Basketball miracles

Chapter 202 [Song Jiang and Tie Niu]

At exactly eight o'clock in the morning, Xiao Tu woke up in his student dormitory at Harvard University, having precisely time-traveled.

After washing up, he ate breakfast first, then took his basketball to the outdoor court to practice, wanting to see the changes.

As expected, the small forward's physical attributes have improved slightly again. This is an improvement resulting from the combined effects of the other two physical training programs, not including the enhancement brought to the point guard by the Titan's Body.

Talents like fancy footwork, kung fu mastery, and culinary god are universal. After practicing for a while, Xiao Tu noticed a significant improvement in the small forward's dribbling ability, and his movements were quite flashy.

He executed the Euro step, crossover step, step-back step, behind-the-back dribble, and long stride spin move with great fluidity. He also quickly found his rhythm with floaters and fadeaway jumpers.

Awesome! My ball-handling and offensive skills are definitely top-notch now!

Summer League, hurry up and start! Young LeBron, here I come!
Xiao Tu's physical attributes are comparable to Marion's: 201cm tall with a 221cm wingspan. He weighs 104kg and has decent physical strength, but his speed and jumping ability are only average.

Xiao Tu realized that he and Nike seemed to be at odds. In the 80s, Nike's sneaker sales plummeted due to the butterfly effect he caused, and now it might happen again.

LeBron James is Nike's new top star. He signed a record-breaking 7-year, $8700 million contract before even playing a single NBA game.

If LeBron James gets thrashed by a second-round pick in the Summer League, one wonders what Nike's executives will think. In this world, Xiao Tu and LeBron's careers completely overlap.

Next, Xiao Tu practiced dribbling and shooting skills at Harvard University every day, showing great enthusiasm for high-intensity training.

He needs to rack up impressive stats in the Summer League; the better his numbers, the easier it will be to secure a contract. Given his second-round pick status, a high salary is out of the question, but he needs a 2+1 contract to acquire Bird rights and become a core player for the team.

On July 3, Xiao Tu received a phone call from a Heat team staff member. He traveled light from Cambridge to Orlando, where he arrived at his pre-booked hotel and met up with his coach and temporary teammates.

The Heat are using this opportunity to develop their squad for the new season, and they have several players they need to evaluate, so they are participating in two Summer Leagues.

This year's Orlando Summer League is exceptionally significant, more exciting than ever before. This is because it's a strong draft year, producing a wealth of talent.

Small forward Josh Howard led Wake Forest University to the NCAA Atlantic Conference regular season championship during his senior year, winning the Atlantic Conference scoring title, the Player of the Year award, and being named to the NCAA All-American First Team. Despite this performance, he was drafted late in the first round by the Dallas Mavericks.

Local fans wanted to see the rookies up close before the start of the new season.

The Heat had two staff members waiting in the hotel lobby who immediately recognized Xiao Tu. His good looks made him resemble an entertainment star, setting him apart from the others.

"You're the second one to arrive today. We've booked double rooms, so you can share a room with him."

Xiao Tu took the room key and asked, "Is there anything I need to be aware of?"

"No, here are your two jerseys, and today's meal allowance." The staff member handed Xiao Tu his number 24 jersey.

Xiao Tu chose the jersey number in advance; no one on the Heat wore number 24, so he could wear it after the new season started.

The Miami Heat, who only started playing in the NBA in 1988, only retired one jersey: Dan Marino's number 13. Marino was a legendary player for the NFL's Miami Dolphins. It's unclear why the Heat retired his jersey but didn't reseal the number.

Currently, the greatest player in Heat history is Alonzo Mourning, nicknamed "Kidney Warrior." He hasn't retired yet, but his performance has declined significantly. Last season, he didn't play a single game for the Heat, yet still earned a hefty $2000 million salary.

Xiao Tu found room 306 with his bag on his back. The door was not closed, and a black man with a cornrow hairstyle was sitting on the bed in a daze.

"Hello, I'm Sebastian Shaw," Xiao Tu greeted him with a smile.

“Hello, I’m Udonis Haslem.” Haslem sized up Xiao Tu a few times and sighed, “I never expected to be in the same room as you. I considered you a major competitor. I know you’re the 33rd pick in this year’s draft, a short power forward.”

Xiao Tu put down his clothes and backpack and said casually, "No, we are not competitors at all. Although I mainly played power forward in college, I will switch to small forward in the NBA. It would be too much of a disadvantage to play power forward at two meters tall."

"Really?" Haslem breathed a sigh of relief. He was an undrafted player in 2002, a short power forward who was only aiming for a minimum salary contract.

He played basketball in France for a year, losing weight from 140 kg to 110 kg, which earned him a spot in the Heat's training camp. The Heat are short-handed at the power forward position, and if Haslem doesn't compete with Xiao Tu, a high draft pick, his chances of getting a contract increase significantly.

“I have no reason to lie to you. Tell me about your strengths during practice, and I can pass you the ball.” Xiao Tu knew Haslem and thought he was his future loyal follower.

If he were Song Jiang, today would be a historic meeting between him and Iron Ox Li Kui after they joined Liangshan.

In a parallel universe, Haslem is an excellent role power forward, whose skills are average but whose strength lies in his hustle. His number 40 jersey is the seventh jersey retired in Heat history. He became the Heat's all-time rebounding leader, and his games played, starts, and minutes played are all second in franchise history.

Unlike other star players whose jerseys have been retired and who shone brightly, Haslem didn't have much of a star power. Aside from winning three championship rings alongside several legendary players at different stages of his career and making the All-Rookie Second Team once in his rookie year, he had no individual accolades. But who says role players don't deserve their jerseys retired?

Haslem's most distinctive characteristic is his loyalty; he is loyal to one city.

To stay with the Heat, he repeatedly turned down more lucrative offers. In 2005, the Cavaliers offered him a 5-year, $4300 million contract, but he remained unmoved and signed a 5-year, $3300 million deal with the Heat. In 2010, the Mavericks and Nuggets offered him a 5-year, $3400 million deal, but he refused again, opting instead for a 5-year, $2000 million contract to stay with his team.

The two chatted about basketball for a while, and Haslem quickly became convinced that Xiao Tu was genuinely preparing to transition. After all, Xiao Tu was now focusing on face-up dribbling and passing; how could he possibly compete with a role player like Haslem?
The two had lunch together and, having nothing else to do, went to play ball at a nearby park court.

They fought one-on-one for a while, and Haslem was completely crushed, starting to question his existence.

Haslem's ball-handling and offensive abilities are negligible; he relies on defense. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't stop Xiao Tu and could only try to disrupt his shots, with the success or failure entirely dependent on Xiao Tu's shooting touch.

The slimmed-down Haslem has decent physical attributes, but his 211cm wingspan is far inferior to Xiao Tu's. In this parallel world, his career block stats are poor, even less than shooting guard Wade's.

Xiao Tu showcased many of the skills of a guard, including a turnaround fadeaway jumper in the low post, a step-back jumper, and fancy face-up drives.

While with the Lakers, Xiao Tu spent most of his practice time playing one-on-one against players like Kurt Rambis (203cm), Magic Johnson (206cm), James Worthy, and McAdu.

Xiao Tu had extensive experience fighting people of this height one-on-one, and he beat Haslem so badly that Haslem started to lose heart and doubt his own worth.

Haslem couldn't help but complain: "Fuck! You were only selected in the second round? Are the scouts blind?"

Before he arrived, Haslem's agent listed several Heat rookies, including Sebastian Shaw, who was the 33rd pick in the second round.

The agent confidently asserted that the two players had similar playing styles... Haslem was speechless.

If my playing style were similar to his, would I need to go to France to play? I'd enter the draft after my freshman year and even get into the lottery, right?
Fortunately, Xiao Tu wasn't a primary power forward, and Haslem knew he couldn't compete for the position; at best, he'd only get a minimum salary.

Xiao Tu unscrewed the cup he brought, took a few sips of water, and laughed, "Since you watched the draft, you should know that I'm from Harvard University. The team's overall strength is very weak, and we were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA. My record isn't good."

Haslem took a deep breath. "What if the coach lets you play power forward?"

“When the coach comes, I’ll talk to him. There will be pre-game training, and I’ll prove that I’m better suited to playing small forward.” Xiao Tu encouraged him, “Don’t worry, I bet the Heat will sign you, and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to perform in the new season.”

"why?"

"I feel you have a lot of fighting spirit and your defense is good. The Heat lack a power forward, and your mobility is exactly the kind of talent the team needs most," Xiao Tu said honestly.

Pat Riley is a big fan of Haslem, and he will be Riley's long-term informant in the locker room, responsible for reporting on others and acting as the "team's soul."

The two chatted for a while, and Xiao Tu brought up the topic of renting an apartment. "I wonder if it's easy to rent an apartment in Miami? I've signed a contract and want to go there as soon as possible to find a place so it'll be convenient for practicing in the summer."

Haslem laughed and said, "I can help you find a house. I'm a Miami local, so I really want to play for the Heat, which is close to home."

"Then I'll have to trouble you." Xiao Tu always needs help with this; he's never found a place on his own before.

(End of this chapter)