บท 22: Chapter 21 But LeBron, I'm not wearing number 33!
After the interview, Su Wan returned to the locker room with Calderon, and the first thing they saw at the entrance was LeBron James's locker. —— One of the unspoken rules of NBA locker rooms: the higher the player's status in the team, the closer their locker is to the entrance. It provides more space and convenience for interviews.
LeBron James's locker wasn't next to Su Wan's. —— Another unspoken rule of NBA locker rooms: the rookies' lockers are usually right next to the team leader's to better serve them.
His locker was across from LeBron's, originally belonging to Ricky Davis. After the Cavaliers traded Davis, the locker went to Bozer. Now that Bozer was gone, Danny Ferri left it for Su Wan.
Calderon's locker was right next to Su Wan's.
It was rare for two rookies' lockers to be next to each other except for some "youth team" occasions.
Su Wan guessed that maybe because Calderon had a good relationship with him, Danny Ferri intentionally arranged Calderon's locker next to his. But it was just a guess; Danny Ferri had never mentioned this to him.
"Bootlickers" are like that, always silently making sacrifices.
There were quite a few players eyeing Su Wan's locker.
For example, Jeff McInnins who entered just before or after them. After Ricky Davis was traded, he wanted to move into this locker but ended up being preempted by Bozer. Although he was a veteran from '96, Bozer had been with the Cavaliers before him and held a higher tactical status, so he had to give up.
Now a pure rookie came and took over the locker, towering over him.
So, he was really annoyed, changed into his clothes, waited for other Cavaliers to gradually enter the locker room, and suddenly said to Su Wan and the other person chatting, "Hey, you two rookies there, didn't you see that everyone is here? Hurry up and go buy us some water!"
With these words, the locker room instantly fell silent.
There were those who were just watching the drama, like Ira Newell, a Swingman undrafted in 2000, who made his name with his defense. Some knew why McInnis was causing trouble, like his good friend, Cavaliers' backup center Desagena Diop;
Most were just observing.
Like backup power forward Robert Treller and the 23rd pick backup Alexander Pavlovic. They didn't speak simply because they had just reported to the Cavaliers and didn't know what was happening.
And since the Cavaliers didn't even prepare a press conference for them, one could imagine their "junior" status in the team.
Currently, the highest-ranked and most senior "old man" in the locker room was "Big Z" Zha Zhunas Ilguskas. He was a "good guy" and had a good relationship with Yao Ming. Seeing Jeff McInnis wanting to "establish authority" over Su Wan in the traditional NBA "old man educating rookie" scenario, Big Z furrowed his eyebrows and was just about to speak when Su Wan beat him to it:
"Are you talking to me?"
"Who else? How many other rookies are there in this room?"
Actually, the Cavaliers had one more rookie this year, the "Future Queen" Anderson Varejao, selected in the second round. However, he was delayed by personal matters and had missed even today's rookie press conference.
Indeed, in the room at the moment, only Su Wan and Calderon were rookies.
Calderon stood up obediently.
His thinking was simple: better to avoid trouble.
Su Wan grabbed him and smiled at McInnis, "Jeff, are you out of money? Or did you break your legs? If you want water, why don't you go buy it yourself? Or are you thinking…"
Su Wan flashed a weird smile, "You think I'm here to assist you?"
The original phrase had been said by Ricky Davis who thought LeBron James was there to assist him, and then he was traded away.
Su Wan's meaning was clear:
You think you can act superior with me?
Better check if you're qualified enough first!
Big Z's mouth twitched, almost bursting out laughing.
I had heard that the new "Huaxia rookie" was eccentric, not your ordinary rookie. Seeing him today proved the rumors true.
McGinnis had been holding back, unable to respond. Su Wan acted as if nothing had happened, turning his head back to Calderon and resuming the conversation that had been cut off. Calderon was taken aback, his mind in turmoil. He was in no mood to keep talking with Su Wan!
The others, seeing Su Wan's calm demeanor, thought to themselves:
This rookie is no easy target!
At that moment, LeBron was also heading towards the locker room.
He had already heard what Su Wan said at the press conference.
He was not pleased with some of Su Wan's remarks.
Like when he said that LeBron couldn't get the Cavaliers into the playoffs, but he could.
Although it was true—the Cavaliers hadn't made the playoffs last season—Su Wan's comment severely tarnished his on-court image. To the uninformed, it might seem like LeBron was only good for stats and not for winning games!
Yet, there were other remarks by Su Wan that he was very pleased with.
Like when he said he felt the two of them could become the next Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen...
Despite LeBron's strong doubts that Su Wan could reach Pippen's level,
the mere fact that he acknowledged "LeBron James is Jordan" made LeBron willing to forgive some of his irreverent comments. Moreover, in LeBron's view, Su Wan was pledging allegiance to him, acknowledging his unique status on the Cavaliers.
He was telling LeBron this way:
I'm here to be your "second in command"!
This stance alleviated some of LeBron's earlier concerns. He no longer viewed Su Wan as a "fictitious rival." So, upon entering the locker room, he immediately flashed a warm and bright smile, walked over to Su Wan, and gave him a tight hug, "Buddy, I've been waiting for this day. We can fight side by side now. We will definitely be the best partners, just like you said, another Jordan and Pippen!"
At first, Su Wan didn't know why LeBron was so enthusiastic.
He thought it was his "performance personality" acting up.
But by the end of it, Su Wan realized that he already knew about his on-camera statements. It had to be said, this guy had built a good relationship with the media upon entering the league. He had just finished the interview, and before any media reported it, a reporter must have told LeBron about his statements.
LeBron looked as though he was meeting a long-lost friend, and Su Wan, after holding back for a while, couldn't resist asking with a half-smile, "LeBron, so who do you think is Michael and who is Scottie?"—Originally, Su Wan wasn't this blunt, but having been here for over two months, he felt his youthful edges sharpening.
LeBron's smile froze.
Everyone else was also stunned.
Even McGinnis, who had been quietly fuming, looked astonished, and it was clear from his expression what he was thinking:
Has this guy lost his mind?
Does he even know what he's saying?
Big Z was also taken aback for a moment, as Su Wan's eccentric nature had exceeded his expectations once again.
The locker room fell silent for a few seconds, and while LeBron was still bewildered and had not reacted, Su Wan satisfied his perverse humor and spoke slowly, "What are you thinking about, LeBron? Have you forgotten you wear the number 23?"
"Ah, hahaha..." LeBron's expression visibly relaxed, and a smile returned to his face, though it was somewhat stiff, "Dude, I didn't expect... you're pretty humorous!"
Su Wan smiled but left the latter half of his thought unspoken:
But LeBron, I'm not wearing the number 33!
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