happened, he would have to ept it.


    Maybe in the NBA, there was a BUFF that "The Chosen One" must start his professional career in Clevnd.


    "Rest well tomorrow; the day after tomorrow''s trial in Boston is the main event."


    Fei was immersed in the fantasy of possibly being selected by the Cavaliers when Trem suddenly said this.


    "Huh?"


    "Right, your good friend Brandon Roy will also be at the Boston trial the day after tomorrow."


    "Huh??"


    "You must stay focused at that time because Eddie Griffin will also be there for a trial in Boston."


    "Huh???"

 Chapter 42: 39: If I explain everything to you, it will be hard for you to grow

    Because Boston had gained an additional lottery pick through a trade, they had two lottery picks this year, the tenth and eleventh overall.


    As a result, many potential lottery picks would go there for tryouts.


    Yu Fei wasn''t surprised that Eddie Griffin was going to try out for The Celtics, but Roy''s appearance really surprised him.


    Since he couldn''t get into a First Division League university, Roy decided to skip college. If he couldn''t get picked by an NBA team, he would only have two paths to choose from: either give up on basketball and find a random job to enter society or attend amunity college in the meantime and try to improve his academic performance, with the hope of ying in the First Division League in the future.


    Based on Yu Fei''s understanding of Roy, he should have chosen the second path.


    As to why he was still trying to pry open the door to the NBA and even obtained a tryout with The Celtics, Yu Fei didn''t understand.


    Therefore, he gave Roy a call.


    "Fi, is that really you? How have you been?!"


    He sounded very excited. Indeed, Yu Fei hadn''t contacted him for quite a while.


    Yu Fei shared his recent situation and then turned the conversation to Roy, "I heard you''re going to try out in Boston tomorrow?"


    "Yeah, how did you know?"


    "Because I''m going too."


    "That''s awesome! This... this is unbelievable!!!"


    Roy''s situation sounded as crazy as Zhuang Qiang learning that Wang Duoyu had inherited ten billion.


    With Yu Fei there, he could confidently showcase himself.


    After all, he yed a different position than Yu Fei, and their draft prospects were entirely different: one was a certain edge-of-the-lottery or even lottery prospect, while the other would be grateful to be picked by any team.


    "I know you''re excited, but don''t get ahead of yourself," Yu Fei said. "What''s your situation right now?"


    It seemed that Roy had made up his mind to go all the way in the professional basketball world.


    After failing to recruit a professional basketball agent, he broadened his search and finally found an overseas agent. This agent had contacts with The Celtics and arranged this tryout for Roy.


    Yu Fei was surprised and also worried about Roy''s future.


    He might have inadvertently changed Roy''s life trajectory.


    Would a Roy who didn''t go to college be the same Roy from his previous life?


    Yu Fei didn''t know, so he asked again, "Are you really not considering college anymore?"


    Roy said firmly, "I don''t want to waste my youth in some crappy school."


    At this point, all Yu Fei could do was to wait and see.


    That evening, Yu Fei got the list of people going to Boston for the tryout from his agent.


    He didn''t realize it until he checked, but there were quite a few familiar faces.


    Apart from the known Roy and Griffin, there were Joe Johnson, Gerald Wace, Kedrick Brown (Kedrick Brown SG/SF), and Rodney White (Rodney White SF).


    Among these people, Yu Fei had known only Joe Johnson in his former life; the others he had met after his time travel.


    Apart from Gerald Wace, everyone else was a potential lottery pick in this draft, just like Yu Fei.


    That meant none of them were top-five material, but they would be seriously considered by teams with the 6-13th pick.


    Out of all the yers participating in the tryouts, Eddie Griffin had the highest profile. He was recognized as a "Sleeping Dragon."


    His talent was exceptional, but it wasn''t certain if it could be turned into sess.


    Therefore, those who liked him, such as the Rockets, thought he was first pick material. Those who didn''t might feel he wasn''t worth a lottery pick.


    After one night, Yu Fei, apanied by Anthony Lawson and Quentin DiMio, headed to Boston.


    Upon reaching Boston, Lawson expressed his stereotypical views of the city: "I don''t like it here; it''s too white, too conservative, too traditional, too boring."


    "Thest one is the main point, isn''t it?" Yu Feiughed, "It''s surprising that a guy who studies in Kent could say such a thing."


    Could any city be more boring than Kent?


    Yu Fei didn''t even know what kind of entertainment a normal kid could find in Kent City.


    Yu Fei and his party first went to the hotel to rest for a moment. After grabbing a bite to eat, they headed for The Celtics training facility.


    Aside from The Celtics head coach Jim O''Brien, Yu Fei also saw The Celtics'' star yer Paul Pierce.


    ```


    Yu Fei didn''t have a strong impression of Pierce as a yer, but after retirement, Pierce fit the stereotype of a legend perfectly.


    Arrogant, proud, and prone to controversial outbursts.


    "Yeah, if I were as big as you, I wouldn''t go to any damn college either. Youth is the true essence!"


    Pierce was very supportive of high school prospects like Yu Fei.


    "Thank you."


    Yu Fei politely replied and then went to the locker room to change.


    In the locker room, Yu Fei met Gerald Wace.


    At this timest year, Wace was considering whether to skip college and go directly into the draft since he was one of the top three high school yers in the nation in 2000 and had even outperformed KG''s sessor, Darius Miles, to be named the Naismith High School yer of the Year.


    However, despite his poor academics, Wace was driven to improve, so he chose to go to the University of bama. That decision exposed all his weaknesses at a higher level ofpetition. His shooting was terrible, his fundamentals weak, and even though he could run and jump and "yed every possession like it was the end of the world," hisck of refined skills meant his draft stock plummeted.


    At the moment, Wace, like Yu Fei, was recognized as a potential lottery pick, but there were many examples of potential lottery picks like him who had massive ws and ended up falling to the end of the first round or even into the second round.


    "AYO, are you... that Asian version of Eddie Griffin?"


    As soon as Gerald Wace spoke, Yu Fei felt like Wang Duoyu who had met the Sleeping Dragon and Young Phoenix¡ªall the words "great wisdom" shed through his mind.


    "I don''t like people saying that, but if it makes you happy, fine." Yu Fei responded.


    "No offense intended," Wace quickly said with familiarity, "Gerald Wace, from Scauga, you can call me Big G."


    "Yu Fei, from Kent." Yu Fei added, "You can call me Big Fei."


    The two exchanged a few more words casually and then headed back to the gym together.


    Yu Fei wasn''t nning to take part in the physical tests today since he had already been tested by two teams and hadn''t held back; the Celtics could find the results if they wanted.


    Gerald Wace, on the other hand, was very interested in the physical tests since that was his strength.


    About 20 minutester, the other yers also arrived.


    Roy, seeing Yu Fei, couldn''t avoid exchanging greetings.


    Yu Fei, observing his carefree attitude, worried about his draft prospects. He also noticed that there were a total of 12 yers attending the tryout today.


    When Eddie Griffin appeared, Yu Fei gave him a look.


    Neither of them spoke.


    A natural antipathy and opposition arose between them; no one wants to be considered someone else''s version of somebody else.


    After the physical tests were over, Jim O''Brien said, "You can freely choose your teammates. In 10 minutes, we''ll divide into a White Team and a ck Team for a 28-minute scrimmage."


    Yu Fei naturally teamed up with Roy, and then Gerald Wace joined them.


    Thus, the framework of one team was formed, and Yu Fei naturally became the leader of this team.


    On the other side, Eddie Griffin chose to partner with lotto prospect Kedrick Brown.


    This gave Yu Fei the opportunity to persuade Joe Johnson.


    "Joe, you surely don''t want to y backup on their team, do you?" Yu Fei asked with a smile.


    Joe Johnson and Kedrick Brown shed positions. Of course, positions could be flexible in this temporary scrimmage, but Johnson didn''t want to y second fiddle to anyone.


    Therefore, he joined Yu Fei''s team.


    After that, Yu Fei managed to recruit a short center named Jack Dawson to the team,pleting the lineup.


    The final team assembly meant Eddie Griffin''s team had seven yers, while Yu Fei''s side had five, implying they needed to y the entire game.


    "When does the game start? I can''t wait!" Roy asked excitedly.


    "Five more minutes."


    Shortly after, Yu Fei and his team went to im their jerseys from the Celtics'' equipment manager.


    When Yu Fei asked for a No. 44 white jersey, the equipment manager looked at him meaningfully, "Kid, you would fit well with our team."


    "What does that mean?"


    Yu Fei was puzzled.


    "Humph, if I exined everything to you, you would have a hard time growing up. Now, take your jersey and move aside."


    ```

 Chapter 43: 40: He is the Future

    Yu Fei was holding the No. 44, which is one of the most unlucky numbers in NBA history. Jerry West''s unfortunate childhood (domestic violence), Pete Maravich''s cursed life (an obsessive father creating a twisted personality, sessfully predicting his death from heart disease), David Thompson''s downfall (drug abuse), and Drazen Petrovic''s tragic ident (killed in a car crash).


    This was what the Celtics'' equipment manager wanted to express, that the misfortune represented by this number was almost the same as everything the Celtics had encountered since 1986.


    Len Bias, considered by Red Auerbach as Bird''s sessor, died of a drug overdose less than two days after being selected by the Celtics. Another sessor to Bird, Reggie Lewis, died of heart problems on the court. Rick Pitino, who came to Boston with the aura of a savior, intending to make a big impact and erase Auerbach''s mark, shamefully left after three seasons with his eternally memorable "that door" speech. The team''s leader, Paul Pierce, was nearly stabbed to death in a nightclubst year...


    Yu Fei was not interested in the history of the Celtics'' misfortunes since the mid-1980s.


    If he knew the details, being half a resident of Seattle, he would say good riddance to the Celtics.


    As the saying goes, you reap what you sow. Auerbach, with all his scheming, had managed to swindle the No. 2 draft pick from the Supersonics in 1986 and, unfortunately, selected Len Bias, hence cursing the Celtics.


    Putting on the White Team''s jersey, Yu Fei began to mesh with his teammates.


    Since there was no point guard in the team, Yu Fei decided to take turns ying point guard with Roy, Joe Johnson would y small forward, Gerald Wace would y power forward, and Jack Dawson would y center.


    Through the pre-game tests, Yu Fei found that Gerald Wace had no ability to initiate offense on his own.


    Although Wace imed that his college three-point shooting percentage was close to 30%.


    But Yu Fei didn''t believe it, because even during normal shooting practice, his uracy was less than 50%.


    If this is the uracy during practice, can you really expect to shoot nearly 30% in actual games?


    Yu Fei had no data to verify his judgment, but he was right.


    In Gerald Wace''s freshman season, he averaged 1.8 three-point attempts per game, making 0.3, with a terrifying uracy of 17%, which multiplied by two is close to the NBA average.


    With that level of uracy, expecting him to create spacing was a pipe dream.


    Luckily, the White Team had Roy and Johnson, two shooters with perimeter capabilities, and Yu Fei was also capable of taking shots, although not as urate as them, but still far better than Wace.


    After the warm-up, the scrimmage began.


    The ck and White Teams lined up around the center circle, and the ck Team seemed to have more momentum as they had three potential lottery picks.


    They were Eddie Griffin, Kedrick Brown (SG/SF), and Rodney White (SF).


    ording to various mock drafts, these three were solid top-ten picks.


    Especially Griffin, who was listed in the top five in many rankings.


    The news that Griffin had declined the Houston Rockets'' workout invitation surprised many, showing extreme confidence in his draft prospects.


    Therefore, it was unexpected for many that he epted the Celtics'' workout invitation,


    since the Celtics, even with two lottery picks, were not much better off than the Rockets, with the tenth and eleventh picks in the first round.


    "You''re not jumping for the ball?"


    Seeing Yu Fei standing on the side like a guard, Griffin was surprised.


    "Do you really want to jump with me?" Yu Fei could see Griffin''s hostility.


    To be honest, his hostility towards Griffin was even greater.


    Ever since Yu Fei was named MVP of the ABCD Camp, people keptparing him to Griffin, and thoseparisons always came from the stance that "Griffin is better."


    Who would like to be constantlypared and then forcibly argued as inferior?


    The two had never faced each other, so why say he was inferior?


    Today finally gave Yu Fei a chance.


    In fact, that''s also why Eddie Griffin "condescended" toe to Boston for the workout. He wanted to face Yu Fei and subtly tell everyone not topare him with Yu Fei. Yu Fei didn''t deserve it.


    Griffin heard that Yu Fei yed center in high school but now didn''t dare to jump with him. Isn''t this showing weakness?


    "Hmph, keep running away. When I dunk over you, I hope you find a proper angle to dodge!"


    Gerald Wace was responsible for jumping for Yu Fei''s side; the bona fide center, Jack Dawson, was not only short in stature but also poor at jumping.


    In his own words, he was good at boxing out, setting screens, mid-range shooting, and low post defense.


    At first, Yu Fei thought he might be someone like Hayes, but when he heard Dawson came from Division II, he concluded that he was at best a Hayes with a jump shot but bankrupt in other areas.


    As expected, Griffin won the ball for the ck Team, aggressively opted for a low post position.


    Dawson''s defensive stance looked alright, but once Griffin got the ball, he simply stepped back and shot over the top.


    2-0


    Dawson was helpless; his talent was overwhelmed.


    ```


    "After this game, I won''t have to listen to anyone say you''re the yellow version of me anymore," Griffin boasted. "I''m sick of that bullshit!"


    What kind of twisted victim-ming is this?


    Yu Fei is the one who''s truly troubled. What''s there for Griffin? He''s still seen by many as a top-five pick, regardless of whether Yu Fei exists or not. That''s the market for his position.


    But it''s Yu Fei who gets underrated because of Griffin''s presence. Why? Just because this jerk with a problematic character scored 18 points and 11 rebounds on 42% shooting at some mediocre college with a .500 win rate?


    It''s infuriating!


    Yu Fei brought the ball up himself and, before reaching half court, he called Dawson out for a pick and roll.


    The biggest difference between Griffin and the big men Yu had military training with before is that Griffin''s athleticism and agility allow him to step out and guard perimeter yers.


    Just as Griffin was using a switch to deal with Yu Fei and wanted to initiate a one-on-one, Yu Fei made a no-look pass, sending the ball to Dawson at the free-throw line.


    Yu Fei was confident in Dawson''s shooting; during the warm-up, he hadn''t missed a single shot from the free-throw line.


    Now, he''s at the free-throw line.


    Dawson caught the ball and released it.


    "Swish!"


    "Do you think that defense will make The Celtics'' coaches doubt your defensive IQ?" Yu Fei teased.


    Griffin cursed, "Just a softie who can only pass!"


    "Getting upset? Don''t be in a hurry, it''s just the beginning." Yu Fei chuckled and fell back to defend.


    Then, Yu Fei suddenly opened up his stance, leaving his man, Rodney White, wide open.


    This time, it was Yu Fei''s insufficient understanding of White''s technical characteristics.


    Griffin, seeing Yu Fei set to double-team, passed the ball out.


    White got the ball on the perimeter, rose for the shot, and scored a hollow shot.


    White was considered the safe bet of the draft. He wasn''t likely to make the top five, nor fall out of the top ten. Therefore, he actively participated in all team workouts, and as long as he performed steadily, there would be no problems.


    At this level ofpetition, White could y inside, shoot from outside, had the height and wingspan, and his defensive impact was significant.


    Yu Fei had decided before the game started that he would switch defense with Dawson.


    But now it looked like, if Dawson guarded White, could he stop him?


    It might end up even worse.


    Unless they could identify some of White''s technical weaknesses for Dawson to exploit on the court, this defensive matchup would be quite challenging to switch.


    So, Yu Fei chose to engage in more off-ball skirmishes with White and handed the ball-handling duties to Roy.


    As the most underestimated yer on the court, Roy''s adept left-handed dribbling made The Celtics'' coaching staff mistakenly think he was a lefty, until he shook his defender with a creative behind-the-back move and scored with a right-handed jumper. Then everyone realized.


    He wasn''t a lefty; his left hand was simply so skilled it was almost indistinguishable from his dominant hand.


    "Frye and Eddie Griffin are yers out of our reach, but..." Jim O''Brien, focusing on Roy, said, "What''s the young man''s market value?"


    The scout shook his head, "No market value at all. He''s a high school student from the State of Washington who wasn''t ranked in the top 100 nationally before graduation."


    O''Brien couldn''t help but wonder, was it just a sh of brilliance from him just now?


    Subsequently, another yer from the ck Team started to exert his strength.


    Kendrick Brown went one-on-one against Joe Johnson. Both were yers The Celtics were interested in, and now they were directly confronting each other on the court. Brown, leveraging his athletic superiority, blew past Johnson''s defense and scored under the basket.


    Then came Yu Fei''s second highlight since the start of the game.


    He first called for a pick and roll with Joe Johnson, then slowed down his drive to lure the defenders into a trap.


    The moment the double-team formed, the ball had already left Yu Fei''s fingertips, rolling into Johnson''s palms.


    Joe Johnson, deeply inspired, responded with an open three-pointer.


    "That young man feelspletely different from Lamar Odom," O''Brien said. "Lamar is like a miniature of Magic, maybe at 30% of Magic''s level. But Frye, he doesn''t have that Magic vibe."


    The assistant coaches and scouts remained silent, well aware of O''Brien''s quirky style.


    When Yu Fei blocked Kendrick Brown''s drive-to-basketyup 11 secondster, O''Brien said, "This kid is too special. I don''t think there''s a temte in NBA history that would fit his development."


    "He is the future."


    (1) Rick Pitino''s infamous "that door" speech: "Larry Bird is not walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale is not walking through that door, and Robert Parish is not walking through that door. And if they do, they''ll be old and grey. We are a team that''s young, passionate, striving; we''re going to get better. People don''t realize this. Once you realize those three are not walking back through that door, this town will start improving."


    ```

 Chapter 44: 41 Stop Fighting, You Guys!

    "He is the future."


    No one responded to Jim O''Brien''s remark. The coach was known in professional basketball circles for being talkative, and he would spout a litany of thoughts to himself whenever he saw anything rted to basketball, even if no one else was engaging with him.


    Was Yu Fei "the future"?


    Perhaps, but the weight of the term "future" is not something the average yer could bear.


    Meanwhile, the dynamics of the game on the court were changing.


    In one-on-one matchups, Eddie Griffin had a significant advantage over Jack Dawson; as long as he got the position, a pass to the ck Team would likely lead to a score or a foul.


    After five minutes of matching up, Yu Fei had figured out Rodney White''s style.


    This guy was versatile, but he also had many weaknesses.


    As a power forward, hecked ball-handling skills. He had a mid-to-long-range shot, but his shooting form was poor, and his uracy plummeted under defensive pressure.


    So when Griffin once again dominated Dawson, scoring an and-one, the White Team called for a timeout.


    "We need to strengthen our interior defense," Joe Johnson expressed his dissatisfaction with Dawson''s defense subtly.


    He could have made his point more clearly, just like Yu Fei did.


    "Jack, do you know why Kate Winslet got divorced?"


    Faced with this seemingly out-of-the-blue question, Dawson shook his head, puzzled.


    Yu Fei said, "It''s because her status in Hollywood was far greater than her husband''s, making them mismatched."


    Just as Dawson began to grasp the implication, Yu Fei revealed his point: "So it''s time for you to ''divorce'' the ck version of me. To deal with this impostor, we should let the original warrior give him a severe punishment."


    Taking on Griffin was no easy task, and if Yu Fei was willing to step in, Dawson had no reason to refuse.


    Yu Fei then gave Dawson some tips on defending Rodney White and told Roy, "Pass me the ball a few times after the timeout."


    "No problem!" Roy was in a good mood now, as he was performing well today.


    After resuming from the timeout, Griffin missed the bonus free throw.


    Yu Fei casually grabbed the rebound, meaning Roy didn''t even have to pass the ball. Yu Fei had a habit that many scouts saw as a w¡ªhe liked to take it up the court himself after grabbing a defensive rebound, rather than passing it to a guard.


    Rodney White was still matched up with Yu Fei.


    Fei immediately lowered his center of gravity and leaped up slightly; with his right hand, he pped the ball behind him and used the hop to angle his body cleverly. Anyone who was obsessed with ankle-breakers could recognize the move¡ªa Crawford-style behind-the-back dribble.


    This was a move Yu Fei had loved in his previous life, and now that he suddenly pulled it off, White was caught off guard, stumbling forward and sliding to the floor.


    "OHHHHH!!!"


    Before the crowd could react, Yu Fei was already charging toward the basket. Griffin tried to defend, but was duped by Fei''s footwork.


    In his past life, after pulling off this move, Yu Fei could only go for ayup, but now he had the athletic talent to burst up again in an instant after the hop, finishing the y with an aggressive two-handed m.


    "I never want to hear again that you are the ck version of me," Yu Fei said scornfully, "How can someone like you, who can only y low-IQ post-ups, be worthy of carrying my name?"


    Yu Fei''s biting retort enraged Griffin.


    When Griffin saw that Yu Feie inside to match up with him, he impatiently shouted, "Give me the damn ball!"


    Although Griffin had yed a year of college basketball, his physical strength was not much stronger than Fei''s.


    In terms of weight, Griffin was at 100KG, and wasn''t Yu Fei''sst physical test just shy of 99 KG? There was virtually no difference.


    In terms of offensive skills, as Yu Fei mentioned, Griffin''s post-up gamebined with his shooting seemed veryprehensive. However, his sweet spot was the low post. Without the weight to overpower his opponents, he would end up resorting to a step back jumper.


    Going up against someone like Jack Dawson, who couldn''t pose much of a challenge, was one thing, but facing Yu Fei was a whole other issue.


    Yu Fei relentlessly pressured Griffin, applying immense pressure.


    Griffin loudly sought to draw a foul, but the temporary referees at the scene reluctantly refused to blow the whistle.


    This was exactly what the Celtics wanted to see.


    Griffin, unable to drive to the basket or settle for a jump shot, and not drawing a foul, tried to force a contact y in desperation.


    Stealing the ball is a basic skill for every point guard, and in his past life, Yu Fei often sneaked in under the basket to strip the ball from taller yers. Griffin''s tendency was too obvious, and his whole movement was predicted with absolute rity.


    When Griffin was about to tuck the ball in, Yu Fei''s "hand de" was perfectly aimed at the center.


    "p!"


    Yu Fei pped the ball away and controlled it with the quickest speed.


    "If Eddie Griffin doesn''t have an advantage over Frye, then, when he faces the NBA''s inside yers..."


    Among The Celtics'' assistant coaches, one of them was named Frank Vogel.


    He rated Griffin''s performance with a C.


    He noted that Griffin liked to call for the ball but had limited offensive moves, with predictable tendencies and insufficient physical confrontation, which were problems he would face in the NBA.


    For a highly talented rookie, these problems were not fatal, as long as he was determined and willing to work hard.


    The question was, did he have the will?


    Did he have what it took to refine his character? Was he prepared to go from main character to a bit yer in the NBA?


    And these were exactly the concerns that scouts who had been following him since high school had about him.


    It was hard to tell if the kid loved basketball. It was hard to prove that he craved victory. The only thing scouts were sure of was his incredible talent.


    He had proved himself in college, but in Vogel''s view, Griffin''s college resume was not a merit but a demerit¡ªa short college career subtly indicated he was a half-finished statue unlikely to achieve sess.


    In college, he punched teammates, cursed coaches, yed extremely selfishly in games, consumed all the ball rights that came his way, and med his inefficiency on ipetent coaches and upper-ss yers who didn''t help.


    His highlights had mesmerized many, but what transpired in this game best reflected the difference between Yu Fei and Griffin.


    Yu Fei had a solid technical foundation, able to y both inside and outside. When he was on the perimeter, Vogel couldn''t find a trace of an inside yer in him.


    When he moved to the inside, Vogel couldn''t believe this was a perimeter yer who could attack the zone with back-to-basket guard-like moves.


    After defending Griffin one-on-one inside, Yu Fei drove a three-man fast break and assisted Roy in dunking for a score at the frontcourt.


    Griffin grew increasingly furious.


    He called for the ball again, and when Kedrick Brown hesitated over this choice, Griffin cursed, "Damn nigga, give me the fucking ball!"


    Griffin got the ball and learned his lesson; he didn''t try to overpower Yu Fei physically but instead turned around for a jump shot.


    He was really too naive!


    Yu Fei could discern his offensive choice from the footwork he disyed even before he caught the ball.


    This shot, aimed with determination, was preemptively read by Yu Fei, and Griffin''s attempt was blocked with a cruel rejection as soon as it left his hand.


    Yu Fei did not intend to harm Griffin, it was just that the timing of the block was terribly unfortunate.


    When Yu Fei''s block came down, the ball flew in an arc straight into Griffin''s face.


    You can imagine what happened next.


    Griffin''s nose was bloodied by the ball, and Yu Fei, without a hint of apology, mocked in a tone no one could ept, "I gave you the ball, what can you do with it?"


    No one had told Yu Fei that Eddie Griffin was different from those he had humiliated in the past¡ªthis was a man prone to emotional instability.


    He was expelled from high school for fighting and had a record of hitting teammates in college. Now, humiliated and trampled upon, Griffin''s dark side was unleashed, and he roared as he lunged at Yu Fei.


    That punch, full of force, swung at Yu Fei''s face.


    Dodged by Yu Fei with a close call, he could even feel the breeze from the punch.


    If that had hit...


    Yu Fei was furious. Why couldn''t this guy take a loss? Didn''t people like Jianzhong, who provoked others before the game had even started, know that they should prepare to be severely humiliated? Want to fight? Who''s afraid?


    Yu Fei was ready to fight when Roy rushed from the side to hold Griffin, "Stop it! Don''t fight anymore!"


    Well done, Brandon, you''re really my good brother!


    Yu Fei aimed at Griffin''s face and swung his own punch.


    You know, when your opponent is held back, it''s very hard for your fist to hit nothing but air¡ªif you don''t believe it, you can ask Dr. J, he''s quite experienced in this.

 Chapter 45: 42 I am not that kind of person

    After Yu Feinded two solid punches on Eddie Griffin, the true envoys of justice finally arrived.


    They pulled the two apart, only to see Griffin with a bloody, bruised face, while Yu Fei''s eyes zed with fire, as if two punches were not enough to calm his rage.


    "I''m going to kill you!" Griffin roared with hatred, "I''ll definitely kill you!"


    Yu Fei responded, "Come on then, I''m standing right here, you loser. Show me how you n to kill me!"


    The scrimmage was interrupted, and Griffin was persuaded to retreat to the medical room, while Yu Fei, by rights, should have been ejected from the game. However, the White Team only had five yers.


    Initially, The Celtics'' coaching staff wanted to pull someone from the ck Team to join the White Team, but this was refused by the other four White Team yers.


    Therefore, Yu Fei had no choice but to continue ying, carrying two technical fouls that didn''t really count for much.


    At the same time, The Celtics had made a decision, regardless of Griffin''s injury, he should no longer y alongside Yu Fei.


    The farce ended, and the game continued.


    The Celtics'' head coach, Jim O''Brien, gathered the assistant coaches to discuss what had just happened.


    "This might be the most absurd thing that has happened in a trial in nearly a decade. How could they start fighting?" O''Brien said regretfully.


    "The first one to throw a punch was Eddie," said Frank Vogel, who had a good sense of justice, making a fairment.


    Chief assistant coach John Carrollughed and said, "But Frye''s counterattacks were ruthless. Those two punches, had they urred anywhere outside the court, Eddie could have taken him to court."


    The Celtics'' scouting director Lester Conner, who had been tracking Griffin for years, wasn''t surprised by such an incident: "Eddie has always been hot-tempered, andtely, many people have beenparing him to Frye. Our punishment standards are also somewhat problematic. Dick (the referee) didn''t control their emotions in time, so it''s understandable that this incident happened."


    O''Brien wasn''t interested in continuing to listen to this lip service. What he really cared about was, "If we use our media rtions to hype up what happened on the court today, will it affect their draft prospects?"


    Carroll, hearing this, felt their head coach was scheming something.


    Fighting is a negative for a yer, not to mention fighting during a trial.


    If you can fight during a trial, what happens when it''s time topete for a position within the team? It would be chaos, right?


    "How would we hype it up?" Vogel asked.


    This was yet another matter entirely.


    For the media, distorting facts is easy. Just by changing the narrative, the whole perception can shift entirely.


    Since they wanted to sensationalize, what was the purpose of the hype? Was it to belittle someone or elevate someone else?


    Given the circumstances, it was certain that The Celtics wouldn''t be selecting either Yu Fei or Griffin, so if they were to use the incident to their advantage, it would definitely be aimed at denigrating one of the yers.


    O''Brien, looking at his assistant coaches, said, "Perhaps we could emphasize the two punches Frye gave to Eddie."


    John Carrollughed, "Eddie Griffin''s agent would definitely be very interested in this."


    Vogel opposed the idea: "Frye''s agent is Arne Trem, and there''s no way he''d be fooled by this."


    "Don''t worry, no one will know," O''Brien said, "Eddie won''t let this go, he will definitely blow things out of proportion. When that happens, we can just act as an anonymous insider to achieve this subtly."


    Vogel had many things he wanted to say but didn''t know where to start.


    The Celtics'' internal atmosphere was toxic. They could entirely adopt a different approach, like trading up for a higher draft pick. Yu Fei''s draft prospect wasn''t untouchable. ying these kinds of tricks now, aren''t they justying mines for themselves?


    Yu Fei had no idea that The Celtics'' coaching staff were secretly plotting together.


    With Eddie Griffin gone from the court, Yu Fei no longer had a direct matchup, so he covered positions from one to five.


    By matching up against other lottery prospects, Yu Fei gained a rough understanding of his own abilities.


    For the time being, Yu Fei would find it difficult to y in the NBA''s frontcourt, but luckily, his mobility was enough to qualify him for an NBA-level small forward position.


    Ironically, without Griffin, the ck Team yed better than before.


    Their offensive core revolved around White and Brown.


    Yu Fei began to match up extensively with White, suppressing his opponent with strong one-on-one defense and a rich arsenal of offensive skills in both the front and backcourt.


    On the other side, Brown simply outyed both Roy and Joe Johnson.


    In terms of physical ability, Brown was the most outstanding on the court.


    By the end of the first half, Brown had scored 16 points, helping the ck Team keep a tight grip on the score.


    Looking at Brown, Yu Fei said to Roy, "He also came from amunity college. Are you really not considering it?"


    "You''re saying hees from amunity college?" That was news to Roy.


    "Not just him," Yu Fei recounted as if listing treasures, "Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Sam Cassell, Mitch Richmond, Latrell Sprewell... they all came frommunity colleges."


    Yu Fei truly hoped that Roy''s life wouldn''t change because of his presence.


    For ordinary people with inconspicuous talent, making one wrong decision could affect their entire life.


    If Roy didn''t attendmunity college, if he could have been admitted to a First Division League university without going throughmunity college, and then polished his skills in that league for a few years, would he still be the same Roy?


    If a twist of fate caused a few years'' dy, then everything was over.


    After hearing Yu Fei''s words, Roy also fell into deep thought.


    In the second half that followed, Yu Fei was disappointed to find that Eddie Griffin hadn''t returned, so he had no choice but to focus all his energy on Rodney White.


    As a destined lottery pick, White''s technical repertoire and talent seemed that of a role yer, with neither strong nor weak points, which made him easy to target.


    Yu Fei''s outside shooting and inside pration proved too much for White to handle.


    At the final whistle, 62-49, the White Team easily defeated the ck Team, which wascking in the paint.


    Yu Fei was undoubtedly the yer of the game, and the Celtics'' yers of interest, Joe Johnson and Kendrick Brown, also performed well. Rodney White was a disappointment, and Eddie Griffin lived up to his reputation. When he threw punches at Yu Fei, to the Celtics coaching staff, it was a moment of "He really is just like the rumors."


    Among this draft''s potential lottery picks, only Eddie Curry, like Griffin, denied the rumors about his public image when questioned, "I''m not that kind of person."


    So, when Griffin proved by his actions that he really was that kind of person, it wasn''t good news for him.


    After the scrimmage ended, Jim O''Brien invited Yu Fei to dinner.


    Yu Fei said he needed to ask his agent first.


    O''Brienughed, "Kid, not everything requires an agent''s involvement."


    "Alright then, where shall we eat?" Yu Fei quickly got into his role.


    O''Brien liked his quick adaptability, "There''s a nice French restaurant nearby."


    "Coach, though French cuisine is delicious, it''s not filling, and I''m still a kid," Yu Fei asked, "Does Boston have a branch of Pork Cutlet Hermit...?"


    Unfortunately, Boston didn''t have a branch of Pork Cutlet Hermit, because only Kent City had a Japanese restaurant by that name. Although the owner imed it was a nationwide chain, today, Yu Fei punctured his lie.


    O''Brien, mistaking Yu Fei''s love for Japanese food, chose a high-end Japanese restaurant. Yet, even if such a fancy establishment served something like pork cutlet, it wouldn''t be enough to fill a stomach ¨C much like French cuisine, they prioritized refinement over quantity, as if feeding pigeons.


    Although the food was tasty, Yu Fei didn''t feel full. Considering O''Brien had promised at the dinner table that "the Celtics would draft you with the tenth pick in the first round," Yu Fei restrained hisints.


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "If you thought the quality of the 2000 draft was bad, then you shouldn''t have high hopes for the rookies of 2001 either. This year''s first pick could fall on a green yer like Kwame Brown from Green Academy, an 18-year-old high school student, or Eddie Griffin, a freshman from Seton Hall University. Regardless, it will take years for the first-round picks to bring positive feedback to their teams." ¡ª ESPN Column: NBA Draft Preview


    "The Wizards Team''s draft strategy depends heavily on whether Michael Jordan returns to y next season or not. As the team president, Jordan''s first instinct might be to opt for a talent like Brown, who is a forward with a lot of potentials. However, as a yer, Jordan might have other choices." ¡ª The Washington Post


    This year''s draft raises far more questions than it provides answers. The NBA''s knowledge of these seven high school yers (Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Frye Yu, Ousmane Cisse, Eddie Curry, DeSagana Diop, and Tony Key) is severely limited. Clearly, the good times when teams could expect immediate and significant improvements from the drafts are over. The NBA Draft has be a futures market. ¡ª Sports Illustrated


    Breaking news! During yesterday''s Boston Celtics tryouts, Eddie Griffin was involved in a heated altercation with Frye Yu. An informed source revealed that Frye hit Eddie twice in the face, and the situation was serious. Eddie Griffin used Frye Yu of being a legitimate murderer: "Even though everyone says I''m an asshole, I''m telling you, I''m not that kind of person. Look at my eyes, look at my nose, that *** is the one who is!" ¡ª Boston Globe

 Chapter 46: 43: Those two punches felt great.

    The fight between Yu Fei and Eddie Griffin started to ferment.


    Arne Trem could clearly feel that there was a force behind the scenes pushing the matter in a direction that was unfavorable to Yu Fei.


    Then, Yu Fei mentioned something interesting, The Celtics promised to pick him with the No. 10 draft pick.


    "The No. 10 pick?"


    Trem slightly furrowed his brows.


    "What do you think?" Trem asked.


    Yu Fei said, "I think it''s a bit low."


    "Indeed," Trem said, "With several workouts behind you, your reputation has greatly improved, and in thetest draft predictions from some of the mainstream newspapers, a few have ced you within the top seven."


    This should have been good news, but the aftermath of the fight with Griffin still needed to be observed.


    But the fact that The Celtics dared to make such a promise with their No. 10 pick allowed Trem to conclude that the hype behind the fight had The Celtics'' people contributing to it.


    "Are mock drafts urate?" Yu Fei didn''t really believe in them, "Should I still go to Memphis the day after tomorrow as usual?"


    "Memphis? No, the workout in Memphis is canceled for now," Trem said, "You head back to Seattle to get ready. I''ll set up an exclusive interview for you to talk about the fight with Eddie Griffin."


    "Then... how should I respond to Boston?"


    Trem was bing more certain that The Celtics were meddling in making the matter so big; thus, he was very reluctant to let Yu Fei go to Boston.


    "I''ll respond to them. Don''t worry about this; I''m 90% sure you won''t be going to The Celtics. No way they''ll get you with the No. 10 pick."


    "Of course, you can see their promise as a safety ¡ª it means you''re guaranteed to be at least the No. 10 pick in this draft conference."


    After hanging up the phone, DiMio asked, "What did Arne say?"


    "The workout in Memphis is canceled; we''re heading back to Seattle to rest," Yu Fei said.


    DiMio wasn''t surprised by the news; what he cared about was the media reports, "Do you think The Celtics can be absolved of involvement in this?"


    "If they don''t want to pay the price for a higher draft position and still want to pick me during the draft, lowering my draft prospects is the best approach," Yu Fei said openly, "Long live understanding."


    DiMio really didn''t know whether Yu Fei was broad-minded or narrow-minded now.


    But it was good that he was taking it well.


    As Yu Fei and his party returned to Seattle, Brandon Roy also made a decision.


    He decided to give up his n to be a professional yer right now.


    After the workout in Boston, he saw the gap between himself and the prospective NBA yers, and if he didn''t improve himself in a stable environment, he wouldn''t be able to y in the NBA, let alone have a professional future overseas.


    If one day, he couldn''t even y in a minor league in Asia, then his life would be over.


    Therefore, Roy fired his agent, thanked Yu Fei over the phone, and then headed home to settle down in amunity college.


    Yu Fei finally felt at ease; Roy had returned to the right track.


    It might be fun to change someone''s life, but if you cannot be responsible, it''s best to leave things as they are.


    Yu Fei had nned to go home, but Trem had arranged everything too perfectly: a five-star hotel, a nutritionist, training team, and sparring partners, everything one could need.


    Staying here to train while waiting for Trem''s arrangements was a very easy decision to make.


    Then, Yu Fei found out that these amenities weren''t specifically prepared for him; strictly speaking, he was benefitting from someone else.


    Benefiting from whom?


    The light of the presumptive No. 1 draft pick Kwame Brown, known as Little Webber.


    Since the lottery draw had ended, NBA teams had started their workouts, but Kwame hadn''t had a single workout yet.


    This was part of Trem''s strategy.


    Brown would only work out for the Wizards, both maintaining a sense of mystery and indirectly showing absolute confidence in being the No. 1 pick.


    Brown had been specially training here for some time, and as soon as the Wizards'' workout began, he would be able to go in front of management bursting with energy and crush anyone who dared topete with him for the No. 1 spot.


    On the first day Yu Fei joined the training, Brown deliberately walked over to him.


    Yu Fei had always known about this infamous bust of a new-century No. 1 pick but had never known what he looked like.


    It''s not hard to understand, just like how you don''t need to watch "The Incredibles" to know it''s a pile of crap. The so-called "no right to speak without watching" doesn''t apply to crappy works. Crap is crap, and those who''ve clicked on that pile of crap have already tasted it for you. If you''re still tempted to try it out against all advice, it''s a betrayal of those brave enough to taste the crap in the first ce.


    Simrly, a draft bust is the same; Yu Fei doesn''t need to know what he looks like. He just needs to know he''s a bust, the guy who kicked off his ghostly draft career with the Wizards.


    "Are you the one who gave Eddie Griffin a good beating?" Brown scrutinized Yu Fei carefully.


    "Just threw a few punches, hardly a beating..."


    What is a beating? Like in "Detective Chinatown 3," where the nurse gets beaten up blindfolded¡ªthat''s a beating.


    The couple of punches he gave to Griffin? Merely a ssh of water.


    "Well done, your punches ruined that bastard''s draft prospects. Such cowards have no right to be number one!" Brown pped Yu Fei''s back like a boss, "Just for those punches, once you''re in the league, I''ve got your back!"


    Yu Fei, aware of Kwame Brown''s career trajectory, replied with a forced smile, "Thank you, I''m grateful."


    That is, assuming you survive under Jordan''s whip and catch a breath from the disdain of the league''s shooting guards, then we can talk about having my back.


    After a day of high-quality training, Arne Trem also arrived in Seattle.


    Trem is undoubtedly the busiest agent in the sports world recently.


    With over a dozen rookies about to attend the draft, he needs to cover for them, organize practice tryouts, and for a hot draft pick like Brown, he has to set up aplete training system.


    Now, Trem had a moment to breathe, as the expected draft positions of his rookies, except for Kwame Brown and Yu Fei, were basically settled.


    On this trip, besides arranging Brown''s tryout with the Wizards, Trem also lined up a media interview for Yu Fei.


    It was to address the controversy from the Boston brawl.


    The interviewer was no small name, Phil Taylor from Sports Illustrated. As a faithful reader, Yu Fei certainly recognized the name.


    "Why not Gary Smith? He''s my friend," Yu Fei asked.


    Trem gave a wry smile, "Gary is the chief writer at the magazine, he won''t do this sort of thing. Trust me, Phil is the best choice for you."


    Once the interview started, Taylor used a few jokes to put Yu Fei at ease.


    Yu Fei was even more talkative than Taylor had imagined.


    And quite humorous too.


    When Taylor asked Yu Fei, "At which pick would you be satisfied being selected?" Yu Fei answered very seriously, "I''d be surprised if I''m not the first."


    Taylor asked with a smile, "What if you ''identally'' drop to second pick?"


    "I assure you, I''d be as angry as when I fought with Eddie Griffin."


    Taylor did not expect Yu Fei to be so impatient before even getting to the main topic.


    So, he could only continue, "As far as I know, you''ve never had a record of fighting on the court before."


    "If high school basketball needed a well-mannered, exemry yer, that was me. I didn''t talk trash, didn''t disrespect my opponents, and certainly didn''t fight."


    Taylor asked, "What made you give up on being an exemry yer and fight Eddie?"


    "I need to rify one thing, it wasn''t me who started it," said Yu Fei, perhaps the only truth in his recounting of the incident, "he struck me first because I blocked his shot in front of everyone, maybe he felt humiliated. After the block, he swung at me. If I hadn''t dodged, I probably couldn''t sit here defending myself."


    Could I believe this kid?


    Taylor looked at Yu Fei, his eyes earnest, his tone sincere, and seemingly genuine. Considering the reputation, Eddie Griffin indeed seemed more like the kind of person who would resort to violence to express his dissatisfaction.


    Therefore, Taylor felt he could trust Yu Fei.


    "What happened then?"


    "I hit him back twice, and then we were separated."


    "Eddie said there was someone at your signal who grabbed him from behind."


    Yu Fei recalled Brandon''s posturing and couldn''t help but smile, "Indeed, there was someone kind enough to do that, but only to prevent Eddie from continuing his assault on me. Unfortunately, he failed, and Eddie imed he wanted to kill me at the time. My punches were more of a rightful defense than a response."


    With that, an outline of an interview, intended to clear Yu Fei''s name but basedrgely on his own perspective, was taking shape, independent of Taylor''s input.


    Finally, Taylor asked, "Given another chance, would you find a better solution than punching?"


    "Why should I?" Yu Fei grinned devilishly, "The feeling of those two punches was fantastic."


    PS: I''ve been liking topare Jordan''seback with the Wizards to UZI''s with Team EDG. Do you think that''s an affront to Michael Jordan?

 Chapter 47: 44 Hehe, you better can

    Arne Trem couldn''t help but have a mixed feeling of amusement and disbelief when he learned about Yu Fei''s finalments on the two punches.


    "Frye, you do realize this interview is meant to reduce the misunderstandings about you in the public eye, right?" Trem said, "Some things... well... need not be said so... uh... directly."


    Phil Taylor, however, had a different opinion.


    "This might not necessarily be a bad thing," Taylor said.


    Trem looked at Taylor, eager to understand the reasoning behind his assertion.


    "To the public, Eddie Griffin has always been a problematic figure with countless incidents of violence, so no one really believes his usations against Frye. As long as what Frye said appears in the next issue of Sports Illustrated, Eddie''s lies will crumble," Taylor exined with a hint of savor. "As for thatstment, it might just create a Charles Barkley effect."


    Trem knew what Taylor meant.


    In 1997, in Ondo, Barkley got into an altercation with a man at a bar. The man threw a drink in Barkley''s face, and in response, Barkley threw the man out of the window onto the street below. Subsequently, Barkley was taken to court for this incident. When the judge asked, "Do you regret it?" Barkley responded, "Yes, I do have regrets, I regret that we were on the first floor."


    The public''s understanding of Barkley surpassed the criticism after learning the full story.


    That''s what Phil was hinting at.


    Trem figured that was indeed the case and thought no further.


    That evening, Trem invited Taylor, Yu Fei, Kwame, and others to dine at a Michelin three-star restaurant.


    Taylor stayed only for a short while before leaving.


    Brown naively said, "Phil really is a good guy, he''s even willing to defend Frye."


    "Ha, a good guy?" Trem scoffed, "That bastard hasn''t been short of favors from me, he''s indeed willing to help, but it''s not without reason, Kwame, remember this, no one helps you for no reason."


    Yu Fei quietly ate his dinner.


    He didn''t like any Michelin-starred ces because they were not suitable for filling the stomach.


    Yu Fei quickly finished the food before him and was about to order more dishes when Trem''s words shifted his attention, "Frye, you and Kwame prepare well for the next two days, we''re heading to Washington for a tryout the day after tomorrow."


    Washington? Tryout?


    Yu Fei didn''t have any special feelings for D.C., but what did a tryout with the Wizards mean? Could the Wizards be considering him for their number one draft pick?


    As a pragmatic person, Yu Fei had not yet be so conceited to think that way.


    "I know they only have one lottery pick," Yu Fei said tactfully.


    Trem saw what Yu Fei was thinking, "Do you remember what I told you a few days ago? Michael has taken an interest in you."


    Yu Fei''s heart almost roared in unison: Don''te over here!


    "Is his interest great enough to choose me with the number one pick?"


    If not, what was he going to do in Washington?


    Trem said, "The Wizards'' scouts have been describing you as a taller version of Scottie Pippen. You should know what that name means to Michael."


    Yeah, meaning that Jordan would tear into him in a lengthy and stinky version of The Last Dance, leading to Pippen churning out a 300-page autobiography within a year to throw shade at him.


    "How did I be Scottie Pippen?"


    Yu Fei asked, puzzled.


    For the past year, the temtes attached to him had been ever-changing.


    From Lamar Odom to Darius Miles, there was a recent crazeparing him to Eddie Griffin, and now it''s Scottie Pippen.


    "This is not important. Anyway, you need to prepare well, and maybe you will y on the same team as Kwame in the future." Trem''s words were like a prophecy.


    Yu Fei and Kwame looked at each other.


    Kwame immediately took on the attitude of an elder brother, "That''s great, if we y on the same team, I can directly protect you under my wing!"


    The aspiring, likely top draft pick didn''t know what Washington had in store for him, and to be honest, Yu Fei didn''t know either.


    As a post-00s kid, Yu Fei''s understanding of Jordan was based mainly on "The Last Dance" and Pi Lao Er''s criticalments and autobiography.


    Even though "The Last Dance" only lightly grazed over Jordan''s tyrannical leadership, one could still imagine the treatment Kwame would endure by Jordan''s side.


    Kwame didn''t understand; he was living in a world of his own fantasies, not reality.


    For the next two days, Yu Fei trained mostly with Kwame.


    Two days weren''t long, but they were enough for Yu Fei to understand Kwame''s ying style.


    In terms of physical talent and style, Kwame Brown had many simrities with Harry Giles III, the top high school yer in the nation in 2016, both respected for their precocious physical development and top-tier techniques in high school basketball.


    If Giles''s career was ruined by injuries, then what about Brown?


    To Yu Fei''s senses, Brown had at least a few major ws: a long neck, leading to a less effective height, even shorter wingspan than Yu Fei, therefore certainly not reaching the standards of a top-ss power forward just based on reach, followed by a budding disy of butterfingers.


    During training, Kwame often failed to catch high-speed direct passes.


    As for technique, there wasn''t much to say. For a high school yer, Brown was great, but once he entered the next level ofpetition, his current techniques would seem inadequate, and if he went straight into the NBA, the pinnacle of basketball, his high school techniques would likely be disadvantages.


    This was actually also Yu Fei''s biggest selling point, and equally his most significant risk.


    Most scouts were optimistic about Yu Fei bringing his current technical reserves into the NBA sessfully, but if he couldn''t leverage his techniques there, he''d have to rely on physical talent to y as a power forward. And if he couldn''t survive in the NBA''s power forward position, he''d be out of the game.


    Strangely enough, all scouts were optimistic about Kwame''s performance in the NBA, seeing him as a high school yer with both growth potential and readiness topete.


    Yu Fei didn''t see it that way, but he couldn''t do anything about Kwame.


    During these two days, Yu Fei focused on individual training, while Kwame was obsessed with beating the trainers in one-on-one.


    Every time hepleted an impressive offensive move, he would shout, "How about that shot?!"


    Then, the sycophants in the training team would loudly echo, "Superb! Absolutely NBA top five material!"


    Yu Fei turned a deaf ear, asking only for DiMio to pass the ball and Lawson to symbolically interfere as a defender.


    He had to make 500 shots a day with interference from three-point range and another 500 shots from open three-point range, dedicating all his remaining time to basic training for the inside.


    His training was dull and repetitive, and Kwame''s several invitations to y one-on-one were declined.


    "Frye, don''t you know that apart from us, there will be other yers participating in the tryouts tomorrow?" Kwame said, "There might be one-on-one rounds, are you sure you don''t want to practice?"


    "No, the gap between your ability and mine is too great, it''s not worth it or meaningful to practice."


    "Hehe, don''t sell yourself short like that. Besides, I''ll have your back when the timees."


    Hehe, you''d better.


    ¢Å In "The Last Dance," an entire episode is devoted to recounting Pi Lao Er''s notorious 1.8-second incident during the 1993 semi-final and his surgery and public trade request during the 1997-98 season, with our faithful Trem expressing his righteousness, "We were chasing a three-peat then; Scottie was being somewhat selfish."


    Pi Lao Er responded in his autobiography, "Want to know what being selfish is? Selfish is retiring right before training camp starts, preventing the team from signing free agents."


    This statement is found in the foreword of the autobiography and Pi Lao Er maintains this aggressive tone throughout the following seventeen chapters.


    If someone were to argue why Jordan wasn''t like Trem, Pi Lao Er''s irreverence would have to be a strong argument.

 Chapter 48: 45 The Final Happy Hours

    The Verizon Center has served as the training center for the Washington Wizards for some time now, and as one of the best training bases in the NBA, every yer and staff member who works for the Wizards likes it.


    Of course, this is also one of the few advantages the Wizards have.


    But there was one exception, the 40-year-old vice president, Susan O''Malley, hated this ce, even though it was where she worked and where she had reached the pinnacle of her life, realizing her personal value.


    Because there was a dictator named Michael Jordan.


    Even today, the fact that Jordan''s arrival in D.C. had allowed him to effortlessly wrestle all the power away from the existing management elders and be the overlord of the Wizards still seemed unbelievable.


    But O''Malley understood entirely.


    Since 1979, they had never been close to a championship, and ever since Jim Carter took office as president, the Wizards had never made a deep yoff run. The media mocked them, and the basketball market gradually withered. Batch after batch of yers came and went, but whether as the Bullets or the Wizards, the team''s performance remained consistently abysmal.


    Therefore, when Jordan was unceremoniously let go by the Chicago Bulls in 1999, feeling the sting of humiliation, the Flying Emperor was eager to prove himself. He chose the Wizards¡ªwho were seen as outcasts in professional basketball and faced financial difficulties in Charlotte¡ªover thetter.


    Because Wizards'' owner Abe Pollin promised him that he could control everything about the team.


    Pollin desperately needed to reignite the fans'' interest in his lousy team.


    However, Jordan was convinced he should have unprecedented privileges among NBA executives. Jordan''s demands included working part-time in Washington to ensure he had enough time for endorsements, televisionmercials, golfing, and gambling activities. He made it clear that he wouldn''t be spending much of his time on the yer draft, and his main workce would be in his Chicago home. He nned to attend only a few Wizards games, undertaking only the most basic marketing and promotional responsibilities. From his words, one could sense that he didn''t seem to be in a job interview, because he firmly believed that as a superstar, the team owner would¡ªand should¡ªsurrender to him because he believed this failing team couldn''t thrive without his magic.


    And forget about the time during the lockout when Jordan said something to Pollin that almost led to a physical confrontation right then and there (footnote 1), His Airness wasing to D.C.


    Jordan did indeed have magic; on the day the news leaked, the Wizards sold five hundred season tickets. Therefore, O''Malley couldpletely ept the status Jordan held because that was the standard of operation for her boss. Whoever brought him profit was the decision-maker of the team. That is why, when O''Malley sold the naming rights of the home arena for 50 million a decade ago, Pollin promptly promoted her as the first female president in NBA history. That is also why when Jordan arrived at the Wizards, she instantly went from the primary position to a secondary one.


    As someone who climbed to the top using these rules of the game, O''Malley epted that someone could kick her down using the same methods, but what she couldn''t ept was why Jordan had such frightening privileges?


    The fans'' main motivation to buy season tickets was to witness Jordan in a luxury suite at games. Yet during his tenure as president of the Washington club, he adopted an image akin to that of Howard Hughes (footnote 2). He rarely appeared at home games, even when he was in Washington. He stayed alone in his office, closely following the progress of the match through the t-screen TV.


    As it turned out, even deities, as long as they don''t y, have only a fleeting appeal to the fans. The Wizards continued to lose, and nothing had changedpared to the past. The reclusive Jordan swore through various channels that he would bring a 50% wins ratio, which seemed like a joke.


    Alright, the Wizards were terrible, and that was an unchangeable fact. Precisely because they were so bad, they needed the head of the team to invest a lot of energy, but Jordan had already made it clear with the owner that he was only part-time. Apart from the Wizards'' job, he had a lot of business to worry about; such a simple game as basketball wasn''t worth all of his effort, right? If it were that simple, then His Majesty would not have allowed hisckeys to insult the management''s elders shamefully, calling Pollin an "obstructive dwarf."


    The ending in Chicago apparently hadn''t taught Jordan a lesson: openly offending the owner of the rights woulde at a price!


    Susan O''Malley believed that Jordan would have his day of reckoning.


    Today was a big day for the Wizards organization; they were to officially hold a workout with the legendary top draft pick favorite, Kwame Brown.


    And they re-invited another top draft pick favorite, Tyson Chandler, for a second workout.


    Chandler had performed wellst time, but Jordan didn''t believe his slender frame could survive in the NBA. He wanted to see Brown''s performance.


    This was what O''Malley needed to report to Abe Pollin.


    When O''Malley entered the boss''s office, before she could speak, Pollin preemptively asked, "Is he still determined to pick the high schooler?"


    O''Malley replied, "Michael has worked out almost all potential lottery picks, but so far, no one has made him decide."


    "I attended a lunch at China Dollst week," said Pollin calmly, "Red thinks the Spaniard is the best choice."


    O''Malley did not like that old man who lunched at China Doll every week; he liked to lecture others despite not understanding the sry cap. Had he not picked a problematic yer decades ago, perhaps the Celtics wouldn''t have had such a long period of decline.


    ```


    Selecting that Spaniard with the top draft pick when you can''t guarantee he''ll be in the NBA next season? Omari''s expression remained unchanged, "Michael said he wouldn''t choose a European yer he hasn''t seen in person."


    "He could have gone to see him himself, couldn''t he?" Pollin said in an icy tone.


    Omari tactfully chose not to respond.


    Pollin didn''t continue.


    The room fell silent.


    After a while, Omari came out and met her old partner Wes Unseld outside.


    "Is Mr. Pollin in a good mood today?" Unseld asked about Pollin, with a tone and a ttering expression that utterly mismatched his rugged face.


    Who would have thought that one of the toughest yers in NBA history would be the owner''sckey after retirement?


    "His mood is fine. Do you want to go and say hello?" Omari asked with a smile.


    As soon as he heard the boss was in a good mood, Unseld couldn''t suppress the urge to brown-nose, "Of course, of course, I haven''t seen Mr. Pollin in a while."


    Ever since Unseld joined the Wizards'' management in the early ''80s, he had been infamous for his mediocrity and ipetence.


    The only reason he still held a high position was that he was extremely respectful to Pollin, just like a servant.


    Omari had a good rtionship with Unseld and enjoyed teasing this old man who was struggling in the professional basketball circles. If she didn''t, she was sure she would one day be suffocated by the pressure from the boss and a bastard who thought he was more important than the boss.


    Today, the Wizards will hold tryouts for four yers, including three high schoolers: Kwame Brown from Georgia, Tyson Chandler from Chicago, and Frye from the State of Washington. The only college yer is Brendan Haywood from the University of North Carolina.


    Needless to say, the North Carolina underssman and Yu Fei were both favored by Jordan, but even if the Wizards wanted to, they could only get one of them at most, so there was bound to be a showdown between Yu Fei and Haywood today.


    The real main event is between Kwame Brown and Tyson Chandler; whoever stands out today is very likely to be the top pick in the 2001 draft.


    Jordan is on site, along with Head Coach Doug Collins, assistant coaches, scouts... every member of the Wizards'' coaching staff is watching every move of the four rookies.


    Brown and Fei are paired up, while Chandler and Haywood are training on their own.


    "Frye, throw me a few alley-oops. I want to show off a bit before we start!"


    Fei reluctantly made three alley-oop passes to Brown, who surprisingly didn''t fumble and caught them all, finishing with ms.


    "I have to say, your passes are the mostfortable I''ve ever caught!" Brown eximed, "I really want to y with you."


    Fei chuckled dryly in response.


    y together? Fei could only feel regret for the naive big guy who was all swagger, knowing the ordeal Brown was about to face.


    This was probably hisst happy moment before retirement. Enjoy it.


    ¢Å During the 1998 lockout, Jordan, to support the yers during thebor negotiations, confronted Pollin, who wasining "It''s so hard for me, I''m losing money every year": "If you can''t afford it, sell the team." Pollin retorted, "Whether it''s you, Michael, or anyone else, no one can tell me when to sell my team."


    ¢Æ Howard Hughes, a prominent American businessman, aviator, film producer, and inventor of the 20th century, was known for his entric personality, unique lifestyle, and reclusive tendencies. He was the inspiration for the creation of Tony Stark.


    PS: The D.C. trial will be thest detailed tryout that Big Fei will describe. That means the tryout content is almost over. I can assure you that we will get into the NBA plot before the series premieres, and I have prepared a climax to ur before then.


    ```

 Chapter 49: 46: The High Schoolers Create Trouble

    As the warm-up ended, the Wizards Team''s assistant coach, Larry Drew, introduced the content of today''s tryout to Yu Fei and the others.


    It was very simple, with only two items.


    One was a technical test, and the other was a confrontation test.


    There were no physical measurements since from the draft lottery to now there had been some time, and the majority of yers had alreadypleted their physical tests with other teams.


    The Wizards had obtained the data through other means, so naturally, there was no need to redo the physical tests during their own tryouts.


    Kwame Brown was the only one among the four trying out today who had not undergone a physical test.


    Refusing the physical test was a tactic from Trem because Brown''s static talents indeed had some deficiencies, but everyone was optimistic about his development potential and his unquestionable immediatebat effectiveness as a high school yer. Was the physical test important? No, it wasn''t. Whoever thought it was important automatically lost the opportunity to try out Brown. Although Trem and Brown had only wanted to try out for the Wizards from the beginning, it was too good that the Wizards had proactively given up on the physical test segment without any negotiation and focused more on technical skills and realbat confrontation.


    His Airness truly understood basketball.


    Yu Fei was the first to undergo the technical test which, in addition to simple dribbling, also included shooting.


    Jordan ced much emphasis on the shootingponent, not only including fixed-point shooting but also shooting under interference and pull-up jump shots after dribbling.


    Just right, these were all the key training items for Yu Fei over the past few days.


    Yu Fei performed averagely in fixed-point shooting, barely reaching the average hit rate, but showed obvious improvement under shooting with interference. His pull-up jump shots from the free-throw line area were highly urate, leading Doug Collins to conclude that "his shooting is better than Scottie at the same age."


    In reality, no one had ever seen an 18-year-old Pippen.


    Because Pippen yed at amunity college, he was an absolute nobody at 18, not even daring to imagine a future in the NBA.


    Then came the turn of Brendan Haywood, Jordan''s highly anticipated junior, whose shooting performance can''t be said to have been spectacr, but it was at least not disgracefully bad.


    His fixed-point shooting was below average and his shooting with interference was even worse.


    Then, the kind-hearted Big Fei, not wanting to see his junior continue to be humiliated, canceled the remaining test with the rationale that "Brendan is an inside yer, and pull-up jump shots are meaningless for him."


    Yu Fei looked at the sweaty Haywood, thinking there was still a one-on-one confrontation toe.


    From Haywood''s shooting, it was clear he was a rough yer with decent physical talent who, after entering the NBA, would likely rely on rebounding and defense to make his mark. However, nothing is absolute. Who would believe that the future board king of the Warriors Team, Looney, would have a style resembling Durant in his high school days?


    High school is high school, the NBA is the NBA.


    Kwame Brown and Tyson Chandler''s technical tests were surprising.


    Brown disyed a decent mid-range shot, while Chandler showed a full-range, no-dead-zone shooting capability.


    This is Chandler?


    Yu Fei had some recollection of this guy. In his memory, Chandler was not that good at shooting, but looking at his physique now, andparing it to that of the future imposing figure that made people feel secure, they seemed likepletely different people.


    At this time, Chandler was hailed as the seconding of Kevin Gat or a Marcus Camby with better shooting, but to Yu Fei, aside from Chandler''s treasure-like physique and the currently marketable shooting ability, he had little inmon with Gat and Camby.


    Gat could y as a small forward in his first few NBA seasons; can you imagine Chandler ying as a small forward in the NBA? That''s not possible; the world would end.


    And Camby is even lessparable. You have to understand that Camby''s immediatebat readiness before entering the NBA was incredibly strong, dominating Tim Duncan, who was very prominent at the time, throughout their college matchup.


    Chandler did not possess such immediatebat readiness.


    After the technical test waspleted, everyone took a short break. During this gap, Larry Drew introduced the uing livebat rules.


    This was an extraordinarily clever idea that came out of Jordan''s snap decision, opting for streetball rules in the uing confrontation.


    What''s special about American streetball? One basic yet core rule is that the offense may not dribble more than three times per possession.


    Even though it was time to rest, sweat broke out on Haywood''s face once again.


    It was clear the rules of the live confrontation were not in his favor.


    Soon, Yu Fei and Haywood took the court.


    Yu Fei was very "kind" to yield the first opportunity to attack, allowing Haywood to go on the offense first.


    Haywood''s advantage in this confrontation was a physicality that made Yu Fei struggle.


    As an older draft pick with four years of NCAA experience, his physical maturity was something Yu Fei could not match. If Haywood could get into the low post, even with crude technique, he could easily overpower Yu Fei.


    Yet the Wizards coaching staff had thought up this type of livebat rule.


    When Haywood, looking lost on the three-point line with his back to Yu Fei, attempted to initiate a post-up y from the farthest position from the basket, Big Fei realized there was a problem.


    As the ultimate authority in the Verizon Center, Big Fei, the teacher, had the power to temporarily change the game rules, "Brandon, you y inside. The perimeter offense isn''t suitable for you. Let''s do this: each time it''s Brandon''s turn to attack, we''ll allow you to initiate the offense from the low post."


    Haywood was overjoyed and wished he could sing a hymn of praise to Jordan.


    Big Fei, the original, you indeed are the proudest belief of the North Carolina students!


    Jordan was so understanding, which made Fei ufortable. The size difference between him and Haywood was like that between Wang Ziwen and Qiao Xin in Ode to Joy¡ªit simply wasn''t the same league. You''re letting a fully developed 22-year-oldrade back down arade who''s not even 19 yet. Is that really okay?


    On Haywood''s first attack, hepletely pushed Fei away, spin dunking as if he were dominating Dikembe Mutombo in the NBA Finals like Shaquille O''Neal.


    "This isn''t a yground for high schoolers."


    Haywood even had the nerve to talk trash to Fei.


    Fei wasn''t fully lowering his center of gravity just now, but even if he lowered it to the lowest point, he could at best ensure that he wasn''t knocked off his stance, and it would be very hard to interfere with Haywood''s attack.


    He must find a way... With wisdom, nothing is a problem.


    For his second offense, Haywood faked twice, and Fei''s defensive focus was entirely on his right hand, which meant a slight step would have easily allowed him to shift his center of gravity to his left hand and finish the offense with it.


    However, Haywood insisted on finishing with a rigid hook shot with his right hand, and the basketball stumbled into the hoop.


    "Surely no one who yed four years of college basketball can only attack with one hand?" Fei looked at the ball on the ground and asked like a spectator from the sidelines.


    Haywood, having his weakness exposed, stubbornly said, "One hand is enough to deal with you!"


    Haywood''s physical advantage was indeed overwhelming.


    However, his skills were anything but advantageous. As an older draft prospect, Haywood''s scoring ability was abysmally low.


    You see, in the professional league, no NBA team would have Fei defend him in the low post, nor would they allow him tofortably receive the ball under such a mismatched situation, smoothly y from the painted area to the basket, and find the right angle to finish with his right hand.


    Even in this setup, Fei still had ways to counter him.


    First, he made sure not to lose his defensive position. Then, right before Haywood was about to make the final push on defense, he''d pull the chair, causing his opponent to stumble and taking the fleeting opportunity to strike with his right hand like a de, shing the ball from his opponent''s hand.


    "Wow, what a defense!!!" Kwame Brown got excited, standing up and shouting, "That''s my brother! Take him down! Don''t give him any chance!"


    Collins, standing next to Jordan, shook his head, "What a pity, Brandon''s one-on-one ability is stillcking a bit. But he''s got a great defense, there''s still a chance."


    Jordan, engrossed in watching, unintentionally puckered his lower lip to the left, a small habit of his.


    However, when Fei scored with a left-handed dribble, a stop-and-pop jumper after shaking Haywood off, Jordan shook his head, "No, there''s no chance for Brandon now."


    This time, Haywood decided to let Fei take the outside shot.


    Fei then made him question his defensive choice with a three-pointer.


    When Haywood was forced to defend on the perimeter, he focused on preventing Fei''s right hand.


    Fei first made a quick crossover, caught the ball with his left hand, and dashed inside the free-throw line, following up with another jumper.


    Anybody who knows basketball could tell that Fei and Haywood were not on the same level when it came to scoring by themselves; the game was already over.


    Fei, like showing magic tricks, was demonstrating his offensive arsenal one by one.


    Every time Haywood put up a targeted defense, Fei crushed it with apletely opposite move.


    And his trash talk never stopped.


    "This really is a yground for high schoolers because college students have no defense."


    "How could anyone attend four years of college and still not know how to defend properly?"


    "College boy, guess what, I can use my left hand."


    Haywood went from hysterical to furious to disheartened, lifeless, and eventually, his will shattered¡ªall in just eleven ys.


    Fei broke Haywood in eleven ys.


    Collins knew Jordan wanted to pick Haywood, but this guy was too disappointing, gettingpletely outyed by a high schooler without putting up a fight.


    As Jordan''sckey, Collins wanted to say something to salvage Haywood''s dignity. However, he saw no displeasure on Jordan''s face; instead, he watched admiringly as Fei yed.


    s, this high schooler was really causing a stir.

 Chapter 50: 47: The First Sense of God

    ```


    11 to 2


    Yu Fei didn''t give Haywood a second chance to attack, and the tryout with the Wizards Team ended quicker than expected.


    "That''s my brother!" Kwame Brown tossed a towel to Yu Fei.


    Yu Fei was dumbfounded; since when were he and Brown brothers?


    Then, Yu Fei walked up to Collins and Jordan, simply intending to say hello.


    Jordan, putting on airs of a senior expert, said, "You yed well, a couple of dribbles and then a shot, that''s what I wanted to see."


    Yu Fei appropriately showed the arrogance and cockiness of youth, "Will you pick me first overall?"


    Everyone knew that wasn''t going to happen.


    But Jordan still had to maintain the possibility on the surface, "It depends on Kwame and Tyson''s performance."


    Yu Fei walked away.


    Collins, watching his back, said to Jordan, "He doesn''t resemble Scottie at all."


    Jordan didn''t respond; he was seriously considering drafting Yu Fei at the NBA Draft.


    He was a man who believed in first impressions, and several months ago at the ABCD Camp, Yu Fei had made a deep impression on him, and today, his performance had intensified that impression.


    However, the tryout wasn''t over yet, and the showdown between Kwame Brown and Tyson Chandler was today''s main event.


    Yu Fei sat on the side, not very interested, because it was knownter on that the Wizards had picked Brown, so the oue of this matchup was clear.


    And Yu Fei thought Brown''s victory was without any suspense.


    Chandler had a body that was a treasure; even if he never became another Kevin Gat or a Marcus Camby with a better shot, with his natural talent, as long as he was willing to spend time on the court to improve himself, bing a top-tier blue-cor yer in the NBA was no challenge.


    But for now, his physique was too leanpared to Brown''s.


    And, Brown possessed offensive skills far beyond Chandler''s.


    Both being big men, Chandler couldn''tpete in strength or skills, so where did he stand a chance?


    Before their confrontation started, Chandler tried to be friendly and, smiling, extended his hand, hoping for a fist bump with Brown.


    However, Brown kept a cold face; he had no interest in fist bumping apetitor who might snatch away his number one spot.


    Therefore, he rejected Chandler as a way to show he wasn''t there to make friends.


    Their contest of strength then began.


    Like Brendan Haywood, Chandler had the option to start the offense from the low post, but Brown declined the offer, believing he had enough skill to initiate the offense from outside.


    If the scouts thought him to be the seconding of Webber, there had to be a reason for it.


    As a big man, Brown''s ball-handling was indeed not bad, but his actual ball-handling threat came from an unmatched physical advantage in high school basketball.


    At this time, Brown weighed 250 pounds (113KG), while Chandler was only 233 pounds (105KG).


    In terms of weight, both were inadequate for the NBA because it was the era of Shaquille O''Neal''s dominance, where heavy big men were the norm; however, if we''re talking same age groupparison, Brown had a significant advantage.


    On the first y, Brown pushed past Chandler and forcefully dunked under the basket.


    Then came the shots, moves under the basket, various low-level offensive skills filled with high school vor.


    Brown had offensive skills Chandler couldn''t match, but these skills might not work in the NBA.


    Nevertheless, they were enough for Brown to dominate this confrontation.


    Tyson Chandler was thoroughly defeated in the one-on-one challenge.


    This wasn''t the most exciting disy from Brown that day, nor the moment that solidified his status as the first pick.


    ```


    After the one-on-one match ended, Brown, just like Kevin had done earlier, approached Jordan and Collins.


    People thought he was just going over to say hello.


    Yet, to everyone''s surprise, Brown spoke to the deity who had banished him from the basketball court with the demeanor and tone of apetitor, "If you pick me with the first pick, I will never let you down."


    What shocked people most was Brown''s final statement, "If you evere back to basketball, I will defeat you!"


    If the Wizards were set on using their first draft pick on a yer, Jordan wanted apetitor akin to himself.


    Before Brown spoke those words, the yer Jordan admired the most was Kevin.


    However, using the first pick on Kevin was too extravagant a move.


    Because of this, Jordan had considered trading away the first pick more than once.


    Then, Brown came before him and said those things.


    Plus the way he had beaten Chandler.


    Jordan knew that Brown had a long way to go. He knew that Brown''s skills as they were wouldn''t cut it in the NBA, he knew that it would take Brown at least three years to find consistency in the NBA.


    But Jordan trusted his first instinct.


    Just like how he thoroughly enjoyed watching Kevin y, once this feeling appeared in his heart, it wouldn''t fade away.


    Essentially, Jordan''s drafting strategy was simple: he valued his gut feeling above all.


    In the future, when he saw Adam Morrison crying over his loss in March Madness, he believed this vintage-style Caucasian yer was the next Larry Bird because he valued victory above all else; a man who cried over losing a game couldn''t possibly fail. Jordan sincerely admired those who truly desired victory; this admiration went beyond reason and allowed Jordan to disregard all negative factors.


    Brown represented a different case, unrted to the desire for victory or the emotions involved; it was a matter of confidence and apetitor''s mindset. Didn''t Brown know that his words and actions were a disrespect to the divine? 22 yearster, Brandon Miller would do the same, and Jordan, who had lost faith in his NBA executive career, still chose him against all odds.


    Miller was lucky; he didn''t have to endure divine discipline after having openly sphemed.


    22 years before today, Kwame Brown started this history; he spoke those words from the depth of his heart, believing he could achieve it.


    Jordan seldom expressed his fondness for someone openly, but he genuinely liked Brown now.


    As for Brown''s transgression, Jordan merely smiled gently, his brown eyes filled with tolerance and anticipation for the young man. They began to engage in a deep conversation, while Chandler waspletely ignored.


    Kevin could be sure of one thing, Brown was about to secure the first draft pick just like in his previous life.


    However, he would soon find out that not everything was going as he wished.


    Big Fei was not the kind of senior who would generously step aside for the youth, admitting his own inadequacy.


    Kevin hadn''t expected that that same night, Jordan would invite him, Brown, and their agent Trem to dinner together.


    At the dinner table, representing the Wizards, Jordan promised Brown that, when the draft began, his name would be called first.


    For Kevin, Jordan had no promises, although the Wizards had no other first-round picks. He very much wanted Kevin to y for the Wizards in the future, so he intended to make a trade to acquire a draft right to get him.


    This wasn''t a promise; it was a possibility.


    It was possible for Kevin to y for the Wizards in the future, but the situation was still unclear; he needed to continue going to trials.


    That night, when Kevin returned to the hotel, he didn''t know whether to be happy or worried about not getting a direct draft promise from the Wizards.


    Being selected by the Wizards would undoubtedly be the worst possible start to a career for any rookie from the ss of 2001, but up until now, he had tried out for several teams, even getting two draft promises, none of which were within the top ten picks.


    As for the trial with the Wizards, although hepletely outperformed Brendan Haywood, Haywood never had the prospects of a lottery pick to begin with, making it much easier for the Wizards to select Haywood through a trade than to pick Kevin.


    The next day, Kevin awaited the ns after Trem''s arrangement.


    "Next stop is Clevnd, and New Jersey has formally extended a second tryout invitation to you."


    PS: Got the news; heading to Sanjiang on the 23rd,unching on National Day, thank you all for the support.

 Chapter 51: 48: The Person Who Received the Promise

    This was Yu Fei''s first timeing to Clevnd, and it felt just like Kent City to him.


    His generation couldn''t imagine that, half a century ago, Clevnd was one of the most important cities in the United States.


    As Yu Fei and DiMio traveled through the city by taxi, the old stores along the streets would always y Ian Hunter''s "Clevnd Rocks."


    This was a song written in the 70s, a golden era for rock music.


    But to Fei, the song was no different from noise; neither the melody nor the tune was pleasant to listen to, and the lyrics were quite strange.


    "Mom knows but doesn''t care,


    She''s got her own worries,


    Seven kids and a phony affair,


    And the rent is due.


    All the little girls with deep red lipstick are growing up,


    Clevnd rocks, Clevnd rocks."


    The perplexing lyrics, coupled with the demonic chorus¡ªthe line "Clevnd rocks" must have been repeated fifty-eight times if not a hundred.


    Trying out for the Cavaliers was decided long ago, but neither Yu Fei''s agent nor Yu Fei himself held any expectations for the trip to the Cavaliers.


    Though the Cavaliers did have this year''s number eight draft pick.


    Is the number eight pick special? To Fei, it was quite special.


    In the recent mock drafts by major newspapers, Yu Fei was basically selected by the Cavaliers at the eighth spot.


    But the current stage of mock drafts could be essentially called a yer prospect ranking; it doesn''t take into ount the actual needs of the team, but ranks yers based on their potential for development.


    As a high school yer who gained fame quickly, with shaky foundations and a huge disparity between his upper and lower limits, the eighth spot was where experts saw as the most suitable for Yu Fei.


    Yet, the Cavaliers were not so eager for a yer of Fei''s type.


    Yu Fei had the potential to be a tall point guard, but the Cavaliers didn''t need a point guard; they had a yer named Andre Miller in their ranks, whose ymaking skills were as steady as an old dog.


    Fei could y in the post, but since his tryouts began, he had been ying the small forward position because he would not be able to y center in the NBA, and power forward was currently the NBA position with the most talent. With his level of physical maturity, entering the league, he definitely had to start off as a small forward.


    As it happened, the Cavaliers needed a small forward, which was the reason they were trying out Fei.


    However, what the Cavaliers needed was a small forward who could score.


    Fei was quite a scorer in high school, averaging 20 points per game as easily as drinking water, but high school stats were just eye-catching decorations to NBA teams, with no reference value whatsoever.


    So, how could Yu Fei prove that he was the kind of yer the Cavaliers needed?


    Yu Fei didn''t know, because the Cavaliers had arranged a solo tryout for him.


    Yu Fei met the Cavaliers'' head coach Randy Wittman at the team''s training facility.


    Wittman didn''t show any particr enthusiasm for Yu Fei; for him, this tryout was just one of the many tedious official tasks during the offseason.


    The Cavaliers didn''t expect the eighth pick to change their current plight.


    It was more believable that they would select a true savior with the eighth pick rather than hope LeBron James would qualify for the 2002 NBA Draft, after which the Cavaliers could indulge in being awful just for the chance at a once-in-a-decade superstar talent like him.


    The Cavaliers'' tryout was interesting, starting with physical testing.


    Although Yu Fei had already brought his previous test results, the Cavaliers insisted on retesting him.


    Fei had no choice but toply.


    After the physical tests were over came the technical tests. Today, Yu Fei didn''t feel good about his shooting, but his ball-handling skills raised his impression score.


    Finally, there was the interview.


    The part Yu Fei hated the most: the interview.


    Yu Fei thought the Cavaliers'' interview questions would be as brainless as the Rockets'' team, but their focus was mostly on game-rted issues.


    In front of Yu Fei, Wittman would use a tactical board to draw up a scenario, then ask Fei to make decisions as if he were the yer with the ball.


    This type of interview smacked of armchair strategizing, but it was better than the Rockets'' vague and generic questions.


    Yu Fei considered himself a yer with decent basketball IQ and though Wittman''s questions were brain-consuming, they were not hard to answer.


    Putting himself mentally in that scenario, finding the best solution wasn''t difficult.


    Therefore, Yu Fei scored highly in the interview.


    Wittman thought he was an extremely intelligent yer who could make the right spur-of-the-moment decisions for any situation on court.


    But, he was a tall small forward.


    Even, he was aiming to y point guard in the NBA.


    If NBA scouts believed that Yu Fei''s talent was sufficient to y point guard in the NBA, then his draft prospects would surpass everyone else in the same draft ss, making him an easy first overall pick.


    The problem was, scouts weren''t so confident in Yu Fei.


    He rose to fame too quickly, like rocketing to stardom.


    ```


    Last year at this time, he was an unknown junior at Kent Meridian High School, just a kid who happened to be taller than the average person. Now, he is the fifth-ranked high school yer in the United States for the ss of 2001.


    NBA scouts had only heard of his performance at the ABCD Campst month.


    There were many people present at the time, but few NBA scouts actually witnessed Yu Fei''s performance.


    Therefore, although Yu Fei emerged as the nation''s fifth-best yer, NBA scouts didn''t understand him. They hadn''t consistently observed and tracked his games, and they were unsure whether Yu Fei was another DeAngelo Collins. These doubts directly affected his prospects.


    The Cavaliers, eager for a scorer, were quite satisfied with Yu Fei''s tryout.


    But Yu Fei wasn''t a scorer.


    He was too young and needed time to grow.


    By the time he bulked up enough muscle, would he still be able to y as a small forward in the NBA? And if not, could he switch to ying power forward?


    The Cavaliers didn''t know any of this.


    Thus, they preferred the safest option, to go for a scorer, or, failing that, pick a center.


    After all, no one in that era wouldin about having too many big men on their roster.


    At the end of the tryout that day, Wittman gave Yu Fei a special promise.


    "Frye, you''re the best rookie I''ve seen in tryouts for a while, and I really like your style," he said.


    Yu Fei could almost guess what woulde next.


    "But you''re not the type we need most," Wittman said.


    Wasn''t that too direct? You''re great, we want you, but let''s think this through and please wait for our call. Wouldn''t that be better?


    "I understand,"


    Yu Fei looked at Wittman puzzled. He didn''t understand why Wittman said these things.


    Wittman hesitated, as if unsure whether to continue.


    Soon, he decided to spill it: "If you''re willing to stop trying out, I can promise you that we''ll acquire an extra lottery pick in a trade and draft you with it."


    Yu Fei had heard such a story.


    It was about Austin Rivers, the Lakers'' biggest surprise of 2023, who after establishing himself on the team proudly imed on someone''s blog that he had a second-round promise. But he wanted to y for the Lakers so badly that he was willing to sign a two-way contract rather than being selected with sh in the second round.


    Alright, let''s assume that Rivers really was born to be a Laker, even if it meant losing out on a few million dors in his early career.


    But why should Yu Fei do the same?


    Wittman wanted him to stop trying out simply to draft him with ater lottery pick, but he already had draft promises from the Rockets and the Celtics.


    He didn''tck for promises ofte lottery selections.


    Wittman''s suggestion essentially reflected the Cavaliers'' reluctance to use their eighth pick on him.


    Yu Fei turned down Wittman''s offer and decided to continue with the tryouts.


    He wasn''t Kwame Brown or Tyson Chandler, who had been nationally known prodigies since tenth grade and who professional scouts fully believed could carve out a ce in the NBA. Yu Fei had to fight for a higher draft spot. After all, he had already stolen LeBron''s nickname, and it would be quite rude to take his spot, wouldn''t it?


    In mid-June, Arne Trem personally took Yu Fei to Detroit and New Jersey (for the second time) toplete the final two tryouts.


    The Brooklyn Nets and the Detroit Pistons held the seventh and ninth picks of the first round, respectively.


    Yu Fei had already tried out for the Nets once before, and their head coach Byron Scott was very impressed, expressing on the spot his desire to invite Yu Fei for a private workout. However, the tryout was put on hold following the fighting incident with Eddie Griffin until now.


    The Nets were equally pleased with Yu Fei''s second tryout performance, but they were skeptical about using their seventh pick to draft him. Thus, they did not extend a draft promise to Yu Fei.


    However, Yu Fei''s agent, Arne Trem, said, "I wouldn''t be surprised if the Nets picked you with the seventh pick at the end."


    The Pistons were astounded by Yu Fei''s tryout performance.


    It could be said that Yu Fei fulfilled all their needs.


    They wanted a tall two-way forward who could handle the ball, shoot, defend, and possibly swing to the four-spot after bulking up.


    Rodney White was their original lock, but Yu Fei''s emergence allowed them to easily abandon White.


    At the conclusion of hisst tryout in Detroit, Yu Fei secured a promise for the ninth pick, the highest he had received so far.


    Since teams with the top six picks had already extended invites, and having tried out for all the teams he could, Yu Fei wrapped up his tryouts.


    Whaty ahead for him, apart from the eager anticipation of draft day, were some business engagements.


    All things being equal, he would be a Detroit Piston.


    However, there is no stage more unpredictable in the world of professional basketball than the draft day.


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "Indications suggest that the Wizards will use the first pick to select Kwame Brown." ¡ª The Washington Post


    "Detroit is ecstatic about Frye Yu''s performance in the tryouts." ¡ª The Seattle Times


    "The Golden Club case trial reaches a climax as multiple NBA yers, including Patrick Ewing, admit to having received ''special treatment.''" ¡ª The New York Times


    "A survey shows Frye Yu has be one of the favorite sports stars among Asian Americans." ¡ª Associated Press


    ```

 Chapter 52: 49 Are you testing the youth like this?

    As of June 15, 2001, Yu Fei no longer epted tryouts from NBA teams.


    It was also on this day that the NBA 2000-2001 season came to an end.


    The Los Angeles Lakers, with their historically strong performance, swept through the yoffs, undefeated in their journey out of the Western conference, except for in the finals where Iverson descended like a deity for one game, the rest were solidly won.


    In the final game, even with Iverson scoring 37 points, it was no use against thebined 55 points, 25 rebounds, and 8 assists from the O''Neal-Kobe duo.


    108 to 96


    Compared to the Kings team, which O''Neal mocked as the ''Princess'' team, the Sixers earned the respect of the league''s number one.


    "They yed really well, it was a fierce series," said O''Neal, who averaged 33 points, 15 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game in the series.


    For Kobe, no matter how good the results, he still couldn''t outshine Iverson.


    In this round of the series, Kobe averaged 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists with a 41% shooting rate, while Iverson, on the other hand, averaged 35 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists with a 40% field goal rate.


    Therefore, he couldn''t possibly win the Finals MVP.


    Regardless, the season was over.


    The Lakers'' season-ending game was also the only game Yu Fei watched recently.


    Starting tomorrow, Yu Fei would be heading to Canton, Massachusetts, to Reebok Headquarters to discuss an endorsement deal.


    This time not only would his agent be apanying him, but also Yu Fei''s team and his mother Yu Fenglin.


    Endorsements are a big deal, and currently, the brands interested in Yu Fei are mainly Reebok, Adidas, and Li-Ning.


    Emotionally, Yu Fei was inclined to sign with Adidas because it was Sonny Vacarro''spany.


    His rise from an unknown to a nailed-on lottery pick wouldn''t have been possible without Vacarro''s help.


    Even Yu Fei''s agent was rmended by Vacarro.


    But the advice Arne Trem gave to Yu Fei was, "Personal feelings are one thing, but the real deal is how much money they''re actually willing to give you."


    At this point, Yu Fei became curious, "What kind of endorsement deal do you think they''ll offer me?"


    "You can take a guess."


    Yu Fei was leaning towards signing a four-year endorsement deal, which would coincide with the duration of an NBA rookie contract. After the rookie contract ended, if he made a name for himself, he could negotiate a much bigger deal.


    "4 years, one million US dors?"


    Hearing this number, Tremughed.


    "Yu, your value is worth far more than that," said Trem, and not just Yu Fei, even Yu Fenglin was taken aback.


    One million US dors, she''d never dreamed of having that much money in her life.


    But Farman actually implied that it was far more than that?


    Yu Fei had a reason for suggesting the price; he looked up themercial endorsements ofst year''s fourth pick, Darius Miles.


    Miles wasn''t more promising than this year''s Kwame Brown and others, but he was a forward with a morous ying style.


    Such a yer, if he ys well, bes a shoe-selling machine.


    Therefore, he received a 4-year, six million US dors endorsement contract.


    Yu Fei mentioned 4 years, one million US dors mainly because he considered his draft prospects not as high as those of Miles.


    But he overlooked one thing, his Asian-American identity was also a point of profit in the eyes of sneaker merchants.


    As a potential NBA yer, Yu Fei had a wide influence in the State of Washington, and as an Asian-American, the attention he received was nationwide.


    This was Yu Fei''s biggest advantage over his peers in terms ofmercial value.


    Hence, Trem said that Yu''s value was far more than "that."


    On the afternoon of June 16, Yu Fei walked into Reebok''s headquarters meeting room, apanied by a group of people.


    Inside, there was also a group of Reebok executives who had prepared exquisite desserts and drinks for Yu Fei and his family and friends, and they were warm and kind, speaking pleasantly.


    Especially the CEO of Reebok, Paul Farman¡ªhe was one of the most approachable sessful people Yu Fei had ever met.


    The first thing he said to Yu Feipletely stunned him.


    "Yu, if you sign with us, we''ll make you the most important basketball yer in the history of Reebok."


    What sweet talk, how could they test a young boy whose hair had barely grown? Which young man could withstand this temptation?


    "Uh... really?"


    "I don''t believe it" went unsaid, but Yu Fei truly didn''t believe that a bigpany like Reebok would ce such importance on a lottery prospect projected between the seventh and the tenth pick.


    ```


    Then, Todd Krinsky, an executive from Reebok''s apparel and footwear division, outlined thepany''s desire to have a more diverse array of star athletes, and their new initiative of merging music with sports, hoping to attract more fashionable and younger consumers.


    Yu Fei, as the most influential Asian-American athlete among the younger generation in the United States, would be packaged by Reebok with top-tier specifications.


    First came the sweet talk, then the grand promises.


    Yu Fei swallowed hard as he listened, but he wasn''t Nagato; until Reebok made any actual gesture, don''t expect the ''Naruto''-style rhetoric of "The world will be a better ce in my hands, I don''t know how, but the master believes in me, my dad believes in me, so, Nagato, you should believe me too," to be effective.


    Feeling that Reebok''s presentation was nearing its end, Trem got straight to the point, "Let''s talk about the contract now."


    Then, Farman looked straight at Yu Fei, like a subus wanting to firmly captivate the young man''s heart.


    He spoke, "Four years, ten million US dors."


    For a moment, the meeting room fell silent.


    Yu Fei didn''t react at first, and Yu Fenglin was stunned.


    Even a minute ago, if someone had said her son was worth ten million dors, she would have found it hard to believe.


    Following the shock, Yu Fenglin''s eyes moistened, filled with too many emotions for Yu Fei to fathom.


    Arne Trem remained calm, he could foresee that Yu Fei''smercial value would be higher than Kwame Brown''s and others, but he didn''t expect it to be this much higher.


    DiMio''s breathing quickened; from the moment he had resolved to be Yu Fei''s sidekick, he knew the young man would soar high, but the extent of this leap was beyond imagination.


    As Yu Fei''s close friend, Anthony Lawson took deep breaths in and out through his wide nostrils. He had to stand up to unbutton the top of his shirt, only to find it drenched in sweat.


    Damn, is this for real? Lawson thought.


    Reebok''s offer hadpletely overwhelmed Yu Fei and his team.


    Farman, knowing he held the winning ticket, was ready to adopt an even more aggressive stance.


    Farman pulled out a pen, signed a check on a piece of paper, and handed it to Yu Fei.


    Yu Fei looked at the check, which read: One million US dors, payable to Frye Yu.


    Yu Fei passed the check to his agent, who then showed it to Yu Fenglin.


    Yu Fenglin''s eyes, already damp, began to shed small pearls, while Trem was well aware of what this meant from Reebok.


    If he signed the contract on the spot, Yu Fei could leave with an upfront payment of one million dors.


    Thinking of the zeroes on the check, Yu Fei was no longer as shocked as when Farman had verbally offered to sign him for ten million dors.


    Still, a million dors in 2001 was a huge sum of money.


    A sum that Yu Fei from a previous life couldn''t have imagined.


    "My family and I need some private space," Yu Fei said calmly to Farman.


    This left a strong impression on Farman.


    Farman expressed understanding and, therefore, the Reebok team left the meeting room, closing the door behind them, allowing Yu Fei and his family to discuss thoroughly.


    "I don''t think there''s much to discuss," Lawson, overwhelmed to the point of irrationality, said, "Frye can be a millionaire today!"


    Yu Fenglin had no objections, "Consider it well, make your own decision."


    Yu Fei turned to DiMio.


    DiMio shrugged as well, "I don''t know how to turn down ten million dors."


    Strictly speaking, they weren''t professionals, and their opinions shouldn''t sway Yu Fei.


    So, Yu Fei looked towards Trem.


    Trem didn''t know whether he should tell Yu Fei that a four-year, ten-million-dor deal was the biggest endorsement contract a high school yer had signed before entering the NBA, bigger than Darius Miles, bigger than McGrady, bigger than Kobe.


    Since venturing into basketball in 1992, Reebok had always tilted their signing strategy toward established yers, but they had no edgepared to iconic basketball shoepanies like Nike and Adidas.


    It took them nearly a decade to pivot their strategy.


    Unexpectedly, theyunched a money offensive on Yu Fei.


    While the offer was too tempting, Trem hadn''t lost his reasoning, "Our original n was to finish talking with all threepanies before making a decision."


    But now with Reebok''s substantial offer on the table, Trem wasn''t sure if it was still necessary to meet with the other two.


    Could Yu Fei handle it?


    Could the 18-year-old refuse this one million dor check?


    "Stick to the original n," Yu Fei was even moreposed than Trem had imagined, "I should give Uncle Sonny and Adidas the opportunity to make their offers."


    And so, Yu Fei turned down the opportunity to immediately be a millionaire, returning the check to Farman, ready to fly to New Jersey to start negotiations with Adidas.


    ```

 Chapter 53: 50: Even Pie Drawing Requires Strength

    Yu Fei didn''t stay in Canton for too long.


    ording to the original n, they were to return to Seattle and then head to the Adidas headquarters in Los Angeles.


    But as soon as Sunny Vacarro heard that Yu Fei had finished the meeting with Reebok, he had someone charter a private jet to whisk them directly to LA from a nearby airport.


    The luxurious private jet had more than enough seats for Yu Fei and his entourage.


    As the ne slowly descended to Los Angeles International Airport, Yu Fei looked through the window at the cityscape below, and everyone was left speechless. The towering skyscrapers shimmered in the sunlight like diamonds set against the azure sky. Countless cars shuttled back and forth on the vast highways, winding through the city like a giant dragon. The colorful billboards, neon lights, and the mor of people in open-air zas woven together into a picture of bustling prosperity.


    He didn''t have any extra time to immerse himself in the bustling world, as Vacarro had already made arrangements.


    A luxury sedan picked up Yu Fei and his friends from outside the airport and took them to a seaside hotel in Santa Monica.


    They temporarily settled down here.


    Vacarro didn''te to meet them, Trem said the n was to rest here for a few days and wait until Adidas was ready for the meeting.


    "What preparations are needed for this matter?" Yu Fei asked, puzzled.


    Trem said with a smile, "Reebok''s big move has disrupted Adidas''s ns. Now, no one knows the situation."


    Is a 4-year, 10 million US dor deal a big move?


    Yu Fei amusingly thought, then how would Lebron James''s almost hundred million endorsement contract in a couple of years be counted?


    Indeed,parisons will drive one to despair, little LeBron truly is the real Chosen One...


    In Yu Fei''s heart though, there wasn''t much discouragement. After all, his initial expectation for himself was a 4-year, 1 million US dor contract. Now it had increased tenfold. As the mostmercially valuable yer among his rookie peers, he had no reason to be unsatisfied.


    The next day, Yu Fei woke up to bright sunlight and a view of the sea. It was the best sleep he had had in a long time; there couldn''t be a better ce to live in the world than this.


    Yu Fei finally understood what those yers who wanted to stay in Los Angeles no matter what were thinking.


    Those who can y in the NBA for a long time belong to the wealthy ss. In such cases, you not only want to improve your standards in food and clothing, but your living standards would also rise ordingly.


    In Los Angeles, the wealthy always find ways to create a sense of fulfillment with money.


    Adidas didn''t make Yu Fei wait too long.


    By the afternoon of the third day, Yu Fei and Yu Fenglin, along with Trem, took another luxury sedan to a mansion in Cbasas that belonged to a bigwig from the music industry. Vacarro had specially rented this ce to spend the weekend. He had arranged a performance especially for them. When Vacarro opened the door to wee Yu Fei, the music of Bobby Darin was ying inside.


    "Come on, you can listen to the music or you can look at the sea view," Vacarro joked, "although I think you''ve already seen enough of it thesest few days."


    Yu Fei smiled and said nothing. They walked a short distance into a spacious room with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the pool below and, farther afield, offered a view of the Pacific Ocean. Standing here and looking into the distance was like seeing into the future.


    The negotiations with Adidas were a lot easier than with Reebok.


    That was because the main person responsible for the negotiations, Sunny Vacarro, was different from that aggressive CEO of Reebok.


    They wouldn''t start by throwing a check at Yu Fei, trying to drown the judgment of the concerned party with substantial short-term benefits.


    Vacarro''s assistant, David Bond, introduced Adidas''s history to Yu Fei fluently, extending all the way back to Yu Fei himself.


    From brand ns to marketing strategies and then to individual signature shoe product ns.


    Bond convinced Yu Fei that Adidas was far more mature than Reebok; they made Kobe a national darling and could replicate the same sess with him.


    The prerequisite was that Yu Fei had to prove he had the strength.


    All those dizzying eloquences were just more pie in the sky to Yu Fei, reminiscent of Naruto Uzumaki''s coping strategies.


    Would Nagato have been swayed by mere promises if this exemr of filial piety in the two-dimensional world hadn''t defeated Pain Six Paths¢Å and found Nagato''s hiding ce? Even promising the moon requires strength.


    Adidas was definitely strong, but the problem was that Yu Fei hadn''t proven his strength yet, so listening to their grand ns was a waste of time.


    Yu Fei politely listened to Bond''s half-hour monologue and then exchanged a look with Trem.


    Then, everyone returned from the fantasy of impossible promises to reality.


    It was time to talk about money.


    Money was the most tangible thing.


    Trem was straightforward. Reebok offered a 10 million US dor contract; what about Adidas?


    Vacarro was confident. He nodded to Bond, who then made a call to have an attorney bring in a draft contract.


    Two copies of the draft document were brought in, one for Vacarro and one for Trem.


    Vacarro already knew the contract''s contents, so he just waited for Trem to finish reading the document, so they could continue talking.


    4 years, 12 million US dors¡ªAdidas seemed generous.


    But the contract included too much legal jargon.


    Trem looked over the contract and found that about 60% of the money and various terms were tied to Yu Fei''s performance in the NBA. If he didn''t meet the standards, Adidas could withhold payment. The guaranteed amount was only five million US dors.


    This was far from what Trem and Yu Fei had expected.


    "Sonny, what''s going on with these terms?" Trem pointed out those uses.


    When Vacarro saw the additional terms, he was also shocked; this waspletely different from what he had been led to believe beforehand.


    So, the negotiation was put on hold.


    Vacarro, Bond, and thewyer who delivered the documents stepped outside the room to find out what was happening.


    "What the hell are you guys doing?"


    Outside, Vacarro roared at thewyer.


    Thewyer said innocently, "This is ast-minute decision from the German headquarters. They don''t want to invest too much in a high school student with uncertain prospects. Those terms are there to minimize the risk."


    Vacarro felt his legs go weak.


    When he signed Kobe years ago, there was a group inside Adidas who questioned him, but he convinced those shortsighted fools.


    This time, however, they refused to take a gamble on another exceptional kid.


    Vacarro knew what those additional uses meant.


    Adidas was out because Reebok''s offer was fully guaranteed without any additional conditions.


    Suddenly, the earth seemed to shake beneath his feet, and even the boundless Pacific Ocean seemed disconcerting. The atmosphere inside grew awkward.


    Vacarro returned to the room alone and said directly to Yu Fei, "It''s over."


    "This shouldn''t have happened, but it did," Vacarro said apologetically, "That''s business, Frye."


    Yu Fei nodded, indicating he understood.


    Before Yu Fei and his team left, Vacarro said, "Reebok won''t know what happened here. Take our offer and fight for the biggest number you can get for yourself."


    "I know what you''ve done for me, Uncle Sonny." Yu Fei said, "I won''t forget any of this."


    Vacarro nodded slightly, watching as Yu Fei and his team left like sending off a younger family member who would nevere home again.


    After that, Yu Fei and his entourage negotiated with Li-Ning, apany from China, in Seattle.


    However, at this stage, Li-Ning couldn''tpare with Reebok in terms ofpany size, endorsement fees, or influence in the sports world.


    Yu Fei tactfully declined their offer and then entered a second round of negotiations with Reebok.


    Reebok agreed to increase the amount to twelve million US dors, but Trem wanted sixteen million. The standoff continued.


    In the end, Yu Fei made an additional request. If Reebok agreed, he would sign a four-year contract with them for twelve million US dors.


    Yu Fei''s request was for Quentin DiMio to get a job at Reebok, not at the entry-level, but a respectable middle-upper-level position.


    He wanted someone he could trust to be his eyes and ears at Reebok. DiMio was an obvious choice; he had some work experience and was sharp enough. Besides passing on internal information from Reebok, Yu Fei hoped that DiMio would learn advanced working experiences there, which would be greatly beneficial to their future.


    DiMio felt like the luckiest person in the world. As long as Yu Fei steadied his footing in the NBA, his own prospects at Reebok looked very promising. Yet, this was also a daunting challenge. Although he had several years of work experience, working at a world-sspany like Reebok was another matter entirely. What if he messed up?


    Then, DiMio remembered his father''s words: "If you have a hunch, bet big on it."


    Going all-in is wisdom.


    DiMio epted Yu Fei''s arrangement.


    Reebok straightforwardly agreed to Yu Fei''s request.


    Both parties reached a preliminary agreement, with some details still needing to be ironed out, but essentially there were no issues.


    Next, all Yu Fei had to do was one thing.


    Wait.


    Wait for the day of the 2001 NBA Draft toe.


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "The 2001 NBA Draft holds no surprises. Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Eddie Curry, Shane Battier, Eddie Griffin, and Frye Yu will be selected in order." ¡ª Sports Illustrated


    "Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, Dikembe Mutombo confirmed to be implicated in the Golden Club case." ¡ª Los Angeles Times


    "Wizards Team head coach Doug Collins revealed MJ broke his ribs in a recent practice, casting doubt on hiseback." ¡ª The Washington Post


    "The Nets'' interest in Frye has increased significantly." ¡ª The New York Times


    ¢Å "Tobi is the coolest" remains the most explosive line in my heart''s dimension.

 Chapter 54: 51: The 2001 NBA Draft

    ```


    June 27, 2001


    New York, Madison Square Garden


    Yu Fei and his threepanions arrived at the green room, where other potential lottery picks were also present.


    Warmly greeted by Kwame Brown, who had already received the Wizards'' first pick promise, "Frye, over here!"


    The Brown family was muchrger than Yu Fei had imagined.


    Around Brown were about a dozen people, including seven siblings; he was the youngest child, then there was their mother, Joyce, who had single-handedly raised them all¡ªunsurprisingly¡ªalong with some older adults, some about the same age as Joyce and others even older, likely aunts and uncles, or rtives of that sort.


    They all came from Brunswick, a small city with just 15,000 people; it was both beautiful and filthy, with the contradictory charm of the Old South.


    ording to Brown, their family of nearly ten lived in a small, A-frame wooden house with torn screens and copsing sofas.


    But after today, that life woulde to an end.


    Yu Fei briefly introduced his mother andpanions before they took their seats.


    Soon, Eddie Curry appeared and simply nodded to Brown in greeting.


    Then came Tyson Chandler, who felt ufortable seeing Brown''s triumphant demeanor.


    Jason Richardson and Shane Battier followed shortly after¡­


    One could glean quite a bit about a person''s character at first sight.


    As one of the few potential lottery picks at the draft who had reached the legal drinking age in the United States, Battier exuded a friendly aura.


    Before taking his seat, Battier proactively said to those present, "I''m honored to be part of this draft with you all, and I hope we can all end this day on a high note."


    If everyone who yed four years of college spoke as eloquently, then David Stern should consider making 22, not 20, the age limit for entering the draft instead of the 19 we now know. He could even stipte that all domestic yers mustplete four years of college before being eligible for the draft.


    At the turn of the century, with the influx of high school athletes into the NBA draft, restricting the eligibility age of the yers was a major topic for bothbor and management. Initially, the league proposed setting the eligibility age at 20 instead of the 19 that we are familiar with.


    When Eddie Griffin arrived, the atmosphere in the green room grew somewhat tense.


    Griffin red at Yu Fei fiercely.


    Yu Fei looked back at him without a care.


    "Eddie, I have a seat open here," said Battier warmly.


    Griffin looked over in surprise; he was not familiar with Battier.


    Moreover, they could be consideredpetitors.


    Griffin and the person with him took their seats near the empty spots by Battier.


    Battiermented, "You know, Eddie, I''m jealous of you. I barely got a lottery prospect after ying four years of college, and you''re considered for the number one pick after just one year. Life''s not fair."


    Thank God for Battier; otherwise, Yu Fei really didn''t know how he would endure the waiting time before Stern, that androgynous person, took the stage.


    Battier was like Empress Fucha from Story of Yanxi Pce, purifying everyone''s negative energy.


    Even Griffin, with his unstable emotions, was made tough by him.


    At 7:35 pm, NBA Commissioner David Stern went up to the podium and delivered his opening speech: "Good evening, wee to the NBA Draft. You may or may not know, this will be thest draft featuring high school athletes, as I n to disband the yers'' union again and set mandatory minimum age requirements for the draft. Billy Hunter (yer union consultant), you better get lost now. I am going toy into you. Do you hear me? I am going toy into you. You can''t even imagine that scenario!"


    Okay, thetter part was Yu Fei''s own fantasy; in reality, themissioner greeted everyone properly and considerately gave the Washington Wizards a final five minutes to reconsider whether to use their number one pick on a high school athlete.


    None of those songs'' lyrics better reflect the situation of the team holding the number one draft pick than Xu Peizhe''s "Balloon."


    They''re like the most evil person on earth, heading to the darkest night club, with countless beauties lined up for their choosing.


    Michael Jordan, who had not been at a draft since 1984, was once again present; he was familiar with Madison Square Garden but not so much with this theater designated for the draft.


    Within five minutes, the focus of the basketball world was entirely on the Wizards.


    The world wanted to know how they would use their franchise''s second number one pick.


    Without any surprises, just as Yu Fei knew, the Washington Wizards selected Kwame Brown with the first pick in the first round.


    Thementators from ABC and TNT began to evaluate the Wizards'' choice.


    In those few seconds as Brown walked on stage, ABC''s guestmentator Rick Pitino showed intense admiration for Brown, saying, "The perfect choice, D.C. has got the jackpot of the draft, Kwame Brown will be a better yer than Chris Webber."


    Thisment came from a coach who had just ended a disastrous term in the NBA and had the thick skin to write a book titled Sess Is a Choice after his NBA stint.


    ```

 Chapter 55: 51 The 2001 NBA Draft_2

    Do you think it''s a good thing to be highly praised by him?


    TNT''s Barkley had some reflections on the changing standards for the draft, "There was a time when the gold standard for the draft was ying four years of college ball, being named All-American, and winning the NCAA championship. But now, youth and talent are what NBA teams want. Whether a yer who has proven his talent over four years in college is better, or an unpolished gem that needs careful sculpting is better, I think everyone has an answer."


    ording to Barkley''s standards, Wizards should have chosen Shane Battier with the top pick.


    But give Jordan a hundred more chances, and he still wouldn''t pick Battier with the top pick, not to mention that he''s a Duke guy.


    TNT analyst John Thompson conducted a brief interview with Jordan on the spot.


    Strangely, Thompson did not ask why the Wizards chose Brown, but instead questioned whether it was true that Jordan''s ribs were brokenst week by Artest.


    If it''s true, it shows Jordan is determined to make aeback, because only if he''s truly decided to return would he rehabilitate so earnestly.


    Jordan did not give a direct answer.


    "I''m not the main character today, you should ask some questions about Kwame," he said.


    You have to admire Big Dog''s good job keeping a secret, managing to cover up the story of Artest breaking his ribs with no trace despite the relentless paparazzi and media. Had it not been for Doug Collins revealing the incident to the public, the outside world would still be none the wiser.


    This secretive work was much stronger than the shameful incident when Big Dog got humiliated because a student dunked over him and then leaked the video of the event.


    At 7:45 PM, Los Angeles Clippers chose the local boy Tyson Chandler with the second overall pick.


    Chandler was the earliest to make a name for himself among the yers of the ss of 2001.


    He had been famous nationwide even before entering high school and had always grown up in the spotlight.


    However, no matter how early he became famous, the top pick was not his.


    Moreover, being chosen by the Clippers, Chandler''s fate seemed to plummet, and even the carefully selected brown and white suit he wore now seemed to carry a sense of defeat.


    ABC''s experts began to predict who would be selected with the next three draft rights, and it didn''t seem difficult at all.


    Eddie Curry, Shane Battier, Eddie Griffin.


    That was their prediction.


    Yu Fei didn''t care about these predictions, and he even wished time would flow faster, wondering why the actual draft couldn''t skip to the protagonist''s part like in the NBA2K game? The wait was torture.


    Then, reality smashed the faces of ABC''s experts.


    The third pick originally belonged to Anta Hawks, but they had traded it to Memphis Grizzlies before the draft started, in exchange for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Jamaal Tinsley


    Grizzlies took an unconventional approach and used the third pick to select Pau Gasol, a big man from Spain.


    Boos! More boos! And yet more boos!


    Even if it wasn''t their own team''s choice, New Yorkers disliked Grizzlies'' use of the third pick to select Pau Gasol.


    Didn''t the lesson my great New York learned in 1999, when they used the 15th pick in the first round to select that French center, teach them deeply enough? What did that low-IQ Frenchman contribute other than being dunked on by Vince Carter in the 2000 Olympics, creating the second most famous face-to-face FIBA moment in history?


    New Yorkers hate European yers.


    The controversy over Grizzlies'' selection of Pau Gasol with the third pick was beyond imagination.


    Before this, Pau Gasol''s draft projection had always been around the tenth spot, and the team that was longing for him was the Celtics.


    However, Pau Gasol changed the minds of the Grizzlies'' management with a perfect workout.


    They didn''t even consider trading down the draft rights to ensure maximum benefits; they were determined to use the third pick on Pau Gasol to make sure he was selected by them.


    Moreover, at this time, Pau Gasol still had a contract with Barcelona, and ording to the rules, the NBA could not pay the full buyout fee for him. So if Pau Gasol wanted to y in the NBA the following season, aside from a small portion the Grizzlies could help with, he would have toe up with two million US dors to buy out the contract himself.


    From this perspective, there was a high probability that Pau Gasol, like Peja Stojakovic or Andrei Kirilenko before him, might y several more seasons in Europe, and by the time hended in the NBA, his prime ying years may have been wasted.


    The risk was so great, but the Grizzlies went all in.


    The reason for this had to do with the Grizzlies'' own delicate situation. Last season, due to poor attendance, the Grizzlies told the Vancouver fans several times that if the situation didn''t improve, the team would consider relocating. The people of Vancouver didn''t take the lousy team seriously at all; they said, "Move wherever you like, buddy; we''d rather feed money to dogs than support a crappy team."


    In history, there have been many teams that have wanted to change venues due to poor management, but the Grizzlies, who couldn''t stand to stay even a second longer and changed venues during the season, were genuinely the creme de creme in terms of venue changes.


    Memphis had no fan base to speak of, and the team was defined by one word: terrible. At this point, they could afford to gamble, continuing to tank if they lost the bet, and if they won, their future would be bright.


    Going all in, truly a kind of wisdom.


    The moment Grizzlies'' choice was announced, Jordan''s face changed.


    What kind of bizarre selection is this?


    With a bunch of good prospects avable, why pick a European loser?


    The butterfly effect caused by the Grizzlies'' selection was immeasurable. The Chicago Bulls, originally indecisive about the fourth pick, were ecstatic tond Eddie Curry, the top high school yer who dominated all the mainstream rankings for the ss of 2001.

 Chapter 56: 51 The 2001 NBA Draft_3

    Rick Pitino started again, congratting Jerry Krause for the sess of his smoke grenade, which fooled some dumbass into picking Gasol with the third pick. Otherwise, how could the Bulls possibly get their hands on the Little Shark with the fourth pick?


    As a benchmark for failures among the NBA management, Pitino''s praise for Krause seemed to Jordan like someone had thrown a ck cat onto Krause''s big fat belly.


    That fat pig...


    Jordan cursed in his mind, his brain working even faster.


    The consequence of the Grizzlies "snatching" Gasol was that the teams with the first to tenth pick in the first round were now presented with better choices than before.


    Certain targets that had previously seemed unattainable could now fall within reach.


    Jordan''s gaze shifted towards Yu Fei in the green room, who looked listless and dissatisfied with the slow pace of the draft.


    "Kwame, what do you think of Frye?"


    Jordan, in the honeymoon phase with Brown, asked as gently as if he were his uncle.


    As the happiest person in the world, Brown spoke all the good words he could for Yu Fei: "Frye is a great yer, he''s my brother, he''s even better than Eddie Griffin, better than everyone else, the second best yer in this draft."


    Brown''s attitude towards Fei fueled a certain desire in Jordan, "Do you want to y with him?"


    "If that''s possible, that would be awesome!"


    Jordan smiled and said no more.


    Then, the second draft gambler appeared at the draft.


    If you Grizzlies can take the risk of wasting a third pick on a European nobody, then we, the Warriors, can ignore the best college basketball yer in America, Shane Battier, and choose Jason Richardson with the fifth pick, a yer with greater talent but far less maturity than Battier.


    Two yers considered top five locks (Battier and Griffin) dropped out of the top five.


    Unless the Grizzlies went crazy (since the sixth pick was their own), they would definitely use it to select either Battier or Griffin.


    And the Nets, with the seventh pick, would definitely not pass up on whoever fell to them.


    ording to the information Jordan got, the Nets, having learned that Griffin''s stock was solidly in the top five, were originally set on using their seventh pick on Yu Fei.


    The Wizards didn''t have any yers the Nets were interested in, so Jordan couldn''t make a trade.


    But with the arrival of the "draft masters" from the Grizzlies and the Warriors, the chance of picking Yu Fei suddenly increased.


    Jordan was waiting for the decision from the Grizzlies.


    The Grizzlies were the biggest wild card of the draft, and since they could be insane enough to choose a European nobody with the third pick, it wouldn''t be impossible for them to make another absurd choice with the sixth.


    At 8:10 PM, Stern returned to the podium to announce that the Grizzlies had selected Shane Battier with the sixth pick in the first round.


    This meant that the Grizzlies'' madness had been contained.


    Jordan immediately got up and quickly walked into the aisle to make a phone call.


    "Rod, call Clevnd right now," Jordan said decisively, "As we''ve discussed beforehand, Courtney Alexander, our 2002 first-round pick (top-five protected), 2004 first-round pick (lottery protected) in exchange for their eighth pick. As long as the draft reaches this point and the guy I want is still there, the trade is on!"


    A momentter, Higgins called back: "Clevnd is asking us to make the 2002 first-round pick unprotected..."


    Jordan''s brown eyes seemed to congeal blood, he hated those who went back on their word, but this was the norm in trading.


    Getting the best interest for one''s team was something everybody did.


    It was part of the game, and he had to ept it.


    An unprotected 2002 draft pick? If you want it, you can have it, as the Wizards led by me won''t possibly give you a high draft pick anyway. And Frye Yu, he will be the biggest "what if" in the trade history of the Clevnd Cavaliers, we''ll see!


    Jordan brewed a storm inside, but on the surface, he was calm.


    "Tell them I can ept the price increase, but only this once. If they want more, they can go fuck themselves!"


    At 8:15 PM, Eddie Griffin''s name popped out of Stern''s mouth; he was selected by the Brooklyn Nets.


    However, Yu Fei noticed that there was no smile on Griffin''s face; he wasn''t happy at all.


    For someone unanimously recognized as a top-five pick to drop to the seventh was an utter disgrace. It was impressive that he hadn''t listed all the names of the yers selected before him like Draymond Green had done. Of course, Yu Fei suspected that Griffin''s intelligence was too low to remember so many names.


    But he remembered them.


    As the ninth pick in the draft, he only needed to remember eight names, much simpler than what Green had to remember. It wasn''t because he waspetitive; he just thought it was cool to remember the names of everyone picked before him and then surpass them in the NBA. A story like that shouldn''t belong to someone like Green, who was an erratic, vampire-like cancer.


    The Chosen One deserved it, after all!


    Having already stolen James'' nickname, what was the big deal about stealing one more anecdote from Green?


    "Is it your turn yet?" Yu Fenglin nervously asked.


    Yu Fei remembered that the eighth pick belonged to the Cavaliers, but he hadn''t received a draft promise from them.


    "They''ll probably pick Desagana Diop," Yu Fei said sarcastically. "They like big centers with big feet and health risks."


    At that moment, agent Arne Trem hurried over and handed a phone to Yu Fei. "It''s for you."


    Before taking the phone, Yu Fei wondered if the Detroit Pistons were really so ceremonial as to actually call to notify their ninth pick.


    "Frye, we just made a trade; you are ultimately going to y in D.C. But, you have to pretend you know nothing about the trade until it is announced," Jordan said seriously. "Any questions?"


    "None," Yu Fei replied without emotion, "I''m honored."


    Yu Fei handed the phone back to Trem.


    Everyone was looking at him, wanting to know what had happened.


    "Looks like I have one less name to remember now," Yu Fei said.


    At 8:20 PM, David Stern returned to the podium, opened the envelope, and his eyes narrowed slightly. This name wasn''t special to him, but the surname was¡ªhe had heard of this kid.


    "In the 2001 NBA draft," Stern said, "the Clevnd Cavaliers select... Frye Yu, from Kent Meridian High School, with the eighth pick in the first round!"


    Everyone but Yu Fei and Trem were surprised.


    Lawson and DiMio gave Yu Fei a big hug, and Yu Fenglin was so moved she couldn''t speak, only cry.


    Yu Fei gently hugged her. "Mom, I will buy you a mansion, a luxury car, open up your shop all over the country, fulfill all your dreams, I love you."


    As ifining that his mother wasn''t crying enough, Yu Fei''s words caused Yu Fenglin''s tears topletely break through.


    Then, Yu Fei turned and walked towards the stage.


    On this night, no matter which pick they were selected as, for the young people participating in the 2001 draft, being able to leave their seat for the stage was a sess.


    This would be the most beautiful night of their lives.


    As the news that the Cavaliers might trade Yu Fei''s signing rights spread, TNT had just entered amercial break. Every year on draft day, TNT would y a short special program called "NBA Historic Trades" during themercial breaks.


    Today, TNT took people back to the trade when the Mavericks got Dirk Nowitzki from the Bucks.


    At the end of the program, Ernie Johnson said in a clear and distinguishable voice: "Years have gone by, and Das and Milwaukee have turned real life into two types of tragedies as written by Shaw¢Æ. You would sigh at Das''s fortune and marvel at Milwaukee''s misfortune, yet it''s a story that happens every year at the draft. What NBA teams want to avoid is bing the next Milwaukee."


    ¢Å The first travesty in FIBA history was when the Soviet Union won the Olympic gold in Munich with an infamous blown call.


    ¢Æ Life''s two tragedies are, one is despair, and the other is insatiable ambition.¡ªShaw


    Thanks to these pseudonyms, A Hint of Autumn, One Flower Signals Spring, rx78, The Issue of Names Requires Caution, Reminiscing The Storied Past, Feather de, ying the Pig to Eat the Tiger, Dream Enters the Misty Evening, Sorrowfully, I Lament, Spartan Bus 2, Cat''s Eye, Removed from the Clouds by the Moon, Book Friend 20190921035212234, Hand-to-Hand Fight with a Big Eggnt, Little Bear With Hands Spread 7777777, gsk_32 for your rewards.


    PS: You can''t say that I was brief today, can you?

 Chapter 57: 52 Great Character

    (Sorry, got dizzy there, this is the missing Chapter 52)


    Before the draft, Arne Trem specifically instructed Yu Fei that once selected, to walk normally like usual, go on stage, and shake hands with Stern, giving a polite half-hug.


    Remember, do not go for a full-body hug, remember.


    This kind of thing usually goes without saying. Before the turn of the 21st century, no yer had ever attempted to give themissioner a close full-body hug at the draft.


    Until the 2000 draft, when Darius Miles, like a nephew to Stern, gave themissioner an excessively intimate full-body hug, causing great distress in Stern''s heart. Consequently, Sternmunicated via text message to other yers'' agents that such behavior should not happen again.


    Even if Trem had not reminded him, Yu Fei had no interest in a full-body hug with Stern.


    When Yu Fei approached, before he could even speak, Stern was the one who started talking.


    In fact, it sounded more like he was muttering to himself.


    "Alright, congrattions, Frye."


    "Now look to the left, yes, to the left, aim for the camera, that''s the lens, smile, be good, right, don''t make me angry, stand properly, you can go now."¢Å


    Yu Fei had thought this moment would be sacred, until Sternpletely ruined it.


    Stern seemed annoyed with himself, eager to get it over with.


    Yu Fei could only do as he was told, looking at the camera like a puppet, then descending from the stage to ept an ABC interview.


    Yu Fei was interviewed by Greg Sager.


    "Frye, first off, congrattions on bing the second Asian American in history to enter the NBA through the draft. How do you feel?"


    Yu Fei wasn''t interested in knowing who the first was, "I feel great, um, I''m very excited, can''t wait to y for the Cavaliers. I really wish the new season starts tomorrow."


    Even though there wasn''t a shred of truth in his words, what of it? Would anyone be hurt by it?


    "Not long ago, Sports Illustrated writer Gary Smith wrote a feature on you, and we learned that you only began serious basketball training since the beginning ofst year. That''s eventer than when Hakeem juwon started. How much effort have you put in to go from an unnoticed junior in high school to the number eight pick in the NBA draft in just one year?"


    How much effort? Should he say a lot?


    Yu Fei had no intention of portraying himself as a hard worker. In truth, his current sess was wholly due to two benefits.


    One was the benefit of his past life; he was grateful that his past skills and experience fit perfectly with his current body.


    The other was Yu Fei''s own body, which had to be said met the NBA standards in all aspects, it''s just that the original owner had utterly wasted it.


    If the original Yu Fei loved basketball like he did in his previous life and had started systematic training from a young age, he might actually bepeting with Brown for the first draft pick now.


    But how could one dwell on such what-ifs? There are too many people in the world who waste their talents, or even don''t know where their talents lie, with doing nothing being the true reflection for most.


    Thus, Yu Fei told Sager, "I''ve been very fortunate, my efforts have paid off. Not everyone can achieve sess through hard work, I''m very well aware of that."


    Then, Sager brought up the trade rumors surrounding Yu Fei, "There are rumors that Clevnd might trade your draft rights to another team, what do you think?"


    "Anyway, I''m still wearing this hat (Cavaliers cap)," Yu Fei said. "I''ll let the news fly for a while; time will give the answer."


    Since Dogter had asked Yu Fei to keep secrets, he obviously wouldn''t leak anything before the trade was announced.


    He didn''t want to leave a bad impression on Dogter without even having yed a game.


    Considering what was about to happen to Kwame Brown, would his presence change history? If he angered Dogter here, would Dogter direct the anger meant for Brown at him instead?


    It''s hard to say.


    Although Yu Fei wasn''t afraid of Dogter''s tests, he also didn''t want to deliberately provoke Dogter.


    "Last question, does being the eighth pick meet your expectations?"


    "Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Eddie Curry, Jason Richardson, Shane Battier, Eddie Griffin...," Yu Fei recited the names of all the individuals picked before himself. "I will prove that I am better than them."


    Sager''s interview ended quickly, and it was the simplest one Yu Fei had to face today. After that, he had to proceed to the official media interview room to ept interviews from media all over the world.


    Then came the photo shoot.


    Yu Fei had to dress in a suit, grab a basketball with one hand, and strike a whole host of poses for various photos.


    Patience was the most important thing today.


    Yu Fei heard that Eddie Griffin was so annoyed by these tedious affairs that he had an "old illness rpse" and roared on the spot.


    This impotent rage was of no use; he still had to return to his job and keep working. It was something every lottery pick had to do.


    "If you find these things bothersome, then you''d better pray you''re mediocre," a league executive told Yu Fei.


    Yu Fei blinked, not quite understanding what he meant.


    "This is what Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady¡ªand all of them¡ªhave to deal with every day."


    Yu Fei asked in surprise, "Are they still sane?"


    "You''ve met Kobe recently, you know his condition," The executive chuckled. "AI has his own ways of dpressing. T-MAC has only recently be famous, and the media pressure in Ondo isn''t like that in Los Angeles and Phdelphia."


    "So, you''re saying, if I go to a team with less media pressure, I can avoid these troubles too?"


    Yu Fei was getting into his conversation with the executive, when a staff member hurried over with a Wizards cap in hand. "Frye! Frye!"


    "What''s wrong, John?" Yu Fei asked.


    "Afraid you''ll have to put on this cap," said the staff member named John.


    Yu Fei nced at it, recognized the Wizards'' logo, and had an inkling of what was happening outside.


    The executive seemed surprised too. "Clevnd traded you to D.C.?"


    "Looks like it." Even though the news was already public, Yu Fei still wouldn''t act as if he had known in advance, unless Jordan allowed him to say so. "They actually traded me, how heartbreaking. Is this what professional basketball is all about?"


    The league executive who mistakenly thought that Yu Fei was genuinely upset patted him on the shoulder, "Son, it''s not toote to realize that now. It might even be a good thing for you to understand the league''s survival rule ahead of most people your age¡ªeverything is just business."


    Uh-huh, Yu Fei had seen many news stories about yers being traded in his previous life.


    Nearly every traded person would say, "I know it''s business."


    But just by looking at their expressions, you could feel their emotions, especially those who did not expect to be traded. Often after the words, "I know it''s business," was an undertone resembling, "shit out of luck."


    After the Washington Wizards and Clevnd Cavaliers'' trade went public, the world was shocked by Jordan''s decision.


    Picking Kwame Brown with the number one draft pick was understandable, but trading Courtney Alexander, who showed brilliant performance after being tradedst season, and giving away two first-round draft picks, one of which was unprotected, all for the rights to sign the eighth pick. And that eighth pick was also a high school yer.


    This trade was seen as proof of Jordan''s determination toe out of retirement.


    Last season, Courtney Alexander was traded to the Wizards mid-season and his performance improved significantly, averaging 16 points per game, a yer with a promising future. He was exactly what the Cavaliers were looking for¡ªa scorer.


    Coincidentally, he yed the same position as Jordan.


    If Jordan decisively traded him away, it could only mean one thing¡ªhis determination to return was unwavering.


    Regarding the trade, this is what Jordan had to say, "Ever since Frye became famous at ABCD Camp, I''ve been following him. He has always been one of my favorite rookies. Apart from his strong learning ability and rapid improvement, what impressed me the most about Frye was his ''gamenguage''. He''s the type ofpetitor who excels at motivating his teammates and psyching out opponents. This is an old-school spirit and philosophy that I haven''t seen in young yers for years. I believe Kwame can at least be an All-Star in the future, but if you ask me to bet on which rookie has the potential to be a superstar, I would put all my chips on Frye. Only he has that kind of potential because he has a great character. You know, character determines destiny."


    ¢ÅThis excerpt from Odom''s autobiography is suspect in its authenticity, as I have read too many yer autobiographies, and no one else has said anything simr. So, most likely, this is something Odom concocted while high on drugs¡ªso why copy it here? Because it''s interesting.

 Chapter 58: 53 Special Training

    ```


    Character determines destiny.


    Dogte had a point, but Yu Fei disagreed.


    In the world of basketball, it was talent that determined destiny.


    Certainly, in the past, present, and future of the NBA, there were individuals like Bird, Nowitzki, and Curry who could console the average fans, making people believe talent wasn''t everything. But remember, Bird and Nowitzki''s height were talents too, and Curry''s shooting touch and basketball IQ were talents as well. If these three had been merely 5''7", would they still be the yers fans are familiar with?


    The answer was self-evident.


    Yu Fei wasn''t interested in what Dogte had said, but a swarm of media was pestering him, asking about his thoughts on possibly being teammates with Jordan in the new season and his opinion on Jordan''s secondeback.


    His thoughts on being Jordan''s teammate? Verbally, it was anticipation, excitement, nervousness; but internally, there was unease, resistance, and even aversion.


    No teenager really likes hanging out with old men, right? Especially when the old man has a less than pleasant temperament.


    As for his view on Jordan''s secondeback, Yu Fei went with a vague approach publicly, "I don''t have much of an opinion, it''s MJ''s freedom, we just have to wait for him to decide."


    The opinion inside Yu Fei''s mind was simple; it was like UZI shockingly choosing toe out of retirement with Team EDG in 2023.


    Nobody knew if YYDS was influenced by Deft''s unique ending to S12, but regardless, his decision was open to question. This was different from his brief, farcicaleback with Bilibili Gaming in the spring of 2022, akin to Bob Cousy''s short-lived return with the Royal Team. That time he had yed in games, making a big ssh but ultimately crashing out in the yoffs. If he lost heart and never came back, that would be thesting impression he left in the minds of the viewers.


    Instead, that impression should have been from his nearly invincible 2018 and the frustratingly powerless 2019, without supreme glory but still worth cherishing. But now...


    Jordan''seback was even more preposterous than UZI''s.


    Yu Fei''s view was right, most of Jordan''s fans thought the same.


    Jordan shouldn''t have made aeback. Was it necessary? He had already dominated an era. Was he now trying to prove that he could still dominate after three years away from the court?


    The farewell in 1998 was an unusually perfect ending in sports history. Jordan had seen Magic Johnson in 1996; he should have known what a once great star with intact pride but diminished skills would encounter after aeback.


    Yu Fei was gradually realizing how excruciating it would be to walk with a god.


    On draft day, the media interviews were 50% about Jordan.


    Yu Fei had no idea how these people could derive so many questions from the name Jordan, nor how he managed to answer so many questions about him.


    Eventually, he became numb to it.


    Jordan? Who was Jordan? Just a boring name. Maybe these Jianzhong reporters would get fired if they didn''t ask something rted to Jordan.


    Don''t me Yu Fei; this was just the attack mode post-coital.


    More grueling than the interviews were the three consecutive days of "League Safety Education sses."


    The purpose of these courses was to teach the rookies a few key points.


    First, manage your money properly and consider hiring someone to help with it. The League could provide rmendations if needed.


    Second, keep track of your little brother and watch out for those who offer themselves up on a tter.


    "Remember, you can have a good time countless times, but if you slip up just once and get someone pregnant, you''re done for! She and the child will be the ghosts of yourtter life, like vampires that never disappear!"


    Finally,ply with the regtions and stay away from prohibited substances...


    These were the most boring three days Yu Fei had experienced since his transmigration.


    It''s easy to preach about the high road, but taking responsibility is up to the individual.


    Yu Fei believed these so-called safety education sses would continue indefinitely, but the number of yers going broke after retirement, failing to control their libidos and fathering a legion of illegitimate children, or indulging in banned substances was unlikely to decrease.


    ```


    Yu Fei was confident in his self-discipline; he wouldn''t touch any of that unnecessary stuff, so these three days were purely a waste of time.


    Three dayster, Yu Fei and the other rookies were finally free.


    Although he no longer had to listen to the league staff''s droning, Yu Fei still had to go to D.C. with Kwame Brown to sign their rookie contracts.


    Since the league had introduced standardized rookie contracts in the mid-''90s, which based sries solely on draft position, there was really no negotiation needed.


    As long as the agent was present, the team would bring out the contract, the yer would sign it, they would joyfully take a photo for the media release, and that was the processplete.


    Yu Fei signed a four-year rookie contract, with total earnings of 6.5 million US dors for the first three years, and the fourth year being a team option at an annual sry of 2.9 million US dors.


    ounting for additional expenses, Arne Trem got a 10%mission, totaling 9.4 million US dors, and then after various taxes were deducted, Yu Fei''s take-home would not exceed 3 million US dors.


    Even 3 million US dors was a substantial amount; if managed well, it couldst a lifetime.


    And this was just his first earning as a yer, not to mention the soon-to-take-effect endorsement deal with Reebok.


    It could be said that he no longer had to worry about money.


    Afterpleting the signing with the Wizards Team, Yu Fei gave the 200,000 US dors signing bonus he got from Reebok to his mother to find a house in D.C. wealthy neighborhoods for their new home, while he started his busymercial activities on the day the signing waspleted.


    Until the summer league began, Yu Fei only had three hours a day to practice ball because it was his first summer endorsing Reebok, and there was much to familiarize himself with including shootingmercials and attending events.


    Just when Yu Fei was eagerly anticipating the summer league, an unexpected injury came knocking.


    At that time, Yu Fei was shooting amercial for his first signature basketball shoes with Reebok.


    The director wanted Yu Fei to perform a few spectacr dunks.


    Yu Fei did as requested, executing several difficult moves.


    Hepleted all the dunks, but during thending of thest one, unforeseen trouble urred; he twisted his knee, which gave a scare to everyone on set.


    Fortunately, after a thorough examination, it was found to be only a minor sprain, but it was enough to cause Yu Fei to miss the summer league.


    Ironically, before the injury, Yu Fei was overwhelmed with work and wished he could be in two ces at once.


    By the time he had recovered, Reebok''s events were mostly over, and the Wizards Team''s summer league had also concluded.


    Yu Fei now had time, but there were no moremercial activities or games at the moment.


    It waste July now, and with his newfound free time, Yu Fei decided topletely iste himself and use the next month and a half for intense training.


    His goal was to gain 10 pounds (about 9 kilograms) before the start of the preseason training camp.


    For this purpose, Yu Fei specifically sought out the Wizards Team''s nutritionist to design a reasonable weight gain n for him.


    This being part of the nutritionist''s job, Yu Fei quickly received a scientific weight gain n, and he then started his intense training without any dy.


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "Age and injuries make MJ''seback prospects full of doubts." ¡ª¡ª Sports Illustrated


    "Numerous precedents prove that even Michael Jordan won''t have a sessfuleback." ¡ª¡ª The New York Times


    "Shaquille O''Neal''s rtionship with his agent of ten years falls apart." ¡ª¡ª Los Angeles Times


    "Good morning, D.C., if you''re lucky enough, you might see Frye sprinting past you on Freedom Avenue." ¡ª¡ª The Washington Post

 Chapter 59: 54: That man, hes back again

    Before the intensive training began, Aidan Strong, the Trainer Yu Fei had hired, suggested focusing on a healthy diet.


    "If you want to be an outstanding yer, you should reject all carbonated drinks, fried foods, and red meat."


    Yu Fei''s question was, "What if I don''t reject them?"


    "Then it will be difficult to sculpt a perfect body through training, and once you reach a certain age, you will show a more evident decline than your peers."


    "At what age?"


    "Around 30," Strong said, "Aside from Karl Malone, no one in the history of the NBA has maintained a top level of performance after turning 35, and that''s closely rted to Karl''s monastic lifestyle."


    Given that, Yu Fei decided to obey and avoid these foods as much as possible, but aplete abstinence was out of the question¡ª he was not the kind of self-disciplined freak that Karl Malone was.


    Fromte July to early September, Yu Fei stayed in aprehensive sports hall in a wealthy neighborhood of Washington D.C., where other athletes were training too, but none as fiercely as him.


    Yu Fei trained three times a day.


    In the morning, he had 3 hours of on-the-ball training; in the afternoon, 2 hours of strength training; and in the evening, he continued with on-the-ball training.


    Even the much-criticized "three obediences and four virtues" of Chinese sports were not this intense.


    On the team''s side, the management entered a period of calm after the draft had ended.


    Last season, Jordan made some aggressive moves, like trading away the high-sry and low-performance Juwan Howard and Rod Strd, but the Wizards still fell into the lottery and secured the number-one draft pick.


    The strongest yer on the team at the moment was Richard Hamilton, followed by Christian Laettner, who was acquired in the trade involving Juwan Howard.


    But no matter how bad Howard was, he was still notparable to the current Laettner.


    The existing rosterckedpetitiveness, so were they expecting two high-school rookies to immediately realize their potential upon joining the league?


    Or did Jordan have confidence in his own performance aftering back?


    Nobody knew why, but after the draft, the Wizards only made one move¡ª signing Tyronn Lue for the minimum sry.


    Jordan disappeared after the draft convention ended.


    The outside world had no idea what he was doing, whether he woulde back, whether the two broken ribs caused by Artest had changed hiseback ns.


    The answer was no.


    Breaking two ribs did not extinguish Jordan''s desire to return; instead, it gave him an urgent sense that time was not on his side.


    Even before the injury caused by Artest, Jordan had been secretly training for three months. The collision forced him to rest for a month.


    For someone with a three-year hiatus, training for three months and then resting for one means that the three months of training were wasted.


    Just because Hisashi Mitsui could return to top form as a shooter after wasting two years in high school does not mean that the nearly 38-year-old Jordan could regain his former level of performance with just three months of training after three years of retirement.


    Once his rib injury had healed, Jordan increased the intensity of his training.


    Tim Grover, the veteran Trainer who had long cooperated with Jordan, realized that training at such high intensity brought many risks.


    "Mike, I know you''re in a hurry, but now is not the time to rush. The harder you push, the more your body will suffer. If you get tendinitis..."


    Jordan didn''t want to heed the advice, "Don''t worry about those."


    Grover had been working with Jordan for 12 years; their rtionship had long since transcended that of a typical employer and employee. When Jordan was frustrated by the Detroit Pistons, Grover introduced the famous "Breakfast Club" program to help him put on muscle. In ending the reign of the Pistons, Grover was one of the most indirectly contributive individuals. Their rtionship was so close that Grover could even offer direct criticism to Jordan''s face¡ªbelieve me, there are fewer than a handful of people on this who have that privilege.


    Now, Grover found himself in an awkward position as he struggled with how to persuade Icarus not to fly too high.


    By September, two months of grueling training had restored some of Jordan''s strength and fitness from his ying days, but his health risks had unfortunately been confirmed by Grover.


    Around mid-August, Jordan''s knees developed tendinitis.


    Thus, Grover revealed a bit of news to the outside world and expressed his opinion, "I don''t think Mike will return next season."


    This made the reporters think Jordan''seback n had gone down the drain.


    This infuriated Jordan, and he had his spokesperson dere to the public that his knee encountered a slight problem, and while it was uncertain if he would make aeback, if he did, it would be purely out of love for basketball.


    Grover seldom had moments when hepletely misunderstood Jordan.


    In his view, tendonitis had already blocked Jordan''s path to aeback. It was an injury that required rest, and that was precisely Jordan''s dilemma. If he rested, the intense training of the past two-plus months would have been for nothing. If he didn''t rest, the tendonitis would only get worse, sooner orter leading to even more severe injuries.


    Even if it was Jordan''s destiny to get through a season with tendonitis without a major injury, could you really y well at nearly 40 years old with an ufortable knee?


    Reporters who loved to kiss up to Jordan repeatedly quoted the spokesperson''s words, hyping up Jordan''s love for basketball, as if the fans didn''t know this was someone who had left basketball at the peak of his career, not once but twice.


    He didn''t love basketball that much, at least not as much as he imed.


    What did he love? The lofty status as the only deity of the United States sports world. He once thought that what he sought was to direct from his officefortably after retirement, but now he realized that the control and satisfaction he had sitting in the office couldn''t hold a candle to the Michael Jordan who ran around on the court.


    This is the difference between longing for someone and returning to someone''s side. For Jordan, being the president of the Wizards Team didn''t provide half the joy that being a yer did.


    Jordan''s assistant, Rod Higgins, consoled Grover with these words, "As long as Mike ovees this hurdle, everything will get better. There''s nothing better than him returning to the court."


    Grover gave a bitter smile. He felt a sense of loss, like watching the Titanic set out to sea.


    Loss is a bad word in Jordan''s camp; it carries a hollow image, implying a certain desperation. In contrast, Jordan and his PR team talked about his love¡ª"love for basketball." That sounded much more pleasant, as if he was responding to a call rather than fleeing the emptiness of an office. Love lent a professional halo to his return, tinged with just a slight addiction¡ªhe referred to it as a craving that needed to be satisfied.


    The pain of tendonitis gradually exceeded what a yer could tolerate, and Jordan reluctantly heeded Grover''s advice to slightly reduce the intensity of his training.


    Then, inte September, Jordan''s agent David Falk announced to the world through a simple press release: The man wasing back, again!


    Think about the earthquake in the esports world when UZI made hiseback to Team EDG, and this was Jordan, the genuine Greatest Of All Time. His second return was bestowed with noble value¡ªto give Americans, who had experienced the 9/11 attacks, the courage to face life again.


    This is a god.


    He still stands at the highest ce, looking down on all beings, and anything he does sparks wild fantasies¡ªas long as you don''t carelessly remember that he''s nearly 40, you''d be filled with anticipation.


    On September 23, Jordan sold his share of the Wizards Team, stepped down as president, and signed a contract with the team.


    At this time, the Wizards'' management and coaching staff were preparing for the uing preseason training camp in Wilmington, North Carolina.


    As news of Jordan''seback spread, Susan O''Malley, in charge of the team''s marketing and business partnerships, flew back to D.C. immediately. At the time, Jordan was training at the Verizon Center in his practice jersey.


    O''Malley spoke to Jordan in an irrefutable tone just as he had stepped down as president, "Michael, we need to hold arge press conference. There are a lot of events, and the ''Jordan return'' gimmick will certainly..."


    "I''ll handle the press conference myself," Jordan said with an indifferent tone, "and as for promoting the team, no, I''ve done enough."


    O''Malley frowned and wasn''t ready to back down, "Every yer has a responsibility to promote the team."


    Jordan felt it was enough that he had let the Wizards use his name and image for marketing promotions without charging a penny. He thought the team shouldn''t expect more, but O''Malley didn''t see it that way.


    That''s right, the eyes of this 40-year-old, single, blonde white woman saw nothing but making money for Pollin, that dwarf. Apart from this, she didn''t care about anything else.


    "Listen, I''m going to say this onest time, I don''t want to do any of that bullshit!" Jordan raised his voice, "I am making aeback, and that''s the best advertisement you could ask for. You just need to seize that, and I won''t do anything beyond it. I won''t lie to the people of Washington D.C. under your arrangements about achieving great things in the new season. You know how bad we werest season. If we make a fuss with promotions and then perform miserably in the new season, what will the people who came to watch the games because of those promotions think? They will think I''m a liar! I''m telling you, as soon as we start winning games, people will buy those unattractive products you sell without any promotions, and every home game will be sold out!"


    At that moment, Susan O''Malley faced reality.


    Jordan was not an employee as she perceived, and in Jordan''s view, he wasn''t an employee; he was a coborator with Pollin.


    Pollin wanted O''Malley to force Jordan to do some extra work with her capabilities to help the team, but Jordan would define for himself the scope of his coborative work. He wouldn''t do anything beyond that boundary.


    O''Malley left the court with a dark expression, and when she got to the corridor, she furiously knocked over a trash can.


    Then, the assistant quickly followed her, not saying much, only offering a backup n, "Maybe someone else could host today''s event."


    "Who?"


    "Frye," the assistant suggested, "He''s unexpectedly popr in D.C."


    (1) Icarus is the son of Daedalus in Greek mythology. He escaped from Crete with wings made of wax and feathers constructed by Daedalus. Flying too close to the sun melted the wax on his wings, leading to his fall into the sea and death. He was buried on an ind.

 Chapter 60: Sanjiang Sentiments

    Once is chance, twice is familiarity, so let''s leave those "thank yous" you''ll definitely skip to the end and let me talk about something else first.


    In recent years, due to James''s unfavorable luck, the anti-bandwagon trend seems to have intensified, affecting the narrative style of basketball literature to such an extent that it''s almost be a state where if it''s not anti-bandwagon, it''s not enjoyable. My thinking is rather linear, and I often associate one thing with another that seems unrted.


    In thest few months before the end of Noise, which could be said to be the peak of the anti-bandwagon period, one day, the admin of the book fan group "ount Deletion" uploaded a GIF of James kneeling and named it "Old James Finals Game Seven Fouled Out and Lost the Crown.GIF". I can''t help but admire ount Deletion''s sense of humor and the wisdom of the group members. At that time, almost everyone believed the Lakers would be favored by the referees from then on. What I was thinking at the time was, what was the situation with Jordan during the same period?


    I spent several days organizing a timeline of how Jordan sought a management position with the Bulls after his second retirement and was rejected, then chose the Wizards over the Hos, came out of retirement after a short-lived failed GM career, and encountered an even more disastrous failure.


    When I finished this task, I realized I had wasted my time, because it was meaningless to me at the time. It wasn''t until the first month after Noise ended, while I racked my brain over my new book, that I opened this fruitless TXT.


    That''s where the inspiration for this book came from.


    I''m not aiming to write another The Heir of the Bulls; if after five years of writing basketball literature, I end up writing The Heir of the Bulls 2.0, that would be a disgrace for me, and a sign: I''ve made no progress, it''s time to roll out of this circle.


    I wanted a different narrative angle. I wanted to write about the Jordan I saw, to demonstrate his negative aspects from the perspective of someone who thinks they understand him. This is by no means the diplomatic rhetoric of ckening *** (could be any basketball star) in my writing and then telling those who question it, "You might not believe it, but actually, I''m a fan of his."


    I am the author who wrote The Heir of the Bulls, but I hope that when this book is finished, you''ll say, "You couldn''t possibly be the author who wrote The Heir of the Bulls!" If this momentes true, it would be my honor.


    Before starting the thank you section, I want to answer a fewmon questions.


    What''s with the news at the end of the chapters?


    Answer: It''s to increase immersion, but I won''t add it at the end of every chapter. The rule for news at the end of the chapters is it onlyes when the protagonist''s day is over, and only if there is interesting news or news that hints at the uing plot. As Big Fei enters the NBA, this end-of-chapter news will be less frequent, mostly reced by post-game interviews to increase immersion and hint at subsequent plots. It''s a new attempt; if a certain number of readers express their dislike, I will give it up.


    Are you still a literary youth?


    Answer: That depends on what you mean by ''literary youth.'' If you mean torturing the protagonist, then no, I''ve learned my lesson.


    Will there be a surge of updates after going live?


    Answer: Considering that some brats have redefined what a surge of updates means, I won''t say that I will do it once I go live, but I guarantee there will be ten updates on that day.


    How many updates per day after going live?


    Answer: Two updates a day will stay the same. The number of chapters won''t increase, but I assure you they will get a bit longer. For instance, right now, you might read 5-6K words a day, butter I''ll try to give you 7-8-9K words a day.


    Thank you section


    Firstly, I must thank the brothers in the review group who have increased the attractiveness of this book by 50%.


    Thanks to my long-term business officer Purple Night, as well as Brother Hu, the owner of the cabin group, and all the administrators of the various book fan groups, thank you for helping me maintain order in the chapterments, review area, and book fan groups.


    Thank you to the thousands of readers who have endured my short chapters over the past half a month.


    Thank you to my editor Cookie for their guidance, support, and assistance.

 Chapter 61: 55 Jordans People

    "Frye. He''s unexpectedly popr in D.C.,"


    "Oh?"


    Susan O''Malley hadn''t expected that.


    She knew that Yu Fei, as an Asian basketball yer entering the NBA, naturally carried the support of many Asian Americans, but Asians made up less than 5% of the total poption in D.C. Even for Yu Fei, that shouldn''t amount to much influence.


    The assistant exined, "For the past two months, Frye has been training intensively at Keller Gymnasium in the Arlington Community. Since the ce is very close to his home, he usually doesn''t use any transportation. He jogs there and back every day, so fans frequently encounter him, some chat with him, others offer him rides, and before you know it, the media caught wind of it. Michael Wilbon from The Washington Post has mentioned him several times in his columns, and that''s why Frye''s poprity in D.C. has risen."


    "In terms of poprity, Frye is probably second only to MJ and Rip," (Richard Hamilton''s nickname).


    O''Malley had watched Yu Fei''s tryout and was impressed with his performance that day on the court when he tore through Brendan Haywood.


    O''Malley had thought Jordan would be furious, after all, his trusted junior had been embarrassed by a wet-behind-the-ears high school student. To her surprise, she realized that the junior meant nothing, and the high school student was now his new favorite.


    O''Malley disliked anyone that Jordan liked.


    Labeling the high school student brought in personally by Jordan as "Jordan''s guy" wasn''t wrong whatsoever.


    But today''s event couldn''t be canceled, so O''Malley ordered, "Then change MJ''s media reception into Frye''s rookie meet-and-greet, and go notify him."


    Before long, the assistant came back with a strange look on his face.


    "What''s wrong?" O''Malley could tell from his expression that it wasn''t good news.


    The assistant stammered, "Frye... he says he''s still on vacation, and theoretically... he... he''s not under the team''s control, so... so he won''t attend the meet-and-greet at this time; he''s going to train intensively, which is in preparation for the new season and is to the team''s benefit. Please... please understand."


    The assistant didn''t dare look at O''Malley''s face anymore.


    She was right, O''Malley''s expression at this time was as terrifying as the face in "The Exorcist" that rotated 180 degrees.


    Ignoring regtions, not valuing team interests, acting unterally... to O''Malley, Yu Fei already had a strong vor of Jordan about him.


    Thinking this only made O''Malley angrier.


    Before Jordan descended upon them, few Wizards yers dared to defy her will, for everyone knew she was someone who dared to scold Magic Johnson to his face.


    If Magic himself feared her, of course, others would too.


    However, when she encountered "one of the two types of yers in the world" as described by Magic, her authority dissipated into thin air.


    Even the included Yu Fei could ignore her.


    Authority is a peculiar thing; once gone, it''s difficult to regain.


    "So... today''s event..."


    O''Malley thought for a moment, "Let Rip do it; he''s someone who takes the bigger picture into ount."


    Rip? The assistant wasn''t sure the team''s second-inmand would give up hisst holiday to help with a team event.


    As if reading the assistant''s concern, O''Malley exined her reason for choosing Hamilton, "Rip is a true Wizards yer, he''s responsible and ambitious. He''ll agree to it. You just need to let him know that MJ turned down the event but don''t let him know that the high schooler turned it down too."


    "Understood."


    ¡ù¡ù¡ù


    As a weak team, the Wizards didn''t understand the principle of the early bird catching the worm, they postponed the start of their preseason training camp until October 1st.


    During the same period, other NBA teams had started their training camps ranging from five days to a week earlier.


    Startingter was beneficial for Yu Fei, who was immersed in intensive training.


    From mid-July to the present, over the course of two and a half months, Yu Fei''s three-a-day training sessions had resulted in aprehensive improvement in his fundamental skills, techniques, and strength. The most notable increase was in his weight.


    Yu Fei not only achieved his initial target of gaining 10 pounds but even exceeded it, ultimately putting on an extra 12 pounds (approximately 10 jin).


    Currently, his weight is 229 pounds (104kg), which still doesn''t qualify him to y in the frontcourt in this era of muscr yers. However, if viewed as a tall winger, his weight might not be enough, but he''s no longer the skinny type that goes down at the slightest touch.


    More importantly, Yu Fei had proven that he could gain weight and was willing to put in the effort to do so.


    From a fitness science perspective, barring those who are inherently unable to absorb nutrients well, there''s no such thing as a person who can''t gain weight.


    However, scientifically gaining weight is both hard and dull. Thus, at the end of September, after finishing his intensive training, Yu Fei rewarded himself with an indulgent meal.


    That day, Quentin DiMio returned from Reebok USA Headquarters in Los Angeles to meet with Yu Fei, along with Anthony Lawson and the newly recruited Assistant Alex rk¡ªYu Fei''s team was rarely all together.


    DiMio shared his experiences working at Reebok and brought some inside information for Yu Fei.


    Inside Reebok, there were still many executives who were dissatisfied and concerned about thepany spending such arge sum to sign a contract with a high school yer selected eighth overall.


    Yu Fei understood their feelings, as after all, the big contract he had wasn''t entirely earned by his own strength; Reebok valued the Asian market behind him.


    For Reebok, as long as Yu Fei could establish himself in the NBA and y for ten or eight years, it would make many Asians proud and in turn, buy thepany''s products. That would be worth it.


    Yu Fei, who knew these tricks of the trade well, didn''t take it to heart.


    Then they talked about the Wizards Team.


    Lawson mentioned the incident where Susan O''Malley had asked Yu Fei to end his intensive training early to participate in team activities but was rejected, "I''ve heard of that woman''s story, she''s always been at odds with MJ. Anyway, the Wizards are MJ''s team; we don''t need to make her happy."


    DiMio asked, "How''s MJ doing? I heard he''s having a bit of trouble."


    Yu Fei shrugged nonchntly, "Who knows."


    This was thest night Yu Fei spent with his team members. Tomorrow, he would fly to Wilmington, North Carolina, with his assistant to attend the Wizards'' pre-season training camp.


    The first day of the training camp was also Media Day.


    Dressed in a ck and red tracksuit adorned with the prominent "JORDAN" logo, Michael Jordan appeared in front of a group of reporters, where they swarmed him. His presence struck a wise image, sometimes reflective, sometimes defensive, sometimes firm, asionally humorous, and at times showing apetitive edge. In the end, he even discussed the possibility of failure, showing his candidness and uncertainty.


    "I know how old I am, so I also know that I might end up failing miserably," Jordan tilted his lips to the left in his signature manner, just for an instant. "I ept failure, but I do not ept giving up."


    For the rookies Yu Fei and Kwame Brown, having Jordan on Media Day was a stroke of luck.


    Even though Brown was the first overall pick and Yu Fei was the eighth, the media wouldn''t waste their time on them.


    Watching Jordan surrounded by a pack of reporters, having to give interviews wherever he went, Yu Fei felt that wasn''t the life for a human being.


    Most importantly, Yu Fei noticed a bulge at the knee of Jordan''s sweatpants, clearly indicating an ice pack was being applied there.


    It seemed that the rumor about the Wizards'' training camp being postponed due to Jordan''s tendinitis wasn''t without basis.


    "Fei, aren''t you going to say hello to MJ?" Brown asked.


    Yu Fei turned with a smile, "Nah, I don''t know him that well."


    (1) Magic Johnson: In the world, there are only two types of basketball yers¡ªJordan and everyone else. (Old as it may be, let''s review this ssic quote)

 Chapter 62: 56: Anti-Mike

    Steve Wyche was looking for suitable interview subjects in the gym of the Wilmington Branch.


    Most media were focused on Jordan. As a person from "Jordan''s camp," Wyche wanted to dig out other information about the Wizards Team, which was also his responsibility as the resident journalist from The Washington Post.


    Today was media day. The Wizards Team didn''t need to practice, and most yers were thinking about how to show off in front of the media.


    Only Yu Fei was practicing his shooting in a corner of the court with his trainer.


    Incredibly, no reporters were interviewing this Wizards yer, who had been the subject of the most news during the offseason.


    The first person who reported on Yu Fei during the offseason was Wyche, so they were somewhat acquainted.


    Therefore, Wyche approached Yu Fei and asked jokingly, "Training today as well?"


    Normally, anyone who insisted on training during media day was an idiot.


    To the media, this was a show, signaling to the public how hard you work, but sorry, no one would mention a word about it in the following day''s coverage.


    Putting on a show is also an art¡ªlike Jordan''s so-called "love" for the game when he made hiseback, then going on about how that love was the serious kind of show the media appreciated.


    "I''ve been training like this for the past two months," Yu Fei said helplessly. "I''m used to it now."


    Wyche asked, "Then, do you have time to do an exclusive interview with me?"


    Yu Fei asked curiously, "Are you sure?"


    "What''s the problem?"


    A media person in Washington D.C. who didn''t revolve around Jordan? Could it be that this team''s beat reporter didn''t care about chasing traffic?


    "No, it''s just that I thought you might prefer to interview MJ."


    Yu Fei didn''t know whether it was a cause for happiness or concern when the beat reporter chose him over Jordan.


    However, Wyche''s next words surprised Yu Fei even more: "I am a Michael''s man."


    Implicitly, he could interview Jordan whenever he wanted to.


    Why was Yu Fei surprised? Because he was in Washington D.C., the political heart of the United States. As a beat reporter, representing the so-called fourth estate, Wyche would neverbel himself as "someone''s man" to prove his objectivity and rationality.


    If you used a politically colored reporter of being someone''s man, it was an insult to them.


    In the world of sports, however, Wyche could easily admit in front of others that he was Jordan''s man.


    This was the monotheistic structure unique to the American sports world since the 1990s, after Jordan''s rise.


    Reasonable. Very reasonable.


    Yu Fei nodded, "Okay, what do you want to ask?"


    Wyche''s questions were very formic¡ªhow he felt, his feelings about the Wizards Team, his goals for the new season, and whether there was any pressure being a teammate of Jordan, and he didn''t miss out any question that other reporters would ask.


    "Is this all you want to ask?"


    At the end of the interview, Yu Fei was still a bit puzzled.


    Wyche said calmly, "Yes, these will suffice."


    "Why? You could ask some harder questions," Yu Fei suggested.


    Wycheughed, "I''m Michael''s man, and my task is to put what you''ve told me today on page two of tomorrow''s newspaper."


    "Why?" Yu Fei repeated the question.


    "Because you are also Michael''s man."


    Heaven pity me, how did I end up being Jordan''s man when I''ve lived so cleanly?


    But on second thought, isn''t he indeed Jordan''s man?


    For Yu Fei, Jordan had given upst season''s find, Courtney Alexander, who had been averaging 16 points a game for the Wizards, along with two future first-round picks. If Alexander continued to progress or if the first of those two first-round picks, the unprotected one, provided warmth to someone else, the questions about Jordan would increase manifold.


    So Wyche wasn''t wrong in saying that Yu Fei was Jordan''s man. Big Dog had paid a hefty price to acquire him.


    That day, the most profound thing Jordan said to the reporters was: "The team is full of young yers. I can see that, when I take off this uniform again, they will realize their potential. I will be leaving soon, very soon." Jordan paused when he said this, realizing that hiseback would be but a sh in the pan¡ªa year at most, maybe two¡ªthen, like a sh, he would be gone.


    When taking the preseason team photo, Jordan made sure that Yu Fei and Brown stood right behind him.


    However, Yu Fei wasn''t that close to Jordan.


    On the first day of training camp, Yu Fei hadn''t even spoken a word to Jordan.


    It wasn''t that he was aloof or ungrateful for Jordan''s high regard. If Jordan were still an executive with the team, spending so much to pick him, that would be a stroke of luck.


    Yu Fei would have been very happy to truly be "Michael''s man," but to be Jordan''s teammate and simultaneously "Michael''s man"?


    Are you sure?


    This is a man who uses his biggest helper''s weakness to highlight his own glorious image and drives his teammate to write an autobiography to disparage him. To be his good teammate and be his man, one must give up everything they can, as obedient as a Ragdoll cat.


    Yu Fei''s approach was to keep a respectful distance, drawing a "38th Parallel" between himself and Jordan.


    He would not cross Jordan''s bottom line, but if Jordan crossed his, who cares if you are Michael Jordan or Jordan Carver? He would take action first and talkter.


    The day after media day, Yu Fei was the first to arrive at the Wilmington Branch''s court.


    No one was earlier than him.


    Because no one trains at eight thirty in the morning.


    During the training camp, Yu Fei began his on-ball rehabilitation training with a terrifying intensity.


    In the summer, to gain weight, he separated his on-ball training from his strength training, but the increase in strength training inevitably affected his shooting touch.


    Therefore, although Yu Fei had gained weight as wished, the beginnings of a decent shot he had worked so hard to develop over the past year disappeared just like Yua Mikami''s acting.


    So, every morning, Yu Fei would undergo three hours of irregr shooting training.


    This made Anthony Lawson suffer terribly.


    "Fi, I think even Rip''s not as diligent with his shooting training as you," Lawson sighed.


    "That''s nonsense. If I had Rip''s shooting ability, I''d also ck off, but I don''t, do I?"


    "Actually, you don''t have to work so hard, being MJ''s man. Just like Kwame, even if your shooting is unstable, it won''t matter."


    Kwame... Yu Fei found it amusing.


    Lately, Brown has been approaching him often, telling him how good Jordan is to him and how close their rtionship is.


    Brown found it strange why Yu Fei didn''t take the initiative to get closer to Jordan.


    Yu Fei said, "I don''t like hanging out with old geezers."


    "Mike is not an old man."


    He already referred to Jordan as "Mike," so Yu Fei had to go along with it.


    Yu Fei''s shooting practicested from eight in the morning until eleven thirty.


    When Yu Fei ended the morning training with a pull-up three-pointer, a shirtless Lawson copsed under the basket.


    "Ha huff~ Ha huff~ Ha huff~"


    "Look at you, all dead tired just from picking up a few balls?" Yu Fei disdainfully looked at Lawson.


    Lawson was nearly too out of breath to respond to Yu Fei, but if anyone dared question his stamina, he wouldn''t mind having them switch roles with him.


    Being a training partner for someone whose shooting percentage under practice conditions was below 70% was a form of torture.


    Yu Fei and Lawson decided to take a shower first, then find a ce to have lunch.


    In the changing room, they met Richard Hamilton, who hade early to set up the daily necessities.


    Before crossing over, Yu Fei didn''t know Hamilton.


    Because the nickname "Midrange King" was meaningless in the era of small ball, and Hamilton himself was quite an invisible star, with little fame among the new generation of fans.


    Even now, Yu Fei only knew that his midrange shooting was good, but his shooting percentage was only 44%.


    In today''s game, that''s the normal level for a star yer, but it''s not considered efficient.


    Yu Fei was nning to just say hello and then go take a shower, but Hamilton, curious as a child, stared at him, "Are you the ''Anti-Mike'' rookie?"


    "Anti... Anti-Mike?"


    Hamiltonughed heartily, "Kwame says you don''t like the old man, and indeed you''ve never approached Michael, so everyone thinks you''re ''Anti-Mike''."


    What everyone thinks isn''t important, what matters is what Jordan thinks.


    "The person who spread this rumor must be an antichrist deserving of crucifixion," Yu Fei said righteously, "I''ve always been a fan of Michael. My home is filled with a lot of his game tapes; how could I be ''Anti-Mike''? It''s the person who spread this rumor to drive a wedge between me and Michael who is the real ''Anti-Mike''!"


    Hamilton was greatly surprised, as if he was a single-celled organism, "Oh, is that so? You, a Seattleite, are a fan of Michael''s?"


    "First, I''m not from Seattle, second, I truly am a fan of Michael''s. If there could only be one Jordan fan in the United States, it would have to be me."


    Yu Fei spoke with such conviction he almost believed himself, and Hamilton took his words at face value, reaching a consensus on the spot.


    The real ''Anti-Mike'' is the one spreading the rumors.


    Thank you to the silent readers, book friends 20210202191906082, book friends 20210301106532947630, Yuren, Passionate Scumbag Zhen, moteor, book friend 20180824130911568, Search for 3999, Little Bear Hands Up 7777777, I''m the Runner-Up, A Kun that Can''t Be Stewed in One Pot, This Is a Fake Name, for your rewards.

 Chapter 64: Chapter 58 The Fall of Kwame Brown

    (Thanks to the reader who pointed out the error in the previous chapter.)


    Kwame Brown didn''t have much of a temper, in fact, it could be said he didn''t have one at all.


    The respect that everyone showed him originated from Jordan.


    On the second day of the training camp, Jordan and Brown entered the Wilmington Branch gym like an uncle and his nephew, chatting andughing in close camaraderie.


    Today, Jordan was dressed in sports gear and looked ready to train, but the ice pack clinging to his foot was still a source of concern.


    Although Jordan had started to train, the intensity wasn''t high, as he had taken the doctor''s advice to lower the intensity and reduce the training time, taking asional days off.


    This was something an athlete who wanted to survive the long NBA season had to do.


    Jordan had once tried tobat the pain with sheer willpower, but he quickly sumbed and had no choice but to ept reality.


    Today, Jordan''s mentor, Dean Smith, came to the Wilmington Branch.


    Only in the presence of Smith did Jordan appear like a yer willing to humbly take advice.


    Brown strutted around the gym; his life was like a dreame true. Only on m v|le|mp|yr


    "Frye, I heard you had a beef with Christian?" Brown said like an older brother, "Don''t worry, leave it to me!"


    Yu Fei smiled and nodded: "Thanks."


    Then Brown walked over to Ratner. Fei was too far away to hear what was said, but he saw Brown talk at length before pointing at Fei. Ratner responded with his trademark fake smile, appearing to agree with Brown''s point of view.


    That was it, resolved? Fei couldn''t believe Ratner would just follow Brown''s leadpletely.


    But whether Fei believed it or not was immaterial, what mattered was that Brown believed it.


    Brown returned to Fei''s side, "Christian told me he''s willing to turn the page. Frye, out of respect for me, you should do the same."


    Was there an addiction to ying the big brother?


    Fei had no choice but to say, "If he turns the page, I''ll turn the page."


    "That''s the spirit, my brother!" Brownughed heartily.


    Having Jordan on the training field wasn''t good news for the other people at the camp because, apart from scrimmages, the camp was entirely open to the media at all other times.


    Apart from some who were crazy for fame, a normal yer wouldn''t want to be distracted by other things during training.


    Fortunately, the media''s focus was primarily on Jordan.


    The media easily noticed the ice pack on Jordan''s knee. "Michael, how''s your foot?"


    "No problem."


    Jordan only responded once about his foot injury. Other reporters asked the same questionter, but he ignored them. Interestingly, the reporters on site quickly sensed that this was a topic Jordan didn''t want to discuss and, as if in unspoken agreement, they moved on to other questions.


    Then, a reporter from The Washington Post asked Jordan what he thought about the yers'' level of effort on the team.


    "Effort?" Jordan expressed appreciation for the question, "Yes, I ce a lot of importance on that. Besides the love for the game, the most important thing is whether one puts in the effort on the training court. There''s nothing better than being the first to enter the gym and thest to leave. I''ve seen young yers doing it, but..."


    Jordan''s gaze drifted towards Brown who still hadn''t joined the training. They got along well; Brown was a good kid but somewhatcked boundaries. How to put it? He didn''t have enough respect for himself, much like Fei, and that was not a good sign. If he wanted to lead the team, the youngsters had to have respect for themselves. Fei neither tried to ingratiate himself with him nor deliberately distance himself; everything he did was to prove that he could hold his own in the team through his own abilities. Fine, Jordan was willing to give him a chance to prove himself, while Brown''s performance so far was disappointing.


    At least for now, Brown had not shown extraordinary skills but ced himself at the position of a superstar. He was not putting in the effort or making sacrifices.


    Jordan didn''t like that, but he did not show it.


    Because he still needed to maintain his image as a mentor and leader. However, if the foolishness of the youth breached his threshold, anything could happen.


    "There are also some who have not done so," Jordan said, "I believe that sooner orter they will understand that spending a great deal of time on the training court to hone their abilities will help them control the game."


    Fei would wager that Jordan expended more energy handling the media than he did working out on the training court, and yet such a person could preach about effort and dedication in front of reporters? What was the worlding to?


    Grand speeches were hardly Doggett''s style.


    But some people... Fei noticed Brown''s audacity; he was getting way over his head.


    Thinking that Jordan''s favor could make him a big shot on the team.


    Even Jordan participated in some light training, but Brown still used back spasms as an excuse to skip the second day of the training camp.


    If he really was injured, he shouldn''t be running around on the court, let alone inviting Jordan to a basketball duel after hardly managing to get rid of the media.


    What Brown didn''t know was that the Jordan caring for him at that time, teaching him about attire and nutrition, taking him out to eat, and attending events with him wasn''t the same man now. The current Jordan was annoyed, and Brown''s several invitations made him decide to test the young man''s capabilities.


    When Jordan and Brown, these two privileged yers, prepared for the one-on-one, everyone gathered around.


    Yu Fei heard that the duel had been Brown''s insistent request of Jordan, which made him sweat for the ssmate who had been very friendly to him.


    If this had been a live broadcast, Yu Fei would have sent thisment: Bring the power!


    At first, Jordan probably didn''t intend to teach Brown a harsh lesson, as he let Brown attack first with a smile.


    As Brown made a one-handed ball-handling move, Jordan even teased, "Kwame, do you know the difference between you and me when you make that move?"


    Brown looked at him, puzzled.


    "When I make that move, Chicago gave me 30 million US Dors."


    It was a joke, and everyoneughed, especially Tyrone Nesby SF/PF on the sidelines, who nearly cried withughter.


    Yu Fei admitted that Jordan''s joke made the corners of his mouth turn up, but was it that funny?


    Brown alsoughed, and they had to restart the game.


    Then, Brown began performing high-school-level fancy dribbling in front of Jordan.


    Jordan poked at the ball half-heartedly, merely as a test, but Brown took the deceptive defense seriously, thinking he caught a major w and sped forward,pletely unprepared for Jordan to be knocked down hard to the floor by Brown''s body.


    And Brown, without any regard for Jordan on the ground, charged to the basket and dunked the ball.


    By the time Brownnded, he was like a victor, telling Jordan, "Michael, you haven''t yed in years, let me teach you a few tricks."


    Yu Fei wondered if Brown could smell the blood in the air.


    Jordan''s brown eyes were bloodshot as he entered an uncontroble rage, with the pain from his tendinitis still troubling him, but being angry enough could make a human ignore pain.


    He stood up and roared, "If you want to teach me how to do things, I''ll fucking knock the shit out of you!"


    Unfortunately for Brown, his honeymoon period with Jordan was over.


    From that moment on, Brown''s life switched from a fairy tale back to reality, as cruel as throwing a fresh Liu Tianxian into the set of "Evil Angel."


    When Brown tried to attack again, Jordan flipped him over with a foul move and gained the offensive possession.


    Brown opened his mouth to call a foul, but there were no referees here.


    Jordan engaged Hannibal Mode, showing no mercy to his enemy.


    He scored at will in front of Brown, taunting him with every basket.


    The court was filled with insultingnguage, some of which, if said 20 yearster, would have ruined Jordan''s reputation instantly.


    Yu Fei watched as the color drained from Brown''s face until the veryst ball, when Jordan made him stumble and charged under the basket toplete a two-handed m dunk. He then grabbed Brown by the cor and bellowed, "From today on, you''d better call me Mr. Jordan, you arrogant mutt!"


    That was the moment Kwame Brown''s downfall began.


    Jordan had established his dominance over him.


    Everyone dispersed, leaving only Brown sitting there as if he had just lived through a nightmare.


    Yu Fei observed Brown, whose eyes were dull, learning a profound lesson. The NBA was ruled by Jordan and the generation influenced by him; might makes right, and that''s the game''s rule. The young Brown thought the world would always revolve around him, but no matter where you are, it''s only when you prove your strength that the world revolves around you, as Huang Bo said, when you''re sessful, you find yourself surrounded by good people.


    Jordan could have made Brown a leader admired by all but to be scorned as a bust also took only one duel.


    This was what Yu Fei had learned from this incident.


    Brown''s experience reaffirmed Yu Fei''s conviction that not aligning with Jordan and entrenching his status as "one of Michael''s guys" like Brown did was the most correct decision he made after being drafted by the Wizards.


    He was chosen by Jordan based on his ability and potential, not needing to leverage Jordan''s influence to gain stature¡ªwhat others give, they can also take away.


    You can only rely on yourself for everything.

 Chapter 64: Chapter 58 The Fall of Kwame Brown

    (Thanks to the reader who pointed out the error in the previous chapter.)


    Kwame Brown didn''t have much of a temper, in fact, it could be said he didn''t have one at all.


    The respect that everyone showed him originated from Jordan.


    On the second day of the training camp, Jordan and Brown entered the Wilmington Branch gym like an uncle and his nephew, chatting andughing in close camaraderie.


    Today, Jordan was dressed in sports gear and looked ready to train, but the ice pack clinging to his foot was still a source of concern.


    Although Jordan had started to train, the intensity wasn''t high, as he had taken the doctor''s advice to lower the intensity and reduce the training time, taking asional days off.


    This was something an athlete who wanted to survive the long NBA season had to do.


    Jordan had once tried tobat the pain with sheer willpower, but he quickly sumbed and had no choice but to ept reality.


    Today, Jordan''s mentor, Dean Smith, came to the Wilmington Branch.


    Only in the presence of Smith did Jordan appear like a yer willing to humbly take advice.


    Brown strutted around the gym; his life was like a dreame true. On


    "Frye, I heard you had a beef with Christian?" Brown said like an older brother, "Don''t worry, leave it to me!"


    Yu Fei smiled and nodded: "Thanks."


    Then Brown walked over to Ratner. Fei was too far away to hear what was said, but he saw Brown talk at length before pointing at Fei. Ratner responded with his trademark fake smile, appearing to agree with Brown''s point of view.


    That was it, resolved? Fei couldn''t believe Ratner would just follow Brown''s leadpletely.


    But whether Fei believed it or not was immaterial, what mattered was that Brown believed it.


    Brown returned to Fei''s side, "Christian told me he''s willing to turn the page. Frye, out of respect for me, you should do the same."


    Was there an addiction to ying the big brother?


    Fei had no choice but to say, "If he turns the page, I''ll turn the page."


    "That''s the spirit, my brother!" Brownughed heartily.


    Having Jordan on the training field wasn''t good news for the other people at the camp because, apart from scrimmages, the camp was entirely open to the media at all other times.


    Apart from some who were crazy for fame, a normal yer wouldn''t want to be distracted by other things during training.


    Fortunately, the media''s focus was primarily on Jordan.


    The media easily noticed the ice pack on Jordan''s knee. "Michael, how''s your foot?"


    "No problem."


    Jordan only responded once about his foot injury. Other reporters asked the same questionter, but he ignored them. Interestingly, the reporters on site quickly sensed that this was a topic Jordan didn''t want to discuss and, as if in unspoken agreement, they moved on to other questions.


    Then, a reporter from The Washington Post asked Jordan what he thought about the yers'' level of effort on the team.


    "Effort?" Jordan expressed appreciation for the question, "Yes, I ce a lot of importance on that. Besides the love for the game, the most important thing is whether one puts in the effort on the training court. There''s nothing better than being the first to enter the gym and thest to leave. I''ve seen young yers doing it, but..."


    Jordan''s gaze drifted towards Brown who still hadn''t joined the training. They got along well; Brown was a good kid but somewhatcked boundaries. How to put it? He didn''t have enough respect for himself, much like Fei, and that was not a good sign. If he wanted to lead the team, the youngsters had to have respect for themselves. Fei neither tried to ingratiate himself with him nor deliberately distance himself; everything he did was to prove that he could hold his own in the team through his own abilities. Fine, Jordan was willing to give him a chance to prove himself, while Brown''s performance so far was disappointing.


    At least for now, Brown had not shown extraordinary skills but ced himself at the position of a superstar. He was not putting in the effort or making sacrifices.


    Jordan didn''t like that, but he did not show it.


    Because he still needed to maintain his image as a mentor and leader. However, if the foolishness of the youth breached his threshold, anything could happen.


    "There are also some who have not done so," Jordan said, "I believe that sooner orter they will understand that spending a great deal of time on the training court to hone their abilities will help them control the game."


    Fei would wager that Jordan expended more energy handling the media than he did working out on the training court, and yet such a person could preach about effort and dedication in front of reporters? What was the worlding to?


    Grand speeches were hardly Doggett''s style.


    But some people... Fei noticed Brown''s audacity; he was getting way over his head.


    Thinking that Jordan''s favor could make him a big shot on the team.


    Even Jordan participated in some light training, but Brown still used back spasms as an excuse to skip the second day of the training camp.


    If he really was injured, he shouldn''t be running around on the court, let alone inviting Jordan to a basketball duel after hardly managing to get rid of the media.


    What Brown didn''t know was that the Jordan caring for him at that time, teaching him about attire and nutrition, taking him out to eat, and attending events with him wasn''t the same man now. The current Jordan was annoyed, and Brown''s several invitations made him decide to test the young man''s capabilities.


    When Jordan and Brown, these two privileged yers, prepared for the one-on-one, everyone gathered around.


    Yu Fei heard that the duel had been Brown''s insistent request of Jordan, which made him sweat for the ssmate who had been very friendly to him.


    If this had been a live broadcast, Yu Fei would have sent thisment: Bring the power!


    At first, Jordan probably didn''t intend to teach Brown a harsh lesson, as he let Brown attack first with a smile.


    As Brown made a one-handed ball-handling move, Jordan even teased, "Kwame, do you know the difference between you and me when you make that move?"


    Brown looked at him, puzzled.


    "When I make that move, Chicago gave me 30 million US Dors."


    It was a joke, and everyoneughed, especially Tyrone Nesby SF/PF on the sidelines, who nearly cried withughter.


    Yu Fei admitted that Jordan''s joke made the corners of his mouth turn up, but was it that funny?


    Brown alsoughed, and they had to restart the game.


    Then, Brown began performing high-school-level fancy dribbling in front of Jordan.


    Jordan poked at the ball half-heartedly, merely as a test, but Brown took the deceptive defense seriously, thinking he caught a major w and sped forward,pletely unprepared for Jordan to be knocked down hard to the floor by Brown''s body.


    And Brown, without any regard for Jordan on the ground, charged to the basket and dunked the ball.


    By the time Brownnded, he was like a victor, telling Jordan, "Michael, you haven''t yed in years, let me teach you a few tricks."


    Yu Fei wondered if Brown could smell the blood in the air.


    Jordan''s brown eyes were bloodshot as he entered an uncontroble rage, with the pain from his tendinitis still troubling him, but being angry enough could make a human ignore pain.


    He stood up and roared, "If you want to teach me how to do things, I''ll fucking knock the shit out of you!"


    Unfortunately for Brown, his honeymoon period with Jordan was over.


    From that moment on, Brown''s life switched from a fairy tale back to reality, as cruel as throwing a fresh Liu Tianxian into the set of "Evil Angel."


    When Brown tried to attack again, Jordan flipped him over with a foul move and gained the offensive possession.


    Brown opened his mouth to call a foul, but there were no referees here.


    Jordan engaged Hannibal Mode, showing no mercy to his enemy.


    He scored at will in front of Brown, taunting him with every basket.


    The court was filled with insultingnguage, some of which, if said 20 yearster, would have ruined Jordan''s reputation instantly.


    Yu Fei watched as the color drained from Brown''s face until the veryst ball, when Jordan made him stumble and charged under the basket toplete a two-handed m dunk. He then grabbed Brown by the cor and bellowed, "From today on, you''d better call me Mr. Jordan, you arrogant mutt!"


    That was the moment Kwame Brown''s downfall began.


    Jordan had established his dominance over him.


    Everyone dispersed, leaving only Brown sitting there as if he had just lived through a nightmare.


    Yu Fei observed Brown, whose eyes were dull, learning a profound lesson. The NBA was ruled by Jordan and the generation influenced by him; might makes right, and that''s the game''s rule. The young Brown thought the world would always revolve around him, but no matter where you are, it''s only when you prove your strength that the world revolves around you, as Huang Bo said, when you''re sessful, you find yourself surrounded by good people.


    Jordan could have made Brown a leader admired by all but to be scorned as a bust also took only one duel.


    This was what Yu Fei had learned from this incident.


    Brown''s experience reaffirmed Yu Fei''s conviction that not aligning with Jordan and entrenching his status as "one of Michael''s guys" like Brown did was the most correct decision he made after being drafted by the Wizards.


    He was chosen by Jordan based on his ability and potential, not needing to leverage Jordan''s influence to gain stature¡ªwhat others give, they can also take away.


    You can only rely on yourself for everything.

 Chapter 65: Chapter 59: Settling Old Scores

    ```


    Although Yu Fei had long anticipated Kwame Brown''s downfall, it was still quite shocking when it actually happened.


    Yu Fei remembered watching The Last Dance, and during the scenes where Jordan disciplined Scott Burrell, the camera cut to B.J. Armstrong''s interview. Armstrong spoke with a grave expression, "What you are seeing is just 1/100 of what we experienced."


    By Armstrong''s standard, how much of their experience had Brown just gone through? 50%? Or 100%?


    Jordan called it a crash course for champions, and in the penultimate episode of The Last Dance, he defended himself with tears in his eyes: The teammates who joined the teamter didn''t go through what I did, I, Michael Jordan, never asked them to do anything I couldn''t do...


    Yu Fei, regardless of Jordan''s aplishments, saw this as bullying. Why should his teammates have to go through what he did?


    Speaking of which, Scottie Pippen, a yer with considerable influence in his own right, sted Jordan in his autobiography. He believed that the old Bulls could tolerate Jordan not because they survived his crash course, but because they had a sense of honor and wanted to fight for championships.


    Therefore, Jordan''s sess cannot justify the fact that he bullied his teammates.


    This was in the 90s, but in the 21st-century social media era, an era where people get sted in meetings even for something as trivial as ''James not attending Kobe''s memorial service,'' there is no room for tyrants.


    Yu Fei walked over to Brown and asked, "Would you like to have dinner together tonight?"


    Brown was no longer the big brother; he couldn''t cover for Yu Fei anymore.


    In a pessimistic estimate, he had to fend for himself starting today.


    Consequently, he hadpletely lost his appetite, "Not hungry."


    "That''s a good excuse," Yu Fei said.


    "Excuse?"


    "If you get blown out again tomorrow, you can say you didn''t have dinnerst night because you weren''t hungry."


    Brown rolled his eyes, "Okay, where are we eating?"


    "There''s a decent Chinese restaurant nearby..."


    At this point, Brown had no opinions of his own. Whatever Yu Fei suggested went¡ªChinese restaurant? Whatever.


    When Brown saw a bunch of fried foods on the table, he hesitated, "Michael said... this kind of food is bad for me."


    "Still Michael? Didn''t he ask you to call him Mr. Jordan?" Yu Fei teased.


    Although Yu Fei was joking, his words did sting Brown.


    Recalling what had just happened, and the care Jordan had shown him since the draft, he couldn''t reconcile the two images in his mind, convincing himself that they were the actions of the same person.


    But the truth was, his rtionship with Jordan could never go back to what it was.


    Looking back, Brown realized how right Yu Fei''s decision to keep his distance from Jordan from the very beginning was.


    "Did you know from the start what kind of person he was?" Brown asked.


    "Although I grew up in Kent, I''m half a Seattle person, you know. Seattle people don''t like MJ. Like other Seattle people, I''ve read Sam Smith''s The Jordan Rules. Many deny the authenticity of that book, but looking at it now, it urately describes MJ''s character," Yu Fei said.


    In fact, Yu Fei had not read it, but he could get a rough idea of Jordan''s character through The Last Dance and Scottie Pippen''s autobiography.


    Having plummeted from the virtual world into reality, Brown pragmatically said, "I''ll take a look at that book."


    "You really should," Yu Fei said jokingly.


    After that, Yu Fei and Brown did not talk about Jordan again. They ate junk food, talked about their families and childhoods, trying to findmon ground.


    But apart from also being fatherless, Brown had almost nothing inmon with Yu Fei.


    Although Yu Fei grew up in a single-parent household, his mother, Yu Fenglin, had above-averageprehensive qualities among women, and they settled down pretty quickly after some initial difficulties.


    Brown''s childhood, on the other hand, was much harder. Yu Fei found it overwhelming to listen to, as he had heard simr tales from Iguod and James.


    Even though their childhoods had little inmon, this heart-to-heart brought them closer together.


    From now on, as freshmen, they would inevitably face the difficulties posed by the veterans, especially now that Brown had fallen out of favor. Yu Fei, a rookie who showed no respect for his elders, would certainly be a prime target for scum like Christian Laettner.


    Yu Fei had already made a decision.


    He would earn his ce through performance. If the veterans tried to push him around based on seniority, they''d have to prove they were qualified first.


    After all, whether it''s ying pranks or throwing weight around due to age, everything has a limit. Cross the line, and it wouldn''t just be Laettner¡ªYu Fei would stand up to Jordan himself. Don''t talk to him about gang rules or unwritten workcews. Haven''t you seen the crackdowns on workce norms?


    Doug Collins lived in uncertainty every day.


    Even though he had just transitioned frommentary back to coaching, he had no doubts about his professional capabilities. Collins was renowned in the professional basketball world for his expertise; whilementating, he would often urately predict the underdog team''s strategy during timeouts.


    But there''s a difference between armchair strategizing and being on the front lines.


    ```


    Collins'' biggest problem at the moment was not his professional ability, but hisck of persuasive authority as a coach.


    Jordan''s tendinitis was a ticking time bomb. No one knew when his injury would worsen. Grover had exhausted himself trying to exin, and the media''s interrogations were tiresome, while Jordan stubbornly went his own way. Collins, as the coach, seemed to be the only one who could save him.


    Provided Collins possessed the reputation, wisdom, and unquestionable authority that a normal coach should have.


    The problem was that Collins was only a coach in name, much as Jordan was only a yer in name.


    Jordan was not just a yer for the Wizards, but also the shadow coach, the shadow general manager, and even the shadow president of the team. Everyone, including Collins, Ansel, and even the owner Pollin, was a puppet to him, unable to defy his will.


    Therefore, for Collins, Jordan''s wishes weremands, and in order to please His Holiness, he had to attest that Jordan''s knees were very healthy. Jordan didn''t want to sit out? Fine, let him join the practice. It was negligible to risk a slight exacerbation of tendinitis to keep Brother Jordan happy ¡ª if anything went wrong, little Collins would take the me.


    That morning, Collins walked around the gym in Wilmington.


    Jordan arrived early today because he felt his body had recovered pretty well and thought he might be able to participate in the full practice session.


    But someone had arrived even earlier than Jordan.


    Collins watched Yu Fei practicing shooting on the court.


    There had always been doubts within the Wizards regarding Jordan''s decision to use two lottery picks to select high school students, especially the trade that exchanged two future first-round picks for Yu Fei.


    In the first few days of training camp, Yu Fei had made a good impression on Collins.


    Yu Fei embodied the diligence, hard work, and seriousness that old-school yers admired.


    However, Collins'' opinion of him dipped when Yu Fei got into a friction over a trivial matter with Laettner, indicating that Yu Fei had a fiery temper.


    Moreover, there were rumors that Yu Fei was "Anti-Mike".


    Collins truly did not know how to approach Yu Fei with any kind of attitude.


    But what about how to deal with Kwame Brown? Yesterday, Jordan had already provided an answer.


    The long-experienced assistant coach Johnny Bach walked up to Collins with a troubled expression: "Kwame says his back still doesn''t feel right..."


    Collins waved his hand in annoyance, "Enough! I''m fed up with thesezy excuses! Tell that kid, he must show up at the gym in his sports gear today. We''ve been waiting for him for several days. Even Michael is training; is his injury worse than Michael''s? Excuses! They''re all excuses!"


    Yu Fei turned a deaf ear to themotion nearby.


    Even though Collins was the head coach, Yu Fei did not take him seriously.


    This man had also appeared in "The Last Dance", and Yu Fei remembered his adtions for Jordan.


    If you want to defeat Michael, you have to sever his limbs, but he would still wriggle and bite you.


    That was the Jordan of 2020, his renown long past its peak, yet Collins still licked Jordan''s boots in the documentary. It could be said that boot-licking Jordan had be his instinct; he was Jordan''s marite and would do nothing that Jordan didn''t allow.


    Therefore, Yu Fei gave no thought to the fuss Collins had stirred up, not even sparing a nce.


    On the other hand, his sparring partner Anthony Lawson said with a grin, "That guy who imed he''d have your back is having a tough time now."


    Stay updated with m-vl-em,py-r


    "Stop talking about him; just pick up the balls," Yu Fei said.


    "Can you shoot more urately?"


    "You think I don''t want to?"


    Yu Fei practiced as usual until 11:30 a.m., then showered, ate, rested a bit, and waited for the start of the afternoon''s team practice.


    When Yu Fei arrived in the locker room, he encountered Christian Laettner.


    They had nothing to say to each other.


    However, just before leaving, Laettner said, "Now that the top pick has lost his status, the assurances he made for you no longer count."


    Yu Fei asked, "What do you want to do?"


    "I''m a person who really likes to settle scores," Laettner said ominously. "Today, on the court, let''s settle our old ounts properly."


    Brown''s lesson was still fresh in Yu Fei''s mind.


    What others give, they can also take away.


    Yu Fei clenched his fists and set Laettner as his target.


    Jordan could establish authority with Brown; he could do the same with Laettner, who previously had already turned the page, yet this scum was offering himself up.


    "I''m looking forward to it," Yu Fei said.


    ¢Å The Jordan Rules, another book that criticized Jordan. However, it can''t really be considered criticism since the author simply wrote what Jordan had done. But we live in an age of "stating facts is considered bashing," so although the book only reveals the real Jordan, it''s seen as bashing him.

 Chapter 66: Chapter 60: This Block is Called Welcome Back to the NBA

    When Yu Fei returned to the gym, he unexpectedly found Kwame Brown there.


    He remembered that Brown had felt some difort in his back after eating yesterday and had nned to take a leave today.


    Had he woken up this morning feeling much better?


    "Didn''t you take a leave?" Yu Fei asked.


    Brown said resentfully, "The coach denied my leave request."


    Denied?


    This twist was something Yu Fei hadn''t expected. Was this the NBA? Even if Brown was underperforming, he was still a first overall pick. Had his status fallen to such a low level after being brutally dominated by Jordan?


    Was this the NBA he remembered, where yers with minor injuries would be thoroughly pampered until every health indicator was perfect before they were allowed to y in a game?


    Indeed, this was not the NBA Yu Fei knew.


    The NBA of the future was exceedingly amodating when it came to looking after its yers; for those with a stable position on the team, simply feeling ufortable would warrant a scheduled rest.


    Now what? Regardless of whether you''re a first overall pick, rookies are supposed to work hard, endure difort, and deal with pain. This is a rite of passage for every NBA yer.


    In fact, it was precisely because Brown had shown himself to be toozy and weak that Jordan destroyed him on the spot.


    With things havinge to this, Yu Fei could only wish Brown good luck for the day.


    Besides, he had no time to worry about Brown, since he still had Ratner to deal with.


    Stay informed at m-vl-em,pyr


    That literal son of a bitch who undoubtedly had some nasty trick up his sleeve.


    As Yu Fei entered the gym, he first saw a group of veterans practicing their shooting.


    Jordan usually didn''t train with them.


    Today was no different.


    Jordan was with Grover.


    Watching Grover instruct Jordan to perform various movements, Yu Fei couldn''t help but wonder, what was so special about these exercises?


    But in the end, he just stood there.


    He''d never spoken to Grover, who looked like a carbon copy of Jordan.


    Like Jordan, he was bald, and although shorter in stature, he had a solid frame and well-developed muscles. Also, he deliberately chose to wear the same clothes as Jordan.


    It was as if he were Jordan''s avatar.


    The most ironic part was that Grover''s influence over Jordan was evidently greater than that of the head coach Doug Collins.


    In some cases, Collins might have to rely on Grover to remind Jordan of certain things.


    The Wizards Team was in full attendance today, and on top of tactical drills, they were also set to have an official scrimmage.


    For a team that started its training campter than others, the Wizards Team had all its training progress dyed, so Collins demanded the mindset of actualbat for today''s scrimmage.


    The grouping was interesting as well.


    Jordan and Richard Hamilton each led a team.


    Jordan''s team was almost entirely made up of old veterans, including himself, Ratner, (Chris) Whitney, Tyronn Nesby, and Jahidi White.


    Nesby was the only yer on Jordan''s team who could be considered young. He was an undrafted pick from 1998 and was now in his fourth NBA year. As a blue-cor big man even smaller than Ben Wace, his way of surviving in the NBA, apart from ying hard, was to ingratiate himself with the team''s big shot.


    Therefore, from the day Jordan made hiseback, Nesby became his devotedckey.


    Younger yers naturally gravitated toward Richard Hamilton.


    Besides Yu Fei, there were Kwame Brown, Tyronn Lue, and Hubert Davis.


    Hamilton called himself and the other teammates "The New Jacks," a term from the gangster movie New Jack City.


    Yu Fei liked this nickname; he believed Hamilton''s deliberate distinction between the young yers and the veterans was no spur-of-the-moment decision.


    Hamilton was well aware that Jordan''seback had postponed his own time as team leader, but Jordan would retire eventually, so the team would be his sooner orter.


    Yet, as a vibrant part of Generation Y, Hamilton had already experienced what it was like to y a supporting role to a superstar.


    Back in Phdelphia, before he went to UConn, he and Kobe had fought side by side on the same AAU Team. Kobe was the strongest yer in their ss and the core of the team, while he was just a nobody who appeared out of nowhere.


    Now Kobe had achieved fame and glory, capturing two championships at a young age, seemingly the next Michael Jordan. Hamilton had no ill will towards Kobe¡ªthey were buddies and often chatted on the phone. But Jordan? Why was this old-timer who had been retired for three years able to suit up and return to the fray? What did he have left to prove?


    Despite his immense dissatisfaction, Hamilton could only suppress it.


    Because from any angle, the Wizards Team was Jordan''s team.


    "New Jacks, let''s perform well today!" Hamilton shouted encouragement to his young teammates before the scrimmage started, "Don''t let those old guys look down on us!"


    He really wanted to do well in this game.


    Yu Fei smiled, looked at his teammates, and, ording to the New Jacks'' yer assignments, he was to y the small forward position.


    This was just right for him as it was how he saw himself fitting in the NBA.


    He would start at small forward, and whether he would move to y insideter would depend on how much weight he gained.


    The game started with a jump ball, with Brown taking the center position for the New Jacks, contesting for possession against Ratner.


    Although Ratner had the height advantage, age and injuries had taken away his jumping ability.


    Therefore, Brown easily won the tap.


    Yu Fei hustled to the frontcourt, positioning himself on one side with Hamilton on the other, and upon focusing, he realized that Tyronn Nesby was the one matching up against him.


    As a shorter yer in the frontcourt, Nesby''s strengths were his footwork and speed, indeed capable of guarding anyone without discrimination.


    However, his defensive tendencies were still geared towards ying inside.


    Yu Fei was about to ask for the ball when Coach Lu noticed Brown had gotten into position and instead lobbed the ball inside.


    Matching up against Ratner, Brown was full of energy.


    Suddenly, he seemed to have regained his confidence.


    If I can''t y against Jordan, can''t I y against you? That was the vibe he was giving off.


    But when Ratner''s rough y and patently foul-worthy handcheck were ignored by the referee, Brown''s small hands and weak ball-handling skills werepletely exposed.


    The ball was stripped from his hands, and as he opened his mouth to protest the foul, he was ignored.


    Ratner picked up the ball and led Jordan with a pass.


    The man''s character might be questionable, but his basketball skills were among the NBA''s elite, delivering such a smooth pass even without ever practicing with Jordan.


    "Michael, watch your back!"


    Ratner''s expression changed.


    His warning came a fraction toote.


    Jordan, aiming for a soaring dunk, did not expect the utterly disrespectful madman behind him to leap into the air and forcefully swat the ball away from the side.


    Jordan cast a sideways nce and saw the face of the pesky "Anti-Mike" clearly¡ªit was infuriating!


    Just as Yu Feipleted the chase-down block and was ready to start a counterattack, Johnny Bach, serving as the temporary referee, blew the whistle.


    Hitting foul!


    "No way?"ined Hamilton, "That was a clean, awesome defensive y!"


    Bach ignored Hamilton, focusing instead on Yu Fei, "Not clean enough. In a real game, referees would call that because you''re a rookie."


    Yu Fei understood the logic, but he wasn''t willing to let it go, "You just missed a defensive foul in the frontcourt that referees would 100% call in a real game, and now you''re telling me you made this call because it''s something referees might do to me in an actual game?"


    "Hmph," Jordan said quietly, watching the distinctive ''Anti-Mike'', "That''s reality, rookie. Wee to the NBA."


    Yu Fei stared back at Jordan, unyielding, and replied coldly, "Then, that block just now can be called ''wee back to the NBA''."


    Yu Fei radiated an aura that even Jordan found dangerous.


    This rookie''s eyes held no respect, not for Ratner and not for him.


    This was different from Kwame Brown, who, after being hyped to the heavens, lost his bearings and showed disrespect without understanding the gravity of it.


    Brown''s behavior could be interpreted as a kind of "passive humanity," but humans are humans because they have self-control, knowing what to do and what not to do. Therefore, when Jordan kicked Brown back down to earth, Brown came to his senses.


    Yu Fei, however, was different.


    What Yu Fei showed was not passive humanity but "true nature."


    He didn''t care about the NBA''s unwritten rules, so he refused to doundry for Ratner, and now he equally ignored Jordan, showing dissatisfaction towards Bach''s double standards, and even dared to talk trash to Jordan.


    For about ten seconds, the atmosphere on the court was serious.


    Jordan approached the free-throw line, taking a deep breath.


    No matter how thorny the neer, once tamed, they could be a great asset.


    Jordan made both free throws, and as he backed away, Ratner approached and said, "Don''t mind him, Michael. I''ll handle the ignorant little brat."


    Jordan had his doubts about Ratner''s ability. However, considering Yu Fei was just a high school rookie, his immediate impact shouldn''t be too great. Ratner might not be at his peak anymore, but he should be more than enough to teach a high schooler a lesson.


    Thus, with a nomittal response, Jordan essentially gave Ratner the green light to discipline the rookie on his behalf.

 Chapter 67: Chapter 61: From Today Onwards, Im Looking Out for You

    Yu Fei had no idea what Jordan was nning. When he came to the frontcourt, his match-up shifted from Nesby to Ratner.


    "Time to settle scores," Ratner said with a cold smile.


    Yu Fei had observed Ratner''s defense, especially histeral movement. To put it bluntly, it would take just one step to get past him.


    Ratner nowcked the ability to defend on the perimeter.


    Thinking of settling scores?


    Yu Fei motioned to Coach Lu for the ball.


    Coach Lu was a "three-no" point guard on the offense, no shooting, no pration, no ymaking. It was fine to use him as a surprise element on the weak side to support a key yer, but asking him to orchestrate the whole game was too much to ask.


    Although Coach Lu didn''t know why Yu Fei wanted the ball, he had no reason not to pass off the hot potato when someone offered to help him in a tight spot.


    Yu Fei received the ball and suddenly lowered his center of gravity, something Ratnerpletely did not expect.


    That was entirely a guard''s dribbling habit. Yu Fei was so tall... how could it be?


    While he was still in shock, Yu Fei started to elerate. Indeed, he bypassed Ratner in one step, took another step inside the free-throw line, collected the ball, and exploded upward, dunking the ball lightning-fast.


    Yu Fei walked past Ratner with a mocking face, "Even when I yed against middle schoolers, it wasn''t this easy."


    Ratner was both embarrassed and furious, but he was powerless. That y proved he couldn''t defend Yu Fei on the outside at all.


    This was the consequence of Collins not arranging scrimmage games for several days.


    Ratner didn''t even know Yu Fei''s ying style.


    Jordan was aware of Yu Fei''s capabilities, but he also knew Ratner''s strength. What surprised him was that Yu Fei''s ball-handling seemed to have improvedpared to half a year ago at the ABCD Camp.


    As a small forward, the ball control disyed by Yu Fei was already sufficient. Your journey starts at m_v le mpyr


    If he could avoid being out of position on defense, then his physique would give him a great advantage at the small forward position.


    Jordan thought about a lot, but those were forter. Right now, he needed to save his own face, relying on Ratner to teach the rookie was too much to expect.


    Jordan had nned to call for a pick and roll to create a one-on-one opportunity with Yu Fei, but to his surprise, Yu Fei sent Hamilton away and took it upon himself to match up with him.


    Yu Fei''s irreverent attitude toward divine beings finally got under the skin of the big dog.


    Jordan was determined to give him a good lesson.


    In fact, the big dog was overthinking it. Yu Fei did not mean any disrespect by taking the initiative in the match-up; he did it with the thought of honing his own skills.


    Although Yu Fei was born in an era with "Kobe, Duncan, James, Curry..." he still acknowledged that Jordan was formidable. Even though he was making aeback at nearly forty after three years of retirement, his awareness and feints were impable. Having more match-ups with him would greatly benefit Yu Fei, who was determined to make a name for himself in the NBA.


    Yu Fei had good intentions, but he did not take the big dog''s feelings into ount.


    Jordan''s brown eyes were especially fierce. He handled the ball with changing directions continuously, not fast, but with an exceptional sense of rhythm; Yu Fei wasn''t tricked, but he was caught by the subsequent feints.


    After catching Yu Fei on his feints, Jordan created a brief moment of opportunity, took a light jump shot, and scored.


    "You''re not qualified to guard me yet," Jordan saidmandingly.


    Yeah, right. Not having sought out your dad, who''s been dead for over a decade, to get a certificate of qualification to match up against Michael Jordan does indeed make me a big, red bean paste-filled mess.


    Yu Fei was a bit unhappy because the big dog was not friendly.


    Just because he guarded Jordan for one possession, it resulted in such a temper?


    Yu Fei kept criticizing Jordan in his mind, while maintaining hisposure on the outside, intending to ask Coach Lu for the ball. But the guy hurriedly tossed the ball to Kwame Brown.


    Was that even a pass? Today, it was clear that Jordan was out to set Brown up in the post.


    This wasn''t just malicious spection from Yu Fei but a reasonable judgement based on what was happening on the court.


    Jordan wanted to destroy Brown.


    Why? Because Jordan was a devout believer in the Phoenix Nirvana God Cult. He believed that a person could only grow stronger by being continuously broken down and rebuilt, so he nned to wreck Brown first, then watch him put himself back together.


    Has anyone told him that Brown is still just a kid?


    Although Yu Fei was also a kid, not all kids are the same. Some are strong, some are weak, and unfortunately, the Wizards'' top draft pick belonged to thetter group.


    Brown resorted to a brainwashing tactic, "If I can''t handle Jordan or Ratner, can''t I handle you?" He bore this thought in mind as heunched a fierce attack against Nesby, who was under two meters tall.


    Under normal circumstances, Nesby couldn''t guard Brown.


    Brown could crush him simply with his talent.


    But Johnny Bach, Jordan''s old assistant coach from the Chicago Bulls years and, like Collins, a follower of Jordan''s will, was refereeing.


    So, when Nesby bluntly grabbed Brown''s hand, causing him to lose control of the ball andmit yet another turnover, Bach turned into the "blind monk" of the court, acting as if he saw nothing.


    This time, Fei failed toplete the block, and the Undying Team (Fei''s term of endearment for them) scored on the fast break.


    "Is this the number one draft pick?" Nesby, apparently oblivious to the fact that he had just stopped Brown by fouling, preened in front of everyone with self-satisfaction, "Not very impressive, huh."


    Ratner too seemed to have contracted the same amnesia as Nesby, "The rookies this year are really not up to par."


    I just blew past you, dumbass, and I regret not giving your ass an extra kick while I was at it.


    Fei was angry, not only for Brown''s plight but also at the veterans'' bullying behavior.


    Unable to endure the humiliation any longer, Brown finally spoke up, "That was a foul!"


    Nesby was brought back to reality, yes, he knew he had stopped Brown by fouling.


    After a few seconds of silence, Jordan, unable to tolerate Brown''s "cowardly words," stormed forward and yed the role he was destined to y, "Shut up, you damn faggot! You can''t expect every little bump to be called a foul against the opponent, this is a man''s game! You faggot, don''t bring that sissy act here, shut your mouth and y your damn game!"


    This was Jordan''s kingdom, Jordan''s pce, where he aimed to destroy Brown with the noble intent of remolding him. Should Brown be tearfully grateful for this?


    Fei''s annoyance with Jordan peaked at that moment.


    "A little bump?" Fei challenged, "I didn''t even touch you just now, so how did I get called for a foul? Is it only a ''man''s game'' when you guys are on defense?"


    Jordan broke Brown, and no one could speak for him, for this was Jordan''s domain.


    But Fei didn''t care about that; he was like a wild horse, untamed, issuing a hissing challenge to the ruler of the Wilmington College Gym.


    Just as Jordan was about to explode, Hamilton appeared, the damn captain of the New Jacks finally knowing what he should do.


    "Let''s take a break, everyone just cool down, it was just an ordinary y, right?"


    Perhaps Fei should be grateful to Hamilton; he just made Jordan lose face. If no one smoothed things over, with Jordan''s character, it could have gotten out of control.


    But for Fei, it might be better to settle things here.


    They couldn''t be the only ones put to the test, ying the goddamn "man''s game" with these old bastards.


    "You''re letting your emotions get the better of you, rookie," Hamilton said, sweating for Fei.


    If you had stepped in earlier, maybe I wouldn''t have to be so impulsive.


    Fei didn''t want to take his anger out on Hamilton. It was a tough spot for him, and indeed, anyone on the Wizards would have struggled with how to behave around Jordan.


    Jordan wasn''t just a yer.


    He was also a coach, a general manager, and a boss.


    Why did Fei dare to stand up? He couldn''t exactly say why. Perhaps it was because Brown had helped him before. Anyway, this peer who joined the team at the same time had done nothing wrong, barring a bit of arrogance recently.


    He was a bitzy and cocky, sure, but these things could be corrected in other ways. Why must ite to this?


    And if Jordan could treat Brown like this today, who''s to say he wouldn''t do the same to Fei tomorrow?


    If Fei didn''t resist now, endless hell awaited him.


    Fei brushed off Hamilton perfunctorily and then sat down beside Brown.


    Now, Brown had calmed down.


    He was grateful to have Fei beside him. In that situation, who else would have stood up for him? In fact, no one else had, and Hamilton was just doing what he should have done as captain long ago.


    "Thank you, Frye," Brown said gratefully.


    "Thanks for covering me these past few days," Fei said. "From today on, I''ve got your back."


    Note: The term "faggot" used here reflects Jordan''s original words to Kwame Brown and embodies the derogatory and damagingnguage used at that time. This word is seen as deeply offensive in English-speaking contexts.

 Chapter 68: Chapter 62: Betting on a Career with Red Heat

    In Michael Jordan''s career, no one had ever tried to challenge his status within the team.


    Scottie Pippen had a chance, but after losing the semifinals by a hair in 1994, it became impossible for him to challenge Jordan. Although Pippen repeatedly said that before he joined the team, Jordan was just an ordinary yer, he still needed Jordan.


    Jordan knew how to control Pippen, but he did not know how to control Yu Fei.


    As a thriving member of Generation Y, Yu Fei should have been a fan of Jordan''s.


    But he wasn''t.


    He wasn''t a fan of Jordan''s, nor did he watch his games. Evening from a region near Seattle, he had a natural antipathy toward Jordan.


    None of that mattered; Jordan wasn''t a US dor bill, why did everyone have to like him?


    What was unsettling was the obviousck of respect that Yu Fei showed toward Jordan.


    Though supremely confident, Jordan believed he could achieve an absolute dictatorship within the team that the nation wouldn''t dare to imagine, but Yu Fei stepped up and delivered a big block¡ªboth literally and symbolically¡ªmaking Jordan, who thought he was invincible, wonder for the first time "whether I can tame this wild horse at this stage."


    At this point, Ratner, who had imed he would teach Yu Fei a lesson on Jordan''s behalf, spoke up again, "Michael, we''ve got to let that ill-mannered brat know that the NBA has its rules."


    Jordan habitually pouted and didn''t trust Ratner one bit, "What do you want to do?"


    "He''s too fast. I have a hard time keeping up with him on the outside. We can use Tyronn as bait to match up with him. As soon as he gets inside, I''ll let him know how brutal thepetition is in professional basketball."


    Jahidi White red at Ratner, dissatisfied.


    This had nothing to do with him; why was he getting dragged into it?


    After considering it, Jordan felt it was feasible, so he turned to White and said, "Let''s do it."


    With Jordan''s word, White had no choice but to follow through, yet he was still unhappy with Ratner.


    Before the game resumed, Yu Fei pulled Tyronn Lue aside and asked, "Can I handle the ball for a bit?"


    Coach Lu still hadn''t recovered from the shock of Yu Fei directly challenging Jordan, and he had no intention of refusing his request.


    "Of course, y however you want."


    When Doug Collins saw Yu Fei receive a pass from the backcourt, he couldn''t help but think to himself, finally, it''sing.


    Ball handling was Yu Fei''s biggest selling point before the draft. With his physique, to be able to dribble like a guard was rare. If he could show these skills on the NBA court, the sky would be his limit.


    Yu Fei has just shown he could block and dunk explosively, but one block was against an unprepared older Jordan, and one was past an unaware Ratner. While he yed well, there was nothing too surprising.


    Now, Yu Fei was ready to bring the ball up court, and Collins cleared his throat loudly, signaling Chris Whitney of Jordan''s team to step up to defend.


    Facing Whitney, who had many years of NBA defensive experience, Yu Fei found it tough to dribble freely. However, with his size advantage, he leaned against Whitney while pushing forward, getting past half-court without an issue.


    After reaching the frontcourt, Yu Fei showed no intention of passing the ball, instead, he waved for a pick and roll.


    Kwame Brown quickly ran out. Yu Fei used the pick to break through the defense, threaded the needle, and lobbed the ball to Brown for ayup and score.


    The two sides went on with several normal rounds of offense and defense.


    Yu Fei was the point guard for three consecutive ys, first assisting Brown, then passing to Hamilton, who unfortunately missed the shot, andstly, using his size advantage to overpower Whitney on the right side at a 45-degree angle for a bank shot.


    Collins had always seen Yu Fei as a small forward, but now it seemed perhaps he could y point guard asionally?


    Then, Yu Fei returned the ball-handling duties to Coach Lu.


    When Yu Fei was off the ball, Ratner''s n began to take effect.


    Jahidi White, capable of ying three positions in the frontcourt, came up to match up with him.


    White gave Yu Fei the impression he was just like his draft-ssmate Rodney White, able to swing between positions without speciality, and thus, a jack-of-all-trades but master of none.


    White''s biggest advantage over Yu Fei was his extra years in the NBA, offering better physical confrontation, but in the small forward position, his overall skills were far too inferior.


    Yu Fei got free from White through off-ball movement and Brown''s screen, received the pass from Coach Lu from the outside, and realizing he was open, immediately attempted a three-pointer.


    Since the start of training camp, Yu Fei had been practicing his shooting intensively every day. Although not yet back to his best, he had regained his shooting confidence.


    This shot, had a perfect arc.


    "Swish!"


    Discover worlds on m-v le-mpyr


    "Jahidi, what the hell are you doing?" Jordan berated angrily, "How could you let a rookie score like this?"


    Ratner, who was basking in reflected glory, chimed in, "That rookie has no long-range shooting skill, and yet you let him score?"


    White was even more annoyed with Ratner now. Was that even a human thing to say? Since the rookie had no long-range ability, wasn''t it natural for me to let him shoot? And if he makes it, it''s my fault?


    Still, White knew his priority was to please Jordan right now.


    Ratner was just a simpleton, a dog wagging its tail only for recognition; paying him any heed was superfluous.


    The offseason hard work was paying off for Yu Fei.


    Every staff member of the Wizards team could urately point out the yer in the bestpetitive condition.


    That was Yu Fei.


    Compared to the Yu Fei who had tried out at the Verizon Center, this Yu Fei was faster, stronger, and better at applying his techniques.

 Chapter 69: Chapter 62: Betting on a Career with Red Heat_2

    While most yers were still recovering from their game, Yu Fei''spetitive state had already reached match standard.


    Facing Jordan''s offense, Yu Fei guarded each movement perfectly, eventually forcing his opponent to pass the ball.


    "Passing the ball?" Yu Fei trash-talked Jordan unreservedly, "Steve Kerr isn''t here."


    No sooner had he finished than Chris Whitney''s three-point attempt nged off the rim.


    Jordan had to redirect his fury at Whitney, "What the hell are you doing?!"


    "What good does it do you to provoke Michael like that?" Coach Lu asked.


    He wanted to persuade Yu Fei to stop.


    "You''re wrong, he likes it," Yu Fei snorted, "Just look at how he treats Kwame. Instead of being passive, I''d rather take the initiative!"


    Yu Fei was quickly struck down by divine retribution.


    When he tried a low-post move on White, Jordan, anticipating this, double-teamed him and with a chop that contained a decade of skills, he knocked the ball away.


    Jordan''s coast-to-coast counterattack missed, but Johnny Bach called a ticky-tack foul on Yu Fei for a failed chase-down block attempt.


    Jordan''s brows rxed and he mocked Yu Fei viciously, "You''re even stupider than Karl Malone, that clueless bastard who only cares about scoring and not defending!"


    How dare you bring up that steal from Karl?


    Calling that push-and-shoot ''The Shot'' really messes everything up!


    Yu Feipletely entered the realm of a qualified Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012/pre-time travel Yu Fei) basketball fan. As someone who had no good impressions of Jordan, his dislike multiplied after meeting him, turning into a true "Anti-Mike."


    "Indeed, I''m not Karl, and Karl isn''t you. Who else can shove people around and get the refs to not let anyone touch you?" Yu Fei retorted mockingly, "You''d better make both free throws."


    When ites to free throws, Jordan is above average among superstars. At his peak, his free-throw shooting percentage reached 85%, with a career average of 83.5%, which is quite stable. However, today''s scrimmage was Jordan''s first intense confrontation since 1998, very different from the practice games in Chicago where he rehabbed. Artest, that blind fool, could just throw his weight around and break his ribs, indicating how much his body had been hollowed by wine and women over the years.


    Jordan''s first free throw was good, but he missed the second.


    Yu Fei leaped up, snatched the defensive rebound with one hand, and uponnding, he immediately took off, racing down the court so fast that Ratner had no chance to foul him and he burst past the backcourt three-point line.


    "Cassidy!" Jordan shouted.


    White was the only one in a good defensive position, but he wanted nothing to do with Yu Fei.


    Because Yu Fei was charging at full speed, if White attempted a hard stop at that moment, regardless of sess, the risk of injury would increase significantly. It was just a scrimmage, so was it necessary? Everyone was a working stiff, and it''s not like they wouldn''t see each other again. This Anti-Mike had simply done what everyone else wanted to do but was too scared to attempt. Why should one risk it all for Boss Jordan''s personal vendetta?


    White chickened out, turning into a battle-shy lizard, and sidestepped to avoid contact when Yu Fei went up with full force, letting himplete an impressive glide dunk with a tomahawk finish.


    "What the fuck are you doing?!" Jordan raged, "What the fuck are you doing?!"


    Whiteined with a hint of grievance, "I tried my best, Michael!"


    Yu Fei believed White had tried his best on defense. If he hadn''t, at most it meant he hadn''t risked injury to stop him.


    But Jordan certainly wouldn''t believe White tried his best. He was a master of bullying who thought it necessary to break down his teammates to make them stronger. He wanted to suppress Yu Fei right now, but with White choosing to act like a coward, this worthless trash was good for nothing.


    The angry Jordan found a bit of his game sense, and even without shaking off Yu Fei''s defense, he still scored by raising the arc of his shot over the defense.


    This wasn''t even his best state.


    Yu Fei felt that if Jordan returned to his prime state, while he was energized, he would be the strongest offensive yer on the team.


    His on-ball offense and off-ball movements were too exceptional. Hamilton''s only advantage over him was stamina, even his best skill - off-ball movement - was negligiblepared to Jordan''s.


    Yu Fei''s performance gradually created an anxious atmosphere in the hearts of some of the veterans.


    For someone like Ratner who had conflicts with him, it was even worse.


    Having Jordan as a towering figure above them was frightening enough, and many veterans were pleased to see Kwame Brown fall. No one wanted a master in the team while also dealing with a young master.


    But now, the problem had be even more serious.


    Yu Fei was far stronger than Brown and possessed a rare confrontational personality that showed no fear even in the face of Jordan.


    Even in the first scrimmage, the tension between him and Jordan was already so intense that it suffocated the veterans. New chapters at m v|le|mp|yr


    The Ratners had to worry about something¡ª if Yu Fei gained Jordan''s approval, would he be the new young master?


    Even now, with Yu Fei making Jordan lose face, the Ratners still harbored such thoughts because that was Jordan after all. He liked confrontation and appreciated tough guys who dared to take it up with him, a rarity during his ying days.


    They forgot one thing, though: Jordan liked confrontation and challengers, but he was selective.


    Just like during his ying days when he didn''t regard Isiah Thomas and Reggie Miller as equals, yet felt honored to be respected by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.


    What Yu Fei showed today was infinitely closer to the former rather than thetter.


    For Jordan, who was aging and could not suppress Yu Fei with sheer strength, how could he possibly hope his handpicked young yer turned out to be a mad dog like Reggie Miller and Isiah Thomas?


    Ratner was determined to suppress Yu Fei''s arrogance.


    However, for ten continuous minutes of the game, Yu Fei did not give him any chance.


    Because apart from fast-breaks, Yu Fei did not attempt to prate the inside during set ys; his floaters were too urate. A small forward with the body for inside y not practicing hook shots or low-post backdowns but instead having a masterful floater was insane. Did he usually encounter giants that he must avoid with a floating shot?


    Finally, in thetter half of the scrimmage, Ratner saw an opportunity.


    Yu Fei was executing a buzzer-beater y, and his continuous fakes made Cassidy White struggle to maintain his footing. White''s body swayed like a tree with no roots, teetering side to side, and soon he couldn''t withstand the violent changes in direction and his knees buckled, sending him to his knees.


    Yu Fei powered up, took one step inside, and jumped toward the paint. He was determined to dunk, but then Ratner appeared. With his physical condition, there was no way he could stop Yu Fei¡ª even jumping would only serve as a poster backdrop for a dunk. Had he lost his mind?


    Ratner set up his arms, elbowing aggressively toward Yu Fei''s nk. In that instant, Yu Fei felt a jolt and a sharp pain burst from his waist as his body crashed to the ground like a meteor.


    "Whistle!!!"


    This time Johnny Bach had no choice but to call a foul on Ratner; the move was just too excessive.


    "Frye?"


    "Frye!"


    Yu Feiy on the ground, shifting his body slightly. It hurt, but it was bearable.


    He clenched his fists as uncontroble rage surged within him at lightning speed.


    Ratner extended his hands innocently, "You all saw it. He was the one charging too hard. I just identally..."


    Before Ratner could finish his sentence, Yu Fei, already on his feet, found his target and struck him directly in the face with a punch.


    Ratner fell to the ground.


    "WCNMLGCB!!!"


    Yu Fei let out a hysterical scream in words that nobody understood and leaped onto Ratner, throwing punches wildly.


    All of a sudden, the situation spiraledpletely out of control.

 Chapter 70: Chapter 63 I did it by accident too

    After their teammates separated Yu Fei and Laettner, thetter''s face was already beaten to a bruised and bloody mess.


    The scrimmage had ended, and nobody felt like ying anymore; now, the most important thing was to quell the repercussions of this conflict.


    Even though the scrimmage was closed off, there were still media waiting outside the stadium.


    If they found out what had happened here, by tomorrow a huge swarm of media would descend upon them.


    "The rest of you continue with individual training, Dan, take Christian to the medical room, Frye, wait for me in the office!" Collins took charge like a coach and quickly controlled the situation.


    Then, Collins walked over to Jordan.


    He needed to get Jordan''s opinion on how to handle the situation before deciding on Yu Fei''s punishment.


    "Michael, what do you think?" Collins asked.


    Thinking back to how Fei had pounced on Laettner like a wild animal, Jordan felt a lingering fear. If he had been the target, would Fei have struck him?


    The answer was definitive.


    Jordan had no doubt that Fei would hit him, as well.


    This man had no fear of him or the NBA''s unwritten rules.


    It wasn''t that Jordan was scared of Fei; it was that such uncontroble maniacs brought a lot of unpredictability.


    What Jordan was really concerned about now was that Fei might be an obstacle to his leading the team.


    "How did we handle this kind of thing back in Chicago?" Jordan asked with a cold face.


    Collins said, "Suspensions, fines."


    "But..."


    "But what?"


    Collins said, "Frye was indeed too impulsive, but if it weren''t for Christian..."


    "Yes, Christian is at fault as well, but that''s no reason for him to attack a teammate," Jordan said with annoyance. "Besides, Christian only wanted to teach him some rules. It''s just that the approach was too rough, that rookie..."


    "OK...OK," Collins quickly cated Jordan, "I''ll punish him ording to the rules, Michael, what''s most important now is to keep this incident under wraps. If the media get wind of it..."


    Jordan also came to his senses, but he was powerless to do anything about it. There''s no wall in the world that doesn''t air its own breaches. Although he ruled the team, there were still opponents and haters within it who could easily leak the news.


    What they needed to do now wasn''t to enforce a news ckout, but to minimize the impact of the event.


    Therefore, the punishment for Yu Fei had to be moderate.


    Find exclusive content at m.v.l.e.mpyr


    Otherwise, who knew what kind of mess this madman would stir up?


    "Forget it, you handle it," Jordan said irritably. "You need to show that kid what he should and shouldn''t do. If there''s a next time, I won''t let him off so easily!"


    "Don''t worry, don''t worry, I''ll make him understand."


    Collins breathed a sigh of relief. As a coach, he actually felt partial toward Fei.


    What Laettner had done to Fei was too dangerous, and it could have led to serious injury. Anyone would go insane in such a situation.


    Besides, there had already been conflict between the two men.


    Now it was just a matter of settling new scores along with old ones. It wasughable that Laettner still thought to throw a punch and ended up being knocked out with one hit. How did such a person even make it onto the Dream Team in the first ce?


    Shaking his head, Collins headed to the office.


    When Collins entered the office, he found Fei holding a cup of Coke and drinking.


    "If you want to have a long career, you''d better cut down on the soda," Collins said. "Dietary regtions are based on science."


    Fei responded, "No, no, I think if I want to have a long career, it''s best not to be teammates with someone like Jianzhong, who can ruthlessly hurt teammates."


    "That''s your teammate," Collins said. "You shouldn''t refer to him that way."


    Fei didn''t want to listen to Collins''s preaching, and moreover, was Laettner really a teammate?


    "Coach, I don''t think of him as my teammate, and I don''t regret what I did today," Fei said. "I won''t apologize to him."


    Collins remembered before the draft, Fei had gotten into a fight with Eddie Griffin during a workout with The Celtics. Now it seemed the rumors might be true; this person''s temperament was extremely unstable.


    But Collins, who had witnessed the conflict, didn''t think there was anything wrong with Yu Fei''s response.


    Laettner brought it upon himself.


    It was fine for Fei to fight Laettner, but to oppose Jordan, that was not good.


    This was what Collins wanted to remind Fei of, but the kid looked as if he couldn''t care less.


    "Frye, you need to understand that there are many unwritten rules in the NBA," Collins said. "As a rookie, you need to have the heart of an apprentice. You need to work hard, be humble, endure pain withoutints, and that''s how everyone has made it through. This is the code that professional basketball has always followed since ancient times."


    Work hard, be humble, and endure pain withoutining?


    Your team drafted two high school yers, and then you expect them to embody all those qualities?


    If the NBA really had such high standards for rookies, then why are there so many busts every year?


    "Sorry, I can''t do that."


    Yu Fei directly rejected Collins.


    Collins was somewhat angered. Why was this rookie so stubborn?


    "Let me put it this way," Fei stood up. "The team I originally wanted to join wasn''t the Wizards. It was MJ who called me halfway through the draft to tell me he made a trade, and that I''d be ying in D.C. Okay, I ept the arrangement, that''s how the draft works. But I didn''t know he needed me to be a saint. An apprentice''s heart? Humble? Oveing injury? Who here has the heart of an apprentice? Who has been humble? Oveing injuries? Has MJ ovee injuries? He only officially joined the practice today. Before he asks us to ovee injuries, please have him set an example first, or else to hell with it! In my opinion, the only thing I need to do is work hard! I can''t speak for others, but I''m definitely the hardest working yer on the team. I''ve trained three times a day since the summer to maintain a good condition and to have a great rookie season. I think I''ve done pretty well; I''ve lived up to my draft position."


    "Indeed, I need to respect the veterans, but respect is mutual. If they don''t respect me, then I won''t respect them."


    "Lastly, please tell Christian that if the foul he gave me was unintentional, then good, the punches I gave him were unintentional too. Why did he have to hit my fists with his face? It''s such a pity that this happened!"


    Leaving a slew of words that left Collins speechless, Yu Fei exited the office.


    Collins had thought that he could control the situation, he believed that Jordan was the only uncontroble person on the team, but now he realized how wrong he was.


    Thinking back, how ridiculous was it when Jordan, picking Fei, said he had a "great character"?


    That character was indeed great, so great that even Jordan himself might not be able to handle it.


    Today, Fei had cemented his role as "Anti-Mike", and he would face Jordan''s full range of tests.


    However, Collins didn''t think that Fei couldpete fairly with Jordan.


    Because Jordan was not just a basketball yer.


    ¡ù¡ù¡ù


    The incident at Wilmington became known very quickly.


    Of course, the first to receive the news were the executives at the Wizards Team headquarters in D.C.


    Susan O''Malley couldn''t help but smile when she learned that Yu Fei had embarrassed Jordan on the court and had a fistfight with Laettner.


    She could imagine how angry Jordan was.


    His personally chosen yer, acquired at great cost through a trade, a high school yer no less, dared to openly confront him?


    However, the ensuing PR problem was also a headache.


    To have such a scandalous headline on the first day of training camp when everyone was present was not something easily covered up.


    But, the Wizards Team''s PR department was used to dealing with such issues.


    The scuffle between Fei and Laettner was nothingpared to the scandals stirred up by the Bullets back in the "Webber/Howard" era of thest century.


    It was just a fight, right? Easy to clean up: both men arepetitors, hot-blooded, and lost their reason in their desire to win, leading to physical contact. Now they''ve cooled down and apologized to each other. Although the incident had a bad influence, maybe for the Wizards, it could be a good thing? These two pugnacious guys will definitely y bigger roles under Coach John.


    That''s how we''ll spin it, whether the media believes it or not, as long as the fans in D.C. do.


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "Frye Yu and Christian Laettner weed MJ back with a special ''ceremony.''" ¡ª The New York Times


    "Perhaps we''ve all misunderstood Eddie Griffin. As it turns out, when faced with problems, Frye Yu tends to use his fists to do the talking." ¡ª The Boston Globe


    "Is Frye Yu the sessor to Dennis Rodman? He hasn''t yed a single NBA game yet, but he''s already hit two people on the court. In the first season after Dennis was swept out of the NBA, Frye enters the League, and that''s no coincidence." ¡ª The Das Morning News


    "When twobative people lose their cool, a fierce battle inevitably ensues. MJ expressed satisfaction about this, believing that Frye and Christian brought a long-missed fighting spirit to D.C., a gem we lost since the Wes Unseld era" ¡ª The Washington Post


    PS: Just to rify, all the rants from Yu Fei are from his perspective, not me voicing my own views through his mouth. If you find Fei''s roasting of Jordan to be amusing, I hope you maintain a good mood when you see him roast others.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 71: Chapter 64 The God with a Split Personality

    Upon learning that Yu Fei was in trouble, Arne Trem immediately called to inquire.


    Yu Fei recounted in detail what had happened in the gym.


    For Trem, the fight between Yu Fei and Ratner was not worth mentioning, but the altercation with Jordan was headache-inducing.


    "Frye, you know MJ''s status in D.C., right?" Trem said with a wry smile, "Competing against him won''t do you any good."


    "I''ll say it again, he was the one provoking, I was just responding."


    Yu Fei didn''t understand why everyone assumed Jordan was innocent.


    Even his agent wanted him to make peace with Jordan, "putting aside the facts."


    Make peace? Of course, that''s possible, but today he had experienced Jordan''s character face-to-face. Was this a person easy to get along with? Wanting to make peace withoutpromising his dignity was a difficult task.


    Then, Trem added a few more words of advice, basically the same old rhetoric.


    That same rhetoric had been repeated to Yu Fei by several people already today.


    Yu Fei wasn''t ungrateful, but with Jordan pressuring him at every turn, if he didn''t fight back, he would just be trampled on, and that was uneptable to him.


    The next day, Yu Fei was ready to be "thoroughly tested" by Jordan.


    However, Jordan did not participate in the team practice today.


    He came to the scene but only stayed with Tim Grover.


    The confrontation between Yu Fei and Ratner had blown up, and media from all over the country hade rushing in. It was the biggest news of the training camp, and no one wanted to miss the headlines.


    Before the interviews, Yu Fei and Ratner had already learned a set of talking points to handle the media.


    Yesterday''s brawl was described as a trivial incident.


    Ratner said, "We''re all adults here, we won''t take it seriously."


    Were his words credible? All one could say was that a swollen right cheek, ck eye, and a bruised nose bridge can''t lie.


    Jordan seemed more amiable today than yesterday,ughing more, perhaps because there were multiple media outlets present, he was very conscious of his image.


    When Yu Feipleted a fast-break dunk during an open intrasquad game, Jordan, who was watching, happily came to the sidelines to give him a high five.


    Yu Fei extended his hand andpleted the gesture.


    Such hypocrisy!


    Yu Fei thought to himself that if there were no media present, Jordan would definitely not perform these superficial acts. If Yu Fei was Anti-Mike, then what Jordan was doing now was something an "Anti-Jordan" would do.


    Many had overestimated the negative impact of Yu Fei''s actions the day before and underestimated the positive ones.


    Whether it was Yu Fei standing up for Kwame Brown, confronting Jordan directly, or getting physical with Ratner, all had fundamentally altered the power structure of the Wizards Team.


    The yer hierarchy in the Wizards Team had been like this.


    Jordan, Hamilton, and the other veterans.


    Their status was strict and stepped.


    With his actions yesterday, Yu Fei catapulted his personal status. He was no longer a rookie whom everyone could bully but a prickly thorn. Veterans like Ratner could not control him, and Hamilton''s influence on Yu Fei depended on how thetter viewed him. Now it was clear, he dared not confront Jordan and hence, Yu Fei would not regard him as a respected senior to trust.


    Suddenly, Yu Fei''s power status rose above the veterans, wavering between Jordan and Hamilton.


    Jordan did try to bond with the high schoolers.


    On the fourth day of the training camp, during a break, Jordan organized a card game and invited Yu Fei and Brown to join.


    Yu Fei had no interest in cards, but Brown was eager to use it as an opportunity to mend his rtionship with Jordan.


    He was mistaken again.


    Brown didn''t realize that the rift in his rtionship with Jordany in the fading of his own halo. If a first-round pick fails to perform as expected, those who selected hime under scrutiny. Jordan is a god, impervious to doubt. Should undeniable doubt arise, the god''s anger turns to those who cast that doubt.


    That was the root of Brown''s tragedy.


    His rtionship with Jordan stemmed from his draft position. When his first pick status was uncontested, Jordan was his dearest uncle. As soon as he came under scrutiny and was unable to respond, Jordan''s fury would burn in his direction.


    Brown participated in Jordan''s card games multiple times. Although they had fun, the camaraderie at the card table was as transient as drink-fueled friendships; once sober, the rtionship faded, and it could not rece true rapport.


    When Brown''s performance and training enthusiasm fell behind others, Jordan and Collins began to lose patience.


    What was most terrifying was that there was no "good cop, bad cop" strategy between them; both were bad cops.


    Yu Fei was the only one willing to support and help Brown.


    But if Brown couldn''t stand up for himself from the PUA of Jordan and the head coach, support from anyone was useless.


    As the training camp progressed into the middle andter stages, Jordan no longer missed team practices due to tendinitis. The more he participated in training, the more cantankerous he seemed.


    The high-and-mighty Jordan didn''t just target Yu Fei and Brown.


    He was determined to implement the "champion crash course" model across the entire team.


    Tyronn Lue faced Jordan''s hairdryer tirade for refusing to take an open three-pointer.


    Coach Lu obediently shot as told, but when he missed, Jordan''s eyes widened in disbelief, much like an American witnessing a ne crash into the Twin Towers.


    When Hamilton and Fei weren''t in the correct positions, Jordan criticized them with a mean tone.


    The scariest part was that sometimes, Jordan would act like a gentle mentor.


    He smiled benignly, as if everyone didn''t know exactly what he was.


    Kwame Brown was the biggest victim of Jordan''s Jekyll-and-Hyde-style PUA.


    Sometimes, Jordan felt he had pushed Brown too hard, so he said a few words that clearly felt well-meaning¡ªsome were reminders, some instructions, others jokes. But that was only a momentary Jordan. The next time Brown repeated the mistake, Jordan would reveal his true nature, humiliating Brown with the ugliest words in the world. Brown''s psyche wasn''t strong, and he couldn''t withstand such inhumane bullying.


    With his personal dignity trampled and his psychological defenses destroyed, Brown became dull and sluggish.


    Brown turned into a child who never grew up,pletely unable to grasp Collins'' tactical system, and always half a beat slow in following Jordan''s orders.


    When Jordan insulted him, he would listen silently, then immerse himself in solo training after the group practice ended.


    In his personal training, he repeatedly dunked the ball, a method of self-constion.


    Yu Fei was the only one who could effectivelymunicate with him.


    Fei didn''t know how to help Brown, because the blows dealt by Jordan and Collins far exceeded the threshold.


    One day, back in the locker room, Jordan patted Brown on the shoulder like an elder, whispering to him as if that could negate his whole day''s worth of personal insults.


    After Jordan left, Brown said with self-deprecation, "He said I worked hard today, keep it up."


    "Thinks you''re hardworking, then relentlessly curses you during scrimmages?" Fei rolled his eyes.


    "Yeah..." Brown muttered, "How the hell can I put an end to this life?"


    Fei didn''t answer, perhaps no one could give Brown a definitive answer.


    Fei should thank Brown because with Brown around, Jordan focused his rookie-taming efforts mainly on him.


    Although Fei was a troublemaker, he was one who yed hard and ignored unwritten rules.


    For such a person, Jordan preferred to make Fei submit through a slow and steady disy of dominance, whereas someone like Brown, who had started to seriously undermine his holiness, needed to be harshly reeducated.


    The problem was, Jordan didn''t understand that too much is as bad as too little.


    Moreover, his leadership was in question.


    In 1998, or even earlier, Jordan had the decisive strength that kept everyone in line regardless of their discontent; now, Jordancked that kind of power.


    At the same time, tendinitis was still Jordan''s Achilles heel, which wouldn''t heal as long as he kept participating in collective training.


    Fei noticed that Jordan often limped away to sit by himself after training, using any chance he got to ice his knee with a cold pack.


    Fei could see that he was troubled by injuries, but even Jordan, three years off the court and still injured, quickly regained his game sense after going through team practice.


    Jordan''s skill application, game experience, and presence were something none of the others on the team had.


    If Jordan had been willing to sincerely guide the younger yers, many would have benefitted.


    Unfortunately, Jordan didn''t want to be a respected mentor. He might have tried, but quickly found that tyranny suited him better.


    Fei could only watch Jordan as closely as possible and remember every mistake he made, especially those pointed out by Jordan.


    He was still the first to arrive for practice and thest to leave.


    Practicing three times a day was a habit he developed during the offseason, which he brought to training camp and persisted with.


    Ratner thought Fei was showing off, but nearly every staff member of the Wizards Team had encountered Fei at the gymte at night.


    Fei''spetitive form and training attitude were the best on the team, earning him recognition from the coaching staff.


    By the end of training camp, Fei had be one of the top five yers on the team.


    If Doug Collins had autonomy, he would have made Fei a starter for the new season, but with the Wizards, the decision was in Jordan''s hands.


    What was Jordan''s attitude?


    On thest day of training camp, Jordan told The Washington Post''s Steve Wyche in an interview, "These young guys need to work hard to prove they deserve more chances on a team striving for the top. So far, they haven''t proven it."


    Likening to hearing a dog whistle, Doug Collins told the media something simr: "Frye has been great; he''s in very good form, trains hard enough, hm, he''s really good, but he still needs to wait for his opportunity toe."


    Frye isn''t cutting it? What about Kwame?


    "Kwame''s fine," Collins said sarcastically, "Perfect for high school basketball."

 Chapter 72: Chapter 65 Kwame Brown鈥檚 911

    After returning to Washington, D.C. from University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the Wizards Team got a day off, then they needed to prepare for a preseason game at their home court.


    Normally, the NBA would ce preseason games in cities with a moremercial atmosphere, but after 9/11, some believed that the NBA''s wealthy had an obligation to remind Americans that their country was still great.


    In fact, Yu Fei considered this to be American formalism.


    It was meaningless, because NBA news was difficult to find on television or in mainstream news, even Jordan''seback was just causing some ripples.


    Although it was all merely for form''s sake, the Wizards still marketed it as "The Hero''s Return."


    The Wizards were set to wee their first preseason opponent at their home court, the MCI Center¡ªhenceforth abbreviated as MCI¡ªthe Phoenix Suns.


    Just before the Wizards'' yers entered the locker room, a uniformed police officer led a German Shepherd inside first.


    "Oh, that''s one hell of a big dog!" Kwame Brown asked in surprise, "Why is there a cop and a big dog here?"


    Beat reporter Steve Wyche exined, "It''s to prevent someone from bringing dangerous items inside."


    Before 9/11, Brown might not have understood what that meant, but now he reacted immediately, "Could someone nt a bomb inside?"


    "Don''t make such a fuss!" Jordan chastised, "They''re just doing their routine."


    Both the Wizards and Jordan''s team hadtched onto the 9/11 buzz to imbue hiseback with a sense of holiness.


    But in reality, Jordan was one of the rare superstars in American sports history with no interest in social issues or politics. During training camp, the Wizards yers were never asked about 9/11.


    Even though the television and newspapers endlessly showed the smoking World Trade Center, the Wizards yers remained indifferent. They lived in a bubble,pletely isted from the outside world; only basketball mattered. In such an environment, it was hard to imagine any NBA yers calling for a strike in the heat of the moment after apatriot died due to violent enforcement.


    Instead of asking about the impact of 9/11 on their lives, the media were more curious about whether the Wizards could make it to the yoffs in the new season, so they asked more than twice every day.


    Yu Fei detested the yoff question, not because he didn''t want to make the yoffs, but because the media had packaged it into a sort of "mission" in their own way.


    You''ll make it to the yoffs before Jordan retires, right? What would you give to make the yoffs with Jordan?


    At first, Yu Fei managed to respond with official rhetoric calmly, butter, when he entered the locker room after each practice and saw veterans like Jordan and Ratner demanding ice for their joints, turning the locker room into a morgue, he really wanted to sling their ice bags at the media''s faces.


    Yu Fei took casual shots on the court, then saw security dogs sniffing every corner of MCI.


    From the locker room to the corridors, from the trash bins to the restrooms, and every spot in the stands.


    Once the security dogs finished their job, MCI immediately opened its doors for ticketholders to enter.


    As one of the most anticipated teams of the new season, even the preseason game had sold-out tickets.


    Yu Fei saw team owner Abe Pollin and NBAmissioner David Stern.


    Suddenly, this was not just a preseason game anymore; it also served the mission of cooperating with the League to promote the NBA''s image.


    Yu Fei warmed up with silent shots.


    Coach Lu, who had been observing Yu Fei since before training camp, noticed his improved shooting stability, "Frye, you''ve got a good touch today."


    "Yeah, it''s a pity this is just a preseason game."


    Before the game began, the most important part of the evening started¡ªthough it had nothing to do with the match.


    The owner of the Wizards, Pollin, took the stage to give a speech like a rock star.


    Pollin seemed to have profound reflections on 9/11, starting from condemning terrorist attacks to the positive social significance of basketball games, segueing into Jordan''seback and how he, as a hero, could uplift so many Americans, then circling back to the Wizards¡ªsubtly elevating his own image¡ªPollin announced to society that all firefighters and police officers involved in the 9/11 rescue would receive free season tickets.


    Emphasis on: all firefighters and police officers involved in the 9/11 rescue.


    Atst, although the generous Pollin was great, he had to end this speech with greatness itself, so the topic once again returned to Jordan.


    Pollin highlighted how important it was for him to have these heroes who participated in the rescue work witness Jordan''s game, its importance to society, and as the owner, he hoped Jordan would bring heroic performances as he did in the ''90s, ensuring a full house every game, ending with, "Terrorist attacks are such a tragedy, they have torn apart tens of thousands of families, but I believe that no matter how many tragedies we are facing now, as long as there is one good thing happening, the world will be a better ce, let''s get started!"


    Well said, Yu Fei''s hands were almost smoking from pping.


    But what he didn''t expect was that after Pollin finished, Stern also went up to give a speech.


    Stern''s speech was very simr to Pollin''s, consisting of the same central theme¡ªthat Jordan''seback was very important to the world.


    This statement is not entirely inurate, it would be spot on if you put "Kwame Brown''s" in front of "world."


    Without Jordan, it would have taken Brown at least two years to plummet from the glory of the first pick to a status worse than a dog on the team.


    But Jordan had aplished this on his very first day at training camp.


    His presence was not just important to Brown but had indeed changed everything.


    When Stern''s speech concluded, the match of the night, Wizards versus Suns, was about to begin, marking an elongated finale.


    ```


    The preseason game tradition includes evaluating yers, so Yu Fei and Brown both made the starting lineup.


    Yet, the hero mentioned by Stern and Pollin firmly took a seat on the bench.


    Insiders had no objections since Jordan had tendonitis, and naturally, he should rest as much as possible during an insignificant preseason.


    However, fans who bought expensive tickets just to see Jordan y wouldn''t be so forgiving.


    Before the game even started, Doug Collins had already been verbally FUCKed by the fans at the scene thousands of times.


    After the game started, both teams yed quite rxed, with basically no intensity. Within less than three minutes, the score was already 14 to 12.


    Yu Fei''s energy and style of y surprised some people.


    During the draft, fans generally believed that Jordan had made a bad deal by trading so much for Yu Fei.


    Because Yu Fei was an inside yer, and the Wizards had already used the first pick to draft an inside yer.


    Turns out, Yu Fei was actually a small forward?


    The Phoenix Suns sent out rookie Alton Ford (PF/SF) to match up with Yu Fei.


    As a result, Ford, whose build and mobility tended more towards a power forward, couldn''t keep up with Yu Fei on the perimeter at all.


    By halftime, Yu Fei had racked up 21 points just on cuts and fast breaks.


    In the second half, Collins benched Yu Fei, "Frye, you''re not going to y anymore tonight. This is just a preseason game," he said.


    Yu Fei knew what Collins meant.


    He had passed the test with his performance in the first half.


    If he didn''t y in the second half, he probably wouldn''t y much in the following preseason games either.


    Any professional team of any level wouldn''t y seriously in the preseason. The main point is to assess yer standards and let the starters and rotations find their game rhythm¡ªit''s the basics.


    However, Collins was somewhat worried about his feelings towards Brown.


    Brown wasn''t bad in the first half, ying simultaneously with Yu Fei he caught quite a few easy buckets¡ª12 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block by halftime.


    But Collins noticed that all the easy buckets Brown scored were fed by Yu Fei; passes from others either didn''t result in a score or ended in a turnover.


    Looking at the stats, Brown performed well, but this was achieved through 14 shot attempts, plus 3 turnovers.


    Collins wanted to see how Brown would y without Yu Fei on the court.


    Most importantly, in the second half, the person who took Yu Fei''s ying time was Jordan.


    On the Wizards team, Collins positioned Jordan as a small forward.


    Recing Yu Fei with Jordan was, to say the least for Brown, like falling from heaven to hell.


    After nearly half a year of rehabilitation and training camp for the preseason, Jordan hadpletely regained his sense of the game. He entered and scored his first three shots like a shadow of his peak years.


    Then Jordan''s trash talk forced the Suns to intensify their y, and they sent out three yers to trap him.


    Jordan jumped up but realized that his leap wasn''t what it used to be.


    He couldn''t find any space to shoot, but in a split second, he seized a gap to pass the ball with lightning speed, and the receiver was Brown.


    Nice y!


    Even the Wizards'' top "Anti-Mike" couldn''t help but cheer for Jordan.


    However...Brown''s hands weren''t ready for this fast pass with a high spin.


    The ball grazed his palms and dropped to the floor.


    The Suns immediately took control of the ball andunched a counterattack.


    "What the fuck are you doing?!!" Jordan raged, "If you fucking don''t want to y, then get the hell off the court!"


    Brown shrank his neck, not daring to talk back.


    Yu Fei really wanted tough, but Brown was his friend, and how could he take pleasure in his friend''s misfortune?  stories


    Yet, the scene was truly hrious.


    At the same time, it was terrifying, this was Kwame Brown''s 9/11.


    Unlike the event at the World Trade Center, this happened every day.


    PS: The book goes live on the National Day, and tomorrow is thest day of the new book period. Hmm, what should I say? I wish everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival.


    ```

 Chapter 73: Chapter 66 Everything Depends on You, New York, New York

    ```


    On October 30, 2001, the Washington Wizards departed from D.C. to New York to participate in the 2001-02 NBA season''s opening game.


    Because of Jordan''s involvement, the Wizards suddenly became one of the main teams in the NBA, and it was only natural that they were scheduled to y in the opening game.


    Yu Fei sat numbly on the ne, and even here, he could still hear some news.


    Unfortunately, whether in the newspapers or on the television, everyone was talking about the United States'' war on terrorunched at the beginning of the month as a response to the 9/11 events; the world''s only superpower had stepped into the "graveyard of empires." TVmentators tirelessly narrated frontline stories; no one talked about Jordan''s secondeback, and even Barry Bonds'' record-breaking home runs were overshadowed by the national tragedy.


    At this time, the influence of any sports star was diminished, whether it was the resurrected god (Jordan) or the living god (Woods), the only sports narrative that received mainstream attention was about the New York Yankees. As a team, the Yankees'' impact had transcended the usual confines of a sports team and, as a cultural symbol, could even be seen as synonymous with Americans. In the United States, the Yankees are usually hated and despised because they symbolize arrogance and crushing victories with no mercy for the opponents.


    What the Yankees symbolized was exactly what Americans wanted to see in the war in Afghanistan; they hoped the U.S. military would be as unstoppable as the Yankees.


    As the only person in the world who knew this war wouldst 20 years, Yu Fei waited numbly for the ne''s announcement.


    New York, they had arrived.


    The moment Yu Fei stepped off the ne with his backpack, the airport broadcast began ying Frank Sinatra''s "New York, New York."


    Everything depends on you, New York, New York...


    (It''s up to you New York, New York)


    Yu Fei sang silently to himself.


    As Yu Fei arrived outside the airport, he found not only dozens of media outlets had gathered but also thousands of fans chanting "MJ" as well as the tightest security he had ever seen.


    Yu Fei understood their thoughts; if terrorists were looking for a target, what could be more conspicuous than Jordan, and who could attractrger crowds than Jordan?


    The journey from the airport to the hotel by bus andter from the hotel to Madison Square Garden left Yu Fei witnessing the most rigorous security measures he had ever seen in his life.


    One could say that New York was protecting Jordan like they would protect the president.


    The most exaggerated part was when a reporter, who had not passed the security check promptly and didn''t want to miss the chance to interview Jordan, attempted to bypass security and was knocked down by the guards using authentic martial arts techniques. Instantly, several people surrounded him and subdued him, and no matter how much he cursed, they first took him away from the scene.


    After a simple court walkthrough, Yu Fei returned to the locker room an hour before the game started.


    He was equally nervous.


    As a lottery pick, he was about to face his first professional NBA game.


    He needed his private little space.


    But damn David Stern had mandated in the 1990s that NBA locker rooms must be open to all media with press credentials 45 minutes before the game starts. Although hard to obtain, press credentials were still essible to many reporters, especially some well-connected foreign journalists.


    Jordan was resting with his eyes closed, and Grover was giving him a simple massage; two muscle-bound men stood by his side, his bodyguards.


    Then, an impetuous foreign reporter burst in, raising his microphone to Jordan''s face, "Michael, would you like to say something to the Spanish fans?"


    Jordan didn''t even nce at him, "I don''t give interviews before games."


    "Can I take a photo?"


    "No photos allowed," said a security guard.


    The Spanish reporter was not satisfied; this was the first game where Jordan would wear a Wizards jersey. Once it became a reality, it would be a historic moment of Jordan separating from the Chicago Bulls.


    "Just one photo..."


    "No photos allowed, don''t make me say it a third time!"


    "Hey, you can take a picture of me," Yu Fei offered.


    The Spanish reporter reluctantly approached Yu Fei, "What would you like to say to the Spanish fans?"


    "Please don''t forget that amazing, kind person," Yu Fei said, "That person is me."


    The reporter said helplessly, "Are you sure the fans know what you''re talking about?"


    "As long as you know," Yu Fei shrugged, "If you''re really grateful, please don''t let me see you before the game starts in the future."


    After the reporter left, Jordan remarked sarcastically, "Is annoying people your nature?"


    "No, I just know that Spaniards won''t buy my sneakers, so I don''t care what they think of me," Yu Fei retorted, "But I believe some people might lose some Spanish fans because of their arrogance."


    Tonight, Madison Square Garden was packed.


    The wee ceremony for Jordan was grand; Stern appeared again, along with New York''s mayor, then the current President of the United States spoke about the significance of Jordan''s return to society ... then, tributes to the military, tributes to firefighters, tributes to American spirit... If they continued paying tributes, Yu Fei was going to be sick.


    Luckily, they knew it was the regr season, and the game itself was the most important thing; the tributes were brief. What good were borate tributes in a game with an average attendance if nobody watched?


    Soon after, the starting lineups for both teams were announced.


    The Wizards'' starting lineup was beyondckluster: Chris Whitney, Richard Hamilton, Michael Jordan, Christian Laettner, Jahidi White.


    Apart from Hamilton, who averaged 18 pointsst season, only White was a starter from the previous season. Laettner and Whitney had been in the league for many years, and their abilities were set in stone; if they weren''t startersst season, why were they starters this season?


    Because Jordan thought Yu Fei wasn''t "trying hard enough," so Collins believed starting a greenhorn like Yu Fei at the small forward position and letting him alternate at point guard with Jordan was a high-risk decision.


    Yu Fei and Brown sat side by side, exchanging nces.


    "Seeing you on the bench as well makes me feel a lot better," Brown joked, "How is it that a yer who performs top three on the practice court isn''t starting?"


    ```


    Yu Fei suppressed the urge to curse at Michael Jordan''s mother and said emotionlessly, "Even though I practice three times a day, it''s still not enough effort to earn the ''boss''s'' approval."


    "It''s terrifying, he''s not human," Brown had been influenced by Yu Fei and sphemy had be an indispensable entertainment in his life.


    Yu Fei snorted coldly, "You''re already ttering him by expecting him to meet human standards."


    "Cough cough..." Coach Lu sat ufortably, "Can you say less?"


    Yu Fei felt that he still hadn''t said enough and should say more.


    On the court, Richard Hamilton and An Houston were like mirrors of each other.


    Whenever Hamilton scored, Houston would respond in the same fashion.


    And it lookedpletely natural.


    Jordan''s performance let the fans in attendance down, starting with an overpowered pull-up jumper from the free throw line, then a bizarrely rhythmic drive and low push shot to save face, followed by more misses, continuing to miss, shooting 1 for 5 in the first quarter.


    When New Yorkers realized this wasn''t the Jordan who toyed with them as one would a ything, they couldn''t help but mock the rusting deity.


    "Wizards'' Dan is so much worse than Bulls'' Dan!" Spike Lee mumbled, "Just retire already, Michael, this is not the man I remember!"


    Seeing Jordan struggle with the pace of an official game, Collins chose to substitute him out at the seven-minute mark of the first quarter.


    "Frye!" Collins called out, "You''re taking Michael out."


    Yu Fei asked, "What about Kwame?"


    Collins looked displeased at Yu Fei, was this rookie trying to teach me how to manage rotations?


    "Kwame and I have good chemistry..." Yu Fei said.


    Collins replied sternly, "That''s not for you to worry about."


    It really wasn''t Yu Fei trying to help Brown out as a friend, it was in the best interest of the Wizards for Yu Fei and Brown to be on the court at the same time.


    There were enough internal training samples to prove that Brown yed best when paired with Yu Fei.


    If Collins wanted Brown to develop smoothly, he should have done that.


    But Collins refused.


    With no reasonable exnation, Brown''s situation was different from Yu Fei''s; although he had lost the status within the team that a number one draft pick should have, he had no conflict with Jordan, unlike Yu Fei''s clear-cut "Anti-Mike" stance.


    Brown performing well was beneficial for Jordan; who would want to carry the me of poor judgment?


    Yu Fei spread his hands towards Brown, signaling buddy, I tried my best, this coach is too much, you figure it out.


    Behind him, Brown started cursing Collins''s mother with an F-bomb.


    As Yu Fei took over from Jordan, the boss jokingly said, "If you make a mistake, I''ll take you out."


    To this day, Jordan still intended to tame Yu Fei.


    But Yu Fei didn''t want topromise with Jordan. If Jordan were ten years younger, he wouldn''t mind acknowledging him as the leader, but at 38,ing on court and shooting 1 for 5, how was he to be the big brother? Did he think that The Chosen One had no face to lose?


    "Suit yourself, I can handle it."


    With that, Yu Fei didn''t even look Jordan in the eye and waved to demand the ball from Chris Whitney, "I''ll control the ball."


    Whitney said irritably, "You should know that your opponent is Latrell Sprewell."


    "Oh, will he choke me?" Yu Fei asked.


    "Not likely, but you''d better keep your mouth shut in front of him."


    "Got it," Yu Fei said impatiently, stretching out his hand, "Ball!"


    Whitney passed the ball and sure enough, Sprewell wanted to give Yu Fei a shocking wee, directly going for one-on-one full-court pressure.


    Yu Fei didn''t underestimate Sprewell''s defense, it''s just that the current NBA had strict regtions against body movement, and defenders were not allowed to handcheck outside the three-point line in the frontcourt.


    In such a case, as long as you can handle physical confrontations, even someone as aggressive as Sprewell would have a hard time forcing a turnover.


    After sessfully gaining weight in the summer, Yu Fei had be just about adequate for ying the three position. Sprewell''s attempts at aggressive steals not only failed but also left big openings.


    With a swift turn and dribble, Yu Fei used the defender''s momentum against him, shaking off The Madman by a step, sending the noise at Madison Square Garden into overdrive.


    Jeff Van Gundy watched the skilled ball-handling from Yu Fei and fell into deep thought.


    The coordination was astonishing, and the speed of his preferred hand turn and dribble was not something a 208 cm yer should have.


    In the blink of an eye, Yu Fei had broken inside the three-point line.


    The Knicks'' help defense had already positioned itself, but he stopped at the free-throw line, starting with his left foot, faking with his right, and then taking off with one foot to power through a visually stunning tomahawk dunk over the Knicks'' temporary starting center Felton Spencer''s head.


    In the moment the dunk waspleted, Yu Fei roared out loud, aggressively pulling on the rim to taunt his opponents and even stole Russell Westbrook''s rocking the cradle move, stomping on the floor with a swagger.


    No lyrics were more fitting for the scene than those of "New York, New York."


    If I can make it there, I''ll make it anywhere; it''s up to you, New York, New York!

 Chapter 74: Chapter 67 Underprivileged and Genius

    "#%@£¤#"


    "Damn it!" Spike Lee stood up, roaring at Yu Fei, "That''s not what you''re supposed to do! You damn rookie have no right to show off!"


    "Spree is going to teach you a lesson!"


    Yu Fei had infuriated the fans at MSG, not only with his extra antics on the rim after a dunk but also with his perfect reenactment of Westbrook''s ssic celebration uponnding¡ªevery Westbrook fan would remember that move, catching Durant''s alley-oop pass and carelessly taking big strides after the m dunk.


    "This kid really knows how to make an entrance," Wizards'' assistant coach Johnny Bach mused. "There''s no better stage than MSG."


    Jordan sat quietly, watching Yu Fei freely showing off his talent, something he could no longer touch.


    Even though he had skills beyond Yu Fei''s reach, on nights when he couldn''t find his touch¡ªlike tonight¡ªhe would struggle.


    But Yu Fei just had to take the floor to be like a monster unleashed, his talent visibly unmistakable.


    Compared to Kwame Brown, he was more like a number one pick.


    The infuriating thing was, this lottery ticket that was a third scratched off waspletely defiant to him.


    Jordan could clearly feel the young man''s dislike for him, but what puzzled him the most was that he didn''t know where he had made a bad impression.


    Truth be told, it had been a long time since Jordan had sincerely cultivated a rtionship.


    It was always others who fawned over him, putting up with his bad temper and mockery, while Yu Fei had zero tolerance for his temper and trash talk, which made Jordan ufortable.


    That''s why Yu Fei felt Jordan had a long way to go as a person.


    Because he had been a god for too long, he couldn''t recognize the difference between the heavens and reality.


    The current Yu Fei had no time to deal with Jordan; he had to meet Sprewell''s tsunami-like offensive onught.


    "Your dunk was nice, but I didn''t like your celebration," Sprewell said bluntly. "That''s not what rookies are supposed to do."


    Yu Fei''s response was something his teammates didn''t want to hear: "Oh really, I didn''t know there''s something you shouldn''t do on the court apart from choking people."


    At that moment, Sprewell''s facial expression underwent a violent change, more terrifying than Naruto''s reaction when Pain killed Hinata before him.


    Yu Fei''s trash talk had brought Sprewell back to that afternoon four years ago, which brought his career to its lowest point.


    All of a sudden, he went from a promising young yer to a viin in the media''s eyes.


    In the week when Sprewell almost strangled P.J. Carlesimo, the media across America published 484 articles to criticize him, and he almost lost everything he had worked hard for.


    The spotlight of Big Apple City and the support from the outside world made Sprewell a star again, and he thought he''d never look back.


    Then, Yu Fei''s trash talk brought back unwee memories.


    "It looks like no one has ever taught you how to fucking talk properly!" said Sprewell fiercely, pressing against Yu Fei and calling for the ball.


    Yu Fei tried to use his wingspan to y aggressive front defense, and at 190 pounds, Sprewell didn''t have a weight advantage, but he matched Yu Fei in strength.


    This reminded Yu Fei that he still needed to work hard in the weight room; matching Sprewell was not nearly enough, especially since thetter wasn''t known for his physical y to begin with.


    In fact, it wouldn''t be out of ce to consider Sprewell a shooting guard. If not for An Houston having difficulty adapting to the physical y at the small forward position, Sprewell was indeed supposed to be a two-guard.


    Yu Fei failed to use his physical advantage because Sprewell''s core strength was stable enough to suppress him and draw a foul.


    The referee''s attitude did not allow Yu Fei to tantly offend Sprewell''s cylinder, so Yu Fei changed his strategy.


    Then, with lightning speed, Sprewell blew past Yu Fei''s defense and scored on ayup.


    "I''ll fucking teach you how to speak," Sprewell bellowed.


    As Sprewell was schooling the rookie, the cheers and curses of MSG also rose. This was an intensity Yu Fei was experiencing for the first time.


    Yu Fei very much understood New Yorkers'' love for Sprewell because the public''s contempt for sports stars was cyclical unless you yed the crowd like Irving. Even after incidents like Kobe in Eagle County, LeBron making decisions against his legacy, or Durant taking the hardest road, as long as there''s a breathtaking performance on the court, even the world''s most despicable malice can be evaporated by direct visual stimtion.


    All Sprewell did was a bit of minor work¡ªhelping the ''99 Knicks reach the finals after Ewing was ruled out for the season¡ªthen he became the most beloved basketball yer in New York State, reaping rewards on and off the court, and even the New Yorkers could tolerate his mercurial temperament and asional reckless ying style, viewing it as his personal charm.


    This was New York, a city with an almost pathological worship of sports heroes. They love stars who can "start over," like NFL star Lawrence Taylor, MLB star Dwight Gooden, and Darryl Strawberry, who were both drug addicts and criminals yet were treated like heroes when they returned to the field representing New York sports teams.


    But Yu Fei didn''t think Sprewell could make him hold his tongue.


    Not even Jordan managed to do that, and even at 38, Jordan was more formidable than the current Sprewell.


    Yu Fei handled the ball, while Sprewell''s defensive intensity was clearly excessive. He even used his hands to illegally block Yu Fei''s advance in the frontcourt, ignoring the rules.


    Rookies had no rights, and Yu Fei''s protest was in vain. He could only protect the ball with his back and then pass it to Chris Whitney toplete the handoff.


    Laettner called for a high post position, ready to act as the pivot.


    That was a style of y Collins liked.


    However, due to the well-known conflict between Fei and Laettner, any cooperation between the two was doomed to fail.


    When Fei cut open for an opportunity, Laettner chose to pass the ball to Hamilton, who was one step inside the three-point line.


    Hamilton received the ball and shot directly.


    "Bang!"


    The sound of the ball hitting iron was music to the ears.


    Fei didn''t understand why the outside stars of this era liked the long two-point shots, just a step inside the three-point line.


    No, not all of them.


    At least, Sprewell was smart enough to know a three-pointer was worth one more point than a two.


    In just a few seconds, Sprewell arrived in the frontcourt, and with no one in front of him, he took a three-point shot.


    This was a shot that refreshed Fei''s understanding of the game.


    It was 2001, and someone dared to shoot a trailing three-pointer in a fast break where they had the numerical advantage?


    And that someone was Sprewell, who you would never have guessed would have such insight.


    "Swish!"


    Sprewell''s three-pointer hit its mark, extending the lead to 12 points, and Collins called for a timeout.


    With three minutes left in the first quarter, Collins still hadn''t subbed in Kwame Brown.


    Christian Laettner, who let personal grievances onto the court, and the utterly useless Jahidi White were substituted out. Popeye Jones came on to y the five position, Tyronn Nesby took the three spot, and Fei moved up to the four position.


    Looking over his own team''s lineup, Fei wanted tough but couldn''t.


    The only yer who could be considered a spacing threat on the court was Whitney; Hamilton''s three-point percentagest season was 27%...


    It really was a primary focus on muscle basketball; anyone who shot threes was a dog.


    "Frye, listen, I need you to establish an advantage in your matchup with Kurt Thomas," Collins exined in detail. "Your opponent is a blue-cor power forward with solid fundamentals. He only poses a mid-range shooting threat from the left side, and you don''t need to worry about physicality, he''s even lighter than you... If you can establish an advantage in the matchup, we can free up Rip."


    Collins had many ws, adting Jordan, being emotionally unstable, etc., but he also had strengths, such as being an exceptional basketball specialist whose on-the-spot guidance was often effective.


    Many famous coaches are known for their poor adaptability during games, but Collins was the opposite. In the professional basketball world, he was known for "If every offensive y could call a timeout, Doug Collins would win every game."


    Even with the assumption of "all the coaches in history," Collins'' adaptability in-game was among the top tier.


    After listening to him, Fei asked, "Can I interpret that as I''ve been given full authority to handle the offensive positioning?"


    "Anyway, Michael''s resting, you can see it that way," Collins said with a light smile.


    "OK, as the Wizards'' temporary core, I have a suggestion."


    "Speak."


    "Let me y the three position, with Kwame at four."


    "Good suggestion," Collins still smiled, "but I reject it. Kwame''s not ready yet."


    Fei was entirely at a loss for words; if Collins wanted Brown to y even a little role on the court, he wouldn''t have deemed himpletely useless.


    This was the second time Fei tried to get Brown into the rotation.


    But he failed because he stillcked one critical thing: the authority as a core leader.


    If it had been Jordan, a single word would have been enough.


    But Fei couldn''t do it, he was only a temporary core.


    Before going onto the court, Fei looked deeply at Brown, expressing regret for his plight.


    Buddy, you really tried your best, just keep sitting on that little bench and hunt the coach''s mom.


    (1) This number isn''t something I came up with on the spot. The New York Times provided the figure in a whitewashing article for The Madman in 2000, although whether the author made it up, I have no idea.


    PS: The scheduled time for going to the paid section should be tomorrow at noon, if I remember correctly... It''s thest day of the month, so I quietly ask for a monthly ticket.

 Chapter 75: Chapter 68: The Impartial "Anti-Mike

    Collins didn''t arrange for Yu Fei to y the power forward position as a punishment.


    This was because the Knicks'' power forward, Kurt Thomas, belonged to the lighter category in his era, weighing just 230 pounds, which was not much more than Yu Fei''s 227 pounds (103KG). However, Yu Fei did not think that his confrontational ability was on the same level just because the opponent''s weight was simr to his own.


    Yes, strength is rted to weight, but every weight has a theoretical maximum strength.


    Yu Fei''s focus this summer was to gain weight, while Thomas, a veteran who had yed for many years, spent most of his training keeping his weight steady and doing lots of bench presses and deadlifts to push his maximum strength and core power to their limits.


    This was something that Yu Fei couldn''tpare with yet, and it was also the reason why Thomas would definitely have the advantage in their confrontation.


    But Yu Fei did not n to y against Thomas like an inside yer.


    Since Collins had asked Yu Fei to gain an advantage in his position, there must have been good reasons for it.


    If previously Yu Fei had some doubts about the intensity of the NBA, by now, he had none.


    After a hard summer of training, he hadpletely reached the NBA level.


    Under Doug Collins''s system, the power forward was a tactical fulcrum, perhaps not the most important, but an indispensable part of the system''s operation.


    So, arranging Yu Fei to y as a power forward essentially meant that Collins had acknowledged Yu Fei''s abilities.


    This was also rted to the Wizards'' meager lineup. If Ratner, because of his ulterior motives, could not fully y the role of the power forward fulcrum, who else could he rely on? Collins had no choice but to see if Yu Fei could be effective in the power forward position.


    Yu Fei got the ball, faced up to Thomas at the high post, and raised his hand to signal for Popeye Jones toe up for the screen and roll.


    Thomas knew little about Yu Fei, so when the screen came, he still didn''t think Yu Fei had the ability to break through the Knicks'' defense.


    But in the blink of an eye, Yu Fei used Popeye''s screen to get rid of Thomas, elerate past Felton Spencer who was helping on defense, and charged into the basket toplete the dunk.


    "Frye Yu, another dunk!"


    "This young man''s first and second baskets in the NBA were both dunks."


    "Does this suggest that his shooting is not stable?"


    Yu Fei somehow felt like he was Ben Simmons. His shooting was actually not bad, although not stable enough yet, it could serve as a regr means of offense. But Yu Fei''s role in the team was currently very ambiguous, on the one hand as Jordan''s substitute, and on the other, Collins wanted to give him opportunities but was also considering Jordan. If Ratner hadn''t let personal grievances affect his decision-making, Collins might not have thought of making Yu Fei the power forward, indirectly giving him a central position.


    And Yu Fei wouldn''t y as he wished just because he temporarily became the focus of the set offense, so he tried to finish offensively in the most certain way possible.


    Under such circumstances, unstable shooting was Yu Fei''sst choice.


    That''s why he yed like Ben Simmons.


    Back on defense, Kurt Thomas wanted to use his strength advantage to rough up Yu Fei.


    However, Yu Fei firmly remembered Collins''s instructions that Thomas only had a mid-range shot on the left side of the paint, so Yu Fei didn''t care about Thomas''s right-side offense at all and decisively prevented him from going left.


    Thomas didn''t want to show weakness in front of the rookie, so he dribbled with his right hand, went strong to the basket, gathered the ball, and took a fadeaway shot over the defense.


    "Bang!"


    Popeye Jones grabbed the rebound and passed it to Yu Fei.


    The moment Yu Fei got the ball, he spotted Richard Hamilton breaking fast, so he immediately made a long pass.


    In less than four seconds, Hamilton scored on the fastbreak.


    "It''s the team''s loss that you''re not starting," Hamilton liked Yu Fei''s passing.


    Knowing how to send afortable pass to your teammates is both an art and a technique, requiring the passer to fully understand the teammates'' preferences.


    Yu Fei didn''t know why he could makefortable passes; for him, the only passer he needed to consider carefully was Kwame Brown. For the others, as long as he saw their movement, he knew what kind of pass to give.


    Then, the Knicks'' counterattack came.


    Latrell Sprewell easily broke through Tyrone Nesby and charged under the basket, drawing a foul on Jones.


    Sprewell''s style of y gave Yu Fei a strong sense of dissonance.


    Why? Though he clearly grew up in an era of "watching Jordan y in the basement," his style of y wasn''t even a bit like Jordan''s. The long mid-range shots, a step inside the three-point line which Richard Hamilton was obsessed with, was something he would never do. Sprewell yed no differently than yers of the small-ball era.


    Three-pointers and drives, resolutely no mid-range.


    That''s why he dared to take pull-up threes in a numbered fastbreak; that''s just how he yed.


    Sprewell made both free throws.


    After Chris Whitney brought the ball past half court, he passed it to Yu Fei, who was at the high post.


    Yu Fei called for another screen from Jones.


    The Knicks'' defense strategy had changed, and to prevent Yu Fei from driving directly to the basket, Kurt Thomas and Felton Spencer chose to double-team him high up on the court.


    Yu Fei didn''t understand why they were doing this.


    Although Popeye Jones was ugly and had an ugly shooting motion, he had the ability to shoot.


    Was leaving Jones so open a gamble that he wouldn''t find his wide-open teammate so close by?


    It made no sense!


    Yu Fei lifted the ball high and passed it, Jones received the ball in an open position and shot.


    "Swoosh!"


    "Autobots," Yu Fei said with a smile, "they''re really showing you no respect by leaving you so open!"


    "That''s right, I''m very angry."


    Jones replied to Yu Fei with a serious face, then in the next defensive round, he demonstrated just how bad it was to make him angry with his actions.


    Sprewell was addicted to flopping, and Nesby, who was moonlighting as a power forward, simply didn''t have the ability to stop him.


    The Madman''s first step, something Yu Fei had experienced, was so fast it caught people off guard.


    When you face someone like that, you really have to back off the defense a little to show some respect.


    Nesby seemed to have no idea how to guard the perimeter, he was beaten off the step in one round and continued in the next.


    As a result, Sprewell happily exploited his defensive ws, driving in again towards Jones, and this time, Jones didn''t let the Madman flop, making a strong block that pped the ball to the ground.


    Yu Fei grabbed the loose basketball and was about to break away when Thomas harshly pped at the ball, sessfully breaking the game''s rhythm with a tactical foul.


    "This is a tactical foul?" Yu Fei asked as he held up his stingingly pped hand.


    The referee didn''t want to deal with it, while Thomas took on the air of a veteran and taunted, "Yes, kid, this is a tactical foul in an adult game, don''t like it then roll back to your high school basketball!"


    "Frye, don''t mind it." Whitney said, worried that Yu Fei would lose his temper.


    They had seen what it looked like when the teenager lost his cool.


    After that day, Ratner never again looked for trouble with Yu Fei on the practice court.


    Moreover, aside from Jordan, no other veteran messed with Yu Fei again.


    Everyone knew that Yu Fei was a person with a very low "threshold."


    "I''m fine." Having said that, Yu Fei ran towards the front court.


    Really fine?


    Whitney didn''t believe that Yu Fei would let things go, and when he dribbled past half court, he saw Yu Fei, disregarding the tactical arrangement, actively asking for the ball in the low post.


    Yu Fei''s positioning seemed simple, Thomas''s counter was very strong and with Yu Fei''s skills in posting up, core strength, and weight, it was impossible for him to fully secure that position.


    Whitney gestured for Yu Fei toe to the high post to get the ball.


    But Yu Fei shouted at the top of his lungs, "Pass the ball over here!"


    Although risky, Whitney was a veteran and had the experience to know how to pass the ball in such a situation.


    Whitney''s pass was on target.


    The moment Yu Fei caught the ball, his head turned left but his body pivoted the ball to the right. These two movements were almost simultaneous, and Thomas was fooled by the first move; his defensive center of gravity shifted left,pletely copsing his defense.


    Yu Fei pivoted to the right and cut inside, not only leaving Thomas''s body behind but also advancing further to the interior. Felton Spencer attempted to cover, but he was too bulky to be in the best position in time.


    Most big men who end up as poster dunks are a split second toote, and Spencer was just a beat slow. Yu Fei, rocketing into the air like a rocket, lifted the ball high over his head andpleted his third dunk of the night.


    With a thunderous roar, Spencer, who could neither stop nor maintain his center of gravity, lost bnce and fell backward after failing to prevent Yu Fei''s smash.


    Yu Fei gripped the rim tightly, not falling to the ground, and looked back at Thomas, "This is the defense in an adult game? Letting your teammate pay for your ipetence?"


    Thomas naturally couldn''t tolerate a rookie insulting him like this and immediately fired back, but Yu Fei, always ready to dominate when he had the advantage, kept mocking Thomas for causing his teammate to get posterized, resulting in the referee losing patience and calling technical fouls on both yers.


    Doug Collins watched Jordan with an expression caught betweenughter and tears.


    Seeing Yu Fei like this, Jordan felt a bit better, realizing that "Anti-Mike" wasn''t targeted at him alone; he was like this with everyone.


    "Let hime down and cool off." Jordan looked towards Kwame Brown, longing for Yu Fei''s brilliant performance, "I think Kwame has sat on the sidelines long enough."


    PS: My understanding of theunch remained two years ago when a book thatunched needed to wait until twelve noon the next day to upload VIP chapters, but now it has changed, you can start from zero... um, so let''s start now, ten updates today.

 Chapter 76: Chapter 69 The Gentlest Moment in the Whole Scene

    With a minute left in the first quarter, the Wizards Team substituted Kwame Brown for Yu Fei.


    This introduction brought more fun to the game since Yu Fei had performed excellently as a substitute, scoring 6 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist, and showed the fiery temperament consistent with the rumors.


    Kwame Brown? Given his draft position, he should have been better than Yu Fei, but was that really the case?


    The answer was disappointing.


    He seemed out of ce in the game and, as a power forward, did not meet Collins''s expectations because he could not act as a pivot at the high post.


    What about the so-called Webber II? Wouldn''t Webber II make ys?


    Was this some kind of joke?


    The fact was Brown''s skills honed in low-level high school games gave the illusion he was the next Webber, something the Wizards had seen through during training camp, and now it was just being confirmed in a real game.


    As a power forward, Brown was unable to help the team, and if moved to center, his current strength for confrontation seemedcking, and moreover, Collins doubted whether he had enough threat as a rim protector.


    Additionally, Brown''s defensive habits were very poor.


    In one minute, Brownmitted two fouls.


    The most fatal issue was his butterfingers characteristic had been exposed in that same minute.


    After Chris Whitney called for a pick and roll with Brown, he delivered a quite imaginative crossover pass.


    However, Brown didn''t secure the ball, effectively spitting out the 2 points fed into his mouth.


    Yu Fei had once narrowed the gap to 6 points, but within three minutes, Brown let the Wizards fall behind by 14 points.


    With 10 minutes left in the second quarter, Jordan stood up with a grim face and said, "I''ve seen enough."


    Following Brown''s third personal foul, he was substituted out.


    "Unlike Frye Yu, Kwame seems to still be getting used to the intensity of professional basketball,"


    "Although it may be a bit premature to say this, I really didn''t see any... sparkle in him."


    Brown walked off the court dejectedly, unwilling to talk to anyone.


    Collins would normally "guide" a yer who had been subbed off.


    When Ratner was taken out, Collins "guided" him withnguage that would have been condemned by God; when Yu Fei was subbed off, Collins introduced him to a yer named Darryl Dawkins, wanting Fei to understand that when a person has great talent but can''t control their temper, it might derail their career.


    What about Kwame Brown? He didn''t have anything to say.


    It was obvious that Collins was very disappointed in Brown, but his impatience was even less than Jordan''s, which was puzzling.


    Seeing Brown looking sullen, Yu Fei told him, "You''ve signed a four-year contract; a bad night won''t change anything."


    For Brown, Yu Fei truly lived up to "I can guard, and also warm hearts." Brown was grateful to Yu Fei; without the care from his peer, he didn''t know how he would survive in this toxic environment.


    "If I practiced three times a day like you... would I get better?" Brown wanted to change his situation.


    Yu Fei didn''t believe Brown could keep up three practices a day.


    Moreover, the season had already started; was practicing three times a day an admission of being too soft on the court?


    If he wore himself out on the practice court, what energy would he have left for the game?


    Even for Yu Fei, the intensity of his current training had been greatly reduced. Apart from team practices, he only added 60 minutes of shooting and 30 minutes of strength training each day.


    "I think, memorizing the tactical manual will be more helpful for you," Yu Fei cautiously suggested.


    Brown had many issues; the most important thing right now was to not be disconnected from the team''s y style, and the reason for this issue was mainly because he wasn''t familiar with the team''s tactics due to being mentally fogged up by the PUA tactics of Jordan and Collins in training.


    In front of those two big shots, Brown could only say "Yes," but when actually ying, he needed to integrate into the system; there would not always be someone there to remind him of what to do at every moment.


    On the court, Dogte, who went 1 for 5 in the first quarter, finally started to feel the game again.


    On the defensive end, he matched up against Sprewell; while he couldn''t keep up with the speed, his experience allowed him to sessfully predict the opponent''s power release timing, stealing the ball and scoring a fast-break dunk.


    Then he responded with a mid-range jumper after Sprewell scored on a drive.


    The Knicks missed their shot, and Jordan scored quickly on the fast break, hitting three shots in a row.


    At his peak, once he got into his scoring rhythm, he could score until he didn''t want to anymore.


    But now, the more he ran, the more he started to gasp for air; once he gasped, the rhythm changed, and his shots started to veer off.


    Jordan''s fourth shot didn''t even have a straight arc.


    "Back in his younger days, he would''ve never missed that shot!"


    Tim Grover shook his head regretfully.


    Yu Fei nced at him; when Jordan dunked fast break earlier, Grover jumped up as if it was a holiday celebration.


    He didn''t want toment, because Grover was one of Jordan''s most loyal fans, but he was only concerned about when he could get back on the court.


    After ying for six minutes straight, Jordan moved to the backcourt and started to catch his breath with his hands on his knees.


    Collins asked, "Michael, do you want to take a break?"


    Do you want to take a break? Yu Fei red in disbelief, are you kidding me? You''re the coach; don''t you have that authority? Useless!


    Collins proved with his actions that in front of Jordan, he was indeed just a fart.


    Jordan shook his head, "We''ve got a good momentum, and I''m fine, I can keep going."

 Chapter 77: Chapter 69 The Gentlest Moment in the Whole Scene_2

    Keep insisting if you want to, old man, just don''t keel over on the court...


    Yu Fei ndered Coach in his heart, and the first half ended without him getting his second chance to y.


    49 to 45


    The Knicks were leading by 4 points.


    Back in the locker room, Grover looked as tense as a surgeon entering the operating room when he examined Jordan''s knee.


    "ying a whole quarter is too much for you right now," Grover warned.


    Despite the acute pain in his joints, Jordan gritted his teeth and said, "I''m fine."


    Then, Collins began criticizing the substitute yers, "I didn''t want Michael to y for 12 minutes, but if you guys don''t step up your game, we''ll have to keep Michael and the other starters on for longer..."


    Different people took these words differently.


    Upon hearing this, Yu Fei felt particrly aggrieved.


    Was it really because the substitutes were not good enough that Jordan yed the entire second quarter? Wasn''t it because Jordan refused to be subbed out?


    Going into the second half, Yu Fei was still on the bench.


    With four minutes left in the third quarter, an exhausted Jordan finally agreed to be subbed out by Collins after missing several shots in a row.


    Only then did Yu Fei get his chance toe on as the substitute small forward.


    Once on the court, Yu Fei was desperate, his craving for stats surpassed everything else because he didn''t know when he''d be pulled out again, so he had to seize every opportunity.


    Yu Fei was after every rebound and possession.


    The three dunks in the first quarter had the Knicks wary of Yu Fei''s drives.


    This was the first year of zone defense in the NBA, and there was an urgent need to end the dominance of big men in the league, as it had been proven that only a yer of Jordan''s size could bring good TV ratings. Since no sessor to Jordan could rece him, the solution was to use rules to eliminate traditional post yers.


    Zone defense not only contained traditional centers'' offense, but also seriously disrupted outside pration¡ªthe league, of course, considered this, and thus the unique defensive three-second rule was introduced at the same time as the zone was unbanned.


    Together, these two rules only truly harmed traditional post yers.


    The desire for the death of centers was written all over Stern''s face.


    Due to the defensive three-second rule, the NBA''s zone defense was nothing like FIBA''s zone defense, a gap even wider than that between Pepsi and Coca-C.


    Nevertheless, even though the NBA''s zone defense had clear ws, Yu Fei still decided to test his shooting.


    When the opponents formed a zone defense in the paint, Yu Fei called for Whitney''s pick-and-roll on the perimeter, specifically targeting the opposing point guard, and pulled up for a shot over his defense.


    "Swish!"


    Be it the shooting rhythm or the feel of the shot, Yu Fei felt he was in peak form.


    If that was the case, why not keep shooting?


    Yu Fei''s show started from there, and in the next seven rounds, he called for a pick-and-roll four times, challenging the opposing guards.


    These five rounds were like reying the same footage: all happened at the free-throw line, all with exactly the same offensive patterns and rhythm, and all shots made it in.


    After scoring 10 points in the quarter, Yu Fei broke the Knicks'' zone defense, leading Van Gundy to call for high traps, which instead created shooting opportunities for Richard Hamilton.


    Before the end of the third quarter, Yu Fei assisted Hamilton in making a long two-pointer with his foot on the line, 77 to 76, and the Wizards took the lead.


    "How about we pretend that Frye Yu is the Wizards'' first draft pick?"


    NBC''smentator Lewis Johnson joked.


    However, Collins did not continue to use the excellent Yu Fei in the fourth quarter but switched back to the main lineup.


    The teams grappled with a 1-point difference, exchanging leads many times.


    An energized Jordan held up the Wizards'' offense for the first half of the quarter, while Hamilton made sure the lead wasn''t extended in the first five minutes of the second half.


    But entering the final minute, An Houston and Sprewell each scored a mid-range shot and a three-pointer, expanding the difference to 4 points.


    Chris Whitney''s clutch three-pointer brought the difference back to 1 point.


    In the crucial moment, Popeye Jones was fouled out with six personal fouls, and the Knicks missed two bizarre free throws, giving the Wizards a chance for The Shot.


    At this point, Collins suddenly remembered Yu Fei, who had been on the bench the whole quarter.


    With 20 seconds left in the game, Collins decided to substitute Yu Fei in for Jones.


    Without any particr reason, Collins recalled Yu Fei''s wless performance earlier when calling for pick-and-rolls to attack the Knicks'' guards.


    "Everybody spread out, make room for Michael!" Collins said first, "Michael, you''ll get the ball here, and if there''s no opportunity, Frye will be here to support you... and if Frye gets the ball, Rip, be ready for the screen!"


    Having 20 seconds meant the Wizards had plenty of time as a safety.


    Try Jordan first, and if that doesn''t work, go to Yu Fei.


    This was the first time tonight that Yu Fei and Jordan were on the court together.


    Yu Fei had a feeling that Jordan wasn''t going to pass the ball because the Knicks would likely let Sprewell guard him alone.


    This wasn''t ack of respect for Jordan; for a 38-year-old who had not yet fully returned to game shape, Sprewell was more than enough.


    After all, Jordan''s shooting percentage tonight was just over thirty percent.


    So, from the start, Yu Fei was prepared to crash the boards.


    The ball was sessfully inbounded from the sidelines.


    Chris Whitney dribbled for a few seconds, and as Collins had arranged, he passed the ball to Jordan on the weak side.


    Jordan started to control the tempo of his dribble, and the first shake off was crucial. Devoid of explosive power and absolute speed, the veteran needed to use rhythm to confuse his defender if he wanted to make a y in a one-on-one situation.

 Chapter 78: Chapter 69 The Gentlest Moment in the Whole Scene_3

    Therefore, whether Sprewell falls for the rhythm of the first fake will determine the sess or failure of the entire offensive y.


    Unfortunately, tonight Jordan''s shooting touch was off, and Sprewell had calcted his every move.


    Once the offensive rhythm was exposed, even a god would be defended to the point of not seeing the basket.


    The offense took over 10 seconds, and at thest moment, Jordan made a quick stop to the right, collected the ball, and leaped with all his might, forced to increase the arc of his shot due to the block attempt.


    This was undoubtedly one of the most difficult shots on the basketball court.


    Extremely hard, the probability of making it was incredibly slim.


    The basketball hit the left side of the rim, spinning out at high speed, and the person who controlled the rebound would decide the direction of the game¡ªhowever, the ball had no chance to leave the vicinity of the rim, as just as it was bouncing out, Yu Fei, having precisely predicted Jordan''s miss, luckily positioned himself just right at the spot and had already jumped, stretching out his hand to gently touch the basketball, then guiding it downwards.


    Swish


    The ball fell through the, perhaps the gentlest scoring sound of the night.


    "!#£¤@#%@%&"


    Spike Lee lost hisposure, cursing at Felton Spencer for not securing his position: "You stupid idiot, how could you do this! How could you do this! Oh my God! Why! I miss Patrick Ewing!"


    Madison Square Garden copsed, the fans enraged by the Knicks''xity at thest moment turned the basketball Ma into a marketce of jeers, but what immense psychological pressure would the almost twenty thousand insults bring to the Knicks yers?


    In the end, the Knicks were crushed by the pressure of their home court.


    After the timeout, an errant inbounds pass from the Knicks led to a steal by Chris Whitney, who scored on the break, definitively ending the game.


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "7 for 21, MJ''s return was not as smooth as expected, but the oue was sweet for D.C.,"¡ªNew York Times


    "For the Wizards, the bad news was that the first pick Kwame Brown struggled tremendously in his debut, but the good news was that the eighth pick Frye Yu showed an unexpectedly mature performance, scoring 18 points with a 100% shooting, 9 rebounds, 4 assists. Like Lewis Johnson said, they could pretend that Frye was the first pick,"¡ªESPN News Express


    "I aimed well when I shot, but it always fell short. My shots tonight were either too short or released too low, which is a big problem, but fortunately, this is just the beginning of a long season. That''s how I see it,"¡ªJordan talked about his shooting after the game.


    "You know, the unknown is always the most dangerous, everyone has thought about this, but no one truly knows. I think that''s part of the challenge. This is a very young team, although they have never won anything, not even appeared on the battlefield for victory, perhaps this is the fairy tale we are writing,"¡ªJordan talked about the team''s future after the game.


    "We want to learn from Michael because he gives us the chance to win games and make the yoffs. Being teammates with the greatest yer in history is an honor. We will learn from him, because I know it will help us, I know we are the future of the team,"¡ªHamilton discussed the significance of Jordan to the team after the game.


    "Take a good look at Michael''s performance, 6 assists, 4 steals, 5 rebounds, it''s a great game for a 38-year-old,"¡ªCollinsmented on Jordan after the game.


    "Frye certainly deserves more ying time, this is only the first game of the regr season, we will adjust. I hope besides his minutes, you also notice the splendid performance he put on in his debut,"¡ªCollins responded to questions about Yu Fei''s limited ying time.


    "I believe Washington''s No. 44, Yu Fei, is going to be the Rookie of the Year this season. As a high school yer, he is more mature than I imagined. Plus, you can see just how unique his game is, as a 6-foot-9 small forward, he dribbles smoothly and shoots fluently, even predicting MJ''s shot at thest moment. I want to congratte the Wizards for discovering a gem,"¡ªVan Gundy''s post-game assessment of Yu Fei.


    "Frye, congrattions on the opening game win. As a rookie, how would you rate your performance?"


    "100 points."


    "Thank you for your frankness. I also want to know how you predicted the offensive rebound''snding spot in the final moments because it looked very quick on the broadcast."


    "Instead of prediction, it was more of a choice. I just chose an angle at random; the rebound chose me. I want to sincerely thank it for making the right choice. Thank you, rebound,"¡ªYu Fei''s post-game interview.

 Chapter 79 : 70: The Man Without Awe

    ```


    The 2001-02 NBA season had many major storylines that captivated attention, such as Toronto ultimately keeping hotmodity Vince Carter in Canada and acquiring historically top-five center Hakeem juwon;


    Ondo''s Grant Hill was set to make aeback, and his pairing with McGrady stirred the imagination;


    Chris Webber nearly left Sacramento during the summer, but in media narratives, the process isn''t important, the oue is. Webber stayed and signed a lucrative contract;


    The widespread belief was that Tim Duncan and the Spurs'' romance was down to thest two seasons because David Robinson was almost certain to retire in 2003. That summer, Ondo would have enough space to wee The Stone Buddha, who always had a soft spot for Orange City. However, Duncan still had things to do in Saint City, like picking up another championship to prove that the 1999 lockout season championship wasn''t a fluke.


    Besides, were Utah''s Malone and Stockton and Phoenix''s Marbury and Hardaway the most and leastpatible pairings in the NBA? Could Nowitzki get any better, or would he struggle in a lousy team like Gat did in Minneapolis?


    But the most eye-catching were the Lakers and Wizards, the turmoil within OK and Jordan''s secondeback. However, inst night''s opener, a rookie sessfully caught the media''s attention and made the headlines.


    "Gary Smith said Frye is ''The Chosen One'', and that might be true," wrote The Washington Post''s Steve Wyche in his report the next day.


    In his career debut, Yu Fei drew plenty of attention with an almost game-winning shot.


    Reebok, which previously harbored doubts about Fei, started heavily promoting his performance.


    Yet Fei didn''t spend much thought on these matters.


    The Wizards'' season began on the road, and their next stop was also away.


    On November 1st, they would challenge the Anta Hawks in Anta.


    But in the meantime, they had a day to rest back in D.C.


    Verizon Center


    Fei returned with the team bus to the training facility as soon as he got off the ne.


    He decided to start training immediately.


    The solid performance in his debut convinced Fei that hard training pays off. Of course, he could ck off, but only after he had established his position.


    On the Wizards Team, nothing is guaranteed as long as Jordan doesn''t fall from power.


    Kwame Brown joined Fei''s camp.


    The praise received by Fei made Brown envious; he was the number one draft pick, thosepliments were supposed to be for him, but who could me the media when his debut performance was so poor?


    Brown tried to train to Fei''s standards but found that he just couldn''t get the hang of it.


    Fei''s training was too monotonous.


    "Frye, what exactly should I be doing?" Brown sat down on the ground, feeling defeated.


    Seeing Brown''s three-minute enthusiasm for training, Fei could onlyment that hisck of progress was a result that came from within.


    First, he himself was inadequate, then the ones who developed him were inadequate, and finally the ones coaching him were inadequate. When "you, me, and he" were all inadequate, there was no way to fulfill Brown''s potential.


    "Let''s put training aside for now, what''s important is to get familiar with the movements," Fei called Brown and Anthony Lawson over to simte a bit of realbat.


    Lawson acted as a defender guarding against the pick-and-roll ys between Fei and Brown.


    Fei wanted Brown to get used to the feeling of catching the ball and finishing after setting a pick and rolling.


    However, Lawson''s defense was not much of a threat, allowing Fei to pass all kinds of bad balls, and Brown could still catch them.


    But in a real game, many of these balls would slip through his hands.


    Although the quality of practice was mediocre, it at least helped Brown understand what he could do on the offensive end.


    ```


    As the training time approached in the afternoon, many yers had already arrived at the Verizon Center.


    Richard Hamilton was always on time, arriving and leaving as scheduled. He was neverte, but don''t expect him to stay for extra practice.


    He was in a good mood today because they had won the season opener yesterday, and not many journalists had asked him how he was going to work with Jordan, since all eyes were on Yu Fei.


    A game-winning shot in his very first professional match? What a lucky rookie!


    When Hamilton walked into the locker room, he thought he had seen wrong.


    Jordan was sitting in a folding chair in front of the locker room, not wearing socks, his feet sporting North Carolina blue bath slippers, but otherwise already dressed in his uniform, with another ice pack on his left knee. Grover was sitting in a stall next to him. That stall used to belong to Tyrone Nesby, who spent \\$10,000 to buy the spot from Ratner.


    Now, it was Tim Grover''s stall.


    Why could a trainer have his own stall inside the yers'' locker room at the training base? This was the yers'' domain, what right did Grover have to his own stall?


    "Rip, you''re one minutete."


    Hamilton was likely one of the few on the team who frequently saw Jordan''s smile.


    Jordan treated Hamilton as his second Pippen, a powerful "Robin" who could bring a lot of help to himself.


    Hamilton never saw himself as a Robin, nor did he want to be Batman.


    In Phdelphia, the AAU Team he formed with Kobe swept the nation, and in college, he led the University of Connecticut to defeat Elton Brand''s Duke and win the national championship. He had never failed anywhere, nor could he imagine failing. This maturity and steadiness of mind was why he rapidly grew to be a starter in the NBA after entering. Last season, after the team traded Juwan Howard, Hamilton rightfully became the core of the team, but then, just one summerter, he lost his leadership position because of Jordan''s arrival.


    Hamilton was willing to follow Jordan''s lead; after all, his generation grew up watching Jordan y, and following an idol was fine. During training camp, Hamilton trained hard, trying as much as possible to please Jordan, yet he was still repeatedly scolded by His Airness. His defense was poor, he sometimes wasn''t aggressive, his body was too skinny, he had no defense¡­ Hamilton acknowledged Jordan as the leader but didn''t think their rtionship was that of a superior to a subordinate.


    Unfortunately, that''s how Jordan saw it.


    So when Hamilton jokingly asked if he''d ever get to endorse AJ, Jordan said he wasn''t qualified to wear them.


    Keep in mind, Jordan always showed respect to Pippen, even nning to thank him first in his future Hall of Fame speech, but he showed no such respect to Hamilton.


    Under these circumstances, how could Hamilton willingly y Robin?


    Look at Kobe. The Lakers had won back-to-back championships, yet Shaquille O''Neal decided to have toe surgery just before training camp started, iming "I''m not going to miss my summer recovering from injury" which greatly annoyed Kobe. For this, the wily and thick-skinned big man still told everyone on media day that Kobe should be voted MVP. Even with that, Kobe didn''t want to be a Robin anymore. Hamilton himself had teamed up with Kobe to sweep through high school basketball; how could he continually ept Jordan''s unemotional bullying?


    Hamilton wanted to rebel, but hecked the courage.


    Then Yu Fei appeared like a deus ex machina, showing Hamilton a glimmer of hope to break free from Jordan''s domination.


    Now, back in the locker room, Jordan''s joke didn''t elicit a yful response from Hamilton.


    "Oh, is that so?"


    Hamilton casually responded, swiftly changing into the University of Connecticut Huskies track suit.


    Just like Jordan always trained and yed in North Carolina basketball shorts, everyone liked to use various ceremonial items to reminisce about the good old days in college.


    Hamilton left without even a greeting.


    Grover said, "Rip seems off."


    "Can''t you see he''s very unhappy with you?" Jordan teased his old partner with a yful look.


    Grover smiled faintly, "I can tell."


    "But it doesn''t matter, he''s the kind who only keeps the dissatisfaction to himself." Jordan habitually pushed his tongue against his lips, making a pouting gesture, "It''s those who have no sense of awe that should be watched out for."

 Chapter 80 : 71 Have you ever thought about trading Frye?

    ```


    After a day of rest, the Wizards set off from D.C. to Anta.


    The status of the Hawks Team in the NBA was simr to that of the Wizards Team, the difference being that Anta, home of the Hawks, did not have media with powerful influence. Therefore, their poor performance went unnoticed, whereas the Wizards, being from D.C., had the nationally recognized newspaper "The Washington Post". As a result, every bad game they yed, every terrible trade they made, and every bust they drafted were magnified by the media in an exaggerated fashion.


    In the past three seasons, the Hawks Team respectively won 25, 28, and 31 games. Since announcing their rebuild in 1998, the team had always struggled to find the right direction. Fans'' patience is limited, so this year at the draft, the Hawks burned their CPU in a decision that seemed to say, "Screw it, we want to win now," and handed off the third overall pick to get immediate help from Shareef Abdur-Rahim and others from the Memphis Grizzlies.


    yers like Abdur-Rahim were all too familiar to Wizards fans, no different from Juwan Howard.


    Just looking at the surface stats, you might think he was not too bad, managing to bring in 20 points per game. The problem was, after scoring his 20 points, he felt he had done his duty and left the rest to his teammates.


    However, since the season had just started and Pau Gasol had yet to start dominating, the Hawks Team hadn''t realized that they had be the biggest suckers since the 1998 Bucks.


    Eager to return to the yoffs, the Hawks Team would go all out toward that direction before reality struck them hard.


    The Wizards'' goal was the same: to make the yoffs, or even more ambitiously, as one of Jordan''s many sycophants on ESPN, David Aldridge, had outrageously imed, "If Michael could lead the Wizards to the yoffs, it would be an honor more significant than his six championships."


    Having performed poorly against the Knicks the night before, Jordan was bursting to unleash his inner fury.


    The Hawks just happened to be in the way.


    It was a win-win game, Jordan furiously scored 31 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists with 1 steal. Thanks to his outstanding performance, Yu Fei, who had shown great promise in the previous game, saw his ying time reduced, only ying for 16 minutes against the Hawks and clocking in a workmanlike 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist.


    Yu Fei did notin, for others had it worse than him.


    Kwame Brown didn''t y a single minute.


    Why? Doug Collins''s exnation was, "I wanted Kwame to understand how ''the system'' works from the bench."


    He could have bluntly said that Brown was an idiot who couldn''t even run the ys correctly, but he phrased it so delicately. Brown was lucky to have such a coach.


    Yu Fei suffered the brunt of the media''s Jordan hype.


    In a post-game interview thatsted nearly 20 minutes, Yu Fei answered a dozen questions, over half of which rted to Jordan.


    Yu Fei was genuinely annoyed. Acknowledging that Jordan had yed well that night was no problem¡ªthe stats were there for all to see, and the Wizards won¡ª but were those numbers really "great"? Was such a big fuss really necessary?


    The 31+6+6 scored by the retired geezer in his secondeback game wasmendable, but if you were to scrutinize, he took a total of 30 shots.


    When an Associated Press reporter asked Yu Fei how much he had learned from Jordan''s game, he couldn''t help saying, "Just like the viewers in front of the TV, I''m merely one of the many onlookers around MJ. You ask how much I learned from this game? It''s not a good question, because I haven''t learned any more than the viewers have."


    Yu Fei left a bit of controversy behind and then returned with the team to the home court.


    After another day of rest, they would wee the Phdelphia 76ers at home.


    Although the opponent was the Eastern Conference champion of the previous season, they were not to be feared, as the previous season''s MVP Allen Iverson had undergone elbow surgery in September and would miss the first five games of the new season.


    Without Iverson, the 76ers were literally a toothless tiger, intimidating in appearance butcking the offensive prowess needed to dominate the enemy, even with Mutombo averaging 10 blocks a game, they still needed to solve the scoring dilemma.


    Clearly, the 76ers couldn''tpensate for the 30-point void left by Iverson with Aaron McGee, Eric Snow, or Mark Haplin, even though all of them had higher shooting percentages than Iverson¡ª none of them averaged more than 12 points a game.


    Beyond Iverson, the only dependable offensive option for the 76ers was Derrick Coleman, a notorious draft bust known for wasting his talent, who still had some fuel left. However, as a power forward, Coleman was hopeless on defense. While he could score, he was also able to give away even more points on the defensive end.


    Therefore, Brown couldn''t put all his hopes on him.


    Once the game began, the Wizards Team quickly took control on the court.


    Richard Hamilton turned in an excellent performance, whereas Jordan struggled a bit. The 76ers were probably the team he liked least at this stage of his career.


    Their games were almost devoid of highlights; their only strength was torturing opponents on defense.


    Hamilton, young and quick, could use his off-the-ball movement to escape through the muscle forest, but Jordan couldn''t.


    The 76ers'' staunch defense sessfully wore down Jordan''s shooting touch, causing it to steadily deteriorate.


    Whenever Jordan was out of form, it was Yu Fei''s chance to shine.


    Halfway through the first quarter, Collins took Jordan off and sent in Yu Fei as a substitute.


    To everyone''s relief, Collins also sent in Kwame Brown at the same time as Yu Fei.


    It was the first time the Wizards'' lottery brothers had been on the court together since the start of the new season.


    ```

 Chapter 81: Chapter 71 Have you ever thought about trading Frye_2

    The fans at the MCI Center cheered enthusiastically for the two young men.


    Yu Fei said to Brown, "With Derrick Coleman on the court, Phdelphia''s power forward defense is very weak."


    Brown''s eyes changed, "What do you mean?"


    "If you want to hold your head up in front of the boss tomorrow, tonight''s a good chance," Yu Fei finished, and Brown understoodpletely.


    Unlike Fei, who dared to challenge Jordan, Brown didn''t have the guts to do so, but he had plenty of courage to strut his stuff in front of a weaker opponent to prove to Jordan and Collins that he wasn''t a dud.


    As a Small Forward, Fei was too tall for the shorter backcourt of the 76ers.


    Both Mark Haplin and Aaron McGee were small forwards in front of Fei, and what''s more, Haplincked speed, and McGee was physically overpowered.


    After Fei came on the court, he first powered over McGee''s body for points, then used his speed to shake off Haplin andplete a silky stop-jump shot at the free-throw line position.


    "Frye is like abination of Lamar Odom and Jamaal Wilkes," said Bob Costas, NBC''s acementator.


    Jamaal Wilkes: A key yer for the Showtime Lakers during the early period, nicknamed Silk, famous for his shooting.


    Just as Larry Brown was struggling with how to defend against Fei, Kwame Brown''s pick-and-roll offense swamped Phdelphia''s inside area.


    Brown''s pick-and-roll was indeed very primitive.


    Yet, it was this primitive movement that left Coleman with no solution when Mutombo was drawn out.


    Yu Fei and Chris Whitney racked up assists with ease, Brown proudly scored 8 points in a row, allowing the Wizards to take a 14-point lead before the end of the first quarter.


    By the end of the first quarter, the Wizards'' new jacks were shining brightly, with Hamilton, Fei, and Brown securing 27 of the team''s 34 points.


    It could be said that this was the sort of performance expected of a yoff team in a game where they''re supposed to dominate.


    The question was, were the Wizards a yoff team?


    In the second quarter, Jordan returned, and in order to change the pace, or maybe for other purposes, had Collins sub in Tyronn Lue for Chris Whitney.


    Coach Lue became famous for toughing it out with Iverson in the Finals and won two championships with the Lakers, granting him championship experience that average yersck, and the Wizards hoped for more of the same from him.


    But Coach Lue had already shown an ipatibility with Jordan during the training camp.


    His speed was too fast, his rhythm too hurried, and in set ys, he disliked taking open three-pointers.


    However, Coach Lue had one thing Whitney and otherscked, which was ack of point guard dignity.


    He could even go without controlling the ball.


    Without ball control, what does he do? Defend. Even though the 76ers'' perimeter yers basicallycked solo offensive capabilities, he could still defend. What''s that, Eric Snow likes three-pointers even less than Coach Lue? That''s perfect, he loves defending that kind of non-aggressive guard.


    Now, you may ask, if Coach Lue, the point guard, isn''t controlling the ball, then who is?


    The answer, of course, is Jordan.


    Unable to find his shooting touch, Jordan wanted to influence the game in other ways, like ying point forward, passing the ball here and there, and picking up a few rebounds. Even with poor shooting percentages, a well-rounded stat line would still save his face in the media.


    Jordan himself probably didn''t have the intention of usingprehensive stats to cover up his shorings, but the era''s requirements for aprehensive yer were really low. As long as rebounds and assists reached 5+5, he could be considered aprehensive core yer.


    Therefore, as long as Jordan''s stats were up to par, he was untouchable.


    Fei patiently awaited Collins'' summons.


    He sincerely hoped Jordan would find his rhythm. If Jordan got into his groove, the game would quickly enter garbage time, and then Collins would let him and Brown y longer. However, he was pessimistic about Jordan''s form. Not to mention that his style of y shed with that of Coach Lue, his partner.


    Even though Coach Lue relinquished his control of the ball, this issue was still evident.


    Because of the 76ers'' low field goal percentage in set ys, all Coach Lue needed to do after grabbing a rebound was speed up like he had wheels of wind and fire attached. There was no slowing down or braking.


    With Hamilton, the speedster, the Wizards could run a fast break amongst the top five in the League.


    "Speed up! Speed up! Speed up!" This style of fast break was torture for the 38-year-old Jordan.


    However, as Hamilton kept scoring from quick counterattacks, Jordan had no basis forint.


    Fei thoroughly enjoyed watching, and Jordan''s expression was like that of a man in prison.


    The more they yed this way, the more they needed to maintainposure. A mistake would give boss Jordan something to talk about.


    And an all-out fast break was bound to make mistakes.


    When Coach Lue missed an opportunity and threw the ball out of bounds, the tormented leader of the Wizards yelled, "You''re running too fast! Your position is too forward! That''s why you make mistakes! Control the tempo, take it easy, don''t rush!" Dive deeper into the story on m-vle-mpyr


    From that moment, Tyronn Lue became hesitant. His greatest asset suddenly became a hindrance.


    As a low-ranking yer, he hoped to satisfy someone like Jordan, and Jordan''s eruption over a single mistake severely dented his confidence.


    The Wizards'' fast breaks disappeared.


    Hamilton was no longer the runner.


    The set ys that Jordan loved came back.


    But what if Jordan had no shooting touch tonight? Control the ball! Coach Lue had already relinquished ball control.

 Chapter 82: Chapter 71 Have you ever thought about trading Frye_3

    76ers decide to leave Coach Lu unguarded and double-team Jordan.


    Jordan passes the ball to the unmarked Coach Lu.


    Then Coach Lu throws the ball towards the basket like a shot put, of course, missing it.


    The basketball ngs off the rim, and the counterattack-minded 76ers turn it into a fast-break opportunity.


    Two minutester, Tyronn Lue is subbed out.


    Collins calls Coach Lu over and loudly says, "Listen, Tyronn, you have to regain your confidence!"


    Well, let''s all pretend we don''t know who took Coach Lu''s confidence away in the first ce.


    Yu Fei sneers to himself, mocking Collins under his breath.


    "Inst season''s Finals, you made six three-pointers alongside Shaq and Kobe! Find yourself again, Tyronn!"


    Coach Lu nods, indicating he''ll try his best, but the problem isn''t solved.


    Watching Coach Lu walk dejectedly back to his seat, Yu Fei''s frustration grows, "We could y a faster offensive pace if we just sub out the slow ones. Why insist on a positional game? For the guy who always shoots the most on the team with a 33% field goal percentage, how long must we hobble ourselves?!"


    "Shut up, rookie!" Collins res at Yu Fei, "This is none of your business!"


    Yu Fei stopsining, but that doesn''t mean he''s cowed by Collins.


    He just doesn''t want to argue with his coach courtside while the team is leading.


    Plus, Yu Fei can clearly feel that the majority of the team supports him.


    Not everyone is like Ratner and Nesby, sucking up to Jordan for a living¡ªthey haven''t debased their integrity yet; they are just in fear of Collins''s authority and Jordan''s power and status. Some resentment has already taken root and just needs an outlet.


    Yu Fei simply became the spokesperson for all those harboring grievances at the right time.


    This made Doug Collins nervous.


    Yu Fei''s "Anti-Mike" behavior in the beginning could be interpreted as rebellious¡ªamon trait of the unmanageable Generation Y.


    Jordan could, of course, be unhappy about it, but he could tolerate Yu Fei''s rebellion because human personalities are always varied.


    However, Yu Fei has gradually be the spokesperson for a collective that''s dissatisfied with Jordan; he''s no longer just representing himself, but also others who are discontent with Jordan.


    This is a force that could potentially shake Jordan''s dominant position.


    That night, the Wizards Team continued their previous game''s heroics, triumphing over the 76ers, who were without "The Answer," with a score of 106 to 77.


    Hamilton continued his hot streak since the start of the season, scoring a team-high 29 points.


    Yu Fei in 23 minutes put up 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, notably, 4 of his assists were to Brown.


    With Yu Fei''s help, Kwame Brown finally yed at a number one pick level, scoring 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 11 minutes.


    The new jacks from D.C. all fought bravely, while Michael Jordan was somewhat subdued, shooting only 33% for the entire game, but taking 21 shots and managing 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists.


    "My jump shot felt terrible tonight, but I still created a lot of opportunities for my teammates. That''s the help thates with experience, and I hope the young yers know that when your shot isn''t falling, there are many other things you can do to help the team win."


    A 33% shooting percentage didn''t dampen the joy of leading the team to a three-game winning streak, and Jordan wore a smile throughout the entire post-game press conference.


    On the other hand, head coach Doug Collins''s expression was a bit gloomy.


    When the press conference ended, as Collins and Jordan walked through the corridor to the locker room, Jordan noticed Collins''s mood.


    "Doug, speak your mind," Jordan dislikes beating around the bush.


    "Michael," Collins says in a lower voice, "have you ever thought about trading Frye?"

 Chapter 83: Chapter 72: Yu Feis Win Win Win Philosophy

    ```


    "Michael, have you ever thought about trading Frye?"


    When Doug Collins''s voice fell, Jordan''s perceptive ears twitched, as if he couldn''t believe what he had heard. His eyes widened as he looked at Collins, making sure he was serious before counter asking, "Why do you have this thought?"


    "I know it''s too early to conclude anything now, but I understand the harm an unstable young yer can bring to a team," Collins''s eyes flickered with memories of the past, "Darryl Dawkins''s immaturity destroyed the Phdelphia 76ers in 1977; if we can''t stop Frye, I feel like sooner orter he''ll ruin D.C. too."


    Collins hoped to subtly convey to Jordan that Yu Fei could threaten his dominant position, something that Jordan and his team did not want to see.


    But Collins insisted on using Darryl Dawkins as an example.


    Indeed, Dawkins ruined the 76ers in 1977 when he got into a fight with the Trail zers'' Maurice Lucas (C/PF) during the finals, only to find out that his teammates didn''t stand up for him at all. Dawkins was emotionally broken, tore apart the 76ers'' locker room during halftime, demoralized the team, and subsequently led to the Trail zers winning four consecutive games after the 76ers had wasted their advantageous lead with two consecutive wins to start the finals.


    Jordan didn''t think Yu Fei was like Dawkins, a giant baby with immature mentality, and he didn''t feel he himself was like Julius Erving, who yed the role of the good guy too much, to the extent of never fighting anyone but Bird in his entire career, let alone standing up for his teammates.


    Jordan wasn''t that kind of person.


    He believed that he could eventually make Fei yield wholeheartedly; therefore, to him, Collins''s suggestion was absurd.


    The new season had only been three games in, but Fei had already shown a poise and maturity beyond that of the typical rookie. The hard work he put in during the summer was paying off on the court, and he was not only the best performing rookie of the new season but also one of the top three yers on the Wizards.


    What could they possibly get in return for trading away a winning lottery ticket that''s already been scratched to reveal 50% of its value?


    "He isn''t Darryl Dawkins, and this isn''t Phdelphia," Jordan''s brown eyes were full of determination, "and I''m not the Doctor."


    "He might not be Darryl, but he might cause more damage than Darryl ever did," Collins said. "It''s not just that he''s unteachable; he expresses his dissatisfaction openly on the bench, on the court, in the media... without regard for the asion, which has a clearly negative impact on the reputation of the coaching staff and...others."


    "Enough, Doug, you should be thankful the kid isn''t a soft egg like Kwame!"


    Even after many years, Collins would still remember Jordan''s confidence and determination on this night, which stood in stark contrast to the series of events that followed.


    "He''s not a soft egg; he''s willing topete, which is a good thing! There are not many young yers like him nowadays. As for the trouble he causes, all these are temporary. I''ll teach him, just like I taught Scottie and Dennis in Chicago," Jordan said conclusively. "If one day we need to trade Frye to deal with the problems he''s caused, then that would mean we have utterly failed. I can ept failure, but I won''t give up; trading him now would be a choice of self-defeat. Do you understand?"


    Collins''s heart went cold when Jordan used his experience in Chicago as an example that he could aplish the same. The conclusion was clear.


    Jordan of the Bulls and Jordan of the Wizards might be two sides of the same person, but visually, physically, and in terms of personal ability, they were not the same.


    Collins wasn''t convinced by Jordan''s argument, but he couldn''t argue any further.


    Jordan had staked his "personal ability," and for Collins to persist would be to question Jordan himself.


    Jordan didn''t appreciate being questioned.


    So Collins wouldn''t question him.


    ¡ù¡ù¡ù


    Yu Fei was actively preparing for the next game.


    It would be their third away game of the season¡ªagainst Detroit.


    Fei remembered that the Pistons had risen to prominence at the turn of the century for a time, defeating the F4 Lakers to win the championship and being regrs in the Eastern Conference finals for a while.


    Had the Pistons risen by the end of 2001?


    Looking at the roster, only Ben Wace was in ce for that Pistons team; the rest were rtive unknowns like Jerry Stackhouse, Dana Barros, Clifford Robinson, and Michael Curry.


    Especially that Curry, Fei would have had some respect for him had his name been Dale; but Michael? He was allergic to the name Michaeltely.


    November 4


    The Wizards took a charter flight to Detroit.


    Two hours before the start of the game, Fei and the veteran Chris Whitney went to The Pce of Auburn Hills for a shootaround.


    Whitney was one of the few older yers on the team that Fei respected and with whom he maintained a good rtionship.


    ```


    As the Wizard''s team''s most seasoned veteran, Whitney was just an average joe in the professional basketball world, his talents and skills nothing outstanding, except for his noteworthy three-point shooting. Early in his career, he was cut by the Spurs, then spent two years in the CBA before signing a ten-day contract with the Chicago Bulls during their record 72-win season, which ultimately led to his staying in the NBA. This year marks his sixth season with the Wizards.


    "Sryman" fits Whitney to a tee; he''s highly professional, always early to arrive andte to leave, neverins, and can y either as a starter or a backup.


    Now, having crossed the age of 30, Whitney was considering retirement, with no desire to linger in the professional basketball world. He yearned for a ce that could purify his soul¡ªlike an elementary school, casually taking a job as a basketball coach, which was exactly what he wanted.


    What Fei respected most about Whitney was that he never sucked up to Jordan.


    This was something even Richard Hamilton, who was always saying "our New Jacks" or "we are the future of the team," could not match.


    Fei apanied Whitney to The Pce to familiarize themselves with the court. Upon arriving, Whitney started practicing shots to find his touch, while Fei wandered around, then ran into his draft ssmate¡ªthis year''s number nine pick, Rodney White.


    Seeing White carrying a bunch of jerseys, Yu Fei teased, "Thanks foring to Detroit for me. Otherwise, I''d be the one doing these dirty jobs."


    If there was one name White hated the most, it would definitely be Yu Fei.


    After the new season started, Fei''s brilliance contrasted starkly with his mediocrity, especially since all Detroit Pistons fans knew they were going to pick Fei before the draft started.


    Who could have imagined that Jordan, after leaving the game for three years, would still step on the Pistons at the draft?


    The Pistons had to settle for White after missing out on Fei.


    As a result, Fei made ''The Shot'' on his debut, while White yed only five minutes in the first three games of his career, scoring a total of 2 points and 2 turnovers.


    Every day, White lived in a hell where he couldn''t escapeparisons to Fei.


    "The one who starts running first doesn''t necessarily finish the race!" White philosophically stated.


    It''s all well and good in theory, but do you, who didn''t even have the chance to start, have any right to say that?


    "Hehe, if it makes you feel better to think that way, I won''t argue," Yu Fei waved goodbye to White, "Work hard, and I hope to see you demonstrate those te bloomer'' talents on the court tonight."


    Comparing ages with Jordan, current situations with downtrodden peers, and trash-talking with civilized people¡ªthis was Fei''s "win, win, win" life philosophy.


    Later, Fei returned to the court for shooting practice and saw Whitney hitting 30 shots in a row from beyond the three-point line.


    This terrifying consistency...


    Fei could only achieve such a streak when he was in excellent touch.


    "Chris, don''t you think you should pass on your shooting secrets to the younger generation before you retire?" Fei asked with an eager "old man, drop some gold coins" expression on his face. "You''re not nning to take these secrets to elementary school, are you?"


    Whitney gave Fei a withering look. "As the league''s most unteachable rookie, do you have the cheek to say that?"


    How did he be the "league''s most unteachable rookie"? Fei found that ever since he joined the NBA, he had only acquired bad reputations.


    Unstable character, hot temper, "Anti-Mike", unteachable... Is this the consequence of showing rebellion in front of Jordan?


    "Chris, that''s not how you say it. Whether I''m teachable or not, it''s not about me but about the person who''s trying to teach me," Fei argued adamantly. "If the other party isn''t a human, why should I bother learning? To poison young minds like they do when they age? No, no, I won''t ept toxic education."


    Whitney then asked, "How do you know I''m not toxic?"


    "I know," Fei said with a smile. "I also know that you''re one of the few people on the team with an independent personality. That''s important. I won''t turn to those who put their dignity at the feet of the boss."


    Whitney sighed. Had he been dragged aboard the "Anti-Mike" rebellion?


    "Alright, I might offer some trivial advice," Whitney conceded. "But first, make ten shots in front of me."


    Inside The Pce, as staff bustled about, Fei seeking advice from Whitney might seem like a small matter, but as long as the direction is correct, there are no absolutes in size.


    Because the foundation of a grand narrative is often the umtion of small, seemingly insignificant acts.


    For Fei, it was just another day in the life.

 Chapter 84: Chapter 73 Marked by Big Ben as Outstanding

    The Wizards'' starting lineup against the Pistons was unchanged from before, featuring the same five yers: Chris Whitney, Richard Hamilton, Michael Jordan, Christian Laettner, and Jahidi White.


    The Pistons'' starting lineup, aside from Big Ben, was filled with yers that made Yu Fei wonder, "Who are you?"


    As expected before the game, and given the Wizards'' three-game winning streak at the start of the season, the Pistons had no chance of winning tonight.


    After all, they were up against a team ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference power rankings by ESPN before the season started.


    The Pistons? They were ranked fourteenth in the Eastern Conference.


    The Pistons showed some shame-driven courage, starting the season with a 2-1 record, not as bad as the experts had predicted.


    After the opening, Hamilton took a screen from White just beyond the three-point line on the right and hit a long two-pointer at the extreme range.


    In every game, you could see N number of shot choices that would get a yer chewed out by coaches in the era of small-ball¡ªa reason why Yu Fei loved the NBA in 2001.


    Keep shooting, he loved to watch.


    Back in the backcourt, Jordan tangled with the opponent''s number 42.


    Suddenly, Big Ben''s off-ball screen came crushing down, and though he seemed small in stature, the quality of his screen was absurd,pletely separating Jordan from his man and giving number 42 a wide-open shot.


    The Pistons'' pass came in the first moment, and Stackhouse smoothly caught it and shot.


    With that style of y, put an AI face-swap on Jordan of the Bulls, and there would be absolutely no sense of dissonance.


    Then, Yu Fei heard Grover say, "Having the current Mike guard Jerry Stackhouse is a bit too hard, that guy scored an average of 30 points per gamest season!"


    A few yster, Yu Fei felt a bit disappointed because Jordan had several opportunities to go one-on-one, but he kept passing the ball away.


    As a recognized perfectionist, Jordan''s technical maneuvers were enough for many to learn for a lifetime, especially in his current older state, with slower movements making it easier to see clearly in person and more convenient to study.


    But he kept avoiding istion ys, wanting to pass whenever he felt like it.


    It couldn''t be that he believed the excuses made in thest few games to save his dignity, could it?


    In the past three games, although the Wizards had won three in a row, besides the second game against the Anta Hawks, Jordan hadn''t yed like the His Airness everyone was familiar with. He himself said that his shooting felt off and that he needed to pass more, so The Washington Post and other media began saying he was ying like Stockton and Magic Johnson.


    How does the saying go? If you believe it yourself, that''s fine, but don''t deceive your buddies.


    So, when Jordan got the ball in the fourth minute in the frontcourt, because he gathered the ball too early and could only fake out his defender with no real effect, Yu Fei stood up and shouted, "Don''t wimp out, old man. You don''t y like this in practice!"


    At that moment, Jordan''s rhythm waspletely off and he had no chance to shoot, so he threw the ball to White, who was posting up inside.


    But White''s condition was also feeble. After receiving the ball, he should have backed his man down to finish, but he couldn''t make one more step inside.


    Could you me him for that?


    After all, the guy behind him was Ben Wace!


    The paint is such a cruel ce; if you''re not stronger than the opponent, even a viewer who knows nothing about basketball can see the decline in the matchup.


    Unable to shake Big Ben, White could only make the worst choice¡ªthrowing an impotent hook shot from outside the paint with an awkward posture.


    "What the hell are you doing?!" Jordan exploded, "That guy''s not even two meters tall. Can''t you y against him?"


    White''s face turned from green to purple. What could he say?


    Give it up, Cassidy, don''t tell your boss that the guy you''re up against snagged the league''s top rebounding spotst season with just a two-meter frame. Maybe in a few years when he''s going one-on-one with Shaq in the Finals, your boss will understand you, but by that time, he would have already passed you by.


    Five minutes into the game, Jordan was visibly tired.


    He started letting Hamilton help him guard Stackhouse.


    Considering Jordan''s defensive effort in the past five minutes, you couldn''t say he defended badly. Stackhouse had only made two shots in five minutes.


    However, Hamilton was just too frail to handle Stackhouse.


    As expected, once Hamilton switched to defend him, Stackhouse began to aggressively use his body to y physically.


    Back-down y from outside the paint, one step inside the three-point line, driving with the ball, and an easy pull-up jumper after pushing Hamilton away.


    Stackhouse undoubtedly ignited his teammates.


    In terms of in-game performance, Hamilton was the best yer on the Wizards team.


    Now, Stackhouse was blowing him up.


    So, Clifford Robinson started to y like Durant with the ball at the perimeter, stopping and popping for a jump shot¡ªis this what a center should be doing? Is this 2001?


    Although Christian Laettner managed to draw Big Ben out with the ball, he was too slow, and when he went for ayup inside, Ben caught up and served him a massive block.


    But it wasn''t over!


    After Big Ben''s block, the Pistons'' point guard, a man Yu Fei had never heard of¡ªDana Barros¡ªquickly dribbled to the frontcourt, suddenly letting loose a trailing three-pointer while his defender was still off-bnce.


    Is this really 2001?


    Stackhouse is ying like Leonard in 2019, Robinson like a center version Durant, Barros like Curry in 2013... just which ESPN genius ranked this teamst in the East?


    It was 18 to 9 now, and Doug Collins sat firmly in his fishing spot, refusing to call a timeout.


    After being thrashed, Hamilton was anxious to get the ball, and after a series of crossovers, he suddenly found Jahidi White making a wide loop, creating a perfect opportunity.


    Hamilton passed the ball quickly.


    However, White''s speed was nowhere near Big Ben''s.


    Just as White received the ball and got ready to dunk, Big Ben moved with the swiftness of someone who had hit the sprint button, racing back under the basket and delivering a visually stunning block from behind.


    The atmosphere at The Pce of Auburn Hills turned terrifying, with the frenzied fans losing interest in Jordan as the Pistons yed at their best.


    In the frontcourt, Starkhouse dribbled at the top of the arc, not even allowing for a spread.


    This was a phenomenon unique to NBA games at the start of the new century.


    Spread out? That wasn''t necessary.


    Because usually, the stars would dribble outside the three-point line, take on a defender one-on-one, and then shoot from just inside the three-point line.


    No space needed!


    Not wanting to give Starkhouse another chance to run into him, Hamilton backed off by a good half meter.


    The consequence was giving Starkhouse an easy step into his sweet spot, and then he pulled up for a jumper right in Hamilton''s face.


    20 to 9


    Doug Collins'' Zen Master impersonation show was over.


    Or rather, it had been forcibly ended by the officials.


    The official timeout interrupted the game, and Collins took a deep breath before looking at Jordan, "Michael, do you need a break?"


    Panting, Jordan grunted softly in response.


    Then Collins took him out.


    That meant Yu Fei was about toe in.


    Along with Yu Fei, Collins also reced Laettner with Brown.


    "Frye, I want you to take over Starkhouse''s matchup," Collins said, "but you need to know, guarding Jerry isn''t about beating him. You''re guarding Jerry to free up Rip. Only if Rip gets reactivated do we stand a chance to catch up!"


    Down by 11 halfway through the quarter, the game was indeed tough if they didn''t wake up their most reliable scorer.


    Collins understood this, but Yu Fei had his own understanding.


    The Pistons'' 11-point lead was fundamentally because Starkhouse had blown up Hamilton, which was true, but the key was that the Wizards didn''t have an answer for Big Ben''s interior defense, and at the same time, they let yers like Curry, Robinson, and Barros get going.


    So, finding the answer to breaking Big Ben''s interior defense, or effectively disrupting the rhythm of the others, was the key to turning defeat into victory.


    "You want to handle the ball?" Whitney thought Yu Fei really liked to control the ball.


    But Yu Fei shook his head, "No, you take it, you''re the point guard."


    "d you realize that," Whitney said, passing the ball to White.


    Yu Fei''s physique made it hard for the Pistons to determine his position.


    Like other teams, Carlisle had his small forward guard Yu Fei.


    Thus, Starkhouse stepped up in front of Yu Fei.


    "Come on, pass me the ball!"


    Yu Fei was getting excited; Starkhouse had given both Jordan and Hamilton a hard time, and if he could gain an advantage in his matchup, he believed the calls for him to start would be so loud that the Wizards would have to take notice.


    Having observed Starkhouse from the sidelines for half a quarter, Yu Fei could tell his defense wascking, and it wasn''t the "I can defend well but I won''t" kind of bad¡ªit was pure and simple bad defense.


    As his teammates passed him the ball, Yu Fei immediately switched from posting up to facing the basket.


    Yu Fei directly performed a pick-and-roll with Brown, easily breaking Starkhouse''s defense and drawing Robinson''s switch.


    However, Robinson''s steps were slow. Or rather, he hadn''t expected Yu Fei to drive so quickly with the ball, and he was caught off guard.


    There was only one line of defense left¡ªthe future four-time Defensive yer of the Year, the greatest defender of the new century, Big Ben Wace, defending the "crystal pce."


    Whether a stroke of genius or a deliberate move, Yu Fei''s momentum was clearly heading for a dunk, his signature move.


    Because of his dunks, Yu Fei was already a frequent presence in NBC''s top five and top ten ys, but this time, as he prated into the paint, he suddenly stopped abruptly, leaping and releasing a half-hook shot with a slight fadeaway.


    Even Big Ben couldn''t possibly react to that shot.


    "Swish!"


    The shot went in, unassuming and without a trace of disturbance.


    "Ha!" Yu Fei mockingly said to his teammates, "Take notes! If you can''t overpower, then shoot. Did you see him block me?"


    The issue was, White couldn''t shoot.


    Brown, for some reason, had lost his shooting ability in the NBA.


    So, they couldn''t learn even if they wanted to.


    Yu Fei was teaching his teammates a lesson, but the "Did you see him block me?" remark made Big Ben silently mark him in his mind as the person "I swear I won''t stop tonight until I''ve blocked you to shit."

 Chapter 85: Chapter 74: The Annoying Demand that Irked Everyone (Part 7)

    When Starkhouse saw that the Wizards had put Yu Fei on him for defense, his first thought was that there must have been amunication problem with the opponent''s defense.


    Yu Fei was too tall, not quite looking like a Small Forward, but looking at the other yers on the Wizards'' positions, center White, Power Forward Brown, Shooting Guard Hamilton, Point Guard Whitney... No mistake, in this lineup, Yu Fei was the Small Forward.


    "Has anyone ever told you, clowns are those who don''t know their own strength?"


    With the ball in hand, Starkhouse prepared to use his speed to get past Yu Fei.


    Sitting off the court, Yu Fei had been measuring Starkhouse against the standard of a young Jordan, but there was always something indescribably odd about him.


    In terms of style, Starkhouse''s finishing ability, C&S (catch & shoot) and driving were of an extremely high standard, and his series of one-on-one ys against Hamilton showcased his solid takeover ability, but, Yu Fei still felt something odd.


    However, through observing the one-on-one between Starkhouse and Hamilton, Yu Fei couldn''t pinpoint the source of the oddity, because thetter''s ability topete was so poor it almost shattered upon touch.


    Only when he personally faced off against Starkhouse did Yu Fei find the crux of the problem¡ªthe dribbling! Although Starkhouse was proficient in all offensive skills, if dribbling was required, the effectiveness of his skills would significantly decrease.


    This was the biggest difference between Starkhouse and Jordan, and also the reason why even though he averaged nearly 30 pointsst season, he was still seen as a detriment to the team.


    How could someone whocked the ability to beat defenses with his dribbling, and who nearly averaged 30 points a game with a 40% shooting rate, lead the whole team?


    Starkhouse''s strong drive was stopped by Yu Fei''steral movement.


    This not only disrupted his n, but also threw off Starkhouse''s offensive rhythm. Yu Fei, despite being 206 centimeters tall, had agility that was sufficient to match up against Small Forwards. His weight gain n over the summer ensured he wasn''t at a disadvantage even against star yers like Starkhouse.


    With his path to the basket blocked and only a dozen seconds left on the offensive clock, Yu Fei believed the ball should be passed to reorganize the attack.


    But it was 2001, an era where star yers felt obligated to put on a bad shot selection show for the audience.


    Starkhouse, facing Yu Fei''s defense, forcefully took the shot.


    "Bang!"


    However, Starkhouse missed, but Big Ben caught the offensive rebound in front of Brown and tossed it out to Dana Barros on the perimeter.


    Barros''s hands were swift like a knife, hitting the three-pointer.


    Enjoy new stories from m-v l''e-NovelBin


    23 to 11


    "Kwame, can you be a little tougher?" Collins exploded in anger. They had finally managed to stop Starkhouse on one y, yet they couldn''t secure the defensive rebound.


    Brown, being a young man who cared about saving face, was eager to make amends after being bested.


    On the offensive end, Brown set a strong screen on Big Ben like a mad bull.


    This doesn''t look good... Yu Fei frowned, because it looked like Big Ben had been outpositioned by Brown, but in fact, he was simply giving Brown a chance to receive the ball. His defensive stance hadn''t budged an inch, his legs stuck to Brown''s body like nails.


    This was Big Ben, a historical-level defender who managed to single-handedly guard Shaquille O''Neal in the Finals without being turned into a toy¡ªhow could Brown possibly seed in a one-on-one?


    Whitney passed the ball, and after Brown received it, he sharply backed down, then turned, aiming to finish over the top of Big Ben with his height.


    The result was that Brown''s backdown didn''t achieve the effect he wanted.


    Instead, as he shot, Big Ben leaped up and delivered his fourth block of the quarter.


    The Detroit Pistons'' counterattack!


    Starkhouse sprinted like a racehorse.


    "Jerry, watch your back!"


    If he could hear his teammate''s warning, what happened next would not have urred.


    Starkhouse, eager to show off a big y, suddenly realized someone was closing in from behind just as he jumped. By the time he reacted, it was toote.


    Unbeknownst to him, Yu Fei had already caught up. As Starkhouse swung for the dunk, Yu Fei leapt from the side, hand pressing on the ball, blocking the fast break in the most brutal manner.


    Starkhouse fell from the sky as Yu Fei picked up the ball on the ground, the referee with no reaction.


    That was a legal defense!


    Yu Fei rapidly advanced forward, recalling the method of pacing his shots taught to him by Chris Whitney before the game.


    The pacing must align with the frequency of breathing.


    Align with it...


    Yu Fei slowed down the pace. In the frontcourt, only Big Ben realized what he was about to do.


    This was Big Ben in his prime; his defense could cover from the paint to beyond the three-point line because his size was both a disadvantage and an advantage. The disadvantage was that somerger inside yers could shoot at heights out of his reach, while the advantage was that he had one of the most frightening coverage areas in defensive history and the quality and rate of his help and recovery defense.


    Big Ben''s looming block shot out like a ghost.


    Yet, this shot was merely a feint by Yu Fei to lure him in. The onrushing Big Ben was now out of control. Yu Fei leaned slightly and then straightened up to shoot, letting his body collide with Big Ben in the most intimate way possible, too tant for even a referee biased against rookies to let slide.


    "Whistle!"


    That was a shot from beyond the three-point line, a three-point foul.


    No, it''s not over yet!


    Even after being knocked off bnce by Big Ben, Yu Fei still found a sliver of opportunity in that limited space. Though only his muscle memory guided his hands, on the basketball court, that was everything.


    He merely nudged the ball towards the basket, a sheer act of bodily inertia.


    Then¡ª


    "Bang!!!"


    "Frye scores four points!!!"


    "This young man has be D.C.''s biggest surprise this year, whenever he''s on the court, the Wizards Teames alive!"


    Brown excitedly ran over to pull Yu Fei up, "Great shot, great shot, Big Fei, you''re amazing!"


    "Hmph, that shot is nothing special," Yu Fei said arrogantly as he stood up, turned to Big Ben, and said, "I told you, you can''t block me."


    Big Ben, who regarded defense as his lifeline, looked at Yu Fei coldly, "No one can talk to me like that."


    "I''ll talk like that until you block me. What can you do about it?"


    Brown watched, his heart pounding. He now realized it was only natural for Yu Fei to have a falling out with Jordan.


    Although there was something off about Jordan, Yu Fei himself was the kind of person who seemed to have a need to ruffle everyone''s feathers.


    You either became his friend or his enemy; he didn''t discriminate with his trash-talking.


    As Yu Fei prepared for the bonus free throw, the Detroit Pistons suddenly called for a timeout.


    Rick Carlisle had seen enough of Yu Fei''s show and hoped to use a timeout to disrupt the rhythm of the game.


    "Big Ben, what do you think of that kid?" Carlisle asked with a smile.


    With a stony face, Big Ben said, "An arrogant brat, nothing special."


    "Exactly, you shouldn''t let this kid distract you too much." Carlisle made a substitution, taking out Michael Curry and bringing in Starkhouse at shooting guard. Then he sent in the backup forward Corliss Williamson, "Big Nasty, that rookie is yours."


    On the Wizards side, Collins, who was pleasantly surprised by Fei''s performance, decided to take out Whitney and Hamilton and bring in Tyronn Lue and Hubert Davis.


    With the top two yers not on the court, Yu Fei was the de facto core yer of this lineup.


    Yu Fei had mixed feelings about Collins.


    He could feel that Collins was trying to give him opportunities to perform, and if it weren''t for Jordan, he might have already been starting. But at the same time, he was frustrated with Collins for being utterly subservient to Jordan.


    This was not how a coach should behave.


    After the timeout, as Yu Fei walked onto the court, he noticed that the Detroit Pistons had put on a forward who looked particrly sturdy¡ªor more urately, particrly fat.


    Clearly, he was targeted at him.


    Both coaches had their strategies: one side made Yu Fei the core yer, while the other targeted him with a burly man to push him around.


    Considering that one coach resembled Biden and the other Jim Carrey, Yu Fei couldn''t say who was more reliable.


    Yu Fei made the bonus free throw.


    15 to 23


    The moment Yu Fei and Williams engaged in physical confrontation off the ball, Yu Fei knew the purpose of sending him on the court.


    It was simply to mess with him.


    Although Williams was only 201 cm tall, he weighed 245 pounds (111 kg) and yed in a very savage manner that relied on pushing and bumping. Not an ounce of his flesh seemed to be wasted, making the nickname "Big Nasty" all the more fitting.


    Using his physical advantage, Williams pushed Yu Fei out of the paint, received the ball, andpleted a hook shot.


    25 to 15


    However, Williams''s impact was limited to the offensive end.


    On the defensive side, his weight became his burden.


    He couldn''t keep up with Yu Fei''s drives, and every time he was forced to rely on Big Ben to cover for him.


    Whenever Big Ben abandoned his defensive position to help out on Yu Fei, Yu Fei''s passes would leave him caught between two ces.


    Carlisle''s strategy certainly had an effect, but it was double-edged. The positive was that Yu Fei was indeed hindered by Williams, but the downside was that Yu Fei could breeze past Williams as easily as crossing an empty road at dawn.


    The two sides went back and forth, offsetting each other''s advantage, and by the end of the first quarter, the gap neither narrowed nor widened.


    30 to 22


    The first quarter ended.


    (1) To trot out the same old tune: Those who say that the finals in ''04 was all about Roaring Celestial''s roar and Big Ben''s backing up clearly haven''t watched that year''s finals.

 Chapter 86: Chapter 75: My Positive and Negative Value is +9, I Didnt Lose (Chapter 8)

    After the brief intermission, Jordan signaled to Collins that he was ready to get back in the game.


    Collins was eager to see the chemistry between Jordan and Yu Fei, and now was a good opportunity. Yu Fei was in great shape, while Jordan seemed to be in average condition¡ªcould the former''s good state feed into thetter? Maybe their rtionship could improve, too?


    With hopeful intentions, Collins subbed out Hubert Davis for a rest, allowing Jordan to return to the shooting guard position after a long absence, with the other positions remaining unchanged.


    In his previous life, Yu Fei had read on a forum that ying basketball with a leader was an art form. It was the same when ying with Jordan. Making ''Lord Jordan'' happy was beneficial for his development.


    However, Yu Fei had no confidence in Jordan''s condition.


    After entering the game, Jordan was eager to test his shot, so he asked Brown to set an off-ball screen for him on the right.


    Yu Fei never asked Brown to set anyplicated screens for him because Brown''s offensive awareness was extremely weak, and his screening positioning was even worse than Shiramine Miyu''s acting¡ªbut at least "Miyu-chan" could use styling to cover up her acting ws. What did Brown have?


    He mechanically followed Jordan''s instructions, then delivered a terribly bad screen.


    When Coach Lu passed the ball to Jordan, Frye could see that his opponent wasn''t affected by the screen and appeared menacingly in front of him.


    Faced with no option to back down, Jordan chose to force a shot, which was naturally impossible to hit.


    If your teammate gives you a trash screen that doesn''t help you shake off the defense after you receive the ball, what should you do? You pass the ball back and let your teammate start over, instead of dribbling around looking for a chance and forcing a shot.


    The greatest yer in history ignored the best solution and resolutely took the shot.


    Brown was supposed to take 100% of the me for the offensive mishap, but with Jordan''s move, he now shouldered at least 75% of the responsibility. In the end, the shot didn''t go in, and in Jordan''s eyes, it was all Brown''s fault.


    "What the hell can you do on the court?" Jordan roared like a demon, "If you don''t want to y, then get the hell off the court!"


    The Pistons'' backup center, Zeljko Rebraca, was ying one-on-one with Jahidi White in the low post.


    Rebraca, a Serbian with fair skin and blond hair, stood out on the court. Perhaps this was Joe Dumars'' standard for European yers for the Pistons: tall enough and looking talented, then with a head of blond hair, natural or dyed.


    Rebraca''s weakness perfectly matched the American stereotype of European big men; he couldn''t move White, who was shorter by a whole section. He chose a fadeaway jumper outside the paint.


    That kind of shot couldn''t possibly go in!


    Yu Fei returned to the basket early, urately predicting where the ball would rebound, jumped up to catch it, and immediately afternding, pushed forward the counterattack energetically.


    "Slow down! Slow down!" Collins realized he was wrong.


    Yu Fei couldn''t generate any positive chemistry with Jordan.


    Clearly no one had told Jordan to conserve his energy on both ends of the court, that even a nearly 40-year-old could lead the league in fastbreak points. There was no offense more effortless and enjoyable than a fastbreak. Was grinding out half-court sets really something for an old man to do?


    Yu Fei had no intention of amodating Jordan''s pace, running as fast as possible on the fastbreak.


    The Pistons'' attention was all on him.


    After drawing the attention of most, Yu Fei then threw the basketball backward overhead.


    The one following up was Kwame Brown.


    Having been harshly scolded by Jordan, Brown needed a poster dunk to boost his confidence, and Yu Fei''s alley-oop was perfect.


    Gratefully, Brown leaped, grabbed the ball with both hands for security, and then firmly dunked it into the hoop.


    "Thank you, Big Fei!"


    Brown kept chattering behind Yu Fei, not sure what he was saying.


    Yu Fei smiled slightly and did not respond.


    Coach Lu felt left out, wondering why Yu Fei could see Brown behind him, but not himself beyond the three-point line?


    "Maybe it''s because you run slower than Cassidy?" Yu Fei teased.


    Whiteughed loudly, and Coach Lu could only spread his hands.


    Jordan pursed his lips; he found he couldn''t get a word in.


    Here, it seemed he was the one being isted.


    "Christian, Richard Hamilton, Chris..." Collins called out the names of the three starters, "Get ready to go on."


    Chris Whitney had some thoughts about Collins''s decision: "Frye is controlling the situation right now. If we substitute now, we might not be able to maintain this momentum."


    "Chris, you''re all veterans who''ve been in the league for years. Are you telling me you can''t even match these rookies?" Collins said sternly, "The youngsters have brought good momentum. You should keep it going and not let down their efforts!"


    A minute and a halfter, the Wizards had narrowed the gap to 3 points.


    With increased motivation, Brown showed potential on the defensive end, dashing from the left side of the paint to the right to deliver a powerful block.


    The ball was pped out of bounds.


    ```


    The situation was looking great for the Wizards, and at that moment, the scorer''s table announced, "Substitution for the Wizards Team!"


    Richard Hamilton, Ratner, and Whitney came in for Yu Fei, Brown, and Lu.


    "Sub us? Are you kidding?" Brown grumbled discontentedly. "We were just getting into our stride!"


    Maybe it''s precisely because we''re ying so well that they want to sub us.


    Yu Fei gave Collins a subtle look, clearly a smart man, noting Collins'' intentions.


    Yu Fei had been isting Jordan on the court, ying at his own pace whether Jordan was on the floor or not. He didn''t give Jordan an extra nce on the offensive end, and the results proved that even without Jordan''s participation, the Wizards'' momentum in catching up remained unchanged.


    Collins wouldn''t tolerate this situation.


    To him, Jordan''s interests outweighed the oue of the game.


    This man could no longer be called a coach, merely a servant plucked by Jordan from the TV station to escort and protect him.


    "You guys yed well, brought energy to the team, keep it up, this is important for the team!" Collins said with a smile to the three yers who were subbed out.


    Yu Feiughed.


    This was truly amusing. Collins'' words reminded him of a news program host who greets you at the start of the show, then goes on to tell you about all the bad things that happened yesterday, are happening today, and will happen tomorrow in the world.


    After Yu Fei and the others were taken off the court, the Wizards'' game reverted to its original form.


    The pace was slow, very formic, every offensive y had to revolve around Jordan and Hamilton.


    Ratner''s non-threatening high-post ymaking stemmed from his own poor offensive capabilities.


    NBCmentator Cotton Fitzsimmons expressed confusion over the Wizards'' substitution: "If the fast-paced game is effective, why switch to a slow-paced game by choice? This approach has already been proven ineffective in the first quarter. A slow-paced game is just what Detroit wants, and D.C''s initialg can prove it."


    Fitzsimmons predicted the subsequent slump for the Wizards.


    After switching back to their original starters, the Wizards'' pursuit was interrupted, and Starkhouse caught fire during this period, seeming even more terrifying than when he blew up Hamilton in the first quarter.


    And Jordan just couldn''t find his shooting touch.


    Without Yu Fei, the Wizardscked the answers to counter Big Ben.


    Couldn''t shoot, couldn''t prate, couldn''t defend.


    By halftime, the Wizards had gone from a mere 3 point deficit to ending the first half 14 points behind.


    In the second half, when Yu Fei returned to the court, his form was not as good as in the first half.


    On the other hand, the Pistons relied on Big Ben''s defense and Starkhouse''s unstoppable individual offense to fully activate Dahntay Jones from beyond the arc.


    If Starkhouse couldn''t be contained in the first half, Barros'' three-pointers in the second half were unguardable.


    For the entire game, 107 to 79, the Wizards lost miserably to the Pistons away, and their three-win streak came to an end.


    Post-game interview


    "Let''s not sugarcoat it, tonight was a bad game for us; we couldn''t find the basket, and then we had no way of putting the ball in¡ªit tends to be a trend in our games toplicate things. All this leads to a massacre, and that''s what happened tonight... we got thrashed." ¡ª Jordan''s assessment of the game


    "He yed great. Made a lot of buckets, he had good luck tonight." ¡ª Jordan''s appraisal of Starkhouse


    "We had established a lead in the first half, so I wanted to help my teammates score more in the second half. We were so far ahead, it didn''t matter who scored." ¡ª Starkhouse''s response to scoring less in the second half


    "No matter how many points we lost by tonight, we have to look forward and make sure that we don''t repeat this in the remainder of the season. The Pistons showed strong energy, and we didn''t reach their level tonight. That''s why we lost." ¡ª Collins on the Wizards'' crushing defeat


    "I''ve reflected on myself; maybe if I had kept Frye on the floor, it might have changed the oue of the game, but who knows? We have a lot of experienced yers who were a bit off tonight, but that doesn''t mean that decision was wrong. Given another chance, I would do the same thing." ¡ª Collins'' response to the substitution question in the first half


    "Michael is still Michael; he just needs a little time. Yu Fei''s performance was impressive. If it were up to me, I would let him y more minutes in the first half." ¡ª Carlisle''s evaluation of the Wizards'' yers


    "I don''t like No. 44 (Yu Fei), he talks too much trash, full of arrogance and disrespect." ¡ª Big Ben on Yu Fei


    "Frye, this is your first loss in the NBA, what are your thoughts?"


    "What does it have to do with me?"


    "Uh... obviously, the Wizards lost, and you''re a member of the team..."


    "I only yed 18 minutes tonight, with a plus-minus of +9. Do you know what that means? It means we led our opponent by 9 points when I was on the floor."


    "Can I interpret that as youining about theck of ying time?"


    "Don''t misunderstand me, I am saying I didn''t lose. We were winning when I was on the court; go ask those who lost the game."


    ¡ª Yu Fei''s post-game interview


    ```

 Chapter 87: Chapter 76: Good Teachers and Helpful Friends (Chapter 9)

    Just four games into the new season, Yu Fei had already made the headlines several times for his post-gamements.


    Last time, it was because he was impatient with too many questions rted to Jordan, and this time, it was "The team lost, I didn''t."


    The local media in D.C. were rtively calm about this because everyone who watchedst night''s game had opinions about Doug Collins.


    On the other hand, the media from outside were quite biased against Fei.


    Especially those columnists from ESPN who had nothing better to do than to look for hot topics every day.


    One of Jordan''spdogs, David Aldridge, criticized Yu Fei''s remarks, "Frye''s ego is something D.C. should be wary of. In this young man, we don''t see a humble nature. In his eyes, it seems the world is always at fault, never himself, hence he doesn''t ept losing because he appears to be the only person with dignity inst night''s fully criminal Wizards team. But I think he needs to understand something, epting defeat and taking responsibility is a sign of a rookie''s path to maturity."


    This also caught the attention of Yu Fei''s agent, Arne Trem.


    Trem thought that Yu Fei''s response was childish and not helpful.


    "Embarrassing the coaching staff and Michael won''t make your situation any better; you should know this," Trem said.


    Yu Fei countered, "Did you watchst night''s game?"


    "I didn''t..."


    Trem was losing his confidence.


    "You didn''t? Then go watch the game before you talk."


    Yu Fei hung up the phone.


    He didn''t think he was wrong because Collins had put Jordan''s interests above the oue of the game.


    What kind of nature is this?


    From apetitive standpoint, this is a professional basketball coachpletely disregarding thepetitive spirit, utterly relinquishing his own soul.


    From the team''s perspective, for his own selfish gains, he let the team miss out on a great momentum and directly ruined the game.


    Personally speaking, Collins''s behavior wouldn''t get him any benefits apart from currying favor with Jordan, and perhaps even Jordan himself wouldn''t want him to do so.


    Assuming the worst-case scenario ¨C Jordan agrees with Collins doing this, then Yu Fei has even more reason to exert pressure through external forces.


    Because he can''t exert pressure internally.


    How could he apply internal pressure? There''s a line from "Shaolin Ser": Referees, ball certifiers, witnesses, along with organizers and co-organizers ¨C they are all my people. How can you fight me?


    The same is true for the Wizards; everyone is there to serve Jordan, and if Collins has abandoned sports ethics, it''s for Jordan. As long as it is for Jordan, he is meless.


    Therefore, Yu Fei could only speak out externally; only that way could make Collins wary.


    The next day, Yu Fei woke up early.


    Sinceing to the present, Yu Fei had developed a disciplined routine. After the draft, he trained like an ascetic every day.


    Even during the season, he insisted on lifting weights in the hotel gym when on the road and practicing his shooting at night on home games.


    This level of hard work made even Tyrone Nesby, the hardest trainer in the Wizards, look up to him.


    Nesby would inevitably hit the nightclubs after away games.


    Yu Fei wasn''t ascetic; he also went to a nightclub with his teammates once.


    He originally intended to find someone at the nightclub to reward his hard work in the NBA but soon found that he had gone to the wrong ce.


    In 2001, the United States was sorelycking in the Ang White style of women that Yu Fei favored. What wasmon were malnourished skinny girls and off-putting silicone-boosted busts.


    Boney beauties with stone-like busts? What kind of style was that? Just look at the posteback Arisaka Miyuki to understand.


    In a word, zero appeal.


    The thin-is-beautiful aesthetic aside ¨C people''s tastes always change back and forth as times change, but in regard to silicone, one must mention a person, the 90s version of Kim Kardashian ¨C Pam Anderson. Mentioning this name might not ring a bell for many, but if you talk about the nighttime drama "Baywatch" she starred in, many would recognize it as the show that Chandler and Joey from "Friends" faithfully watched.


    Pam Anderson''s acting in "Baywatch" was just a minor detail in her standing as the sex symbol of the 90s, her record-breaking yboy covers, or her tumultuous rtionship with boyfriend Tommy Lee, all made her the goddess in the hearts of countless admirers.


    Pam''s notoriety led women to imitate everything about her, from her hairstyle and clothes to "modifying her body", especially the silicone imnts for the bust, which remain mainstream to this day.


    ```


    Facing the rare asion of visiting a nightclub, Yu Fei only witnessed experiences of technology and hardbor, which reflected the profound impact Pam has had on American women.


    Unable to find a suitable partner, Yu Fei embarrassingly remained a virgin after crossing over.


    Yu Fei didn''t know when his "I''ve been fighting all my life, so what''s wrong with enjoying myself?" moment woulde, but at least for now, his training kept him in good shape, which was key to him not missing a single game of the new season''s first four matches.


    Amidst theplex struggles within the Wizards team, he had to persevere.


    It wouldn''t have been a big deal to hit the gym in the hotel that morning, if not for the presence of someone Yu Fei didn''t want to see.


    Joe... Oh no, it''s the head coach of the Wizards team, Doug Collins, who had lost all respect and trust from Yu Fei.


    "Good morning, Coach, it''s great to see you."


    I must have cursed him and Jordan''s mother in my heart too many times, that''s why fate rewarded me with this encounter.


    Yu Fei greeted Collins with a smile that didn''t reach his eyes.


    Collins looked at Yu Fei with aplicated gaze.


    In terms of ability, Yu Fei, having only yed four regr-season games, was already considered the team''s third operational force by Collins, but frustratingly, this significant force couldn''t make it into the starting lineup because he had the "Anti-Mike" bones.


    As a coach, Collins had no reason to dislike Yu Fei.


    Full of fighting spirit, tough style of y, good at finding opportunities in adverse situations, and very capable of boosting his teammates'' morale; plus, he trained hard outside the court, Collins hadn''t seen anyone as dedicated to practice as Yu Fei in a long time.


    This was a rookie nearly without any ws.


    If only he didn''t go against Jordan, how perfect would that be?


    "You said to the media yesterday that you didn''t lose?" Collins asked softly, "Is that true?"


    Yu Fei replied with a slight smile, "Seems like it."


    "Why do you think so?"


    "Why?"


    You don''t know? Do you dare to swear on God''s name that you don''t know?


    "Because the Detroit Pistons used a seven-man rotationst night, their starters yed through the entire first quarter and continued into the second quarter when we were closing the gap. Just when we were about to catch up, I was substituted off," Yu Fei said bluntly without beating around the bush. "I remember we were only 3 points behind when I left the field, and by the time I got back, we were 18 points behind. Even so, my plus-minus was still +9. No matter who asks, I will answer the same, I didn''t lose."


    Collins struggled to keep calm, not knowing why he had to control his anger in front of a rude and indisciplined rookie, "You can say these things to me privately, I ept criticism, but... you can''t say these things to the media."


    "Why can''t I?" Yu Fei''s retort set off the firecracker before him.


    "Because you''re a fucking NBA yer!" Collins yelled, "You can''t just say whatever you want!"


    Yu Fei still had that infuriating expression and asked in a serious but more infuriating tone, "Since when does the United States not support freedom of speech?"


    "That''s a fucking different thing!"


    "Fine!" Yu Fei nodded, then said coldly, "I can keep my mouth shut, provided you first prove yourself to be a qualified coach."


    Today, Doug Collins confirmed something.


    The rumors of Frye''s insubordination were not unfounded.


    Every cell in his body rebelled; he only believed in his own set of principles,pletely disregarding the bigger picture.


    Could Michael truly tame him?


    Collins was pessimistic about it.


    Because so far, Jordan''s performance hadn''t been any better than Yu Fei''s. With the two performing simrly, how could he possibly win over Yu Fei, who was already very hostile towards him?


    Collins left.


    Yu Fei thought Collins had given up onmunicating with him, but not long after, Johnny Bach brought Yu Fei a Bible.


    "This is from Doug for you," Bach said. "He hopes you''ll read it when you have time."


    "Is that so, thank him for me," Yu Fei responded with a fake smile that Bach saw right through, "He and Michael are truly my great mentors and benefactors."


    ```

 Chapter 88: Chapter 77 This Will Not Happen to Me (Chapter 10)

    "Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may be meless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life." ¡ª Philippians 2:14-15 (New Testament)


    "Do not let any unwholesome talke out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up ording to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." ¡ª Ephesians 4:29 (New Testament)


    "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." ¡ª Philippians 4:11-13 (New Testament)


    Doug Collins was very "thoughtful," folding in advance the pages he wanted Yu Fei to read. Yu Fei just needed to open the book to find those pages.


    As a non-believer, Yu Fei understood that Collins wanted him to behave and notin.


    However, such spiritualfort had no effect on Yu Fei, because Collins, who took it seriously, obviously hadn''t gained any teachings from the Bible.


    If the admonitions and morality conveyed by the Bible had helped Collins, he wouldn''t have been fired after leading the Chicago Bulls into the Eastern Conference finals. If his devotion to the Lord was genuine, he wouldn''t have applied double standards in his treatment of Jordan and other yers.


    "Tony, you keep it," Yu Fei handed the book to Lawson.


    Lawson took the book, and then he threw it aside, "He might as well treat you to a pork chop meal."


    "Indeed."


    On November 5th, the Wizards Team returned to D.C. from Detroit.


    They came back to their home court not because of a match, but because they had two days off.


    The day after tomorrow, the Wizards would head to Boston to challenge The Celtics.


    For the Wizards, the trip to Boston was infused with narrative because of Jordan''s presence.


    It was a tale from before Jordan''seback, when Paul Pierce openly spouted off to the already retired Jordan, iming, "If you daree back, I''ll beat you badly."


    This was no different from the future Jeremy Sohan repeatedly mocking the vice dog on Twitter.


    The difference was that Pierce sprayed it to his face, while Sohan was just one in millions of James haters on the inte.


    Yet, Jordan and his staff had no time to handle this issue right now. The buildup to the game against The Celtics was of less concern to Jordan than the more troubling issues he faced.


    A nearly 40-year-old hairdresser by the name Ca Knafel hoped Jordan would keep a promise to pay her five million US Dors in hush money. Why? She had been Jordan''s mistress for several years in the 90s, Ca had be pregnant, and it was impossible to rule out the possibility of Jordan being the child''s father. Initially, Jordan had given her 250,000 US Dors to keep quiet, but now, with the deity back on stage, the hairdresser remembered her old lover, and a quarter of a million dors was far from enough.


    Moreover, such issues nevere singly, and Jordan himself was not exactly a squeaky-clean figure.


    In Clevnd, a male stripper named Robert Mercer sent a letter to Jordan and the Wizards'' executives, iming that Jordan had a five-year extramarital affair with someone in Mercer''s family. Following that, Mercer sent a simr letter to a secretary at the Air Jordan Company headquarters in Chicago. Thus, the allegations of the male stripper began to spread privately.


    This quickly turned into a serious public rtions crisis and caused a tremendous fissure in Jordan''s godlike image. Jordan''s high-profilewyer in Chicago, Frederick Sperling, hastily wrote a letter denying these allegations and threatened Mercer that if he publicized them, legal action would be taken. Enraged, Mercer wrote a letter back to him, swearing he wouldn''t be intimidated. At the same time, he was prepared to send a letter to Jordan''s wife, Juanita, iming he had concrete evidence of "embarrassing news for both our families."


    With decisive action taken by Jordan''s legal team to defend the deity''s reputation, Mercer''s allegations quickly fell apart, the truth being that Mercer''s wife was a fanatical Jordan supporter and had mental health issues. Mercer didn''t want to pay for a psychologist and believed Jordan should foot the bill, so he tried to fish in troubled waters.


    The Mercer-induced storm settled quickly, but the impact on Jordan''s image was irreparable. Such is the fragility of fame ¡ª a trivial stripper could send Jordan into a panic.


    How different was it from the fabricated stories in QQ Spaces post-2008, iming "Jay Chou refused to donate to the Wenchuan earthquake and took a private jet to the disaster area to secretly eat instant noodles"? Jordan was ultimately lucky, the negative press and gossip that exploded in 2001 were devoured by the growing inte, and a decadeter, nothing remained.


    Jordan disappeared for two days.


    Collins imed Jordan was treating tendinitis in another city, but those who watched the news knew what he was really up to.


    With Jordan away, the Wizards'' training atmosphere was rxed; after all, who likes to have a stress monster as a teammate?


    The only thing Yu Fei wasn''t satisfied with was that the team''smercial executive, Susan O''Malley, had arranged a lot of PR andmunity activities for him during his spare time.


    Besides spending two hours in training sessions, Yu Fei also had to spend another two hours attending team events daily.


    If everyone had to take part in these activities, it wouldn''t be so bad, but it was often only Yu Fei and Hamilton who attended.


    "Why doesn''t anyone else have to participate?" Yu Fei asked.


    O''Malley exined, "Because they''re not famous enough."


    "So you guys just keep making me do these activities? Don''t you think that''s a bit too much?" Yu Fei''s words confirmed O''Malley''s belief in his "rebellious" nature. "Maybe the others are less popr, sure, but if they don''t participate in team events, doesn''t that make them even less popr? Should Rip and I take care of all the team''s activities from now on?"


    O''Malley said with no room for debate, "We will discuss this matter in a future meeting, but right now, what you need to do is attend the activities."


    Yu Fei faced amunication disconnect with the team.


    He thought that everyone at the Wizards from top to bottom was loyal to Jordan, so he assumed that the heavy load ofmunity and team activities assigned to him was Jordan''s idea.


    This was aplete misunderstanding of Jordan.


    Jordan also hated Susan O''Malley''s approach to wringing every bit of marketing value out of star yers.


    All in all, apart from this minor issue, the two days without seeing Jordan were pleasant.


    On the morning of November 7 at 9 a.m., the Wizards Team took a charter flight to Boston.


    Aboard the ne, Jordan, who had not shown himself in two days, finally appeared.


    Upon seeing Jordan, Brown showed a look of difort.


    Jordan walked over to Brown, grabbed his arm, and made him bend down to listen to his teachings. Brownplied. Jordan whispered a few words to him and then affectionately patted Brown on the head.


    Brown, as if struck by lightning, stood up straight and almost like a football yer, used his head to fend off Jordan''s hand; he hated being touched on the head. Or more precisely, he hated being touched on the head by Jordan.


    One could say this was Brown''s instinctive reaction to Jordan; he couldn''t ept the old man who controlled the team showing him concern one second like a kind uncle and insulting him like an enemy the next.


    He could only ept one of these responses¡ªeither love or hate.


    Brown had already decided not to establish any close rtionship with Jordan.


    But, there''s always some bootlicker who believes their ttery to be exceptional.


    Tyrone Nesby greeted Jordan''s return like a Labrador who hadn''t seen its owner for days, "Hey, Michael, with you here, our confidence is stronger! Dude, I heard about what happened to you, it''s really too bad, I..."


    Jordan, however, gave him a cold nce, "Shut up."


    "OK... OK..." Nesby walked away awkwardly.


    Yu Fei asked the beat reporter beside him with a smile, "Has the boss always been like this?"


    Steve Wyche replied indifferently, "I only know the Michael from the D.C. era. But I can assure you, the Michael from the Chicago days was even tougher."


    Observing Jordan''s PUA tactics with his teammates was part of Yu Fei''s daily routine¡ªnot just for amusement, but because it was highly educational.


    Jordan''s actions vividly conveyed an undeniable message to Yu Fei: In the world of sports, the powerful wield absolute authority, and the weak mustply.


    Yu Fei''s generation was the quintessential AAU generation, ustomed to the spotlight and others'' respect from a young age and sensitive to any criticism. This waspletely different from Jordan''s leadership style, which required humility from those around him. If anyone was too presumptuous, he would personally rectify their behavior until they met his approval. Jordan also calibrated his emotional investment based on these people''s performance and their attitude towards him, like a machine.


    In Chicago, this is how he treated his teammates, and when the Chicago Bulls achieved unprecedented sess in the post-merger era, Jordan''s worshippers and the media believed that the Bulls'' yers grew into a dynasty under his tough love. Chicago''s sess proved the philosophy of the so-called ''God'' to be indisputably correct.


    This prestigious status and tempting power made Yu Fei contemte from another perspective as the ne took off.


    If I were Jordan, what would I do?


    This thought onlysted a moment before Yu Fei harshly dismissed it from his mind. How could he ever be Jordan?


    No, even if he one day achieved Jordan''s power and status, he would not act like that.


    There were so many sessful figures to learn from, why emte Jordan? Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Bird, Shaquille O''Neal, Duncan, Curry, James... who among them liked to bully their teammates, asserting their status with a double assault on spirit and body? Those who couldn''t stand the pressure were easilybeled "cowards," and those who endured and persisted were then told, "You became excellent because you withstood Jordan''s test." Why? By what right?


    "Do you think this is right, Steve?"


    Yu Fei retorted to Wyche, who wasn''t merely the team''s beat reporter but Jordan''s confidant. He knew the implications of speaking out but, hell, who cared?


    "I think it''s wrong. We''re humans first, then NBA yers. As humans, we have our own dignity and invible sensitivities," Yu Fei nced at Jordan, who was resting with his eyes closed, "I won''t let this happen to me."


    (1) If you have reposted the rumor "Jay Chou refuses to donate to Wenchuan and steals instant noodles in the disaster area," please identify yourself here.


    PS: There will be five more chapters tomorrow, apanied by a small climax. Thest two chapters are mainly to set the stage for the plot tomorrow.


    Thank you to those who have been ever loyal to Pepsi, Feather de, Spontaneous Wood, Reader 20220331003455304, Grand Thousand 520, Aite Na Moon, Reader 20230910002807386, Life Goes On With A Bundle of Wind and Rain, 99 Bookcases, Skies of Azure Clouds, Diamond Province 5, Period Zero, Spring Before the Sick Tree, the Passionate Writ of Zha Ghost Town for their rewards.


    Lastly, a plea for monthly votes and wishing everyone a happy National Day.

 Chapter 89: Chapter 78: Before he dies, I will invite him for a drink

    ```


    "I won''t let this kind of thing happen to me."


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    If others on the ne weren''t wearing headphones, many would have heard this statement.


    As one of the few Wizards Team staff who could speak to Yu Fei, Steve Wyche considered Yu Fei an "antisocial personality" in the professional basketball world.


    No matter their nature, 99% of NBA yers are docile babies during their rookie stage.


    How humble was the tyrant Jordan when he entered the league, setting being selected for the All-Star game once as his goal? Before stepping onto the path of evil, Devil King Rodman was a shy big boy who would cry over trophies; even an NBA oddball like Jabbar showed no signs of ''disease'' in his first two years in Milwaukee.


    Yu Fei was a different being.


    He was high-profile, mboyant, full of spikes, unruly, whether you''re Michael Jordan or Collins, anyone who tried to educate him found he had his own logic to defend himself.


    This turned Yu Fei into an alternative existence within the Wizards Team.


    Thest rookie who was perceived as difficult was Bill Walton in 1974; before him, it was Wizards'' legend Elvin Hayes.


    Huai Qi did not understand Walton, but he understood Hayes.


    The man who made every coach and teammate who worked with him have a headache, the freak who would copse mentally due to his emotions, and who could give up on a game over a minor issue, even being humiliated by an inferior horse in the yoffs and not caring... Was it really fair topare Yu Fei to someone like Hayes?


    Wyche reflected for a moment, but he decided to maintain his judgment.


    The terror of Hayes didn''t lie in his habitual court copses, but in his uncontroble personality. His pitiful character always led to mental breakdowns, while Yu Fei had sharp energy, adept at diverting it by venting dissatisfaction with the outside world. Both styles could lead to the same oue.


    Yu Fei and Wyche exchanged no further words.


    Until the nended, and the announcement came over the broadcast, Yu Fei woke from a light sleep, "Are we there?"


    "Yes," Wyche asked, "Did you sleep well?"


    "Pretty well, thanks for asking." Yu Fei stood up, ready to retrieve his luggage, "Hope we win tonight."


    Wyche watched Yu Fei.


    At least for now, Yu Fei seemed to be a very approachable young man.


    Just like Elvin Hayes, when not ying, Hayes was generous and charming, who would regrly visit orphanages every month and y with the children.


    But in professional sports, what''s most important is performance; if you do something as normal as Vince Carter going to your alma mater for a graduation ceremony on the day of a do-or-die yoff game, and then lose that crucial game at night, you''ll be pointed at by thousands.


    So, the most important thing is performance, so work hard, Frye, at least be the opposite of Elvin Hayes if you really want topete with Jordan.


    There were quite a few media outside the airport; after all, this was Jordan''s first visit to Boston since hiseback.


    Only at times like this could Yu Fei and his teammates feel the advantage of being Jordan''s teammates - being ignored by the media, who only wanted to interview Jordan.


    The media in Boston had been hyping up the showdown between Jordan and Pierce, but the Wizards'' coaches were very pragmatic.


    Especially old assistant coach Johnny Bach, who had worked with Jordan for many years: "I don''t think you can expect Michael to defend Pierce and then do everything we expect of him on offense. That would wear him out. He could do it when he was young, but it''s difficult now. I believe he will match up with Pierce in the game, but we''ll make sure it doesn''t happen too soon."


    "If Michael doesn''t guard Paul, who do you n to put on Paul?"


    Bach''s eyes flickered, and he said with a light smile, "I think Frye might give it a try."


    Bach''s wishful thinking was just that, wishful.


    Yu Fei was not included in tonight''s starting lineup.


    Doug Collins'' "secret weapon" for Pierce was Tyronn Nesby.


    As the yer who trained hardest aside from Yu Fei in the Wizards team, and one of the several loyal dogs that utterly worshiped Jordan, letting him start wouldn''t cause any difort for Jordan.


    As for whether he could guard Pierce, that wasn''t something Collins was concerned about.


    If someone wanted to assume how Pierce would rip apart Nesby on offense, then Collins would y the "trust Jordan" card, even though he hadn''t really yed a Jordan-style game since theeback, but who could be sure it wouldn''t be tonight?


    As before, Yu Fei arrived at the Fleet Center two hours before the game to get a feel for the court.


    Apanying him were Kwame Brown and Chris Whitney.


    "It''s fine if you guys like to warm up early, but why drag me into it?" Whitney was nowbeled "Yu Fei''s best buddy," but he really didn''t want that identity.


    "Uncle, stopining. Want to guess a riddle?" Brown asked excitedly.


    Whitney rolled his eyes, "Okay, as long as it''s not something like what''s 1+1..."


    "Tell me, what''s big and hard and can make a woman scream non-stop?" Brown asked wickedly.


    Yu Fei looked speechless, thinking, here he goes again.


    Whitney revealed a "those who know, know" smile, "Young man, you''re still young..."


    ```

 Chapter 90: Chapter 78: Before he dies, I will invite him for a drink_2

    "Uncle, where did your mind wander off to?" Brown snorted, "The answer is an ironing board, I knew you''d think something crooked, just like Frye, you''re both nothing but pretenders to decency!"


    Whitney stared at Brown incredulously, then turned to Yu Fei.


    Yu Fei shrugged and said, "That''s just some weird game he''s gotten into recently."


    Riddles with sexual innuendos? Whitney sighed, MJ was still too soft on these young yers.


    It was Yu Fei''s idea to have Brown and Whitney interact more.


    Whitney was the team''s unwavering starting point guard, and Brown was a bit prone to fumbling, somunicating more with Whitney, like this pre-game training where he came to the court early to get tips, could inform Whitney on how best to pass the ball to Brown and perhaps reduce the frequency of his butterfingers.


    Thanks to Jordan, Brown was now thoroughly devoid of any first pick attitude, very obedient and teachable; he did whatever Whitney told him during training.


    After training for an hour, Jordan arrived.


    The previous four regr season games could be considered warm-ups, but the game against The Celtics was critical, and Jordan didn''t want to be a stepping stone for the rise of young stars.


    That was also why he came back; he wanted to prove that even at almost 40, he wasn''t someone the current stars could just push around.


    As for being blown away by Jerry Stackhouse a few days ago, well, that''s best forgotten. It''s just the internal dealings of North Carolina alumni; don''t take it seriously.


    At this moment, Yu Fei had finished his shooting warm-up and was doing various footwork drills on the side of the court.


    However, Jordan actually called out to him from a distance, "Rookie,e y a few with me!"


    Yu Fei''s first reaction was "You''ve got the wrong man, right?" But Jordan was still pointing at him, "You,e here!"


    Yu Fei pointed at himself, "No mistake?"


    "What are you dawdling for?" Jordan shouted impatiently, "Come here!"


    Almost everyone had a look on their faces that said, "There''s going to be a good show," and Ratner, that son of a bitch, even went to grab a bucket of popcorn.


    Clearly, everyone remembered what had happened thest time Brown and Jordan yed one-on-one.


    "I''ll run offense, you y defense, got it?" Jordan didn''t even ask Yu Fei''s opinion, disying the attitude of a superior assigning a task to a subordinate.


    Yu Fei made a baffled face, "You better pick someone else, I go hard against old men."


    "Hmph!" Jordan just had tough, "Rookie, don''t get cocky. No matter how hard you hit, can you hit harder than Paul Pierce will tonight?"


    Yu Fei wasn''t sure whether it was Pierce''s willingness to step over Jordan or his own umted malice towards Jordan over the past few months that was greater.


    But since the boss had spoken, it would be impolite for Yu Fei to refuse again.


    And so, the one-sided offensive and defensive showdown began.


    Yu Fei was true to his word; saying he''d bring intensity meant he actually brought it. Jordan tried to break through, only to be firmly repelled by him.


    Then, Jordan created shooting space with his delicate dribbling and scored a jump shot in front of Yu Fei.


    "What are you defending?" Jordan began to trash talk.


    Yu Fei really didn''t want to say anything; Jordan''s performance in training had always been good, but he hadn''t yet yed at that level in a game.


    But he truly didn''t want to see that smug old dog''s expression again.


    Yu Fei''s concentration rose to another level. From that moment on, he had not only intensity but also focus. His attention to defense was as if he was in a real game.


    Jordan''s current offense actually only had three moves.


    Catch and shoot off the ball movement, pull-up jumper after dribbling at the top, and using footwork after a post-up to create space for a jump shot.


    All three moves required good touch; without it, he was done for.


    Moreover, when his stamina declined, his efficiency in dribbling at the top and post-ups was very poor.


    Jordan''s attempts to post up were abandoned because of Yu Fei''s size, so he was left with dribbling at the top.


    Without absolute speed, Jordan relied on rhythm. He might shake Yu Fei once or twice, but as the same tricks were used repeatedly, Yu Fei gained experience.


    On Jordan''s second shot attempt, Yu Fei caught him straight up, started abruptly, and blocked the shot, sending the ball flying ten meters away.


    "I really don''t want to y against someone as old as you, all you''ve got is your damn useless dribbling and weak shooting. Shots like that, I''d block every single one on the court."


    After Yu Fei said that, Jordan became visibly frustrated.


    During the training camp, that version of Jordan had destroyed Kwame Brown.


    But the same thing didn''t happen on the Fleet Center''s court.


    An enraged Jordan yed more fiercely, but his uracy didn''t improve. Roughly every three times on defense, Yu Fei managed to clearly interfere or outright block the shot.


    The sessionsted 20 minutes, until finally, Jordan had to admit that he couldn''t beat Yu Fei in a one-on-one with his current ability.


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    And this was when they were only ying half the game ¨C one on offense and one on defense. If they had yed by the standard rules of one-on-one, giving Yu Fei offensive opportunities, the oue might have been even more surprising.


    Steve Wyche was one of the witnesses to this match-up.


    Unfortunately for Jordan, he did not seed in defeating Yu Fei as nned.


    To Wyche, this might represent a watershed moment for certain things.


    What happens when you let someone with a destructive antisocial personality discover that this ce''s strongest person can onlypete with him at an equal level?


    Wyche nced at Doug Collins, who, as expected, was deeply concerned about the oue of the match-up ¨C a diligent servant maintaining the authority of the deity.


    Wyche could feel something fading from Jordan.

 Chapter 91: Chapter 78: Before he dies, I will invite him for a drink_3

    ```


    That certain "something" was elusive, yet it sparked a fiercepetition. The supposed heirs to Jordan jostled for it, and even Pierce¡ªwho wasn''t remotely connected to being Jordan''s sessor¡ªwanted in on the action. Yu Fei, through this game, indirectly proved that he, too, was qualified topete for it.


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    "Will the modern version of Elvin Hayes destroy this team, or will he emerge from his cocoon like the 1977 Bill Walton?"


    Huai Qi harbored this thought as he looked at Yu Fei.


    It was 7:45 PM, fifteen minutes before the start of the game.


    The Celtics had already arrived at the venue, and Yu Fei exchanged greetings with Pierce.


    Thest time they met was when Yu Fei tried out for the Celtics, who had promised to draft him and had made certain "efforts" off the court to secure him. Unfortunately, the efforts weren''t enough, and the Wizards swooped in first.


    If forced to choose between the two teams, Yu Fei would''ve preferred ying for the Celtics since neither the team leader Walker nor the second-inmand Pierce were the kind of assholes who lorded over others.


    "Frye, I often see you in the top ys; it''s really a shame you aren''t with our team!" Pierce said with a grin.


    Yu Fei smiled faintly, "I regret it too. Hope you''ll go easy on Michael tonight."


    "Hmph, I don''t care about that at all. What''s there to be proud of beating an old man?" Pierce said with a look of indifference, "What I hate is people constantly asking about MJ, as if he saved the world from the Y2K bug. Who saves the world? It''s those firefighters rushing into zes and the soldiers and journalists on the front lines..."


    All right, we get it. You don''t find beating Jordan that big of a deal. You don''t need to go on about it, damn little Hawk!


    Unlike Pierce''s indifferent attitude, the Wizards had previously faced off against the Celtics in the preseason, where Jordan and Pierce had briefly shed a few times. Pierce''s disrespectful elbowing had irked Jordan. One could say that proving he could still contend with the young stars was one of his main motivations for returning, at least for the moment. Pierce was a lesser challenge that he intended to use as a stepping stone. Hence, when an NBC reporter brought up the altercation with Pierce before the game, Jordan didn''t shy away from saying, "The kid wants to take me down hard, but I''m ready."


    Ironically, the NBC reporter used the same phrasing as Yu Fei: "Oh Michael, don''t be too hard on Paul; he''s just a na?ve kid."


    Jordan chuckled, radiating charm, "Before he dies, I''ll buy him a drink."


    This was the Jordan that people loved.


    Talkative, entertaining, full of dominance, and determined to settle scores with every pretender ¨C a perfect, supreme god.


    As long as you don''t get too close, his charm is boundless.


    Because he wasn''t in the starting lineup, Yu Fei changed into his uniform and sat on the bench ten minutes before the game started.


    "Don''t you think you''re more suited to start than Nesby?" Brown whispered to Yu Fei, "He can''t possibly defend Paul Pierce."


    No big deal. Our dear coach just randomly picked someone from the roster to take the beating instead of the boss. I''m thankful he didn''t choose me; could I ask for more?


    "No worries, let''s just think about what the boss would do," Yu Fei replied nomittally.


    What would the boss do? Brown couldn''t believe Jordan could blow Pierce away, especially since he couldn''t even handle Yu Fei...


    Jordan was clearly different tonight, quickly recovering after being turned over while setting up Hamilton, and in the counter-attack, received the ball and performed an abrupt stop-and-shoot after a crossover dribble to the left.


    Joe Johnson couldn''t react in time.


    "Swish!"


    Seeing Johnson in the Celtics'' starting lineup made Yu Fei quite envious.


    If there had been a strong yer in the same position within the team, it might''ve been a different story, but the Wizards'' lineup was full of holes, with only the shooting guard position being rtively robust.


    To Yu Fei''s surprise, Collins'' so-called secret weapon, Tyronn Nesby, wasn''t ying as a small forward but instead as a center... They were using him like Ben Wace.


    So far, it wasn''t working.


    Nesby''s ying at center meant one thing ¨C on the defensive end, it wasn''t Jordan guarding Pierce; it was Hamilton.


    Since the coaching staff wanted to dy the "Jordan defending Pierce" image as long as possible, Hamilton had to suffer for now.


    Watching Hamilton try to hold off Pierce with his slender frame made Yu Fei sympathize with him.


    Poised, Pierce shoved Hamilton aside, turned around, and shot. It wasn''t as stylish as Jordan, but it was the same two-point jumper in essence.


    Jordan was eager to establish his position, calling for the ball, but this time he was matched against Antoine Walker, who was physically mismatched against him.


    Jordan had difficulty finding his spot in front of Walker.


    It was understandable why Jordan viewed Walker like a lucky gift ¨C as long as his teammates could pass the ball smoothly, he was confident he couldplete the offense.


    Walker''s defensive threat only existed before Jordan caught the ball. Once Jordan had it, Walker''s defense was virtually non-existent.


    ```

 Chapter 92: Chapter 78: Before he dies, I will invite him for a drink_4

    Jordan''s body swayed back and forth, making Whitney hesitant to pass the ball because of the unstable position.


    "Can''t you just pass it directly?!"


    In a hurry, Jordan was frantic.


    Being unable to catch the ball and pressuring his teammates only led to them bing flustered.


    In the chaos, Whitney made the worst decision, pulling up for a three-pointer from outside.


    "What''s the old man doing?" Brown couldn''t understand.


    "Alright, now let''s see what the boss will do," Fei was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.


    Brown looked at him curiously, "You''ve said that several times today."


    Then, The Celtics'' starting point guard, Nick Anderson, also fried his CPU, forcing a shot without shaking off the defense.


    However, the shot didn''t go in, but The Celtics still had the rebound.


    Apart from height, Nesby was nowhere near Big Ben in any other aspect of the game.


    Walker grabbed an offensive rebound first, but his put-back didn''t go in.


    Pierce rushed in for another, but that still didn''t go in.


    Walker jumped again, snagging a second offensive rebound, and this time, he scored.


    In the following possessions, the Wizards overfocused on passing, creating opportunities, yet Hamilton, as the finisher, looked like he didn''t want to win tonight, repeatedly messing up, even getting his point-nk shots blocked.


    Eventually, Jordan had to take over, at the free-throw line he used a pump fake to draw contact from Joe Johnson, and the referee decisively called a defensive foul on thetter.


    It had to be Jordan!


    After that, it nearly turned into a Jordan showcase.


    Again facing Joe Johnson, bullying the rookie seemed to activate muscle memory in the legend, as he put on a dazzling disy, the ball dexterously controlled in his hands at his belly, his unpredictable left-right swaying made Johnson lose his defensive positioning, and Jordan shook him without even dribbling.


    Jordan drove into the paint, switched hands for ayup and scored. A minuteter, he made a brilliant pass to Christian Laettner to finish at the rim.


    Fei was emotionally unmoved by what was happening on the court, as these were performances Jordan should have been delivering all along.


    Pierce continued to feast on Hamilton''s defensivepses at the offensive end.


    On the Wizards'' side, Laettner''s sudden long-range shot exposed Walker''s fundamentalck of defense.


    This bolstered Laettner''s aggressiveness significantly, and in the next possession, from almost the same spot, he took another shot at Walker.


    This defensivepse from Walker left Laettner feeling satisfied and made the situation on the court even more contested, with no clear advantage for either side.


    Seeing Jordan and Laettner''s standout performances, Fei had no expectations for his ying time tonight.


    Having 15 minutes would count as a victory.


    It was ironic; his ying time seemingly depended on poor performances from Jordan and Laettner¡ªJordan in particr.


    Since Collins positioned Jordan as the small forward and was convinced that Fei yed the same position, and after establishing the notion that Yu Qiao couldn''t y alongside Jordan based on the recent game against the Detroit Pistons, Fei''s ying time was now directly linked to Jordan''s performance.


    This was something Fei couldn''t ept.


    Directlymunicating with Collins would yield no results, and bowing to Jordan was even less of an option. The first thing he needed to do was to make the most out of every minute of ying time he was given, ensuring that every second he yed was valuable, thereby exerting pressure on Collins.


    The better he yed, the more effective the pressure would be. If Collins decided to ignore it all for the sake of Jordan, then Fei would be left with only one choice.

 Chapter 93: Chapter 79: Longing for Happiness, But Please Seek Good Fortune for Yourself

    ```


    After his physical condition declined, Jordan''s offense was no longer as brilliant. Although he could still rely on Joe Johnson''s rookie benefits to score, it was ultimately unstable.


    With 3 minutes left in the first quarter, Doug Collins subbed out Jordan and Ratner, putting in Yu Fei and Brown.


    Although the progress was limited, Collins finally realized it was good for them to have Yu Fei and Brown on the court together.


    "Paul Pierce iszy on defense, and Antoine Walker''s defense is terrible," Collins hoped every time he put Yu Fei on the floor that the rookie could bring positive feedback.


    This was not normal.


    Collins didn''t know why he could not fully utilize Yu Fei''s capabilities yet expected him to perform well every time he got on court, perhaps because he hadn''t yed a bad game all season?


    "Can I y freely?" Yu Fei asked.


    Collins said, "It depends on the situation."


    Depend on the situation? Can it be understood this way, if my "free y" brings a good result, then this power is bestowed by you, but if not, do I take all the me?


    Yu Fei didn''t want to think too poorly of Collins, but he couldn''t expect much from a head coach who prioritized fawning over Jordan.


    17 to 15


    Even though Chad Hamilton felt like he had acute gastroenteritis tonight, dragging him down from start to end, Jordan''s performance kept The Celtics from gaining the upper hand early in the game.


    After the shift, the direction of the game was entirely in Yu Fei''s hands.


    He brought the ball upcourt, and Tyronn Nesby thought it was his time to shine, ready to go to the high post to get the ball for a y ording to the team strategy.


    "Don''t stand there!" Yu Fei yelled at Nesby, pointing.


    Nesby spread his hands in dissatisfaction, but when Yu Fei breezed past theckadaisical Pierce and, without looking, delivered a ground pass from the free-throw line to the inside of the paint to assist Hamilton for an easy score, Nesby wisely shut his mouth.


    17 to 17


    "Yo, you''re pretty capable," Pierce whistled at Yu Fei.


    Yu Fei mocked, "You''re pretty good at defending."


    Unfortunately, Pierce didn''t catch the sarcasm and even smiled smugly, "That''s right, I''ve always been a yer good at both ends..."


    Then Yu Fei could only wish the whole league was full of such "yers good at both ends."


    At this point, The Celtics'' main point guard was Erick Strd (Erick Strd PG), who didn''t have the aggressiveness of the starting point guard Kenny Anderson, nor was he a master at controlling the game who prioritized organization, fairly average in all areas.


    Or, rather, quite mediocre.


    Under his organization, The Celtics didn''t have any good offensive opportunities, ending with Pierce receiving the ball and making a forced shot within seconds.


    The moment Pierce shot, Yu Fei felt it wouldn''t go in and could predict where it wouldnd.


    "Bang!"


    Yu Fei leapt and grabbed the defensive rebound, then lightning-fast,unched a counterattack onnding.


    This was a tempopletely different from when Jordan was on the court.


    Yu Fei ran at the forefront, followed by Hamilton, Nesby, and Whitney in close pursuit.


    Then, in the frontcourt, Yu Fei received the ball from behind, spun around shaking off Walker''s trailing defense, took two powerful steps, and scored with a left-handedyup.


    19 to 17


    "Frye doesn''t y like a rookie at all!" NBC''smentator Tom Tolbert said, "He''s like an experienced veteran, always ready when he steps off the bench!"


    After Yu Fei executed the fast break, Walker regretfully said to Pierce, "Joe and Kendrick together aren''t as good as him."


    Pierce believed that not taking more aggressive action in this year''s draft was a serious mistake by the management.


    If Yu Fei were ced on The Celtics, he would definitely be in the starting lineup.


    Being on D.C was simply a waste; they didn''t know what they were doing, keeping such a strong rookie on the bench instead of starting him to elerate his growth. What was the point?


    Pierce continued to y the game with a nonchnt attitude.


    Only when Jordan was on the court would he tense up.


    But Yu Fei''s impact was striking, and if not taken seriously, it could be overwhelming.


    At 23, Pierce yed like an old man, and when facing him, Yu Fei defended like he was guarding Jordan. Hecked the quickness that was impossible to react to, the difficult to handle wide-angle changes of direction, and even the rhythm wasn''t very tricky; he perfectly integrated technique with physicality.


    Almost every ball Pierce yed stuck to the defender. After guarding him for a few seconds, Yu Fei somehow saw a teammate''s open spot and passed the ball under the basket, assisting Walker to score with a dunk.


    "No good, rookie, you let me in so easily. Bring on Michael; you''re not up for it," Pierce said, thinking he was humorous, unaware that Jordan''s name was exactly the "trigger" for Yu Fei to switch modes.


    "Chris, you handle the ball."


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    "What are you up to now?"


    Whitney had a very bad feeling.


    As Whitney brought the ball into the front court, he saw Yu Fei clear one side by sending Brown and Nesby away from the paint, then asking for the ball on the low post.


    "Are you serious?" Pierce continued to tease Yu Fei, "This is a slide you can''t even touch."


    Seeing the yers spaced out and Yu Fei asking for the ball, Whitney had no choice but to pass.


    This scene was unusual in the eyes of many.


    On the Wizards team, usually only Jordan and a few post yers would ask for the ball for a low post y.


    Post yers ying on the low post was their duty, Jordan doing so was a way to show his importance as a core member, but Yu Fei? What was his intention?


    Yu Fei received the ball, feinted to the left with his head while his shoulder turned to the right side for a spin move to start a drive. Pierce had rxed too much, was deceived by the first move, and couldn''t stop Yu Fei''s drive at all.


    ```

 Chapter 94: Chapter 79: Yearning for Happiness, But Please Seek Good Fortune for Yourself_2

    Yu Fei, in the midst ofpleting his pivot, inadvertently collided his right elbow violently against Pierce''s shoulder due to his unfamiliarity with the low-post pivot move to face the basket. But the incident happened so suddenly and swiftly that the referee couldn''t see it clearly, and Pierce couldn''t react in time; it was all over in an instant.


    "Damn it!"


    Pierce cursed, but his defense had already crumbled.


    Yu Fei charged to the basket and, like a wild beast, finished with a one-handed reverse dunk, drawing a mix of gasps and jeers from the arena.


    Pissed off, Pierce red at Yu Fei, thinking the rookie''s move was too dirty.


    Without a hint of apology, Yu Fei merely nced at Pierce and said, "Don''t act like you can handle me so easily when your defense is such a mess."


    With just one minute left in the first quarter, Yu Fei, unsurprisingly, had irritated his opponent.


    This was a staple in the Wizards Team''s games.


    If there was a game where Yu Fei didn''t manage to annoy his opponent, it meant that the opponent was simply too good-natured.


    "Ignorant brat, I''m going to teach you a lesson on MJ''s behalf!"


    Fuming, Pierce aggressively positioned himself, shouting for the ball from his teammates.


    Once Pierce got into a favorable position and the ball came to him, he bumped with his sizeable rear, pushing Yu Fei back a significant half-meter, ready to take his shot.


    Instinctively, Yu Fei reached out, and like a paring knife, sliced the ball off from Pierce''s hand.


    It was a clean steal that couldn''t have been any cleaner, but the referee wouldn''t allow a rookie to show off like that on the visiting court, so a foul was called on Yu Fei for the mere brush of a body hair.


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    "That''s a foul?" Yu Fei said as he headed towards the referee, but Whitney intercepted him immediately, "Whatever the referee says goes, shut your mouth!"


    Pierce, unable to wait, started to trash talk, "Ha! That''s a foul! Rookie, this is professional basketball. You''re still too green. Learn how to avoid fouls first!"


    Yu Fei nced at the clock.


    There were 50 seconds left in the first quarter.


    Enough time for the Celtics to inbound the ball for an offensive y, then let the Wizards finish with thest shot of the quarter, before giving the Celtics a dozen or so seconds for a buzzer-beating attempt.


    Jordan was having a good night, which meant he wouldn''t be sitting on the bench for long. That also meant Yu Fei wouldn''t get much ying time, so his foul count didn''t really matter.


    In fact, Yu Fei could use it as a means to penalize his opponents.


    For instance, teach a lesson to some assholes who think they''re so great, treating the game like a joke, not taking him seriously.


    Paul Pierce was stillughing,pletely unaware of the full malice in Yu Fei''s eyes.


    The Celtics resumed y with Antoine Walker taking on Kwame Brown in a one-on-one.


    As the Celtics'' main man, Walker''s performance was far less impressive than Pierce''s tonight.


    But to underestimate him because of his negative defensive impact would be a big mistake.


    Brown didn''t take Walker''s offense seriously and ended up getting scored on by a swift pivot dribble and stop-and-pop bank shot.


    "What''s so impressive? I can do that too."


    Now, Brown only dared to brag in front of Yu Fei.


    Well, Yu Fei believed he could do it in practice, but in a real game, he would likely fail the attack because of his ''sensitive little hands'' inability to control the ball.


    As Jordan sat next to Collins, Yu Fei was sure he would be in the game in the second quarter, which would be his cue to exit.


    "Kwame, make a 45-degree angle screen and cut inside."


    After instructing Brown, around ten secondster, Brown did as told.


    Immediately, a vacuum appeared in the Celtics'' defense zone, with only Brown in sight. Yu Fei decisively lobbed a pass, assisting Brown for a m dunk score.


    23 to 21.


    With the first quarter down to itsst 12 seconds, the Celtics quickly crossed half-court, and Pierce wanted the ball for a one-on-one with Yu Fei.


    "You can''t guard me!"


    Following his words, Pierce targeted the gap Yu Fei had deliberately left open, swiftly took one step to gain a favorable position, and jumped up with the ball.


    What Paul Pierce didn''t expect was that Yu Fei had never intended on seriously defending the shot from the beginning.


    What he nned to do was¡ª


    Yu Fei leaped from beside Pierce, shouldering his weight onto the opponent, and swung his arm fiercely, knocking down both the arm and the ball while causing the airborne Pierce to lose bnce and crash heavily onto the floor.


    "@#£¤%@#%..."


    Yu Fei turned around and yelled at the referee who had called his previous steal a foul, "@#£¤%@#%, that''s a fucking foul!"


    The foul, bordering on grant, was initially called as a normal one¡ªbut after that shout, the referee issued a technical foul against Yu Fei.


    The raging Pierce hadn''t even gotten a chance to confront Yu Fei before being held back, and Yu Fei was substituted out by Doug Collins with 18,000 spectators in the arena expressing their intense disapproval of Yu Fei''s egregious act.


    Boos and curses were heard all around.


    "That''s despicable, this young man should be ejected from the game!" Celtics legend Tom Heinsen shouted, "I don''t want to see him in this game anymore!"


    Doug Collins looked at Yu Fei with disappointment: "It seems like you haven''t taken the ''Bible''s'' reprimands to heart at all."


    "Leave the reprimands to Jesus," Yu Fei sneered, "My job is to ensure he meets Jesus in his dreams!"


    In the final seconds of the first quarter, Jordan returned to the court.


    ording to the n, he was supposed toe back in the second quarter, but Yu Fei''s ''loss of control'' had disrupted Collins''s arrangements.


    Collins didn''t know why Yu Fei was so angry, but Jordan knew. It was because of the ying time and Pierce''s dismissive attitude.


    As apetitor, Yu Fei took every opponent seriously. What Pierce sought from Jordan was the same thing Yu Fei was after.

 Chapter 95: Chapter 79: Craving for Happiness, But Please Seek Good Fortune for Yourself_3

    Yu Fei faced Pierce with utmost seriousness, so what happened? Pierce yed with a happy-go-lucky attitude, trash-talking like friends do.


    Yu Fei wasn''t that familiar with him, nor did he want to get close to his opponents.


    From this standpoint, Jordan thought Yu Fei was very much like himself.


    However, Jordan was dissatisfied with Yu Fei for never taking the initiative to be friendly, which is why he had been holding Yu Fei back and not letting him be a starter.


    As a rookie, you can be proud, have your own temper and personality, you can be disrespectful to veterans because of your youth, but you must never fail to recognize who is the master of the team.


    Yu Fei didn''t know, or rather, he refused to acknowledge this.


    Jordan was both the yer and the boss; he was the master.


    Yu Fei didn''t recognize him as the master, had never proactively spoken a word or cracked a single joke with him since joining the team, nor had he even hypocritically inquired about his tendinitis condition.


    This disregard was even more infuriating to Jordan than Kwame Brown''s weakness and ipetence.


    After the pre-game sh with Yu Fei today, Jordan gradually figured out the other side''s mentality.


    Yu Fei wanted topete with him. He wouldn''t bow his head, show humble intentions, or have the consciousness of a rookie. What he wanted was not just the starting position, but also control of the team.


    This was consistent with Doug Collins''s judgment.


    Yu Fei had ambition, and Jordan should be pleased.


    But today, he found he might not be able to dominate Yu Fei on the court.


    So, the matter became delicate. Should he relinquish his position like Kareem did for Magic Johnson?


    If forced to choose, Jordan would rather be the 1992 Larry Bird. He wanted to walk away with pride, and as for Yu Fei, let the damned rookie die like Reggie Lewis!


    After Yu Fei left the field, Brown''s performance also rapidly declined. Without anyone passing him the ball, Jordan''smanding mixed with curses made him tread on thin ice. Soon, Brown was benched.


    "Wee back!" Tyronn Lue said jokingly, "This will always be your home!"


    Yu Fei also teasingly asked, "Why is it that when you y with Michael, you suddenly seem to forget how to y?"


    Brown responded with a phrase perfectly fitting a hopeless Millennial waster: "Because Michael doesn''t let me be myself."


    "Shush, don''t call an elder by name, call him Boss."


    Steve Wyche watched with excitement as the young yers off the courtined and joked about Jordan, and then, like a god of war, Jordan returned to his early-game form on the court.


    As long as he had stamina and touch, Jordan was still a difficult yer to deal with.


    The Celtics learned that in the second quarter.


    With his mood disrupted by Yu Fei, Pierce lost the liveliness of the first quarter, suffering repeatedly at the hands of Jordan. Instead, it was the Celtics'' big boss who stood up.


    But still, Jordan was the most dazzling one on the court.


    Spiritual reverse run and alley-oopyup;


    Turnaround jump shot from the center of the paint;


    Signature crossover dribble into a quick stop jump shot.


    He reimed his form and proved with his best performance since hiseback that he was still the dominator of the court.


    Pierce was frustrated, Walker''s momentum wascking, and Jordan acted as though he had never left.


    Steve Wyche recalled the beginning of the year when he heard Jordan discuss his thirst for the game in the Wizards'' office.


    Isn''t that why he came back?


    Professional sports, especially basketball, are so different from nearly every other type of sport for one reason: they have only one unique, top-tier NBA. Hence, space at the top is incredibly limited, as narrow as a funnel, with room for only one yer. Therefore, it''s entirely unlike Hollywood''s entertainment industry, like the film business, where there''s always enough room for great veteran actors and promising new ones; Pacino and De Niro can coexist with seasoned Nicholson and Hoffman, younger stars like Sean Penn, Denzel Washington, and Russell Crowe won''t overtake their niches, Hollywood never refuses rising stars, they allow these people to exist in the same Pantheon.


    In the NBA, from the Mikan era, there''s been an evesting rule: someone must fall for another to rise. Those at the peak can only maintain their position by defeating theirpetitors. The 24-second shot clock ended Mikan''s time, Russell ruled over Chambein and the Western year after year, Magic won the ck and white battle, and most notably, there was Jordan.


    The League under Stern''s rule and Jordan''s team solemnly narrated Jordan''smitment to the team concept and to winning, thus covering up the importance of a superstar to a championship team. Ultimately, this propaganda crafted Jordan''s idol, and like all sessful basketball yers, everyone was forced topete by Jordan''s standard ¨C if you didn''t dominate your opponents, if you couldn''t take over in thest moments, if you ran away, if you took shortcuts, then you were never Jordan.


    Pierce was from the generation that worshipped Jordan, they grew up in his legendary stories and longed to write their own Jordan sagas.


    Hence, he spoke ill of Jordan and wanted to defeat him in the game.


    Steve Wyche understood the subtext of this game, Yu Fei was an unknown factor.


    His performance, behavior, and words all showed he too wished to be part of thispetition.


    But Jordan didn''t give him the chance, and Pierce didn''t consider him a contender.


    That''s why he was acting irrationally.

 Chapter 96: Chapter 79: Desiring Happiness, But Please Seek Good Fortune for Yourself_4

    However, looking at him now, he had calmed down.


    But Huai Qi felt that letting a modern Elvin Hayes calm down was not a better idea than making him emotional.


    Jordan yed the entire second quarter, leading the Wizards to end the first half 50-43.


    Then, as expected, he started the second half.


    Both Pierce and Walker were off their game, and Jordan scored 7 points in the quarter. This should have been the key period for the Wizards to take away the Celtics, but rookie Joe Johnson bravely stepped up to respond to Jordan, keeping the game suspenseful.


    In thest three minutes of the third quarter, Yu Fei returned to the game.


    Knowing he would only y for these three minutes, he couldn''t afford to waste a second.


    In the final three minutes, Yu Fei waspletely ball-dominant, controlling the ball throughout, first hitting a three-pointer, then a two-pointer, but unfortunately, all the ''cakes'' he fed to his teammates were spat back out.


    At the end of the third quarter, Yu Fei scored 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in 6 minutes 02 seconds, and the Wizards entered the final quarter with a 9-point lead.


    In the fourth quarter, Collins indeed substituted Jordan for Yu Fei.


    Yu Fei put on his warm-up suit to avoid catching cold. Explore more stories with m,v l''e-NovelBin


    Although he only yed for 6 minutes, he managed to get a decent 9+2+2 stat line, and his plus/minus value was positive. Although they were likely going to win tonight, if by chance they lost, it would be the team''s loss, not his.


    At the start of the final quarter, both sides struggled with their shooting, trading misses, but from the seventh minute onwards, Pierce actively took on the challenge of guarding Jordan, bringing the atmosphere of the game to a climax.


    But Pierce overestimated his defense. In the face of Pierce, Jordan scored with two jump shots.


    It was just that Antoine Walker''s responsible solo performance came a bit unexpectedly.


    It was assumed that Jordan''s 10 points in the final quarter would secure the victory, but Walker''s 18 points that quarter allowed the Celtics to turn defeat into victory in thest 3 minutes of the game.


    Then, Pierce, who had been mostly stifled by Jordan in the second half, redeemed himself with a three-pointer that widened the lead.


    Jordan, who had rested for only 6 minutes from the start of the game, began to feel fatigued.


    Once the old guy got tired, he would make mistakes.


    Jordan''syup missed under the basket, and although he grabbed the offensive rebound, he traveled, then on the way back, the Celticspleted a 2+1 counterattack. The Wizards were behind by 5 points.


    Again, it was Jordan, facing Pierce, going strong on a fadeaway but getting blocked.


    Pierce followed up with a fast-break, extending the Celtics'' lead to 7 points.


    This y effectively killed any suspense left in the game.


    The Wizards didn''t have a sharp three-point shooter, Jordan was tired, Ratner, who had the second-highest score on the team, could only y well when they had the wind at their backs, and no one else could step up.


    In the final minute, the Wizards desperatelyunched three-pointers, but none went in.


    Yu Fei silently awaited defeat. With 40 seconds to go before the game ended, Collins nced at Yu Fei to see if he wanted to y a few more seconds, but Yu Fei, in his warm-up suit, made his attitude clear.


    During the free throws, Jordan hadpletely rxed, with the Wizards'' loss imminent, yet he was leisurely chatting with Referee Nn Fine, showing that they knew each other and had a good rtionship. Fine even cracked a joke, letting the national audience witness an unusual scene.


    Jordan, about to lose the game, actually smiled, directly reflecting his good mood.


    How could his mood not be good? Although the team lost, he won his duel with Pierce. Pierce''s final game-winning block could only circte in the Boston area, but the story of Jordan thoroughly defeating Pierce in their showdown could be spread around the world.


    The final score was 109 to 99, The Celtics sessfully defended their home court, causing the Wizards to suffer a two-game losing streak.


    Post-game Interview


    "I just saw through his trick." ¡ª¡ª Pierce on his key block against Jordan.


    "Paul is strong, Paul is really strong, no matter what Michael brings to him, Paul will face it bravely. Michael might score on him, but Paul will respond, Paul will go right at him, smothering him. Once Paul gets used to his tricks, he will perform even better. I love Michael. But this is not the young Michael anymore. I don''t know if Michael can ept that result. In any case, we won." ¡ª¡ª Walker on the game and the matchup between Pierce and Jordan.


    "This is the best game Michael has yed so far, you know? He''s going to keep getting better and better, his performance has no limits." ¡ª¡ª Collins on Jordan''s performance.


    "I know you want to see Frye y longer, but he''s a rookie, still learning how to y more minutes, we have a n for him." ¡ª¡ª Collins on Yu Fei''s ying time.


    "Frye, did you lose tonight?"


    "You know my answer."


    "You scored 9 points in 6 minutes, what do you think stopped you from ying longer?"


    "I don''t know, if you want me to answer that question, I''d say I have the stamina to y 40 minutes, but it''s not up to me. I want to y more too, I want to help the team win, but I can''t do that in just 6 minutes."


    Jordan might be one of the only two people in the Wizards team who doesn''t think they lost. He told the media, "I yed well. I found my rhythm in the third and fourth quarters, and my legs felt a lot better." Then he talked about his defense on Pierce, "I just tried not to let him get the ball, I didn''t want him to have any rhythm, and indeed he didn''t keep the rhythm."


    You might think Jordan was just talking about this game, but in fact, he subtly announced his own victory.


    Afterward, Jordan''s old friend Dick Stockton showed up, a member of the media, seasoned, serious, and amicable, hoping to get thetest scoop on and off the court from Jordan.


    "I have something to show you."


    Jordan reached into his locker, took out a tin from his suit pocket, opened it, and pulled out two cigars.


    Stockton''s face lit up. "Nice. Where did you get these?"


    "Cuba."


    The word seemed to hover in the air but didn''tnd.


    Stockton chuckled: "That''s why you came back, Michael. Can we do a quick interview?"


    "You can ask a few questions." Jordan answered amiably.


    "How are you feeling?" Stockton didn''t know if he was inquiring about Jordan''s current state or his joints. "How are you feeling ¡ª"


    "I''m very satisfied with myself."


    "Of course, I can tell. "


    "In thesest moments, I want to be happy, content, always."


    "What about Pierce?"


    "Good yer, but..."


    "But what?"


    "How''s your golf game, Dick?"

 Chapter 97: Chapter 80: Its Not Even Your Turn

    The Wizards returned to D.C. from Boston, and after a day of rest, the Golden State Warriors became the first visitors to challenge them.


    Ever since the Warriors botched the Chris Webber trade, they had gone seven consecutive seasons without making the yoffs, and this season, in the wild Western Conference, there seemed to be no hope for the yoffs either.


    As a team aiming for the yoffs, if the Wizards truly had the ability to make it, they should have been able to win against such non-yoff teams.


    The result wasughable. The fans expected to see a big win at home to dispel the gloom from two consecutive losses; however, Jordan and Hamilton turned into the Brick Brothers,bining for 8 out of 23 in the first half.


    Hamilton was also harshly embarrassed by the Warriors'' 3D yer Larry Hughes due to his physique.


    A furious Doug Collins once yelled at Hamilton from the sideline, "Rip, you can miss shots, but you can''t fail to grab rebounds!"


    Hamilton never thought rebounding was his job, so he didn''t take Collins'' advice to heart.


    As a result, Hamilton was mostly benched for the second half.


    The person who reced him was Yu Fei.


    Benching Hamilton for the second half and moving Jordan back to the shooting guard position seemed to be the best solution Collins could think of.


    The height and athletic ability of the Wizards'' wings improved, and the rebounding pressure dropped significantly, yet Jordan still couldn''t find his shooting touch. Since Hamilton was out, he felt the need to take on more, so he shot 15 times in the third quarter, making only five and scoring 11 points.


    This performance was easily overshadowed by his fellow North Carolina alumnus Antawn Jamison, who outscored Jordan with 7 out of 10 for 16 points in the quarter. Also, Jordan missed so many shots that the Warriors had plenty of opportunities for defensive rebounds and fast breaks.


    Yu Fei lived up to Collins'' expectations; the team needed rebounds, so he focused mainly on that, leaving the offense to Jordan.


    As a result, Yu Fei grabbed five rebounds in the quarter, but with Jordan going 5 for 15, the Warriors led 85 to 70 at the end of the third quarter.


    In the fourth quarter, Hamilton came back to go 1 for 3 in shooting; he still yed no defense, still didn''t rebound, and Collinspletely gave up on him in this game.


    Yu Fei was back on the floor.


    It was as if topensate him; even Collins knew it was ridiculous to let him y only 6 minutes in a game, so he allowed him to y over 20 minutes for the second time in his career.


    But Yu Fei wasn''t satisfied because Collins asked him to be a blue-cor worker, with the ball mainly in the hands of the point guard and Jordan.


    Yu Fei did as Collins asked and got the rebounds, but the trend of the game didn''t change at all. Jordan was still off, but Collins would never react to him the way he did to Hamilton. With Hamilton''s scoring out and no change in tempo from Yu Fei having the ball, the Wizards'' offensive firepower was seriouslycking.


    The fourth quarter was effectively garbage time.


    At the final buzzer, the score was 114 to 98, with the Wizards suffering a third consecutive loss at home and facing massive boos from the audience.


    "Aside from Michael, I didn''t see anyone else making an effort to fight for the game," Collins ranted at other yers in front of the media. "We can''t have performances like this anymore!"


    Yu Fei had a different opinion; he fought hard too. Coming off the bench for 22 minutes, he scored 8 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and made 3 assists, leading the team in rebounds, tying for first in assists, and third in scoring. Wasn''t that fighting? It might be more pertinent to ask what exactly that person Collins said was fighting really did.


    Scoring a game-high 32 points on 13 out of 30 shooting, what was the point of that?


    How can you win a game? It''s simple, like Antawn Jamison on the other team, who scored 28 points on 10 out of 17 shooting, spreading the remaining 13 shots to other teammates with a hot hand.


    Luckily, Collins didn''t direct his criticism at Yu Fei; he knew who the soft targets were.


    Richard Hamilton was the main target of Collins'' outspoken criticism.


    Speaking of the loss, Collins began, "There are two ends to a basketball court, and we need to make sure everyone can y on both ends... and I''m not just talking about Rip; we had many people not maintaining their energy on both offense and defense. I won''t single out Rip," he said and paused, then suddenly added, "but especially Rip..."


    In the NBA, it''s rare for a head coach toin about his own stars to the media.


    For Collins, it was just a "rpse."


    Back when he was in Detroit, after the Pistons lost a game by arge margin, a reporter asked Collins how they would improve their defense.


    Collins retorted, "Improve defense? Including Grant (Hill)?"


    Then he went on a rant about how Hill''s defense was dragging the team down.


    Collins'' criticism of Hamilton reflected his disappointment in him.


    By the time the next game arrived, Collins made a decisive move.


    Richard Hamilton was removed from the starting lineup.


    Who reced Hamilton in the starting lineup? Tyronn Nesby. Nesby would y the small forward position and free up Jordan to move back to shooting guard.


    Collins discovered in thest game that at the two-guard position, Jordan was ying with more ease.


    But who could make up for Hamilton''s output of 20 points per game?


    Who could keep Hamilton''s mentality from copsing?


    There was no denying that Jordan, taking on the shooting guard role, indeed seemed much morefortable.


    In the three games Hamilton came off the bench, Jordan scored 31, 44, and 33 points with shooting percentages of 50%, 51%, and 55% respectively.


    But Hamilton was falling apart. In his three games as a substitute, he shot 4 out of 15, 3 out of 16, and 2 out of 13. Unsurprisingly, the Wizards lost all three games.


    The losing streak suddenly reached six games.


    From the three-game winning streak at the start of the season to the current six-game losing streak, Jordan''s magic had vanished quite abruptly, the weight of reality too heavy.


    On November 22, Hamilton returned to the starting lineup, but the Wizards still lost at home to the Charlotte Hos, swallowing a seventh consecutive defeat.


    During this time, Collins changed the starting lineup eight times; apart from Yu Fei, everyone who could start, did start.


    That included Kwame Brown.


    Yu Fei had been waiting for his day to join the starting lineup, but it never came.


    Everyone had started a game. The team''s situation hadn''t improved; they faced a seven-game losing streak, and still, he wasn''t given a chance to start?


    Even as permutations went, it should have been his turn by now.


    On November 24, the Wizards yed at home against the SuperSonics.


    The starting lineup was Tyronn Lue, Richard Hamilton, Michael Jordan, Tyrone Nesby, and Christian Laettner.


    Yu Fei''s patience had worn thin; he felt like a lovestruck fool doggedly pursuing a goddess, to no avail.


    Because the answer is you''re not even in the queue.


    During the game against the SuperSonics, Yu Fei didn''t even watch the game. He kept his eyes closed until Collins called his name.


    When Collins called him up from the bench, there were 5 minutes left in the first quarter, 19 to 8, the Wizards were already crumbling, and Jordan had scored 0 out of 5 shots. This was the reason Yu Fei was substituted in early.


    The more this happened, the angrier Yu Fei got.


    What do they take me for? Toilet paper? Or fucking enema syringe?


    Am I only needed when the old man can''t shit?


    "Give me the ball."


    After getting on the court, Yu Fei said just that to Coach Lu.


    From the moment Yu Fei entered the game, the ball was in his hands.


    He called for an inside screen with a grim expression, then isted his man, threw in a couple of hard stops, exploited mismatches, speed against slowness... His pent-up rage found an outlet, but it was far from enough, nowhere near enough.


    In those 5 minutes, Yu Fei scored 11 points.


    Collins let him keep the offense rolling for the first 4 minutes of the second quarter, and in those 4 minutes, Yu Fei scored another 8 points.


    In the second half, Yu Fei wasn''t called in until the team was down by 18 points and Jordan shot a dreadful 1 out of 8 in the quarter. He didn''t look at the scoreboard, he didn''t look at his teammates, he just wanted the ball, then attacked.


    It was clear to everyone that no one on the SuperSonics could stop Yu Fei.


    It seemed no matter who he yed against, it was a mismatch.


    The NBCmentator said it was because Yu Fei got excited ying against his hometown team, bute on, it would''ve been the same no matter who came.


    Tonight''s Yu Fei was unstoppable; the only person who could stop him was Collins.


    When Yu Fei scored a team-high 25 points and had to watch Jordan y an ugly 4 out of 10 in the fourth quarter, he left the court two minutes before the game ended.


    Back in the locker room, Yu Fei called his agent on his cellphone.


    The moment the other side picked up, Yu Fei said, "Whatever you do, get me out of D.C. Anywhere, I''ve had enough!"

 Chapter 98: Chapter 81: There Has Never Been Such a Wonderful Player Meeting

    Yu Fei''s direct request for a trade over the phone took Arne Trem by surprise. He knew that Yu Fei didn''t get along with Jordan in D.C., but he hadn''t realized the conflict had escted to such an extent.


    It was alreadyte, so Trem told Yu Fei to cool off and they would talk again tomorrow.


    The next day, Trem flew to D.C. and arranged to have lunch with Yu Fei.


    After a night''s time, Yu Fei had indeed calmed down, but his mind hadn''t changed.


    After toughing it out in 11 NBA games, Yu Fei was convinced that he could make a name for himself in the NBA.


    Despite ying for the Wizards Team, which didn''t favor his development, he averaged 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists with limited ying time.


    You should know, he was even being discussed for the NBA All-Rookie First Team, despite only ying 18 minutes per game.


    All the teams that had yed against the Wizards expressed confusion about hisck of ying time.


    It was certain that if Yu Fei joined their teams, he would get more than just those minutes on the court.


    Yu Fei didn''t see any reason to stay in D.C.


    It was a toxic environment, where Jordan now acted like those saintly characters corrupted by evil powers in various fantasy novels, a mere facade. Regrettably, such an unworthy person held the power of life and death over the team. The owner didn''t dare cross him, the management followed his orders, and the head coach was his servant. For Yu Fei to get more ying time, he had not only to submit but also to change his ying style¡ªto amodate the dog''s preference for slow-paced half-court games preferred by the old man. Yu Fei really didn''t understand. Even though he was universally considered dog-like, why was his basketball IQ so low? At his age, if he wanted to make his stats look good, it would be simple: just shoot more threes, skip defense, save energy for fast breaks. With his current skill level, it would be easy to score 25 points a game. But he stubbornly refused to do so, far behind in basketball intelligencepared to that person decadester who would crown himself inappropriately at every opportunity.


    Now that Yu Fei felt he had proven his worth, he didn''t want to bow down to Jordan. But without bowing, his ying time wouldn''t increase. So what could he do? Request a trade, of course. Please have the Wizards exchange his proven value for a yer ready to be Jordan''spdog. That way, both sides would have a bright future.


    Trem understood Yu Fei''s situation and his thoughts.


    However, this idea was a bit naive. After all, he was only 18 years old. It was impossible to expect him to think things through like a 30-year-old adult.


    After Yu Feiid out his situation and thoughts, he found his agent wearing a mocking smile.


    "What''s up?" Yu Fei asked.


    "Frye, do you know Latrell Sprewell?" Trem asked.


    "Didn''t you watch our season opener? Our first game was against the Knicks."


    "Is that so?" Trem revealed he hadn''t watched the Wizards'' season opener, "Do you know that Latrell once choked his coach during practice?"


    Yu Fei nodded, of course, who didn''t know that?


    "Even though Latrell rebuilt his career in New York, the aftermath of the choking incident cost him several seasons, and that was irrecoverable," Trem said. "That''s what we need to learn from this: don''t do something that can''t be taken back."


    Is requesting a trade something that can''t be taken back?


    That''s just fine, since Yu Fei had no desire to take it back.


    Then, Trem continued, "If we go through with this, you''ll face a very unfavorable situation. First, the public''s good opinion that you have painstakingly umted will be utterly depleted. No matter what reasons you have, fans won''t look kindly upon someone who has yed only 11 games for their home team and requests a trade due to insufficient ying time."


    "Second, those teams that might engage in a trade. Even though you''ve performed well in games, you might not have noticed that there''s a power in the outside world hyping up your youthful arrogance, unwillingness to ept guidance and discipline."


    "That might be a fact," Yu Fei said with self-deprecatingughter, "but that''s not entirely urate, because in D.C., all I''ve gotten is ''discipline,'' with no ''guidance''."


    As for such "discipline," Yu Fei could only say whoever wanted it could have it.


    "But who knows the truth?" Trem pointed out the crux of the matter, "Neither you nor I can control public opinion. But Michael can."


    Yu Fei had already seen Jordan''s power over public opinion.


    The recent high-profile mistress incident had already been quieted down.


    "If Michael is willing, he could use his media connections to make all the teams believe that you are a capable but uncontroble thorn. Then, even if we request a trade, no team will be willing to give a price that the Wizards will ept," Trem said, "The scariest oue would be if we request a trade and nobody shows interest."


    Trem sessfully dissuaded Yu Fei from his "I want to leave D.C. right now" idea, "What should I do now?"


    "If you ask me, your current situation is actually quite good. The ones under pressure are Doug and Michael," Trem said. "The better you y in the limited minutes you have, the louder the calls from the outside world for more ying time will be. Right now, after eight consecutive losses, you are the only one on the team who hasn''t started a game yet. Andst night, you scored 25 points off the bench... All we need to do is gently push with a few media friends..."


    Yu Fei really didn''t believe that relying on media pressure could solve his problems.


    But Trem hadn''t finished yet.


    "I''ll call Doug," he said, "I''ll demand an exnation, I''ll force him to increase your ying time, and if he doesn''t give me a clear answer, I''ll threaten him, I will make him realize that if this continues, you might request a trade."


    Trem''s words reminded Yu Fei of something he had seen online before.


    The nuclear button is most threatening before it is pressed.


    If he directly requested a trade, the Wizards would immediately seek strategies for their own various needs, but if he yed the card, "If you keep this up I can only request a trade," Collins and Jordan would have to think about the possibility of losing Yu Fei if this continued.


    "Then, during practice, you can also show a bit of aggression," Trem asked, "Who among the fixed starters has the worst rtionship with you?"


    Yu Fei wanted to say Jordan, but he changed his words as he spoke: "Christian Laettner."


    "Teach him a lesson, humiliate him, trample over him, and let everyone know deeply and unmistakably one thing¡ªthat you deserve the starting spot more than he does."


    This lunch wasn''t a waste¡ªYu Fei found that his agent was indeed a crafty strategist,ing up with one sly idea after another, all of which sounded feasible, especially thest one.


    That afternoon, half an hour before practice, the Wizards Team held an internal meeting.


    Doug Collins wanted the yers to speak their minds and identify the reasons behind the team''s eight-game losing streak.


    "I did my best" was a phrase that came up frequently during the meeting.


    Christian Laettner subtly pointed the finger at Yu Fei: "If someone leaves the court before thest two minutes of the game, as if he was the only one who didn''t lose, I don''t think that''s helpful to us."


    Yu Fei didn''t wait for others to speak up and immediately retorted: "Right, a person who only made three out of ten shots is ming someone who scored the team''s highest points in 19 minutes for not being helpful to the game¡ªthat''s why we''re on an eight-game losing streak. I admit it, not scoring 100 points in 19 minutes is my fault!"


    "Calm down, rookie!" Whitney said, "You yed well yesterday, but leaving early was indeed not right."


    Yu Fei snorted lightly, "What''s wrong with that? Clearly, I was the only one who wanted to win yesterday."


    "You think I didn''t want to win?"


    Jordan stared at Yu Fei, hisrge brown eyes tinged with red, looking as if they might at any momentunch a snake to swallow Yu Fei whole.


    Jordan''s silence was fine, but as soon as he spoke, Yu Fei reacted.


    Last night''s game was Jordan''s ugliest since hiseback.


    You, an old has-been making only six out of 25 shots, how dare you put on a serious face saying you wanted to win yesterday?


    Just as Yu Fei was about to say this in response, Collins interrupted what could have been an awful scene. "Okay, we''re here to learn from our failures, not to me and shirk responsibility on each other."


    Keep on ying the sterer, I''ll see what you can make out of it.


    However, Jordan couldn''t take it anymore.


    There were too many young teammates here who had already been crushed by mediocrity before Jordan''s arrival, losing their youthful spirit. Although the eight-game losing streak was unfortunate for them, it wasn''t shameful¡ªthey disyed perfectly the nonchnt and affable demeanor of athletes who are trampled upon. Despite constant failures, they had done their best, and that was the team''s strength.


    For Jordan, this was a jarring reminder.


    It made him think of his own unsessful baseball career after his first retirement.


    That mediocre baseball life taught Jordan a lesson: how easy it is for humans to fail, to stay at the bottom, to derive self-satisfaction and constion from the clich¨¦d struggles of a failing team that tries hard but unfortunately fails.


    The only one who didn''t say such things was that damn Yu Fei!


    And that made Jordan even angrier!


    "I don''t want to listen to this crap from you dogs anymore!" Jordan shouted, "You think you''ve given your all and that feels good, but what''s the use if you can''t win? If your best isn''t enough, try harder, drain everyst bit of energy, I don''t ever want to hear the word ''best'' again, damn it, now go train!"


    Cheer for a dog, apud for a dog¡ªnever was there such a splendid yers'' meeting!

 Chapter 99: Chapter 82: Nightmare Reflects into Reality

    ```


    On November 26th, the Wizards hosted The Celtics in their second battle of the season.


    Currently, The Celtics have a record of 5 wins and 5 losses, ranking sixth in the Eastern Conference, while the Wizards are at 3 wins and 8 losses, ranking thirteenth. Keep in mind, before the season started, authoritative media had the Wizards pegged as a yoff team, yet now they only rank thirteenth in the Eastern Conference.


    The Wizards, who had faced eight straight defeats, were determined to win this game, just like the previous eight matches.


    Wanting to win and being able to win are two different things.


    Before the game started, Doug Collins made tonight''s strategy clear: it would be based on defense.


    Yu Fei felt dizzy when he heard this strategy.


    Given that our Wizards'' first core is the 38-year-old Jordan, the second core is defensive sieve Hamilton, and the two regr starting inside yers one is slow, and the other is soft, then you want topete with The Celtics, who truly use defense to sweep away the shadows of the Pitino era, to see whose defense is more ferocious?


    This strategy seemed like a good idea that could smoothly hand the Wizards their ninth consecutive loss!


    Before the game, Yu Fei could clearly feel that Jordan was notfortable in his body.


    It''s the same old problem, his tendonitis.


    This issue has always been there, only masked by Jordan.


    Tendonitis is an injury that can only be slowly healed by the patient gettingplete rest, but Jordan has been present in every game this season, ying over 35 minutes each, not one of his appearances during the recent eight-game losing streak was under 37 minutes. Collins is the only person who could save him in this aspect, but he betrayed the Lord in front of Jordan, even though he is a firm believer in the "Bible".


    He had only two choices: risk creating a rift with Jordan by forcibly controlling his ying time or pretend that Jordan''s body would be forever young.


    For Collins, offending Jordan would never be one of the options.


    Yu Fei originally thought Jordan''s tendonitis would mean more ying time for himself, but he was wrong; this is Jordan, a tyrant who only ever shows his strength. But even the strong have to contend with the effects of tendonitis, which are persistent. Twenty yearster, when Leonard sat out countless times for unclear reasons, giving up games, when James managed his "intellectualized groin," fans generally took a mocking and sarcastic attitude towards this kind of behavior.


    And Jordan? He could have activated "intelligent tendonitis," resting against strong teams and going all out against weaker teams, but he didn''t.


    Apart from arrogance and pride, Yu Fei couldn''t think of any reason that drove him to do so.


    Anyway, Collins''s seemingly suicidal strategy had the intended effect.


    With only one leg able to exert force, Jordan, burdened by tendonitis, yed 45 minutes in this game. Though his shooting percentage was a miserly 25%, Pierce on the other side didn''t fare much better at just over 30%. Hamilton was useless in this sort of game, managing only 4 of 16 from the field while being exploited as a weak point on defense.


    Once again thinking of Yu Fei, Collins reced Hamilton, letting Jordan y shooting guard, with Yu Fei at the small forward position.


    During thest 30 seconds, Yu Fei dribbled the ball, nced at the nearly upright Jordan, who was too tired.


    The Wizards, without timeouts, had to rely on the yers to make their own decisions.


    Yu Fei''s decision was to take the shot himself.


    He ran down the clock and signaled Ratner for the pick and roll.


    He knew Ratner wouldn''t give him a particrly good screen, but he didn''t expect this backstabbing fool to fake a screen, only make it look like he was doing the work while immediately rolling down.


    Ratner''s fake screen led to Yu Fei being double-teamed.


    Yu Fei dribbled along the weak side, abruptly stopped, turned around, exploited Antoine Walker''s slip-up, and forcefully broke through the double team from the right side, reaching the free-throw line to catch and shoot.


    "Swish!"


    "!@%&*"


    The MCI Center erupted into madness, with the home DJ screaming Yu Fei''s name.


    "Flyyyyyyyyy!!!"


    The Celtics called a timeout and handed the ball to Pierce in the final seconds.


    Pierce''s shooting tonight was suppressed, and Yu Fei''s defense was seamless, blocking the dominant hand, not allowing for easy shots. In the end, Pierce could only heave a desperate throw, which nked, and the game clock hit zero.


    80 to 78


    The Wizards, ying at home, ended their losing streak with an ugly victory.


    Yu Fei yed 26 minutes tonight, scoring 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, and his game-winning shot brought his shooting percentage up to 50%.


    Apart from Kwame Brown off the bench, Yu Fei was the only yer who shot 50% in the game.


    "Happy Thanksgiving, we love you, Frye!!!"


    "Flyyyyyyyyy...!!!"


    The fans expressed their love excitedly, and Yu Fei smiled and waved back to them.


    Subsequently, NBC''s courtside reporter Benjamin Schneider expressed his desire for a brief interview.


    Yu Fei agreed, as he too had some things to say.


    "How does it feel to break the losing streak?"


    "Pretty good,"


    "This is the second time since the season opener that you''ve made the winning shot in a game. In the history of the NBA, no rookie has ever be the key man of the team in such a short time."


    Yu Fei didn''t need this custom-tailored data, so he responded, "I only did a small piece of work."


    "You yed 26 minutes tonight, which is the most in your rookie season. What does that mean to you?"


    Continue your saga on m|v-l''e -NovelBin


    "It means nothing," Yu Fei''s tone and attitude noticeably changed, "I''m still a substitute."


    Schneider, being an experienced reporter, immediately thought of the next question to ask from Yu Fei''s "led" answer.


    It wasn''t in the n, but since the yer wanted to make a big news story, as a journalist, whoever delivers the traffic is God. And what reason would he have not to cooperate?


    ```

 Chapter 100: Chapter 82: Nightmare Reflects into Reality_2

    "Since the start of the season, there''s been controversy about Coach Doug Collins'' limitation on the ying time for you and Kwame Brown, especially you. Many people think you''re Rookie of the Year material, but you don''t get even 20 minutes of ying time per game. How do you see this situation?"


    Dealing with smart people truly saves half the effort.


    Schneider asked a perfect question, and now Yu Fei could really speak his mind about the issue.


    "I get that rookies have to wait for their chances as professional basketball has its own set of unwritten rules. They ask us to be diligent, eager to learn, and notin, and I''ve at least adhered to two of those. I''m more than willing toe off the bench, as long as we''re winning. But if we keep losing, and I truly can make a difference for the team to win, then I feel that I need to fight for my chances," Fei''s words were like a bomb detonated in the crowd, "Who''s the most talented in D.C.? It''s Kwame! Who''s the hardest worker in D.C.? It''s me! But neither of us is getting enough opportunities, and we''re both ying well. If we were ying poorly, then we should continue to learn. But that''s not the case. If we y well and still don''t get enough minutes, even if the coaching staff has their reservations, it brings about controversy, so I''m not surprised about the debate in the public eye."


    Schneider''s interview was over.


    He knew Fei would bring him big news, but never expected it to be this massive.


    The rookie hero who saved the Wizards tonight just boldly expressed his dissatisfaction with hisck of ying time.


    Would Jordan allow such an event to happen?


    Would Collins, who doesn''t trust rookies, send Fei into exile?


    These were none of Schneider''s concern; his job was just to hype this story up.


    As Fei headed to the yer''s tunnel, Anthony Lawson threw him a clean shirt, "Did you really say that?"


    Fei raised an eyebrow, "If I didn''t speak out, I''d suffocate."


    "Good for you, it''s about time to let that asshole coach know what you''re made of!" Lawson didn''t realize this was a war; he just unconditionally supported Fei''s stance.


    "Tony, don''t just focus on me all the time. If possible, try to get close to Tim Grover," Fei said, "He''s a great trainer, and if you want to grow in this field, his guidance will save you from many detours."


    Lawson was surprised that Fei was still thinking about Grover.


    "You''re too cunning, Big Fei!" Lawson couldn''t imagine, "Why would that arrogant bastard help me? You know, no one is more loyal to MJ here!"


    It was a simple multiple-choice question.


    Jordan could y for at most two more years, but how long could Fei y?


    "No worries, just show him some goodwill, we''ll take it slow," Fei said as he changed into the clothes Lawson gave him and cheerfully entered the locker room, only to see that annoying Ratner boasting about how his screening attracted so much defense and how his screen was crucial for Fei''s "The Shot"¡ªwithout it, one couldn''t be sure...


    When Fei came back to the locker room, Ratner''s voice got louder: "What a pity, I was so cooperative, and some people didn''t even say thanks."


    "You want me to thank you for that kind of screening? Is your mother okay? Did she die? Otherwise, how could you be so deluded?"


    Everyone in the locker room knew what Ratner''s screening for Fei was like. Listening to him brag was just for fun, but Fei came up with the momment and shattered the joking atmosphere.


    "What did you say?" Ratner''s face grew dark.


    "You should be grateful that I don''t make a fuss over that screening of yours. And yet you dare to ask for credit?" Fei sneered, "That was the worst screen. You didn''t block anyone or offer any help. You put me in a double-team with Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker. If Walker''s defense hadn''t been worse than yours, I might have made a mistake, and then I would be the one who blew the game. Isn''t that what you were nning?"


    "Stop ndering me!" Ratner''s face turned red, "I''m not that kind of person!"


    "So you admit your mom is dead, and that''s why you''re so mentally deranged to set that kind of screen!"


    Ratner, furious, prepared to teach Fei a lesson with his fists, then Jordan and Collins walked in.


    Collins, as if blind to the hostility between Fei and Ratner, smiled and said, "Great game..." Damn great, both teams shooting under 40%. "Keep it up, keep at it, and we''ll definitely get back into the yoffs."


    Then Collins called up Jahidi White¡ªwho grabbed the most rebounds for the team tonight at 12¡ª to join him at the post-game press conference.


    Jordan sat down in his spot as if nothing had happened.


    Soon, Grover was putting ice bags on his knees and dipping his feet into an ice bucket.


    "You really overdid it!" Grover said reproachfully, "Even if you''re not injured, you shouldn''t be ying 45 minutes in one game, you aren''t young anymore!"


    Jordan, with a cigar in his mouth, hummed, "That''s the only way we can win."


    It sounded as if Jordan believed that if he yed one minute less, the Wizards would lose.


    Jordan''s arrogance and confidence were both impressive to Fei. Though Jordan yed 45 minutes tonight, he didn''t directly guard the opposing team''s key yer. During the fourth quarter, he could only push off with one foot, and the Celtics failing to exploit this weakness was a mistake. Even so, Jordan''s presence on the floor didn''t provide enough positive feedback to be as crucial as he believed¡ªying one minute less certainly wouldn''t have caused the team to lose.

 Chapter 101: Chapter 82: Nightmare Reflects into Reality_3

    ```


    But this is the Wizards Team, what can Yu Fei say?


    Even if Jordan said, "If I take one less breath, the Earth will stop spinning tomorrow," everyone would just have to say, "Ah yes, yes, yes."


    Yu Fei tidied up, preparing to answer a few questions at the press conference before going for extra practice.


    At that moment, Jordan noticed Ratner staring at the beautiful shoes and Nike boxes disyed next to his locker.


    "Do you like these?" Jordan asked.


    Ratner saw it as an opportunity to get closer to Jordan, "They''re beautiful."


    Then, Jordan turned to the equipment manager Charlie Butler, "Prepare a pair of thetest Air Jordans for Chris tomorrow." With that, he looked at Ratner, "What''s your shoe size?"


    "14."


    "Size 14, Charlie, prepare a new pair of shoes for him." Just like that, Ratner got something Hamilton had long coveted, which made him jump for joy and he gave Yu Fei a fierce re, as if iming a victory. However, his happinesssted less than five seconds before he heard Jordan softly say, "I hope these shoes teach you how to set afortable screen for your teammate at key moments."


    Ratner''s face changed in an instant.


    This moment reflected the many facets of Jordan as seen by his teammates: generous and humorous, both instructive and insulting, always trying to pass on not so subtle constructive messages. It reminded them that loyalty to him would be rewarded, and a loyal servant''s mistakes would not be forgotten.


    Yu Fei burst outughing; for the first time in the months he had known Jordan, he discovered the old guy had a lovable side.


    "If a pair of new shoes can teach this idiot how to screen, then I''ll break my contract with Reebok and wear AJ too." With that, Yu Fei left the locker room cheerfully.


    Jordan pinched his cigar, watching Yu Fei''s retreating figure with aplex expression. After Fei had left, he asked in confusion, "''Shabi'' exactly means what?"


    ¡ù¡ù¡ù


    Verizon Center


    After finishing the second game against The Celtics, The Wizards had two more games left this month.


    One was the game against Ondo Magic on November 28, and the other was the second game of the month against the Phdelphia 76ers.


    Both games were tough, one against an Eastern Conference team that was suspected of being overrated but still powerful, and the other against the reigning full-strength Eastern Conference champions.


    However, Collins wasn''t in the mood to think about these two opponents right now.


    Because Yu Fei and his agent had posed him a significant problem.


    Last night, in an interview with an NBC reporter, Yu Fei had expressed dissatisfaction with his ying time.


    His agent, Arne Trem, had even called him directly, issuing a threatening demand, "If Frye can''t start in D.C., or if you think he''s not up to starting in D.C., then please consider trading him. I know of teams willing to offer him a starting position and even a core role; I can get you in touch with them. It''s in both our interests. Frye is running out of patience."


    It was a moment when a nightmare became reality.


    Doug Collins had always advocated trading Yu Fei because he saw him as an uncontroble yer. Yu Fei not only held no reverence for Jordan, but he also didn''t respect anyone else, having talent but being unteachable. Such a yer would be fine to groom as the core of a normal team, but The Wizards wasn''t a normal team in the conventional sense.


    Even if Shaquille O''Neal and Duncan were traded over, the person sitting in the captain''s chair would still have to be Jordan.


    Now, whether it was Yu Fei, his agent, or the Wizards'' real need, increasing Yu Fei''s ying time was something Collins had to consider.


    But he didn''t dare to think about it, because Jordan hadn''t given the nod yet.


    Even if Jordan gave the nod, Yu Fei wanted more than just increased ying time.


    Trem had made it very clear; there were teams willing to offer a starting position, and there were teams willing to offer a core position.


    The Wizards had Jordan, so the core position was temporarily out of the question, but a starting position was a must.


    Would Jordan allow Yu Fei to start?


    Could Yu Fei coexist with Jordan?


    Would his style of y make Jordan ufortable?


    If Jordan didn''t adapt to Yu Fei''s style, would there be even greater conflict between them?


    Perhaps by then, they would still need to trade the yer to resolve the conflict?


    Collins was restless, stepping out of the coach''s office just to get some air.


    Then, he saw Yu Fei shooting baskets on the court.


    Collins subconsciously checked the time: 2 p.m.


    There were 90 minutes left until the training session started.


    Collins hated yers who directed at the coaching staff, but he couldn''t refute Yu Fei''sints.


    Whether Kwame Brown was D.C.''s most talented was debatable, but D.C.''s most diligent was certainly him.


    Every time he substituted Yu Fei onto the court, Collins felt a sense of security, and images of Yu Fei sweating it out in training would sh through his mind.


    He was talented and skillful, intelligent, and most importantly, he had the attitude and willingness to train hard, the foundation of greatness.


    But why couldn''t he see eye to eye with MJ?


    In this world, how could there be a Generation Y that doesn''t like MJ?


    The better Yu Fei yed, the more he deserved to start, the deeper Collins'' torment and worry became. Sadly, he had no say in the matter; he had to notify Jordan first and let Jordan make the decision.


    He was the core yer, the shadow coach, the real general manager, more important than the owner himself, he was God.


    Since when did I lose my voice in front of Michael?


    ```

 Chapter 102: Chapter 82: Nightmare Reflects into Reality_4

    Lnd Rod Higgins, that dog-like clown, can give Michael advice, why can''t I?


    Collins felt inexplicably wronged, he thought of the time he coached Jordan in Chicago and how excited he was when he defeated the Bulls for the first time after coaching the Detroit Pistons; he remembered crying that night because he had defeated Jordan, even if it was just in the regr season.


    s, in life, not everything can be controlled by oneself.


    Collins decided not to dwell on the matter, his first task was to inform Jordan.


    Yu Fei trained seriously, and although the content was no different from before, today he was preparing for a big event.


    Therefore, his condition had to be excellent.


    While training, his teammates gradually arrived at the gym.


    In addition to his teammates, there was also an unexpected big shot ¡ª the real owner of the team, Abe Pollin.


    Moreover, Pollin even made a special effort toe over and greet Yu Fei.


    "Don''t be nervous, young man, I''vee here today just to meet the hero who saved the teamst night!" Pollin said amiably, "As long as we have young people like you, professional basketball in the District of Columbia has a future!"


    True to being the owner, he spoke with a grand vision.


    I think I should say... "I am very honored."


    "I won''t disturb your training," said Pollin without any further ado.


    No, that''s not quite right to say either.


    Yu Fei felt he himself was superfluous, a boss in name but without real power; the team waspletely controlled by that senile, foolish old bastard Jordan. What are you doing? What does Jordan have? Isn''t it just making you sell out season tickets, ensuring a 90% seating rate every game and hot-selling team merchandise? Okay, that''s impressive, but that''s based on people still treating him as "Flying Jordan." But now, he''s a rusty "Barking Jordan," so, please think it over.


    Fans are merciless. When you can''t win games, when the greatness achieved in your youth bes your Achilles heel in old age, they''ll not only give up on you easily, they will also spit on you without mercy.


    Yu Fei witnessed the anti-tulence campaign of 2023, saw the jail jokes about thend of Dong over the inte after 2020; he knew how powerful the bacsh could be.


    Yu Fei continued training until Jordan arrived.


    Jordan first exchanged a few words with Pollin, the two of themughing and talking like partners ¡ª which they actually were.


    Susan O''Malley also said a few words, as did Wes Unseld, who respectfully called Pollin "Mr." and reported everything about the team to him, except maybe Yu Fei''s matter wasn''t mentioned.


    If Mr. Bolin knew that the hero who saved the Wizardsst night was dissatisfied with the Wizards, what would he do?


    Doug Collins made no response to what Yu Fei said on NBCst night and didn''t even call out Yu Fei''s name publicly.


    Collins, as usual, led the team''s tactical session before dividing the team into the ck and White Teams for a scrimmage.


    Jordan didn''t y because he was tired from yesterday.


    Originally, Collins wanted Yu Fei and Laettner to be on the same team, but Yu Fei raised an objection, "I wish to join the White Team."


    Collins asked, "Why?"


    "I want to be teammates with someone who really knows how to pick and roll." After saying this, Yu Fei looked towards Jahidi White, "Jahidi, you know I''m not talking about you."


    White nodded andughed, "I know."


    Laettner''s face turned ugly, his pick and roll had be theughingstock of the team, and it was directly rted to Yu Fei.


    Collins had hoped the two would reconcile, but their rtionship seemed to be growing further apart.


    Yu Fei was determined and agreed to let the other party switch teams.


    As a result, Yu Fei transferred to the White Team, joining Tyronn Lue, Chris Whitney, Hubert Davis, and Kwame Brown as teammates.


    It was evident that the White Team''s backcourt was short, both Coach Lu and Whitney being pure point guards unfit to double as shooting guards.


    But scrimmages are informal, and even if the lineup seemed unconventional, they could still y.


    "You two are top-notch ball handlers; you don''t need a scrimmage to prove yourselves." Your next read awaits at m v|l-e''-NovelBin


    Before the game started, Yu Fei chatted with Whitney and Coach Lu.


    Upon hearing Yu Fei speak, Coach Lu guessed his intentions, "You want to handle the ball?"


    Whitney was more direct, "For how long?"


    "Until I''ve done what I need to do," Yu Fei replied.


    They didn''t know what Yu Fei was nning.


    "I have no problem with it," Coach Lu dered.


    Whitney sighed, "As long as you''re happy."


    "Thank you for your support. When I start ying in the starting lineup, I''ll make sure to thank you properly."


    Yu Fei revealed a key piece of information, "When I start ying..." Whitney sharply sensed Yu Fei was nning to confront Christian Laettner.


    If he handles the ball a lot, could Laettner keep up?


    As one of the team''s fixed starters, Laettner''s poor rtionship with Yu Fei wasmon knowledge.


    In the case of Yu Fei not ying center, he only had two choices to start: rece Laettner at the power forward position, or rece Whitney at the point guard position.


    Yu Fei didn''t wish to rece Whitney, nor did he think Collins would let him start at point guard ¡ª because his fast-paced y was not what Jordan wanted. Therefore, Laettner was the only starting position Yu Fei could realistically aim for.


    And wasn''t it a coincidence that they also had deep conflict?


    At the opening jump ball, Brown lost to White.


    Richard Hamilton temporarily took over as point guard, crossed half-court and passed the ball to White in the low post.


    White gently nudged, turned around, hooked the shot, and easily scored over Brown who wasn''t taking the game seriously.

 Chapter 103: Chapter 82: Nightmare Reflects into Reality_5

    "D.C.''s most talented?" Jordan scoffed. "Hmph..."


    Jordan apparently had forgotten about the Bolin standing next to him.


    When he expressed contempt for Brown''sziness, what Bolin thought was, wasn''t this guy picked by you?


    On the side, Susan O''Malley regretfully said, "If we had picked Pau Gasol with the first pick, things would have beenpletely different."


    Her words implicitly attacked Jordan.


    Jordan responded, "Oh really? Then why didn''t you say that at the time?"


    "After all, no one can predict the future," Ansel intervened, trying to diffuse the tension.


    "Yeah, but we did get something out of it," Jordan nced at Yu Fei, "That guy''s not bad."


    O''Malley, as if she didn''t know which switch not to flip on Jordan, hinted at his draft mistake and then asked, "If he''s good, why can''t we let him start?"


    As soon as the words fell, Yu Fei blew past Ratner and dunked the ball fiercely in the basket.


    And, Yu Fei loudly told Ratner, "Go get another pair of shoes; you need to improve more than just your pick and roll, your defense is ten times worse!"


    "He''s too young..." That was the only reason Jordan could offer.


    Bolin chuckled, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "Young and promising..."


    "Yes, Frye is a great yer," Ansel made an effort to control the atmosphere, "He''s very popr in D.C."


    "I know, he has brought us over 100,000 in local coverage," Bolin spoke as if he had not noticed the argument between Jordan and O''Malley at all, "In D.C., people know Frye, not Ichiro Suzuki; this kid is really something."


    No sooner had he spoken than Yu Fei stole the ball from Ratner again.


    Moreover, Yu Fei intentionally didn''t go for a quick break, slowing down to let Ratner and his teammates get back in position, and then moved upcourt for a set y.


    "Big Fei, howe you''rezier than I am?" Only Brown didn''t know what Yu Fei was up to.


    Yu Fei didn''t want to be distracted and signaled with his fingers for Brown to spread out.


    "You''ve changed, you don''t even want a screen."


    Yu Fei dribbled the ball, gazing at Ratner, his sworn enemy, and loudly asked, "I''m really curious, why can someone like you securely hold the starting position?"


    Everyone''s face changed.


    "What did you say?" Ratner couldn''t catch up.


    Having said that, Yu Fei made a change of direction in front of him, elerating explosively. Still with a speed that Ratner couldn''t react to, Yu Fei reached the paint, facing Cassidy White''s symbolic help defense, and scored off the backboard with a floater.


    "Anyone with eyes can see that I''m much better than you, I''m more useful than you in games, so why are you the starter?" Yu Fei turned toward Collins, who stood with Jordan and Bolin, "Why am I the substitute?!"


    Bolin, as if a bit slow to react, asked with an inquiring tone, "Is there some kind of disagreement?"


    "Yes, Mr. Bolin, your hero expressed dissatisfaction with the teamst night in front of NBC''s reporters; he doesn''t know why he has to sit on the cold bench."


    "Oh, there''s such a matter?"


    Jordan''s face turned extremely ugly: "We''ll handle it."


    "I''ve always believed in you, Michael," Bolin smiled.


    Then, Collins saw a phrase on Jordan''s ashen face: "Shut him up!"


    Shut whom up?


    Apart from Yu Fei, who else could it be?


    But who could shut him up?


    Seventeen yearster, Jordan said in his documentary that he never asked anyone to do something he couldn''t do. But now, he had given Collins a job that he himself couldn''t handle.


    "Frye, be a bit nicer to Chris," Hamilton tried to ease the situation.


    Yu Fei had nothing to say to this young team leader whose creation of the New Jacks concept had ultimately strayedpletely from its original purpose.


    It wasn''t unnoticed howckluster his performance had been in the few games since his removal from the starting lineup; now Yu Fei just wanted to reim a position that was originally his.


    Hamilton, finding no sce, chose to overpower Whitney on the offensive end.


    By that time, Ratner had already lost the courage to guard Yu Fei and asked White to switch with him.


    "Coward!"


    Jordan cursed under his breath.


    When Yu Fei saw the innocent White being shoved in front of him by Ratner, heughed: "This is our starting yer? Letting others face the challenge for you?"


    While speaking, Yu Fei gestured for Brown toe over and take the ball to coordinate y.


    Only by Yu Fei''s side could Brown find the high school version of himself.


    When he took the ball from Yu Fei at the top of the arc, watching Yu Fei cut towards the basket, heading straight for Ratner, he finally understood what kind of madness his good brother was experiencing today.


    "Hey, Big Fei!"


    Brown, wanting to look cool, actually threw an alley-oop.


    Blockhead!


    Yu Fei muttered to himself, now''s not the time for an alley-oop, Ratner isn''t even out of position!


    But looking at Ratner, what difference would it make even if he wasn''t out of position?


    Stop himself?


    He couldn''t.


    Yu Fei jumped in the paint, Ratner instinctively jumped to block, but he jumped too low, too slowly, and with a huge disparity in physical ability, there was no chance for him to defend.


    Yu Fei grabbed the ball with his right hand and viciously smashed it into the basket behind Ratner; the moment the dunk waspleted, it was as though an explosion sounded in the arena, Ratner plummeted from a normal defensive posture, falling pitifully to the floor.


    "With such a starter, isn''t an eight-game losing streak justified?"


    Every word from Yu Fei was a humiliation for Ratner, but also a p in the face to Jordan and Collins.

 Chapter 104: Chapter 82: Nightmare Reflects into Reality_6

    "Enough, Frye!" Collins stood up, "This isn''t a ce for you to throw a tantrum! This is an intra-squad scrimmage, Chris is both your opponent and teammate, you have to respect him!"


    "Respect him?" Yu Fei sneered back, "Who respects me?"


    "During the eight-game losing streak, everyone has started but me!" Yu Fei demanded, "Why? Am I not worthy, or do you not want me to start?"


    "Okay, maybe me starting won''t solve the team''s problems, but I''m certainly more useful than this waste! So why can''t I start?"


    "Is he better than me? Or is there someone here who doesn''t want me to start?" Yu Fei looked at Whitney, "Chris, would you let me start?"


    Whitney shrugged, "That would be more than fine with me."


    "Rip, do you think I should start?" Yu Fei asked.


    Hamilton didn''t want to be put on the spot, but now, if he didn''t support Yu Fei, he could forget about wearing the hat of a so-called young team leader.


    Hamilton said resolutely, "I think you should start."


    Yu Fei looked at White.


    Before Yu Fei could even speak, White said, "If it weren''t for the fact that you can''t y center, I''d even let you start in my ce."


    Yu Fei smiled, looking provocatively and insolently at Jordan, "So who is it that doesn''t want me to start?"


    "This isn''t just about you!" Collins yelled.


    "Three starters are willing to let me start!" Yu Fei countered with greater volume, "I''mpeting with a guy who''s far worse than me, so why can''t I fight for my spot? Why won''t you give me a chance? Is it because I''m incapable? No, without me, you''d be 2 wins and 10 losses. I''ve helped you win two more games, yet you won''t even give me a chance to start? If you think I don''t deserve to start on this team, then trade me away¡ªI''m fed up anyway!"


    With that, Yu Fei took off his scrimmage jersey, and walked bare-chested toward the gym.


    The ce went quiet as a morgue.


    "It seems like this is an issue that must be addressed," Pollin said, watching Yu Fei walk away.


    Omari followed up on the owner''sment, "Frye is one of our best yers. The outside world has always wondered why he hasn''t made the starting lineup because he''s obviously better than certain starters."


    Pollin remained unruffled, gazing kindly at Jordan, "Michael, I believe you can handle this properly."


    "We''ll be fine," Jordan said.


    "Of course, I trust you."


    With that, Pollin walked toward the owner''s office with Omari and Ansel.


    Whether it''s the pressure from public opinion, the owner''s wishes, or Yu Fei''s own demands and his agent''s push, the matter has reached a point where it needs to be resolved.


    Jordan was feeling annoyed and even considered the idea of trading Yu Fei.


    But... trading Yu Fei would be tantamount to admitting he couldn''t control this young wild horse¡ªa concession he couldn''t ept.


    "Michael..." Collins thought now was a good time to trade Yu Fei.


    However, Jordan said, "Next game, let Ripe off the bench, I''ll y the two, and let that kid start. Let him deal with Grant Hill. If he messes up, I''ll shut him up for good!"


    What if Grant Hill gets ruined by him?


    Collins didn''t voice that thought because Jordan had made up his mind.


    He had no, and could not have, objections.


    "Go get the kid back here, the scrimmage isn''t over yet," Jordan pursed his lips, his habitual gesture, "Tell him our decision."


    Is this really our decision?


    Doug Collins thought this as he walked toward the gym.


    On this not too long, not too short walk, Collins recalled the question: when had he started losing his voice in front of Jordan?


    It had been too long, and he could hardly remember.


    Yu Fei''s words, that utter disrespect for the coaching staff, that arrogant self-importance, they unearthed memories Collins would rather have left buried.


    Collins remembered it all.


    It was also during a Chicago Bulls intra-squad scrimmage that he, wanting to get the starters ustomed to the away whistle, had intentionally let the assistant referee-turned-judge overlook fouls, which infuriated Jordan.


    Jordan stormed off the court after his outburst, just like Yu Fei had done today.


    As a coach, if a yer does this and youck the power¡ªor authority¡ªto stop him, you''ll never be able to stop him again.


    Collins couldn''t stop Jordan from leaving, but to avoid fracturing their rtionship, he had to go exin to Jordan in person and ask him toe back and finish the scrimmage.


    He went, and Jordan came back. It meant from that moment on, Jordan would no longer respect him.


    Just like today.


    Yu Fei had made him lose face, but still, he had to go to the gym to persuade him toe back and finish the scrimmage and inform him he''d be starting the next game.


    Regardless of whether Yu Fei could ruin Hill tomorrow night, Doug Collins would forever lose this yer.


    In just a few short minutes, the same nightmare reyed in Collins''s reality once more.


    He had nowhere to run.

 Chapter 105: Chapter 83 Assuming More Positive and Optimistic Assumptions

    In the office of the owner at the Verizon Center, Abe Pollin sat in his seat, listening to the report from Susan O''Malley.


    It was about the disputes and contradictions between Jordan, Yu Fei, and Collins.


    To the face of Jordan, Pollin was a tolerant and kind old man, but in the eyes of O''Malley, he was an authoritative figure.


    "Basically, Frye is the only yer in the yer camp clearly opposed to Michael," O''Malley said, "This is the reason Doug doesn''t want Frye to start, because Michael doesn''t want him to start."


    Pollin recalled the scene of meeting with Yu Fei just now.


    Yu Fei didn''t give him a particrly good impression, although he expressed honor for his own "praise," he was certainly not a pragmatic person like Wes Unseld, who would respectfully call him "Mr. Pollin" and serve him wholeheartedly.


    "Do you think he will bow to MJ?" Pollin asked.


    O''Malley said, "If he wanted to bow, he wouldn''t have waited until today. His performance today just proves that he is determined to draw a clear line with MJ."


    This made Pollin fall into deep thought.


    Of course, he knew how rare it was to have an adversary of Jordan in the yer camp.


    Since the early 2000s, when Jordan took over the Wizards, Pollin had given up a lot.


    The right to build the team, the management''s right to suggest, the executives'' right to supervise¡ªbeing the owner, the only thing that made him feel like this was his team was when he walked into the Verizon Center, and everyone knew, besides Jordan, the Wizards had a big boss.


    Although Pollin had repeatedly emphasized to the outside world that the Wizards were not Jordan''s one-man show, so far the only trade not approved by himself was the "Nesby trade," but insiders knew it was just an excuse he made to save his dignity.


    The Wizards were Jordan''s team.


    Pollin lost a lot, but he also gained a lot.


    Since Jordan joined, the team achieved its first peripheral profit in its history.


    As long as money could be made continuously, Pollin really didn''t mind letting others manage the team, but the problem was that Jordan had no sense of gratitude. He took Pollin''s tolerance and backward steps for granted, indulged his people to insult colleagues at will, and called him a "troll."


    Pollin was enduring. He must endure because the team still needed Jordan.


    As long as he was still ying, a god was still a god.


    What if one day he stopped ying?


    Pollin had a faint idea of what he would do that day.


    A whileter, the assistant general manager Rod Higgins came over to announce the decision of the coaching staff: "Doug agrees to let Frye start in the next game, problem solved."


    "That''s it?" Unseld opened his eyes wide.


    O''Malley said, "The opponent for the next game is... Ondo?"


    "Ondo?" Pollin of course knew about Ondo, but what did Ondo mean?


    Unseld said, "Frye''s first start in his professional career is going to be against Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady?"


    "It seems so."


    Higgins looked at them with a yful gaze. He, of course, knew how much Pollin and his two attendants hoped Yu Fei could enter the starting lineup, an opposer of Jordan, yet bing a starter under Jordan''smand¡ªhow ironic was that?


    But unfortunately, Yu Fei''s dream of starting would soon wake up.


    "Well, I have some work to handle," Higgins excused himself.


    Unseld looked troubled, "This is difficult, Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady are both top-notch star yers..."


    O''Malley then looked at Pollin, "Sir, should we arrange a private meeting between you and Frye?"


    "No rush," Pollin said, "Let''s wait until after tomorrow''s game. He''s only valuable to me if he can secure his starting position. That''s also something he must prove. If hecks strength but fantasizes about ''Anti-Mike,'' he''s a fool¡ª I wouldn''t expect to get anything out of such a person."


    When Collins went to the gym to inform Yu Fei that he would start tomorrow, Yu Fei''s thought was: is that it?


    He had thought there would be more of a struggle, and maybe he would really need to request a trade.


    Unexpectedly, Jordan relented.


    However, Collins also said, "Tomorrow you will be facing Grant Hill. If you perform badly, you know what will happen."


    Yu Fei understood immediately.


    This was the reason for Jordan relenting. He wanted Hill to teach him a harsh lesson, then they would have a reason to keep him as a substitute.


    The idea was beautiful, but Yu Fei didn''t think that Hill, barely recovered from a major injury, could explode against him.


    If he were up against McGrady, Yu Fei might inwardly curse the mothers of Jordan and Collins, but with Hill, this was perfect.


    The next day, in the evening


    Yu Fei, as usual, was neither nervous nor excited. He practiced in the morning, in the afternoon, and after dinner, he arrived at the MCI an hour early.


    Stilling with him were Kwame Brown and Chris Whitney.


    "If I made as big a fuss as you, could I also get a starting spot?" Brown asked eagerly.


    "Possibly," Yu Fei nodded, "But you''d have to get over your fear of the boss first."


    As soon as Yu Fei finished speaking, Brown wilted.


    "You seem to be in a good mood?" Whitney didn''t expect Yu Fei to be so open-minded.


    Is this the state a person should be in when they''re starting for the first time against Grant Hill?


    "What, should I cry over a starting position I earned fair and square?"


    "What do you think the coach will do if Hill blows you out tonight?"


    Yu Fei saw the concern in Whitney''s eyes;pared to Hamilton, he cared more about the young yers on the team.


    Maybe he was the real leader of the young yers.


    Yu Feiughed and said, "Chris, if you really like hypotheticals that much, why not imagine what if I blew out Grant Hill? What would the coach do then?"


    However, Whitney felt that if Yu Fei really did blow out Hill, the Wizards'' internal environment would be even moreplicated, and the conflicts would intensify.


    Because Yu Fei''s starting position today was obtained by having Hamilton benched.


    If Yu Fei blew out Hill, then securing a starting position would naturally be no issue, but then what about Hamilton? Was he supposed to be benched forever?


    Was Hamilton benched just so that Yu Fei could start?


    Could this be a series of cunning ns by the wily Collins?


    To sow discord between Hamilton and Yu Fei, to further iste Yu Fei so that even if he started, he wouldn''t receive any support.


    Whitney kept his thoughts to himself; he believed Yu Fei had his own considerations, and there was no need for him to say anything more.


    From the moment Yu Fei decided to counter Jordan, his rookie season in D.C. was destined to be an uphill battle.


    Upon arrival at the court, Whitney gave up his shooting warm-up and chose to stand under the basket to rebound for Yu Fei instead.


    "Do you remember how I taught you to adjust your breathing?" Whitney said, "Your shooting technique is fine, but you always fail to find a bnce between your breathing rhythm and your shots. Get familiar with that feeling now."


    Brownined, "That''s not fair, why don''t you pass the ball to me?"


    Whitney gave him a look, "Earn a starting position first, then we''ll talk!"


    "Fine, fine, fine, if that''s how it is, then tomorrow I''ll crush Cassidy just like Big Fei does!" Brown shouted.


    "If you can say that to Cassidy''s face, then maybe I''d think there''s still hope for you."


    "Big Fei, don''t get too cocky, I''m the number one draft pick!"


    The number one draft pick who ys less than 10 minutes a game...


    Actually, having been together for so long, Yu Fei and Brown both understood each other''s abilities.


    Brown was undoubtedly a bust as a number one pick, but the Wizards'' method of nurturing him was problematic. Even if he couldn''t be a star, with his talent, there should have been no problem for him to start in the NBA for seven or eight years, then y as a reserve for another five or six years. But now, no one was coaching him properly.


    Previously, he could only asionally put on a good performance through his tacit understanding with Yu Fei on the court.


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    If Yu Fei''s starting position solidified, Brown would have a hard time.


    Half an hour before the game, the Ondo Magic arrived at the MCI.


    When McGrady, Hill, (Mike) Miller, Ewing, and (Horace) Grant walked out together, that sense of oppression was indeed extraordinary.


    Before the season began, the Magic were seen as the biggest challengers to the Lakers'' three-peat.


    McGrady, who had joinedst season to support Hill, did just that until Hill put on a suit. Then McGrady became the core, averaging 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game, quickly bing a hot new superstar, effectively swapping ces with Hill.


    Last year''s biggest problem for the Magic was that they only had McGrady as a lone star. Although they had shooters like Pat Garrity and Rookie of the Year Mike Miller on the front line, their interior line was weak, and no one else was there to share the burden. As a result, they finished with 43 wins and were swept in the yoffs by the strongest Bucks team since the 1980s.


    After one summer, McGrady promised to sweep the league, Hill came back from injury, and the frail interior was bolstered by the seasoned yers Ewing and Grant. Sports Illustrated predicted the Magic would secure 60 wins.


    You could say they were the off-season champions of the new century.


    However, thus far, the Magic''s record was 7 wins and 7 losses, ranking seventh in the Eastern Conference, which surprised many observers and sports writers.


    Still, with the season just starting, experts unanimously believed that once Hill found his form, the Magic could still secure 60 wins.


    Yu Fei nced at them, then it was time to warm up.


    At 7:30 PM, the MCI was filled with spectators, and the Wizards did not give up on the selling point of "Frye Yu''s first career start."


    Posters of Jordan battling McGrady, Yu Fei against Hill, were hung outside the arena.


    "y your roles, unite as one."


    Before the game started, Collins served up some motivational soup to his yers.


    Yu Fei walked onto the court as a starter for the first time, while McGrady across the way tucked in his jersey and came over to greet him like a big brother.


    McGrady greeted Jordan first, then said to Yu Fei, "Hey, rookie, please be gentle with Grant."


    "As the Eastern Conference''s best yer," Yu Fei responded coolly, "please also go easy on our old fellows."


    Yu Fei''s words caused McGrady to smile awkwardly and attracted Jordan''s deathly re.

 Chapter 106: Chapter 84: Ill Give Him to You

    The opening jump ball saw both teams'' centers as NBA nobodies.


    Yu Fei was surprised that Ewing wasn''t starting; it seemed the Magic had confirmed that the "big gori" had tossed aside the words "youth is an advantage," with only "old" left to describe him.


    Magic''s starting center Steven Hunter won the ball for them.


    The ball went to McGrady from the start.


    Yu Fei was matched against Hill, so guarding McGrady naturally fell to Jordan.


    It was a rather unwise decision, not to mention Jordan was now 38. Even in his youth, containing an opponent like McGrady who relied on explosive power to breeze past defenders wasn''t easy.


    Still, the experienced Jordan didn''t give McGrady a chance tounch into a violent attack. He firmly blocked McGrady''s lower body, thoroughly using his body against McGrady to perform an almost foul-like suppression, causing thetter to shoot in an extremely awkward manner and miss.


    The moment McGrady missed, Yu Fei instantly predicted the ball''snding spot.


    This feeling wasn''t new, but it was always urate.


    Yu Fei grabbed the defensive rebound and tossed it to Chris Whitney; the Wizards'' defensive counter-attack began.


    Jordan didn''t like a fast-paced game, but counter-attacks were among the easiest offensive moves on the court.


    If there was an opportunity, there was no reason to pass up the counter.


    Yu Fei snatched the rebound and ran forward during the counter-attack, Whitney chose him over the trailing Jordan.


    Yu Fei caught the ball and scored with an overhead basket.


    2 to 0


    "Good pass!" Yu Fei immediately gave Whitney positive feedback.


    Then, it was the Magic''s turn to attack.


    This time, McGrady didn''t single out Jordan right from the start. After his earlier failure, he became a lot more cautious, passing the ball to point guard Darrell Armstrong, who then passed it to Hill.


    When Hill received the ball, his teammates consciously spread out, creating a one-on-one opportunity for him.


    The atmosphere in the MCI suddenly heated up; it was a one-on-one between Yu Fei and Hill.


    In his previous life, when Yu Fei really started paying attention to the NBA, Hill had already retired. Although Hill''s career continued until 2013, his prime was in the ''90s, and Yu Fei hadn''t even been born then, so he had no reason to go out of his way to learn about this yer.


    Only after his time-travel did Yu Fei gain some understanding of Hill.


    Hill''s outside shooting was inconsistent and his shooting posture problematic, making his mid-range shots easy to disrupt, but his first step was lightning-fast, possibly even faster than McGrady''s.


    But that was Hill in the ''90s.


    Although it had been nearly two years into the new century, people hadn''t really seen Hill y in this era.


    Yu Fei blocked Hill''s strong side and gave him room to shoot.


    Hill clearly didn''t want to take the shot from the space Yu Fei had given him; he wanted to break through.


    Hill lowered his center of gravity and suddenly pulled the ball to his left hand. The speed was terrifying¡ªif Yu Fei hadn''t already pulled back, he might not have even had time to react.


    Still, Hill''s speed had diminished quite a bit since the ''90s.


    Yu Fei had time to react, thwarting the breakthrough.


    Under aggressive defense, Hill struggled to make ayup, but the ball rolled out from the rim''s edge.


    Yu Fei collected the defensive rebound on the spot, and Hill immediatelymitted a tactical foul.


    "You''re nowhere near your Detroit days," Yu Fei said.


    Being looked down upon by a junior didn''t upset Hill; heughed self-deprecatingly, "That''s why they traded me."


    Yu Fei had been in the NBA for a while now.


    The more he interacted with these people, the more he felt it was a stage where celebrities shone; although they all had noses, eyes, hands, and feet, they didn''t quite seem human, making Hill''s normalcy all the more precious.


    On the set offense, even though Yu Fei yed at the small forward position, he didn''t have Jordan''s tactical status.


    Against McGrady, Jordan wanted to perform, thus he moved with full effort.


    But McGrady woke up facing Jordan. Since leaving the Raptors, he rarely defended seriously.


    Jordan was worth the effort.


    Although Jordan was a strong off-the-ball mover, the Wizards didn''t run the Triangle Offense, and their screens and pick-and-roll ys were by the book, not tirelessly set up for the star yer as in the Triangle Offense.


    Even when Jordan got the ball, he didn''t have an immediate shooting opportunity; McGrady''s defense was smothering.


    Yu Fei did nothing but stand still outside the three-point line.


    But Jordan decided to take on the mission of contemporary perimeter stars¡ªwhen tactics didn''t unfold, to rely more on individual skills.


    Jordan''s dribble fake followed by a quick stop and jump shot hit the mark, and the cheers in the MCI were deafening.


    This shot stirred McGrady''spetitive spirit.


    Now, it was the Magic''s turn to attack, and their starting power forward was an old acquaintance of Jordan''s from the first Bulls dynasty, Horace Grant. He set a tricky screen for McGrady on the left 45-degree angle,pletely snagging Jordan.


    Yu Fei rushed to cover from the top of the arc at full speed.


    But McGrady, catching the ball and ignoring Yu Fei''s defense, made a standstill fadeaway jump shot. His feet formed a scissor shape in the air, one even stretching forward, which made McGrady''s airborne posture as elegant as a banished immortal.


    "Swish!"


    It was just an ordinary off-ball catch-and-shoot, but its aesthetic appeal was terrifyingly high.


    Yu Fei began to understand why McGrady, despite leading a team with poor results, still had so many fans.


    Performance is temporary, but being handsome is for a lifetime.


    Moreover, this McGrady wasn''t the one who, by exploiting Yao Ming''s poprity, harvested countless Chinese fans for the Houston Rockets.


    The Magic McGrady was far stronger than the Rockets McGrady, especially now. Even though the Magic''s record wasn''t good, McGrady was still recognized as the best yer in the Eastern Conference. Even MVP frontrunner Jason Kidd and the previous MVP, Allen Iverson, didn''t have the trading value he did.


    Looking across the League, only Shaquille O''Neal, Gat, and Duncan could be traded one-for-one for McGrady.


    This was the best McGrady.


    Yu Fei wanted to match up against him, even if he was beaten badly, it didn''t matter.


    "I''ll guard him," Yu Fei said to Jordan.


    "Don''t stick your nose in what doesn''t concern you!" Jordan thought it was Yu Fei''s concern for a veteran yer; he didn''t need it, and besides, he was taking the matchup with McGrady very seriously.


    In fact,peting with these young, talented yers like McGrady on the court was one of his main motivations for returning to the game.


    Yu Fei, feeling rather foolish, could only run forward.


    Then, Ratner came up high to execute the y.


    Yu Fei and Jordan spaced out on both sides.


    Cassidy White set a screen on the wing, Jordan made his move first, followed by Yu Fei cutting in. Ratner couldn''t possibly pass to Yu Fei. This was something Yu Fei knew very well; he had never expected any coordination with Ratner to begin with.


    However, the defensive intensity of the Magic was somewhat unexpected.


    While the y started to run, Ratner couldn''t find any offensive opportunity. After wasting five to six seconds, the ball was forced back into Whitney''s hands.


    By that time, the Wizards had only 5 seconds left on the shot clock.


    "Chris!"


    "Responsibility" was written all over Yu Fei''s face.


    Whitney, once again choosing between him and Jordan, passed to the former.


    "What are you doing?" Jordan shouted.


    However, Yu Fei caught the ball, turned around, and took a sharp probing step forward to make Hill back off. Then, seizing that momentary gap, he took off from where he stood.


    In the air, Yu Fei remembered the breathing control technique Whitney had taught him.


    Yu Fei felt that his breathing matched the rhythm of his shot perfectly, so he released the ball without any hesitation.


    A standard three-pointer from outside the line arched high, followed by a pleasing "swoosh" sound.


    "Frye has scored 5 of the Wizards'' first 7 points! I can''t believe this is his first time starting!"


    This might be Doug Collins'' worst nightmare. If Hill couldn''t beat Yu Fei as Jordan had anticipated, they would have to consider giving Yu Fei an official starting position.


    After scoring 5 points, Yu Fei felt nothing in particr; Hill wasn''t an annoying opponent, so he refrained from the trash-talking he usually did when he had the upper hand.


    This also made him seem rather dull that night.


    If only he could match up with McGrady¡­ He really didn''t understand what the old man was trying to prove. Did he truly believe he could handle McGrady?


    Suddenly, McGrady got the ball on the left perimeter, with his other four teammates all on the other side of the court, signaling a standard istion y.


    Jordan''s stance was set, arms outstretched, as he focused intently on McGrady.


    McGrady protected the ball with both hands, using his left foot as a pivot, his right foot probing constantly.


    Just observing McGrady''s footwork was dazzling to Yu Fei; how could he be so stylish yet so effective?


    Yu Fei watched as McGrady shifted Jordan''s center of gravity forward with his right foot, then stepped back, feigning a jump shot to force Jordan to lean in.


    Just as Jordan''s center of gravity shifted forward, McGrady''s right foot exploded to the left, with a thunderous step. Wham, wham¡ªJordan might have only heard two dribbles as McGrady''s burst of speed left his defense perpetually behind. In one long stride, McGrady entered the paint and soared upwards.


    Cassidy White totally upied the area under the basket, but all it took was McGrady colliding into him, ball tucked in arm, to finish a stylishyup off the backboard beneath the basket.


    "£¤@!£¤"


    The exmations of surprise from the crowd were real; McGrady was one of the few yers who could consistently make shots that made even the away crowd react with "NMB, that''s too outrageous."


    Afterpleting the highlight reelyup, McGrady ran past Yu Fei.


    That moment gave Yu Fei a new goal.


    Discover more stories at m,v l''e-NovelBin


    Competing with an outdated old man like Jordan was just too low. Look at those who truly stand at the pinnacle of current yers.


    This was the benchmark!


    "Still want to guard him?" Jordan asked coldly.


    Anyone else seeing McGrady''s performance would think twice.


    But Yu Fei wasn''t someone to be judged by ordinary standards.


    "Yes," Yu Fei said excitedly, "even more so now!"


    Jordan might find many things about Yu Fei annoying, but he never regretted choosing the young man at the draft.


    Perhaps Kwame Brown was a choice that seemed destined to fail, but Yu Fei definitely was not.


    "Then go ahead," Jordan said, "I''ll let you take him."


    Thanks to book friends 20191120222054641, Yun Ge''s Fans, Nli9e, book friend 140405175313527, love lemon of Feng Lang Ju Xu, look at there * (I really don''t recognize this character and can''t type it), form the nations tour, passionate scumbag town, phantom spirit Zhou Zi, young John Khan, till Moon white Yun edge, Snowrain in the rain for the reward

 Chapter 107 : 85: The Most Suitable Starter

    ```


    Jordan didn''t know whether Yu Fei could limit McGrady. If he could, that would be great; if not, there was still a reason to keep him on the bench after the game.


    As for Jordan himself, he didn''t care if people said he was avoiding a duel with McGrady because even in the game against Pierce, they didn''t face off many times. In the end, the media would naturally tell the story of passing on the torch based on the few direct confrontations and the data of both yers on the court.


    "Come on, Chris, the ball!"


    On the perimeter, Yu Fei waved to Whitney.


    Normally, it should be Ratnering high to get the ball for coordination, but Yu Fei''s gesture for the ball interrupted the tactical process.


    Before, if someone other than Jordan had done this, Collins would be furious, but when Yu Fei did it, it seemed perfectly normal.


    The establishment of power and status is often subtle.


    Without realizing it, Yu Fei had be a privileged yer in Collins''s mind.


    "Is this okay?" Hill, who knew Collins well, said, "Doug doesn''t like to see someone straying out of the tactical system."


    Yu Fei didn''t respond. He had McGrady''s moves from his one-on-one against Jordan in his mind.


    For a moment, Yu Fei, like McGrady, protected the ball with both hands and started testing with his right foot.


    Because Yu Fei had previously made a three-pointer, his probing step was more threatening than McGrady''s ¨C the differencey in the starting speed.


    Yu Fei didn''t have McGrady''s first step which left Jordan eating his dust.


    Left, right, forward, back, then left again... After nearly 5 seconds, Yu Fei finally created a crack in Hill''s defense. Without hesitation, he drove forward, and Hill''s defense line immediately copsed.


    His defense isn''t good!


    That was the impression Hill gave to Yu Fei.


    The Magic''s center, Steven Hunter, came out to help, but Yu Fei didn''t get greedy. After drawing the defense to himself, he fed Jahidi White with an assist.


    White caught the ball and dunked it forcefully.


    "Ahahaha~~~" White was thrilled with his dunk and shared a powerful high-five with Yu Fei.


    In many ways, Wizards fans regarded White as a relic of an era, a shorter center who would fight with all his strength when his body allowed, but was usually troubled by taller, more agile opponents. The Wizards'' PA system would often y Cab Calloway''s blues ssic "Minnie the Moocher" when White scored, and then the crowd would join in singing, "Ja-hidee-hidee-hi... Ja-hidee-hidee-ho..."


    Tonight, as White dunked, the song echoed once more.


    White had expressed dissatisfaction with this before because it made him look like a clown; however, now he hadpletely embraced it and would even sing along with the fans.


    The Magic Team wasn''t aware that the Wizards had made an adjustment on their matchups.


    When McGrady ran forward, he found Yu Fei was by his side.


    "Get lost, I want to be matched up with Michael," McGrady said, having no interest in the rookie.


    "Sorry," Yu Fei said, "the old man got scared of you, so I''ve taken over this matchup."


    Although McGrady didn''t know what had happened, it definitely wasn''t because of what Yu Fei said ¨C Jordan got scared.


    The defensive side had the initiative in matchups, and this era wasn''t about calling people out. So, McGrady didn''t mind blowing up the rookie first.


    The Magic''s tactics were a bit like the Wizards'', also using a big man to get the ball at the free-throw line.


    However, the problem was that while the Wizards used a big man to coordinate, the Magic merely used their big man as a passing station.


    McGrady ran to the left side and suddenly elerated, using Grant''s excellent screen to shake off Yu Fei, pulled up, and hit an elegant long two-pointer.


    "Swish!"


    9 to 6.


    McGrady had taken care of all the Magic''s scoring since the start of the game.


    The arrangement for Yu Fei and McGrady''s matchup had also be clear.


    Jordan''s reasons for switching defense with Yu Fei were unclear to Collins, but if they wanted to suppress Yu Fei, letting him match up against McGrady was the best choice.


    Because relying on Hill to suppress Yu Fei was somewhat inadequate.


    Collins knew Hill''s defense well, and with his current condition, it was unrealistic to expect him to teach Yu Fei a lesson.


    So, let the Eastern Conference''s best yer do it.


    T-MAC, bring out the shot-blocking skills you had on the Raptors!


    As it turned out, McGrady was not going to actively match up with Yu Fei on defense.


    This became a peculiar scene on the court.


    Yu Fei attacked Hill on offense and defended against McGrady.


    Simply put, he was matching up with Magic''s number one and number two on both ends of the court.


    Back on Wizards'' offensive half-court, Jordan, like Yu Fei, ignored tactics and took McGrady one-on-one.


    Now McGrady truly switched to Raptors mode, his normally dead fish-like eyes brimming with spirit. His 203 cm height and long arms covered Jordan, whose youthful vitality made it difficult for His Airness to find afortable shot.


    Although Jordan wasn''t one to create difficulty for himself like Kobe might, he wasn''t going to pass this shot; he would rather die with the ball in his hands.


    Jordan unleashed a barrage of feints and fake moves, but McGrady refused to jump. In the end, Jordan had to force a pull-up and increased the arc of his shot, only to miss and everyone went back on defense, either cheerfully or muttering under their breath.


    McGrady''s speed on the fast break was astonishing, but unfortunately, Magic''s starting guard Darrell Armstrong didn''t see it, so the Wizards'' defense got back in ce.


    Armstrong attempted a three amidst the chaos and missed.


    The arc of the rebound was perfect, and Yu Fei leapt from the side, grabbing the ball. Afternding, he immediately elerated.


    ```

 Chapter 108 : 85: The Most Suitable Starter_2

    This scene also made Collins'' eyelids twitch violently, the pace was too fast.


    With such back and forth, how could an old man in his forties endure it with his old arms and legs?


    Yu Feipletely ignored Jordan''s presence, surveyed the whole court, drove to the opponent''s basket, and mmed the ball in for a score.


    "Less than 5 minutes have passed in the first quarter, and Frye has already scored 7 points!"


    "He is the most surprising rookie of the season!"


    Many people did not anticipate Grant Hill''s inability to cope with Yu Fei''s energetic performance.


    Hill was frustrated but couldn''tin; aside from that one istion y, the points Yu Fei scored were basically easy ones.


    Even if he wanted to respond, it was difficult because he could clearly feel difort in his ankle.


    However, he had already spent a season on the injury list, and if he had to return to being an invalid after just a few games, he might permanently earn the reputation of being a "soft egg" in Detroit.


    "Grant, show that rookie some color!"


    McGrady saw the situation clearly in his mind and did not me Hill but simply asked him to make a response.


    Hill agreed verbally but felt unsure inside.


    The difort in his ankle ¨C was it a new injury from the game or...


    Hill''s concern for his body was evident; he did not initiate an attack with the ball as McGrady had hoped, but instead called for McGrady''s pick and roll and made a gesture that only Magic yers could understand.


    McGrady was surprised butplied anyway.


    Their cooperation was smooth, Yu Fei and Jordan switched defense, but Hill''s call for the pick and roll was not toplete his own offense. The moment McGrady set the pick, he cut straight to the basket, shaking off Jordan with greater speed.


    All Hill had to do was to toss the ball in the air, and McGrady would finish the job.


    An effortless alley-oopyup waspleted just like that.


    McGrady scored 8 points in a row and remained the only yer scoring for the Magic Team.


    11 to 8


    The difference was just 3 points.


    "Hey, buddy, you really need to teach that rookie a lesson!" McGrady did not know about Hill''s condition and simply wanted to help his older teammate regain confidence.


    Subsequently, both teams fell into a scoring drought.


    On the Wizards'' side, Ratner was fully aware of who had the hot hand but deliberately ignored Yu Fei while initiating tactics.


    The Wizards naturally kept missing.


    Luckily, the Wizards weren''t the only ones with a fool; the Magic also had one, starting point guard Darrell Armstrong being the lousiest point guard Yu Fei had seen so far.


    His lousiness did not lie in his ability but in failing to understand his role.


    With McGrady and Hill on the court, Armstrong still liked to call for pick and rolls and then presumptuously take advantage of the gaps the Wizards intentionally gave him to shoot.


    A standard Darrell Armstrong y went like this: call for a high pick and roll, stop abruptly between two defenders for a jump shot, and miss.


    After the same scenario urred three times, Doc Rivers finally substituted him off.


    Rivers decided to start experimenting with tactics, and the Magic suddenly yed without a traditional point guard: McGrady took over as point guard, the second-year star Mike Miller yed shooting guard, and Hill stayed as a small forward.


    On the Wizards'' side, Collins substituted Jordan and Ratner out for a rest, with Richard Hamilton and Kwame Brown recing them on the court.


    "Michael, are you feeling okay?"


    Collins really felt like Jordan''s knee was on fire.


    Jordan frowned, "I''m fine."


    "Really?" Collins forgot that Jordan didn''t like to be questioned.


    "I said I''m fine!" Jordan''s tone became harsher.


    Collins asked no further; as long as Jordan said he was fine, then he was fine, his knee forever healthy.


    The score of 11 to 8 hadsted for over three minutes; now it was the Magic''s ball. McGrady directly started dribbling from the backcourt, his intent very clear: since he had already taken care of all 8 points for the Magic since the opening, what was 2 more points?


    Even though Yu Fei was fully prepared, McGrady yed so effortlessly that it seemed as if he wasn''t taking his opponent seriously at all¡ªdribbling, starting, pulling up quickly, and then a step-back jump shot.


    Yu Fei was certain that his blocking range had reached its limit, but then...


    "Swoosh!"


    McGrady wasn''t one for trash talk, he just scored and ran back.


    Yu Fei could distinguish between reality and dreams. He knew he still had a long way to gopared to a top-five League yer like McGrady, but he definitely had the strength to respond since McGrady wasn''t known for his defense.


    "I want to be like ''Mike,''" but the only stars of the "Be Like Mike" generation who had both offensive and defensive skills were Kobe, Wade, and James (as long as he wanted to defend).


    When Yu Fei ran to the frontcourt, he unexpectedly discovered that the Magic weren''t putting Hill or McGrady on him, but had assigned Miller to guard him instead.


    It wasn''t that Yu Fei looked down on Miller, he just felt there was no value in the matchup.


    Therefore, Yu Fei said "politely," "Get T-MAC here, I''m not interested in you."


    "Rookie, I wasst year''s Rookie of the Year, show some respect!" Miller responded dissatisfied.


    Rookie of the Year? Who cared about that?


    "Chris!"


    Yu Fei once again broke off the y, forcefully demanding the ball.


    "Damn it, what about our strategy?" Ratnerined from the sidelines, "Why does Chris trust that rookie so much?"


    Then, Yu Fei experimented with the face-up footwork he had pilfered from McGrady during the game on Miller''s defense. Although it was still clumsy, Miller''s defense wasn''t good enough, andbined with the 7 points Yu Fei had already scored in the first quarter, the intimidation factor was there. The step that seemed full of ws to McGrady and Jordan was ugly, but effective. Miller was thrown off by a probing step to the left, followed by a drive forward and a big step into the paint to hand Mr. Brown an easy basket.


    "Big Fei, you''ve changed. You don''t even call me out for the pick and roll anymore!" Brown followed and said to Yu Fei.


    Yu Fei asked with a smile, "Do you like my assist?"


    "I like it."


    "Then why the hell are youining?"


    McGrady was back, condemning Yu Fei for treating Miller like a practice dummy, "Rookie, your imitation is pathetically bad!"


    After speaking, McGrady was ready to use his most famous skill¡ªthe NBA''s most beautiful calf-awarded pull-up three-pointer from beyond the arc.


    McGrady underestimated Yu Fei, treating him like an inexperienced rookie, thereby foregoing even the basic ball-protecting motion, trying to resolve the defense with just a pull-up shot.


    Stealing the ball was one of Yu Fei''s special talents, and when McGrady suddenly presented the opportunity, there was no reason for him to pass it up. With a snap, the atmosphere at MCI Center turned electric.


    "Frye has just stolen the ball from T-MAC in a one-on-one!"


    The city''s broadcaster in D.C. excitedly eximed in that moment.


    Yu Fei dashed forward at full speed.


    McGrady made a slight effort to chase, but seeing he couldn''t catch up, he gave up.


    He wasn''t the type of person who fought for every ball, so he''d never chase down 28 meters after a turnover to block a shot like Kobe would chase after Andre Miller.


    Yu Fei had no risk of being blocked because McGrady had stopped his steps early.


    If the opponent had conceded the stage, there was no reason to not put on a good show.


    Yu Fei received the ball at the free-throw line, took a couple of steps to build up power, and leapt up to unleash a windmill dunk, igniting the MCI Center crowd.


    "This is what we''ve been talking about. Frye can bring a powerful energy to D.C., and for the past several games, he''s been doing the same thing off the bench. We''re d he made it to the starting lineup," the NBCmentator joked, "Maybe we should ask, why didn''t he make it to the starting lineup sooner?"


    Two minutester, Yu Fei, who had yed 8 minutes in the first quarter, was substituted out.


    9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists¡ªthat was what Yu Fei had aplished in 8 minutes, and it was also the reason the Wizards hadn''t been crushed by McGrady''s fierce solo offensive.


    As Yu Fei walked off the court, Collins had mixed feelings, knowing that he and Jordan no longer had any reason to keep the most deserving starter on the bench.


    "Good ying, get some rest. We need you to y like this in the second quarter!"


    Collins looked at Yu Fei and insincerely said.


    Yu Fei didn''t even bother to engage with Collins and just gave a "Hmm" before sitting down on the sidelines.

 Chapter 109: Chapter 86: This is the Beginning of the End

    "How does starting feel?"


    On the bench, Tyronn Lue struck up a conversation with Yu Fei.


    Yu Fei didn''t quite know what to say. To call it exhrating wouldn''t be entirely true, as he had been outyed by McGrady on the court and couldn''t find a good counter. But to say it wasn''t exciting would clearly be wrong.


    As a rookie making his first start, Yu Fei''s performance in the first quarter definitely scored above 90.


    "Not bad, but I''m starting to miss the feeling ofing off the bench," Yu Fei admitted, hisment tinged with a bit of Versailles.


    On the court, Fei''s departure suddenly tipped the scales in favor of the Magic.


    And inexplicably, Kwame Brown seemed to have forgotten how to y basketball altogether.


    This confirmed Doug Collins''s suspicion¡ªif they expected positive feedback from Brown at this stage, they could only do so by pairing him with Fei.


    Fei was Brown''s barometer.


    With Fei on the court, Brown could catch lobs, y defense, and aside from being somewhat soft in physical confrontations, he looked like a regr inside yer.


    Once Fei left the court, Brown appeared soulless, reverting to his sluggish wooden self.


    Meanwhile, starting center Jahidi White''s stamina was severely depleted.


    On the other side, the 2000-2001 Rookie of the Year began to rain shots from the outside.


    Mike Miller hit three-pointers in session, giving the Magic a seven-point lead by the end of the first quarter.


    To start the second quarter, Collins brought back Jordan but not Fei.


    The reason? Of course, he wouldn''t say.


    Fei had no objections; after all, his starting position was now a done deal, and based on his first-quarter performance, no one could take that spot from him.


    Tyronn Lue was subbed in.


    The Wizards'' perimeter turned into abination of Coach Lu, Hamilton, and Jordan.


    Jordan seemed to have found a way to handle McGrady.


    The method wasn''tplex: he had Hamilton match up against McGrady, then, exploiting Hill''s unstable jump-shooting, looked for opportunities to draw offensive fouls from McGrady in the paint.


    You could say Jordan''s methodcked creativity, resembling in CS the way you stomp over to clear out enemies holding positions, but McGrady''s casual andzy style not only made him give up on certain contestable ys in inconsequential moments but also led him to underestimate the importance of those minor yet potentially crucial elements when effectively utilized.


    McGrady knocked over Jordan, who had positioned himself in advance.


    This was the MCI, the Wizards'' home court, where Jordan could draw offensive fouls from anyone.


    Even the best yer in the Eastern Conference had to concede.


    Then, Hamilton nailed a three-pointer from the outside, Hill missed a mid-range jumper, and Coach Lu orchestrated a beautiful defensive counterattack. It was McGrady''s moment once again.


    At 203 centimeters, with long arms and legs, McGrady had many advantages over Jordan.


    The experienced Jordan precisely anticipated McGrady''s offensive route, reached in to poke the ball away, and stole it.


    This was the first time Fei saw a look of impatience on McGrady''s face. McGrady, eager to recover ground, fouled Jordan on the way back.


    That was his third foul of the first half.


    If Magic''s young coach Doc Rivers were a little smarter, he would have taken McGrady out now to cool down.


    But you know, there''s a reason he was called a blockhead, with countless examples solidifying his reputation for epicebacks against him.


    Rivers remained steadfast on his fishing tform, choosing to stand pat, trusting in McGrady''s ability to adjust.


    Then, Jordan made the most crucial y since the game began: he faked McGrady with a feint, getting thezy McGrady to jump when he shouldn''t have, putting him in the worst possible plight.


    Jordan seized the timing of McGrady''s jump, nudge forward, made a light jump, shot, and as the referee''s whistle blew, McGrady was called for his fourth foul, while the almost unobstructed shotnded urately in the basket.


    Jordan pursed his lips, clenching his fist.


    On the Wizards'' sideline, Tyrone Nesby roared almost to the point of kneeling, as if he had witnessed a miracle.


    The bted Rivers, preserving McGrady for the second half, finally took him out.


    It was at this moment that Collins called out Fei''s name, "Frye, you''re in for Lu."


    Fei hesitated, "Am I ying point guard?"


    "Is there a problem?" Collins asked.


    Fei inquired again, "Should I control the tempo?"


    This time, Collins hesitated. He nced at Jordan, strutting on the court, and then at his knees.


    They were clearly hurting abnormally in the first quarter, so howe in the second...


    "If the pace is too fast, Michael will remind you," Collins said.


    Does that mean Collins had already epted the inevitability of Fei joining the starting lineup?


    Fei didn''t know, but things were advancing in a favorable direction.


    Collins letting Fei y point guard without restricting his style of y was a sign of trust in his performance.


    It was the first time Fei felt maybe he could get along with Jordan and Collins.


    That feeling was fleeting, as the gravity of reality soon pulled Fei out of his emotions.


    As Fei stepped onto the court, he took over from Coach Lu.


    "Why are you back so soon? I haven''t had enough yet!" Coach Lu said, reluctantly.


    Yu Fei gave him a sidelong nce. "It sounds as if I had a say in it."


    "You do now," Coach Lu said, "starting with tonight''s game."


    After McGrady left, the Magic adjusted their lineup on the court.


    Rivers decided to let Hill y at point guard, a bold move given that Hill was clearly off his game tonight.


    But there was also the possibility that the coach hadn''t noticed Hill''s struggles.


    Then, he put Mike Miller at shooting guard, big forward Pat Garrity at small forward, Horace Grant at power forward, and Patrick Ewing at center.


    This was a nostalgic lineup.


    Three of the five yers on the court had been active in the ''90s.


    One was Jordan''s old rival, one was Jordan''s former teammate, and one was an early heir to Jordan.


    Jordan only exchanged greetings with Ewing, not even casting a nce at Grant. Thetter, being the third key yer of the first Bulls dynasty and having such a cool rtionship with Jordan, left many people sighing, but Yu Fei was not surprised at all.


    This was because he had seen "The Last Dance." Jordan, in the past, present, and even 19 yearster, unwaveringlybeled Grant a snitch, adamant that he was the source of the leaks for the infamous book critical of Jordan, "The Jordan Rules." Jordan expressed deep disdain in the documentary for Grant revealing team secrets to a journalist for a book. Hepletely ignored the fact that in the first episode of the documentary, he recounted witnessing his older teammates throwing a drug party in a hotel when he first joined the Bulls. Clearly, God''s disclosures were greater than Grant''s, because they were done openly, even if they humiliated his former teammates and made it hard for them to face their families. What did that matter, right?


    After McGrady was out, the Magic, desperately needing to stabilize their spirits, looked to Hill for guidance.


    Since the preseason, Hill''s form had been a struggle.


    Though his stats looked good, averaging 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists per game, his performance on court seemed to be at best half of what it was before his injury.


    Now with McGrady gone, Hill regained his status as the absolute core, and he knew that now it was up to him to y.


    Yu Fei approached Hill, not daring to be careless, lowering his center of gravity to guard against Hill''s strong first step.


    Hill drove his body, changed direction quickly, and although Yu Fei didn''t react at first, Hill''s eleration was far from what it used to be, allowing Yu Fei to catch up in the second moment.


    The offense stalled, and Hill, with a bold heart, forced his diforting lower limbs to use footwork to pry open space and shoot off the dribble.


    Yu Fei''s defense was already in his face; this shot was all about feeling.


    Hill made it.


    "Without putting pressure on the lower limbs, upper limb interference is just betting on the opponent''s touch!" Jordan coached on the court, "That''s stupid pig defense!"


    The first sentence sounded nice, just the second a bit harsh.


    But after all, it was a lesson from the Great One, and Yu Fei remembered it.


    The Wizards'' offensive possession, with Yu Fei as the point guard bringing the ball up the court, was something new.


    Although he had previously brought the ball up the court, it was always temporarily taken from Whitney''s hands. Now, actually ying as a point guard, Yu Fei became cautious.


    Ratner came up to receive the ball as per tactic.


    Once Yu Fei passed the ball, he set a screen for Hamilton on the weak side.


    Ratner chose to hand off the ball to a red-hot Jordan.


    It proved to be the right decision, as Jordan had just driven McGrady off the floor, brimming with confidence. He got the ball, called for a pick and roll, met with a spiteful double-team from Grant, but cleverly passed to Jahidi White, who dunked for the score.


    The Wizards'' constipated half-court offense suddenly became more dynamic.


    Yu Fei''s addition as a ball-handling threat was one reason, another being that Jordan was in excellent form that night, which, in turn, spurred on the others to actively participate.


    The surging Wizards began to intensify their defense.


    Yu Fei took the lead in guarding Hill on the front court.


    Jordan told Yu Fei to put pressure on Hill''s lower limbs, and Yu Fei borated on that, starting to apply pressure from the front court.


    Hill clearly had the ability to get rid of tight defense with bold maneuvers, but he seemed tock the energy to do so.


    Yu Fei didn''t know what was wrong with Hill, only feeling the need to increase his intensity a notch.


    Then, the referee stopped Yu Fei''s assault.


    This was the measure of tonight''s game, and Yu Fei felt it.


    Afterward, Hill finished off a possession with a rushed jump shot that nged off the iron.


    Good shooting touch might help him once, but it wouldn''t always be there for him.


    Yu Fei took the ball from White, and seeing that the Magic yers had almostpleted their defense, he slowed down his pace. On the way, he made the "ISO" gesture with his hands.


    With no objection from Jordan, and certainly none from anyone else, everyone spaced out.


    "Hey, Grant, how are your feet?"


    Yu Fei''s words were like a curse, "Don''t you want to go back and im warranty?"


    Hill''s eyes widened, and suddenly, Yu Fei''s body bent straight down, the ball travelling between the gap of his left leg, pulling out a horrifying crossover that cut through Hill''s center of gravity.


    In a panic, Hill only tried to move sideways to get in position, but the limit of his ankle was already reached.


    With a crack, Hill felt intense pain in his ankle, lost his bnce, and copsed to the ground. It was his first injury sinceing to Ondo. What he didn''t know was that this was not the end, nor was it a beginning, nor even the beginning of the end; this was the beginning of the end.


    Yu Fei rushed into the paint and scored with a bank shot.


    The atmosphere in the MCI reached its climax, while the Magic team clearly sensed something amiss. Only Doug Collins felt an emotion he couldn''t quite identify.


    Grant Hill, whom they had high hopes for before the game, had just fallen in front of a rookie.


    How pathetic, Grant; I had my reasons for looking down on you!


    Collins exhaled quietly. From now on, no one would be able to stop Yu Fei from bing a starter.

 Chapter 110: Chapter 87 I Will Always Respect MJ

    Due to foul trouble, McGrady''s time on the court was limited in the first half, and the Magic had hoped Hill would hold the fort but didn''t expect him to fall like the invincible Zoffy once again.


    The moment Hill fell, you could see the expression of shattered dreams on Doc Rivers''s face.


    The best team in the Eastern Conference, 60 wins, entering the finals to block the OK Lakers'' triple crown...none of these things would happen now.


    McGrady didn''t feel it as deeply as Rivers, he felt a sense of loss.


    A year ago, he was brought in to support Hill, a yearter, it had turned into Hill supporting him.


    So far this season, even though McGrady averages 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, he always feels restrained, unable to y to his full strength because he needs to give Hill the ball so he could quickly regain his feel for the game.


    However, this respectful cooperation did not yield good results, and the Magic''s winning percentage so far this season was only 50%. Therefore, somepared them to Julius Erving and George McGinnis of 1977.


    Both duos had simr styles and needed to give way to each other to coexist, with thetter making it to the finals. In this era of weakpetition in the Eastern Conference, getting to the finals was the minimum expectation for the Magic.


    Hill was injured again, and so-called finals aspirations were now empty talk. McGrady didn''t know what he had lost in that moment, but he knew the ball would once again be solely in his hands.


    For a young superstar only 22 years old, was there anything better than having unlimited ball rights?


    In the second half, McGrady erupted for 24 points, but the Magic''s morale was down, and theeback didn''t materialize. Ultimately, the Wizards, ying at home, defeated the Magic 105 to 94.


    The same problem could yield different answers on different nights.


    Today, Richard Hamilton, who scored the highest on his team, was asked in an interview what he did to help Jordan in this game.


    "Put the ball in the baby!" Hamilton said excitedly, "That''s what I did, just putting the ball in!"


    Then, the reporter asked, "Tonight was Frye''s first career start, but you were substituted. Do you think there''s apetition between you two?"


    "No, if you watch our games often, you''ll know that this season we''ve used all sorts of starting lineups. Anyone could start, anyone could be a substitute, I''m not worried about it."


    Jordan was delighted, although McGrady''s final stats outshined his own, the Magic lost the game.


    As long as you win, there will be experts speaking for you.


    Moreover, Jordan''s performance was indeed crucial; if he hadn''t made McGrady fall into foul trouble in the first half, Hill might not have fallen so soon, and the Magic''s morale wouldn''t have copsed.


    "I don''t have any advantage over Tracy," Jordan said humbly but proudly, "The only thing I have is experience, something hecks. I know how to create opportunities, he''s still young and has a long way to go."


    Jordan was inevitably asked about Yu Fei''s impressive performance in his first start.


    "He performed outstandingly," Jordan said sinctly, "I''m happy for him."


    In contrast, Collins was more direct and realistic.


    When asked about Yu Fei''s performance, Collins replied, "His performance was surprisingly good."


    "Will he continue as a starter?"


    Collins said self-deprecatingly, "Unless we don''t want to win."


    "What about Kwame Brown?"


    "Right now, we can''t expect to get anything from him immediately," Collins said pragmatically and calmly, "He and Frye are two extremes."


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    Tonight, Yu Fei yed for 30 minutes, scoring 17 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and dishing out 3 assists; he was mostly satisfied with his performance.


    "Frye, this is your first start, how many points would you give yourself?"


    "You know, I don''t like to rate myself, that''s for the fans and the media."


    "Do you think you''ll continue to start?"


    "You know, I can''t decide who starts, that''s the coach''s job."


    "How do you think your chemistry with MJ is on the court?"


    Good question, one of us likes to y fast, and the other, despite no longer being able to handle set pieces, still likes to grind through them. What do you think our chemistry is like? I think it''s a bit better than Tian and Doinb''s in the second week of the S11 group stage, what about you?


    "No one fits better with MJ than me."


    The pleasant evening passed quickly.


    The next day, the Magic announced that Grant Hill''s left ankle had suffered a severe contusion, and he would be out indefinitely starting today.


    This news reminded people ofst April when Hill suffered a fracture on the inner side of his left ankle. Now with a severe contusion on the same ankle, could he ever fully recover?


    Regardless, this was now Ondo''s worry, as the Wizards needed to immediately head to Phdelphia for a back-to-back game against the 76ers that night.


    This was also the Wizards''st game in November.


    Having already secured two consecutive wins, the Wizards hoped to gain a third away victory, boosting their confidence for December''s games.


    With Allen Iverson''s absence due to injury,st season''s Eastern Conference champion started off with five straight losses this season.


    This undoubtedly proved Iverson''s value, for his inefficiency was exactly why the 76ers went so farst season.


    Not long ago, Iverson signed a lifetime contract with Reebok, and as a fellow Reebok member, Yu Fei, upon arriving in Phdelphia with the team, was arranged by thepany to attend an event with Iverson.


    Privately, Iverson was the version of Kwame Brown he dreamed of being.


    Iverson had a "big brother" vibe; wherever he went, he had the demeanor of a boss, but Yu Fei had no intention to get any closer to him.

 Chapter 111: Chapter 87 I Will Always Respect MJ_2

    Yu Fei''s feelings for many basketball stars came from his memories of a past life, and Iverson, since retiring, made regr trips to China to "cash in" every so often, basically just spending his own reputation without consolidating his connection with Chinese fans like McGrady did.


    This was someone who didn''t seem to know how to "harvest leeks" properly. The most joyous Yu Fei remembered seeing him in China was surrounded by dubious princesses in a KTV.


    After the event, Yu Fei went back to the hotel to rest, then got on the bus with his teammates, heading toward the 76ers'' home court, the Wells Fargo Center.


    The Wells Fargo Center was not named as such until 2010.


    Since the 76ers'' starting power forward was Derrick Coleman, Collins tried putting Yu Fei at the four spot as a starter tonight.


    By doing so, Richard Hamilton was back on the starting roster.


    Now, all Coleman had left was a poor reputation and a body that retained a shred of talent.


    Even though Coleman had talent that may have made Karl Malone envious, he now couldn''t assert absolute dominance over Yu Fei at the power forward position.


    Larry Brown saw Collins''s move to put Yu Fei at power forward as a mistake and let the team y around Coleman at the start of the game.


    However, Coleman was only weighing 230 pounds at the time, not much better than Yu Fei.


    Without the most important advantage of internal y, physical confrontation, and his skills not great enough topensate for theck of physicality, Coleman''s seriously declined physical condition waspletely restrained by Yu Fei.


    At the start, Yu Fei gave Coleman two consecutive blocks, both leading to the Wizards'' counter-attacks.


    Then Iverson switched to god mode on offense, devouring Chris Whitney alive, while on defense, he also intercepted passes intended for Yu Fei, the two sides entering the second quarter in a tie.


    Yu Fei, temporarily acting as the starting power forward, didn''t orchestrate high-post offense for the Wizards as well as Ratner. He rather used his offensive threat from the foul line to the paint to cause greater chaos, either taking shots himself or distributing the ball in the disarray.


    Jahidi White was the beneficiary of Yu Fei''s melee-style gains.


    This made Kwame Brown, sitting off the court, green with envy, "I could make those shots too if I had those opportunities!"


    But no one listened to him. The more chaotic Yu Fei made the situation, the more ufortable Jordan became; in Collins''s system, he had a central role, while the characteristic of melee-style y is that there is no center¡ªit''s about who has the opportunity, takes the shot.


    Once Collins saw that although the situation was good, the Big Guy was ufortably ying, he gave up on letting Yu Fei continue at the power forward position, and with six minutes left in the second quarter, he substituted Yu Fei out for Ratner.


    Jordan was liberated; he again became the focus and could keep shooting with an average field goal percentage just over 30%.


    Yu Fei sat on the sidelines with stats of 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists until half-time. The advantage gained from chaos was gradually being caught up by a red-eyed Iverson leading the team.


    In the second half, Yu Fei started at the small forward position, Hamilton went back to the bench, and Jordan was still trying to explode past Aaron McGee one-on-one, but his touch tonight was nothingpared to Allen Iverson''s.


    "Enough, if you have no touch, shoot less. Don''t you understand such a simple concept?"


    When Jordan went 1 for 6 in the third quarter, Yu Fei said what was building up in his teammates'' hearts.


    Remember, Jordan doesn''t like to be questioned.


    Jordan called a timeout and walked over to Yu Fei, his face full of anger, and said, "I''ve yed basketball for many more years than you. You have no right to tell me what principles are right or wrong!"


    True to the saying, old but not dead is just a thief in disguise!


    Yu Fei didn''t buy it and responded even more cuttingly, "If you don''t want to win, then keep shooting, but don''t fucking talk to me about how many years you''ve yed. What good does that do? Does it help you score more or does it make Allen Iverson go crazy like you?"


    "!@#$%"


    "It seems like Frye and MJ are having a quarrel..."


    "It''s not just ''seems''... they''re definitely not getting along."


    "Oh my god, this is definitely going to be tomorrow''s headline news!"


    "Young people really can do some irrational things when they''re hot-headed..."


    Collins yed the ostrich, pretended everything was fine, and picked up his clipboard saying to Yu Fei, "Frye, after the timeout, we''ll y it like this..."


    Collins drew a nice tactic, but the finishing point was Jordan.


    Jordan who went 1 for 6 in the third quarter.


    The tactic was good, but Yu Fei didn''t trust tonight''s Jordan.


    Still, Yu Fei wasn''t going to waste Collins''s timeout. Since the tactic was drawn this way, they would y it, but he prepared himself for Jordan definitely missing the shot, ready to rush for the rebound.


    After the timeout, the Wizards started moving ording to the tactics drawn by Collins.


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    Things went smoothly, and a moment before Jordan showed up for the ball, Yu Fei released the ball early. As it left his hands, he was already sprinting toward the basket.


    Jordan took the shot with graceful form, but he might have been the first in the arena to know the ball was going to miss.


    A yer''s touch doesn''t lie!


    "Bang!"


    Coleman was already in position and needed just a light jump to grab the rebound, but he didn''t foresee someoneing in behind him with such reckless force for the board.


    Yu Fei practically leaped onto Coleman''s body to secure the rebound, and at the moment the crowd roared, mmed the ball hard into the basket.


    It might have been a foul, but the NBA is after all a business league. For a moment of brilliance that could make season highlight reels, referees normally don''tplicate matters for the offensive side.

 Chapter 112: Chapter 87 I Will Always Respect MJ_3

    Coleman suffered in silence as Iverson returned to the frontcourt with a quick response.


    After passing the ball, Yu Fei said to Whitney, "Give me the ball!"


    Yu Fei confirmed through his actions that the original tactics were no longer effective. After dribbling to the frontcourt, he ignored Jordanpletely. If Coleman dared toe up and defend him, Yu Fei would power through; if they switched defenders on him, he would call for the yer matched with Coleman to set a pick and roll, allowing for a position switch. Soon, even Larry Brown couldn''t stand Coleman''s defensive weakness.


    Coleman was subbed out.


    Then, Yu Fei began to target Mutombo.


    The floater from a certain position and the quick-stop jump shot after a pick were Yu Fei''s two big weapons against inside yers in military training. Now, carried away with emotion, he did everything without thinking of the consequences. In the remaining 5 minutes of the third quarter, Yu Fei made 7 out of 9 shots, and Jordan didn''t touch the ball once.


    "This isn''t how we y!"


    When the Wizards entered the fourth quarter with an 11-point lead, Collins didn''t know whether to be angry or happy. Such aplex expression would be too difficult even for Tom Hanks to perform.


    "But..." John Bach said, "it''s effective."


    "But this isn''t how we y!" Collins said weakly, "He''s isting everyone."


    The danger of letting Yu Fei start was bing apparent, his style, his tactics, his personality, were almost entirely in conflict with Jordan''s.


    Especially on nights like this, which were particrly bad for Jordan but happened to showcase Yu Fei''s brilliance, clearly undermining the former''s authority.


    This was only his second start.


    In the fourth quarter, something else happened that made Collins anxious.


    Teammates started to trust Yu Fei, to ept his leadership, especially starting point guard Chris Whitney and starting center Jahidi White.


    Whitney passed the ball to Yu Fei as soon as he crossed the halfway line.


    White actively set screens for Yu Fei because he knew Yu Fei could create numerous scoring opportunities for him.


    Jordan was left abandoned at one end of the court.


    Whenever Yu Fei got the ball, he wouldn''t look at him.


    Was Yu Fei deliberately isting Jordan, or had he not found a way to coborate with Jordan?


    Collins didn''t know. Logically, he inclined towards thetter, but emotionally, it was undoubtedly the former.


    Their discord had begun in training camp and was semi-public; now it was simply a matter of making Wizards'' internal affairs known to the world.


    Five minutes before the end of the game, Yu Fei was subbed out. By then, the Wizards were leading the 76ers by 19 points, and the game was nearly garbage time.


    Yu Fei scored a team-high 24 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 blocks, making it his best game of the season so far.


    John Bach noticed that when Yu Fei left the court, his teammates maintained a certain distance from him on the bench.


    They were afraid of Yu Fei, just as they were afraid of Jordan.


    Only Kwame Brown could still crack a joke, "Frye, I''m a reporter from The Washington Post. Congrattions on your three-game winning streak. What did you do tonight to help Michael?"


    Yu Fei chuckled and said irreverently, "I kept his shooting percentage from dropping further by not passing him the ball. I''m really d I did that."


    "Wow, Frye, you''re such a perfect team yer. Michael must be grateful to you, right?"


    "Yeah, just like you spend half an hour in bed every day being thankful that he picked you first overall."


    Unsurprisingly, in the slow-paced NBA games of 2001, the odds of overturning a 19-point lead in thest five minutes of the fourth quarter were close to zero. The Wizards just needed to be patient and grind out the game to win.


    And indeed, that''s what they did.


    At the final buzzer, 99-85, the Wizards secured a three-game winning streak on the road, and with this victory, they moved back into yoff contention.


    Post-game interview


    "No. 44 was too impressive; I can''t believe he''s a rookie. His performance in the second half was dominant, overshadowing even AI." ¡ªLarry Brown on Yu Fei.


    "I''m surprised. The guy on the court hasn''t yed basketball for three years; you can''t imagine someone who hasn''t yed a formal game for three years could still maintain such a high level." ¡ªLarry Brown on Jordan, who shot 6 out of 20 for the game.


    "At the beginning of the season, everyone thought Michael would be a mentor for the young yers on the Wizards, but in a way, it''s not quite so." ¡ªDoug Collins discussing Jordan''s status on the team.


    "I know you want so-called explosive inside stories, but let me tell you, Frye and Michael''s disputes on the court happen from time to time. You can see simr situations in every game they''re both strong-willedpetitors, and I''m not worried about it." ¡ªDoug Collins on disputes between Yu Fei and Jordan during the game.


    "I always hear Frye is Rookie of the Year, but let me tell you, he''s been the best rookie of the century so far." ¡ªDoug Collins on Yu Fei''s performance.


    "You have to trust your teammates; that''s the only way to fully open up the game." ¡ªMichael Jordan discussing the turning point of the game.


    "There''s no problem between me and Frye. I know what kind of person he is, and he knows what kind of person I am. After tonight, this issue is behind us." ¡ªMichael Jordan on his dispute with Yu Fei.


    "Trust me, Michael is the best mentor in the world; only he can fully unleash the potential of young yers." ¡ªAllen Iverson praising Jordan.


    "Frye, what do you say about the rumors that you and Michael don''t get along?"


    "You know, no one respects MJ more than I do in D.C."


    "So, you think it''s fake news?"


    "Yes, definitely, unequivocally fake news."


    "Would you like to talk about the argument you and Michael had during tonight''s game?"


    "You know, it''s because I respect MJ that I doused him with cold water when he wasn''t in good form. It proved to be very effective. From that moment on, we took control of the game. I don''t know who else would doubt our rtionship is on the rocks; as far as I''m concerned, that''s proof of our strong friendship."


    "Strong friendship? So, that''s how you and MJ are now?"


    "Yes, I''ve said it many times before, but I don''t mind repeating it. MJ is my mentor and a good friend; I will always respect MJ."


    ¡ª Yu Fei''s post-game interview

 Chapter 113: Chapter 88: I am Anti-Mike, what, my boss too?

    Although Yu Fei, Jordan, and Collins all emphasized that there was nothing wrong between them, the sports headlines of the major newspapers the next day inevitably ced photos of Yu Fei and Jordan''s spat on the front page.


    One could discern their intentions through the headlines of various media outlets.


    The Washington Post''s headline was: Frye and Michael Respect Each Other Amidst Quarreling.


    The New York Times'' headline was: Michael Still Hasn''t Learned to Coexist Harmoniously with the Younger Generation.


    The Los Angeles Times'' headline was: A Prominent Rookie Leaves MJ at a Loss.


    The most significant was The Seattle Times: Frye Is D.C.''s Most Crucial yer to Date, Not Michael, Which Is Why They Cannot Get Along.


    No matter what, the matter had blown up.


    Yu Fei also went from being the team''s "Anti-Mike" to being publicly recognized as "Anti-Mike."


    Although he secured a starting position and yed well, Yu Fei''s rtionship with Jordan was unlikely to have any room for a turnaround.


    Yu Fei didn''t care about this, as long as he yed as a starter, his season goal was considered achieved.


    What does it matter if he doesn''t get along with Jordan? At worst, what would be the worst oue? He gets traded.


    With his current performance, even if he gets traded, he would be valued at a new team.


    Even better, getting traded was something Yu Fei wanted to see; life is short, and staying away from Jordan was the key to a good life.


    Since he couldn''t leave for now, he could only make do.


    The next day, Yu Fei boarded the team bus and headed to the airport.


    The November schedule had ended, and the Wizards ranked eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 6-8 record; they had two days of rest afterward.


    When entering the team''s charter ne, Yu Fei greeted the apanying reporter, Steve Wyche: "Good morning, Steve, I read your article, it was great."


    Although Yu Fei was surprised to find that Wyche''s article imed there was respect between him and Jordan amidst their quarreling, Wyche''s writing undoubtedly gave them a breather in the opinion within Washington D.C.


    At least the fans wouldn''t be suspicious.


    "Thank you for liking it," said Wyche, "You also yed great."


    "Thanks, I''ll try even harder for your next piece," Yu Fei said.


    "Try harder not to pass the ball to MJ?" Wyche asked with augh, "Are you sure?"


    "Ah haha..." Yu Fei suddenly lifted his foot to show off his new shoes, "Steve, what do you think of these?"


    Yu Fei was wearing a pair of ostentatious purple Reebok sneakers.


    This was Reebok''s first signature sneaker created for Yu Fei, named The Chosen One; it was said that the name was Quent DiMio''s idea because Yu Fei initially became famous in professional basketball due to a "The Chosen One" article by Gary Smith. Read new chapters at m_v-l''e|-NovelBin


    "Not suitable." Jordanmented, nearby, "You should have them design a pair of blue sneakers, navy blue, that''s D.C.''s color."


    "You don''t understand anything," Yu Fei said dismissively, "There''s no color tackier than navy blue."


    Anger flickered in Jordan''s brown eyes, "Listen, I am the best shoe seller ever, you can''t say I don''t understand this!"


    "If you say so..." Yu Fei felt no need to argue with Jordan over such a trivial matter, "It''s not like every pair of shoes you had in Chicago was red."


    This was one of those moments where you know you should shut up, but your mouth uncontrobly triggers by itself.


    "Because I don''t serve Chicago alone, my brand belongs to the world," Jordan stated arrogantly.


    "Is that so? I''m not sure the world''s people would like these mustard-colored shoes of yours," Yu Fei said sarcastically, "I sure don''t, they''re ugly."


    "Mustard color looks great, you idiot!" Jordan was indeed getting angry.


    Then Tyrone Nesby, who hadn''t realized that it was dangerous to inadvertently walk into a verbal spar between the team''s two highest-ranking individuals, looked at the mustard-colored Jordans on Jordan''s feet and asked, "Are they size 13?"


    Jordan nced at him, "Actually, it''s 13 and a half."


    Nesby said with a smile, "They''re mustard-colored, right? I remember you wearing them in Detroit, I like them."


    Oh no, there''s a brown-noser!


    Yu Fei internally mimicked Stephen A. Smith''s tone, maliciouslymbasting Jordan''s shoes with a wave of AOE damage in his mind: Anyone who likes these shoes is sick, they are truly damn ugly!


    However, Yu Fei forgot one thing, Jordan was still Jordan, how about a brown-noser? He had his own ways to make the brown-noser feel as bad as eating crap.


    "You like them?" asked Jordan.


    "Yes."


    "You mean you are going to buy mustard-colored shoes, T-Nez?"


    From Jordan''s demeanor and tone, Nesby could already feel that he might have interjected at the wrong moment.


    "You were talking about shoes... I just wanted to tell you I like your shoes..."


    At this point, Nesby''s level of subservience had surpassed Song Qingshu in The Heaven-sword and Dragon Sabre, making him the most ''go die'' bootlicker in Yu Fei''s eyes.


    "Mustard color is for starters," Jordan said sarcastically "You should change yours."


    "I mean..."


    Jordan didn''t give him any chance to exin: "Buy a pair for benchwarmers."


    Jordan had a knack for ridiculing others, and many on the neughed; Nesby tried to fight back, but his tongue was tied.


    He was sober.


    In the Wizards, the only person who dared to confront Jordan was Yu Fei. Yu Fei had the skill and the talent; he could spar with Jordan ande out unscathed, but as an undrafted yer struggling in the league, offending a big shot like Jordan would be cutting off his own path.

 Chapter 114: Chapter 88: I am Anti-Mike, what, my boss too?_2

    Nesby decided to keep his mouth shut.


    If someone were to ask Yu Fei why he couldn''t get along with Jordan, he would tell them Kwame Brown''s story. If Brown''s story wasn''t profound enough, then the experience of Tyrone Nesby should make it clear; when dancing with a god, what matters isn''t whether you can get on well with him, but how you maintain your own dignity in his presence.


    After returning to Washington D.C. from Phdelphia, Yu Fei rested at home for a while, then with the help of Anthony Lawson, he put in an extra 500 shots and hit the gym for an hour of weightlifting.


    The next day, Yu Fei still went to the Verizon Center for practice early on.


    Since entering the NBA, Yu Fei was like a monk in asceticism; he had only been to a nightclub once, then became deeply disappointed with the detestable silicone aesthetic, in addition to the pressure brought on by Jordan, which forced him to focus solely on basketball.


    Now that his position was stable, you would think it was time for him to rx.


    "Big Fei, I know you like it natural, if you want, I can arrange something for you," Lawson said with a lecherous expression.


    Yu Fei knew that flesh peddlers would gravitate towards Lawson and try to sell themselves through him.


    Yu Fei trusted that Lawson wouldn''t harm him. He would ensure that the women he came into contact with weren''t the kind with ulterior motives, but rather a pure slut who wanted to unlock the "I slept with Frye" achievement.


    "Are you very free, Tony?"


    "I''m worried you''re pent up, brother. You really should find a chance to enjoy yourself," Lawson said.


    "Now is not the time, my position isn''t as stable as you think," Yu Fei asked, "How''s it going with the thing I asked you to do with Tim?"


    At the mention of this, smoke seemed to being out of Lawson''s big nostrils: "That damn bald white dude, he totally ignores me! That''s probably not happening; he''s been friends with MJ for years, and you know... your rtionship with MJ, he would never betray MJ."


    "Betray? Listen to yourself, how unpleasant that sounds. He''s a trainer, and I need a trainer. The old man is going to retire in a few years, does he still need to serve him? I''m not saying he needs to cooperate with me right now, what I mean is, can he be my trainer when the old man retires?"


    Lawson wisely answered his own question: "Do you think he would agree? I don''t think so."


    Yu Fei has always felt that ck people''s concept of "loyalty" seemed to be different from other races.


    It was clearly a business matter, yet he interpreted it as whether "Grover is loyal to Jordan" or not. Even if Grover was Jordan''s number oneckey, as long as Jordan retired, that meant transforming into a capitalist working on his own; there would no longer be any direct dealings with him as a worker.


    What Yu Fei wanted was for Grover toe and help him with his training when Jordan retired. Was that so hard?


    "I''ll try again..."


    "Put some effort into it, don''t be afraid of rejection; you need to have the perseverance of the Spurs'' bricyer."


    "I dislike the Spurs."


    "Actually, I don''t like them either..."


    Jordan wouldn''t be attending training today, the reason still being tendinitis.


    However, owner Abe Pollin visited the Verizon Center again to inspect the yers'' practice.


    Doug Collins led the team through a tactical course, and then arranged a scrimmage.


    Yu Fei didn''t participate in today''s scrimmage because he was taken away from the court by Wes Unseld for a "charitable activity."


    "A charitable activity? Is it delivering gifts to the slums, or caring for the elderly at nursing homes? It''s not going to schools to meet kids, is it? I don''t want to go."


    Unseld said solemnly, "Mr. Pollin wants to see you alone."


    It was hard enough the real boss wasn''t around, now the fake boss wanted to summon him. What game was this?


    Yu Fei, with his doubts, followed Unseld to the door of the boss''s office.


    Susan O''Malley had been waiting there for a long time.


    "Frye, Mr. Pollin appreciates you a lot, so he wants to have a private chat with you. Don''t overthink it," Unseld said, "Michael won''t know."


    Yu Fei''s doubts grew; what did it mean that Michael wouldn''t know? Meeting and chatting with the real boss needed to be kept secret from Jordan?


    Wait, weren''t Jordan and the boss on the same side?


    Right, how could they be? Who could stand Jordan?


    Yu Fei entered the office where Pollin was sitting, looking at documents.


    "Boss, did you want to see me for something?"


    Yu Fei cut right to the chase.


    "Don''t call me Boss, you can call me Mr. Pollin."


    He really loved being called ''Mr. Pollin,'' but he couldn''t truly believe that everyone was ascking in integrity as Unseld, could he?


    "Oh, Mr. Pollin."


    "Flye, that''s what your mother calls you, right?" Pollin showed friendliness, just like Yu Fei had seen before.


    "Yes, that''s the pronunciation of Fly in Chinese."


    "They do sound quite simr," Pollin continued talking about trivial matters, "Lately, I''ve often heard people mention you, even outside D.C., people know the Wizards have a promising Asian yer. You''ve brought us attention that Chris Webber and Juwan Howard never did."


    "It''s a team effort."


    "You''re very modest, I like young people who are humble."


    If Pollin hadn''t witnessed the day Yu Fei forcefully pushed the coaching staff to start him, Yu Fei might have believed him.


    But probably the only one who still thought Yu Fei was modest after witnessing that, could only be Pollin.


    "I hear you and Michael have had some small frictions?"


    "Yes, very small frictions. Please rest assured, there won''t be a problem. Michael and I both have a sense of boundaries; we will not overstep each other''s limits. Moreover, Michael is my mentor and friend. I will always respect him."

 Chapter 115: Chapter 88: I am Anti-Mike, what, my boss too?_3

    All right, I''ve said what I have to say, it''s time you let me go, isn''t it?


    Yu Fei didn''t want to speak in official jargon with the big boss anymore.


    "Fi, I indeed like humble people, but sometimes, if someone is too humble, that''s just hypocrisy."


    Are you talking about yourself?


    Yu Fei asked dryly, "Ah? Am I being hypocritical?"


    "You are very hypocritical."


    If you like someone who isn''t hypocritical, then I can also stop being hypocritical.


    Yu Fei didn''t want to beat around the bush with him anymore, "Boss, I''ll just call you Boss, and please call me by my English name with an authentic American ent, and stop saying ''Chinese.'' We''re not that familiar, so to me, you''re just a person who pays my sry, and I''m someone who ys basketball for you, that''s our only connection. Do you have anything else?"


    Pollin liked humble young people, that was true.


    Wes Unseld was his ideal employee, always knowing when to advance or retreat, understanding choices, aware of who provided for him, and he would always respectfully and lovingly call the person who gave him work "Mr. Pollin."


    Yu Fei was not that kind of person.


    Pollin recognized at a nce that Yu Fei was not, and would never be, the submissive type of subordinate like Unseld.


    Like Jordan, to a great extent, Yu Fei didn''t see himself as merely a worker; he saw himself as a coborator. Therefore, he did not respect the franchise owner.


    However, Pollin wasn''t the type to lose his temper because a young person didn''t show enough servility. If he could tolerate Elvin Hayes back in the day, he could certainly allow Yu Fei to be so rudely clear about their rtionship.


    "I like your frankness, Frye. I see you as if you were my nephew," Pollin said.


    Yu Fei asked with a smile, "So, what do you want from me, Uncle Bolin?"


    "Your promise, your loyalty, your stance."


    Yu Feiughed, "I won''t do anything beyond my obligations, meaning, obligations not included in the rookie contract."


    "A contract is a contract, and a person is a person. We live in a disgusting world, Frye. Sometimes, you just have to do things that are beyond your obligations."


    "Like what?"


    "Keep doing what you''re doing. Just make a promise, and I guarantee you will be the face of the Wizards Team for the next 20 years!"


    "And what is loyalty?"


    "As a yer, don''t you think you should be loyal to the city you''re in, loyal to your colleagues, your teammates, and your boss?"


    Suddenly, a flood of information poured into Yu Fei''s mind.


    The first thing he ascertained was that the big boss was also "Anti-Mike."


    To keep doing what he was doing, wasn''t that asking him to continue to be against Jordan?


    The boss, who had given Jordanplete control of the team, was making such a demand of him?


    After thinking for a while, Yu Fei responded, "Loyalty should be mutual. Until things change, I''m certainly loyal to D.C., loyal to the fans, and some teammates. As for my stance, sorry, I wasn''t born with ''Anti-Mike'' genes. What I''m doing is just what I want and need to do, which has nothing to do with taking a stance. I won''t make any promises for that kind of thing. After all, you''re asking me to be loyal to my teammates, but if I agreed to your request, wouldn''t that be an indirect betrayal of my teammates? I won''t do that."


    "All right, Frye, it seems you still don''t quite trust me," "You, a big boss, waving the g of Jordan for me to go against Jordan, and you want me to trust you? Is there something wrong with your thinking?" "You do have a point. Loyalty should be mutual. Just go ahead and be yourself. As long as you''re loyal to D.C., my promise still stands."


    "Can I go back to training now?"


    "Go ahead."


    After Yu Fei left, Susan O''Malley and Wes Unseld entered the office.


    "Frye didn''t say anything strange, did he, Mr. Bolin?" Unseld asked.


    Pollin looked at him kindly, "He said a lot of strange things."


    "Young people... It''s normal for them not to understand."


    "Do you think Michael is sensible, Wes?" Pollin stood up, his face showing shades of purple and red for the first time, "They are the same kind of people. They will never understand that offending the franchise wille at a cost."


    Omari asked in surprise, "Frye refused?"


    "Are you surprised?" Pollin spoke coldly, "But from the moment he walked into this room, whether he agreed or not became irrelevant. Michael will never trust him again. In any case, he''s my man, even if he''s unwilling, Michael has a thousand ways to push him towards me."


    Omari nodded in agreement, she smiled, "I think Michael probably knows about this by now."


    Ansel blinked, wanting to speak but decided against it.


    Although he understood every word Pollin and Omari said, his mind couldn''t digest it.


    He suddenly wondered, could it be possible that Yu Fei also didn''t understand, and that''s why he refused Mr. Bolin?


    You can''t rule out that possibility, right?


    Right? The big Wes felt he''d found the biggest blind spot.

 Chapter 116: Chapter 89 How dare you!!!!!!

    Chicago


    Jordan and Tim Grover, along with six other team members, arrived at the hospital and met with Dr. John Heffernan, a sports medicine doctor who had worked with him for many years.


    "Michael''s knee has swollen up again," Grover exined the situation.


    Even Jordan could not deny that the tendinitis had developed to a state that could not be ignored.


    At this point, Jordan''s assistant brought up thest suggestion he wanted to hear, "Taking a few games off might be better."


    Jordan red at him fiercely, and he quickly backed off.


    "I want to keep ying; that''s why I''m here, but if... if the condition has progressed that far, if Dr. Heffernan and Dr. Haas both think I should take a break, I''ll consider it."


    Heffernan had worked with Jordan even longer than Grover had, and he wasn''t sure whether Jordan wouldmit to a long-term hiatus to heal before he was left with no other choice.


    There was precedent for this; as early as 1985, in Jordan''s second season, when he broke his navicr bone on his left foot, he entrusted his career to Heffernan and underwent treatment by this renowned Chicago orthopedic surgeon. The rehabilitation n was tost six to eight weeks, but it actually took much longer, until Jordan couldn''t bear it any longer and participated in an informal game in North Carolina during his recovery, which displeased Jerry Krause and the other members of the Bulls'' staff.


    After ying in that game, Jordan was convinced that he had recovered. He angrily stated that his foot had healed enough to let him get back into the games. He told Heffernan that he needed to y, he needed thepetition.


    At the time, Heffernan agreed to Jordan''seback n and vouched for it; he believed that the young Jordan had recovered. But now, Jordan was no longer young, and Heffernan knew that any advice was pointless because, in the end, Jordan would do as he pleased.


    Unlike Grover, Heffernan didn''t advise Jordan but followed procedure, arranging for an MRI and the second knee drainage surgery since September.


    When the results of the MRI came back, Heffernan didn''t see any structural damage, but there was significant tendinitis, so his advice to Jordan was, "Reduce your ying time, don''t y back-to-back games, lower the intensity of your training, rest your legs as much as possible, let the swelling subside."


    Jordan gave no definite response.


    But that was the reality, there was no quick fix for his problem, and the merciless years on the basketball court and age had taken a heavy toll on his body. After retiring for the second time and being eager toe back, Jordan had nned a training intensity that exceeded what his body could handle, and his knees were now beyond the threshold of "wear and tear."


    "Michael''s knees have been through a lot of wear, and human knees are not made for wear," Heffernan observed, also noting Jordan''s rming ying time recently, "The heavy minutes early in the season could lead to more irritation and inmmation, you need to let Doug control your minutes from now on."


    Like Grover, Heffernan believed that if it weren''t for Jordan''s hurriedeback after a three-year retirement, his knees could have been maintained very well. The doctor knew better than the tterers: Jordan was not a god, but a man ¡ª an astonishing athlete with an extraordinary body but still a human ¡ª his muscle deterioration was nearly the same as other athletes his age, only Jordan had more talent.


    During the time he left, Jordan''s physical condition deteriorated, the leg muscles that provided core strength and stability around his knees atrophied due to a long period of inactivity and age, losing most of their protective force. If Jordan had never retired, he would still have faced some decline, but not to this extent.


    Heffernan pointed out, "At your age, legs typically lose some strength. The muscles of a 38-year-old certainly aren''t as good as those of a 25-year-old. Your thigh muscles aren''t as strong. Compared to young people, you have fewer fast-twitch fibers and a lower percentage of muscle fibers... your career is nearly over."


    Just as Heffernan was earnestly advising Jordan to take aprehensive look at his physical condition, his assistant, who had just taken a call, came over and whispered something to Jordan.


    Rationality vanished from Jordan''s mind, reced by fury.


    "That bastard, how dare he!!!"


    ¡ù¡ù¡ù


    After meeting with Abe Pollin, Yu Fei discovered that things wereplicated within the Wizards.


    On the surface, Jordan ruled everything, but Pollin was clearly very dissatisfied with his various actions.


    For some reason, Pollin, the major boss, the actual owner of the team, dared not confront Jordan face to face, so when Yu Fei appeared, he set his sights on the young man.


    Because of the sensitivity of the matter, Yu Fei called his agent after training to inform him in detail of what had transpired in the office. Continue your saga on m|v-l''e -NovelBin


    He wanted to know if his decision was the right one.


    Even Arne Trem was shocked by Yu Fei''s situation.


    "Theplexity of D.C. might even catch up with L.A.," Trem remarked.


    "Catch up?" Yu Fei asked in surprise, "Are you saying Kobe''s situation is worse than mine?"


    Since Kobe''s agent was also Trem, Yu Fei asked this question.


    With a meaningful tone, Trem said, "I would like you to know the kind of life Kobe lives. You might think D.C. is bad, but believe me, there is always someone enduring in an even worse environment."


    Yu Fei had no interest in the environment Kobe was in; he just wanted to know what his next move should be.


    "What should I do?"


    "You only have two paths before you, work with Pollin, or bow down to MJ."


    "I''ve already turned down the BOSS."


    "Then you have only one path."


    "Bow down to that old guy? Impossible."


    "Then you''re out of options. What happened today will definitely reach Michael''s ears. If you don''t show any sign, he will assume you''ve sided with Pollin. But in fact, you''ve already rejected Pollin, which means if Michael increases his pressure on you, you won''t be able to get any help from Pollin."


    Yu Fei countered, "Am I where I am now, starting from just a bench yer with 15 minutes of game time, to a starter, because of Pollin''s help?"


    "No, he didn''t give me anything. Since training camp, he''s beenissez-faire towards the old guy, and that''s why I don''t trust him. That''s also why I won''t work with him. He just wants to use me to cause trouble for the old guy. Once the situation changes, he will be the first to abandon me!"


    Trem had no rebuttal to Yu Fei''s point. With too many yers under his management and superstars like Kobe and McGrady to focus on, he couldn''t give all his attention to Yu Fei.


    Therefore, given the Wizards''plicated circumstances, Trem thought that Yu Fei siding with one of the two powers could give him some breathing room.


    But Trem didn''t anticipate Yu Fei''s fighting spirit to be so resolute, not even a Hall of Famer like Kobe, who superficially donned the "perfect team yer" act under reality''s pressure, had the same ungging courage to charge into battle that Yu Fei did. This was the hardest path.


    If Yu Fei knew Trem''s thoughts, he could onlyugh.


    His situation was nothing like Kobe''s.


    Kobe was "aggrieved," so "aggrieved" that at a young age he had two championships under his belt, "aggrieved" that he had the League''s number one leading the way, "aggrieved" that he could be close friends with Buss, a big boss who would trade away Shaquille O''Neal and Jackson for Kobe.


    Given that the "difficult environment" Kobe faced was led by Phil Jackson, one of the creators of the Bulls Dynasty, and the "aggrieved" role of team yer was due to Shaquille O''Neal, the most dominant yer in the post-Jordan era.


    What did the Wizards have? Are people like Pollin trustworthy? He didn''t even dare openly criticize Jordan. Collins? His "value" is enough spelled out by being reced by his own assistant coach right after leading the team to the Eastern Conference Finals. Jordan? What does that old man have topare with the current Shaquille O''Neal?


    Really, if Yu Fei and Kobe were switched, he could also y the team game, he could also recognize the Shark as his big brother, he could also listen to the boss.


    "If you insist on not taking sides, you must continuously put in outstanding performances, so great that neither Michael nor Pollin can find fault."


    "I''ll try my best," replied Yu Fei, "but actually, it doesn''t need to be soplicated. I don''t have to be the best, I just have to be better than most. If they''re thinking of settling scores with me for one bad game, they''re overthinking it. I''m not Kwame."


    Speaking of Kwame... Trem wondered how he was doing. Every time he called to check on him, he sounded morose. The reason? Jordan, of course. And when Jordan bullied Brown, and Brown couldn''t give a response on the court, as an agent, he felt powerless too.


    "Is Kwame okay?"


    "He''s alive."


    "That''s good."


    "Let me know if there''s any news."


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "I''m now considering aeback. I miss the days of ying basketball. Seeing Michael struggle alone is hard for me. I think I could help him, but I need to lose about 25 more pounds first, so I can really be of help. I don''t know if I can help him, but I don''t want to see him fight alone, because I''m one of his true friends." ¡ª Barkley said openly on TNT''s program.


    "Did MJ''s visit today to the Chicago hospital to see his personal doctor, John Heffernan, prove that the longstanding concerns about his knee are valid?" ¡ª The Chicago Globe


    "Doug Collins refused to respond to questions about MJ." ¡ª The Washington Post


    "Karl Malone is upset with an article published online by an anonymous Jazz executive, which attributed the 38-year-old Malone''s performance decline to hisck of trainingst summer." ¡ª The Utah Star


    "Frye, do you think Michael''s knee has a problem?"


    "How dare you!!!!! I refuse to answer such a question!"


    (How dare you)


    "May I ask why?"


    "Michael averaged nearly 38 minutes per gamest month, and you think his knee has a problem? What are your intentions? Who put you up to asking this question? Are you the one spreading rumors outside? How dare you!!!!!" ¡ª Yu Fei said in an interview with the Washington Chronicle.

 Chapter 117: Chapter 90 Rileys Prophecy

    In early December, the Wizards had a difficult time ahead of them; they were about to embark on a five-game road trip, starting with a challenge against the Miami Heat in Miami, then heading to Texas to face off against the Spurs, Rockets, and Mavericks in session, before taking on the Memphis Grizzlies in Memphis and then returning home.


    The main difficulty of this journeyy in the Texas trip; both the Spurs and the Mavericks were Western powerhouses not to be underestimated.


    For the Wizards, if they could achieve a record of 3 wins and 2 losses during this five-game road trip, it would be considered a sessful outing.


    Yu Fei took the team bus to the airport as usual.


    The events of yesterday were still circling in Yu Fei''s mind, but upon seeing Jordan today, he did not bring up yesterday''s matters, pretending to be unaware of everything.


    Yu Fei was not naive enough to think that Jordan had not received the news. Even if he had not, Pollin would have made sure to inform Jordan.


    Since Jordan did not bring it up, Yu Fei was not keen on provoking the elder''s anger. If they could continue to respect each other like this, that would be for the best.


    Miami


    Jordan''s old rival Pat Riley had been looking forward to reuniting with Jordan for a while, but the decline of the Heat dampened Riley''s enthusiasm.


    As a product derived from the ''90s New York Knicks gang, Riley''s greatest wish was to lead the team to a championship. However, a series of yoff defeats against the Knicks and Alonzo Mourning''s kidney issues thwarted the Heat''s grand ambitions.


    Last season, the Heat were ranked third in the Eastern Conference, and had the second-highest payroll in the East, yet they were swept in the first round of the yoffs. This led the owner Micky Arison to decide on a rebuild and requested Riley to keep the payroll at a level that would not trigger the luxury tax.


    This requirement meant that at most only one of Tim Hardaway, Anthony Mason, Dan Majerle, Anthony Carter, and Bruce Bowen could return to the team.


    The oue was messy, with Hardaway going to Das, Mason to Milwaukee, Majerle to Phoenix, Bowen to San Antonio, and the least expensive Anthony Carter was the one who stayed.


    In the NBA, Riley had always been an existence akin to James Cameron; there''s a joke that he doesn''t know the figure on the team''s budget unless the team wins a championship, otherwise, he won''t look at the bill.


    The Heat, having lost three starters without gaining any substantialpensation, could only pray for Alonzo Mourning to be a kidney warrior and hope that third-year Richie Davis and second-year Eddie House could shoulder the burden. If they couldn''t, then it was doom, and the consequences of doom weren''t bitter¡ªthe chance for a lottery pick in defeat, which the Heat needed.


    Before the game with the Heat began, Yu Fei arrived at the American Airlines Arena two and a half hours early.


    This indicated he almost took a taxi straight here right after getting off the team bus.


    His onlypanion was Anthony Lawson.


    Third-year guard Anthony Carter, in whom Riley had high hopes, also had the habit of arriving several hours early for shooting practice. When he saw a yer from the visiting team on-site, he was quite surprised.


    "When did he arrive?" Carter asked the staff at the court.


    "An hour ago."


    When Riley arrived at the venue, he learned about Yu Fei''s warm-up situation from Carter and hoped the team would pay special attention to him tonight.


    "I know him, he''s the young man who has a conflict with Michael." Riley''s eyes shone as if he could actually emit light, and he watched Yu Fei for a long time before saying to someone beside him, "Go find out if Frye always does this at away games or if today is just an anomaly."


    Riley admired those yers who could endure hardship; he believed only hellish training could forge strong will and dependable skills.


    Those who fell in hell were not worth mentioning.


    That night, the Heat dragged the Wizards into the abyss of missed shots with their tenacious defense.


    Yu Fei''s pration lost its effectiveness against the Heat''s disciplined zone defense, and his passes resulted in his teammates'' missed shots.


    Fortunately, the pre-game shooting warm-up proved to be valuable.


    In the second half, Yu Fei began to take shots from the free-throw line, sessfully helping the team break the stalemate, and Jordan also yed a beautiful game¡ªmaking 10 of 20 shots, scoring 22 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and dishing out 4 assists.


    Yu Fei followed closely, scoring 18 points, collecting 9 rebounds and 3 assists on 7 of 13 shooting.


    Together with Hamilton, who made 6 of 19 shots, the Wizards had three yers scoring in double figures and eventually defeated the Heat 88 to 77.


    After the match, Riley and Jordan were seenughing and chatting.


    Yu Fei intended to just greet Riley and leave, but to his surprise, thetter warmly shook his hand, "You were the best yer for the Wizards tonight!"


    "MJ is," Yu Fei emphasized, "the best chosen by your home court."


    Riley seemed to hear the displeasure in Fei''s tone and said, "In my heart, you are the best yer."


    Fei''s impression of Riley had stopped in 2015, the old man who through devilish training had squeezed the talent out of a bunch of low-drafted and undrafted yers, thereby growing the Miami Heat into a strong team in the Eastern Conference and entering the finals twice only to be crushed by the talent of the Western Conference champions.


    His rtionship with Jordan seemed pretty good. Fei remained wary of him, so he responded like a young man who didn''t understand courtesy, "Thanks, but I don''t care."


    Having said that, he left.


    Assistant coach Keith Askins could see what Riley was thinking: "Pat, are you interested in that kid?"


    "The rift between him and Michael must be real," Riley said with a faint smile. "Let''s keep a close eye on the Wizards'' news. If one day Michael has had enough of him¡­"


    Discover more stories at mvl


    Askins felt Riley''s words were somewhat far-fetched.


    Would the Wizards trade Fei?


    It sounded incredible. Fei was undoubtedly the best rookie of the 2001 ss, currently averaging 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block per game. Considering his age and the rate of his improvement, he certainly had the potential to be an All-Star or even a superstar. How could the Wizards possibly trade him?


    "I know what you''re thinking, but remember, behind every seemingly irrational thing, there is an absolutely rational factor," Riley prophesied. "Trust me, it will happen."


    That evening could be said to have gone smoothly. The Wizards won, Jordan''s shooting percentage reached fifty percent, and the topics of "how the tendinitis affected Jordan" and "does Jordan really have tendinitis" were somewhat curtailed. The media were obsessed with it because Jordan hadn''t been performing well. Once Jordan yed well, they could ignore even the im that his brain was electrocuted.


    The day after, the Wizards arrived at San Antonio.


    Interestingly, on the Wizards'' way to the hotel, they could often see Spurs fans with extrarge figures on the street holding up signs that read "MJ, You Need Charles Barkley."


    The signs always made Jordanugh.


    Barkley''s im of aeback to assist Jordan was just the start of his abstract career on TNT. Next year, he had a big stunt nned that even Chinese fans would be familiar with.


    As usual, Fei always arrived at the arena early to warm up.


    However, it would have been better had he note, for the sight of the Spurs'' home court greatly surprised Fei.


    The modome was a massive dome-shaped stadium.


    It could amodate 65,000 spectators, which meant that since the Spurs chose it as their home court in 1993, they had never filled it to capacity.


    Just which genius chose this home court, a huge 65,000-person stadium for watching basketball games?


    The advantage of arge stadium is that when there is a focus game, many supporters will buy tickets.


    That evening, the people of San Antonio had not be immune to Jordan like the people of Washington. A total of over 36,000 spectators were present, and the momentum was indeed extraordinary.


    Then, Fei saw Tim Duncan and Tony Parker for the first time.


    Before Fei traveled back in time, people often said online, "Duncan only averages these stats; how is he the first power forward?" He didn''t know why Duncan was the first power forward because he had never watched Duncan''s games. But he had seen James y, and he felt that Duncan''s career value depended on James'', just as Curry''s historical status also depended on James''.


    If Duncan was the first power forward, then James, who was defeated by him in the finals twice, must be top five in history. The only reason Duncan isn''t the first power forward is that some people can irrefutably argue that Curry is a system yer. Once the narrative that Curry is a system yer seeds, the three finals victories over James mean nothing in terms of value; hence, James doesn''t even have the qualifications to be a top ten in history, let alone a top five, and doubts naturally arise on whether Duncan deserves to be the first power forward.


    It seems like a triangle rtionship, but living in 2001, Fei couldn''t see their respective debaters enter the fray to argue.


    So he decided to lift James into the top ten in history andbel Curry a system yer so that no one would argue anymore, and the basketball world would be peaceful. Wouldn''t that be beautiful?


    That night, the Wizards made a slight change to their starting lineup, which included Jordan (ying as point guard), Hamilton, Fei, Ratner, and White.


    For the Spurs, the starting lineup was Parker, (Steve) Smith, Bowen, Robinson, and Duncan.


    This was Collins''s lineup experiment. He allowed Jordan to y the point guard position, which meant Hamilton could enter the starting list.


    It was a bold move. Throughout his whole career, Jordan had only yed as a point guard for a brief period at the end of the ''80s, then in 11 games, he achieved a triple-double in 10.


    Undoubtedly, this was proof of Jordan''s "if he wanted, he could average a triple-double," but it must be pointed out that the Bulls lost 6 of those 11 games. Therefore, the reality is "even if he could, they would be Westbrook-style triple-doubles (1)."


    However, that was Jordan at the peak of his career; what an elderly Jordan ying point guard would look like was yet to be seen, and Fei had his doubts.


    (1) Jordan often went to the scoring table to ask how many assists and rebounds he needed to get a triple-double. If I wanted to criticize Jordan, I would stop the discussion here, but I''m just stating the facts. These facts also include that at the time, public opinion was that he wasn''t as selfless as Magic Johnson or as well-rounded as Bird, and couldn''t lift his teammates, so his triple-double pursuit was actually out of spite. As a fan, I can understand this, how about you?

 Chapter 119: Chapter 92: I Would Feel Embarrassed

    After Yu Fei left the court, Jordan, returning to the small forward position, regained a bit of his vitality.


    Since he no longer needed to bring the ball up the court and had no organizing responsibilities, Jordan could focus solely on scoring. Indeed, during this stage, he became the main offensive yer for the Wizards.


    However, his physical condition today was not optimistic.


    Although he made a few good ys, he soon found himself struggling.


    Duncan was in a great state and soon caused Christian Laettner tomit his third foul, forcing Collins to make a substitution.


    Nevertheless, no matter who was switched in, the result was the same.


    Duncan merely needed to post up low, back down, turn around for a jump shot or a face-up hook shot; these simple two moves were unstoppable.


    "I don''t know how long I need to y before I can dominate a game effortlessly like him," Kwame Brown watched with eager eyes.


    Yu Fei replied indifferently, "Why sell yourself short? He was the first pick in 1997, and you were the first pick in 2001; your starting points are the same."


    Then, Brown kept staring at Yu Fei until Yu Fei couldn''t stand it anymore.


    "What are you looking at?"


    "Nothing, I just feel that you''re more like a first pick than I am."


    "That''s because I''ve surpassed youter on," Yu Fei said bluntly. "The boss says there''s a reason you''re calledzy."


    On the court, the starters had almost rotated out, but the only one who remained was Jordan.


    Tim Grover was extremely anxious and said to Collins during the Wizards''st offensive y of the first quarter, "Michael needs to rest for at least 7 minutes in the second quarter!"


    Collins asked a question that infuriated Grover, "Is he willing to rest for that long?"


    "Damn it!" Grover eximed, "You''re the fucking head coach. Show some backbone!"


    Meanwhile, Jordan was controlling the pace on the court, preparing tounch a buzzer-beater against Bowen.


    As the most lethal clutch yer in history, Jordan''s legendary story was written through a series of marquee game-winning shots. That''s the charm of sports; no matter how tense a game is, a few seconds can turn everything around.


    This was the moment when Jordan felt most confident andposed.


    But to Yu Fei, it signified his slip from the ruling ss and announced the end of his own dominion.


    Dragging his weary and painful legs, Jordan forced himself to exert power, attempting to hit a buzzer-beating jumper over Bowen. This tale started with his 1982 NCAA championship-winning basket for North Carolina andsted until the sixth game of the 1998 NBA Finals, where he snatched the ball from Karl Malone, brought it upcourt by himself, and as the breathless Delta Center in Utah watched desperately, he controlled the pace, dribbled, faked, pushed off, knocking Byron Russell to the ground. In that split second as he took to the air, a camera captured that precious moment and the reaction of the crowd.


    Those faces of horror fully illustrated how Jordan was the guillotine of basketball in clutch moments; he would leap high, hang above those unfortunate victims, stick out his tongue, filling the air with a terrifying sense of inevitability, and then as the basketball left his fingertips, it hinted at the falling axe, severing the heads of the opponents.


    Today he leapt again, but this was not the Jordan of 1998 or 1982; this was the Jordan of 2001, an old man who couldn''t jump high, whose injuries prevented him from finding the optimal shooting touch, and surprisingly got blocked by the defensivelymitted Bowen who seized the timing of the jump shot and rose to block it.


    The modome erupted with a terrifying roar as the first quarter came to an end.


    Jordan could no longer sustain the effort; he hobbled off the court, and the team doctor immediately approached. Grover gestured to take him to the medical room amidst the chaos.


    This was another nightmare for Doug Collins.


    From today on, the questions about "not taking good care of Jordan" and "letting him y for so long knowing his injury" would follow him like a shadow.


    "Since Michael might not be able to return to this game, should we switch our style of y?"


    Yu Fei wouldn''t miss any opportunity when Jordan lost control of the team.


    Collins, anxious about dealing with the media after the game, looked helplessly at him: "What do you want to do?"


    "It''s clear that we have a major disadvantage inside, and moreover, TD is difficult to deal with. Instead of double-teaming him, it''s better to let him attack our defense freely."


    "Let him attack the inside freely?"


    Collins felt that Yu Fei was againing up with wild ideas, "Do you know that if we don''t defend him like we did in the first quarter, he could easily get 40 points 20 rebounds inside?"


    As far as I know, Duncan''s teams don''t usually win those kinds of games.


    Yu Fei smiled, "Then let him get them."


    "What did you say?"


    "Let him get 40 points, 20 rebounds," Yu Fei said. "Allow him to attack by himself, as long as we don''t let him connect with his teammates. Even if he gets 50 points, what''s there to fear?"


    Although what Yu Fei said seemed unbelievable, after calming himself, Collins felt that it might not be a bad strategy.


    Now he had no time to worry about Jordan''s situation; he could only focus his attention on the game.


    "What exactly do you want to do?"


    Even Collins himself hadn''t realized that he had developed a dependence on Yu Fei simr to Jordan''s.


    Yu Fei said, "Give me three teammates who can shoot threes, and on offense, have them follow mymands entirely."


    Collins knew that Yu Fei was nning to run that "Supreme" style pick-and-roll offense.


    "Do you mind if Christian ys?" Collins asked.


    "I do mind," Yu Fei said realistically, "so you''d better not let him y."


    Collins then said, "He''s the only big man on our team who can shoot threes."


    "Fine, as long as he doesn''t mess things up..."


    That settled it.


    In the next quarter, the Wizards'' starting lineup was Chris Whitney, Richard Hamilton, Yu Fei, Christian Laettner, Popeye Jones.


    "Don''t think I''ll cooperate with you."


    Laettner''s dogged nature was something Yu Fei had anticipated.


    "I indeed have no expectations of you acting human, just stand outside the three-point line like a watchdog when it''s time," Yu Fei said while holding the ball and sneered, "I''m the one calling the shots now!"


    Laettner, filled with indignation, couldn''t grasp how things hade to this point, where even Jordan couldn''t control Yu Fei. And somehow, Yu Fei had be the second man under Jordan, with even Hamilton having to settle for third.


    A mere eighth pick, what gave him the right?


    A storm was brewing inside Laettner''s head, and then Yu Fei yelled at him like a ferocious wolf, "Do you need me to teach you step by step how to stand outside the three-point line?"


    Laettner waspletely defeated in spirit, saying he didn''t want to cooperate with Yu Fei, but once in the frontcourt, after being scolded, he obediently ran to the weak side.


    Yu Fei first called for a pick-and-roll with Hamilton, targeting the Spurs'' backup shooting guard, Antonio Daniels, for a mismatch.


    Daniels was a 193 cmbo guard, and with his size, he stood no chance against Yu Fei.


    The Spurs knew the score well; Robinson came forward to help defend, allowing Yu Fei to pass the ball to Jones, who drew the defense just enough for Laettner to get an open shot, passing the ball from inside out.


    Laettner, somehow getting the chance for an open three, took the shot decisively and made it.


    27 to 20


    The Wizards closed the gap to single digits.


    Duncan was resting off court, and the Spurs'' core inside was David Robinson, the veteran who had almost left San Antonio during the offseason because of his early-season slump, resulting in drastically reduced ying time.


    To be fair, Robinson''s discontent was understandable. Last year, Duncan''s free agency made quite the fuss, almost leading to his departure from San Antonio. To keep Duncan, his championship-winning teammate, Robinson made a personal effort to persuade him to stay. The man stayed, but also firmly took the position of the highest-paid yer on the team. This summer, with Robinson''s contract expiring, he wanted a top-paying contract simr to the previous one to retire on; however, the Spurs requested that he take a $7 million pay cut.


    No matter how well they got alongst year, the Spurs had to face reality; giving Robinson $14 million would be a futile attempt at preserving a good reputation and would not only lock up cap space but also risk hitting the luxury tax threshold, something they could not ept.


    Although Robinson thought about ending his career with the Spurs, if it meant losing $8 million, any sensible person would consider other options. But there were none.


    No team was willing to pay a 36-year-old center a $14 million annual sry; this was the reason the Spurs were confident.


    Robinson, known for his selflessness and indifference toward money, was ultimately harmed by his own reputation, reluctantly signing a 2-year, $20 million contract with the Spurs.


    Now, Robinson''sck of desire in the game was unreservedly disyed on the court, although he was in the post, he would not y; he preferred passing the ball out, seemingly aimlessly, simply ying around.


    Seeing this pleased Yu Fei the most.


    With Robinson not opening up inside, the Spurs'' perimeter had to rely on individual ability to solve problems.


    Is this the courteous and easygoing Admiral? Good for you, cool your jets; in about fifteen years, a guy named Leonard will teach them how to be a mature management team that understands yers.


    The Spurs'' offense ended with a ng.


    But not all clunks are the same; this round''s miss offered the Wizards a fast-break opportunity.


    Yu Fei grabbed the defensive rebound and immediately whipped up a whirlwind from the backcourt. Spurs'' reserve forward Malik Rose tried to stop Yu Fei, but his attempt cost him dearly. Yu Fei suddenly came to a halt and changed direction mid-drive, leaving Rose stumbling in front of him, ignoring the jeers from the crowd as he powered to the basket and hammered down a ferocious tomahawk dunk.


    Popovich, with a dark expression, wanted to curse but didn''t know whom to me.


    Yu Fei pointed at Rose andughed at Popovich, "Hey, send someone normal to guard me, this won''t do. He''s paying me too much respect on first encounter; I''d feel embarrassed."

 Chapter 120: Chapter 93 Holy Sh*t!!!!!!

    "Hey, send someone normal to guard me..."


    Popovich''s expression changed rapidly before settling into a dark glower, aimed towards Bruce Bowen, faintly sensing the impending storm, "Bruce, why do you think that rookie is so arrogant?"


    Bowen epted the reality that any response would be met with criticism: "I don''t know."


    "Because you didn''t f*cking limit him just now!"


    It began...


    Popovich lectured Bowen for several minutes. During this time, Bowen simply endured in silence.


    Soon, the Spurs failed again on the offensive, and Yu Fei initiated a defensive counter-attack that led to Chris Whitney hitting a chase-down three-pointer, bringing the game to a halt for the Spurs.


    27 to 25


    The gap was only 2 points.


    The momentum of catching up, led by Yu Fei, had reduced the Spurs'' lead, established in the first quarter, to almost nothing. Popovich, not daring to underestimate the situation, decisively brought back Parker, Bowen, and Duncan, and had Duncan y center, moving Malik Rose to his preferred swingman position at power forward.


    On the Wizards'' side, Collins, despite his shorings, was possibly even better at adapting on the fly than Popovich at this stage.


    He keenly sensed that Popovich would bring back the main yers and would sub out thecent David Robinson, hence he had Ratner y the center position and substituted Kwame Brown in for Popeye Jones.


    In terms of y style, Collins still followed Fei''s preferences, but he correctly guessed Popovich''s tactical adjustments with his lineup changes.


    The Spurs'' offensive indeed intensified with the return of their three starters, starting with Parker, who blew past Whitney as if he were a post, and Ratner was unable to provide the same internal protection as Jones, giving up easy scores.


    29 to 25


    "Rookie, you got me scolded so badly," Bowen said, his tone unchanging but his words chilling, "I won''t let you off."


    Upon hearing this, Yu Fei ran to the top of the arc to set a screen for Whitney and quickly received the ball at the moment of separation.


    Because Parker didn''t switch and Bowen was focused on Yu Fei, suddenly, the two of them were trapping Fei.


    Yu Fei seemed to have only a pass to break the y, but in the middle of Bowen and Parker''s trap, he saw a gap. As someone skilled with the ball, he knew what that gap meant for him: it was an opportunity to break through the defense.


    In an instant, Yu Fei sidestepped, dribbling the ball behind his back through his legs, stepping toward the gap with his right foot, leaning forward, catching the ball with his left hand. In almost the blink of an eye, Fei had torn through Bowen and Parker''s trap.


    Duncan had to help on defense, and the cost of that help was leaving Ratner open.


    But Yu Fei used a passing motion to draw Malik Rose''s attention to Ratner, giving Kwame Brown the chance to shake off his defender and eventually receive the ball for an easy dunk.


    29 to 27


    "You can''t stop one with two of you, are you serious?" Yu Fei didn''t forget to pressure Bowen and Parker before he ran back, confident that Popovich would be moved by this.


    Indeed, Popovich was already frustrated, as his two most often scolded yers had let Fei break through their trap, leaving him unsure of whom to vent at.


    But, as not even Duncan''s help defense could stop Fei on that y, it could only be said that the opponent yed well, and ming his yers was unnecessary.


    Coming back on the offensive end, the Spurs decisively cleared out to let Duncan go one-on-one against Ratner.


    Yu Fei watched Duncan''s post moves closely.


    Using his left foot as a pivot, Duncan suddenly pushed back hard, and Ratner, the pushover that he was, had no chance to resist and was easily disced by Duncan. After testing and finding his opponentcking, Duncan decisively gathered the ball, using his body to bulldoze Ratner and finishing over him as he put the ball in the basket.


    From the perspective of the audience, Duncan''s y looked forced since Ratner was sticking close to him, but Fei on the court could see clearly that if no one helped Ratner on defense, letting Duncan y like this ten times in a row, the oue wouldn''t change.


    The offensive end had to go to Duncan; that was Fei''s thought.


    If they didn''t frustrate Duncan on the defensive end, his resolve and confidence in dominating Ratner and Brown offensively would be even more unshakeable.


    Whitney continued to bring the ball past midcourt, and Fei, like the previous y, set a screen for him and then received the pass.


    The Spurs didn''t trap like they had the previous time, nor did they provide the optimal defense against the screen and roll ¨C a switch.


    Since Fei had not shown enough shooting threat that evening, handing over mismatches through switching to maintain the current yer matchups didn''t align with the contemporary understanding of defense.


    Not switching inevitably created offensive opportunities for the team calling the pick and roll.


    Fei decisively drove inward, and once he gained half a body lead, Bowen closely guarded him. Inside the three-point line, none of Bowen''s elbows were well-behaved.


    Perhaps this answers why there''s no need to switch on perimeter pick and rolls?


    Firstly, ball handlersck the ability and habit of shooting threes directly off the pick and roll, as seen in the small-ball era, and secondly, the defensive system inside the three-point line allows for aggressive hands-on defense, enabling the defender to use their hands to forcefully dy the opponent even after losing half a body''s position.


    The pressure from Bowen, one of the League''s top defenders, meant that Fei''s need for the ability to stop and shoot off the pick and roll became greater, but that was for the future. It would require practice focusing on that shooting rhythm and a lot of in-game experience to get the feel for it.


    The Wizards couldn''t possibly give him the chance to practice right now.


    With a myriad of thoughts shing in an instant, Fei steeled his heart, bearing down through Bowen''s interference, making a hard drive inside the paint and managing to draw a foul.

 Chapter 121: Chapter 93 Holy Sh*t!!!!!!_2

    "You''re really not easy to deal with."


    Every word Frye said made Yu Fei suspect that a sneak attack was imminent.


    Yu Fei nced at him coldly. Even though he hadn''t resorted to any dirty tricks yet, the feeling of being elbowed and bumped still lingered unpleasantly.


    "You''re actually easier to handle than I thought," Yu Fei responded.


    On the sidelines, Popovich was no longer angry about Frye sticking to Yu Fei, even at the cost ofmitting a foul.


    He realized that Yu Fei, despite his youth, was indeed difficult to handle.


    That kind of height,bined with ball-handling skillsparable to a point guard, was simply unbelievable.


    Normally, even big men with good ball skills lose their center of gravity and the ball when facing intense defense, but Yu Fei maintained his poise under the pressure of Frye''s close defense and even drew a foul.


    Popovich believed that Frye was guarding Yu Fei as if he were on the level of Kobe, Carter, or McGrady, but basketball had evolved over a hundred years. At its inception, the defense had the advantage. Yet, because ofmercial demands, professional basketball has always favored the offense, and today, a hundred years after its birth, the offense has be the dominant force in the game.


    Although the League felt it was still not enough, the offense truly was very strong.


    It was strong enough to prevent top defenders like Frye from legally stopping an attacker who was already up close within the allowed rules.


    When that attacker withstands the defensive pressure, he really can do as he pleases with defenders on his back.


    The problem is, few attackers can withstand that pressure.


    But Yu Fei could.


    Although the Spurs'' coaching staff hadn''t studied Yu Fei in detail yet, the fact that a rookie could perform to such an extent in a leading role already proved his strong immediatebat ability, and his age meant he had unlimited potential for development.


    Then, Duncan posted up Ratner and called for the ball.


    Popovich''s heart eased.


    The future of the NBA lies with the likes of Yu Fei, but the current NBA is dominated by people like Duncan.


    Duncan exerted his strength.


    Ratner was crushed once again, and when Yu Fei was called for a foul on the next defensive y for trying to double-team aggressively, he gave up.


    It was clear that the referees didn''t want him to "touch" Duncan, so he wouldn''t.


    After all, he wasn''t the only one who could help defend against Duncan.


    Unexpectedly, whether it was one-on-one or two-on-one, Duncan always found the optimal solution, and his effortless ying style reminded people of Joki?.


    Yet his approach to ying the role of a ball-dominant center waspletely different from Joki?''s.


    Everyone who has watched the Denver Nuggets y would be impressed by Joki?, but Duncan doesn''tmand the ball as much.


    Not wanting to risk more fouls, Yu Fei focused on calling for pick-and-rolls at the offensive end to target Duncan, but Duncan was unlike any opponent he had faced before.


    Duncan woulde out to him but wouldn''t get beaten in a single move like those clumsy big men.


    Duncan always maintained the correct positioning, giving Yu Fei enough space to shoot but also being able to contest. Unless Yu Fei had the touch to hit shots under duress, it would lead to a series of chain reactions.


    Coming to the arena a few hours early to warm up, a habit that is usually good, didn''t help Yu Fei find his best touch at this moment.


    He desperately needed more practice in real games.


    After Yu Fei made 1 of 3 shots, he gave up on charging at Duncan himself and began to use Ratner''s exceptional shooting ability at the center position to punish the Spurs'' defense. Although this was somewhat effective, Ratner was not one of thosepletely spaced-out centers from the era of small ball, and his shooting was unstable, whereas Duncan''s one-on-one sess rate was nearly 100%.


    No one on the Wizards could stop him.


    By halftime, the score was 55 to 47; the Spurs had an 8-point lead.


    In the second half, Jordan didn''t return to the game, ording to the team physician, he had gone to the hospital, and the Wizards still couldn''t find a way to deal with Duncan.


    That wasn''t their fault, even the Lakers had no answer for Duncan.


    Shaquille O''Neal could only suppress Duncan, but most of the time they would explode against each other. The reason why the Spurs couldn''t beat the Lakers was that the Lakers had Kobe. With the kings canceling each other out, no one could control the prince, and the situation would naturally be unbnced. This was the unsolvable problem that all teams faced when they went up against the Lakers.


    Nevertheless, when not facing the Lakers, Duncan was just as unsolvable for other teams.


    In the second half, Yu Fei changed his strategy, challenging Duncan with floaters and calling for a lot of guard pick and rolls to mismatches against the Spurs'' shorter yers, all of which were effective. But ultimately, they needed to return to Duncan.


    If they couldn''t resolve the Duncan problem, they couldn''t win the game.


    In the fourth quarter, Yu Fei tried hard, but ended upmitting another foul on Duncan.


    107 to 95


    Tonight, with the Duncan problem unsolved, the Wizards fell to the Spurs on the road by a 12-point margin.


    Postgame Interview


    "This is a very personal question. I''ll know the answer, but I don''t know it now. Michael is in the hospital getting an examination, please stay tuned for our official updates." ¡ª Doug Collins''s response about Jordan''s injury.


    "I know Michael can y, Michael knows it too, and if he couldn''t y, he wouldn''t." ¡ª Doug Collins''s second response about Jordan''s injury.


    "I don''t know, sometimes Michael misses practice, but he''s Michael, we all know he''s not ordinary, injuries can''t keep him down." ¡ª Doug Collins''s third response about Jordan''s injury.


    "I don''t want to answer that question." ¡ª Richard Hamilton when asked how to help Jordan on the court.


    "I''m not happy, this was an ugly game, we yed poorly, especially on defense. When I see No. 44''s stats, I get the impulse to trade Bruce." ¡ª Gregg Popovich discussing tonight''s game.


    "It was just an ordinary game." ¡ª Tim Duncan sharing his thoughts on the game.


    "No. 44 is a tough yer, he gave me a tough night. We won, but I didn''t win. Next time I''ll do better." ¡ª Bruce Bowen on his matchup with Yu Fei.


    "Frye, do you know about Michael''s tendinitis?"


    "Oh, I think I might know."


    "But you said before that you didn''t know, and you called anyone who suspected Michael had tendinitis a malicious bastard."


    "Do you want me to be responsible for everything I say? Sorry, can''t do that."


    "...How do you think Michael is doing?"


    "Can you stop harping on about Michael? The rest of us yed thest three quarters. We tried hard even though we didn''t win, but we gave it everything we had. Don''t you have any questions rted to the game? Can I hear some questions not rted to Michael''s tendinitis?"


    "When Michaeles back, what will you do on the court to help him?"


    "[Expletive]!!!!!"


    ¡ª Yu Fei''s postgame interview.

 Chapter 122: Chapter 94 Isnt Age Just a Number? Sometimes, It Can Be

    The day after losing to the Spurs, the Wizards announced that Jordan would miss the uing game against the Houston Rockets due to tendonitis.


    Yu Fei took the game against the Rockets extremely seriously.


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    Because it was Eddie Griffin''s team.


    Before the draft, Yu Fei was considered a yellow version of Griffin and a lower-tier substitute for him at the draft.


    The New Jersey Nets initially nned to use their seventh pick to draft him, but changed their mind when they realized they had a chance to pick Griffin. As it turned out, they weren''t that in love with Griffin, since on draft night, both Griffin and Yu Fei were traded before they could even be true Nets (Knights).


    The Rockets eventually acquired Griffin, who, although his performance during his rookie season wasn''t up to expectations, at least couldn''t be said to be a letdown.


    Not strong enough,cking NBA-level reliable skills, top athletic ability but easily shoved around, foul-prone, quick-tempered and not diligent in training, and like Yu Fei, uncoachable but without Yu Fei''s immediatebat readiness.


    During the game against the Rockets, Yu Fei didn''t get to sh with Griffin, because thetter was just an unimportant substitute.


    Even though the Rockets had the star backcourt pair of Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley, their obvious strong offense and weak defense, coupled with theck of a defensive anchor inside, meant Yu Fei''s drives were almost guaranteed to seed, and his counterattacks were unstoppable.


    A team with poor defense is the perfect stage for padding stats. In this game, Yu Fei yed 34 minutes, made 11 out of 17 shots, and scored a career-high 28 points along with 14 rebounds and 11 assists, leading his team to victory while also unlocking his first career triple-double record.


    Kwame Brown and Richard Hamilton were the primary beneficiaries of Yu Fei''s triple-double performance.


    Brown yed a season-high 26 minutes that evening, achieving a milestone night with a 14 points and 10 rebounds double-double, his first career one, while Hamilton, as the second scoring option, put up 25 points, bing Yu Fei''s most trusted teammate on the floor.


    "The young yers need to step up, and that''s what I''ve always said, and tonight they did," Collins said with a smile, "Even Michael wouldugh if he saw it."


    Yu Fei''s first NBA showdown with Griffin could have been a great selling point since theirst encounter during the tryouts had resulted in a fight and subsequent bad blood. However, Tomjanovich had no intention of meeting external expectations and kept Griffin benched to avoid any contact with Yu Fei.


    Griffin could only take the floor when Yu Fei was resting, ultimately ying just 9 minutes and performing poorly, with a 1 for 5 shooting, unable topare with Brown, and even less so with Yu Fei.


    "We''re in great form!" Hamilton eximed excitedly, "This is proof of the rise of the D.C. Young Guns! We''ve got Big Fei, we''ve got Big K (Kwame Brown), and me along with others, the future brigade of D.C. has started to unleash its potential!"


    Hamilton''s excitement caught Yu Fei by surprise; the boss had rested for just one game, and they already wanted to cash in on the future, pressuring Big Dan toe back?


    Next was Yu Fei''s interview.


    When asked by a reporter how great it felt to get a triple-double against the Rockets, Yu Fei replied, "Not bad, it would have been even better if I could''ve really yed a game against Eddie, I really wanted to go head-to-head with him because a lot of people say he''s a ck version of me."


    With a sarcastic remark understood by everyone, Yu Fei ended the night perfectly, and then, as the Wizards flew to Das, Jordan rejoined the team.


    "No problem, I cane back in the next game."


    Since Jordan was going toe back, he was definitely going to.


    "It''s really exciting, I can''t wait to hear the creative questions from reporters after the game about how I''ll provide support to the boss on the court!"


    Yu Fei continued with his sarcasticments, and that night''s game wasn''t difficult since Dirk Nowitzki, the core of the Mavericks'' interior, was sidelined with a tension in his hip.


    As if to prove his legs were fine, Jordan yed 42 minutes against the Mavericks, but with a ssic 30% shooting percentage, he scored the team''s highest points.


    Why is a 30% shooting percentage called ssic? Because that was Jordan''s norm this season.


    A 30% shooting rate was a distinctive feature of Wizards Dan; on nights he couldn''t find his shooting touch, his shooting percentage would be just 30% or even lower.


    One could say that Michael Finley blew up Jordan, scoring 32 points with a 55% shooting rate, but the victory still went to D.C.


    Because Nowitzki''s absence not only deprived the Mavericks'' offense of a core yer who could score an average of 24 points per game, but it also turned their interior from one of the best in the Western Conference to the worst.


    That evening, the Mavericks'' starting interior lineup was Wang Zhizhi and Juwan Howard...


    While Old Wang''s offense was decent, his defense in the NBA was certainly of the type that invited bullying, and as for Juwan Howard... After bing an NBA yer, Yu Fei listed a starting lineup of the worst NBA defenders, including star yers.


    This lineup was Earl Boykins (PG), Jason Terry, Steve Smith, Carlos Boozer, and Juwan Howard. Any team with this starting lineup would lose at least 65 games in a season, and each of their stats would still look decent.


    The Mavericks'' temporarily weak interior allowed the Wizards to have the advantage in the paint for once.

 Chapter 123: Chapter 94 Isnt Age Just a Number? Sometimes, It Can Be_2

    Kwame Brown had his second surge in performance, marking the first time he showed a good game in front of Jordan, with a total of 11 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks, effectively neutralizing the adverse impact of Jordan''s shooting inefficiency on the defense.


    Yu Fei was most noticeably affected by Jordan''seback.


    When Jordan was absent, he was the big brother; with Jordan around, he even ranked below Hamilton. As a versatile small forward who did all the menial work on the court but hardly had any possession of the ball, he relied solely on his own enthusiasm and Chris Whitney''s tendency for high passes to score 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.


    103 to 94


    The Wizards beat the Mavericks, achieving a two-game winning streak and climbing to the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference.


    "Their defensive focus was all on me, which brought good opportunities to my teammates..." Jordan hinted that his low shooting percentage had its reasons, indirectly linking Brown''s outbreak to himself, "It''s pleasant to see Kwame seizing the moment and performing well."


    "What about Frye?"


    "He has been outstanding."


    "Michael, would you like to talk about your foot?"


    "No, I don''t want to," Jordan''s tone cooled quickly, "I know whether I can y or not, as long as I''m standing here, it''s not an issue."


    Subsequently, the Wizards headed to thest stop on their road trip¡ªMemphis.


    The Memphis Grizzlies were one of Jordan''s psychological hurdles.


    Since the start of the season, many had said that if the Wizards had used the first draft pick on Pau Gasol, then Jordan''s drafting skills would match his basketball skills.


    Jordan didn''t want to hear it; he never felt he made the wrong choice.


    Most in management, if in his position, would have chosen Kwame Brown.


    But in this world, everyone loves a correct oue; no matter how right the process is, if the result is wrong, it''s a zero score, and there''s no room for debate.


    Additionally, with Kwame Brown scoring double-doubles in two consecutive games, Jordan felt that Brown had matured, was capable of significant responsibility, and it was time to let him prove his eye for talent in a not so high-profile focus game.


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    And so, without any preparation, Kwame Brown was put on the starting lineup by Collins.


    Moreover, Collins ced him in the center position to face off directly against Pau Gasol.


    "Kwame, you know how much effort Frye has put into getting a starting spot, and you are far from his equal," Jordan, before the game, pressurized with his voice, "Don''t let us down!"


    Please change "We" to "I," thank you.


    Yu Fei didn''t have high hopes for Brown, who had only had two solid meals, to perform well.


    Jordan was, in fact, imposing tremendous pressure and problems on Brown out of sheer self-interest.


    After the game started, Brown, confused, bewildered, andcking confidence, unsurprisingly fell apart.


    Sloppy hands, failing to secure position, being dominated by Pau Gasol one-on-one...


    Five minutes into the game, Pau Gasol led the Grizzlies to a 14-94 lead over the Wizards, prompting Collins to call for a timeout.


    Disappointed with Brown, Jordan red at him fiercely and couldn''t help roaring, "Why are you so bad? Why can''t you stay focused? Why are you timid like a scared egg? That''s why you''re bloody worse than Frye! Damn it, how could I have had expectations for you! If you don''t want to y, then don''t, get out!"


    You have been bullying your first draft pick since training camp, crushing his body, devastating his will, making him feel like the worst yer in the NBA. Now that he has finally yed two good games and built a little confidence, you hurry to push him forward to prove you didn''t choose wrong. And now when he''s performing poorly, you forgot his performance in the previous two games and belittle him again as the worst yer?


    Great leader! Great leader!


    Having only been back for a few days, Jordan''s dissatisfaction with Yu Fei had already umted to a certain extent, and at this moment, his humiliation of Brown was like setting a ze to dry kindling.


    "Paul is 21 this year, while Kwame isn''t even 19," Yu Fei asked, "What do you expect him to do?"


    Indeed, Yu Fei''s defiance and his public disagreement had already shaken Jordan''s dominion; this was why they simply couldn''t get along no matter what.


    You want to meddle in the coaching staff''s arrangements, in how I reprimand a rookie, and someday you''ll climb over my head too?


    "I want him, and other pansies who use age as an excuse, to know it''s not an issue!"


    Jordan''s brown eyes were bloodshot with suppressed rage, and he was beyond furious.


    Collins was horrified and wanted to intervene, but he no longer had the chance to speak.


    "Age isn''t an issue?" Yu Fei sneered, "So when you were swept in the yoffs by Larry Bird, it wasn''t due to age but because you yed terribly? Not focused enough? Cowardly like a scared egg? So when you got repeatedly beaten by the Pistons in the yoffs, it''s still because you yed terribly,cked focus, and were a pansy? And..."


    "Shut your mouth, you bastard!" At that moment, Jordan lost his temper, "You want to teach me how to do things? You want to rece me? You think it''s your team! I can trade you tonight! Get the hell out of here tonight!"


    "You don''t really think I like being teammates with you, do you?!" Yu Fei burst intoughter, "If I''m still a Wizard tomorrow, that means you''re the bastard! You''re the old dog who should have been gone but still came back with his tail high, no one wants to be your teammate, don''t think you''re anything special, in my eyes you''re worse than that bastard Christian Laettner!"

 Chapter 124: Chapter 94 Isnt Age Just a Number? Sometimes, It Can Be_3

    ```


    "Enough! Enough!" Collins exerted all his strength, "Stop arguing!"


    It was already toote. The rift between Yu Fei and Jordan had not only torn open a huge gap, but the conflict had also been fully publicized. During the live broadcast of the game, NBC''s cameras focused on the two men, and their mutual hate-filled exchanges could not be hidden.


    Collins had originally thought that in this team, the only one he needed to be loyal to and serve was Jordan.


    But Yu Fei''s arrivalpletely changed the situation.


    "Anti-Mike" might be seen as teenage rebellion, but what about this? Does he respect Jordan? What is Jordan in his eyes? Does he acknowledge Jordan as a leader? If the answer is no, then what does he, who does not regard Jordan as leader, want to do? Jordan, in his fury, had already revealed the answer.


    Yu Fei wanted to rece Jordan.


    Once this terrifying truth was revealed, their rtionship could never return to how it once was.


    Although Collins tried to stop them from continuing to argue with all his efforts, some things werepletely out of his control.


    For the remainder of the game, Jordan didn''t look at Yu Fei, and Yu Fei disregarded Jordan.


    Jordan frantically took 25 shots but only made 9, while Yu Fei, relying on Chris Whitney''s unreserved support (passing) and his one-man pushbacks after grabbing defensive rebounds, created 17 scoring opportunities for himself as well, tying his career-high of 28 points in a single game and securing 8 rebounds.


    When two tigers fight, it is Richard Hamilton who gets hurt.


    The sharpshooting Hamilton, on this night of suffocating intra-team atmosphere, received only 7 shot attempts, making 5 of them.


    The Wizards, having lost all chemical reaction and team coordination, were unexpectedly defeated 89-95 by the Memphis Grizzlies, who ranked second tost in the Western Conference.


    When the referee blew the final whistle, Yu Fei had already exited the game a minute earlier, marking the second time he had done so this season.


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    The Grizzlies''mentator was still criticizing him for being rude, disrespectful to the opponent, andcking sportsmanship, while the media, smelling blood, eagerly anticipated the postgame press conference.


    Postgame interview


    "Frye and Michael have no problems, they are bothpetitive people... We''ve seen a lot of simr things, like with the Lakers... They might not be friends... but that doesn''t affect them fighting side by side." ¡ª Doug Collinsmenting on the intense argument between Yu Fei and Jordan during the game.


    "How could they possibly not pass to each other? Go back and watch the game tape again, such a thing could not happen, I wouldn''t allow it." ¡ª Doug Collins responding to the notion that Yu Fei and Jordan were isting each other on the court.


    "We lost the game, everyone feels the head coach should take responsibility, yes, I am willing to take responsibility." ¡ª Doug Collins discussing the upset loss.


    "Next question." ¡ª Michael Jordan being asked about the intense argument with Yu Fei.


    "My foot is fine, but our team has a problem, I won''t say who specifically is the problem, but obviously, it lies with certain individuals." ¡ª Michael Jordan responding to questions about his injury.


    "I think Frye will be the Rookie of the Year, but I wouldn''t be surprised if I end up winning the award." ¡ª Pau Gasol discussing his matchup with Yu Fei.


    "We can definitely feel the tension in D.C., all I can say is that we were very lucky tonight." ¡ª Sidney Lowe (Memphis Grizzlies'' coach) evaluating the game.


    "Frye, how do you evaluate Michael''s 9-for-25 shooting tonight? Is tendinitis still affecting him?"


    "When us young yers make mistakes on the court, perform poorly, we are told it''s because we''re not trying hard, not focused, too bad, and age is not an excuse for making mistakes and poor performances. So I think, if someone goes 9-for-25, you shouldn''t focus on his injury. If you step onto the court, there are no excuses, neither age nor injury, that''s all part of the game, he just yed terribly."


    "Would you like to talk about your altercation with Michael during the game?"


    "Why not?"


    "What happened at that time, do you... do you have a bad rtionship?"


    Yu Fei let out a mischievousugh, looking at the reporter who asked the question, who came from the New York Times, "Have you ever heard of any of Michael''s former teammates maintaining a good personal rtionship with him? Oh, there might be one, Charles Oakley, that should be the right name, he is Michael''s good friend because he can fight for Michael on the court. But he couldn''t help Michael win, so he was traded. And those teammates who helped Michael win are the same ones who didn''t maintain a good rtionship with him. So this is how I see it; if I really want to help him, I can''t be his friend."


    "How did the argument happen?"


    "I don''t remember." Yu Fei said, leaving the reporters disappointed, although "I cannot be his friend" was headline-worthy, it was not explosive enough. However, Yu Fei''s next words made the media room surge with excitement, "All I remember is, he said he wanted to trade me."


    "What?"


    "He said he wanted to trade me." Yu Fei raised his voice, "Please write this down, put it in tomorrow''s news, these are his exact words, he wants to trade me, so this might be myst press conference as a Wizard yer, nice to meet you all."


    An experienced yer would never be so blunt, but a young man can be. Today''s Yu Fei, just like "Magic" Johnson 20 years ago, was dissatisfied with the status quo. Although he could make a better decision when he calmed down, the young Magic wanted reporters to write his thoughts down in the newspaper, to tell the whole world he had had enough. Yu Fei felt the same, he had had enough too.


    So is age really not an issue?


    No, sometimes it can be.


    ```

 Chapter 125: Chapter 95 The Situation is Unpredictable

    ```


    Tonight was destined to be a sleepless one.


    Yu Fei''s words quickly swept through the sports programs currently being aired on TV; this was breaking news.


    And the next day, those who preferred to get their sports news from the newspapers would also find out what had happened with the Wizards tonight.


    "Frye, do you remember what I told you?"


    "Not to do things beyond redemption?"


    "You still remember..."


    "Because I don''t wish to redeem myself anymore."


    Arne Trem organized his thoughts and felt that the current situation was not disadvantageous for Fei.


    The only thing Fei might lose in this affair was part of his fan base.


    Rumors of Fei''sck of respect for Jordan had been circting for a long time, and tonight''s interview confirmed it. Moreover, it was not just ack of respect for Jordan; there was a hint of sphemy. It was certain that Jordan''s team would release a statement tomorrow revealing the other part of the truth, besides "he said he wanted to trade me."


    By then, Jordan would be forgiven. He bullied Kwame Brown out of love for talent, cherishing talent, to strengthen the young man''s will, but what about Fei? Didn''t he grow under Jordan''s "encouragement"? Why didn''t he have a sense of gratitude? What did he mean by stopping Jordan from educating a rookie? Did he want to be the boss? Even if he had the potential, it was too early now.


    It was certain that the media offensive from Jordan''s team would put a final seal on the entire affair. By then, Jordan would still be Jordan, and Fei would have to bear the name of a troublemaker.


    "Which team do you want to go to?" Trem asked.


    "Anywhere but the Clippers," Fei replied.


    "I understand. Go and rest. This matter is a big deal, but it''s actually not unmanageable. History has seen many yers who caused bigger scenes but ended up staying put," Trem advised. "The trade market changes in the blink of an eye, so until a trade actually takes ce, you still need to be prepared to stay in D.C."


    "I''m fine with that, since it''s not me who''ll be embarrassed if the trade doesn''t go through."


    "If I had known that you and Michael didn''t get along..." Trem regretted allowing Fei and Kwame Brown to attend the Wizards'' trials together.


    Fei hung up the phone with Trem.


    Just as he was about to rest, Quint DiMio called.


    "Big Fei, howe you created such a big news story without any noise? The headquarters are going crazy!"


    Fei retorted, "They disagree with my actions?"


    "No, they have been wanting you to leave D.C. for a while now. As long as you''re in D.C. even if you y well, you''re just promoting MJ''s shoes and nobody will notice your ''The Chosen One.'' You need to go to a team that can build around you," DiMio said. "You''ve made a big move this time, but we werepletely unprepared, so they''re frantic!"


    Fei hadn''t really considered Reebok''s reaction because when he had his three-hundred-round battle with Jordan in Washington, Reebok hadn''t been involved at all.


    Since the two parties had signed a contract, aside from some essential activities and the release of Fei''s signature shoes, there wasn''t much interaction between them.


    It was only after Fei entered the starting lineup that Reebok realized the investment in him could yield a return several times over, possibly even tenfold if he continued to improve¡ªhis future was limitless.


    Fei talked with DiMio for about ten minutes before someone from Reebok called Anthony Lawson, who quickly rushed to Fei''s room to pass him the phone.


    Fei had to hang up on DiMio to talk to the person from Reebok.


    Reebok wanted Fei to detail every aspect of how things had started and transpired.


    Because Jordan''s team would definitely mobilize all their media power for a counterattack, relying solely on Fei''s agent wouldn''t be enough. It was Jordan''swork built up over nearly 20 years in professional basketball. To not be at a disadvantage in the public opinion, Reebok had to step in.


    "Can you outdo Nike in the media?" Fei asked curiously.


    "We can''t," the person from Reebok admitted candidly, "but MJ is a thing of the past for Nike, while Tiger Woods is the present. You should know, even a deity in the sports field must be at the peak to have the influence of a god. MJ has be symbolic, and Nike might not get involved in this, because in the end, those who like AJ will still buy AJ regardless of whether MJ''s image improves or worsens, and those who don''t like AJ won''t buy them anyway."


    These ins and outs were unknown to Fei before; it was something learned in the midst of a dispute.


    After the person in charge at Reebok understood the situation, they asked about Fei''s future ns: "Frye, would you be willing to y for a big-market team?"


    "Thepany can get involved in this kind of thing too?"


    "It''s all in our hands, Frye. We will use all avable resources and power to aid your transfer."


    ```


    "I don''t have any specific thoughts on the matter, apart from the Clippers, any team is fine."


    "Kid, you''ve got to prioritize the market, only those with a big market can build an empire."


    Do I also have to be A KING then? He is already The Chosen One, wouldn''t it be rude to also be A KING?


    "You guys figure it out, I want to rest..."


    The next day, the sports world indeed experienced an earthquake-like effect.


    Whether it was Yu Fei''s harsh critique of Jordan, or his statement "he said he wanted to trade me," or Jordan''s team''s counterattack, or Reebok mobilizing all media power for containment, it all churned professional basketballmentary into a mess.


    Interestingly, among fans, the majority supported Jordan, while in the media, especially amongst those haughty sports writers, it was Yu Fei who had more backing.


    Because Jordan''s authoritarian ways were an open secret within the industry, Yu Fei standing up to resist was seen aspletely legitimate by them.


    The most thorough critique of Jordan came from ESPN''s Marc Stein, who wrote in his article that day: "Now, Michael has no way out, he seems to have to trade Frye. Because Frye has dismantled his hegemony, exposed his despotism and bullying of teammates. For a long time, he has been untouchable as the only god of basketball, but why do we have to pretend he is a perfect saint? His peak was in the ''90s, was it difficult to be the only god during that era? Not at all, you just had to not let assistants massage your prostate, not bite your opponent''s ears during a game, not contract HIV from promiscuity, not be suspected of murdering your wife, and dominate the sport you are part of, and you could be the only god of that era. That''s a very low standard."


    The funniest was ESPN''s Sports Guy, Bill Simmons, who first went on a long tirade denouncing Yu Fei, from the fight with Eddie Griffin before the draft to publicly "betraying" Jordan at the press conference and bringing internal discord into the open to argue "Is Frye Yu the contemporary Rick Barry?" Then, at the end of his article, he "tagged" the Celtics'' general manager: "Dear Chris Wace, although Frye Yu has more issues than you do, he is still the best NBA rookie after Tim Duncan. If we have even a 1% chance of getting him, I implore you not to use your brain with only 10KB of capacity for any thinking, just trade! Whatever MJ wants, we give it to him, everything except for Pierce. I damn well want to see Frye in a Celtics jersey right now!"


    Yu Fei officially went on the market, bing an item for consultation.


    It was also from this day that the Wizards, under the pretext of protecting Yu Fei, aside from letting him participate in daily training, no longer allowed him to y in games.


    The first game Yu Fei missed was the Wizards'' second battle at home against the Miami Heat.


    From the moment news of Jordan wanting to trade Yu Fei was leaked by the person involved, Pat Riley immediately called Jordan.


    And Riley''s offer was truly heavyweight.


    "Michael, you can have anyone from our team, I can also throw in three additional first-round picks!"


    Only someone like Pat Riley, who values the future, would gamble the future in such a way if he believed that Yu Fei could bring a future that no one on his team nor the next three first-round picks could possibly bring.


    Jordan did not immediately agree to Riley.


    Looking at the standards of the offers, Riley''s bid was already high¡ªa standout high-potential rookie for any Heat yer + three first-rounders, a chip that could be used to trade for an active All-Star yer.


    But Jordan didn''t want to give in because he felt he might regret it one day.


    In that night''s game, Riley wished his yers could all turn into supermen, just to show Jordan how formidable they were.


    Without Yu Fei ying, the Wizards were disconcerted in all aspects. If not for the Heat''s poor strength, coupled with Jordan''s "high" 38% shooting percentage that night, they might have actually lost.


    82 to 80


    It was an ugly game with no highlights, and the Wizards won without Yu Fei. That was probably the only oue that could satisfy Jordan.


    Afterward, the Wizards waited at home for the second battle with the Knicks.


    It must be said that Jordan and Hamilton did their utmost for victory, both performing above average, but they were the only ones from the Wizards who did.


    The Knicks had six yers score in double digits, the Wizards had two, and under such circumstances, losing was inevitable.


    Then, the Wizards received another offer.


    The Houston Rockets wanted to trade Eddie Griffin and the 2003 first-round pick for Yu Fei.


    The proposal was rejected on the spot.


    "Eddie Griffin? What kind of trash is that?!" Those were Jordan''s exact words.


    Offers, counter-offers, tugging... Jordan was resolved to trade Yu Fei but couldn''t get a satisfactory return on the market because it was clear to everyone that the one in a hurry to make a trade was Jordan, so why should they go straight to their bottom line? Experience more tales on mvl


    It was only Riley, who had a bit of a rtionship with Jordan and really had no chips for trading, who could only gamble with the future for a swift victory, and the more Riley wanted, the less Jordan wanted to give.


    Things stayed awkward there, yet Yu Fei wasn''t anxious at all, training when he needed to train and resting when he needed to rest. Since he didn''t have to participate in games, he didn''t go the home games or follow for away games. He came home in the evening to see Vince Carter score 35 points teaching his senior a lesson while incidentally defeating the Wizards, and today was another perfect day.

 Chapter 130: Chapter 97 If Jordan doesnt mind, what do I have to worry about?

    Yu Fei was back, although the oue was not surprising.


    This matter also made Yu Fei realize theplexity within the Wizards'' organization.


    On the surface, Pollin and Jordan sharedmon interests, but Jordan''s "performance" was still too stable. Clearly, Yu Fei wasn''t the only one who couldn''t stand his high-and-mighty attitude.


    In Yu Fei''s memory, this was the first time Pollin stood up against Jordan since he arrived in D.C.


    The result was aplete victory for Pollin.


    But would Jordan just lie low? Yu Fei didn''t think so, but he had already used the incident to announce his presence and significance. Even Jordan wouldn''t treat him as just a simple rookie anymore.


    As for the higher-level struggles, Yu Fei didn''t want to get involved; he just wanted to y basketball. So as long as Jordan wasn''t too overbearing, he was still willing to be a dutiful good yer.


    The day after Christmas, Yu Fei and his mother, Yu Fenglin, returned to their hometown in Kent for the holiday.


    Perhaps because the house was somewhat empty, Yu Fenglin rarely showed concern for Yu Fei''s personal life: "You y your basketball games, but you can still find a girlfriend, right?"


    "Haven''t you been following the news recently?" Yu Fei didn''t expect that right after his sh with Jordan, his mother would start to worry about his love life.


    Seriously, where had he had the timetely?


    "What does a big news story have to do with you? Isn''t it just some friction with your teammates?"


    "Yes, that''s it. Um, I''ll ask Tony to introduce me to someter."


    "Tony? You want him to introduce you?" Although Yu Fenglin didn''t have a dislike for African Americans, she really worried that Lawson might introduce unreliable girls to Yu Fei. "You should ask QD (Quentin Demio) to help you out with this."


    "Alright, I''ll talk to him about itter."


    After the holidays, Yu Fei needed to rush back to D.C. to meet with the team, while Yu Fenglin had some sudden matters to attend to and stayed in Kent.


    On December 27th, the Wizards set out from their home court, heading to Indiana.


    This was Yu Fei''s first away game with the team after being suspended for protective reasons for more than half a month.


    It''s worth mentioning that the person sitting next to Yu Fei was no longer Steve Wyche from The Washington Post, but Thomas Flynn from The Washington Times.


    The reason for this change was twofold; one, Wyche was Jordan''s mouthpiece to the outside world, a true Jordan loyalist.


    Flynn, on the other hand, was temporarily drafted from The Times. On his first day at the Wizards, he managed to offend Collins, and Jordan refused to give him an interview. He also prohibited anyone from revealing any news about himself to Flynn. Yu Fei was the only Wizards yer willing to ept him.


    Naturally, Flynn took the ce of Wyche in Yu Fei''s heart.


    Since Yu Fei and Jordan''s rtionship had already ruptured, Wyche could no longer do anything for him, but he needed a local media outlet with influence to speak for him. Flynn was the perfect recement.


    Although Flynn himself did not want to be Yu Fei''s man, he actually had no choice.


    "Hey, Thomas, do you have any suggestions for me for tonight''s game?" Yu Fei asked.


    "Do you think every sports journalist is a basketball expert?" Flynn asked.


    "I don''t think so, but I know you pretend to be one when you report on the Wizards'' team," Yu Fei said with augh. "Come on, tell me. I like to hear whatypeople think about the Pacers."


    Laypeople... you really have a way with words.


    "I think Indiana is a well-bnced team, but they haven''t fully tapped into their potential," Flynn said incisively. "Isiah Thomas is a problem."


    Yu Fei''s face showed no surprise: "I''ve heard legends about how Isiah managed to run the prospering CBA into the ground. I didn''t expect his coaching skills to be so ''remarkable.'' I guess across the whole league, only Michael''s leadership can give him a run for his money."


    This person had imed in front of numerous media outlets a few days ago that he had learned to respect veterans.


    Only two days had passed and the respect he spoke of had been dismantled down to just the character "cao."


    Luckily, Jordan had a habit of wearing headphones to listen to music on the ne, so Yu Fei''s jest did not reach his ears.


    "Do you mind if I put your words into tomorrow''s news?" Flynn asked with anticipation.


    "I do mind. I''ve just reconciled with Michael, wouldn''t that be a great disrespect to him?" Yu Fei said, pausing. "However, Michael is the most forgiving man I''ve met. I believe he won''t mind. Since he won''t, I suppose I shouldn''t either. Go ahead and write it¡ªdon''t make me anonymous. I''m not one to change my name or sit by another name..."


    Flynn would bet on anything that within a week, Yu Fei and Jordan would be at each other''s throats again.


    They were bing an "ideal-state" OK.


    Of course, this "ideal state" was for the media.


    The tense, upromising rtionship between Yu Fei and Jordan was precisely what the media wished to see in OK. Unfortunately, in the past two years, Kobe had somewhat corrected his ways, abandoning his wild, sshy style to be a perfect team yer following team advice. Although there had been sporadic loss of control and numerous frictions with Shaquille O''Neal, since their championship in 2000, there had been no news event to rival the nation-catching headline of "he says he wants to trade me."


    When will it be possible for news like Kobe challenging Shaquille O''Neal to a one-on-one during the off-season and then boasting "this is my team" only to end up getting pped, to happen again between OK¢Å? Flynn mused as he closed his eyes.


    Conseco Fieldhouse


    As before, Yu Fei arrived early at the venue to warm up.


    The staff were busy with preparations for the game.


    Throughout the entire training period, only Pacers'' head coach Isiah Thomas made an appearance.


    Hearing about Yu Fei''s "feat" in D.C., Thomas specifically came over to say, "Young man, I like what you''re doing. It''s important to stick to yourself!"


    Tranted, this meant: Continue to make Dan Zi ufortable; I love to watch.


    Yu Fei didn''t respond to his words.


    In the evening, as the audience filed in, the yers with ideas about the game also arrived around 30-40 minutes in advance.


    Tonight, the Wizards'' starting lineup was Chris Whitney, Jordan, Yu Fei, (Popeye) Jones, and Jahidi White.


    ```


    Christian Laettner suffered a fracture in the first two games and will be out for 1-2 months.


    Although Yu Fei and Laettner had deep conflicts, Laettner was indeed the most versatile yer on the team. His injury was going to have aprehensive impact.


    On the Pacers side, the starting lineup was the same as thest encounter, with Jamaal Tinsley, Jalen Rose, Reggie Miller, Jeff Foster, and Jermaine O''Neal respectively.


    Thomas, dressed in a brown suit, summoned Miller to his side, looking every bit the tactical master.


    After giving his instructions, Thomas even licked his lips with a hint of mockery.


    Then, as soon as the game started, Little O''Neal won the tip-off for the Pacers.


    The Wizards'' starters quickly fell back on defense, but the Pacers set a side screen for Miller, amon move in the small-ball era, providing him with an open shot for a three-pointer as smooth as silk.


    3-0


    "How could someone lose track of their man right at the start of the game?" Yu Fei asked rhetorically, "Who was guarding him?"


    Silence, so very quiet.


    "My bad!" Popeye Jones growled, his face one of the most vicious in NBA history, "I didn''t keep up."


    Yu Fei crossed half court, right into Jordan''s zone, and asked for the ball from Chris Whitney. Then he beckoned to Jordan, who was already in position, "Come out for a screen!"


    "FUCK!" Jordan exploded, "Pass the ball!"


    "OK, then you''d better make the shot," Yu Fei lobbed the ball over to him.


    Ross, guarding Yu Fei, was simply dumbfounded.


    Were these two even teammates?


    But on second thought, it wasn''t that shocking; after all, Yu Fei and Jordan had already openly split.


    It would be urate to say that this was normal.


    Jordan wanted to post up and power through Miller. While his two bumps seemed well-timed, his weakness in the lower body was visible when he turned for the shot.


    "Bang!"


    Jahidi White caught the offensive rebound and went for a putback, only to have it swatted right in his face by Little O''Neal.


    With quick reflexes, Yu Fei dashed to the free throw line, grabbed the loose ball, and seeing no one guarding him, he settled his pace and took the shot from where he stood.


    "Swish!"


    2-3


    To others, it seemed like Yu Fei was hugely disrespecting Jordan.


    And Jordan probably saw it the same way.


    But Yu Fei was just trying to lighten Jordan''s load a bit. A third of the regr season was already over, and Jordan''s shooting percentage was still under 40%; wasn''t that telling?


    If you asked the LeBron of 20 yearster to y like this every round, his shooting percentage would hardly exceed 45% either.


    The Pacers'' offense was very simple. They spaced out; Little O''Neal asked for the ball in the low post. After a small bump, he turned and made the jump shot.


    5-2


    "Chris!"


    Whitney hadn''t crossed half court yet when Yu Fei already had the ball.


    Watching Yu Fei''s approach, Jordan slowed down, sensing that Yu Fei wouldn''t pass the ball.


    His hunch was right.


    Yu Fei saw the Pacers'' disorganized retreat and decided to teach them a lesson.


    Jalen Rose stood in front of Yu Fei, but his build was closer to a shooting guard rather than a small forward, while Yu Fei was nearer a power forward. The size mismatch made their duel seem unfair.


    Rose spread his arms, and as Yu Fei dribbled the ball in front of him, he suddenly fixed his body, lowered his center of gravity, and for an instant, Rose felt as though he was facing Jordan.


    In the way that Yu Fei hung the ball in the air to adjust his stance, he greatly resembled Jordan.


    In just a sh, Yu Fei crossed over beneath his left hip and surged forward. Rose''s defense waspletely breached; he lost his defensive stance.


    Yu Fei took a stride into the key, gathered the ball, jumped, and mmed it home for a score.


    4-5


    "Jalen, what are you doing?!" Thomas shouted. "What kind of defense is that? You let him by with one crossover?!"


    It must be said that Jalen Rose''s defense just then was indeed terriblyckluster,parable to performing a circus act on the court, like Yellow Chocte. And interestingly, they had another thing inmon: their name was Jalen.


    "Hmm, seems like someone got scolded," Yu Fei''s teasingment brushed past Rose like a cold draft.


    The fact that Rose and Thomas had issues with each other was no longer a secret, just like the well-known tensions between Yu Fei and Jordan.


    "That damned rookie!" Rose red daggers at Yu Fei, deciding to do something to save face. Enjoy more content from §Þ??


    ¢Å The incident of Shaquille O''Neal pping Kobe Bryant urred before 1999, though I can''t recall the exact time; you just need to know it happened. The autobiographies of the Zen Master and Kobe, along with the book on the OK Dynasty ("Three-Ring Circus"), all corroborate this story.


    ```

 Chapter 131: Chapter 98: You defend an idiot and still expect others to respect you?

    Yu Fei could tell that Jalen Rose was angry, but he couldn''t immediately retaliate, because his offensive position with the Pacers wasn''t prominent.


    In the set offense, the Pacers'' top priority was to get Jermaine O''Neal into position.


    Isiah Thomas might have been a terrible coach, but at least he knew to have his teammates pass the ball to Jermaine O''Neal, who was locked in position, just like this round.


    Jermaine O''Neal, with his back to Cassidy White, took the ball, firmly pivoted on his left foot, raised the ball with both hands for a turn-around move facing the basket, suddenly breaking the close defense, and then, right in front of White, dribbled the ball between his legs like a guard, and after a side body contact, he used White''s force as a pivot point toplete a turn and cut inside for a m dunk over the defense.


    Beautiful, truly beautiful.


    Jermaine O''Neal''s footwork had earned Yu Fei''s high regard.


    7 to 4


    "Cassidy, are you sure?"


    White was actually posting up in the low block, and he got the position.


    Chris Whitney had no choice but to pass the ball, even Jordan helped him create space.


    Still, Yu Fei didn''t expect White to get past Jermaine O''Neal''s defense.


    White tried to mimic the earlier y, backing down, turning inside, hoping to achieve the same result against his opponent. It was obvious that Jermaine O''Neal''s defensive habits weren''t good, as White actually managed to get past him. However, White''s movements weren''t smooth enough, allowing Jermaine O''Neal to recover and block the shot from behind.


    "Fast break! The Pacers have a chance for a fast break!"


    The announcer at Conseco Fieldhouse excitedly shouted.


    Jamaal Tinsley unsheathed like a sharp sword, but Yu Fei''s figure shadowed him closely.


    Tinsley,cking absolute confidence to score under Yu Fei''s defensive pressure, drew defenders under the basket and passed the ball back out to a following Rose, who attempted a change-of-handsyup, only to have Yu Fei, who had briefly paused, turn around and deliver a fingertip block.


    "Where''s your shot, Jalen? Where''s your shot? Who gave you the confidence to challenge defense head-on? Stupid offense! Pig-headed offense!" Thomas shockingly bellowed, "I''m going to trade you! I''m trading you tonight!"


    Yu Fei didn''t know what kind of yer Thomas was on the court, but his coaching was clearly not up to par.


    Compared to him, even Doug Collins seemed elegant.


    Unfortunately for Thomas, although he berated Rose extensively, the Pacers'' defensive counterattack was still sessful.


    Because the ball ended up with Tinsley on the perimeter.


    Tinsley didn''t rush toplete the offense but waited for his team to get into position before passing it to Jermaine O''Neal once again.


    After exchanging a few moves with White, Jermaine O''Neal felt more confident about White''s capabilities and started to y more rxed. Where he had shown some fancy footwork earlier to forcefully score, now he used his body to run along the free-throw line for a long hook shot from a step inside, which surprisingly went in.


    "Cassidy, you motherf***er!"


    Jordan cursed.


    White suffered the same fate as Rose.


    Now Yu Fei understood why Jordan and Thomas didn''t get along; fundamentally, they were very simr people, as the saying goes, like repels like, and it''s only natural that they would find each other disagreeable.


    9 to 4


    But after these few ys, the gap in the score was showing signs of widening again.


    "I''m really sick of jogging with the old man. Can you pass the ball to me, Chris?" Yu Fei asked.


    Whitney had a ''do whatever you want'' look on his face, since he was now firmlybeled as ''Yu-aligned'' in Jordan''s eyes.


    This time, Yu Fei didn''t give Jordan the chance for a low post one-on-one; before even crossing half-court, he signaled with his hands for him to stand at the baseline and not move.


    Although that wasn''t Jordan''s habitual three-point spot, just his presence there would draw a Pacers defender to watch him.


    Then, Yu Fei got another chance to go one-on-one against Rose.


    "You''re not getting in again!" Rose was the type to make bold statements before action, insisting on not losing momentum, regardless of the oue.


    Yu Fei didn''t respond, dribbling the ball, and once again executed a Jordan-styleteral crossover dribble drive.


    A in and simple move, yet Rose couldn''t keep up.


    Yu Fei got ahead by more than half a body length, and by the time Rose reacted, all Yu Fei had to do was use his body to bump slightly, and he wouldpletely take over the defensive position, signifying the defender''splete failure.


    "What are you doing?!!!"


    Isiah Thomas''s roaring voice was deafening, while Yu Fei leaped into the paint, forcing Jermaine O''Neal to step up for the block, only to deliver a no-look behind-the-back pass to White for an easy score.


    9 to 6


    Jordan was a spectator again for a y, and although he was dissatisfied with Yu Fei monopolizing the ball, sometimes he thought it wasn''t necessarily a bad thing.


    He was suffering from tendinitis and couldn''t exert himself as he wished, nor did he want to invite idle talk by resting. Having a vigorous yer like Yu Fei taking the lead was a good thing.


    But he wasn''t content, he just couldn''t ept how smoothly Yu Fei had taken control of the team.


    This was his domain, and even if he were to concede it to Yu Fei, it should have been his decision to bestow such a privilege. But there had been no such process, as Whitney, that damn fool, never sought Jordan''s consent when passing the ball to Yu Fei.


    "Michael, it looks like you can''t run anymore..." Miller''s words had just finished when suddenly, Jermaine O''Neal''s screennded beside them.


    Jordan thought quickly, realizing it was bad. He wanted to follow up but was already blocked by Jermaine O''Neal.


    Miller caught the ball in an open spot and brought it up to shoot with that distinctive and incredibly ugly shooting pose of his.


    This was a defense Jahidi White couldn''t make up for, but Yu Fei had been watching Miller''s movements ever since Little O''Neal set the screen.


    The moment the Pacers'' y was executed, Yu Fei had already abandoned Ross.


    Ross shouted a warning to Miller, but when Miller first saw Yu Fei, he realized the defender was still four or five meters away and didn''t take it seriously. But when he took the shot, he was stunned by the speed and coverage of Yu Fei''s block.


    "Bang!!!"


    A loud noise erupted as Miller was on the receiving end of one of the most terrifying blocks the NBCmentators had seen in recent memory.


    Yu Fei hadn''t even touched Miller, yet Miller lost his bnce uponnding.


    Afternding, Yu Fei charged forward at full speed, his fearsome athletic ability in full disy, truly altering the game with his defense.


    9 to 8


    Yu Fei''s consecutive blocks led to several missed offenses by the Pacers, and an irritated Thomas, who couldn''t ept that a rookie was so brazenly executing risky defenses and repeatedly seeding, called for time-out.


    The Pacers'' lead was down to just one point.


    "Enough! Enough! I''ve had it with that rookie kicking our asses on the court!" Thomas yelled out two names from the bench, "Al Harrington, Jonathan Bender, you guys swap out for Jalen and Jeff Foster."


    On the other side, while Collins was happy to see Yu Fei changing the game with his defense, it was evident that Jordan couldn''t fit into the fast-paced offense led by thetter.


    "Tyronn, you''re in for Chris." Collins first subbed out Whitney, who only knew how to pass to Yu Fei, and then brought in Kwame Brown to rece White, who was utterly unable to contain Little O''Neal.


    This substitution puzzled Yu Fei; White was considered the best in the team at one-on-one defense inside, and Brown was nowhere near his level.


    If Little O''Neal could toy with White, wouldn''t putting in Brown be like sending in amb to the ughter?


    Although Yu Fei asionally disrespected Collins, he did respect the coach''s ability to adapt on the fly. Now bringing in Kwame could be seen as a desperate move; with Ratner injured, the Wizards'' interior line had indeed be a lot thinner.


    Howe I never noticed how useful that Jianzhong was before?


    Yu Fei thought to himself.


    Seeing the Wizards substitute inside, the Pacers continued passing the ball to Little O''Neal.


    Strangely, despite being physically and strength-wise inferior to White, Brown wasn''tpletely overpowered by Little O''Neal.


    Yu Fei quickly spotted the reason.


    Little O''Neal wasn''t the type to rely on sheer physical dominance; he had the upper hand over White due to his agile steps and quick reflexes, which were coincidentally also Brown''s strengths. Collins had cleverly matched the treatment to the symptom, using Brown as a surprise tactic to see how it would y out.


    The result was pleasantly good; Brown made Little O''Neal ufortable in their very first engagement.


    The shot ended in a ng.


    Having their first offensive y after the time-out fail was definitely not good news for the Pacers.


    However, the Wizards had their own issues; subbing out Whitney, who had good synergy with Yu Fei, for Coach Lu changed the rhythm of the game as well.


    Whitney''s own pace was suitable for Jordan; it''s just that he liked to pass to Yu Fei.


    Coach Lu was the kind of aggressive guard who knew no limits with speed, which was the foundation of his y, and given the opportunity, he could move so fast that even Jordan wouldn''t have a chance to catch up.


    "Too fast! Too fast! How can he be so fast?!"


    Collins eximed, jumping up and down in frustration.


    Collins aimed to change the pace but ended up speeding up the game even more.


    It didn''t seem fair to me him, as the Wizards only really had two pure point guards fit for y; if not Whitney, then it had to be Coach Lu.


    Unfortunately, when Coach Lu picked up speed, he couldn''t even control himself, missing a fast-breakyup and squandering the chance to take the lead. Coming back down the court, the Pacers also tried to speed up, with Miller missing a trailing three-pointer. But then, Brown grabbed the defensive rebound and once again passed the ball to Coach Lu.


    This time, Coach Lu seemed to be mindful of the old man''s feelings, galloping to the front court before abruptly stopping and passing the ball to the trailing Jordan.


    Jordan also attempted a trailing three-pointer.


    And he missed as well.


    The long rebound was corralled by Yu Fei, who couldn''t stand it any longer, gesturing with his hand to slow it down: "Tyronn, if you want to run the old man into the ground, just say so!"


    Jordan was panting heavily, nearly bent over with hands on his knees. He heard Yu Fei''s words, and although he felt upset and rushed, he was too out of breath to speak, resorting to ring fiercely instead.


    But Yu Fei didn''t care about Jordan''s feelings; he turned to Harrington and said, "Who are you? I''d rather be matched against the old man."


    "Kid, show some respect, your ability to be a lottery pick is thanks first and foremost to pioneers like me!" Harrington said arrogantly.


    With that deration, Yu Fei really wanted to see for himself how this so-called pioneer''s defense weighed up. He lowered his center of gravity and started with a crossover, then... no, there was no ''then'' because Harrington might have had the height and speed, but his defense was definitely worse than Ross''s. Thomas was misguided to expect a big forward who wouldn''t lose speed and could keep up the size to be effective, focusing on the trees but missing the forest.


    No matter how talented, if there''s no defense, then to Yu Fei, they''re just like a wooden stake.


    With a single crossover, Yu Fei shattered Harrington''s defense, charging into the paint, collecting the ball, and mming it home, giving the Wizards the lead.


    Considering Harrington''s previous trash talk, the only information Yu Fei gathered was that this person also entered the league straight out of high school, skipping college. But with such unabashed bravado, it really made him, a junior, embarrassed for him.


    "For someone with defense as retarded as yours to skip college? I feel ashamed for you, and I''m also a high school yer!" Yu Fei couldn''t help but say.

 Chapter 132: Chapter 99: Do Not Let The Enemy Pity You

    Looking at the roster, the Pacers aren''tcking in people to match up against Yu Fei.


    However, there''s one problem they all share¡ªnone of them is good at defense.


    Jalen Rose, who has a beef with Isiah Thomas but is still helpless against Yu Fei, happens to be their best defender.


    Al Harrington shines on offense as a versatile wing, a role that has one of the highest turnover rates in the NBA, yet his offense has allowed him to find his niche in the league.


    Harrington can use his size to overpower small forwards or his speed to beat power forwards, but neither advantage works against Yu Fei.


    With a body tough enough to hold his ground in the post against Harrington and speed that surpasses his, Harrington was at a loss, neither able to score on offense nor to guard on defense. It was this matchup that helped the Wizards gain an edge, and in the ninth minute of the first quarter, an energized Yu Fei suddenly pulled up for a three-pointer right in front of Harrington.


    With his mind gone nk from being outyed, Harrington instinctively reached out his hand, only to hit Yu Fei''s arm.


    "Whistle!"


    Remember how Sakuragi retaliated for his Shohoku teammates by knocking down Iron Man? The force of Harrington''s p was akin to how Sakuragi gently touched Iron Man''s face for the sake of Rukawa Kaede, practically without any effect.


    With no real impact, Yu Fei''s shot depended entirely on his own touch.


    Given his condition tonight, there was no way this shot was going to miss.


    "Swish!!!"


    The buzzing Conseco Fieldhouse quieted down for a moment¡ªIsiah Thomas wanted to loudly question what Harrington was doing but knew that if a yer genuinely couldn''t guard an opponent on the floor, pressure from the coaching staff would only lead to their copse.


    "D.C. had a reason for not trading Frye; he''s too good!"


    "If Frye could have been ying these past two weeks, maybe D.C. could have won more games."


    "I think Coach Collins should seriously consider letting Frye y at point guard, he would free Rip from the bench."


    The NBCmentators rambled on.


    Afterpleting a four-point y, Yu Fei was subbed out by Collins for a rest.


    14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks¡ªthat was the stat line Yu Fei had racked up in just 9 minutes, proving he could do everything, everywhere, single-handedly dominating the Pacers and giving the Wizards a 24-15 lead over the hosts.


    Keep in mind, thest time these two teams met, the Wizards didn''t stand a chance.


    The only thing Yu Fei couldn''t understand was, "Why is the old man still on the court?"


    Jordan should have needed the rest even more than him.


    Jordan didn''t y well in the first quarter, and now after nine straight minutes, Collins just wouldn''t sub him out.


    Collins'' expression gave the answer away to Yu Fei.


    If something is happening on the court that most people think should be happening, but Collins, who should have a keen eye for detail, is actingpletely contrary, then there''s only one reason: he''s doing what Jordan wants.


    Jordan doesn''t want toe off the court; it''s as simple as that.


    "Push a little harder, and you might set a new career-high tonight," Whitney said from the bench, sensing Yu Fei''s fiery condition.


    Not ying for half a month had really frustrated him, and he was ready to let it all out in this game.


    "That''s not important," Yu Fei said, "Winning is the top priority."


    Then, Kwame Brown was also subbed out.


    The Wizards taking the lead in the first quarter was partly due to Yu Fei''s excellent performance on both ends, and the other part was Brown making Jermaine O''Neal feel ufortable.


    Jermaine O''Neal hade into the game ready to dominate the paint, but Collins'' deft substitutions disrupted his rhythm.


    These few minutes made Brown realize that while he might not be able to do much on offense in the NBA, his defense was still very valuable.


    "Who can contain Jermaine like I do?" Brown said proudly.


    "Well, since you''ve sessfully defended Jermaine O''Neal, it''s time to try challenging another O''Neal," Yu Fei said amicably, "When we y against the Lakers, I''ll definitely suggest the coach let you match up with Shaq."


    "Then you''re asking me to die. I''m doing it voluntarily!"


    The two youngest yers on the Wizards were chattering away about things unrted to the game, while out on the court, Jordan''s old adversary was settling old scores.


    This was the weakest Jordan Miller had ever seen.


    Now Jordan looked old, his movements stiff, unable to run fast or jump high, and he even struggled with off-ball defense.


    Miller took advantage of the gaps, using screens from teammates to find open shots, hitting a three-pointer.


    "You''re washed up, Michael, slow like a turtle!" Miller taunted with augh.


    Jordan pursed his lips, appearing very angry, but Yu Fei didn''t know how he could respond to Miller.


    From a health standpoint, Jordan already had all the makings of developing chronic tendinitis, an injury that surfaced during the offseason and persisted into the season, with everything he did exacerbating the condition.


    Hasn''t anyone told him that going on like this would eventually be too much for his body to handle?


    Yu Fei believed people told him every day.


    But the stubborn old man just wouldn''t rest; Yu Fei didn''t know why before, but now he did.


    Now that he had entered the starting lineup and sessfully gained ball control, Yu Fei understood what Jordan was worried about.


    He was just afraid of Yu Fei taking over his ce on the team.


    He feared that once he made hiseback from injury, the Wizards would no longer be his team.

 Chapter 133: Chapter 99: Do Not Let The Enemy Pity You_2

    His concerns were quite justified because that was Yu Fei''s ultimate goal.


    But could humans truly fight against the objectivews of the body?


    You''re old, you''re injured, so you should rest well, whatever you want to defend, you can only do it when you''re healthy.


    Jordan continued to struggle on the court, but he no longer shot baskets, just trying to do some auxiliary work, leaving the main offensive tasks to the ever-energetic Hamilton.


    Hamilton did not disappoint, responsible for 8 of the Wizards'' 10 points scored in those three minutes.


    34 to 28


    The Wizards entered the second quarter with a 6-point lead.


    Finally, Collins substituted Jordan, who had yed the entire first quarter.


    Jordan, with just one basket from six attempts, scoring 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in 12 minutes, was he satisfied with himself?


    Yu Fei didn''t care about that; he was called up by Collins, "Frye, from now on, do what you''re good at! Indiana is not ustomed to our fast-paced offense and defense tonight, so let''s keep it up, speed up, speed up, even more! Stick to the fast break to the very end!"


    Stick to the end? I''ll thank my lucky stars if we can stick it until the boss gets on the court.


    Before going on the court, Yu Fei looked at Jordan a few more times, his right knee trembling.


    Unfortunately, Jordan noticed this, "What are you looking at?"


    "Nothing," Yu Fei and Jordan had never been friends. Their rtionship had degraded to the point of national notoriety, with many talk show hosts constantly crafting jokes about Yu Fei and Jordan, evenparing them with America''s historically "wrong couples." So far, people have seen Yu/Jordanpared with Nicole Kidman/Tom Cruise, Madonna/Sean Penn, Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton.


    Yu Fei thought these people were vulgarians. If there had to be aparison, then theparison should be with the future''s Johnny Depp and the Queen. Yu Fei considered himself as ying Depp''s role, a pitiful person who is "not eloquent," "pure and easy to bully," and even pulled down in bed by his partner.


    Now, looking at Jordan again, Yu Fei felt a hint of pity for the old man who had a significant impact on his career, "Don''t make yourself look pitiful, rest well if you can''t y, and don''t drag us down on the court."


    "What did you say?!!"


    "If your condition has already affected your brain and you can''t understand human speech, I can only express my condolences to your family."


    In an instant, Jordan stood up.


    His anger was unmistakable, just like Yu Fei never masked his disrespect for him.


    Tim Grover stopped him, and scolded Yu Fei, "Do you really not know what respect is, Frye?"


    "It''s precisely because you respect him too much that he doesn''t realize the world is full of diverse colors." After speaking, Yu Fei turned and went onto the court.


    Not far away, Thomas Flynn of The Washington Times looked as if he had struck gold, meticulously documenting the conflict between Yu Fei and Jordan.


    He felt like he had hit the jackpot, but oddly enough, the rest of the team seemed like nothing had happened.


    By the time Flynn finished recording, he saw hispetitor¡ªSteve Wyche of The Washington Post¡ªlooking at him with a yful expression.


    "Any problem, Steve?"


    "Believe me, you don''t need to go out of your way to record these things," Wyche said, "This is our life, it happens every day."


    Once Yu Fei was on the court, the game returned to the control of the Wizards.


    Thomas stubbornly stuck to his beliefs, trying to contain Yu Fei with basic tactics like man-to-man coverage or double-teaming.


    An assistant coach suggested he take advantage of the new rule and try out zone defense.


    "I''ll tell you, unless I''m dead, we will not use zone defense!" Thomas said through gritted teeth, "That damn zone defense only turns yers into wastes without a sense of defensive responsibility, I don''t need it!"


    Lacking a defensive stalwart on the wing, and not using a zone defense that is currently the most suitable tactic to contain Yu Fei''s breakthrough, it was predictable that the Pacers would be torn apart by Yu Fei leading the ball.


    After three quarters, the Wizards'' lead had reached 20 points, and Jordan''s performance improved as the fourth quarter became garbage time.


    In Yu Fei''s words, he no longer looked pathetic.


    Jordan first beat Miller''s defense, thenpleted an incredible high-arching reverseyup under the assistance of Jermaine O''Neal.


    Next, he made several jump shots against tight defense.


    For his supporters, the game only truly began at this point.


    This was but further proof of his decline. At 38 years old, tendinitis was devouring what little athleticism he had left, and the skills he could still utilize were perhaps only 25% to 50% of what they were at his peak. For a man who even skeptics acknowledge as the greatest athlete in United States history, witnessing his decline was like seeing a deity corroded, yet it was inevitable.


    Only by epting that Jordan was no longer that Jordan could one understand why there was such an astonishing turnaround in one evening.


    In the first three quarters, he seemed like he was six feet under, yet in the fourth, he suddenly found vitality.


    Then, when thest five minutes yed out and the score was pushed to a 20-point lead, he was finally benched by Collins.


    Tim Grover sighed with relief, "Got through another night."


    And Yu Fei? He was d that Carter finally realized scoring in garbage time was a matter of dignity.


    111 to 99


    The Wizards defeated the Pacers on the road, aplishing their revenge against the opponents.


    A noteworthy tidbit was that Jalen Rose, upon realizing in the fourth quarter that Thomas wouldn''t put him back into the game, furiously kicked over an advertising sign on the sidelines, but fortunately Thomas didn''t see his action.


    Post-Game Interview


    "My shooting was terrible. I had some good opportunities, but I missed them," Jordan spoke of his poor shooting touch.


    "No problem with the knee, it''s not the issue. I just couldn''t find the rhythm, because the Pacers put a lot of defensive pressure on me, but luckily my teammates found opportunities through this, and we won. That''s a good result," Jordan shared his thoughts on the game.


    "Frye yed well. It was his night, and I have no issues with him anymore," Jordan responded to his conflict with Yu Fei.


    "At first, we''d pass the ball to Michael, and the offense would stop there. Now we''ve changed. We started looking for the second and third options... It''s benefited everyone," Hamilton discussed the team''s change in tactics.


    "Michael may not have shot well, but he worked hard at everything else. He''s our unsung hero," Collins discussed Jordan''s performance.


    "Frye''s return was very timely. We needed his energy, and this was his best performance so far," Collins spoke about Yu Fei''seback.


    "Michael''s knee isn''t the problem, and neither is he and Frye. Our only issue is injuries, with Christian''s absence significantly impacting our inside game," Collins discussed the team''s issues.


    "ying against Michael isn''t a big deal. I only care if we win or not. We lost, and that makes me sad," Thomas expressed his disappointment at the loss.


    "Michael is not what he used to be, but that No. 44 (Yu Fei) did some things that Michael would do. Do they still want to trade him?" Thomas talked about Yu Fei''s trade rumors.


    "I''m not unhappy with Isaiah, I''m unhappy with myself. I wanted to be on the court to help the team, but the coaching staff felt I couldn''t do it tonight, so I did something excessive. I can apologize for that," Rose exined the reason behind kicking the advertising sign.


    "Frye, congrattions on youreback. How does it feel to be back on the court after half a month?"


    "I''m excited; it''s something I''ve been looking forward to."


    "Would you like to talk about your issue with Michael?"


    "Sure, it''s not asplicated as you think. We have some differences, and until now, we haven''t understood each other because we''re from different generations. We can never truly understand each other. But what does it matter? John Lennon and Paul McCartney didn''t understand each other either, but that didn''t affect the greatness of The Beatles at all,"


    "Tonight you scored 34 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 blocks. 34 points is a new career-high for you in a single game and this is also your second career triple-double. What are your thoughts on this?"


    "None, because it came easily to me. You know, humans never have any sentiment for things thate too easily."


    ¡ª Yu Fei''s post-game interview.

 Chapter 134: Chapter 100 The Dream Come True Jordan

    After defeating the Pacers, the Wizards'' morale soared, and with two more victories, they weed thest day of 2001 with a 16-13 record.


    On December 31, 2001, Wizards owner Abe Pollin hosted a banquet for the yers and coaching staff.


    At the banquet, Pollin raised his ss and self-deprecatingly said, "At the beginning of the season, I predicted that we would make the yoffs. At the owners'' meeting, almost everyoneughed at me. Now look at where we are? Where are we?"


    Wes Unseld chimed in, "We''re fourth in the Eastern Conference, Mr. Pollin!"


    "Fourth in the Eastern Conference!" Pollinughed, "Fourth in the Eastern Conference! We can do better! As long as we''re under the outstanding leadership of Michael and Doug, we can do even better!"


    Then, he began thanking specific people, especially the two he made a point of singling out.


    He praised Jordan as the best leader the Wizards had ever had after Unseld, and that His Airness, nearly 40, was still an example to everyone.


    "We all know, without Michael, we wouldn''t havee this far!"


    Yu Fei listened silently to Pollin''s words, with thoughts asionally popping into his mind.


    Without Jordan, we wouldn''t havee this far? What about without me, with my average of 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists per game?


    Then, Pollin thanked Collins: "Doug is a smart coach. He has done a remarkable job," especially in undermining Kwame''s confidence and haphazardly arranging the starting lineup, in which he truly excelled. "He loves to work hard and I love him for it. Every day he shows the yers what''s most important. What''s most important, huh? Kneeling down and calling Jordan ''daddy''?" It''s relentless defense, teamwork, and hard work! From the past few games, you can see they''ve all learned!"


    Collins was moved, as if his work had been recognized.


    "Of course, this would be impossible without the effort and dedication of other yers... Am I up next? Come on, thank me thoroughly, don''t be shy." "Rip, I really like this young man, he reminds me of the almost extinct ''Greatest Generation''. He works as hard as the ''Greatest Generation'' every night, withoutint." Damn yellow-toothed troll, do you think he doesn''t want toin? He just doesn''t have the guts! "And poor Christian Laettner, who even yed with a fractured bone, his absence is a big loss for us!"


    Alright, alright, even Jianzhong ranks higher than me, right?


    Yu Fei had expected Pollin''s "cold shoulder" in his speech.


    Who told him to reject the big boss'' recruitment?


    If he had epted Pollin''s recruitment at the beginning, the big boss would have definitely ranked him alongside Jordan and Collins today, but he didn''t, so the big boss could only pretend to have amnesia and put him, the true change maker for the team,st.


    "Of course, there are also some outstanding young yers, Tyronn, Frye, Kwame... Your performance is equally important to the team." What to do, I really want to stuff the goose liver from the table into that yellow-toothed troll''s mouth so he can''t speak anymore. "Really, I''m proud of you all, and I''m happy for myself!" Be less happy, an owner like you only brings misfortune. "We finally have a team we can be proud of! Michael has built them, and the people of D.C. are so excited to see the Wizards at MCI because you keep getting better and winning games. We arepetitive mostly thanks to Doug and Michael... This is how we should be ying. Now, I look forward to the yoffs in a few months. I believe we will get there... I mean, let''s keep moving forward! Let''s keep moving forward! And, as I''ve told everyone, I know Michael will lead us there!"


    Finally, it ended, and Yu Fei could eat like nothing had happened, not caring about what the boss was saying anymore.


    Thomas Flynn, the beat reporter for The Washington Times, seized the rare opportunity to get close to the owner.


    Because Steve Wyche of The Washington Post was the reporter pointed out by Jordan, Pollin didn''t have a close rtionship with him; it was Tim Flynn from The Times, who had joined at thest minute through the back door, that Pollin was willing to engage with.


    Flynn approached Pollin and asked, "Do you keep in touch with Michael often, Mr. Pollin?"


    "We maintain contact," Pollin replied vaguely.


    Flynn didn''t want that kind of answer, but what did he want?


    In D.C., merchandise with Jordan''sbel flew off the shelves quickly. His jerseys, ranging from 35 to 169 US dors, were hot sellers. And during the past three consecutive away game victories, just as often happens at MCI, people chanted his name¡ªMichael, Michael. This was not just encouragement; it felt more like a pleasing slogan, more reverent than fanatical. Sometimes, when he made a gentleyup instead of a m dunk, some fans would boo softly¡ªnot an expression of anger, just a friendly expression of disappointment: most of the boos came from middle-aged fans carrying the burden of expectations.


    Reality was eroding Jordan''s myth. Even on nights when he performed well, some fans left the stadium feeling a strange sense of loss, believing they missed something, but couldn''t pinpoint why. Their weariness had nothing to do with Jordan''s output, only the experience: an evening of beautiful fadeaway shots could never satisfy them as much as a tomahawk dunk. The art of Flying Jordan wasn''t in his total points, but in those two words, His Airness, yet he was losing the magic of Flight.

 Chapter 135: Chapter 100 The Dream Come True Jordan_2

    Collinsid bare people''s dissatisfaction with Jordan to Steve Wyche, "Many say Michael can no longer soar, no longer perform spectacr maneuvers in the air like in the 1991 finals, but so what? I don''t see that as a problem," he''s just aged, and as people get older, they do older people''s things. What''s so hard to understand about that?"


    I really like a quote from Jordan, "Age is just an excuse for wimps and people like me."


    Yu Fei quietly ate his food, hardly speaking.


    Flynn found itughable to try and wheedle bad words about Jordan from Pollin.


    Don''t they see how much good Jordan has done for him? Even if he were dissatisfied, he wouldn''t publicly show the slightest bit of it.


    Unless Jordan can no longer make money for him.


    However, Yu Fei didn''t think Jordan still had a great attraction to the new generation of fans, because Jordan spent 5 out of the past 17 years not ying, with 3 of those years urring in the most recent three. Three years was enough for some stars to rise and take over his position.


    In thetest All-Star voting, Jordan''s poprity clearlygged behind Iverson, Carter, Kobe, Shaquille O''Neal, and Gat.


    It can be said that Jordan has lost the favor of children and young people, and thereby his control over advertisers. His core audience now leans towards an older demographic, but even among that group, the infatuation has waned. Even Nike expressed that they would use younger athletes to promote Jordan''s uing $200 new sneakers. Despite being the greatest basketball yer in history, he has be outdated among young and fresh fans. The harsh reality is that he''s losing fans at the same rate he''s losing his jumping ability.


    For New Year''s, the Wizards flew to Canada''s Toronto to challenge the Raptors.


    It was a marquee matchup.


    No amount of praise was too much for the Vince Carter of 2001, the media''s appointed sessor of Jordan, but he was fed up with the hype, and Jordan didn''t like his sessor either, because he didn''t y defense.


    Although both hailing from North Carolina, Jordan clearly did not want another simr yer from North Carolina appearing, and due to past grievances, Carter was brilliant tonight, scoring 22 points in the first half.


    Then it came to the second half, when Carter blew past Jordan, suddenly Yu Fei leaped from the side, knocked Carter down mid-air, and blocked him.


    It was a foul, no doubt.


    As a rookie, with Carter being a superstar ying at home, the referees wouldn''t miss penalizing this foul.


    Yu Fei readily raised his hand, admitting his foul.


    ced on a typically conceited star, such an aggressive foul would indicate desperation on the opponent''s part, they would respond with full force.


    However, Carter was a "calm" person; Yu Fei''s rough foul was like a bucket of cold water, dousing his fighting spirit.


    Carter''s shooting lost its touch, and a sense of defeat was sweeping over him.


    Yu Fei couldn''t help but reflect that a weak heart can make a yer choose to back down when faced with adversity. Carter was such a person, and this trait of his was already visible the first time he led the Raptors into the yoffs ¡ª back then, McGrady was still on the team, it was Carter''s soaring year, they faced the Knicks in the first round and, although they were swept, every game was close. But Carter at those moments, when people expected him to be Jordan, did not be Jordan; he passed the ball away.


    Tonight, Carter wanted to prove that a young man like himself was no match for an aging Jordan; he did well in the first half, but Yu Fei''s violent foul extinguished his will to fight immediately.


    Then, when Carter violently stopped Jordan''syup, the referees likewise blew the whistle.


    As a result, Carter mockingly said to the referee, "You can keep bailing him out, it''s a good way to help him escape trouble."


    Jordan shot him a cold nce, and suddenly, everything changed.


    Yu Fei couldn''t quite pinpoint what had changed in Jordan, he was still that annoying old man, with tendinitis as the root of all his unstable performance, but Jordan managed to dominate both ends of the court against Carter, with mid-range shots, breakthroughs and even pull-up threes, he was so excited that he even pulled out his trademark up-and-under move from before his second retirement.


    This was the Jordan that the Wizards Team yers knew well.


    He often found this state in practice, but it was rare to see in games.


    Unfortunately for Carter, he ran straight into the line of fire.


    No matter how well he yed in the first half, it was now meaningless.


    The crumbling Carter started to take a barrage of three-point shots, none of which went in, and Yu Fei collected these long rebounds, leading the team to a swift counterattack like the wind.


    Yu Fei himself dunked off a solo drive and also passed the ball to Hamilton, then even Jordan enjoyed the fun of the counterattack.


    Since Yu Fei started in the lineup, this was their best game in terms of chemistry.


    Jordan, who had only 4 points in the first half, exploded for 26 points in the second half, finishing with 30 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists, leading the team to four consecutive victories.


    After the game, Carter stubbornly said, not wanting his performance to be "misinterpreted," "This was a game between Toronto and D.C., MJ and I were just part of it."


    Why did Carter suddenly understand the truth that an individual is only part of a team in team sports?


    Would he have said this if he had dominated Jordan?


    Yu Fei exined his rough foul on Carter: "It was idental, I was going for the ball."


    No one was happier than Jordan.


    "He''s a tough guy to y against," Jordan began with a pretense, "I spent the first half of the game trying to understand his game tendencies."


    When Jordan said this, the smile on his face was clear to see, his pride was unabashed, and this was the physical manifestation of what he had confided to Steve Wyche in his office at the Verizon Center a year ago.


    In the end, Jordan spoke as a victor, "I did a little study on him during halftime and then I took away his rhythm. He still needs to work on his defense."


    So was Yu Fei''s harsh foul inconsequential? What about Yu Fei?


    "Our feelings for each other are good, he has epted my guidance, you know, I always try to guide him, and he''s not the type to easily take someone else''s advice, but I''ve started to see changes in our structured offense," Jordan ended the conversation in an ambiguous but positive tone: "I think he''s getting aprehensive understanding of the game, and I hope he can learn from this type of game."


    The Wizards, firmly at fourth in the Eastern Conference, seemed to have everything going for them, lead by the perfect leader Jordan, top second-inmand Hamilton, and the rising superstar Yu Fei, they were doing better than "Sports Illustrated" had predicted before the season (seventh in the Eastern Conference). Could the new year really bring a new climate?

 Chapter 136: Chapter 101 Thats How We Are on the Washington Jordan Team

    ```


    The Wizards Team''s upward momentum didn''tst long.


    They were about to face their second opponent of the New Year¡ªa Magic Team eager for revenge, now once again a one-man team centered around McGrady.


    Before the game against the Magic started, the Wizards'' Business Director, Susan O''Malley, had a small request for Jordan, "Michael, could you spare a moment to meet with our season ticket holders?"


    Jordan still disagreed.


    "It will only take a few minutes of your time," O''Malley insisted.


    "No, I will not waste my time on such things," Jordan said decisively, "Our situation is great right now; even without these events, the fans will support us."


    Jordan refused, but the event couldn''t be canceled, someone had to take his ce.


    O''Malley found Yu Fei, who in her mind was also a thorn in the team''s side, believing himself to have no extra duties towards the team.


    Surprisingly, Yu Fei agreed.


    Yu Fei appeared before hundreds of seasoned fans who held Wizards'' season tickets, and for the next half an hour, he needed to answer all kinds of questions from this group.


    There were many questions about Jordan and Yu Fei, all of which Yu Fei tactfully dodged.


    Then an old fan named Don Nim asked, "Frye, can we win a championship in the MJ era?"


    "I would say there are no absolutes, sir," Yu Fei replied, "Winning a championship is my goal, but I can''t make a promise. I think even Shaquille O''Neal can''t make that guarantee."


    "Is your rtionship with MJ an obstacle to winning the championship?"


    Good question! Can someone drag this old coot out and bury him, please?


    The next day, the Magic Team arrived in D.C.


    That morning Kwame Brown rarely joined Yu Fei for the morning training session.


    Although the regr season was less than half over, Yu Fei had already be the person Brown admired the most. This was not only for Yu Fei''s strength beyond his peers, but also for his courage to face Jordan head-on¡ªto stand up for him¡ª and for his diligence. Brown believed that if he could practice as hard as Yu Fei, he too could quickly cash in on his talent, but he was toozy to put in the effort.


    "Big Fei, you know what, I asked my mom a question today."


    Yu Fei was stretching with the help of Lawson, but still looked curious, "What question?"


    "I asked her what a pair is."


    Lawson was shocked, "You had to ask that?"


    Yu Fei asked, "What did your mom say?"


    "She said when two or three people are together, that''s a pair."


    Brown said with self-satisfaction, "That seems to exin why my parents'' marriage fell apart."


    "What''s there to be happy about that?"


    "Isn''t it worth being happy about? I feel like I''ve solved a century-old problem that has troubled me for a long time."


    Lawsonughed, "That''s at least funnier than the sadistic chef joke from yesterday¢Å."


    That night, McGrady swept through for 45 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists on the road¡ªeven on their home court, Yu Fei couldn''t escape the referees'' sanctions and fouled out in the middle of the fourth quarter.


    But McGrady''s rampage was somewhat expected, as the Wizards didn''t y like a team on a winning streak tonight, mainly because Richard Hamilton was injured and left the game in the first half.


    If there''s something Collins is most afraid of right now, it''s a reduction in the roster akin to Ratner''s situation.


    Ratner''s fracture made the Wizards'' frontcourt rotation very problematic, and if Hamilton suffered a simr injury, the Wizards would be without a reliable scorer who could deliver 20 points per game for a period of time.


    For the Wizards with a thin roster, this was an uneptable loss.


    113 to 100


    The Wizards lost at home, and Collins epted the interview with a gloomy expression, "Christian is injured, and now Rip might also be out. I know there are risks of injury in a game, but how many teams can sustain such losses?"


    Later, the preliminary examination results from the hospital were released.


    Richard Hamilton had suffered a groin tear and needed at least five weeks of rest.


    This was a heavy blow to the Wizards who were in great momentum.


    "I''ve always told him to find a way to strengthen his body, to gain muscle, but he never listened!" Jordan''sint about Hamilton seemed somewhat callous at the training ground the next day, but at the start of training, he took a leader''s stance, "We won''t fall! We won''t go down because of anyone''s absence!"


    Meanwhile, outside the court, Jordan was also shrouded by two dark clouds: one was the long-running tendonitis guing him, and the other was the mistress in Indiana who was "incessantly" moring through the media, determined not to give up until she extorted a significant amount of money from him.


    On and off the court, Jordan faced major challenges.


    Against this backdrop, the Wizards faced the New York Knicks at home.


    This was the third encounter of the season.


    Tonight, Yu Fei couldn''t find his shooting touch, but his breakthroughs were still sharp. As a secondary attacker on the wings, he helped alleviate the pressure on Jordan, and his fast breaks were unstoppable for the New Yorkers.


    Jordan, on the other hand, exploded against Sprewell on the perimeter, just as he had dominated Carter before.


    ```


    Suddenly, it was as if Jordan had returned.


    In order to secure the victory, Collins yed Yu Fei for 46 minutes and Jordan for 42 minutes. The tense gamested until thest second and ultimately ended with Jordan''s game-winning shot.


    When Jordan scored thest basket, memories not too distant were awakened in the minds of the fans at the MCI Center.


    This cold and ruthless Jordan, resembling a killer, was the man they remembered.


    Almost all the Wizards yers imitated Doug''s fist clench and pursed lips after Jordan''s game-winner, all except for Yu Fei, who sat on the ground gasping for breath.


    ying 46 minutes, and due to a poor shooting performance, he concentrated most of his energy on defense, eventually scoring 16 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and adding 5 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 steal.


    Yu Fei knew it, and so did Collins, without his contribution tonight, the Wizards wouldn''t have won.


    But what did that matter? Tomorrow''s headlines would be dominated by Jordan''s game-winner.


    Yu Fei finally understood Scottie Pippen''s frustration: he did everything apart from scoring, an essential part of winning, yet it was overlooked.


    But Yu Fei wouldn''t be jealous of Jordan like Pippen was.


    Why should he be jealous?


    Jealous of a spent force?


    No, he wouldn''t.


    On the contrary, he should pay tribute to Jordan tonight.


    ying 42 minutes with tendinitis and amidst off-court rumors, bursting past Sprewell and hitting the game-winner sounded just like something Jordan would do.


    But the question was, how long could this conditionst, and when would his body fail him?


    "Frye, how much did you help Michael out there tonight?"


    By now, Yu Fei had evolved from his initial dislike of the question to numbness.


    No matter if Yu Fei teased, ridiculed, orshed out at the media, they would continue to ask this question; they had their missions, after all.


    So Yu Fei answered this question in his own way: "I provided 16 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 steal of assistance. If you have doubts, go watch the game footage," he said.


    Interestingly, Yu Fei inspired his teammates.


    At some point, whenever Wizards yers heard this question and if they had performed well that evening, like Yu Fei, they could justy out their stats without blushing, following the "same as me" principle to give the same response.


    As for Jordan''s tendinitis and private life, Yu Fei''s reaction was somewhat indifferent: "I''m not concerned. Since he can y, his body must be fine. As for his private life, I don''t know anything about it."


    As for Jordan, he was more spirited.


    "I feel good, I feel very good. It''s great to still be able to y games at my age." Jordan seemed to realize that age really can be an issue. "I saw through Latrell''s tricks; he missed a lot of shots on the court, hmm, our defense was good," he said.


    He was humble, but when talking about the absence of key yers and the crucial shots he made, he still exuded an inner arrogance that said, "You must respect me".


    "Christian and Rip were out, we had to ovee that. We needed to y defense just like we did tonight. As long as we keep the suspense until the veryst moment, they know who will end the game." At this, Jordanughed in relief, "I made a key shot, I know, but don''t be surprised, I can''t even remember how many simr ones I''ve made."


    This very satisfying evening for Jordan did not bring him prolonged joy.


    The next day, the Wizards were back-to-back at home against the Milwaukee Bucks.


    Jordan took this game very seriously because the Bucks'' star yer Ray Allen, like Yu Fei, was an openly ''Anti-Mike''.


    At the start of the season, everyone weed Jordan''s return, but Ray Allen stood out by saying something simr to Wang Chuanjun, who was the one to speak up and say "I don''t like it" when hundreds of stars were bootlicking the movie "See You Tomorrow", produced by Wong Kar-wai. He also made his stance clear.


    He did not like Jordan, didn''t like his dominance, didn''t like his dictatorship, didn''t like that Jordan always took all the glory for himself. Their Bucks were a great team, so why should everyone care so much about Jordan?


    That night, Jordan yed 45 minutes, making 11 out of 34 shots, and managed to get only 25 points.


    On the other side, Ray Allen made 11 of his 19 attempts, including sinking 4 out of 5 three-pointers, to score an efficient 27 points along with 3 rebounds and 4 assists.


    With such a significant difference in performance of the core yers, the oue was self-evident.


    The more Yu Fei yed, the more frustrated he became. It wasn''t that he minded Jordan taking 34 shots; what bothered him was Jordan still taking 34 shots in a slow-paced game and doing so inefficiently. In such circumstances, not only did he not have the opportunity to y his preferred fast-paced offense, but he also had to clean up after Jordan''s prolific misses. By contrast, the Bucks yed a more systematic game, passing the ball on offense and fiercely tearing at defense, making them a team with high intensity on both ends of the court.


    Yu Fei yed 44 minutes, but had only 11 attempts. Even being efficient was futile; the Wizards'' style was fundamentally wed.


    With only 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists, Yu Fei''s performance wasn''t enough to lead the team to victory. In the locker room, he directly confronted the issue.


    "Look at the stat sheet!" Yu Fei, clutching the booklet recording the game stats, eximed, "Look at these damn statistics! 34 shots and only 11 makes? Are you kidding me? Can''t you pass the ball? Why do we have to trot up the court with you slowing us down for a one-on-one? Why are you always so inefficient? Why can''t you cede the post to someone more deserving on a night when you''re not shooting well?"


    Jordan exploded in rage, shouting, "I have six championship rings, you want to teach me how to y basketball?"


    Yu Fei liked the words y Thompson said on Paul George''s radio show.


    Thompson said he used his championship rings to silence Dillon Brooks'' provocations because his performance had been so terrible that there was no room left for rebuttal, and it was his only way to fight back.


    When Jordanid out his six championships, Yu Fei just sneered, and the argument ended.


    In the media interview room, when a reporter asked Yu Fei what he thought of Jordan''s 34-shot, 11-make performance.


    Yu Fei said, "That''s how we do it on the Washington Jordan Team."

 Chapter 137: Chapter 102: A Great Personality Shines Brightly

    January 10, 2002, marked the Wizards'' first game of the season against the Timberwolves.


    In the Timberwolves'' roster was a well-known superstar ¨C Kevin Gat.


    In Yu Fei''s eyes, the Timberwolves era''s Gat wasn''t much different from Anthony Davis during the Pelicans period: fragile body, lousy team, unattractive market. But Gat had a stronger mindset than Davis, who, after the team brought in Cousins and suffered unexpected injuries,pletely lost his heart.


    Yu Fei didn''t know how ultimately Gat would fall out of love with the Timberwolves, he just knew that in a few years the guy was going to join the Celtics.


    For the game against the Timberwolves, Collins drew on the experience of facing Jermaine O''Neal, fully aware that nobody on the Wizards could match Gat''s talent. Kwame Brown was the only choice.


    Therefore, Collins started Brown in this game.


    The result, of course, was no surprise: Gat exploded for 28 points, 18 rebounds and easily defeated the Wizards again.


    The most terrifying moment of the game came when Collins, after bing disappointed in Brown, roared at him: "Are you going to let this continue? Are you going to let him do whatever he wants over your head? He''s beating you senseless! What''s wrong with you? What are you doing?"


    Yu Fei didn''t know what kind of expectations Collins held for Brown, but if someone had to take the me for this game, it indeed had to be someone from the frontcourt.


    Jordan, after going 11-for-34 in thest game, hit 14 of 30 shots tonight to score 35 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, while Yu Fei also got 21 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists. But they were the only two Wizards yers with scores in double digits. On the Timberwolves side, Gat dominated the paint, and Chauncey Billups had an exceptional game, scoring 29 points with 11 assists.


    After the game, Jordan said the team needed to be stronger, while Collins inly expressed regret: "I thought Kwame was like Frye, I gave him an opportunity too early, he''s just not ready, he''s just not ready, and all this responsibility is on me!"


    Not ready? Zhou Qi thought that this was spot-on expertise!


    Was Collins defending Brown? No, he was just making himself look like a manager who had misjudged a young yer, when the real mistake was with the young man who wasn''t prepared.


    Regardless of whether Brown was ready or not, wasn''t it normal for a rookie to be blown out by a superstar like Gat in his heyday?


    Would Brown not have been blown out if he had been ready?


    Yu Fei didn''t know if Collins'' actions had any effect other than further undermining Brown''s confidence.


    The next day, the Wizards returned to D.C.


    Everything seemed to return to calm.


    As January''s schedule was about to be more than halfway through, the NBA''s All-Star roster was also nearly announced.


    Jordan''s All-Star selection was a foregone conclusion, and Yu Fei was definitely going to be selected for the Rookie Challenge. Although there was still about a month left until the All-Star weekend, Wizards fans were eagerly looking forward to the All-Star Game again after a long time.


    Afterward, they faced the Spurs at home.


    This was the Wizards'' second meeting with the Spurs this season, and unless the two teams met in the finals, it would also be theirst encounter this season.


    Yu Fei was the best performing Wizards yer that night, despite Popovich insisting on using Bowen to match up against him, utilising a zone defense, and having Duncan ready to help in the paint at all times. But Yu Fei found his three-point touch and kept firing from the outside, ultimately taking a season-high 18 shots and scoring a season-high of 37 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.


    The Spurs possessed the tightest defensive system Yu Fei had ever seen.


    After they realized they couldn''t stop Yu Fei, they began to shift their attention to the other yers on the Wizards.


    Jordan was the focus of the Spurs'' relentless defense.


    The confident Jordan, after a lovely night against the Timberwolves, had the worst game of his career under the Spurs'' defensive pressure, going 2-for-14 in 40 minutes, and scoring only 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists for the entire game.


    Scoring only 6 points made it the first time since 1986 that Jordan didn''t reach double figures in nearly 900 games.


    Tonight, no one asked Yu Fei what he needed to do to help Jordan anymore.


    He had done enough, the problem was with Jordan.


    "Everyone has nights like these, you can only hope he bounces back quickly," Yu Fei told reporters.


    Then Jordan "disappeared."


    That night, Jordan didn''t attend the press conference, with Collins telling the public that it was due to illness and he had gone to the hospital for examination.


    But the discussion about Jordan''s 6 points never stopped.


    The next day, Jordan missed the Wizards'' practice session.


    Then, another day passed, and Yu Fei saw Jordan at the practice court.


    Jordan had not onlye back, but today''s training session was fully open to the media.


    That meant a lot of the media would be here asking questions.


    A reporter from the "Phdelphia Inquirer" approached Yu Fei with a question: "Frye, your current average score has reached 18 points, ranking first among all rookies. If the season ended today, how would you rate your rookie season?"


    "If we make the yoffs, I would give myself an 80. If not, then just a 60."


    "Do you feel you have provided Michael with enough help?"


    Here we go again... Yu Fei rolled his eyes.


    Not far away, Jordan, after being out of the public eye for a day and a half, returned. As the most skilled person in the sports world at convincing himself, he knew the night of 6 points would bring him a lot of skepticism and disdain.

 Chapter 138: Chapter 102: A Great Personality Shines Brightly_2

    ```


    "Just getting 6 points, this is a new low in my professional career, I''m sure you all are saying I''m getting old," Jordan nced at the questioner in front of him, seemingly confirming the doubt, the other party nodded, meaningfulughter broke out around them, but he hadn''t finished. "I know, after that game, you''ll say I lost everything I once had, that making aeback wasn''t a good idea. But I tell you, the truth is quite the opposite."


    That night, before the game, Yu Fei was informed by Collins that he would be starting as point guard.


    "Did the boss agree?" Yu Fei asked.


    Collins said indifferently, "That''s what he means."


    Then, before the game started, Jordan found Yu Fei: "If you don''t y ball the way I''m used to, this will be yourst time ying point guard in D.C."


    The biggest difference between Yu Fei and other members of the Wizards was that he asked nothing of Jordan.


    He wouldn''t submit to Jordan just to y as point guard.


    "If you''re looking for apliant dog, I might not be the best choice," Yu Fei said sarcastically.


    Jordan retorted, "Get the ball past half-court, pass me the ball, figure out how tounch a fast break, then sink the damn three-pointer, that''s what you need to do!"


    These demands sounded easy, especially if Jordan thought he could be the main attacker; Yu Fei had no objections.


    But after his 34 shots and 11 hits in three games and just 6 points in a single game, who would have confidence in him?


    Nevertheless, Yu Fei had underestimated Jordan.


    That evening, facing the Charlotte Hos, Jordan scored 24 points in the first quarter alone, constantly signaling to Yu Fei: "Give it to me! Give it to me!"


    Yu Fei swore that even the most insatiable person couldn''t show more offensive desire in bed than Jordan did on the court.


    What impressed Yu Fei even more was that Jordan erupted at the head referee when a foul during a breakthroughyup wasn''t called: "What the hell are you watching? Didn''t he foul? What are you watching? What the hell are you watching?"


    No other yer could get away with treating an official like that without receiving a technical foul.


    It was another example of Jordan''s privileges in the game.


    But tonight truly belonged to Jordan. Yu Fei did as he was told, took the ball across half-court, passed, defended, countered, and made three-pointers. While Jordan became the oldest yer ever to score 50 points with his 51 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, Yu Fei achieved his career''s third triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 16 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.


    "This is the greatest performance I''ve seen!" Collins excitedly told NBC''s reporter.


    Jordan had been reborn, and the atmosphere at the venue was akin to the appearance of a deity.


    "I''m sure they''ll talk less now and try to understand that I can still y at this level, even though I''m almost 40," he said confidently.


    Yu Fei was the only person who wasn''t excited.


    Indeed, he''d done everything Jordan said, and Jordan had his best game of the season, but whether it was 50 points in a single game or 100, it was still just one game.


    Ifing to the point guard position meant he couldn''t y the way he wanted, with his own style and rhythm, he''d rather go on ying as small forward.


    "Aren''t you happy?"


    Thomas Flynn noticed Yu Fei''s downcast mood.


    "Should I be happy?" Yu Fei asked him.


    Flynn said, "I think you have reason to be. You''ve be a point guard, you''ve received the ball control you wanted most, Michael''s form is returning, and you guys are getting back on track."


    "No, the boss is the only one on track, everyone else has gone off the rails, especially me," Yu Fei said, "It''s simply impossible for me to y my own game within a framework centered around him."


    Flynn looked deeply at the young man before him.


    He had repeatedly told himself not to view Yu Fei bymon standards.


    Any rookie in Yu Fei''s position would be immensely grateful.


    From an eighth pick far less noticed than Kwame Brown, in a team that could be called autocratic, he had resisted the autocrat, yet still fought for a starting spot, and quickly became the front-runner for Rookie of the Year. Now, even the autocrat had to rely on his performance at point guard.


    Flynn could tell that Jordan saw Yu Fei as the Wizards'' Pippen, even if this Pippen was full of irreverence towards himself.


    But Yu Fei didn''t want to be Pippen, especially not for a 38-year-old Jordan''s Pippen.


    "You''ve already gotten a lot," Flynn said gently, "and you still have a lot of time."


    "Would anyonein about getting too much?" Yu Fei said earnestly, "Indeed, I have plenty of time."


    Saying this, his expression hardened, followed by a near-cold rity and rationality.


    "But not a second is worth wasting."


    The more Flynn interacted with Yu Fei, the less he disliked the assignment as a beat reporter with the Wizards.


    Everyone liked to focus the narrative on Jordan, but in his view, the world as seen through Yu Fei''s eyes, the Wizards and Jordan through Yu Fei''s eyes, the NBA through Yu Fei''s eyes, was what was worth delving into.


    Yu Fei belonged to a generation with audacious ambition.


    Flynn could capture the trajectory of the NBA''s development for the next decade from Yu Fei.


    "What do you want to do?" Flynn asked.


    "I know what you''re thinking, Thomas, but don''t worry, I won''t do that," Yu Fei said with a smile, memories of Jordan''s tendinitis and his mistress far away in Indiana shing through his mind, "I''ll wait for the right moment, and I know it''s very, very close, closer than Ca Knafel''s (Jordan''s mistress) settlement."


    ```

 Chapter 139: Chapter 102: A Great Personality Shines Brightly_3

    Two dayster, the Wizards faced the Brooklyn Nets, a team having a strong season.


    As if to prove that the 51 points against the Hos was no fluke, tonight, Jordan scored another 45 points, powerfully leading the team to a 95-76 victory over the Nets and clinching another win.


    Chapter Enjoy:


    Yu Fei once again yed the role of a good lieutenant, scoring 16 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, and dishing out 10 assists alongside Jordan, making Pippen''s influence more and more evident.


    This made Jordan feel that the time hade to win Yu Fei over.


    "Come to the press conference with me," Jordan said to Yu Fei.


    This was the first time Yu Fei had been invited by Jordan since joining the Wizards.


    As someone who had never shown weakness to Jordan, Yu Fei seemed to have finally earned Jordan''s approval.


    Yu Fei stood up, donned his clothes, and walked out of the locker room with Jordan.


    For the rest of the Wizards, this was an unimaginable moment.


    "Has Big Fei entered into MJ''s embrace?" Tyronn Lue looked at Kwame Brown, wanting to know what had happened.


    Brown soberly said, "Impossible, that''s impossible!"


    "Then how do you exin this?" Coach Lu asked.


    "Simple," veteran Chris Whitney said, "MJ knows who can help him win games; it''s an encouragement for Frye."


    "Right! That''s it!" Brown agreed with Whitney''s simple and understandable exnation, which he couldn''t fully articte himself, "That''s the boss! You are only useful to him when you can create value! Frye saw through him a long time ago!"


    When Yu Fei and Jordan appeared in the media room, the atmosphere was sensational.


    The media had never expected to see these two attend an interview together.


    It was like seeing Dwayne Johnson and his family sitting together for a meal in thest Fast and Furious movie, then ending with "Paul Walker''s Happy Tune" ("See you again").


    It was bizarre!


    "Let me introduce my little brother," Jordan said with a kind smile, "Frye Yu, he''s my best helper in D.C., and one of the most talented young yers I''ve met in my career. He has great character."


    Jordan''s words made the reportersugh.


    It was hard for them to imagine Jordan and Yu Fei bing friends.


    Whether it was the initial "little brother" or Jordan''s self-deprecating remark that Yu Fei had "great character," the mood was quite pleasant.


    "Have you resolved all your disagreements?"


    Jordan answered this question: "Even with the closest family members, we have disagreements, and disagreements will always exist."


    "Have you and Michael be friends? How well do you know him?"


    Of course, this question was for Yu Fei.


    Yu Fei didn''t feel that helping Jordan win two good games meant that the past had been blown away like smoke.


    The disrespect he showed Jordan, the challenges he posed to Jordan, and the cold ridicule on the nights when Jordan yed poorly¡ªall those things whispered in his ear like the wind; Jordan only needed to close his eyes and listen carefully to feel Yu Fei''s scorn and disdain.


    "I value privacy as much as Michael does," said Yu Fei, "To me, work is work, life is life. Our seamless cooperation on the court doesn''t mean we have to be friends. Michael is a great teammate."


    That put an end to the friendship questions.


    Jordan could obviously sense Yu Fei''s detachment, and conveniently, he had no intention of telling the reporters how close their rtionship was.


    Because you can''t pretend to enjoy a closeness that doesn''t exist.


    Jordan began to talk about tonight''s game, "I could have scored 50 points again tonight."


    So far in NBA history, there have only been five instances of a yer scoring 50 points consecutively, one of them belonging to Jordan, with the other four achieved by Chambein.


    "What kept you from achieving it?" the sagacious reporter knew how to ask the question.


    "If you watched the game, you''d know I missed a three-point shot before leaving the floor. If I''d made it, I would have scored 48 points." This meant that he was just 2 points shy of scoring 50 points for two consecutive games, and even though Jordan was so tired he could hardly run, he would have persevered if he had made that three-pointer.


    "However, what''s done is done; I won''t discuss things that didn''t happen." Jordan said with a smile, but his expression was still nostalgic.


    Then, a reporter brought up tendinitis.


    On a night when Jordan was excelling, this was not an unpleasant question.


    "I''m receiving treatment." The reporters could even sense Jordan''s excitement, "If my body recovers, you''ll see me more active than I was tonight."


    Then, Jordan left, patting Yu Fei on the shoulder like an elder brother who cares for his younger sibling before exiting the media room, "I leave this to you."


    Yu Fei smiled with a nod, watching him leave.


    Then, Yu Fei began to answer arge number of questions from the reporters.


    All kinds of questions, about two-thirds of which were rted to Jordan.


    Yu Fei admired their tenacity in asking all sorts of questions centered around Jordan''s name.


    Then, a reporter from the Associated Press asked, "For some time, your rtionship with Michael seems to have been tested; what have you learned from that? What has Michael taught you, and what has he given you? If possible, how would you rate your rookie season so far?"


    "That''s a lot of questions," Yu Feiughed, "I will only answer one of them. What has Michael taught me? It''s both simple and profound: the world is structured, humans are selfish and admirers of strength. If you start higher than others, you easily receive favors, but when others catch up, you lose everything; if you have established yourself and are respected, but once you get old, and perform poorly, the same crowd that once exalted you to the heavens will turn into crows to feast on your carcass; only when you''re performing well can you avoid these. No one is absolutely trustworthy, no one is absolutely reliable, the person who curses you today might praise you tomorrow, what you gain today you may lose tomorrow; from the beginning to the end, the only thing that matters is oneself. Everything depends on oneself."

 Chapter 140: Chapter 102: A Great Personality Shines Brightly_4

    "This is what Michael taught me," Yu Fei said, "and I am very grateful for it."


    When Yu Fei returned to the locker room, there were only a few veterans, Jordan, and his team''s people inside.


    Jordan, dressed in a gray suit and holding a ss of c, asked Yu Fei indifferently upon seeing him, "You seemed a bit ufortable in the media room."


    "Did I? Maybe," Yu Fei replied, "I''m really not used to attending press conferences with someone else." Chapter Discover:


    Tim Grover said, "Michael rarely does this, you should be grateful, rookie."


    Jordan gestured with his hand, signaling him to stop talking.


    The few veterans in the locker room left one after another after noticing Jordan''s look.


    "I know you haven''t sided with Abe, and I know you want to rece me," Jordan said, his brown eyes holding a captivating meaning, "Now I give you the opportunity, I let youe to me, you can see how I do things, and if you are strong enough, I can give you what you want."


    Yu Fei responded, "Since you know everything, there''s nothing more for me to say."


    The sense of alienation, keeping himself out, was exactly the source of Jordan''s confusion and dissatisfaction with Yu Fei.


    He didn''t know what he had done to make Yu Fei so averse to him.


    "Rookie, no matter what benefits Abe has promised you, you should know that you are always a yer, and those who y the game with you are not the bastards in suits making profits!"


    Bastards in suits? Yes, there''s one right in front of me.


    "Oh, is that so?" Yu Fei didn''t even want to reply.


    "Dammit! Are you even listening to me?" Jordan barked.


    Digging through his locker without looking back, Yu Fei asked, "I''ve done everything you''ve told me these past few games, what more do you want from me?"


    A surge of nameless anger burst forth from within Jordan. It had always been others seeking his favor, and now he had extended a friendly gesture, but Yu Fei was impervious.


    "You are a promising person, but if you choose the wrong path, then no one can save you," Jordan said coldly.


    "Oh, you make a good point!" Yu Fei mmed his locker shut, picked up his backpack to leave, "Maybe I''ve always been walking in the opposite direction of the one you envisioned. Along the way, I''ve gone from an 18-minute-per-game bench yer to a 38-minute-per-game starter, from a rookie nobody believed in to your ''little brother.'' I''vee too far to turn back now, and I don''t know of anything worth turning back for. This path might be wrong for you, but it doesn''t require me to make a choice; it only asks that I do what I''m supposed to do. I''m not Kwame Brown, I''m not Abe Pollin, and I''m certainly not one of those yes-men around you. Everything I''ve got today, I earned it with my ability, and if one day I''m not up to what I''ve received, I can ept them leaving me. This means, I do not need handouts from others, especially not you. What I least want is for you to give me anything. Not everyone has to lick your boots like a dog¡ªI''ll fight for what I want myself. Do you understand what I''m saying?"


    Having said that, Yu Fei gave Lawson a look, and the two left the locker room together.


    Leaving behind only Jordan with an extremely unpleasant face and the trembling yes-men.


    Tonight, a great character shone brightly, smashing the joy and pleasure brought by Jordan''s MVP performances in two consecutive games like an earthquake.

 Chapter 141: Chapter 103: He Just Did What Most People Want to Do

    The next day, Yu Fei arrived at the Verizon Center for training early, as always.


    Today he was alone, Lawson had gone back to Kent for some business, so on the training ground, there was only him, all by himself.


    After rejecting Jordan''s so-called "recruitment", Yu Fei needed to practice even harder, as only through this could he ensure his good performance on the court.


    In the afternoon, arge group of reporters gathered outside the Verizon Center.


    They demanded that the Wizards open up to media ess, just as they had done a few days before.


    But at that time, just after experiencing a 6-point night, Jordan needed to give the outside world a statement, but now, with two MVP-level performances, he no longer needed them.


    And this was the Wizards'' usual practice, they could choose to close their training sessions based on the needs of Jordan and Collins.


    Despite the NBA''s rules that the media must be kept informed and reporters can watch thest half hour of NBA team training, the Wizards'' practice of closing their training sessions reminded people that Jordan was almost not bound by any league rules. Frustrated reporters have called the NBA office, arguing that the Wizards'' closed practices vited league rules and should be penalized ordingly. But the response from Brian McIntyre, the NBA''s chief of public rtions, was always the same: "We will investigate the matter and ask them toply with the rules."


    Ultimately, nothing changed. The league never fined the Wizards, and Abe Pollin never intervened. In the end, the league''s rules became meaningless. Collins and the Wizards'' PR staff yed the role of gatekeepers, keeping the reporters at bay. Not just reporters from out of town, even Washington''s reporters were beginning to ept being excluded from practice. However, for the reporters who watched the Wizards team flout league rules, Jordan''s supreme power and the Wizards'' closed practices were infuriating.


    Yu Fei put on the scrimmage jersey and found that he could not find Jordan on the court.


    With a sweep of his eyes, he spotted Jordan leisurely active on the stationary bike.


    If nothing goes wrong, he won''t participate in this afternoon''s training. This was his way of taking care of his body.


    No one would say it was unfair, though it was indeed unfair in reality, but who would argue with Jordan? The man yed 38 minutes a game with tendinitis, that was enough.


    For Kwame Brown, Jordan''s absence from the training was more like a liberation.


    Yu Fei performed brilliantly in the scrimmage, leading the ck Team to a big win over the White Team. Collins gathered everyone, said a few words, and then let the yers disperse.


    This signaled the end of a training session.


    Yu Fei sat down and rested. From now on, the yers were free; they could continue training or leave on their own.


    "Let us in!"


    Yu Fei heard the noisymotion at the door.


    The person in charge at the door was named Alexander Nasser, who looked expressionlessly at the reporter with a goatee: "No."


    "The league rules say we can go in!"


    "No."


    "I saw Frye there! And Michael, he''s on the exercise bike!"


    "No!"


    A reporter from USA Todayined in frustration, "Is that the only word you know?"


    "No!"


    "The training is already over, why can''t wee in?"


    Their argument was so annoying to Yu Fei that he came over and asked.


    Nasser nced at Jordan, who was chatting with Grover on the stationary bike: "Because... Michael doesn''t agree."


    That was a verypelling reason.


    Nasser was just a minor employee. If he failed in this task and the reporters found out that Jordan had been cking on the exercise bike all day, who knows what stories they would concoct?


    If things got to that point, Nasser would lose his job.


    "Guys, don''t make it difficult for Alexander, he''s just doing his job," Yu Fei said. "The training is over, there''s no point in you guys staying here."


    Then, the reporter with the goatee quickly asked, "Frye, I''m Sam Smith from the Chicago Tribune, may I have an exclusive interview with you?"


    Yu Fei didn''t actually have time for an interview, but the reporter''s name caught his interest.


    "Are you the ''unforgivable scum'' MJ referred to?" Yu Fei asked.


    Smith''s face twitched, "I suppose I am."


    "I might have time tonight."


    "Isn''t your training over?"


    "Theirs is," Yu Fei said, removing the towel from his shoulder. "Mine isn''t."


    Smith''s opportunity-grabbing ability made his colleagues envious. Yu Fei turned around, and those reporters pleaded, hoping to catch his attention.


    But Yu Fei didn''t give them another nce.


    At eight o''clock in the evening, Yu Fei and Sam Smith met at a Chinese restaurant.


    Yu Fei agreed to Smith''s invitation not just because Jordan disliked him, but more importantly, because this reporter was not submissive to Jordan.


    During the Bulls'' first three-peat, he published "The Jordan Rules", which stirred up a chain of suspicion within the Bulls: "Are you the mole?", "No! You are the mole!"


    He was the first to expose Jordan''s true character to the world.


    "Frye, what do you think Michael expects of this season?"


    Yu Fei chuckled, "The first question of my exclusive interview, and it''s about Michael?"


    Smith immediately got the information he wanted. Yu Fei did not like questions linked to Jordan.


    "You seem to dislike Michael more than I thought," Smith cunningly said. "I never would have guessed that things between you two were this bad."

 Chapter 142: Chapter 103: He Just Did What Most People Want to Do_2

    Do you know thatpared to me, Jordan might dislike you even more?


    Yu Fei said, "I wouldn''t say dislike, I''ve just answered too many simr questions already. Since this is my exclusive interview, let''s talk about something rted to me."


    Yu Fei''s response effectively blocked Smith from probing further into Jordan''s private life.


    "Alright, if that''s what you want, I respect your wish. From now on, no more Michael."


    The interviewsted for 40 minutes, and indeed, Smith did not ask any more questions about Jordan. They talked about a lot.


    Yu Fei''s childhood, high school, draft secrets... Smith asked about it all.


    Yu Fei didn''t hold back.


    At the end, Smith said, "In two days, you''ll be ying against the Bulls in D.C., and I sincerely hope you have a terrible game."


    "Thank you for making me regret agreeing to this interview before it''s even over."


    The next day, afternoon


    Yu Fei and his teammates took the bus to the MCI.


    Jordan was there too.


    His expression was somber, and he seemed to be in a low mood.


    Yu Fei sat next to Kwame Brown, initially intending to close his eyes and rest for a while.


    Unexpectedly, Brown whispered, "Did you hear?"


    "Hmm?"


    "Michael got divorced."


    "Oh, congratte him for me."


    "You''re such an asshole!" Brown said with some decency, "How can you congratte someone on that?"


    Yu Fei leaned back, opened his eyes slightly, and said, "Getting rid of a wife who looks old enough to be his mother when outside could be a good thing for him."


    Yu Fei delighted in Brown''s reaction: "What???"


    "Quiet, I''m trying to sleep."


    "Exin that to me..."


    When the Wizards'' bus arrived at the MCI, the media had already taken over the ce.


    Jordan''s divorce rumors, the game against his former team, whether Jordan held a grudge against Artest for breaking his ribs, and the unusual behavior of Jerry Krauseing to the away game with the team.


    The moment Yu Fei stepped off the bus, a reporter''s question made him chuckle, "What''s your opinion on Michael''s divorce?"


    "Good question, my only thought on this matter is ¡ª what''s it got to do with me?"


    Jordan, who would normally refuse media interviews, seemed to have a strong desire to speak out, which was also rare for him.


    He usually doesn''t want to be interviewed right off the bus, but today... he was open to other questions, particrly about the Bulls, except for his private life.


    "I really like Ron, the rib incident was an ident, and I don''t me him."


    "Hiring Bill Cartwright as head coach was the best decision they madest year."


    "How to turn the Bulls around? If it were me, I''d fire Jerry Krause and let John Paxson take charge."


    Yu Fei caught the clue, it was Krause.


    The reason Jordan seemed to have a lot to say was because of Krause.


    This game appeared to be rted to personal grudges, both Jordan and Krause wanted to win.


    But like the other Wizards yers, Yu Fei treated this game as just another one.


    Then, when the game started, Yu Fei first noticed that Eddie Curry''s attitude was extremelyzy, even worse than Kwame Brown''s, and Tyson Chandler was nothing but a reckless youthcking the physical strength to back up his vigor.


    Chandler was quickly fouled out, and although Curry remained on the court, his defensive attitude was too passive. When Fei broke through, he didn''t even bother with a float shot; he just made ayup right under Curry''s nose, who only made a half-hearted defensive gesture before watching the ball sink in.


    Jordan continued his hot streak from the previous two games, scoring 25 points by halftime and seemed poised to once again challenge the 50-point barrier.


    For a long period, the Wizards maintained a lead of 20 points, but Jordan couldn''t find his rhythm from the first half in thetter, feeling the pain in his legs again. Meanwhile, the Bulls were slowly chipping away at the Wizards'' lead, until thest two minutes of the fourth quarter when the difference was just 8 points. At that point, Fei, who had already been resting, was called up by Collins from the bench to put out the fire.


    Then, the Bulls made a steal.


    The man who got the ball was Artest, who passed it to a yer named Ron Mercer. If this counterattack seeded, the point difference would be reduced to 6 points.


    A 6-point difference with 2 minutes left didn''t make aeback impossible.


    However, Jordan''s pride wouldn''t allow the Bulls any chance to turn the game around at that moment. He chased after them, the 38-year-old looking like a 19-year-old kid.


    Jordan caught up with Mercer, then leaped, snatching the ball with both hands a foot above the opponent''s head against the backboard before violently pulling it down.


    "!£¤!@#£¤%@#%"


    The incredulous fans erupted in roaring cheers, the MCI Center was filled with passionately irrational expletives and curses, as in that single moment, fans could forget Jordan''s second-half slump, the ugly sight of the Wizards losing a 12-point lead, and all other displeasures.


    "Sorry, I''ve got things to do!" Jerry Krause said, dragging his big belly out of the arena, "Sorry, I''ve got things to do."


    Fei walked back to the bench and sat down, knowing he wouldn''t be going on court again.


    The Bulls'' momentum was halted; they fell into the hell of the defeated.


    Fei felt the intense atmosphere, trying to understand Jordan''s charm.


    It represented ruthlessness, intimidation, and utterly unapologetic dominance.


    Fei didn''t know it then, but this was the zenith of Jordan since hiseback, his poprity suddenly peaking, thrusting himself and the Wizards into discussions of All-Star lineups, MVP, and championships.


    The post-game interview was abstract and amusing.


    "Did you see that? Did you see that? Did you see it? That''s Michael Jordan! That''s the greatest yer in history!" ¡ª Collins praised Jordan''s performance fervently.


    "When I get mad, I can still jump high." ¡ª Jordan talked about his astonishingst defensive block.


    "Nothing could stop Michael from ying in this game. Do you think anything could?" ¡ª Grover said to the reporters.


    "We just chose a different direction, which hasn''t been detrimental; Michael is doing well in D.C., and we''re doing fine in Chicago." ¡ª Cartwright discussed the Bulls'' decision after Jordan''s retirement and his being rejected from a front-office position.


    "I... I just want some respect. I''m not the goddamn cripple you''re talking about, I''m not!!!" ¡ª Artest lost hisposure in the media room.


    "I don''t hate Michael... (mixed with shouts from the crowd saying, "Jerry, your team sucks!" and "Jerry, kiss my ass!") ...it''s just one game out of 82, it''s no big deal." ¡ª Krause spoke of the game and his sentiments towards Jordan.


    "Frye, many say this game was as entertaining as a circus. What do you think?"


    "That''s very disrespectful to us who put our hearts into the game."


    "Do you think Michael jumped so high at the end because of his divorce?"


    "...(Are you an idiot?) Is there any normal question I can answer?"


    "Ron Artest hates being called ''the bone breaker;'' do you think the incident where he broke Michael''s ribs affected the game?"


    "If Ron wants to mitigate the impact of this incident, I have an immature suggestion. He could change his name to ''World Peace.'' But I think it''s unnecessary, as he just did what most people wish to do."


    "Most people? Does that include you?"


    "I''ve asked if there''s any normal question a person can answer..."


    ¡ª Fei''s post-game interview.


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "Due to irreconcble differences, Juanita Jordan has today filed for divorce in a Chicago court." ¡ª Chicago Tribune


    "''Irreconcble differences,'' ''25,000-square-foot mansion,'' ''asking for half of the marital assets,''  worth of 400 million US dors''... When Michael Jordan starts hitting headlines this way, I think I fully understand Frye, someone help out, break Michael''s ribs, so we don''t have to see these news anymore." ¡ª The Washington Times


    (1) In a press conference after winning a championship during Jordan''s first threepeat, a perceptive reporter turned to his wife and asked, "Are you proud of your son''s performance?" Jordan snatched the microphone and with the most terrifying look you could imagine, stared at that reporter and said, "This is my wife."

 Chapter 143: Chapter 104 I Dont Want to See Your Face Again

    In mid tote January, the NBA announced the list of yers selected for this season''s All-Star Weekend.


    The most eye-catching was naturally the roster for the main game.


    In the Eastern Conference, the selected yers were Vince Carter, Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Antoine Walker, Paul Pierce, Grant Hill, Alonzo Mourning, Jason Kidd, Dikembe Mutombo, Ray Allen, Baron Davis, and Jermaine O''Neal.


    Since Hill was sidelined for the season, there was one more reserve spot up for grabs in the East All-Star starters, and the suspense was between Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Yu Fei.


    All of a sudden, fans of the Wizards were over the moon¡ªcould Yu Fei actually have a shot at the All-Star game in his rookie season?


    Even as a recement selection, that was still the All-Star game!


    In terms of votes, Abdur-Rahim, from the legendary ''96 draft ss, naturally had a more substantial fan base than Fei. Fei didn''t start until the second month, and his poprity fluctuated due to the previous "he said he wanted to trade me" incident, trailing Abdur-Rahim by nearly 100,000 votes and ranking fifth among Eastern forwards.


    Looking at stats, Abdur-Rahim was averaging 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists per game, while Fei averaged 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.


    As for team records, Abdur-Rahim had no advantage.


    The Wizards were currently ranked fourth in the East, while the Anta Hawks were in the lottery zone.


    The league, driven by the desire to promote new talent, should have allowed Fei the honor of "being selected for the All-Star game in his rookie season." However, since entering the NBA, Fei had been conspicuously brilliant, known nationwide as someone who is "uncoachable," a recognized talent that needed to be kept in check. If he were selected as an All-Star in his rookie season, who could restrain him in the future?


    In this reserve spot debate, Abdur-Rahim had an evident advantage¡ªhis seniority.


    For Abdur-Rahim, this could be the only opportunity in his career to be selected for the All-Star game.


    Fei was still young, but Abdur-Rahim no longer had a "next time."


    Even in MVPpetitions, judges often chose apromise candidate due to such narratives, and the All-Star game was no different.


    After a day of discussion, the league decided to let Abdur-Rahim fill the vacant East All-Star spot.


    Fei missed the chance to be selected for the main event of the All-Star Game in his rookie season.


    The Washington D.C. media and fans were heartbroken, unanimously crying foul over the league''s injustice, but Fei felt it was just as well to miss this All-Star game.


    He hadn''t signed any endorsement contracts with All-Star bonus uses, so whether he was selected or not this year made no difference to him.


    Had he been selected for the All-Star team, he would have been bombarded with hundreds, if not thousands, of questions rted to Jordan.


    However, being around Jordan, despite the hassle of those questions, was not without its benefits.


    When something significant actually happened to a yer, the media''s focus was still only on Jordan.


    For instance,st week Kwame Brown got caught speeding and was pulled over, resulting in only a minor internal punishment from the Wizards. The media didn''t pay much attention to it at all.


    The news of Jordan''s divorce suddenly attracted all media focus.


    This angered Jordan greatly, and Tim Grover, after warding off the reporters for Jordan, also felt indignant for his long-time friend, "Just because he''s Michael Jordan, does he not deserve his own privacy?"


    After the roster for the main event was set, Fei actually had one more thing to consider.


    Both the league and Reebok wanted Fei to participate in the m Dunk Contest.


    Although Fei was just a rookie, he was already famous for his dunks, ranking among the top ten in total dunks for the season, and he was also the only small forward on this list.


    But after careful consideration, Fei declined.


    It''s not that he had some unspeakable issues like James; he merely didn''t think the m Dunk Contest was the right fit for him. He was a dunker for live games, while the Dunk Contest required ir and difficulty.


    Fei didn''t have enough variety, given his height and weight.


    Unless he wanted to win with a single windmill dunk from start to finish like Zhang Zhelin, which was simply not feasible in the NBA, so he let it go.


    The only thing Fei was certain of was participating in the Rookie Challenge.


    Then, before the All-Star Weekend arrived, the Wizards had a few more games to y.


    Thest game in January saw the Wizards heading to Milwaukee.


    Simultaneously, it was Christian Laettner''seback game.


    When the Wizards arrived in Milwaukee, Fei realized the different ways small andrge cities treated NBA teams.


    In a big city, there would definitely be media waiting outside the airport.


    Not so in Milwaukee.


    The overall atmosphere in Milwaukee, much like the state of Wisconsin, confirmed it as a true football region. Basketball was a less popr sport there.


    The Green Bay Packers were the local fans'' favorite.


    Fei, who lived under intense media scrutiny, found an indescribable fondness for thisck of attention.


    After checking into the hotel and resting up, they headed for the Bucks'' home court for a walkthrough.


    This was something Fei had to do every time he reached a new away court.


    When Fei arrived at the Bradley Center, he unexpectedly ran into Ray Allen.


    Allen had arrived even earlier than Fei.


    What was he doing here?


    Simply shooting hoops.


    Ray Allen received the ball from the trainer and then shot a three-pointer. If it went in, he would move to the next receiving point; if it missed, he would have to make 10 consecutive shots on the spot before changing locations.


    Even Yu Fei wouldn''te to the home court on game night early to practice shooting.


    Because no one was more familiar with the home court than he was.


    Ray Allen, however, seemed to insist on doing this regardless of whether it was a home or away game.


    This Eastern Conference All-Star guard, who imed not to like Jordan and felt the Wizards took away the attention that should have belonged to the Bucks, was exceptionally focused at the moment.


    In the past, Yu Fei had often heard that Ray Allen''s shooting form was like something out of a textbook; upon closer inspection, it really wasn''t textbook perfect.


    His catch¡ªto lift¡ªto flick motion was too smooth. Without sufficient coordination and touch, it would be impossible to shoot like him.


    Yu Fei approached with Lawson and asked, "Can we train together?"


    The trainer wore a face that anticipated a good show.


    Ray Allen looked at Yu Fei seriously and then shook his head forcefully, "I don''t think so."


    "As tonight''s opponent, don''t you want to see how good my touch is?" Yu Fei asked.


    Ray Allen said, "I do not."


    He behaved with precise formality, like a detached schr who was indifferent to worldly affairs.


    "But I really like your shooting, can I share some techniques with you?" Having said that, Yu Fei took his own shot.


    Ray Allen was somewhat displeased, "You can go to another court."


    "No, I''ll stay here."


    Ray Allen nced at the trainer, then back at the overly familiar Yu Fei. Although unhappy, he didn''t show itpletely.


    In the end, Ray Allen gave up the court, preferring to go to another spot to shoot rather than stay with Yu Fei.


    Curiously, after changing courts, Ray Allen''s touch rapidly declined.


    While initially he had been shooting with frightening uracy, now he struggled to stabilize his arc.


    The trainer, who had worked with him for a long time, knew that this was the result of changing courts.


    Was there something strange about this court? Not at all, but Ray Allen was a person with a serious case of OCD. He acted ording to n, and if someone disrupted his routine, he would get angry, frustrated, and lose his rhythm.


    He had been shooting smoothly on the previous court, but Yu Fei''s sudden intrusion disrupted his pace and forced him to switch courts, was this something Ray Allen could adapt to? Was he still feeling okay? Were his thoughts still clear? Could he becking oxygen?


    When Ray Allen missed 3 out of 10 shots, the trainer knew there was a serious problem with his rhythm.


    "Ray, do you want to take a break?" the trainer asked.


    Clutching the ball fiercely, Ray Allen red at the cheerfully warming up Yu Fei, "That bastard!"


    "These young people today really are bing more and more unruly," agreed the trainer.


    By evening, the fans began to enter the arena.


    yers from both teams also came onto the court to warm up.


    The Bucks yers felt something was odd because Ray Allen typically arrived two and a half hours early to get a feel for the court, and he always chose to practice at the opponent''s basket (first half).


    But today, Ray Allen upied their own basket.


    Teammates were curious about what had happened, but Ray Allen didn''t want to exin much.


    After the warm-ups, the lights in the arena dimmed, and the DJ began introducing the starting line-ups for both sides.


    For the Wizards, aside from Laettner returning to the starting lineup, the other positions were fairly standard.


    The Bucks'' starters were: Sam Cassell, Ray Allen, Anthony Mason, Tim Thomas, and Joel Przybi.


    Currently, the Wizards were at 24 wins and 19 losses, while the Bucks were at 27 wins and 17 losses, a matchup between the fourth in the Eastern Conference and the second.


    Even with the Bucks'' standing as second in the Eastern Conference, their performance was still seen as below expectations by the outside world.


    No one knew why the Bucks were just average when strengthening the team with Anthony Mason in the off-season seemed more like a weakening to them.


    After the starters took the floor, Yu Fei looked at his opponent¡ªCassell, and then shifted his gaze to Anthony Mason.


    He felt somewhat relieved that he wasn''t ying forward tonight; Mason''s build seemed admittedly intimidating.


    Too muscr. It was hard to imagine why a basketball yer would need to be that buff. What were the likes of him and Karl Malone thinking? Did building such huge muscles really help with basketball?


    Of course, facing Cassell was not a pleasant thing either. First off, the opponent was strong, and secondly, he had a face that was rare in the history of the NBA for its uniqueness.


    Yu Fei had thought that Popeye Jones''s appearance in his team was shocking enough, but it seemed the NBA had higher standards.


    Before the game even started, Cassell smiled at Yu Fei, revealing his white teeth, "Rookie, I won''t go easy on you."


    Then, Jahidi White won the jump ball, and Yu Fei caught the ball one-handed, shook off Cassell''s defense with a sudden behind-the-back dribble, and surged to the free-throw line before fiercely passing the ball to the cutting Jordan.


    Jordan steadied himself and scored with a jump shot.


    After that, Yu Fei looked at Cassell, intending to say some feisty trash talk, but upon seeing Cassell''s face, he couldn''t help but retract his words, "Old man, I don''t want to see your face again; have you ever considered ying with a mask?"

 Chapter 144: Chapter 105: Its Not Over Between You and Me

    When Sam Cassell brought the ball up to the frontcourt, Yu Fei''s words still echoed in his head.


    As one of the "most infamous" ugly stars in NBA history, he of course knew his looks didn''t fit mainstream aesthetics, but usually, no one would say it to his face.


    "Rookie, didn''t MJ teach you how to respect veterans?" Cassell red at Yu Fei.


    Yu Fei believed that if Jordan and Cassell were to match up, His Airness would only say even nastier things.


    Doubt it? Perhaps you might recall how Jordan destroyed Tyrone Bogues with a single word: "Midget."


    No one loved to attack an opponent''s weaknesses more than Jordan.


    Yu Fei didn''t respond, but simply spread his arms and defended closely, while Cassell, though irritated, didn''t choose to go for an istion y to regain face.


    Because that didn''t fit with the Bucks'' tactics, nor did their head coach George Karl, known as "The Madman," want to see that.


    "Pass the ball! Quick, pass it, Sam!"


    Karl''s roaring voice had been heard from the sideline starting from the Bucks'' first offensive y.


    If Karl nned to continue this intense sideline coaching to thest second of the game, Yu Fei really didn''t know how the Bucks'' yers usually put up with it.


    Cassell passed the ball to Ray Allen, following the Bucks'' tactics.


    Allen went one-on-one against Jordan, driving hard to the right and pushing His Airness at the free-throw line, then pulled up for a jump shot.


    2 to 2


    Yu Fei dribbled past half-court; Ratner moved to the high post, intending to set up Jordan using the Wizards'' usual y.


    He knew about the beef between Jordan and Ray Allen.


    Towards the young star who openly dered not to be moved by Jordan''seback and expressed disappointment at the attention thetter received, it was necessary to strike decisively.


    But Ratner had been on the injury list for too long.


    Although in his view, it had been just over a month, it was during this month that Yu Fei''s status on the team had risen several levels.


    He moved from the small forward position to point guard and even had the right to y without adhering to the tactics.


    When Ratner moved to the high post, Yu Fei, with a stern face, waved for him to clear out.


    "Don''t be too selfish, rookie!" Ratner called out.


    As soon as Ratner finished speaking, Yu Fei stepped past Cassell, drove to the basket, and drew a foul from P¨¹rzb''s help defense.


    Then, Yu Fei turned around, looked at Ratner indifferently as if he wasn''t there, and walked over to Collins, saying, "If you want me to y point guard, I should have the right to demand a substitution if someone isn''t cooperating with me on the court."


    "Rookie, you!!!" Ratner was shocked; he couldn''t believe Yu Fei would dare to say such a thing.


    Who did he think he was? Was this his team?


    However, with Jordan looking on dispassionately and Collins not wanting Ratner to be sidelined right after returning, he said, "Christian is just getting back, he''s not quite familiar with our current style of y."


    Thus, Yu Fei approached the free-throw line, and as he was about to shoot the first free throw, he said to Ratner in front of the home crowd Bucks yers, "You can sit down now!"


    The words seemed to hang in the air.


    It wasn''t long before Collins substituted Ratner for Tyronn Nesby.


    Ratner gained a new understanding of Yu Fei''s status within the team.


    The Bucks yers were surprised; they couldn''t believe Jordan would actually allow a rookie to do that.


    Coach George Karl of the Bucks also witnessed this scene.


    He knew Jordan well; even during the Bulls era, Pippen didn''t have the power to decide who got to y and who didn''t.


    Because Jordan wouldn''t agree to anyone else having the same level of power and status as him.


    But Yu Fei could do it?


    What was happening within the Wizards?


    Collins stood numbly on the sideline; the developments had been too rapid, even he hadn''t expected it.


    Initially, the objective of ying Yu Fei at point guard was because both Hamilton and Ratner were out injured, and letting Yu Fei have a major share of ball possession was the only way to unleash his full potential.


    At the same time, Jordan could also use this to control Yu Fei.


    Then, with Yu Fei''s assistance, Jordan produced MVP-like performances, which made Jordan think he had progressed in his rtionship with Yu Fei. But when Jordan formally extended an olive branch to Yu Fei in the locker room, the way Yu Fei refused, with his words, his attitude, and his disdain towards Jordan, utterly severed their rtionship.


    Yu Fei made it clear that his position wasn''t granted by Jordan but earned by himself.


    If Jordan felt that Yu Fei couldn''t help him as a point guard, he would move him back to small forward.


    Now, with Yu Fei firmly established at point guard, it was evident that even Jordan didn''t want to touch him.


    That was the reason for Yu Fei''s confidence.


    Yu Fei made both free throws, and then Glenn Robinson of the Bucks started to assert his dominance, mainly matching up against Hubert Davis, who had been temporarily promoted to the starting lineup.


    Aside from his shooting, Davis was a mess on defense.


    Big Dog nailed a corner three-pointer, followed by a catch-and-shoot after cutting back, putting the Bucks ahead 7 to 4.


    Then, Yu Fei noticed that the Bucks starting power forward, Anthony Mason, seemed restless.


    "I didn''t get the ball!" Mason yelled as he hustled back on defense, "Nobody''s looking at me, why can''t I get a touch?"


    He acted as if the Bucks had missed a great opportunity, though in reality, Glenn Robinson had done well in the previous two possessions.


    From this scene, Yu Fei could tell that Mason craved the ball like a superstar.


    Wanting ball possession doesn''t seem so bad.


    What yer doesn''t want to get their hands on the ball?


    However, the way a basketball game operates means that 80% of the ball possession is concentrated in the hands of 20% of the yers; some yers just don''t get to touch the ball that much.


    Mason, himself a hardworking blue-cor yer, was a tough soldier under Pat Riley''s New York gang in the early ''90s. Who would have thought that the longer he yed, the more skilled his hands would be, making him a well-known organizing forward by thete ''90s.


    But now, seeing how eager he was for the ball, disrupting his teammates'' rhythm and the team system, Yu Fei had a whole new take on him.


    Next, it was Jordan who brought the ball up this possession.


    Although Yu Fei didn''t get along with him, their on-court coboration had no issues. He set a screen for Jordan and then spread out.


    Unfortunately, Jordan didn''t have much strength in his footing. Despite having a favorable position, he didn''t force his way deeper and instead settled for a conservative jump shot on the spot.


    Yu Fei shook his head; he could tell it was off just by looking.


    And sure enough, it nked off the rim.


    The Wizards retreated on defense in time, stymieing Cassell''s fast break, forcing them into a half-court set.


    From the previous few possessions, Yu Fei could tell that Coach George Karl had trained the team well on both offense and defense.


    The offense had multiple points for ball domination, extensive ball movement, andteral screens. The defense demanded swift switches and high-intensity energy, both hallmarks of the Supersonics during the Glove and the Rain Man era.


    Karl brought it over to Milwaukee, andst season, they showed promise, reaching the Eastern Conference finals. While they ultimately helped build Allen Iverson''s legendary season, it also set high expectations for their performance this season.


    However, the widely praised off-season acquisition now seemed to be their greatest nightmare.


    While the Bucks'' yers on the wing were making their tactical runs, Mason, as if worried about losing his muscles from too much aerobic activity, simply posted up Tyronn Nesby in the low block.


    "Give me the ball!"


    His voice was sharp and grating.


    Cassell passed the ball to him and then took Yu Fei to the other side,pletely clearing out Mason''s area.


    Mason held the ball and looked around, as if searching for an opportunity to make a y.


    Strangely, Karl, who ced great emphasis on discipline and ball movement, made noment about this scene.


    Yu Fei opted to observe from the sidelines. After all, he would see Mason''s true ability first.


    With Mason''s frame, overpowering Nesby in the low post theoretically wouldn''t be a problem.


    And indeed it wasn''t; upon seeing no chance for an assist, Mason started backing down inside. Nesby couldn''t stop him. Mason pushed all the way to the basket and then scored with an unremarkable hook shot.


    "My bad!" Nesby cried out eagerly, "I''ll defend better next time!"


    Yu Fei thought that if Mason liked to y this way, they might as well feed Nesby to him.


    Let Mason have his fill.


    The more Mason goes one-on-one, the more disjointed the Bucks'' offensive system will be.


    This time, Yu Fei brought up the ball. He hadn''t even crossed half-court when Jordan already had Ray Allen pinned down in the frontcourt low post, looking determined to regain his footing.


    This confidence, after all, was built up against the likes of Carter and Sprewell. With Allen''s status, at best between The Madman and the demigod, Coach Dan had blown those two away¡ªwhat was so special about beating Allen?


    When Yu Fei reached the frontcourt, he waved for his teammates to spread out and, without even ncing at Cassell, casually lobbed the ball with both hands.


    "You really are Michael''s good dog, rookie."


    Cassell remarked, and for some reason, instead of guarding Yu Fei, he chose to double-team Jordan, who was waiting for someone to take the bait in the low post.


    Jordan didn''t want to y because he wasn''t feeling well physically. Cassell''s arrival was the perfect excuse to pass the ball. He locked eyes on Yu Fei and passed the ball under Cassell''s watch.


    Yu Fei received the ball on the outside, looked down at his feet right beyond the three-point line, and decisively took the shot.


    In the moment he was airborne, Yu Fei felt his breath steady.


    Then, the basketball left his fingertips.


    "Swish!!!"


    "Sam#!@£¤@#£¤%"


    George Karl exploded in fury.


    Cassell inwardly admitted his blunder and then heard Yu Fei say, "Thanks for leaving me open; if I had to look at your face, my shooting percentage would drop by 50%."


    Cassell had to endure being chewed out by his own coach on the sidelines, and on top of that, he was insulted by a rookie. Burning with humiliation and anger, he pinned all his problems on Yu Fei: "Rookie, this isn''t over between us!"

 Chapter 145: Chapter 106 George Karl Backs Down

    Sam Cassell, determined topete with Yu Fei, began a high-intensity full-court press defense.


    After the Bucks had a failed set y, Cassell started his n.


    Given Yu Fei''s height, ying point guard for an extended period would lead to stamina issues.


    But Yu Fei wasn''t the type who wanted to hold onto the ball from start to finish.


    For tasks like dribbling past half court, he often shared the workload with Jordan. Knowing this was Yu Fei''s way of conserving energy, Jordan didn''t refuse, since handling the ball was also a way to maintain touch.


    Cassell''s full-court press wasn''t effective in wearing down Yu Fei.


    Instead, it gave Yu Fei the chance to use off-ball movement to get under the hoop and take advantage of Cassell''s mismatch.


    "Help defense! Help defense! Help defense!"


    If someone told a first-time spectator that the oue of this y determined George Karl''s life, they would believe it.


    Karl was that passionate.


    Yu Fei couldn''t imagine what it was like ying under someone like this.


    However, Anthony Mason, who was supposed to help on defense, waszily dragging his feet and didn''t make it in time, allowing Jordan to pass the ball to Yu Fei under the hoop.


    Backed against Cassell, Yu Fei pushed hard, sending his opponent sprawling, and then scored with an easyyup from under the basket.


    "Where''s our defense? What happened to our defense?"


    Karl roared angrily.


    Could he not see that Anthony Mason was the only problem in that defensive y?


    With the thief right before his eyes, someone as fiery as Karl should really chew him out, but that didn''t happen.


    Yu Fei wasn''t sure if Mason had the ability to be invisible on the court like a dark knight, or if Mason wasn''t supposed to help on defense in that situation. If it were the former, Yu Fei would seriously suggest the Bucks find a head coach with normal vision; if it were thetter, then either his view on basketball or the Bucks'' defensive system was wed.


    Stubborn as he was, Yu Fei was certain that Mason was the primary person to me for that y. Even if God himself said otherwise, Yu Fei would insist it was Mason''s fault.


    If the Bucks didn''t care about it, well, that was perfect for him; he would continue to score, taking advantage of Mason''sziness on defense.


    By the way...


    Yu Fei nced at Cassell and sighed, "You''re so ugly not even your teammates want to cover for you."


    "It''s not what you think!" Cassell snapped back, actually trying to exin himself to Yu Fei.


    But Yu Fei''s eyes were filled with contempt, clearly showing his attitude.


    No matter what Cassell said, Yu Fei only believed what he saw.


    Damn it! Damn it!


    Cassell was getting more enraged, ring at that jackass who never earnestly helped with the defense and was demanding the ball again?


    Why pass to you? Cassell gave Mason a cold nce and then passed the ball to Glenn Robinson on the weak side.


    "I''ve already got to position, what are you doing?" Mason had the nerve toin first.


    Then, Big Dog took a jump shot over Hubert Robinson''s defense.


    Although he''d made two baskets in a row, the touch came and went; if one always chose difficult shots, a consistent shooting percentage was impossible to guarantee.


    "Bang!"


    Yu Fei stepped into the paint and soared to grab the defensive rebound.


    Cassell''s chance to press finally arrived, but Yu Fei first backed him down and then spun forward to break through.


    Cassell''s intense defense was broken in an instant, while Yu Fei called for Tyronn Nesby''s screen in the frontcourt ahead of time.


    Anthony Mason again!


    After Nesby picked off Cassell, ording to normal defensive practices, Mason should have switched to guard Yu Fei.


    But Mason had no such intention; he just stood symbolically in front of Yu Fei, not stretching his hands or applying pressure, as if he was certain Yu Fei wouldn''t dare to shoot a three-pointer.


    To Yu Fei, Mason''s half-hearted defense might as well have been thin air. Feeling hot, Yu Fei made up his mind, caught the ball, and unleashed a pull-up three-pointer right before his unsteady opponent.


    "Swish!!!"


    Yu Fei had already scored 10 points, and his fiery state left George Karl sweating with fear, but what Karl was really unhappy about was the team''s defensive performance.


    Yu Fei was indeed on fire, but had the Bucks'' defense not been so sloppy, he wouldn''t have seized those two opportunities.


    As the Wizards began to gain momentum, Karl called for a time-out.


    "Why is no one stopping that rookie? Why do we keep making the same mistakes on defense? Why are we always so stupid?" Karl yelled, "Are you all ***damn pigs?"


    No one responded to Karl.


    The temperament and character of the fiery coach might be an impetus for the team when the records were good, but in situations like this, the reinforcements had be a weakness¡ªthere was no team chemistry or reaction, and Karl''s "ignoring of facts" rant only worsened the situation.


    Cassell red at Mason fiercely.


    Mason appeared indifferent.


    Ray Allen knew what the problem was, but he was burdened with his own issues.


    Glenn Robinson was equally nonchnt.


    Whether Karl admitted it or not, the Bucks were no longer the team fromst year that could fight through the Eastern Conference finals against the Phdelphia 76ers.


    Just like the situation in Phdelphia, although it had only been half a year since thest season''s yoffs, the changes during that time were enough to alter the team''s dynamic.


    On the other side, Collins recognized Yu Fei''s explosive form.


    He was well aware that Yu Fei in this state was not suitable to y as a point guard.

 Chapter 146: Chapter 106 George Karl Backs Down_2

    The point guard position requires organization, bringing the ball to the frontcourt, thinking about a multitude of things, which is too energy-consuming; it''s better to let him return to the small forward position to fully leverage his offensive capabilities.


    Therefore, Collins subbed out Hubert Davis and let Yu Fei take over the small forward position, bringing on Chris Whitney to be the transporter and perimeter shooter.


    The Bucks made changes to their matchup as well.


    Karl had confirmed that Cassell could not possibly limit Yu Fei defensively.


    Because Yu Fei''s shooting was on fire tonight.


    A Yu Fei in such form had to be matched with an athletic forward of the same size to be contained.


    Initially, Karl wanted to put Mason on Yu Fei, but he had seen Mason''s performance and knew if he really went head-to-head with Yu Fei, they could end up making headlines with a rookie scoring 50 points in a game.


    In the end, Karl reluctantly chose Tim Thomas from the bench.


    Thomas, the number seven pick of 1997, was exceptionally talented, with size, athletic ability, and physical quality. What hecked was determination.


    But the problem was, Thomas had never had a good reputation on defense.


    Karl put him on Yu Fei thinking only that physically, Thomas matched up well with Yu Fei, that was it.


    What Karl didn''t expect was that although Thomas matched up in size, he was at a disadvantage in every other aspect, especially his attitude and defensive skill, hardly resembling a veteran who had yed four or five years in the NBA.


    Suddenly, Yu Fei had unlimited permission to shoot at will.


    In the first possession against Tim Thomas, although Yu Fei''s stop-and-pop jumper didn''t go in after a dribble breakthrough, a teammate grabbed the rebound, passed it out, and Whitney nailed the three-pointer.


    In the following offensive possession for the Wizards, Yu Fei got the ball again, lowered his center of gravity, executed several crossover moves, and Thomas didn''t evene close to defending him. He waspletely juked out, looking like someone who spent two hours looking for a video but surrendered in just 50 seconds.


    Yu Fei charged into the paint, backed down Joel Przybi, and forcefully scored ayup despite the defense.


    On the other hand, the Bucks were being propped up solely by Ray Allen''s threes.


    And, there was Mason, a known liability.


    Yu Fei really wondered why Karl, such a strict coach, always failed to see his negative impact.


    Collins was respectful to Jordan, right? But if Jordan had a terrible game, Collins would still cut back his minutes ordingly and offer him some advice.


    But with Mason, Yu Fei really didn''t feel the Bucks had any n or requirements in ce for him.


    Mason''s tactical role was unique, calling for the ball in the low post as soon as the offense began, taking the audience back to the 1950s and 60s when the big men would hold the ball in the low post for five or six seconds searching for an opportunity to pass, and if not, they''d take the shot themselves.


    Such a ying style, carried into the present, was not only inefficient but also disrupted the offensive rhythm.


    If Mason didn''t get the ball, then it was even worse. He wouldn''t clog up space in the low post; instead, he''d position himself on the wing, bing an irrelevant bystander to the game, constantly nagging his teammates to "pass the ball."


    Yu Fei had seen plenty of such toxic elements on the court.


    For a toxicity to reach this extent and still be ignored by the head coach while teammates silently endured, Mason was one of a kind.


    Then, Yu Fei decided not to invest too much effort into Mason.


    An opponent with a toxic element was a good thing.


    He wished every opposing team had a Mason.


    Let''s look at Mason demanding the ball again, this time, Cassell firmly refuses to pass it.


    Ray Allen didn''t create an opening; Cassell kept a tight hold of the ball, and then, Mason was whistled for a three-second vition.


    At this point, the Bucks were trailing the Wizards by 11 points.


    On offense, Yu Fei took the ball once again, marking his third consecutive solo y, with his teammates raising no objections.


    Once more, Yu Fei dribbled in front of Tim Thomas.


    "Stop him! Stop him!" Karl roared passionately.


    Instead, Thomas''s defense remained as flimsy as ever, and Fei shook him off with a crossover, stopping for a jumper, and this time he made it.


    The gap between the teams increased to 13 points.


    Karl hadn''t even started to curse when Yu Fei sent back an opponent''s shot with a defensive block at the other end.


    He was everywhere on both offense and defense.


    This invisibly brought up Karl''s dream that had ended before it even began.


    During Jordan''s first retirement, the Supersonics and the Bulls had seriously discussed a one-for-one trade of Kemp for Pippen. However, the Bulls eventually put a stop to the trade. This is an underestimated "what if": If the trade had beenpleted, could Jordan have won three consecutive championships with Kemp upon his return? And could Pippen have teamed up with Payton to win a championship relying on defense?


    When Karl was nning this trade, he even asked Jordan ¡ª a fellow North Carolina alumnus with whom he had a good personal rtionship.


    At that time, Jordan, who thought he would not return to basketball, strongly advised Karl to go through with the trade. But ultimately, because of unteral reasons from the Bulls, the trade did not ur, and the rest became history.


    Now, there appeared a mini-Pippen who seemed to have a brighter future than Pippen at that time.


    Why is he still Jordan''s yer?


    Karl didn''t understand ¡ª was Jordan born to attract such yers to assist him?


    At this moment, Karl forgot the public conflicts between Yu Fei and Jordan, as well as the fact that Yu Fei had almost been traded before; he was only envious and jealous of Jordan always being able to find such excellent helpers.


    Then, 10 minutes into the first quarter, Yu Fei came off the court with 15 points and 5 rebounds.


    Achieving such numbers in 10 minutes showed just how outstanding Yu Fei''s performance was tonight.


    To catch up, Karl shortened the rotation, letting Ray Allen y the entire first quarter and then sending in Glenn Robinson to score.


    It proved to be effective.


    Because they were leading by 13 points, Collins took out Yu Fei and Jordan to rest.


    With no one left to dictate the y on the court, the Wizards'' offensive talent was so sparse that they had to rely on the newly subbed-in Christian Laettner as the core.


    It had been 10 years since Laettnerst yed as the core during his NCAA days, basking in the limelight, yet now, he led the team to catch up by 8 points within a few minutes.


    The first quarter ended with a score of 35 to 27, and both teams entered the second quarter.


    Collins, not to mention anything else, carried the poise of a grandmaster even when being caught up, not in a hurry, and at the start of the second quarter still didn''t y the two stars, having Tyronn Lue, Hubert Davis, Tyrone Nesby, Kwame Brown, and Jahidi White as the starters for the second period.


    The Bucks'' lineup for the second quarter looked obviously better.


    All of the starters except for Ray Allen and Joel Przybi were there.


    Strangely, this seemingly better lineup did not achieve the expected results.


    The shooting of Ray Allen''s backup, Michael Redd, caught Yu Fei''s attention as he came on and hit a pull-up shot with an impressive momentum.


    But after that, the Bucks fell into the strange cycle of Mason demanding the ball and disrupting the system.


    Mason truly epitomized what it meant to stand there and annoy people for a lifetime.


    "Can''t they see that Mason is severely disrupting the offensive rhythm on the court?" Yu Fei asked.


    Chris Whitney blinked, about to answer, then realized Yu Fei wasn''t asking him.


    "The Washington Times" beat reporter Thomas Flynn said, "Anthony Mason is known as a troublemaker."


    "Like me?" Yu Fei asked self-deprecatingly.


    "Not the same," Flynn said, "Believe me, you''re nowhere near Anthony Mason''s level. If youpare yourself to him, you''re selling yourself short."


    Thanks to the toxic environment in D.C., Yu Fei, who chose to make it on his own, brought a lot of negative publicity to himself, leading to a poor image among so-called professionals ¡ª whom Yu Fei called Jordan''spdogs. However, no matter how bad his image was, people still made distinctions.


    It was like Zhou Shuyi, although she didn''t understand the basic mechanics of the game as amentator and only had poor performance in live broadcasting, at least had a face that could be looked at, but how would you feel if one day it came out that she and King Butt were together?


    It wouldn''t be worth it, really.


    "Is that guy really that bad? I rememberst offseason many teams were pursuing him," Yu Fei still remembered, "I recall Milwaukee and Phdelphia werepeting for him, and it was Milwaukee that won."


    "That''s because George Karl and Larry Brown have never backed down from yers with strong personalities. They believed they could control Mason," Flynn exined.


    Yu Fei instantly realized something.


    Yes, Karl and Brown, both were known as notorious taskmasters.


    But if Mason, a clear troublemaker, had not been removed or treated, then there was only one exnation: George Karl had backed down.


    Thank you to the great ones who manually correct errors

 Chapter 150: Chapter 108: Everything is Business

    The Wizards'' next three games were all at home, where they first defeated the Pacers, then trounced the unsettled Raptors, and finally lost to the Sacramento Kings, a team at the top of the Western standings.


    The day after losing to the Kings, the Wizards announced that Richard Hamilton would return to the team after the All-Star Weekend.


    By this time, the Wizards had secured 27 wins and 20 losses,fortably sitting in fourth ce in the Eastern Conference, but with wolves lurking around the corner, if Hamilton couldn''t make a sessfuleback, or if he returned in poor form, they still risked falling out of the yoff race.


    Despite the NBA heading into the All-Star break, a team like the Wizards that enjoyed engaging in off-court activities to gain fan support wouldn''t miss the opportunity to have their yers continue working during the holiday.


    The task Yu Fei received today was to join Kwame Brown in visiting schools near the Verizon Center for an event.


    Their mission was simple: y basketball with the kids, spend a few hours signing autographs, then pretend to be overflowing with gratitude for what was happening before them and to sincerely urge them to keep supporting the Wizards.


    Yu Fei, surrounded by a bunch of kids like a hero, started to question his life choices.


    Before the dreaded autograph session started, they had all sorts of questions to ask.


    "Frye, is your rtionship with Michael bad?"


    "Frye, can I get Michael''s autograph?"


    "Frye, will you stay in D.C. forever?"


    ...of these questions, the only one Yu Fei could answer was the first.


    "Michael is my mentor and benefactor, how could my rtionship with him be bad?" he said.


    Then, a little girl ran over: "Frye, Kwame says he''s about to die."


    Yu Fei, already frazzled by the children''s noise, looked at the girl with a detached expression and said, "Come tell me when he''spletely dead."


    Yu Fei hated the activities the team arranged for him.


    However, if he knew what was happening at the Verizon Center, he would certainly be grateful that he only had to deal with kids right now.


    Verizon Center


    The Wizards wanted to finalize a trade before the deadline approached.


    The team''s assistant general manager, Rod Higgins, had been discussing it with the other party for a few days, and now both sides were very close to an agreement.


    "A second-round pick is no problem, we can give that, but I hope this is the final offer," Higgins said over the phone.


    After receiving a definite response, Higgins hung up and stood up to report to an awaiting Jordan, "Seattle has agreed to the Bobby Simmons trade."


    Jordan asked, "What''s the cost?"


    "Hubert Davis..." Higgins started, "along with Chris Whitney and two future second-round picks."


    Jordan nodded slightly, "Good, we canpletely afford this price."


    Higgins clearly hesitated.


    "Do you have something to say?" Jordan asked.


    "This matter..." Higgins said, "should we inform Frye? Chris Whitney is his good friend."


    Jordan smiled coldly, "No need, he''s having a great time with the kids right now."


    Higgins waspletely devoted to serving Jordan, but he also knew Yu Fei''s weight in the team.


    A fact was, Jordan found it difficult to control Yu Fei.


    This kind of situation was unprecedented in Jordan''s career.


    But it was a reality.


    Yu Fei had shown his desire to challenge Jordan countless times on the practice court, in games, and on various public asions.


    Higgins was not sure if this trade was necessary, as it seemed more like Jordan''s demonstration of power towards Yu Fei.


    One of Yu Fei''s best two friends on the team was traded, and Yu Fei knew nothing about it?


    Higgins did not know what Yu Fei''s reaction would be, but one thing was certain, the gap between him and Jordan had already widened.


    This rift was irreparable.


    Outside the general manager''s office, Jordan''s agent, David Falk, was preparing for another round of negotiations with Wizards'' owner Abe Pollin and Vice President Susan O''Malley.


    The Washington Post''s beat reporter, Steve Wyche referred to Falk as "The Raptor" in his articles.


    Falk liked this nickname as it reflected his aggressive nature; the fiercer he seemed, the better it proved his ruthlessness at the negotiation table, and for an employer, isn''t this precisely what makes the best agent?


    Onlytely, Falk felt increasingly left out of Jordan''s team.


    Compared to Falk, Jordan seemed to rely more on Falk''s old subordinate, fellow agent Curtis Polk.


    The private affairs that Jordan would have entrusted to Falk in the past were now handled by Polk.


    Falk is nominally Jordan''s agent, but in reality, all he was responsible for were Jordan''s yer contracts.


    One could say that Falk''s situation was akin to that of Jordan after his secondeback.


    Jordan had lost his dominance of the 90s, and with the retirement and decline of yers like Jordan, Ewing, and Alonzo Mourning, along with the unfavorable development of Juwan Howard and Rod Strd, Falk''s days as the NBA''s most influential agent hade to a standstill.


    Jordan, having made his secondeback, was no longer the all-powerful individual who could dictate the League''s structure; therefore, Falk''s name as an agent rarely appeared in the news anymore.


    Falk''s decline was inevitable, but he did not want to leave Jordan''s team, so this negotiation presented the best opportunity for him to rekindle his rtionship with Jordan.


    Boss''s Office


    Jordan and Falk entered, and there sat Pollin, ready for the negotiation. Apanying him were the despised Susan O''Malley and the inconsequential Wes Unseld.


    For a while, both parties looked at each other in silence.


    Since Jordan was here to negotiate as a business partner, formalities were omitted, and the normally disyed warmth was nowhere to be seen.


    "Let''s begin," Jordan said coldly.


    "Michael, if I''m not mistaken, today we are discussing your return next season..." O''Malley believed she wasn''t the only one in the room suffering from a split psyche.


    Not a single old-timer with the Wizards didn''t hate Jordan, and everyone wished he would just leave, but now, they all hoped Jordan would give them amitment¡ªamitment that he would return next season, and it would be even better if he would sign the contract directly.


    Why? Because that''s what Pollin wanted.


    Even at 38, Jordan, who averaged 20 points a game with less than a 40% shooting rate, still possessed immeasurablemercial value.


    For every extra year that Jordan yed, Pollin could make even more profit through the team.


    "Hold on, hold on, we''re not in a rush with this." Falk began his performance, "I want to ask Mr. Bolin, have you publicly promised that when Michael retires, you will sell more shares of the team to him? And that you would still let Michael manage the team?"


    The air froze.


    O''Malley lost the power to speak; this was a question only Pollin was qualified to answer.


    Pollin took a deep look at Jordan.


    The greatest yer of all time sat there quietly, his self-assured expression never changing.


    Pollin smiled, a sycophantic grin, butbined with his yellow teeth, it looked rather chilling, "Of course, that''s my promise to Michael."


    "Is this promise public?" Falk asked, "Who can guarantee this promise? How can we be sure you will fulfill it?"


    Pollin was starting to get annoyed; it wasn''t just mutual antipathy between him and Falk, ever since Jordan took over the Wizards in the early 2000s, Falk had acted as Jordan''s spokesperson, spreading negativements about him everywhere.


    Even though Pollin never responded to Falk, it didn''t mean he didn''t care.


    In fact, he just didn''t want to aggravate Jordan.


    But today, it was clear that Falk came with ill intentions.


    "David, you might not trust me, but you should trust Ted Leonsis," Pollin said, "I made the assurance in front of him to Michael."


    As soon as Pollin finished talking, Falk looked at Jordan, seeking confirmation of the fact.


    Jordan nodded lightly, giving tacit consent.


    "I''ll assume for now that the assurance does exist and is valid," Falk said, agitating Pollin.


    Pollin''s face lost its smile, "What do you mean by that?"


    "I mean nothing, I just want to discuss something more specific," Falk could feel the shift in Jordan''s ambition. The future Jordan would be a businessman like Pollin, not needing an agent with only a yer''s perspective on issues. So today, he had to prove that he could not only serve as Jordan''s strategist on the court but also offer advice for boss Jordan. "Since you have a prior agreement with Michael, I''ll assume that when Michael leaves the court, you really will sell part of the shares back to him. My question is, will this share be sold at the initial price Michael sold it to you for, or at the new price after Michael has increased the market value?"


    Falk didn''t wait for Pollin to react before continuing, "Michael''seback has raised the team''s value, allowing you to profit from this dreadful team ten yearster; you''ve made a fortune. But what did Michael get? He''s ying for the minimum sry, without any financialpensation, and in the end, he has to spend even more money to buy back his own shares? Does that make sense in this world?"


    Falk demanded that the shares returned to Jordan in the future be sold at the original price and topensate Jordan with a part of the profit from this season and next season. These two points were enough to cause a rift between Pollin and himself.


    The negotiation ended without a result.


    It was a secret negotiation; no one knew exactly what had happened, but its impact was profound.


    Since it was a secret, naturally, only a select few were privy to the details, and the only news about the Wizards for the day was that they had traded the veteran Chris Whitney, who had served the team for seven years, to Seattle.


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "The Washington Wizards have dealt Hubert Davis, Chris Whitney, along with 2003 and 2005 second-round picks to Seattle, acquiring Bobby Simmons and Earl Watson in return." ¡ª NBA Official


    "Whitney said that he has always understood that all of this is business, but he will never forgive the person who made this decision." ¡ª The Washington Post


    "We don''t need an old point guard, nor do we need Hubert Davis (a nepotist rtion), and we certainly do not need the Wizards'' second-round picks. It''s a worthless trade that adds no value other than damaging the chemistry between the teams." ¡ª The Seattle Times


    "(Yu Fei said) He joined the team during their toughest times, and now they''re sending him away when they are closest to sess. You tell me this is all business? If it is, then it''s a lousy business, and I need an exnation!" ¡ª NBC Interview


    1. Ted Leonsis is a minority owner of the Wizards and a close friend and business partner of Jordan, with rumors suggesting that "Michael decided to take over the Wizards entirely because of Ted Leonsis."


    2. Hubert Davis is the nephew of North Carolina legend Walter Davis.

 Chapter 151: Chapter 109: Fame and Fortune Are Like Smoke? Really?

    Yu Fei found out about Chris Whitney being traded on that very night.


    If he had to choose two people from the team to survive with him in the wilderness, he would pick Tyronn Lue and Chris Whitney.


    The former was optimistic enough to help one ovee adversity, while thetter was mature and had plenty of life experience.


    Most importantly, he had a really good rtionship with Yu Fei.


    When the trade happened, Whitney was fishing at his hometown. He was satisfied with his life and liked ying for the Wizards, eager to y in D.C. until retirement.


    He even hoped to find a job as a basketball coach in an elementary school in D.C. after retiring.


    But then, the abrupt trade news disrupted his ns.


    "This is the consequence of publicly taking your side," Whitney said self-deprecatingly, "I knew it was risky."


    Yu Feiughed after hearing this, "Believe me, Seattle is better than D.C."


    "But I''ve been here for seven years, I''m used to everything here," Whitney said, "My family is practically half Washingtonians now."


    This left both of them speechless.


    Regardless, the trade had happened, and both Yu Fei and Whitney had to look ahead.


    Before parting, Whitney said to Yu Fei, "If you don''t want to end up like me, you have to find a way to take control of the team. Don''t be kicked out of D.C. like I was!"


    Being traded like Whitney?


    Yu Fei wanted to say that was exactly what he wished for; rather than dragging on with Jordan and the Wizards, he''d prefer to start anew somewhere else.


    But unfortunately, this wasn''t a 2K game, Yu Fei couldn''t set a forced trade, otherwise he would have traded himself or Jordan long ago.


    As for now, he indeed had to move on.


    Just like Whitney said, wresting control from Jordan''s hands was the only path in front of him.


    The Wizards had traded Chris Whitney and Hubert Davis for two rookies. Bobby Simmons was the backup wing the team currently needed most, while Watson was a mature point guard.


    Yu Fei had no particr feelings for these two.


    Although their arrival led to Whitney''s departure, he knew that the one who really should be questioned was the person who made the trade.


    The first day after Whitney''s trade was the day Yu Fei was most dissatisfied with Jordan, but on that day, Jordan did note to the Verizon Center for training.


    Since it was the All-Star weekend break, Jordan was preparing to go to Phdelphia for the All-Star game, and he couldn''t possibly have time to train here.


    Yu Fei was also preparing for the Rookie Challenge, but all he wanted right now was to pick a fight with Jordan.


    Yet, he couldn''t find him.


    The only teammate he found on the training court was Richard Hamilton who nned toe back after the All-Star weekend.


    "Did they tell you when they traded Chris?"


    Hamilton asked Yu Fei this question.


    Yu Fei said, "No."


    "It looks like he doesn''t respect you as much as I thought." Although Hamilton didn''t name names, Yu Fei could immediately discern the "he" Hamilton mentioned.


    Yu Fei looked at this second inmand of the team¡ªwho had been absent for over a month due to a groin tear, and who might not be considered as such now¡ªfaced him with a hint of presumption, "Why do you think he would respect me? Do you think he has ever respected anyone here? I don''t think so; in his eyes, everyone should serve him, everyone must bow before him and be ruled by him."


    Then Hamilton asked the biggest question on his mind, "So why don''t you justply with what he wants? You have to admit he is very influential in the league, and you''re the rookie he selected against all advice, you''re better than Kwame, you can help him, you only need to lower yourself, and you could earn his favor, and Chris might not have been traded."


    "That''s what people do when they''re desperate," Yu Fei answered, "I''m young and talented, I have confidence in myself, why should I sell my self-respect and soul for someone who isn''t worth it?"


    Hamiltonughed, "You really are rebellious."


    Yu Fei retorted, "You don''t seem as reverential towards the boss as you appear to be."


    "No, I really do respect him," Hamilton said seriously, his smile fading, "I just hope he respects me too."


    All right, I know you''re still sore about people saying you don''t deserve to wear Jordan''s shoes. They don''t think you deserve them, so just don''t wear them. You could consider the Chinese Jordans. I, Yu Fei, on behalf of Jordan of China, give my approval.


    Another day passed, and Yu Fei''s anger had subsided quite a bit.


    He felt he should be happy for Whitney, for escaping Jordan. After all, Whitney''s career was nearing its end, and if he had to spend hisst years being forced to apany this doomed ship towards the iceberg, who knows what misfortune might ur?


    Then, Reebok informed Yu Fei he had to properly promote his signature boots before the All-Star weekend.


    This year''s All-Star game was being held in Phdelphia, Allen Iverson''s home court.


    And Iverson was currently the biggest basketball star under Reebok''s banner; they had nned to let Iverson give Yu Fei''s advertisement a boost and organize some humanized activities to expand influence.


    February 11th


    Yu Fei, along with Lawson and Assistant rk, headed to Phdelphia. At the airport, Reebok staff had already arranged an interview and a private car for him.


    "Frye, that person is a journalist from USA Today. He''ll give you a 15-minute exclusive interview. We''ll leave after it''s over; you''re going to be very busy today," said the Reebok staff member.

 Chapter 152: Chapter 109: Fame and Fortune Are Like Smoke? Really?_2

    Yu Fei briefly lost his personal freedom and then, first, he epted an interview.


    Inevitably, the interviewee asked many questions about Jordan.


    Although Yu Fei was very averse to people asking about Jordan, considering his spat with Jordan was one of the major plotlines of this NBA season, sometimes he had to go with the market.


    However, what the other party focused on, Jordan''s marriage, was a stale topic that Yu Fei had no interest in discussing.


    Jordan''s marital issues started brewing since the beginning of the season with the mistress scandal. At the beginning of the year, his wife filed for divorce, and today, a monthter, the divorce application was withdrawn.


    Jordan seemed to have saved his marriage.


    But Yu Fei knew that Jordanter took a Cuban model as his wife, so this marriage was definitely doomed.


    Yet, the media and the public seemed very curious about Yu Fei''s opinion on the matter. They wanted to know how Yu Fei viewed the amorous Jordan, wondering if Jordan would be the next Magic Johnson.


    In fact, there''s nothing significant about divorce; 50% of couples face this issue. So why was the outside world so curious about Jordan''s marriage? Yu Fei seriously pondered this question and, in the end, he felt he had found the answer.


    It was the result of an image that Jordan''s team had meticulously crafted for him over 17 years.


    Jordan''s team shaped him into a role model, thereby earning him over five hundred million dors in endorsement ie. During the 17 years of continuous self-promotion, Jordan''s team elevated him from a great athlete to a hero, and ultimately to a symbol of American morality.


    River Phoenix, dead from an overdose, wouldn''t sh a sunny smile that made kids idolize him, and Madonna, who danced provocatively in front of conservatives, wouldn''t be the object of everyone''s worship with a song like "Be like Mike." No celebrity would y themselves in a family-friendly movie, make friends with cartoon characters, be a family man, and save the world on the side. If you insist on creating an image of yourself that''s perfect except for a gambling w, then it''s natural that the public will have a strict set of standards to scrutinize your marriage.


    "I don''t know, I''ve never talked to Michael about our private lives," Yu Fei had his own views but he wouldn''t express them, "Maybe you should ask him himself."


    The 15-minute exclusive interview ended quickly.


    After that, Yu Fei was taken by Reebok''s specialized car to the set for shootingmercials.


    Yu Fei arrived on time, but the person helping with the shooting, Iverson, was an hourte.


    "Hey Frye, I heard you and Michael don''t get along?" Iverson asked gossipingly.


    "How could that be? You know, nobody respects MJ more than I do."


    Yu Fei did not know how many times he had repeated that. Why do people still maliciously specte about his rtionship with Jordan? What was really on their minds?


    "I don''t believe you. You know what? I''ve just seen MJ, and when I mentioned you, I didn''t even see a glint in his eye," Iverson said, "Looks like you indeed pissed him off."


    "That''s absolutely a rumor. Him being upset has nothing to do with me, you know that. He''s been busy with his divorcetely..." Yu Fei cut himself off, feeling it was meaningless to discuss it with Iverson.


    It wasn''t a problem to ssify Iverson as the American Jiang Jinfu. If we were to select an All-Star team for NBA''s domestic violence experts, he''d definitely be voted in. This top-tier scumbag who would give his wife insulting nicknames wouldn''t consider divorce a terrible thing, let alone believe someone could be upset about it.


    Then, Yu Fei stopped talking to him about it.


    Since everyone was present, themercial shoot began.


    The whole process was not difficult, Yu Fei had few lines, but it still took three hours to finish.


    Afterward, Yu Fei had to attend various Reebok events together with Iverson and then go to an NBA official press conference.


    I wonder whose bad taste it was to have Yu Fei, Jordan, and Iverson all participate in a group interview.


    When Yu Fei and Jordan met, Iverson was sure these two definitely had issues.


    "I always said Reebok shoes weren''t good, but now they seem okay," Jordan said politely, "Not bad shoes."


    Yu Fei said with a forced smile, "Still can''tpare to Nike''s high-tech sneakers."


    "Indeed so," Jordan said, and then there was no more conversation between them.


    Iverson couldn''t believe teammates could be so distant that they only had sneakers to talk about.


    Then, they sat down and began the group interview with the media.


    At the scene, Iverson wore a red headband with his nickname "THE ANSWER" printed inrge white block letters. Jordan was dressed in a ck Jordan/Nike tracksuit, wearing a silver earring. Yu Fei wore Reebok brand sports clothing and specifically donned a pair of brightly colored "Chosen One: First Generation" sneakers.


    There, reporters saw the perfectbination of confident and self-important young talents and an experienced veteran''s market positioning, perfectly reflecting the dual forces that propel the sess of professional basketball¡ªan amalgam of vanity and the skill of turning vanity into taste: promoting vanity as a narrative angle for legendary stories.


    Yu Fei and Iverson spent most of the timeplimenting each other and trying to restrain the reporters. Surprisingly, Jordan appeared to be more marginalized than the two younger men. A reporter in the front row just wanted to ask him something when he was cut off: "It''s not your turn yet."

 Chapter 153: Chapter 109: Fame and Fortune Are Like Smoke? Really?_3

    The only reason this situation arose was because Jordan didn''t know that reporter; he didn''t want to say anything to someone he didn''t know.


    A reporter who was familiar with Jordan smiled and started to ask, "Michael, how long will yourebackst? Two years? Or three?"


    "No," Jordan shook his head, "I don''t think about things that far into the future."


    Then, Jordan began to joke about Barkley. He thought Barkley was excellent but not among the ranks of the greats. Barkley was in the "second tier," why? Because he had never won a championship. It wasn''t until Jordan won in 1991 that people began topare him with Magic Bird. Then, he issued a challenge he was very fond of to Iverson, hoping that Iverson would win a championship.


    Watching Jordan joke about Barkley regardless of the setting was quite amusing.


    Of course, this didn''t affect their friendship because Barkley himself was often ribbed about it on his TNT show. But what Barkley didn''t expect was that this would be a cultural phenomenon in the basketball world over the next twenty years: he became the epitome of a "loser," and the origin of it all might be Jordan.


    Jordan said on Oprah''s show that Barkleycked the basic qualities of a winner. Now he was joking about Barkley again, and in the future, he would make many more jokes about Barkley, of course, all based on one fact¡ªBarkley had never won a championship.


    But one day in the future, when Barkleymented that Jordan''s Bobcats was the worst team in the NBA, how did Jordan respond? Did he justugh it off? No, he cut off ties with Barkley.


    This is the risk of being Jordan''s friend.


    Yu Fei really liked the final words of Chris Whitney before he left: "Being on your side is dangerous."


    Yes, it might be dangerous to keeppany with Yu Fei, but who would want to keeppany with Jordan?


    Yu Fei really didn''t know why Jordan always gave him one reason after another for "I absolutely don''t want to have anything to do with this old guy."


    Could it be that they were simply ipatible?


    Then, the reporter whom Jordan had rejected asked Yu Fei a sensitive question, "What''s your rtionship with Michael like?"


    At that moment, the room was silent.


    Yu Fei could have rejected him like Jordan did, but he didn''t want to be like Jordan.


    "It''s not as bad as you guys think, nor as harmonious," Yu Fei said with augh, "We''re like Ross and Rachel from Friends, always breaking up and making up, fighting and fussing¢Å."


    ¢ÅFor those who might not have seen "Friends," here''s another analogy: It''s like Zeng Xiaoxian and Hu Yifei from iPartment.


    And then, the somewhat impolite reporter posed a difficult question to Iverson: "Could youpare Michael and Kobe, AI, who do you think is better?"


    Jordan couldn''t stand it and interrupted: "If I were you, I wouldn''t answer that question, of course, you''re entitled to your own opinion."


    With the idol speaking up, of course, Iverson knew how to respond.


    "Did you hear what he said?" Iverson said to the reporter with a grin.


    Then, Jordan said without a doubt, "Next question!"


    For some in the interview room, this day was bound to be tough.


    After the interview ended, Yu Fei left without saying goodbye to Jordan.


    Iverson asked in surprise, "Mike, is your rtionship really that bad?"


    Being used to Yu Fei''s disrespect, Jordan, upon hearing such a question, couldn''t even be bothered to exin: "That''s the spoiled Generation Y for you, they are truly a failed generation."


    Spoiled, failed.


    Iverson wasn''t sure if these words were appropriate for the best rookie of 2001, but he was certain that the rtionship between Yu Fei and Jordan was far worse than he had imagined.


    That night, Yu Fei participated in the Rookie Challenge.


    Having attended too many events that day, Yu Fei clearlycked interest in the game.


    A sense of mental fatigue troubled him.


    Even though Yu Fei got 26 minutes on the court, his performance was just stable¡ª16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists; he was one of the few with the best stats on the rookie team, but the sophomores overwhelmed the rookies by 24 points.


    Yu Fei was unruffled inside; although the intensity of the Rookie Challenge was higher than that of the All-Star Game, if one really regarded this game as some important stage, then the mindset was too low.


    Yu Fei no longer needed to prove himself through such a game.


    After a tiring day, he only wanted to return to the hotel for some rest.


    Yet, the damned League office insisted on having Magic, an old-timer who was past his prime, apany the rookies for activities.


    As one of the leading rookies, Yu Fei was arranged to be interviewed alongside Magic.


    As a senior, Magic shared a lot of experiences, especially about his bedroom exploits.


    "I always keep telling the young yers, just look at me and you''ll know: protect yourself, you must control your desires, maintain healthy and safe lovemaking, otherwise, you''ll end up like me."


    Those words were really beneficial to Yu Fei, who was still preserving his virginity.


    Yu Fei could tell that Magic loved the limelight, and moreover, he had a deep love for being on camera.


    No matter how tired he was, as long as there were cameras around, he would energetically engage in various interviews.


    This was a person who couldn''t live without the spotlight.


    Before Yu Fei left, one of NBC''s staff found Magic and asked him to film a highlight video for the next day''s All-Star Game.

 Chapter 154: Chapter 109: Fame and Fortune Are Like Smoke? Really?_4

    "Of course, no problem!"


    It only took Magic a tenth of a second. He turned around, faced the camera, and began to say, "Tomorrow is the NBA All-Star game, wow wow wow, Michael Jordan is back. And there are many other super, super, super excellent yers."


    Then the following conversation took ce.


    "Thank you, Mr. Magician,"


    "You can call me anytime you need,"


    "Oh. How old are you now?"


    "Almost 43,"


    "Thank you again, Mr. Magician."


    "It''s a trifle."


    Then, Yu Fei couldn''t help but ask, "Magic, do you miss this?"


    Suddenly, a look of surprise shed across Magic''s face, then his signature smile appeared: "No, fame and fortune are just passing clouds to me, and the same for you. You will understand in time; theye into your life in a hurry, then disappear without a trace."


    He fought desperately to hold onto his vanishing fame and fortune, even willing to stoop to participate in the All-Star weekend''s 3V3 funpetition, but then he said fame and fortune were just passing clouds to him?


    The HIV virus couldn''t kill Magic, but if one day no one recognizes Magic anymore, and no more spotlights fall on him, he would truly die.


    The next day was the All-Star main event, and ording to Yu Fei''s n, he was ready to leave.


    Since the rookie event had finished, and he wasn''t ying in the main event, what was there for him to do in Phdelphia?


    The reason given to him by Arne Trem was, "Stay to support Michael."


    Yu Fei was stunned for a few seconds before saying, "You know, I saw people on the Inte discussing who was the most graceful jumper from the World Trade Center on 9/11, but your joke is even more hellish than what I saw."


    "This is no joke, Frye. Even if people are at loggerheads, they still need a facade of hypocrisy to cover themselves. You and MJ haven''t reached the point of tearing each other''s faces off. You must stay and support him. It''s important for your image."


    "Alright, alright, I''ll stay. I''ll be on the bench cursing for him to make a fool of himself!"


    "That is your freedom."


    "Hmm, I don''t have the freedom to leave, but I have the freedom to curse Michael on the spot."


    "Congrattions on realizing the true essence of freedom, it is a mess like this."


    Despite hisints, Yu Fei still did his duty as a teammate and showed up at the All-Star game to support Jordan.


    Then, his curse on Jordan came true.


    Jordan did embarrass himself in the game and performed poorly.


    Although the Eastern All-Star Team''s coach Byron Scott respected Jordan enough to y him for 23 minutes, Jordan had an ugly dunk slip and went 4 for 13 shooting.


    On the other hand, Kobe, who was anticipated to face off against Jordan in a new vs. old superstar showdown before the game, lived up to expectations. He swept the All-Star game in his hometown and ultimately lifted the AMVP trophy.


    But Yu Fei believed Kobe wouldn''t be happy.


    Because every time Kobe got the ball, the hometown fans didn''t give him cheers symbolizing love, but rather jeers full of spite.


    What''s going on? What happened? Did Kobee back from Eagle County? Did he embarrass his hometown? Even for the Lakers beating the 76ers in the 2001 NBA Finals, Yu Fei thought the people of Phdelphia shouldn''t hate Kobe. To be fair, based onst year''s yoffs performance alone, the finals were Kobe''s worst showing, so he had already given his hometown enough chances, but the hometown team just couldn''t seize them, right? It doesn''t make sense to hate him!


    After the game, NBC''s reporters interviewed Yu Fei on the spot to know his thoughts about Jordan''s missed dunk.


    They knew how to stir up trouble, but although Yu Fei was not afraid of trouble, he had no interest in stirring it. So he smiled and said, "It''s the basket''s fault."


    "But that was an open dunk..."


    "Yeah, so I said it''s the basket''s fault."


    "Why?"


    "Because Michael can''t possibly miss an open dunk, so the basket that made Michael miss an open dunk can''t be without error."


    Kobe''s stats before the finals averaged 31 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 49%. In the finals, he averaged 24.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 41%.

 Chapter 155: Chapter 110 When the Hegemon Falls

    The end of the All-Star Game signified the end of the All-Star break.


    Two dayster, the Wizards would face the Lakers Team for the first time this season.


    But Yu Fei seemed to have exhausted too much energy in Phdelphia, and on his first day back in D.C., he missed the day''s practice due to the flu. The next day, his condition did not improve, meaning he would undoubtedly miss the season''s first game against the Lakers.


    "Change the channel! I don''t want to watch this!"


    On the night of the game, Yu Fei stayed on his home''s sofa, as Anthony Lawson switched the TV to the game channel.


    It was the game between the Wizards and the Lakers.


    "Let''s just watch and see how strong the Wizards are without you," Lawson said with augh.


    Sick people are always pessimistic, "Can they beat the Lakers with or without me?"


    "You can still watch and see."


    The pre-game interviews were happening right now.


    Moreover, it was Jordan''s interview.


    Even though the game''s hype mostly revolved around Kobe and Jordan, some media realized this was Jordan''s first time ying against a Phil Jackson-coached team as a yer for another team.


    Therefore, people wanted to know Jordan''s thoughts.


    Jordan''s true feelings were rarely seen during his time with the Wizards, and this was one of those rare asions.


    "We know that our friendship will transcend anypetition on the basketball court, and whatever happens, there is a feeling of love between us."


    Would Doug Collins cry? When will he and Jordan develop a feeling of love?


    However, Phil Jackson, who believes in Zen, seems to have sealed off his emotions. He seldom shows excitement, "Michael is one of the most special yers I''ve ever coached. I can''t tell you how lucky I am in words."


    Jackson''s words are equally touching, but his expression and tone are very calm.


    Despite ims from Jackson, Collins, Jordan, and Kobe that this game was not a personal duel, when Shaquille O''Neal missed the game due to a toe injury, Kobe became the lone star of the Lakers, and the implication of a personal contest became even clearer.


    Unsurprisingly, the Lakers won the game.


    But if we go into the details of the game, Kobe''s performance was of much higher quality, primarily defending Richard Hamilton. Although the two are good friends, they have also been rivals since childhood.


    In the 1995 and 1996 Pennsylvania state championships, Kobe led his team to victory over Hamilton and even had a heroic moment in a regr-season game where he hit "The Shot" from mid-court.


    Tonight, Kobe singlehandedly shut down Hamilton, who was ying hiseback game and then achieved the third triple-double of his career: 23 points, 11 rebounds, 15 assists (a career-high for assists).


    Although Jordan scored 21 points, he was almost invisible in the game because he scored mostly in the first half, while Kobe surged in the second half. During the Lakers'' run that took away the game, Jordan did not step up.


    Then let''s hear how he described the game afterward.


    "I think everyone was expecting me to take over the game, but I couldn''t get the ball..."


    Yu Fei felt that if you traded away the team''s best passer for your own selfish reasons, then you shouldn''tin about not getting the ball.


    "I think the Lakers'' defense worked on Rip. They stepped up their defense on him, and obviously, Rip didn''t get anything going. He''sing back from injury, I understand that. But it''s definitely a lesson for us... We sumbed to the pressure from the Lakers."


    Is such tant me-shifting befitting of the Greatest of All Time?


    "You know his (Phil Jackson''s) teams will have solid defense. It''s tough... you can imagine what other teams (back in Chicago) felt like going up against us."


    Alright, Yu Fei knows what to give Big Dog for Christmas next year ¨C a collection of every game from the Bulls'' second three-peat to present to Jordan. That way, he can keep reminiscing about the past instead of returning to reality.


    Phil Jackson was the only one concerned about Jordan: "41 minutes is too long for Michael, considering his age, it''s risky."


    Everyone could see Jordan struggling on the court except Collins "could not see it."


    Two dayster, in the game against the Suns, Yu Fei continued to sit out, while the Wizards battled the struggling Suns to thest second. Then, suddenly, Jordan came alive and hit a game-winning shot in thest ten seconds.


    This was the 28th time in his career he had hit a game-winner in the final 10 seconds of a game.


    For an old man whose mobility was so limited he was almost limping, it was indeed an impressive feat.


    Then, Jordan''s knee issues gradually worsened, and on his 39th birthday, he had to sit out another practice.


    Before the rematch against the Rockets, Jordan rarely acknowledged his injury and told the young yers, not including Yu Fei: "From now on, you have the chance to prove yourselves."


    Yu Fei returned to the day-to-day list, and although he yed for 18 minutes, Collins did not let him y too long in hiseback game to protect him.


    Then, Yu Fei found that the team''s performance took a nosedive. Hamilton was nowhere near his pre-injury level, others were headless chickens after losing the experienced point guard Chris Whitney, and Jordan, with his body on the brink of copse, fell into a delirious state of "I can''t possibly fall here."


    The Wizards lost to a Rockets team shamelessly tanking.


    Because Jordan was like a stationary pole the whole game, easily scored on by opponents, his ytime still reached a high of 36 minutes


    To save Jordan, Collins finally started to openly discuss ns for resting Jordan.


    But Jordan''s choice was to continue fighting on.


    ```


    He was unreasonablypetitive, forcing Collins to let him y over 38 minutes per game, and then, he shot like a man possessed.


    Starting with a loss to the Houston Rockets, the Wizards suffered a seven-game losing streak, and even Yu Fei''s full return did nothing to help, for Jordan was bewitched.


    In the most dreadful game ¨C ying at home, the New Jersey Nets routed the Wizards by 47 points, 117 to 70.


    The Wizards were humiliated by a scoring run of 27 to 0 at one point.


    Jordan''s body was at its limit, and the Wizards'' yoff prospects were perilous, while those around Jordan started urging him to rest. Whenever anyone mentioned this, he would be incensed, "When have I ever missed games at such critical moments? Do you know my body better than I do?"


    On the night the losing streak ended, the Wizards won by a one-point margin over the Miami Heat.


    Yu Fei scored his fifth triple-double of the season, while Jordan, with incredible will,ted 37 points. He performed so well that observers wondered why people doubted whether Jordan was gued with injuries?


    But scoring 37 points meant Jordan had another tough night; he had yed for 40 minutes.


    The Wizards then faced another three-game losing streak with Jordan ying 38 minutes, 35 minutes, and 40 minutes respectively.


    He just kept shooting wildly, as if on a mission, but his efficiency was too poor to lead the team to victory.


    On this final night, Jordan was like a child, hypersensitive to everything; he yelled at referees, nitpicked teammates, and hurled harsh words at opponents, but his shooting percentage was 33%. And his legs, they felt like they were weighed down, utterly incapable of movingterally or running like a normal person.


    Six minutes before the game ended, with the Wizards'' cause lost, Jordan left the court early.


    That night, facing the media, the imperious Jordan showed a side of him that had not been seen this season, saying regretfully, "I''m old," and now, he had to admit that age would be an issue. "I''ve started to see the signs, clearly, something''s about to end..."


    The Wizards took a charter flight back to D.C. overnight.


    On the ne, Yu Fei saw Jordan sit silently beside Grover and his bodyguard.


    "It''s like someone just dropped dead," Kwame Brown described the atmosphere.


    If Jordan wasn''t sleeping on the flight, he would usually mutter stories about his alma mater, North Carolina, tease his teammates, or asionally y card games.


    These were his ways of passing time, but tonight, he did none of those.


    The next day, Jordan''s team announced a major piece of news through ESPN''s David Aldridge, "MJ has a tear in his right knee meniscus and will undergo surgery tomorrow."


    It was now March, and the recovery period for this surgery was two months.


    That meant Jordan was virtually confirmed to be out for the rest of the season.


    On the eve of the surgery, Jordan decided to personally go back to the Verizon Center to collect his belongings.


    "I''ll be back."


    Jordan told Yu Fei, Ratner, and Hamilton.


    No one responded.


    The locker room atmosphere was as sullen as a morgue.


    "I''ll be back," Jordan repeated.


    "Alright," Hamilton was the first to react and offered his well-prepared diplomatic courtesy, "I know you wille back, and I hope you recover soon."


    Ratner didn''t speak, not knowing what to say.


    Then, Jordan looked toward Yu Fei and repeated his phrase, "I''ll be back."


    Is the third time the charm?


    "You don''t seem to want me back?" Jordan''s face bore his ufortable confidence, "I''ll be back."


    The fourth time.


    Even now, crippled as he was, he still ruled the team.


    It seemed Jordan was asserting that he was the only ruler here, whether present or absent.


    "Hey, Michael."


    Yu Fei''s words made Jordan pause.


    In Jordan''s memory, this was the first time Yu Fei had called him by his name to his face.


    Yu Fei''s expression was pleasant, but Jordan didn''t believe he was holding back any kind words.


    Yu Fei turned, gesturing around the locker room with his hand, "Before you leave, this team is still yours."


    "But after you leave, it won''t be anymore," Yu Fei enunciated every word, every note, like the metallic sound of silver needles falling to the floor, so clear, so piercing. "Go ahead with ease, I''ll fulfill your unfinished business, after all not everyone has the fortune to clean up after the GOAT..."


    Yu Fei shifted his tone, "I will lead them into the yoffs."


    Then, Yu Fei walked past Jordan, and as he brushed by Jordan''s shoulder to leave, he left onest sentence:


    "By that time, the team will no longer be yours."


    ```

 Chapter 156: Chapter 111 Days Without Jordan

    The moment Yu Fei openly expressed his intention to wrestle power from Jordan, the locker room fell into a deathly silence.


    Including Richard Hamilton, no one made a sound, everyone pretending not to hear.


    As for Jordan, he just coldly stared at Yu Fei before walking away.


    There was nothing left to say between them.


    At present, the Wizards had 29 wins and 31 losses, ranking ninth in the Eastern Conference.


    However, there was no difference in the number of wins between them, the eighth-ranked Raptors, and the seventh-ranked Pacers; the three teams had the same record, and the Wizards were ranked ninth only because of the head-to-head results.


    Half a month ago, the Wizards were still among the top four teams in the Eastern Conference, but after the All-Star Weekend, Yu Fei''s flu (and the slight dip in his performance post-recovery)bined with Jordan stubbornly ying against worsening injuries, with extensive time on the court and numerous shots, led to a string of losses for the Wizards, who now found themselves battling again for yoff contention.


    Jordan''s season-ending injury vacated a starting spot and over 38 minutes of game time per match.


    Richard Hamilton benefitted the most from this, no longer having to y the small forward position to amodate Jordan.


    Then, as Jordan''s loyal but often verbally ridiculed follower, Tyrone Nesby''s ying time was set to increase significantly.


    The biggest change for the Wizards was that Yu Fei moved from ying point guard back to the small forward position.


    This was his own request.


    Although ying as a point guard was enjoyable, it was also exhausting, but now that Jordan was out, they could freely y a fast-paced basketball game. As such, he could perform even better ying small forward, especially since the Wizards had Tyronn Lue, an American sports car, at the point guard position.


    After Jordan''s injury, by rights, the leader of the Wizards should have been Richard Hamilton.


    But everyone knew what Yu Fei had said before Jordan left.


    "You go in peace, I willplete the mission you couldn''t finish."


    "I swear, I will lead them to the yoffs."


    "By then, this team will no longer belong to you."


    So, to whom would it belong?


    Whether it would belong to Yu Fei or not was uncertain to everyone, but it definitely wouldn''t belong to Hamilton, who never dared to defy Jordan.


    This was also the reason for the strange atmosphere between Yu Fei and Hamilton.


    Although Doug Collins was worried about Jordan''s health, he felt an indescribable sense of relief.


    Suddenly, the shackles on him disappeared.


    He seemed to regain the full authority of a head coach, and then, just two dayster, he realized that his troubles were only just beginning.


    The Wizards'' first game without Jordan was against the Ondo Magic.


    The Magic were only one win ahead of the Wizards, and if they lost this game, they would directly drop to eighth in the Eastern Conference, ording to head-to-head results.


    In essence, the two were truepetitors.


    Yu Fei exploded against Mike Miller and Pat Garrity, but Hamilton waspletely dominated by McGrady.


    Or more urately, McGrady overwhelmed everyone on the Wizards Team.


    Recognized as the best yer in the Eastern Conference and the only perimeter yer in the League''s top five, McGrady scored an amazing 50 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists with a 66% shooting rate in that game.


    For the world, he was like a young Jordan, just without enough support.


    But what did that matter? Jordan also struggled to lead his team past the second round until his supporting cast developed. McGrady was young enough; as long as he was patient, his support would eventuallye. Eventually.


    After scoring 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, Yu Fei found Coach Collins at the end of the game, "I think Kwame should be in the starting lineup."


    Jordan was out, but did that mean Yu Fei would be the yer Coach Collins imagined?


    No, with Jordan gone, he would be the new Jordan.


    "Kwame is not ready yet," was Collins''s reasoning.


    "If we don''t let him y, he''ll never be ready," Yu Fei replied. "Our front courtcks vitality; no one can provide the energy and athleticism that Kwame can."


    Collins countered, "What if he performs poorly after starting?"


    "Then he should y even more. Only games make a yer grow. He''s a top draft pick; why not give him the chance to make mistakes on the court?" The current Yu Fei was like a ferocious tiger, and Collins saw no reverence for the authority of a head coach on his face.


    This was someone who dared to openly break with Jordan at his most dominant. With Jordan injured, could Collins really expect this under-20-year-old to suddenly be a docile and sensible yer?


    Collins had no choice but to step back, "I''ll consider your suggestion."


    Those words were already a clear indication he was ready to do so.


    But Yu Fei didn''t like this ambiguous phrasing, and he emphasized, "It''s not about considering, it''s something we must do."


    Looking at Yu Fei, Collins felt a sense of weariness.


    "No problem," he gave up resisting, "do it your way."


    Really? Can I arrange a retirement ceremony for my dog? Although he''s getting ready for surgery, I think we can organize the two things simultaneously.


    With a smile on his face, Yu Fei nodded and said, "You truly are the most enlightened coach in the League."


    Doug Collins, who considered himself the most humble coach in history, said sarcastically, "You are also the most disciplined rookie in the entire league."


    "Haha, then we really are a golden pair!"


    Afterward, The Wizards faced The Celtics for the fourth time.


    Tonight, Kwame Brown was in the starting lineup.


    In a pre-game interview, Doug Collins said, "Michael''s injury has had a big impact on us, and now we must try to find other strategies to win games. I will consider allbinations; everyone has a chance."


    To justify Brown''s position in the starting lineup, Yu Fei called for Brown toe out for a pick-and-roll every time he had the ball this evening.


    The Celtics'' center Vitaly Potapenko and power forward Antoine Walker each had their own defensive issues, with defending pick-and-rolls being their weakest point.


    Brown gained something every time he rolled after setting a pick.


    Yu Fei''s leadership began to show.


    Initially, with Jordan on the team, although Yu Fei didn''t get along with him, he still had to y around him, unless Jordan was ying exceptionally poorly, taking many shots with a low sess rate. Only then would Yu Feipletely ignore him.


    Now, with Jordan out, Yu Fei became the loudest voice on the court.


    Richard Hamilton was a yer whose offense relied solely on moving without the ball and who disliked confrontation on defense. Such a person might be a sharp weapon on the offensive end but could never be a leader on the court.


    A so-called leader either had to be irreceable on offense like Iverson or dominating on defense like Ben Wace, and at the extreme, they could dominate both offense and defense like Duncan. Hamilton''s qualities did not meet the standards of a leader.


    He imed to be the leader of the New Jacks, but half a season had passed and this title existed in name only. The real leader of the young yers was Yu Fei.


    With Jordan out for the season, Yu Fei was bing the team''s new leader.


    Yu Fei set Brown up for scores again and again through assists and loudly corrected Tyronn Lue''s game habits that had been skewed by Jordan''s influence.


    Speed was inherently Lue''s greatest advantage, and before joining The Wizards, Collins had also convinced Lue that he would y a fast-paced offense with the team. But after Jordan''seback, The Wizards were forced to y at a slower pace to suit his style.


    Furthermore, Collins was the type of coach who liked to direct the point guard''s y from the sidelines, which likewise had an effect.


    Lue suddenly found himself in basketball hell.


    When The Celtics missed shot after shot and failed to get back on defense quickly enough afterpleting their half-court offense, Yu Fei hoped the team could seize these opportunities for a fast break.


    But Lue, having been tainted by Jordan for too long, seemed to have lost this instinct.


    So, during a timeout, Yu Fei went up to Lue and said, "Tyronn, you need to be yourself on the court! Ignore what outsiders say, know what you can do. Don''t slow down the pace, run as you can! Don''t let others influence your judgment, now we have to y our own game; it''s time to overthrow the old regime!"


    99 to 91


    The Wizards ended their four-game losing streak, with Yu Fei scoring 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists, marking his sixth triple-double of his rookie season.


    And Kwame Brown was undoubtedly the biggest beneficiary of Yu Fei''s triple-doubles.


    Half of Yu Fei''s assists were fed to Brown.


    With 18 points and 6 rebounds, Brown achieved a new scoring high.


    "I have to thank Fi; without him, I wouldn''t have scored so much! He''s my brother forever, and we will enter the yoffs together."


    What about Michael?


    "I wish him longevity."


    Brown''s expression and tone revealed his dissatisfaction with Jordan.


    Yu Fei really wanted to criticize him; how could he express his true feelings to the media?


    Look at what the "New Jacks" leader said.


    "We all hope Michael could be here, we really need him." Very good, it''s time for Collins to put you in the small forward position, "but you know, we are a young team, in five years, we''ll still be here, and Michael...you know. We all understand this, so in the time that Michael is not with us, we need to grow, and we should grow, not just for ourselves but also for the team."


    If Yu Fei had said that, Jordan would have been very pleased.


    But Yu Fei would never.


    And even with Hamilton''s best disguise, thest sentence gave away his real thoughts: "I am proud of us for winning this game without Michael; we proved ourselves."


    That night, Yu Fei missed the post-game press conference because he epted an exclusive interview from ESPN columnist and one of the NBA''s 50 greatest yers, Bill Walton.


    Since retiring from The Celtics in thete 80s, Walton had been working in the media. Despite a stutter, his exaggerated and ornate on-court metaphors were a highlight of NBA games.


    Besides, Walton didn''t ask as many questions about Jordan like other reporters.


    He knew the questions about Jordan were the most important, so he prepared just one and saved it for the end.


    The question went like this, "If Michael were to retire now, do you think that spending most of the season fighting alongside him is worth remembering?"


    "Of course, because everything is worth remembering, even if you step in dog shit on the side of the road today, you''ll remember that to make sure not to make the same mistake again."


    Yu Fei responded with several sentences, none of which seemed to have any substantial content, but Walton and the audience noticed an issue.


    Was Yu Feiparing Jordan to dog shit?


    Well.....

 Chapter 157: Chapter 112: Smart Inguinal Groin, Activate!

    After Jordan was dered out for the season, the Wizards did not transform as Yu Fei had hoped.


    This was evident in several aspects.


    One was the targeting by opponents during games.


    With Jordan on the court, opponents would focus on defending him, even though his shooting percentage was usually below 40%. Now, with Jordan gone, the Wizards'' leaders became Yu Fei and Hamilton. To defeat the Wizards, the first thing was to contain those two.


    Hamilton was a more pure scorer, skilled in off-ball movement, fond of catch-and-shoot, and asionally able to attack with the ball. His problem was that he was too thin, something that both Jordan and Collins had pointed out more than once.


    "Did Rip hit the gym today?" was Hamilton''s least favorite question.


    Hamilton disliked the gym; he believed he didn''t need to gain weight or strengthen his body as it would affect his agility, flexibility, and coordination.


    Then there was Yu Fei. After ying most of the season, he averaged 17.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, arguably the most versatile rookie since Grant Hill. But his offensive capability was only good enough for a secondary attack. The main attack depended on how his shooting felt that night.


    Once he lost his shooting touch, opponents would decisively use zone defense to limit his pration.


    At those times, he needed firepower support from his teammates, especially from Hamilton, who averaged 20 points per game.


    And it seemed Hamilton had his own thoughts on the matter.


    This was most obvious during the Wizards'' road loss to the Clippers.


    When they couldn''t make outside shots and werepletely outyed by Elton Brand inside, Yu Fei chose to force a drive to create shooting space for Hamilton.


    But after receiving the ball, Hamilton didn''t use his shots to punish the Clippers'' zone defense.


    To some media people, that scene was sensitive.


    Like Thomas Flynn, the beat reporter for The Washington Times.


    What reason could there be for Hamilton to deviate from his usual style of y? Unless he wanted to make the game harder?


    Flynn checked the Wizards'' stats.


    Yu Fei was doing alright tonight except for his three-pointers, with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. He had forced many turnovers that kept the Clippers busy. If they could break the opponent''s zone, they should be able to win the game.


    But what could be done if Hamilton didn''t cooperate?


    Why would Hamilton do this?


    Flynn didn''t find the answer right away.


    Then, at the post-game news conference that night, when Yu Fei, as the most watched yer on the team, entered the media room, Flynn in that same room found the key to the problem.


    When Jordan ended his season early due to injury, a vacuum appeared in the Wizards'' leadership role. But without anypetition, everyone took for granted that Yu Fei would take that seat.


    Whether inside the team or outside, everyone saw it that way.


    For Hamilton, who had joined the League a few years before Yu Fei and was the second inmand under Jordan, how could he ept this?


    "Frye, what do you think was the reason for tonight''s loss?"


    "Looking at the score, we''re 15 points short of the opponent; well, that''s the reason."


    "Who do you think should have made those points?"


    "Next time we''re in this situation, I''ll make a point to get those points."


    "Do you feel losing MJ had a big impact on you guys?"


    "Before Michael got injured, we had a stretch of 11 losses and 2 wins. After losing Jordan, we''re at 1 win and 2 losses. I think it''s too early to draw conclusions."


    Yu Fei ended the interview and met Hamilton in the corridor.


    "Why didn''t you shoot when you had an open look?"


    Yu Fei asked directly.


    Hamilton hadn''t expected Yu Fei to confront him so bluntly.


    "It wasn''t a good opportunity."


    "Not a good opportunity? They were barely defending our outside shots, and I had already drawn the defense in with my drives; you were open. If that wasn''t a good opportunity, what is?" Yu Fei asked sarcastically,"Do you want them to let youyup without any defense?"


    Hamilton had felt this kind of pressing attitude from Jordan.


    He had felt it when Jordan said he was poor at defense, when Jordan suggested he should get thrown in the weight room, and when Collins, following Jordan''s will, benched him on a moment''s notice; the suffocating feeling had surfaced within him before.


    But Jordan is Jordan; what gives Yu Fei the right? He''s just a rookie!


    "I got into the League before you, I know the game better, you can''t tell me what''s a good or bad opportunity!" Hamilton retorted indignantly.


    I got into the League before you, you can''t tell me... Since when had dog-years'' syndrome be contagious?


    "Are you unhappy with the current situation, Rip?" Yu Fei suddenly smiled, "Do you have anyints about me?"


    In Hamilton''s eyes, Yu Fei was no longer his little brother.


    Or rather, since Yu Fei joined the starting lineup, their rtionship of mutual support had ceased to exist.


    Because Yu Fei dared to do what he didn''t¡ªoppose Jordan in a Jordan-dominated team.


    Hamilton didn''t dare.


    What was Hamilton''s boldest dream? Two days ago, he told the media that in five years, when Jordan was gone and they would still be here, he would be the future of the team. That was his boldest dream.


    And Yu Fei was a yer who openly confronted Jordan and wasn''tpletely suppressed but instead used his irreceable ability to increasingly elevate his status.

 Chapter 158: Chapter 112: Smart Inguinal Groin, Activate!_2

    The night before Jordan''s surgery, thest thing Yu Fei said to Jordan shattered all of Hamilton''s illusions.


    That meant even if Jordan retired, the Wizards were still not his team.


    "Impossible!" Hamilton couldn''t face his own heart and wasn''t honest with Yu Fei, "I''ve been supportive of you, Frye."


    The next day, Yu Fei arrived at the Verizon Center early as usual.


    "Yo, Tim, you''re here too?" Anthony Lawson spotted Tim Grover.


    This was the white guy that Yu Fei had always asked him to ingratiate himself with; each time Lawson saw Grover, he greeted him like an affectionate nephew.


    Grover saw Yu Fei, who was already prepared to start training.


    He had heard about Yu Fei''s dedication to training but never confirmed it for himself until today, when Jordan nned to return to the Verizon Center to assert his presence and boost the team''s morale with the news, "If you make it into the yoffs, I mighte back." This chance encounter allowed Grover to see that Yu Fei was such a diligent yer.


    He remembered how Lawson tried to curry favor with him and the constant mentions of "Frye always looking for the best trainer."


    "If you''re here, I guess, the boss is too?" Yu Fei asked with a smile.


    "Of course," Grover said, "Michael would never abandon his team."


    Oh really? What about the Bulls in 1993? What about the Bulls in 1998?


    Okay, a dead dad and a disbanded team, those are valid reasons.


    But the name ''Jordan'' always aroused a rebellious streak in Yu Fei.


    Then, Yu Fei saw Jordan at the court side, walking with crutches.


    "I watchedst night''s game," Jordan initiated the conversation with Yu Fei, "If it was my pass, do you think Rip would''ve missed those open shot opportunities?"


    "I don''t think so," Yu Fei said sarcastically, "because he wouldn''t want to be asked why he didn''t do something to help his teammates after the game was over."


    Jordan smugly retorted, "You want to rece me, you want to lead them to the yoffs, that''s what you said, right? If you can''t make Rip cooperate with you, what makes you think you can do what you said you would?"


    "That''s none of your concern now, is it? Moreover, the reason we''re now reduced to struggling for a yoff spot, who is to me? Who preferred to y injured only to shoot more than 25 balls with less than 30% shooting uracy? Who has lost the ability to maintain high-quality offense and defense for extended periods yet still insists on ying more than 38 minutes each game? Who paraded out like a hero while leading the team to a 2-11 record, casting a shadow on our yoff prospects?" Yu Fei looked at Jordan like one would look at an uncleaned pile of dog shit, "You should be grateful that I don''t tell the media all this. This year, you''ve only proven that without Scottie Pippen, you are destined to achieve nothing. As for whether I can lead them to the yoffs, clean up your shit, it''s my concern, not of a useless old cripple like you."


    !#£¤!@£¤!@#


    Jordan, enraged, swung his crutch, wanting to have a royal PK with Yu Fei, but the staff swarmed to prevent it. They weren''t afraid of the two fighting, but rather afraid that Yu Fei might really strike Jordan.


    Whether it was Jordan battering Yu Fei in a fit of rage with his crutch, or Yu Feiying hands on the handicapped Jordan, either event would propel the Wizards to media infamy along with an endless stream of negative repercussions.


    Although the staff prevented a conflict between Yu Fei and Jordan, the incident indirectly resulted in a rough day for Richard Hamilton.


    During that day''s training session, Yu Fei chose the substitute team to confront Hamilton''s starting team in the intra-squad scrimmage.


    From the moment Yu Fei blocked Hamilton''s shot, the smell of gunpowder was in the air.


    "Rip, you''re going for a break-through again? Where''s your shooting? Does your groin injury still affect your shot?"


    The next round, as Hamilton took a shot, Yu Fei mocked, "So you can shoot after all?"


    If he scored.


    "Why didn''t you shootst night?"


    If he missed.


    Yu Fei would point to Jordan watching from the sidelines and say, "Even that cripple wouldn''t miss that shot."


    Finally, Hamilton couldn''t stand it any longer and angrily responded, "Why don''t you shoot? If you can make the shot, what''s the use of pinning your hopes on me?"


    Hamilton really left Yu Fei with no choice.


    If there was no one reliable around, then he could only trust himself.


    His shooting was just unstable, not incapable.


    Especially now when he was angry, he was incredibly focused, and at such times, his touch was always exceptional.


    That was the difference between Yu Fei and Hamilton.


    It was also the greatest chasm between ordinary star yers and those extraordinary geniuses with great potential.


    Yu Fei dribbled the ball, calling for a pick-and-roll from the shooting guard position to force Hamilton to switch on defense, then he pulled up and shot right in his face.


    "Swish!"


    "Is that defense, Rip? You see that cripple on the sidelines? Even he can guard better than you!"


    Jordan roared, "You''d better watch your mouth!"


    So Mr. Jordan knew that attacking the opponent''s weakness was an act of "filthy mouth," huh?


    Krause would cry himself to death, Bogues would cry himself to death.


    "Please respect my freedom of speech," Yu Fei mocked.


    Jordan left with a face as dark as iron.


    Staying any longer would only mean continuous humiliation at the hands of Yu Fei.


    For Hamilton, today was going to be long.


    The other starters saw that Yu Fei intended to make an example out of Hamilton (to vent his anger) that day, so they also didn''t put in much effort, just going through the motions.


    The reserves, however, dared not ck off because the main reason Yu Fei treated Hamilton this way today was because Hamilton hadn''t yed well in the previous night''s game.


    As a result, the reserve team overwhelmingly defeated the starting team.


    After the game, Yu Fei didn''t speak to Hamilton again.


    Only Kwame Brown felt that something about Yu Fei seemed different: "Fi, do you have a problem with Rip?"


    "He''s got a problem if he doesn''t shoot," he replied.


    "What if he does shoot?"


    "Then I''ll see if there''s any other problem."


    A dayter, the Wizards headed to Seattle to challenge the Supersonics.


    This was Yu Fei''s first time back to the State of Washington as an NBA yer.


    Even though he was very clear he was a Kentite, when the people from Seattle weed him home as their "own kid," he indeed felt something different.


    Then Gary Payton''s words fired him up even more: "Are you the kid from the regional invitational?"


    "You remember me?"


    "Of course, I remember, just checking. Uncle Gary here hates high school punks who skip college, and I''m going to put you in your ce tonight!"


    Payton delivered on his promise with 29 points and 7 assists, but Yu Fei, seemingly with some home-court "BUFF" boost, bravely scored 35 points with 11 rebounds and 8 assists, leading his team to a victory over the Supersonics.


    When the game was over, even though it was their home loss, the Seattle crowd wasn''t the least bit sad.


    The cheers at the scene made Yu Fei feel as if he were ying at the MCI.


    Richard Hamilton scored 21 points; he finally started to shoot.


    Because Yu Fei changed his approach toward him.


    If Hamilton didn''t take the open shots, Yu Fei would scold him just as fiercely as Jordan did.


    Pressuring others isn''t nice, but if pressure was the only way to get Hamilton to y well, then Yu Fei would not hesitate to do so.


    He didn''t care what Hamilton thought; he just wanted to lead the Wizards out of the mire.


    Then, Hamilton refused to attend the post-game press conference.


    The reason?


    A groin injury; he was now off to the hospital for a checkup.


    When Yu Fei heard about this, he had a premonition¡ªcould BYD really be "smart groin, activate!"?


    The next day, the Wizards team officially announced: Richard Hamilton was out indefinitely due to recurring groin injuries.

 Chapter 159: Chapter 113: You know, LeBron James is my little bro

    Yu Fei didn''t know the specifics of Richard Hamilton''s situation, but his team insisted it was a joint decision with the franchise.


    Now, with less than a month left in the regr season and the Wizards in the critical phase of pushing for the yoffs, losing Hamilton had no small impact.


    Yu Fei thus became the team''s unequivocal number one yer.


    This was both an opportunity and a challenge for Fei because, starting today, each opponent they faced would target him as the key yer needing special defensive attention.


    Meanwhile, the Wizards'' chances of making the yoffs also dropped to the lowest point.


    The reason was simple.


    "This team lost two yers who average 20 points per game, and now they are led by a rookie who just turned 19. Does anyone really believe they can make it to the yoffs?"


    This was written in thetest issue of Sports Illustrated.


    And it was essentially the consensus among analysts.


    "Perhaps you don''t believe it, but I like our current situation," said Doug Collins to The Washington Post reporters before the Wizards set off for their next away game.


    The other party wanted to know why.


    Collins said, "We still have Frye."


    "But... Frye is also just a rookie."


    "His performance has already far exceeded the value of a rookie," Collins suddenly became Fei''s biggest supporter, "He has already created many miracles, why can''t we be a little bolder, trust him a little more? Maybe he really can."


    Now isn''t the time for you to hold him back from starting, is it? To trust him more?


    The reporter could only nod, indeed, Yu Fei was the only hope for the Wizards this season.


    And this highly anticipated person was now preparing to attend a high school game while on the way to y an away game in Clevnd.


    You guessed it right, aside from LeBron James''s high school game, there was no other high schooler worth Yu Fei caring so much about.


    Starting this year, LeBron James has be a name that all basketball enthusiasts can''t ignore.


    Just like how American scouts had been discussing Yao Ming since the year 2000.


    In February of this year, James graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, and the magazine even wrote a feature article on him titled "Born to be a King."


    Initially, James''s reputation was local, but after this article, he immediately became a national celebrity.


    As long as there were games with him, the ticket revenue would double, and the school even chose to move the home court to an arena that could amodate 5,000 people (which is consideredrge for a high school game).


    So far, many celebrities have made it a point to go watch his games.


    From the NBA, Shaquille O''Neal has already attended James''s game.


    Since they were in Clevnd for a game and LeBron had a match scheduled, how could he, as the older brother figure, not turn up to support his younger brother on the scene?


    So, he went and even gave LeBron a heads-up in advance.


    "LeBron, do you still have tickets for your game today?"


    "I think there should be some left."


    "Reserve four for me, I want to watch your game live."


    And that''s how the process went. Fei didn''t even bother with the pleasantries like "would that be too much trouble," as they were brothers. Was securing four tickets difficult?


    LeBron, of course, agreed immediately.


    After all, the Sports Illustrated article mentioned that LeBron treats his friends as he would his siblings.


    Genuine, enthusiastic and generous¡ªyou could always trust LeBron.


    The reason for Fei''s visit to the game was genuinely to cheer for LeBron and, incidentally, to strengthen their friendship.


    Since their parting in Oand, Fei and LeBron hadn''t seen each other for a while.


    But, time can indeed shape a person.


    Fei was now the hottest rookie in the 2001 ss, and LeBron had locked in the number one draft pick, striving to get the League to agree to let him enter the draft this year.


    After watching LeBron''s game live, Fei felt that even the current LeBron could probably average 12+4+4 in the NBA.


    Not to mention how difficult his style of y was for high schoolers, just take his physique, which was alreadypletely like that of an adult.


    Fei remembered being weak and malnourished when he first crossed over to this time, and looking at LeBron now, what is called a prodigious talent? No wonder Reebok was ready to offer him a hundred million in the future.


    Perhaps it was because Fei was present, but LeBron yed excitedly, racking up 35+10+10 for the game and leading his team to victory.


    "Today we have a special guest, so I need to y an extraordinary game."


    At this moment, young LeBron was like Shen Chia-yi from "Those Years, We Chased the Girls Together"¡ªalthough physically and mentally mature for his age, he still retained the innocence and carefreeness of a young boy.


    Yu Fei believed that James was genuinely happy about his arrival.


    Just like Yu Fei at this moment, who wanted nothing more from James.


    Since young LeBron had shown his affection, Yu Fei couldn''t fail to respond.


    Facing the reporters from the Akron Beacon Journal, Yu Fei offered his ultimate praise to James without any reservations, "LeBron is my little brother, I know he''s amazing, but I had no idea, after not seeing him for a while, that he had be this great! I''m sure he will be one of the greatest yers of all time. He could y in the NBA right now. David Stern should allow such talent to be draft-eligible. It''s a waste of talent to let him y another year in high school!"


    Afterward, Yu Fei met privately with James for half an hour.


    What Yu Fei didn''t expect was that James was actually interested in his feud with Jordan.


    Yu Fei didn''t say much about it but left James with 10 tickets for tonight''s game before leaving.


    "LeBron, if you have time you coulde and watch. Of course, I won''t go easy on the Knights just because of you," Yu Fei said with a smile.


    Most people give four or five tickets, but Yu Fei handed out ten at once, which really made James see him in a new light¡ªit seemed like an invitation for his whole family to watch the game.


    "I''ll be there for sure!" said James, "For you, I can support the Wizards!"


    Yu Fei didn''t let James''s support be in vain.


    When Yu Fei saw that James had indeed brought arge group of people to the game to support him, he felt his motivation multiply.


    If originally he just wanted to win the game, now he not only wanted to win but to win impressively, making James feel his visit was worthwhile.


    That evening, thementators kept reminding everyone that Yu Fei had originally been selected by the Cavaliers with the eighth overall pick in the first round.


    So why didn''t he y for the Cavaliers?


    Because the Cavaliers didn''t believe this high school yer could quickly realize his potential. They wanted someone who could immediately score for the team. So when the Wizards offered Courtney Alexander, who had averaged 17 pointsst season, plus two future first-round picks, they didn''t hesitate to send Yu Fei to D.C.


    Halfway through the season, Yu Fei''s stats soared¡ªaveraging 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists per game, he could say he had the Rookie of the Year award firmly in his hands. And the Cavaliers? Well, they might get an extra lottery pick this year¡ªif the Wizards don''t make the yoffs¡ªbut the yer that had prompted the trade, Courtney Alexander, had shown his true colors in Clevnd, exhibiting none of the All-Star potential, with an average of 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist per game. He was decent as a bench yer, but expecting him to be the high-scoring wing the team wanted was wishful thinking.


    The stark contrast between the two oues was so evident and brutal that whenever Courtney Alexander yed, the Cavaliers'' fans couldn''t suppress their bitterness and would let out loud jeers.


    Yu Fei, on the other hand, tore through the opposition with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, notching his sixth triple-double of the rookie season, and leading his team to defeat the Cavaliers.


    This victory elevated the Wizards to sixth in the Eastern Conference¡ªa position that could tentatively be called safe¡ªand helped the team realize that Bobby Simmons, acquired in the Chris Whitney trade, was quite energetic. Although not a sharpshooter, his athletic ability was well-suited to fast breaks led by Yu Fei.


    Doug Collins decided to give him more opportunities in the uing games.


    Meanwhile, Yu Fei took part in the post-game interview with great enthusiasm.


    "I like Clevnd; I really do. Not only does it have the best fans, but also my little brother LeBron James, who was here tonight. This performance is for him!"


    Everyone was surprised by the familiarity between Yu Fei and James.


    Calling each other "little brother" out loud, had their rtionship evolved to that of sworn brothers?


    At the press conference that night, the local Clevnd media asked Yu Fei almost all about James.


    Each of Yu Fei''s answers was filled with affection and praise for James.


    How LeBron would be the greatest high school basketball yer in history, how "my little brother" LeBron should get NBA draft eligibility in 2002, how the Cavaliers shouldn''t worry about missing out on him¡ªif they are patient, perhaps they may be able to draft the promising "King" James.


    Thatst point was key.


    Yu Fei "subconsciously" made a prediction.


    That night, before Yu Fei returned to his hotel, he met James outside the arena.


    James brought Yu Fei some homemade snacks from his mom.


    "My mom said your performance tonight deserved this," said James, his face full of envy, "This is what I only get when I score 40 points!"


    Yu Feiughed and epted the treat. Before he left, he said to James, "LeBron, I hope to see you in the NBA soon. If you need anything, you can call me anytime."


    Deep down, James felt that Yu Fei was simr to himself.


    Both treated their friends with the same brotherly warmth and care.


    This made him look forward even more to his future NBA career. He was eager topete against Yu Fei on the court as soon as possible.


    What LeBron James didn''t know was that fate''s cogs had already started to turn. The affectionate big brother today might be a demon tomorrow. But he was too young to know that most of the good people he met in life would leave an indelible mark on his journey.


    PS: I''m making a chapter focused on LeBron as I need to clear my thoughts. Big Fei''s rookie season is nearing its finale.

 Chapter 160: Chapter 114: The Big Diesel Engine Knows Everything

    The Wizards needed to keep moving forward.


    Their next away game was in Pornd.


    Previously, the Wizards had already yed a game against the Trail zers.


    In that game, a few matchups between Jordan and Pippen were captured, and someone called a still photo of Jordan and Pippen as opponents "the most heartbreaking moment in NBA history," as if it were two brothers forced to be enemies.


    In that game, the Wizards lost.


    And tonight, the Wizards lost again.


    Although the Trail zers were ranked fifth in the Western Conference, their roster depth was undoubtedly number one in the Western.


    This was a team with a total sry of 80 million US dors.


    And now was an era with a sry cap of 40 million US dors.


    If you had a roster that was twice the sry cap without the breathtaking depth it implied, the team''s general manager must be cast into the professional basketball abyss, never to rise again.


    Rasheed Wace, Bonzi Wells, Damon Stoudamire, Scottie Pippen, Shawn Kemp, Derek Anderson, Steve Kerr, Zach Randolph... the Trail zers'' roster was rich enough to take on any opponent, but the problem was, with so many talents, how to make everyone satisfied with their ying time, tactical position, ball rights, and statistics?


    Impossible.


    It just couldn''t be done.


    Even if you had a coaching staffposed of Red Auerbach, Gregg Popovich, Phil Jackson, and Pat Riley, it couldn''t be done.


    Of course, if they suddenly awakened some transmigration system, or inexplicably had the influence to make yers selfless, understanding, and caring about nothing but winning, which very few people have, then maybe there''d be a 1% chance to achieve it.


    But the Trail zers had no such person, and the entire NBA didn''t have such a person.


    Trail zers head coach Maurice Cheeks was hired by the decision-makers of the Trail zers because of the lubricating effect he had in Phdelphia as a mediator between Larry Brown and Allen Iverson.


    They forgot one thing: as a mediator, you can say something to ease the atmosphere, but as the head coach who directly decides the power hierarchy of the team?


    That''s a different matter altogether.


    Although the Trail zers'' sess and failure were both closely rted to their luxurious roster, their talent was clearly not something the Wizards could contend with.


    Yu Fei met with the full defense of old Pippen, and although he couldn''t find his shooting touch, he relied on pick-and-roll offense to score 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists.


    The number of his assists was the reason the Wizards lost.


    While his personal offense opened up, the Trail zers'' defensive system sessfully forced Yu Fei into a one-man struggle.


    105 to 88


    The Wizards lost a game that was considered little chance of winning before the match.


    Scottie Pippen nced at the distant Yu Fei, who was being interviewed.


    Despite losing the game, he was bathed in the spotlight as if he were the big winner.


    Is this the person who dares topete with Jordan?


    But Pippen didn''t think there was anything remarkable about it because the Jordan that Yu Fei waspeting with was almost 40 years old,pletely different from the Jordan he faced when he was young.


    Pippen decided to leave; he no longer cared about the spotlight. As a veteran near retirement, all he wanted was peace and quiet.


    Until Yu Fei brushed past him in the yer''s tunnel.


    "Scottie, why are you always able to guess my breakthrough route?" asked Yu Fei.


    Pippen''s expression changed. This kid scored 25 points tonight, and he''splimenting my defense? Is he mocking me?


    "What''s the difference? You still scored what you were supposed to," said Pippen.


    Yu Fei shook his head, "No, if you were a few years younger, I might have had a hard time tonight."


    Listening to this, Pippen, who had been as serious and rigid as a robot from start to finish,ughed, his voice full of metallic pleasure, "Don''t you know? Every time before you break through, your body swings to the side you''re going to break towards. Any experienced defender can predict your route, but the problem is, you''re too tall, and it''s hard to stop you even if they guess right."


    Yu Fei never knew he had such a habit.


    If Pippen could find a clue from his habits, then some teams that specialize in defense will certainly discover it as well.


    Perhaps they might have difficulty finding the right person to match up against him, but they could design traps based on his breakthrough route.


    "Worthy of being the greatest NO. 2 in history!" Yu Fei seemed oblivious to the fact that''s thest thing Pippen wanted to hear and struck right at the heart, "ying against you is very beneficial for me."


    Sure enough, as soon as Yu Fei''s "greatest NO. 2 in history" came out, Pippen''s face lost its good look.


    Pippen never, ever, ever thought of himself as the second choice under Jordan while with the Bulls.


    In his view, he was equal to Jordan.


    But why was Jordan the king of the world while he had to perform like a star under a kid''s contract?


    Both on and off the court, Pippen wasmitted to keeping in step with Jordan, not because he felt he was "under Jordan''s wing" but because he thought he was equal to Jordan. If Jordan didn''t practice, he didn''t either. If Jordan had privileges, so did he, at least within the Bulls, he had to have everything Jordan had.


    He wasn''t any NO. 2; he and Jordan were both NO. 1.


    "I should leave," said Pippen coldly.


    "Alright, alright, go ahead. Michael even asked me to pass on a message to you, but it seems you don''t want to hear it," said Yu Fei.

 Chapter 161: Chapter 114: The Big Diesel Engine Knows Everything_2

    ```


    Strangely, Pippen hadn''t had any contact with Jordan, but he was still very curious about what Jordan wanted to say to him.


    He stopped in his tracks, turned to face Yu Fei, "What did he say?"


    "Be good to Scottie," Yu Fei lied without a blush, "he''s my best helper."


    "Be good to me?" Pippen''s discontent rose swiftly, "We won the game easily, and yet he tells you to be good to me?"


    Jordan didn''t approve of Pippen? No, he did.


    Before Pippen''s autobiography was published, Jordan would always call Pippen his best helper in any asion, saying he couldn''t have won so many championships without him.


    But what Pippen hated most was this condescending attitude and offhandments.


    The term "best helper" was too vague to epass Pippen''s contributions, yet Jordan always felt this was showing Pippen enough respect.


    What was Pippen thinking?


    Who stepped up to change the game by defending Magic Johnson in the 1991 Finals?


    And who was it that led the substitutes to recover from a 15-point deficit against the Trail zers during the fourth quarter of the championship night in 1992?


    Who took over leadership and nearly carried the team to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1994 after someone irresponsibly retired all of a sudden?


    Who whispered that legendary trash talk to Karl Malone at the free-throw line in 1997, giving someone the opportunity for The Shot at the buzzer?


    And who, despite publicly feuding with management and demanding a trade, came back after surgery in 1998 to y a full game with a torn back on the night someone pushed his opponent and scored that century-defining shot?


    Pippen''s biggest grievance with Jordan was that he got everything, but when he performed poorly, the media would say he''s just "a person who asionally makes mistakes," whereas when his teammates yed poorly, they were med for dragging Jordan down.


    Remember, the "It''s not his fault they lost; the boss tried his best"w applies to all superstars.


    "He seems arrogant," Yu Fei chuckled, "right?"


    In that instant, Pippen''s resentment toward Jordan rose to a new level.


    "That''s him!" Pippen said angrily, "That''s him!"


    Yu Fei could fully sense Pippen''s emotions from his discontent, "Exactly, that''s him."


    In that moment, Pippen and Yu Fei locked eyes, understanding each other.


    This was a century meeting between the current and future super Jordan detractors.


    Pippen knew about Yu Fei''s feud with Jordan; he knew that Yu Fei was not Jordan''sckey, otherwise, there was no need to specifically bring up Jordan in this conversation.


    Pippen didn''t care what Yu Fei wanted from him. What mattered was that they''d both been tormented by Jordan, they were both dissatisfied with him, and as long as Yu Fei stood up to Jordan, Pippen would offer him all the support he could, aside from actual action.


    Do you think Pippen is all talk? No, he''s just dissatisfied with Jordan for now; it''s far from the point of breaking off rtions.


    This requires several steps.


    Pippen goes bankrupt after retirement/Jordan bes an owner after retirement¡ªPippen turns into a media clown after retirement, jumping back and forth with the media/Jordan, as a capitalist, lives a secluded life, disdainful of such associations¡ªDuring/after the airing of "The Last Dance"¡ªPippen loses his son, goes through a divorce¡ªJordan''s son hooks up with Pippen''s ex-wife.


    Any man going through all this couldn''t possibly have a normal, fair opinion of Jordan.


    Yu Fei knew Pippen was biased against Jordan, but so what? Anyway, all he needed was to consult Pippen on defense now and then, and asionally share insights on despising Jordan ¨C that would be enough.


    Two dayster, the Wizards, back in their home court, yed against the Golden State Warriors until the veryst moment.


    The most outstanding yer from the Warriors was also a rookie.


    His name was Gilbert Arenas.


    Yu Fei only had two impressions of Arenas; one was his brazen attitude towards the league, mocking them after the Morant gun incident, and the other was admitting he was curdled by James, even thinking that his James was a dog''s treat.


    But Yu Fei didn''t expect Arenas to be such an excellent yer.


    That night, Yu Fei scored 24 points, and Arenas had 25 points.


    The Golden State employed a zone defense against Yu Fei, which had a certain effect. Yu Fei also suffered from not having Hamilton by his side.


    A scorer averaging 20 points a game is truly hard to rece, and no one inside the Wizards could threaten the opposing nks like Hamilton did.


    This emboldened the opponents to use double teams and zones against Yu Fei.


    But luck was on the Wizards'' side. In the final moments, Cassidy White scored with a putback for The Shot.


    Then, in the game against the Utah Jazz, Yu Fei yed for 44 minutes.


    Facing an even more ruthless zone defense, Yu Fei decisively yed as a pivot and shot from the free-throw line. Though effective, no one knew better how to deal with this type of skillful ball-handler than Sloan.


    If one wasn''t enough, he''d use two, and if two weren''t enough, he''d use three ¨C he was determined to smother the yer.


    Sloan didn''t believe Yu Fei''s teammates could bring enough help.


    When facing double teams, Yu Fei had no choice but to pass the ball, which led to his seventh triple-double of his rookie season; but the oue was exactly as Sloan had predicted.


    114-107


    Yu Fei scored 28 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists, and despite his heroic performance, he didn''t get apuse. Instead, it attracted the skepticism of Jordan''s cancer patients: "Frye, if you had another chance, would you choose to decide the oue of this game yourself."


    ```

 Chapter 162: Chapter 114: The Big Diesel Engine Knows Everything_3

    The reporter was referring to the incident in thest few minutes where Yu Fei was continuously double-teamed by the Jazz and passed the ball to an open teammate who missed the shot.


    From the results, those missed open shots not only caused the Wizards to miss the chance to keep up with the game but also allowed the Jazz to score on the counterattack.


    But Yu Fei had no better option at that time.


    He yed for 44 minutes, holding the ball for a long time and taking on the main attack, essentially carrying both offense and defense on his shoulders, and by that point he had no energy left to break through the Jazz''s double-team.


    In such a situation, instead of choosing to force his own shot, passing to a teammate for an open shot was the safer option.


    "Are you suggesting I should have forced a shot under a double team?" Yu Fei questioned the intelligence and motives of the other party, "That''s not a smart question. You are either very stupid or have ulterior motives."


    Jerry Sloan had a fairment: "Looking at the entire game, I don''t think No. 44 could have done anything more."


    Then Doug Collins faced a dilemma.


    A reporter asked, "Coach Collins, how are you going to help Frye get out of his one-man struggle?"


    Collins was frustrated: "What kind of question is that? I have never put my yers in a difficult situation! We lost two yers who averaged 20 points per game, and that''s not my fault..."


    The impact of this defeat was not just fully exposing the problem of Yu Feicking support, it also allowed other teams to catch up.


    Teams like the Magic and the Bucks, contenders for the yoffs, all won tonight, their records tying with the Wizards, and based on head-to-head records, they pushed the Wizards down from seventh to ninth in the Eastern Conference.


    Once the media saw the Wizards fall out of the yoff spots, they began to criticize the team.


    They believed that without Jordan, the Wizards had be mediocre and ipetent, with Yu Fei being the only highlight, and the rest were useless.


    "Look at this team''s roster, the ipetent Christian Laettner, the mediocre Tyronn Nesby, the low-basketball-IQ Tyronn Lue, the disappointing Kwame Brown, thecking-in-independent-thought Bobby Simmons... This is the most unimpressive NBA team. They are the reason Michael Jordan got injured, they are the reason Richard Hamilton got injured, they are the reason Frye is in so much pain! D.C. has be a wastnd for professional basketball!"


    With one sweep of the pen, the New York Times negated all the fighting and effort the Wizards had put in over the past period.


    Without Jordan, they were 3-5, and without Hamilton, they were 2-3. So they were trash, rubbish, useless drag?


    Then Jordan''s team revealed that the injured MJ was not far away from the team; he often went back to visit his teammates and motivated them with "Jordan-style" speeches.


    The day after, during a pre-game interview against the Denver Nuggets, an NBC reporter asked Yu Fei how Jordan encouraged them.


    "Oh, Michael said something about hard work, struggle, and that he woulde back for the yoffs at the Verizon. We allughed after hearing that."


    Then, just before the game started, Yu Fei pulled up his pants, gave them a tug upward, then turned to his teammates and said, "Trash, it''s time to prove the value of trash!"


    That night, Collins had Yu Fei y for 46 minutes.


    From the beginning until the final two minutes, Yu Fei didn''t rest for a second.


    Collins only substituted Yu Fei when the oue was already decided.


    In those 46 minutes, Yu Fei scored 36 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, and both Laettner and Bobby Simmons scored in double figures as well, totaling three yers with double-digit scoring. The Wizards defeated the Nuggets and brought their wins to 34, pushing past the losing Magic to re-enter the yoff bracket.


    When the Wizards started winning, the media''s hope was rekindled.


    Because Jordan said he mighte back for the yoffs.


    So the media asked Yu Fei, "Do you think Michael will make aeback in the yoffs?"


    Yu Fei had long been dissatisfied with the media''s nitpicking, and upon hearing this question, he became even more furious, "Does it matter? Michael isn''t here! Rip isn''t here either! We won the game! If we had lost, you would have called us trash and garbage, but now that we have won, you are concerned about whether Michael can make aeback? What a joke! We''re not ying hard to get Michael back for the yoffs, we''re ying for ourselves, for this city, to make the Wizards a respected team, and I''ve had enough of your double standards!"


    Yu Fei''s emotional response didn''t change anything.


    The media would still ask about Jordan.


    And when the Wizards won, Jordan would always disappear.


    Only when the Wizards lost and were on the verge of missing the yoffs would he show up.


    Aside from Yu Fei, the rest of his teammates were still considered trash, and Jordan remained unountable for this.


    The Wizards'' situation hadn''t changed; they would lose a game or two, then win another on nights when Yu Fei got help from his teammates.


    With April approaching, teams in the Eastern Conference yoffs circle had to win at least 38 games, and the Wizards had only won 37 so far.


    There were six games left in the season, and the Wizards were undoubtedly the team with the worst schedule among those at the back of the yoff pack.


    Sitting in ninth ce, they were one or even two wins behind their mainpetitors, facing the Lakers, two games against the 76ers, the Brooklyn Nets, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Pacers (mainpetitors).


    One could say that every game from then on was a matter of life and death.


    The more they lost, the fainter the Wizards'' yoff hopes became.


    The first stop on this journey of death was Los Angeles.


    At the end of the season, the league''s powerhouse had regained vitality, and, Shaquille O''Neal knew a little something about Yu Feist year at ABCD Camp, Yu Fei had asked Kobe when he might rece Shaquille O''Neal as the Lakers'' best, going so far as to say Shaq waszy and fat, and didn''t deserve to represent the Lakers.


    Childish innocence? Shaq didn''t have that concept in mind.


    "D.C.? I know, I know that team. That''s Michael''s team, but Michael''s not here now, so they''re just a lousy team, but I know they have a very ''interesting'' young guy, I know what he said," Shaquille O''Nealmented in a recent interview, "The Big Diesel knows everything!"


    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥


    "Looking at the schedule, the Wizards have a 0 chance of making the yoffs." ¡ª The Washington Times


    "Frye Yu will win Rookie of the Year with an easy average of 18.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game." ¡ª The Washington Post


    "Despite the obstacles, the most watched overseas yer in the past three years has gained eligibility for the draft, and Yao Ming will easily be the first pick in the 2002 draft." ¡ª Sports Illustrated


    "With Nikeunching the $160 Shox VCst week, they are trying to match Vince Carter''s market position with that of Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. Even though Carter is the All-Star vote leader, his reputation within the league has slipped. More and more executives, coaches, and yers privately criticize him as a superficial superstar who avoids defense and leadership responsibilities, and he will not be sessful." ¡ª ESPN: Marc Stein column.


    "Shaq says he will personally crush the Wizards'' yoff dreams, so he will, no doubt about it." ¡ª Los Angeles Times


    ¢Å Let me just directly quote what Pippen said about this in his autobiography: "Sunday, June 1, 1997, in the final 9.2 seconds of the first game of the Finals against the Utah Jazz, with the score tied at 82, their star power forward Karl Malone, also known as the Mailman, was at the free-throw line. When Karl stood at the line, I said to him, ''The Mailman doesn''t deliver on Sundays.'' Karl was a 76% free throw shooter, but he missed thosest two free throws. On the following offense, Michael hit the buzzer-beater The Shot, helping us win the game. We eventually beat the Jazz in six games to win our fifth championship. The trash talk I gave to Karl should''ve been in the documentary (but they never mentioned it). I''m sure if Michael had been the one talking trash, that moment would be part of his legend and be highlighted over and over again."''

 Chapter 163: Chapter 115 This is the Offense

    This was Yu Fei''s first time in Los Angeles.


    Unlike the politically charged atmosphere of Washington D.C., Los Angeles felt to him like a world of glitz in the literal sense.


    For a country bumpkin who had grown up in Kent, Los Angeles gave him a sense of alienation, as if "I don''t belong here."


    Yu Fei followed the team bus into the hotel, watched TV for a while, and saw the tough talkid down by Shaquille O''Neal.


    It seemed that the question Yu Fei had initially posed to Kobe at ABCD Camp had irked Shaquille O''Neal.


    Would he really be angry at Yu Fei, who hadn''t even entered the NBA at that time?


    As far as Yu Fei knew, Shaquille O''Neal would.


    Although he possessed one of the most imposing physiques in NBA history, his pettiness was also among the most notable in the history of the League.


    Yu Fei wasn''t worried about tonight''s game, "When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy camps, we harass." That was all there was to it.


    Two hours before the game started, guest yer Yu Fei, as usual, went early to the opponent''s home court to get a feel for the ce.


    Here, Yu Fei didn''t see the legendary training maniac Kobe, but a Lakers yer named Devean George.


    The first impression he gave Yu Fei was ugly.


    In terms of ugliness, he could be mentioned in the same breath as Yu Fei''s teammate Popeye Jones.


    If Jones, with the eyes that shocked past and present, could forcefully elevate his face to a rank it didn''t belong, then George represented a three-dimensional ugliness¡ªhis eyes, nose, sausage lips, all normal African American features when seen separately,bined to create an indescribably unique aura.


    However, due to a chance encounter, Yu Fei found his character, much like Popeye''s, quite mismatched with his appearance.


    During practice, George identally sent the ball into Yu Fei''s half of the court.


    George came over cautiously, uncharacteristically restrained for an African American: "Sorry, can you pass me the ball?"


    Having had a season-long noisy feud with Jordan, Yu Fei''s reputation within the League was not exactly sterling; although George had been in the NBA for two more years than Yu Fei, he dared not show the slightest veteran air in front of this formidable rookie.


    Yu Fei said nothing and simply picked up the ball and tossed it to him.


    Cold, merciless.


    That was George''s first impression of Yu Fei, and it seemed to fit the man who dared to speak ill of Shaquille O''Neal before entering the NBA and who had a big row with Jordan in D.C.


    After that, George had no more interaction with Yu Fei, and Yu Fei had no interest in this Lakers bench yer.


    As the game time approached, the atmosphere in the Staples Center visibly changed.


    Yu Fei not only saw the Staples Center in game mode but also the legendary venue''s celebrity fans.


    Jack Nicholson, Will Smith, JAY-Z, Gwh Paltrow, and one of Yu Fei''s favorite actresses, Kate Winslet.


    When Yu Fei spotted Winslet at the Staples Center, his excitement far exceeded that of seeing all the other celebritiesbined.


    That was the first time Kwame Brown realized Yu Fei had an interest in women.


    "Honestly, that''s a relief," Brown said. "I had always thought you were... uh..."


    Yu Fei, catching Brown''s insinuation, replied irritably, "You''re about to go head-to-head with Shaquille O''Neal, and here you are making snidements."


    Brown looked carefree: "The person who bbered and pissed off Shaq before the draft wasn''t me. Besides, I''m a power forward; I''m not matching up against Shaq."


    Yu Fei noticed that since Jordan''s season-ending injury, Brown had be like a young lion regaining his confidence, more and more exuberant.


    "Keep talking nonsense, and I''ll tell Doug to have you y center!" Yu Fei threatened.


    With Jordan not around, and Collins entirely deferential to Yu Fei, Brown''s face paled: "My bad, Fi, don''t make me match up against Shaq. I really can''t handle him right now."


    "Got spirit," Yu Fei noted. "You said, ''I can''t handle him right now,'' not ''I can never handle him.''"


    Collins was pacing back and forth on the sidelines.


    It was just the pre-game warm-up, yet sweat on his face made it look as though he had just coached a full game.


    Only a few people knew how important the game against the Lakers was to him.


    The problem was, the Wizards had a tough time beating the Lakers.


    Yet, for a Wizards team intent on making the yoffs, defeating the Lakers was a shortcut back to postseason y; if they could take down this toughest bone to chew, it would help the subsequent games as well.


    That was the need on the official side; what about personally? Collins always believed that Phil Jackson was the mastermind behind his being fired at lightning speed after leading his team to the Eastern Conference finals.


    What made Collins hold a grudge, even more, was that Jackson had Jordan''s love and respect.


    Jordan would threaten retirement to keep Jackson with the Bulls. Would Jordan do the same for Collins in the next hundred years?


    Now that Jordan wasn''t there, nor was Hamilton, and the Wizards only had Yu Fei, while the Lakers, aiming for a three-peat, had a special habit of rapidly finding their game rhythm as yoffs approached.


    If the Wizards could defeat the Lakers tonight, Collins was sure that it would be the most memorable night of his year.


    However, looking at the Wizards yers on the court, Collins'' ambitions withered by more than half.


    In the end, Collins'' gaze turned toward Yu Fei.


    Magically, at this moment, Collins'' resolve aligned with that of Yu Fei''s high school coach.


    All hopesy with Yu Fei!

 Chapter 164: Chapter 115 This is the Offense_2

    At this moment, Yu Fei was meeting with Kobe Bryant, thanks to an introduction by his agent Arne Trem.


    When Kobe saw Yu Fei, his first words were, "I didn''t expect to see you in the NBA so soon."


    "If it hadn''t been for the flu, we would have met in D.C. already," Yu Fei replied.


    "How''s Michael doing?" Kobe asked the wrong person.


    Yu Fei responded, "Don''t know, he''s probably about to die."


    Even Kobe would think that some people need to learn more about emotional intelligence from him after hearing that response.


    "Is Michael really that bad?" Kobe didn''t understand why Yu Fei had such a big gripe with Jordan.


    Just like Yu Fei never understood what the actual problem was between the OK duo.


    "Is Shaquille that bad?" Yu Fei returned the same question to Kobe.


    Kobe''s eyes widened, is this still the same kid who said at the ABCD Camp that Shaquille waszy and slow and didn''t deserve to be the face of the Lakers?


    Arne Trem, however, was surprised to realize that these two were already well-acquainted: "My God, when did you two meet?"


    "Before I entered the NBA," Yu Fei said.


    "Since you guys know each other, I can save myself some trouble," Trem looked at his second most satisfied client with self-contentment, "Put on a great game tonight!"


    Then, Trem walked away, leaving the rest to his subordinate, a young man named Rob Pelinka.


    Pelinka whispered a few words in Kobe''s ear.


    Kobe nodded, signaling him to go ahead with the tasks.


    Then, Pelinka left.


    From this scene, Yu Fei felt that Pelinka seemed more like Kobe''s agent.


    He knew Kobe''s needs and had developed a friendship with Kobe that went far beyond what Trem had.


    What would he do one day if Kobe felt Pelinka was more suitable to be his agent?


    This proud young superstar wouldn''t hesitate topletely eject his family from his life for a woman, even severing the most crucial ties with them¡ªfinancial ones.


    Wouldn''t it be natural for him to rece an agent he wasn''t close with someone who knew his needs and had a significant rtionship with him?


    "Whether Shaquille is that bad or not, you can judge for yourself tonight," Kobe suddenly joked, "He wants to y against you even more than I do."


    If we are both dissatisfied with the current situation, why don''t we just swap teams?


    Yu Fei believed that any normal person would not choose to leave Los Angeles for Washington D.C. to y ball. But Kobe''s words couldn''t be taken for granted.


    This is definitely not a normal person.


    Don''t be fooled by Kobe now acting like the least respectful of the younger generation towards Jordan, but Yu Fei had watched "The Last Dance," he dared to assert, of the superstars post-Jordan era, no one idolized Jordan more than Kobe did.


    "Many peoplepare me to MJ, but every move I made was learned from him, without him there wouldn''t have been me today."


    Who else would make such a confession about Jordan in a documentary?


    Faced with such an ardent Jordan fanboy, Yu Fei really couldn''t say whether he would choose thezy and unprofessional league''s number one or an old, weak, and sick trash talker as a teammate.


    After 20 minutes of pre-game warmup, the starters from both teams approached the court.


    Collinspletely changed the usual interior lineup tonight.


    Usually, he would heed Yu Fei''s advice and start Kwame Brown, but today, facing O''Neal, it would be suicide to guard the interior with only Cassidy White, who''s about the same height as Yu Fei.


    Consequently, the Wizards'' starters were Tyronn Lue, Bobby Simmons, Yu Fei, Popeye Jones, and Jahidi White.


    To counter O''Neal, directly ying the two best and most experienced interior defensive starters was a gesture of respect.


    The Lakers were more casual.


    Phil Jackson clearly didn''t take the Wizards seriously; their starting lineup was actually Brian Shaw, Kobe Bryant, Rick Fox, Robert Horry, and Shaquille O''Neal.


    In this lineup, Shaw and Horry were not regr starters for the Lakers, indicating that Jackson nned to test the on-the-spot effects of other lineup configurations in this game.


    As soon as the game started, O''Neal approached Yu Fei and said in his distinctive raspy voice, "Chinese guy, do you know the big diesel never lets those who offend him get away?".


    "Really, how did I offend you?" Yu Fei asked himself, "Oh, is it because I mentioned the fact that you''rezy and slow, and you found that offensive?"


    O''Nealughed angrily: "You can keep talking your nonsense, I''ll make you shut up! I swear after tonight, you''ll have no more hopes for the yoffs!"


    An angry O''Neal is the most dangerous creature in the NBA, and for Yu Fei''s teammates in the interior, it was a significant test.


    O''Neal didn''t take the jump ball seriously.


    White, who was obviously shorter than O''Neal and not a better jumper either, managed to win the opening ball possession for the Wizards.


    The ball quickly came to Yu Fei''s hands.


    Brian Shaw, a tall point guard reaching 198 centimeters, tried to stop Yu Fei''s advance, but he severely underestimated the other''s power impact.


    With little effort, Yu Fei pushed Shaw aside.


    Rick Fox, who should have been guarding Yu Fei, couldn''t catch up due to speed issues, suddenly leaving Yu Fei and O''Neal alone in a one-on-one at the frontcourt.


    Yu Fei stopped abruptly, faked, gathered the ball, and directly challenged O''Neal''s help defense with a floater.


    Since O''Neal had toe surgery at the start of the season, his teammates had never seen him jump so high.

 Chapter 165: Chapter 115 This is Offense_3

    Even at his highest jump, Yu Fei''s floater remained out of reach for him.


    "Swish!"


    Yu Fei smoothly scored the Wizards'' first point of the night.


    "Shaq, wake up!"


    "Don''t let that rookie run wild!"


    "It''s time to teach him a lesson, Shaq!"


    The most passionate was Nicholson, who appeared as angry as if Yu Fei had scored on him: "Damn! Shaq, you can''t keep letting your opponent score in front of you! Give that rookie a hard lesson! Damn it! I don''t want to see him score with those boring moves again!"


    An extremely angry Shaquille O''Neal wanted to post up for the ball, but unfortunately, this season marked the first year of zone defense.


    Collins, who was initially indifferent to zone defense, gradually discovered its effectiveness after witnessing Yu Fei being tortured by the strategy as the leading yer for the opposing team.


    The league''s original intent in legalizing zone defense was to end the domination of Shaquille O''Neal and Duncan; the negative impact it had on ball handlers with unstable shooting like Fei was coteral damage.


    Now, the Wizards were also using a zone defense against O''Neal, so whenever he got the ball, there would inevitably be three or four people copsing on him.


    The cost was that one or two Lakers would end up wide open on the perimeter.


    This time, the open man was Brian Shaw.


    Coach Lu hadpletely given up on defending him on the outside.


    Shaw, whose career three-point shooting percentage was just over 30%, did not disappoint Coach Lu''s "trust" and missed the wide-open three-pointer.


    Yu Fei grabbed the long rebound, and with that, the Wizards'' counterattack began.


    The Lakers retreated quickly, but Yu Fei, after leading the team single-handedly at the end of the season, had increased the speed of his transition y, with his experience, knowledge, and choices of passes under various situations being extremely reasonable.


    In contrast, the Lakers, with a starting lineup that included two substitutes and thus already having low chemistry, were slowed down in transition, especially since Shaw and Horry were veterans and not quick on their feet.


    Kobe, even putting all his effort into getting back, could not stop Yu Fei''s surgical bounce pass.


    Bobby Simmons burst from the oblique side, charging straight into the paint for a thunderous dunk.


    "Howe we have a three-man fast break, and you only have two getting back on defense? Where is everyone else?" Yu Fei''s taunts were neverte, "Hey, big diesel, what are you doing? Step on it, big diesel!"


    Staples Center immediately developed a towering hostility towards Yu Fei.


    Unpleasant swearing and a cacophony of boos targeted Yu Fei.


    O''Neal no longer cared about zone or no zone; he sealed off Jahidi White to get the ball from Brian Shaw.


    With White''s physique, there was no chance of stopping O''Neal if he wanted to position himself.


    Therefore, White had to rely on his teammates for help.


    Yu Fei decisively left Fox unguarded to move inside and join Coach Lu in forming a triple-team around Shaq.


    Just as O''Neal was about to pass the ball out, Yu Fei, seeing it clearly, made a vigorous swipe and knocked the ball loose. Unfortunately, the angle was off; even though he got a hand on it, the ball went out of bounds, and the Lakers retained possession.


    "What the hell are you looking at?" O''Neal yelled angrily at the referee, "Didn''t you see that damn Chinese guy fouling me?"


    However, before O''Neal could get a reaction from the referee, he was met with direct insults from Yu Fei at his side: "Shut up, you spineless real Big Fatty! Look at that dumb move of yours, I didn''t even touch you. You want a foul? If you, you wimp, are scared of someone touching you on the court, then just roll back to your pigsty and eat your damn pig dung now!"


    "!#£¤#@!£¤"


    Due to the number of Yu Fei''s teammates nearby, an enraged O''Neal couldn''t immediately retaliate physically, and the two were pulled apart. The referees promptly controlled the situation and decided to let both off with a warning.


    O''Neal, for showing disrespect to the referee, was assessed a technical foul.


    Yu Fei, for insulting his opponent, which was against the spirit and ethics of sport, was also assessed a technical foul.


    Both received a T, and as Yu Fei raised his hand to acknowledge the penalty, he even said to O''Neal, who might as well have wanted to devour him alive, "Big Fatty, this is what you call an offense."

 Chapter 166: Chapter 116 The King of Drama

    Yu Fei''s "humiliation" of Shaquille O''Neal was a novel experience for Kobe.


    It wasn''t right to find amusement in an opponent insulting one''s teammate, but if the target was Shaquille O''Neal, then it was okay.


    Comining about theck of foul calls was something Shaq did every game; he even did it during intra-squad scrimmages. Back in the day, Kobe responded to Shaq with an attitude simr to Yu Fei''s, and what did he get for it?


    A p in the face.


    Now, seeing Shaq provoked to boiling point by a rookie, Kobe felt an unusual sense of exhration.


    Then, Robert Horry reduced Shaq''s offensive pressure with a three-pointer.


    On the Wizards'' offensive turn, Popeye Jones, responsible for the high post transition ball, made a passing error that Kobe intercepted, immediatelyunching a defensive counterattack and scoring with a dunk in the frontcourt.


    5 to 4


    The Wizards continued to exploit the high post.


    Since Shaq generally didn''t defend pick-and-rolls and was toozy to step out to guard the shot, Popeye Jones, with his mid-range ability, rolled out after setting a screen.


    Coach Lu passed the ball to him.


    Horry couldn''t be bothered to move, and Shaq indeed didn''t leave the basket area. Jones took the mid-range shot.


    Unfortunately, he wasn''t a consistent mid-range shooter.


    "Bang!"


    The Lakersunched another counterattack.


    They were moving too fast, too quick for the big men to keep up. This was a game for the forwards.


    To be exact, it was dominated by the guards.


    Brian Shaw ran at full speed, passing the ball to Rick Fox in stride, who caught it and went up, aiming to attack the basket directly, while Yu Fei, who had caught up quickly, applied a chase-down block from behind.


    "Frye''s chase-down block is a highlight in the Wizards'' games!"


    NBC''smentator Bob Costas said with augh after the y.


    If the Lakers wanted to y fast, Yu Fei didn''t mind keeping up the pace with them.


    After all, none of the Wizards on the court disliked a fast-paced game, but it was a different story for the Lakers.


    After the block, Yu Fei regained control of the ball and dribbled to the frontcourt himself. Meeting Shaq''s eyes, which only a true adversary would understand, he gestured for Cassidy White toe set a screen.


    Shaq reacted just as Yu Fei had anticipated: he moved, but not fully.


    First off, Shaq couldn''t possibly be indifferent to the pick Cassidy White was setting. But asking him to leave the paint to defend the high screen was much to ask.


    Because he knew the moment he stepped out, Yu Fei would easily blow by him.


    Plus, frequently leaving the paint to defend would also have a significant impact on his stamina.


    Essentially, Shaq had many excuses, and thebination of these excuses led to a weak defense against pick-and-roll offenses.


    Yu Fei easily shook off the defense using the pick, dribbled to the free-throw line, and since Shaq didn''te out to meet him, he saw no need to go in, making a quick jump shot instead.


    5 to 6


    The Wizards led by one point.


    "Surely, no one expects a teammate to guard two yers," Yu Fei trash-talked Fox, but the one hurt wasn''t Fox, "Where''s your boss? Why doesn''t hee out to guard me?"


    The mature andposed Fox rolled his eyes: "You don''t actually think that will work, do you?"


    If it had no effect, why say it? If Shaq felt even the slightest bit of disgust or anger, Yu Fei''s trash talk was valuable.


    Seeing Shaq''s attitude toward defending the pick-and-roll, Yu Fei gradually understood why fans of the small-ball era thought that Shaq, if ced twenty yearster, would be annihted by threes and pick-and-rolls.


    It was an intriguing debate that pitted two entirely different basketball philosophies against each other. Old-school fans often scoffed at the idea, arguing that Shaq in the small-ball era would still shoot at a 75% sess rate, if not 100%. Topletely neutralize Shaq, a small-ball team would need to hit more than 50% of their threes. But small-ball fans also had something to say: why must they be limited to shooting threes? If you don''t defend the pick-and-roll, why not just exploit it and wear you down?


    It was a topic with no definitive answer, but when traditional big men like Shaq became extinct in the small-ball era, the era had seemingly given an answer.


    Everything, everyone, has to move forward.


    Ironically, Yu Fei was a man from the future. He knew the power of the pick-and-roll and understood that Shaq''s negligent attitude on defense could create numerous opportunities for the Wizards.


    So... just as Yu Fei decided to ruthlessly target Shaq, Shaq sealed off a dangerous position.


    All it took was a lob pass from Brian Shaw.


    Shaq caught the ball, turned, and shoved Cassidy White violently, then suddenly, like a rocket engine had been strapped onto the hulking body that seemed out of ce on an athlete, he sted off, delivering a visually spectacr dunk directly over White''s head.


    7 to 6


    Isn''t that cheating?


    Even though he had known beforehand, Yu Fei still found it hard to believe that a body of that build could have such explosive power and velocity.


    "Cassidy, Are you okay?" Yu Fei approached with the caring demeanor of a CEO at Xiaomi.


    It wasn''t White''s first tangle with Shaq, and he just wished Yu Fei would bother the beast less: "You know, Frye, every time you piss off Shaq, I''m the one who pays the price."


    "Don''t be afraid of him, Cassidy. You can totally take him on," Yu Fei said, not simply fibbing but outright ignoring the scene of Shaq overpowering White and trying to brainwash his teammate against his better judgment.

 Chapter 167: Chapter 116 The King of Drama_2

    Afterward, just as Yu Fei was about to call for the ball, Tyronn Lue surprisingly made the first move on Shaquille O''Neal.


    Coach Lu didn''t go directly against Shaq, but it was almost the same. He called for a pick and roll with Popeye Jones, and Horry''s defensive stance was almost simr to O''Neal''s; neither of them liked to defend the pick and roll.


    That''s exactly what Coach Lu wanted¡ªto create an open shot through the pick and roll, then shoot immediately.


    Given his decisiveness in jump shooting, if Jordan hadn''t been ruled out, he would have definitely appreciated it.


    "Bang!"


    Although it didn''t go in, the courage wasmendable.


    Moreover, Yu Fei grabbed the long rebound, steadied himself, raised his left hand, and said, "Take it slow, let''s take it slow!"


    Some people say "take it slow," but even before they finish speaking, they are already motioning Cassidy White toe out for the pick and roll.


    There couldn''t be a more obvious offensive inclination.


    Yu Fei was aiming for O''Neal; he wanted to devour his rival.


    As the league''s top yer, being targeted on defense as a weak spot by an opponent was an insult to O''Neal. Less than three minutes into the game, the Big Shark''s disdain for Yu Fei had already surpassed that for Kobe, surpassed David Robinson (who vied for the scoring title), surpassed everyone who had ever left an unpleasant mark in his life.


    Anger swept through Shaq''s brain, and he followed out. It was like going from one dead-end to another.


    Shaq''s judgment of himself on the defensive end had always been urate.


    Not defending the pick and roll might give away opportunities, but wanting to defend it... he also needed to have the ability to do so.


    Yu Fei moved past the screen from the perimeter, and upon seeing O''Neal in front of him, he became more eager than Yoshimura Taku finding a desirable coborator, directly elerating past him.


    O''Neal wanted to do something to stop him, but Yu Fei was too fast. Shaq lost his defensive position before he could do anything.


    Without O''Neal, the Lakers'' paint was left vacant. No one would expect Robert Horry to protect the basket.


    BOOM!


    Yu Feipleted a highlight-worthy breakthrough dunk.


    7 to 8


    "Why do some people love to y defense with their eyes so much? No wonder the little guys don''t respect him as their leader," Yu Fei ran slowly past O''Neal, his biting sarcasm sending chills down many spines.


    Jahidi White was the first to feel the chill; he was in for a hard time.


    Indeed, O''Neal made an aggressive effort to position himself.


    To avoid being double-teamed, he chose to position himself as deep as possible, ensuring that once his teammate passed the ball, he could initiate the offense.


    In terms of body size and strength, White was no match for O''Neal. As long as Shaq wanted to do this, White was pretty much helpless.


    "Whistle!"


    White was quickly called for a defensive foul.


    Then, White was forced to lower his level of physicality, but this made him even less capable of stopping O''Neal from positioning himself.


    Just as White thought his nightmare was about to begin, his savior¡ªKobe Bryant''s patience reached its limit. He decided to initiate the offense, which naturally negated O''Neal''s efforts, but who cared? He didn''t!


    Kobe dribbled effortlessly, cutting directly near the paint, stopping abruptly, rising for a fadeaway jump shot¡ªa sequence of movements as beautiful as a painting.


    "Swish!"


    The worst part was that he made the shot,plicating any impulse to get angry at him.


    Phil Jackson''s gaze was icy as he knew it was another instance of Kobe letting out his dark side.


    "Hey, Kobe, I was positioning myself," Shaq said angrily. "You should have passed the damn ball to me!"


    Kobe retorted sharply, "You already wasted ten seconds!"


    Then Yu Fei came.


    Yu Fei respected White''s attempt to hold his ground against O''Neal¡ªalthough he didn''t hold up much, but the point was whether he resisted at all; to have resisted made him brave.


    For these unsung heroes who silently contributed, Yu Fei''s philosophy was always to offer them some sweet rewards.


    For instance, in this y, Yu Fei suddenly didn''t call for White to set a screen, but instead had Jones set it, then he drove into thene, drew Shaq''s help defense, and lobbed an alley-oop to White.


    White leaped up toplete the alley-oop, sessfully gobbling up the ''pie.''


    "You''re truly awesome, Cassidy, a man who can go toe to toe with Big Fatty!" Yu Fei continued to cheer for White as he ran back on defense.


    This scene caught Phil Jackson''s eye.


    He found it so ironic that, although both high schoolers, Yu Fei had a more mature mind than Kobe and was more humane, even though he didn''t get along with MJ, his choices on the court were always the right ones.


    Kobe was always strict with himself and others, especially with team leaders like Shaquille O''Neal.


    He expected Shaq to treat practice with the same standard as himself.


    Shaq imed he couldn''t do it, saying he needed to "maintain" his body, otherwise he would get injured.


    Jackson always condoned Shaq''sziness, but when Kobe faced issues, his criticism was unsparing. This double standard worsened the rtionship between Kobe and Jackson.


    Now, a selfish Kobe returned to the game, ignoring Shaq''s positioning, and went back to ying one-on-one.


    This time, Kobe failed to dominate Bobby Simmons and missed the shot.


    Coach Lu, harboring resentment towards the Lakers, rushed forward as if his feet were on wheels, scoring on the fast break.


    9 to 12


    The Wizards'' lead had suddenly grown to 3 points.


    It was time, Jackson did not want to let Kobe continue to tear this team apart.


    Just as a desperate Kobe was waving his arms to clear his teammates out of the way, Shaq stayed under the basket.


    Shaq acted as if he knew Jackson was going to call a timeout.


    He stood directly under the basket for five seconds, and even if the referee wanted to turn a blind eye to his vition, the Wizards team would no longer allow it.


    Doug Collins roared at the referee: "How long are you gonna let him camp in the paint?!!"


    "Whistle!"


    The whistle blew, and the referee Jess Kersey, reluctantly called a three-second vition on Shaq, turning the ball over to the Wizards, while the Lakers called a timeout at that moment.


    This scene was shocking for some people.


    Yu Fei thought his feud with Jordan this season was stimting enough that, decadester, if they both ended up not doing well, they could still make money by co-producing a documentary about this season.


    But with the Lakers...


    Yu Fei would not, because of a rivalry with Jordan, act against his team''s interests on the court.


    Like deliberately staying under the basket to get called for a three-second vition.


    But Shaq did!


    Even if Jordan was upset with Yu Fei, if Yu Fei got a chance for The Shot, Jordan would still pass it up to him.


    Whereas Kobe was the type who would turn on you on the spot if you tried to take the key shot away from him.


    At the same time, the Lakers'' head coach was not a puppet-like figure like Collins; he was aligned with the boss''s daughter, overcame the franchise''s veteran LOGO man in office battles, had his own way of dominating the team, indulging and pampering Shaq while being harsh and oppressive towards Kobe.


    Shaq deliberately dyed his toe surgery until just before training camp.


    Jackson said, without him, we still push for a three-peat.


    Kobe missed the preseason training camp because of his grandfather''s death.


    Jackson said, some people are very selfish, we are in a difficult moment, all eyes are on us, we should sprint for a higher goal rather than personal affairs.


    Yu Fei finally realized that there was a reason OK was called "King of Drama."


    The Wizards might have enough show quality, but the drama was all on Yu Fei and Jordan, whereas with the Lakers, it was different, every level had its tricks, and just any move made the NBA headlines their story.


    Shaq''s weak defense against the pick-and-roll, the Lakers'' continuous internal strife, and some inevitable weaknesses that had yet to be discovered by Yu Fei were the Wizards'' chance to take down the defending champions tonight.


    Before stepping off the court, Yu Fei nced again at Kobe, who had just had a sudden outburst, thinking, keep going, don''t get along with The Big Shark, I, as a lifelong Kobe fan, will always stand by your side!

 Chapter 168 Chapter 117 The God of Responsibility

    "Damn it, how can we let a team that can''t even make it to the yoffs in the Eastern Conference y like this! Is this still the Lakers?" Jack Nicholson roared angrily, "Are you guys even ying seriously?"


    Then, Gwh Paltrow, the Oscar-winning actress of 1999 for "Shakespeare in Love," made a sharpment about Yu Fei, "D.C.''s No. 44 is really rude, he''s so annoying, Shaq should teach him a lesson!"


    However, Shaquille O''Neal, who was hoped by the actress to do so, was at that time busying himselfpeting with his own teammate.


    After the Lakers called for a timeout, Phil Jackson stared at Kobe, then said, "Enough, Kobe, you can''t y basketball like this! Our strategy isn''t like this! You are destroying the whole system!"


    Kobe was unyielding, "Isn''t that what you said? I have a ''deliberate sabotage'' rap sheet! I have a ''deliberate sabotage'' habit! I have a ''deliberate sabotage'' need! I''m just being the me you describe, so why are you angry?!"


    Some time ago, as Jackson could no longer tolerate Kobe, he told the reporters a story about Kobe''s high school days; wherein Kobe would "deliberately sabotage" the game in the first half so the scores would be close, and then he could be the hero at the end.


    When your coach personally attacks you like this, it''s hard to defend your innocence.


    Because a lot of people would say, your coach knows you best.


    Kobe''s agent, Aern Trem, hated the Zen Master so much that he considered suing him for ndering Kobe.


    Kobe bringing this up now made the Zen Master even more infuriated.


    "I think you need to cool down!" Having said that, the Zen Master''s gaze shifted towards Mick Richmond, who was sitting on the bench, "Mick, take Kobe out."


    Next, the Zen Master swapped out the defensivelyckluster Robert Horry with the energetic, beast-style Mark Madsen.


    The Wizards were much more cautious with their lineup changes.


    If it wasn''t a pivotal moment to substitute yers, Collins preferred to stick to the existing lineup.


    As they had a 3-point lead relying on their current lineup, rash changes could do more harm than good.


    "Frye, do you need anything else?"


    Collins felt like he was Yu Fei''s nanny at the moment.


    Whatever support Yu Fei needed on the court, he provided.


    But he was never ready to y nanny to anyone other than Jordan.


    "Intensify our zone defense, we can''t let Shaquille O''Neal freely attack our inside," Yu Fei''s experience in the modern game deepened his understanding of the transformative power of legalizing zone defense and introducing the defensive three-second rule in the NBA.


    The NBA had a long battle over the legalization of zone defense.


    One faction of old coaches insisted that zone defense was detrimental to the game; why? Because it required yers to build a defensive line within a set area, instead of actively guarding their opponents.


    That is to say, teams that really use zone defense don''t care about the effect of man-to-man marking.


    This approach would lower a yer''s sense of defensive responsibility.


    But it was the introduction of zone defense that allowed NBA teams to approach defense with multiple choices, allowing them to opt out of defending a certain opponent and concentrate their efforts on those truly worthy of being guarded.


    Leaving a yer unguarded is an art. In the era of small ball, it required consideration of shooting percentages, hot zones, recent performances, and yers'' shooting percentages from various positions. But now, it''s not soplicated; just look at which Lakers have a low three-point shooting percentage.


    Brian Shaw, 33% from three? Leave him open!


    Rick Fox, three-point percentage of 31%? You dare to stand beyond the three-point line?


    Mark Madsen, a blue-cor power forward with absolutely no shooting ability, can be outright ignored.


    Mick Richmond, discarded by the Wizards, one whom Jordan decisively let go and was proven correct, with a three-point shooting percentage of 29%. Even giving him an extra nce on the perimeter was disrespecting his three-point shooting ability.


    By the standard of the small-ball era, the Lakers'' lineup really had no shooter worth worrying about.


    Jackson''s method of suppressing Kobe to unleash Shaquille O''Neal backfired.


    Every time Shaquille O''Neal got the ball, the Wizards basically had three or four men copse on him to double-team.


    His only choice was to pass the ball out to the perimeter, letting his teammate shoot an open three.


    But what gave those ghostly 30%-ish three-point shooters on the perimeter the right to bail out Shaquille O''Neal? They started missing, missing continuously.


    Yu Fei and his teammates did their best to protect the long rebounds, easily and joyfullyunching counter-attacks.


    17 to 29


    The visiting Wizards turned the tables, entering the second quarter with a 12-point lead.


    "Good! Very good!"


    Feeling hopeful for a win tonight, Collins clenched his fist tightly, "Frye,e and take a break."


    Yu Fei had no objections; leading by 12 points there was no need to rest, in case O''Neal made a suddeneback and the lead was chased down, then he''d have even less time to rest.


    Collins substituted Yu Fei, letting Coach Lu lead Bobby Simmons, Tyronn Nesby, Kwame Brown, and Jahidi White for the second quarter.


    Seeing this lineup, Yu Fei also felt they were somewhat outmatched by the opponent.


    Don''t look at the Lakers'' first quarter of missed shots¡ªjust as long as Shaquille O''Neal wasn''t fixated on smashing the Wizards'' inside line, or Kobe didn''t continue to be the person in the Zen Master''s eyes, the others could shine under the sheltering wings of the towering O''Neal.


    But Jackson was not an ordinary coach.


    He knew that if he substituted Kobe now, and Kobe returned after the team, led by Shaquille O''Neal, fell behind by 12 points, Kobe would definitely score recklessly. If he seeded, it would prove he was right. If he failed, it would be because Shaquille O''Neal''s pit was dug too deep.


    Either way, he''d have an excuse.


    For the Zen Master, this was a significant blow to his coaching prestige.


    He wouldn''t rely on Kobe to turn the tide on the court.


    At least until the situation reversed, Kobe had to sit off the court, which was a punishment for his defiance of the coaching staff.


    Jackson gently patted Shaquille O''Neal''s shoulder, whispered a few words to him, then chose the starting lineup for the second quarter.


    Derek Fisher, Devean George, Rick Fox, Robert Horry, Shaquille O''Neal.


    Suddenly, the Lakers transformed from a team with tight spacing to one with ample room.


    This was Shaquille O''Neal''s dream lineup.


    With three of his four teammates shooting over 37% from three-point range, the Wizards had to think twice before double-teaming Shaquille O''Neal.


    Only one round into the second quarter, Yu Fei felt he wouldn''t be sitting on the bench for much longer.


    Shaquille O''Neal immediately went to the low post to establish position, and although the Wizards persisted with their zone defense, they no longer dared to copse as they did in the first quarter.


    Fisher knew exactly how to feed the ball to Shaquille O''Neal in that state.


    After receiving the ball, instead of overpowering Jahidi White with a dunk as Yu Fei had expected, O''Neal executed a neat turn, a hook shot, and scored.


    19 to 29


    Even for O''Neal, there weren''t many chances to dunk in a game; the close-range hook shot was his most regr scoring move.


    If the opponent was tall enough, they might disrupt his hook shot, but White, as a shorter center, could neither challenge O''Neal''s height nor strength.


    As a result, as long as Shaquille O''Neal got into position, a hook shot over White was as easy as practicing in the air for him.


    The problem on the defensive end was about to be evident, and on the offensive end, the Wizards looked even more desperate.


    Without Yu Fei, the versatile creator, the Wizards'' yers on the court all had functions that were too singr,cking a standout yer.


    Tyronn Lue had speed, but if the Lakers'' field goal percentage rose, his speed would be of no great use. The Fisher of now was not the future Fisher, defensively helpless against speed-oriented guards; facing Coach Lu, his former junior, he was too experienced.


    Spread out first, Coach Lu definitely won''t shoot, then spread his arms wide, ready for a confrontation.


    The Wizards passed the ball around, eventually leaving Bobby Simmons to force a y against Devean George, to no avail.


    "Frye, we need you on the court."


    Yu Fei had sat for less than a minute when Collins approached him with a troubled look and said.


    Is this what they mean by "with great poweres great responsibility"?


    Yu Fei was all too happy to be the Wizards'' go-to guy.


    Then, in the minute Yu Fei waited to get on the court, Shaquille O''Neal first punished the early double-teaming Wizards with a pass, and Devean George hit a three-pointer.


    Next, Tyronn Lue tried to y fast, but his inability to stop once speeding up hadn''t changed, resulting in a floater that didn''t even hit the rim.


    On the Lakers'' next offensive possession, Shaquille O''Neal positioned himself in the middle, seemingly keeping the same advancing rhythm as his teammates.


    In an instant, Shaquille O''Neal had entered the three-second zone, loudly calling for the ball from Fisher.


    Fisher passed the ball decisively.


    The Wizards on the court immediately reacted, with White fronting, Nesby on the side defense, and Brown disturbing from another angle. Shaquille O''Neal elevated with power, unfazed by the triple team, and forcefully jumped to put the ball in the basket while drawing White''s third foul.


    "You bunch of trash!" Shaquille O''Neal arrogantly shouted, "You''re no match for Shaq Daddy!"


    This put Collins in a tough spot.


    Experience tales at empire


    Although the Wizards were still ahead, White now had three fouls.


    He had to take White out now.


    Besides White, did the Wizards have anyone else who could guard the center position against Shaquille O''Neal?


    Only Popeye Jones seemed semi-reliable, but he had alsomitted two fouls in the first quarter, and Collins didn''t want to risk it.


    So, there was no one else.


    Collins had to settle for the next best option, his gaze falling on Ratner, "Christian, get in for Cassidy."


    Seeing Ratner rece White, Yu Fei expressed surprise, "You''re ying center?"


    Ratner, who never got along with Yu Fei, retorted irritably, "Got a problem with that?"


    Yu Fei wasn''t sure if he was worried for Ratner or secretly delighted, "Looks like Doug doesn''t care about you at all."


    However, Ratner shut Yu Fei up with a retort, "It''s because you spoiled high schoolers are so useless!"


    His words weren''t directed at Yu Fei.


    Whom were they for? Of course, it was for Kwame Brown, who was ying power forward on the court.


    If Brown were made to y center now, he would likely copse against Shaquille O''Neal, so Collins would rather send Ratner to face Shaquille O''Neal than risk putting Brown in his path.


    Although Yu Fei disliked Ratner, he couldn''t deny that what Ratner said was painfully urate.

 Chapter 169 Chapter 118 The Genuine Waste

    Shaquille O''Neal missed the free throw.


    When Yu Fei was substituted onto the court, the score was locked at 24 to 29.


    The gap was only 5 points.


    Shaquille O''Neal looked at Yu Fei and nced at Ratner who had juste onto the court, thinking about destroying the Wizards even more urgently.


    This team had a rookie who disrespected him as well as a "thief" who "stole" his ce on the Dream Team I.


    "Time to settle the score, kid!" Shaquille O''Neal told Yu Fei.


    Hearing about "settling the score," Ratner''splexion changed.


    He might be the first NBA yer in history who wanted to "settle the score" with Yu Fei, and the oue wasn''t good for him.


    Yu Fei just smiled and didn''t take Shaquille O''Neal''s words seriously.


    Back in the backcourt, Ratner took the inbound.


    Yu Fei said, "Don''t stick around in the paint,e out for more pick and rolls."


    Having "awakened" some terrible memories, Ratnerpletely ignored Yu Fei and kept running forward on his own.


    In the frontcourt, the Lakers chose to have Devean George guard Yu Fei.


    George, as people often said, had a superstar physique with blue-cor skills.


    But his biggest drawback was that he had a babyish character.


    Calling him babyish didn''t mean he was immature or hard to get along with, but rather, he was fragile like a baby and couldn''t handle pressure.


    "Yo, it''s you," Yu Fei recognized the opponent who, like himself, hade to the court early to practice shooting before the game started.


    George was tense, having already perceived Yu Fei as a danger.


    A number eight draft pick who dared to fall out with Jordan in his rookie season was definitely not an ordinary person.


    George didn''t respond to Yu Fei''s greeting.


    After that, Yu Fei gestured for Ratner toe out for a pick and roll.


    Shaquille O''Neal only moved symbolically from the basket, stopping just outside the paint, while Yu Fei shook off George with the screen and without paying attention to Shaquille O''Neal''s bluffing from just inside the free throw line, he made a jump shot.


    24 to 31


    "Big Fatty, don''t you like moving?" Yu Fei aimed his words at Shaquille O''Neal, "Are you especially missing Kobe?"


    Shaquille O''Neal was furious, but couldn''t respond directly to Yu Fei, so he vented his anger on George, "DG, are you even defending properly? Why did you let him break in so easily?"


    "Sorry, my fault!" George, who clearly wasn''t at fault, admitted the me without any fight.


    Shaquille O''Neal knew very well who was to me, but he couldn''t admit his mistake¡ªthat was his privilege.


    Privileged yers don''t make mistakes.


    Carrying a belly full of rage, Shaquille O''Neal moved to the frontcourt and forcefully positioned himself; Ratner couldn''t withstand such pressure.


    Once Shaquille O''Nealpletely got the advantageous spot, he raised his hand, and Fisher lobbed the ball from the perimeter.


    Shaquille O''Neal''s original intention was to hammer in an alley-oop over Ratner.


    However, Kwame Brown intervened in time, preventing him frompleting his n.


    No matter - the ball was still in his hands.


    The current situation was almost identical to the previous y¡ªfacing the Wizards'' double-team, Shaquille O''Neal loudly yelled, shouldering the confrontation of both defenders.


    With no pressure, Shaquille O''Neal once again put the ball into the basket.


    And, Brown was called for a phantom foul.


    Shaquille O''Neal shook his head, pouting his lips, and let out a "ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh" taunt, which was a mocking jeer. Brown, having no words to say, raised his hand, while Ratner questioned him unsatisfiedly, "If you''re going to foul, why not do it hard?!"


    The detestable Ratner criticized Brown.


    However, Yu Fei thought he wasn''t wrong.


    Under the circumstances back then, if you were going to foul, better to make it a hard one; giving away an and-one is a losing deal.


    Fortunately, you can always trust Shaquille O''Neal''s free throws.


    His extra throw once again hit the rim.


    Yu Feifei soared to grab the defensive rebound, and as soon as hended, the Wizards'' counterattackunched.


    Devean George wanted tomit a tactical foul but was shaken off by Yu Fei with a behind-the-back move, then Rick Fox in the frontcourt tried to foul Yu Fei.


    Instead, Yu Fei collected the ball early, using his elbow to bear the foul from the opponent and forcefully shot.


    "Whistle!"


    The foul was inevitable; what Yu Fei cared about was the ball.


    The ball he shot after being fouled flew high, not with the usual arc¡ªbut it headed towards the exact center above the hoop, brushed against it, and then bounced right into the.


    And One!!!


    Foxined to the referee about Yu Fei''s elbowing, while Yu Fei shot back with trash talk, "How can youin to Mr. Referee? You should beining about that dead fatty pig; it''s all his fault for always missing free throws, which is why you had tomit the foul!"


    After speaking, Yu Fei turned toward the Lakers'' bench and yelled at the Zen Master, "Where''s Kobe? Give me Kobe! I want to go up against Kobe, onlyining old farts and a dead fatty pig who can''t score free throws are too boring, give me Kobe, Coach!"


    Kobe smiled. What Yu Fei was doing was disadvantageous to the Lakers, but advantageous for him.


    He stood up and said to Jackson, "Alright, put me in."


    Jackson looked seriously at Kobe, "You have to promise me that you will cooperate with Shaq."


    Experience new tales on empire


    "That''s impossible." Kobe declined to make the promise.


    Jackson negotiated, "If you affect the game again due to selfishness, I''ll sub you out at any time!"


    Themunication was enough. Kobe turned and approached the sideline, ready to substitute for Fox.


    Kobe reced Fox, and Yu Fei made the free throw.


    Under normal circumstances, recing George with Fox would be one of the Lakers'' regr starters.


    But tonight, since the Wizards were heavily using a zone defense, the Lakers needed perimeter yers who could score threes, so as long as George didn''t have a major problem, his value on the court was clearly greater than that of Fox.


    Yu Fei somewhat agreed with the Zen Master''s view of Kobe.

 Chapter 170 Chapter 118 Genuine Trash_2

    He indeed disrupted the team''s system on the court.


    It reflected in every aspect.


    Although the previous lineup didn''t have a strong shooting guard, with four yers revolving around Shaquille O''Neal, they were always able to start a y. Now with Kobe, who can make ys, the fluency of tactics was far from what it was when Fox was on the field.


    This season marked the lowest point in Kobe''s career three-point shooting percentage, with only 25%. Therefore, the Wizards would tend to give him arge step when defending him.


    Due to the limitations of the era, Kobe wouldn''t take this deliberately given opportunity as a provocation, preferring to dribble inside the three-point line.


    Whenever he did this, the Triangle Offense system would copse.


    Because the basis of the Triangle Offense is to form triangted positions on the strong and weak sides. If someone chooses to dribble in, that triangted positioning loses all its meaning.


    Kobe not only brought the defender into the paint but also, after disrupting both sides'' formations, passed the ball to an open Fisher.


    Was he wrong?


    He thought he wasn''t.


    Fisher scored.


    This should''ve been a happy result, but Phil Jackson''s face darkened.


    29 to 34


    This is a person who doesn''t follow the rules but can be effective.


    There are such people in every field. Theirmon trait is being unpopr.


    People tend to remember his negatives and, through tinted sses, nitpick his positives. In LA, within Phil Jackson''s coaching staff, this kind of discriminatory attitude towards Kobe''s style of y was out in the open.


    Yu Fei now didn''t even know if forcing Kobe to y was good or bad for them.


    He had thought Kobe would continue to harbor resentment towards Shaquille O''Neal, but now it seemed like they were back to the "You have a problem with me? I have a problem with you too, but we can take out the opponent first before settling things behind closed doors" mode.


    This was the coexistence strategy that had gradually formed since 1996.


    Victory was the only reliable glue between O''Neal and Kobe.


    As long as they believed maintaining the status quo could keep them winning, O''Neal could continue to tolerate Kobe. If all else failed, he could publish another autobiography next year to badmouth his partner, while Kobe, whose life was a mess, wouldn''t mind his working environment being chaotic too, as long as they could win, he could endure.


    Yu Fei ran to the frontcourt, still matched against Devean George.


    George stuck to Yu Fei cautiously, wanting to block off every aspect of him.


    He tried very hard, really hard, just as Yu Fei had seen before the game.


    Setting aside the fact that they were opponents now, Yu Fei admired George.


    "Hey, Tyronn!" Yu Fei motioned for the ball, which quickly came his way.


    With the ball in hand, Yu Fei extended a finger, "I SO!"


    Since the Lakers insisted on having George match up against him, Yu Fei had no reason not to take advantage of the matchup.


    Yu Fei held the ball with both hands, first advancing with a probing step full of McGrady''s vor, then bouncing the ball, followed by a behind-the-back crossover, looking like a big version of Jordan. George''s defensive center of gravity swayed uncertainly, losing his initiative from that moment on.


    The moment Yu Feipleted the crossover to the left, he pped the ball behind his back with his left hand, switching the offensive focus instantaneously to his right hand, elerated, and upon entering the paint, scored with a floater over Shaquille O''Neal''s defense.


    29 to 36


    Looking at Shaquille O''Neal''s face, enraged beyond measure, Yu Fei mimicked his expressions, like a gori that had won its mating rights, puffing his cheeks and emitting a peculiar cry: "Oh oh oh oh oh!!!"


    "DG, did you fucking defend seriously?!"


    Unable to contain Yu Fei''s floater and control his own temper, O''Neal could only vent his fury at George, who had no problems other than being outmatched.


    Yu Fei could sense that George''s confidence was further eroded by O''Neal''s unreasonable questioning.


    Could a personcking confidence, scared and afraid to make mistakes, score in an open three-point shot?


    Although it was cruel to Devean George, Yu Fei was very willing to conduct such an experiment.


    In the following Lakers offensive round, under Yu Fei''s suggestion, the Wizards suddenly switched to man-to-man defense. Aside from Yu Fei, no one was able to quickly double-team.


    As expected, the Lakers passed the ball to the post, intending for Shaquille O''Neal to overpower Ratner.


    O''Neal indeed had that in his mind, but he was also worried about Yu Fei''s sneak attack, so he paid attention.


    And there came that damn Yu Fei!


    "Idiot!"


    O''Neal passed the ball to George before Yu Fei''s double-team arrived.


    Facing arge open space and under O''Neal''s pressuring re, Devean George shot the open three-point shot with trembling fingers.


    In that moment, George thought of many things.


    He remembered when he entered the draft, Jerry West, who was then the general manager of the Lakers, doubted he was a problem yer because a forward as talented as him shouldn''t only be ate first-round prospect.


    Then the Lakers found the answer in a psychological test: he was a fragile person.


    In the Lakers filled with old guard yers, he became an obvious target for bullying. During George''s rookie season, O''Neal decided to "train" him. So, while the team went out of town for exhibition games, O''Neal conned George into going to the gym, stripped him naked with the help of a bunch of veterans, taped his hands and mouth, stuck him to the floor, and then left him there.


    He didn''t resist, hecked the courage and boldness to stand up to authority, and the torment and bullying by O''Neal and the other veterans only made him more timid.

 Chapter 171 Chapter 118 The Real Deal Waste_3

    This shot was a reflex of the coward George.


    "Bang!"


    Having anticipated this oue, Yu Feifei snatched the long rebound andunched another unstoppable counter-attack for the Lakers.


    Because the rebound fell so far out, there were few who could stop Yu Fei''s fast-break charge.


    Devean George was the only one.


    In dealing with George, there was no pity in Yu Fei''s heart. From beyond the three-point line, he charged in, caught the ball, took tworge strides before leaping up, and just like George, whose mind went nk as he haplessly jumped to block, was mercilessly brushed aside by Yu Fei. His attempt at blocking was futile; Yu Fei raised the ball in the air like an axe, and just as George began to fall, that ball, like an axe about to cleave his head, exploded with a terrifying noise right above him.


    "BOOM!!!!!"


    The referee called the foul on George, while Yu Fei spread his arms wide towards Shaquille O''Neal afternding.


    The message was, your little buddy is no good, why don''t youe at me yourself?


    "Damn it! DG, you motherf#@#%@#%"


    "Sorry sorry sorry sorry..." George apologized repeatedly, his face turning ghostly white with fear.


    George''s fear of O''Neal, and the way O''Neal condescendingly called him out for his mistakes, reminded Yu Fei why he would never be subservient to Jordan.


    Not everyone is as brave as Yu Fei.


    There may be one Yu Fei, but there are likely a hundred Devean Georges.


    But just because there are many people like George, does it make the actions of people like O''Neal right?


    "Is this the best yer in the League? Only knows how to me teammates when there''s trouble? No wonder Kobe doesn''t respect you."


    Yu Fei''s provocation towards O''Neal made people think there was some feud between them.


    But today was their first meeting.


    If there was a feud, it was only that Yu Fei had spoken ill of O''Neal before entering the NBA, which wasn''t a major conflict.


    However, Yu Fei''s irritation with O''Neal was escting rapidly.


    Simrly, the more Yu Fei provoked, the higher O''Neal''s hatred towards him grew.


    The conflict between the two could no longer be exined away with "Yu Fei had spoken ill of O''Neal."


    Devean George was subbed out.


    Taking his ce was Rick Fox, who had just been subbed out not long ago.


    This substitution might have been a relief for George, but it could significantly affect his status within the team.


    However, he might never have had much status on the team to begin with.


    After the substitution, the Lakers'' y style became much more aggressive.


    It was Kobe again, ignoring the y tactics; even though O''Neal was right under the basket, he insisted on dribbling through the crowd. And yet, he still managed to score in the midst of the throng.


    After that, Yu Fei called for a pick-and-roll istion. The previously infallible floater finally missed, but luckily the fast retreat stopped the Lakers'' counter-attack.


    However, Kobe who only had a 25% sess rate from the three-point line, suddenly nailed a long-range three-pointer, helping the Lakers to catch up by 5 points.


    34 to 39


    Tyronn Lue attacked quickly, dashing to the basket like a rabbit creating a timing mismatch, stealing back 2 points for the Wizards.


    Having someone to share the offensive load was a good thing for Yu Fei.


    As Yu Fei was thinking of adjusting his breathing rate, suddenly, Ratner copsed in the post-up.


    He got pinned under the basket by O''Neal, where the only options were a foul or asking for help from his teammates, because once O''Neal got the ball in that position, even if five people came to defend, it wouldn''t be enough.


    Toote!


    The ball had already flown under the basket; O''Neal caught it with an outstretched hand, spun around with unstoppable force, shoving Ratner aside, dunking like King Kong leaping atop a skyscraper.


    It was a moment of venting rage; an unabashed O''Neal didn''t know what it meant to respect an opponent, and besides, in his eyes, Ratner was never someone worthy of respect. Thus, uponnding, he casually shoved Ratner under the basket.


    "You dare to y center, you piece of trash?!" O''Neal sneered contemptuously.


    Then, he turned around, expecting to get a foul called on him; he knew the referees wouldn''t give him a technical foul.


    But when he turned, he didn''t see the referee; instead, he saw the person he now loathed the most.


    With all his strength in front of everyone, Yu Fei fiercely pushed O''Neal away. Caughtpletely off guard, O''Neal stumbled backward and, after slipping, fell squarely on the ground.


    "A true waste is someone like you, a ''Big Fatty'' who can''t do a damn thing outside the paint!"


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