Capítulo 4: Chapter 3 Don't you have anything to say to me?
After the interview, I returned to the hotel.
Suddenly thrust into a time-travel situation, Su Wan still had a lot to adapt to and deal with.
The first challenge was dealing with phone calls from the original host's parents. Fortunately, the original host didn't talk much with his parents. All he needed to do was to respond with noncommittal "mhm" and "ah" to get by.
Then there were the original host's three girlfriends in China.
The oldest was 26, the youngest 17.
Even more outrageous was that he was using "the main room's" money for everyday expenses, and his own money to support "the third room."
I mean, do all athletes play the field like this?
In Su Wan's mind, the image of Sun Yue appeared.
Indeed quite extravagant.
If this "four-cornered" relationship were to continue, it would only be a matter of time before it "exploded." Su Wan made a decisive move and crafted a text message that he sent to all of them:
——Let's break up!
Then he dialed the phone number of his agent, Bill Duffy. ——Before deciding to enter the draft, the original host had talked with Yao about agents, and Yao introduced him to his own. Bill Duffy was a member of Yao's team, specifically in charge of many of Yao's affairs in the United States. Duffy's claim to fame was the 2002 draft, where his rookie clients took three of the top four spots in the first round: No.1 Pick Yao Ming, second pick Jay Williams, and the fourth overall pick Drew Gooden. One battle had catapulted him into the ranks of top NBA agents. The original host's being picked at No.10 in the first round was largely due to Duffy's hard work in public relations.
"Bill, I need a new phone card, and could you ask Danny if I could get an advance on my salary? Send $40,000 to my account in China for me—I'll send you the account number and recipient's name in a bit!"
"The main room" had spent quite a bit of the original host's money, and Su Wan couldn't calculate the exact amount, but it was around $250,000. Since he'd broken up with her, that money had to be paid back by Su Wan, and he decided to add a bit more. ——The original host's rookie contract was worth $1.87 million in the first year alone. Even after deducting next year's taxes, the agent's share, and the "pension insurance" paid to the league, there was nearly a million left, which amounted to more than 8 million RMB at the current exchange rate. There was no need to pinch pennies with that kind of money. Plus, there was interest to be earned in the bank. It was like settling the original host's affairs so he could rest in peace.
The next morning, Bill Duffy had taken care of all the matters entrusted to him by Su Wan and also informed him that ESPN had reported on his interview, stirring up some buzz: "Everyone thinks Huaxia players are all like Yao! But be careful, your popularity might make some people in the summer league want to step on you to climb up."
Su Wan wasn't afraid of being targeted; he was worried that people wouldn't target him.
There was no game today, but the team had their routine training. The summer league team's training wasn't strict, and the players could plan their training content themselves.
Su Wan continued with the "rehabilitation training."
The "zone" mode had an intangible effect, helping him get accustomed to his body faster. After playing the last game, Su Wan had gotten used to the center of gravity for his 1.98 meters' height and no longer walked with the heavy "sense of theft."
After a day of adjustment, the Cavaliers faced their second opponent.
There were more spectators at this game than the last one, at least a thousand.
On the sidelines stood Erin Andrews, the female reporter who interviewed him after the last game. It was her first year with ESPN, and she was originally responsible for reporting NHL news. Now, she was starting to cover basketball, football, baseball, and various college leagues.
Latter on, in the '07/'08 season, she was twice named "America's Sexiest Sportscaster" by Playboy.
Big waves were her signature feature.
Su Wan remembered her because after she became famous, she was the victim of a peephole recording in her hotel room, the footage of which went viral online.
I've seen it, not bad.
When she saw Su Wan, her smile was even sweeter than yesterday's. Su Wan knew it wasn't because she wanted something to happen with him; it was purely because he was a sweet-talker. As a reporter, she'd naturally like interviewees like him.
"Come on, Su, make a great showing; there are quite a few fans here today just for you!"
This took Su Wan by surprise.
But when he thought about it, it wasn't strange.
In 2003, Yao, as a rookie, surpassed Shaquille O'Neal, the "three consecutive championships" champion, to become the Western All-Star starting center. On that day, during media interviews and the pre-game photo session, countless fans and celebrities scrambled to take pictures with him.
In addition to his massive size, his skin color was also a rarity in the NBA.
It was like seeing a Brother Ni or a white guy in a domestic table tennis league; either would be a novelty.
And if this Brother Ni (or white guy) could put on an impressive performance, you'd definitely want to take a closer look.
"The guy on the other side, Earl Smith, is a high schooler but he's really strong on the court, scored 21 points last game... and he has heard about what you said. He's vowed in front of the media to show you a thing or two."
Erin Andrews gave her reminder grinning with the kind of excitement one feels when watching a spectacle unfold.
Su Wan couldn't be bothered with her and turned his head to look at his warming-up opponent.
Today, the Cavaliers were facing the New Orleans Hornets.
Earl Smith's full name is "Earl Joseph Smith III." He preferred to be called "Little Smith", which resulted in his more commonly known name:
JR Smith!
He was the "Highlight reel Jordan" who got expelled from the "Sword Guard" for advising his old mentor not to coach the Lakers— the future League's strongest "Nervous Saber."
Originally, Smith had planned to experience NCAA first, but after winning MVP in the McDonald's All-Star game in April his stock skyrocketed, and he boldly announced he was skipping NCAA, bringing his talent straight to the NBA.
The Hornets management used their first-round 18th pick to draft him.
The scouting report believed he had all the potential to become a superstar. The only concern was his personality; he could either become a leader in the locker room or a "bomb" in it.
Such extreme outcomes made many teams hesitant.
Scouting reports can sometimes be worthless, full of nonsense, like their belief that Stephen Curry was the next Steve Nash, only for Curry to revolutionize the game with his three-point shooting, which had nothing to do with Nash's style;
Sometimes, they are incredibly accurate, like their predictions about Jordan's three-point shot being a weakness and baseball distracting him from basketball—all of which came true.
The concerns regarding JR Smith's character were later validated as well.
But for Su Wan, an opponent like JR Smith was just what he needed at this stage. Only such opponents could ensure that he would enter the "The Zone" mode one hundred percent.
JR Smith also noticed Su Wan entering the court, but he didn't rush over to talk trash. After the game started, Hornets players who won the tip-off passed him the ball, and after a smooth barrage of crossover moves leading to a basket, he chose only to provoke Su Wan with a look.
Su Wan was displeased; he tried to "persuade" JR Smith to be a bit more mindless: "Don't you have anything to say to me?"
"What?" JR's voice was cold, his expression even colder.
"You made a basket, aren't you going to start trash-talking me? Come on, go ahead, insult me!"
"...What?"
JR Smith's indifferent face visibly "Nick Young"-ed.
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