Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 108 The Lord's Troubles and Arrival

Just as NBA stars were about to depart for New Orleans for the 2008 All-Star Weekend, with the trade deadline approaching, NBA teams began aggressive moves.

Since the Mavericks, Grizzlies, Nets and Lakers made that blockbuster four-way trade, the landscape of the Western Conference has changed significantly.

The Mavericks have essentially emptied their coffers, but they still need to strengthen their roster to ensure they can defeat the Celtics' Big Three in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Other teams in the Western Conference have a greater incentive to strengthen their rosters.

No one wanted to see the Mavericks dominate, and the Suns, who believed they were in a phase of breaking down the old to build the new, were determined to do something big. They chose to trade away Shawn Marion, the soul of SSOL, and in exchange for the seemingly aging Shaquille O'Neal from the East.

This was undoubtedly a shocking trade, not because O'Neal was an untradeable player, but because the Suns actually believed that O'Neal could help them take things a step further.

The team with the fastest pace in the league chose the center position, which is the least desirable for the team to play at a fast pace.

This is very abstract, really abstract. It's like replacing Green next to Curry with Rudy Gobert. Gobert's interior defense might be far superior to Green's, and he might make Curry's pick-and-roll three-pointers even more terrifying, but the NBA will no longer have the "death lineup," no small-ball revolution, and the Warriors will become a different team. In this scenario, Curry wouldn't even need to play off-ball, because you can't expect Gobert to dominate the ball like Green does. So, in the most ideal situation, how much better would Curry be than Damian Lillard if he didn't play off-ball?

Who reacted most strongly to this incident?

LeBron James.

This is another abstract matter.

Before Jason Kidd was traded to the Grizzlies, James, like Kobe Bryant did last year, kept urging the management to make the trade, as if an older point guard past his prime and with poor shooting accuracy could really be compatible with him.

The Kings were interested, and the Cavaliers' management naturally complied. However, who could have predicted that the Nets were also an unpredictable team? They completely failed to realize that this was an opportunity to ruin the Cavaliers. Instead, they felt that since their team had been eliminated by the Cavaliers in the playoffs last season, they absolutely could not send their best player in franchise history to the enemy, and resolutely rejected the Cavaliers' trade request.

This seemingly absurd decision, in a twist of fate, saved Kidd's career. Otherwise, all the embarrassment and struggles that Russell Westbrook experienced with the Lakers would have been repeated exactly as they happened to Kidd.

Since Kidd was traded to the Grizzlies and immediately had a significant impact, James has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction. Especially after Xu Ling made that highly insulting finger-wagging gesture towards him at Quicken Loans Arena, the Kings have deeply realized the urgency of strengthening their roster.

Therefore, James set his sights on Shaquille O'Neal. If he could acquire O'Neal, why fear Kevin Garnett of the Celtics? Even if they met the Spurs again in the Finals, someone would be able to handle Tim Duncan. However, Heat manager Pat Riley was also unwilling to trade O'Neal to a divisional rival.

Thus, James' wishful thinking about strengthening the team once again failed—he always hoped to acquire a washed-up All-Star whose performance had declined and whose playing style was completely incompatible with his own, but ultimately he failed to achieve his goal.

Rumors are swirling in the trade market, but none of them involve the Grizzlies.

Since the Grizzlies now have a complete roster, all they need to do is wait for news about the buyout market. They can try to snag a bargain if they can, but if they can't, they won't lose anything.

However, the quiet trading activity did not diminish the Grizzlies' status as one of the most talked-about teams during All-Star Weekend.

Because Xu Ling is about to reach the pinnacle of Pau Gasol's career in Memphis—being selected as an All-Star.

This is only Xu Ling's first year in his professional career, and it seems that the Memphis star will easily surpass the Spaniard to become the Grizzlies' all-time greatest player in the coming years.

The Memphis Business Journal showed no respect for the Grizzlies' all-time greatest player in this matter: "After being selected for the All-Star game, Eli only needs to lead the Grizzlies to win in the playoffs to surpass PG and become the Grizzlies' all-time greatest player."

However, even if they do win in the playoffs, it will be nothing more than a minor event in Xu Ling's rookie season.

Compared to the things he created, these things are as insignificant as dust.

February 15, 2008, early morning, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

Xu Ling, carrying a backpack and wearing headphones, walked out with the crowd. His face didn't show the fatigue of a long flight, but rather the calm of a gladiator about to enter the arena.

Because he knew that there would be plenty of damn reporters asking those damn questions.

"Eli! Look this way!"

"Eli, do you have anything to add about what happened in Cleveland?"

"."

The flashes of light were like a sudden downpour, almost blinding people.

Dozens of reporters pointed their recording pens at him, while fans outside completely blocked the entrance to the tunnel. Security personnel had to form a human wall to barely clear a narrow passage.

Xu Ling stopped, took off one earphone, and calmly glanced around. Unlike some rookies who instinctively shrank back or sought shelter from staff, he merely frowned slightly, seemingly annoyed that the commotion had disturbed his peace. However, he couldn't escape it; this was the price of becoming a star, especially one who was practically a daily headline whenever he played.

"Eli, congratulations on being selected for the All-Star team!" A reporter near the front seized the opportunity, "How's your first All-Star appearance? Anything you're particularly looking forward to?"

A very standard opening. Xu Ling nodded and replied succinctly, "Thank you. I have many expectations, but I don't know what I'm expecting right now. I might need some time."

Does that mean the reporters here are more normal than those elsewhere?
Just as Xu Ling's opinion of this group was beginning to change, an aggressive voice suddenly cut in from the side. It came from a male reporter wearing gold-rimmed glasses and with a serious expression. His microphone bore the logo of a local Cleveland media outlet.

“Mr. Eli Xu! I am Richard Morris from the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Your behavior in Cleveland, especially that extremely insulting gesture, has been considered by many fans and commentators to be a complete violation of sportsmanship! Do you feel even a little bit of regret? Do you think you should apologize to LeBron James and all Cavaliers fans?”

This question caused a moment of silence in the room.

All the cameras were fixed on Xu Ling's face, waiting for his reaction. This was exactly the question the media wanted to ask.

Xu Ling began to believe that the finger he shook at James would stay with him for life, just like the chair his college mentor Bob Knight threw onto the court.

However, he absolutely does not want to spend his entire career with this label. He believes he will do something even more outrageous, and then people will put down their finger-wagging and focus on something else.

But now, he has to fight back against this Cleveland reporter.

Xu Ling looked at the reporter, his face showing no anger, but rather a playful smile. He didn't answer immediately, but slowly took off his other earphone and carefully put it into his bag.

“Regret? Apology?” Xu Ling repeated these two keywords, his voice clearly coming through the microphone. “Mr. Richard, your question confuses me a bit. I remember LeBron himself publicly stated that it was just part of the game, that he understands the mentality of his competitors, and, well, in his own words, it was something like ‘I admire Eli’s competitiveness’?”

Xu Ling paused, looking around at the reporters as if seeking their approval.

"Look, LeBron himself has shown such magnanimity and publicly forgiven me. Why are you, as a professional journalist, more resentful than LeBron himself, and so eager to demand an apology on his behalf?"

The reporter from the Cleveland Plain Dealer blushed instantly. He hadn't expected Xu Ling to say that, and stammered, trying to retort, "Because LeBron is a gentleman! That doesn't change the nature of the matter."

"The nature of the offense?" Xu Ling immediately interrupted him. "I scored a great basket and then did a celebration. The league thought the celebration was excessive, so they fined me, which I accepted. That's the end of it on any level. If you still want to discuss the moral aspects with me..."

"I believe that giving your all on the court, rather than a celebration, is the greatest respect you can show to your opponents, the fans, and the sport. I do that in every single game. What do you think, Mr. Richard?"

After saying that, Xu Ling didn't give the man a chance to argue anymore. Before his agent could smooth things over, he added one last sentence: "If you really care that much about LeBron's feelings, next time you interview him, you might as well ask him yourself if he needs my apology. But I think he probably wants to win in the next match rather than listen to you endlessly discussing a game moment that is already in the past."

Seeing this, Leon Ross immediately squeezed next to Xu Ling, a professional and smooth smile on his face, cleverly blocking most of the microphones: "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, Eli's flight has just landed. What he needs most right now is rest, not a press conference."

As he spoke, he subtly patted Xu Ling on the back, signaling him to set off immediately.

Ross knew he had to get this sharp-tongued young master out of this "minefield" as soon as possible. Who knew how many more blatant traps he would face, or how many bombshells he would drop next?

"All-Star Weekend has just begun, see you in the next few days!"

Ross used a polite closing remark to stabilize the situation, and then, with the help of his bodyguards, escorted Xu Ling to quickly break through the encirclement.

The group quickly walked through the airport terminal and got into a black Mercedes-Benz sedan that Adidas had prepared in advance.

Xu Ling found it hard to believe that this was just a brief start to an exhausting All-Star Weekend journey.

"Good heavens!" Xu Ling rubbed his temples, unable to help but complain, "I feel like for the next few days, I'll have to wear a sign around my neck that says: 'Yes, I shook my finger. Next question, thank you.'"

Sitting next to him, Leon Rose, the shrewd agent, couldn't help but chuckle as he adjusted his suit and tie, a strange expression on his face a mixture of pity and schadenfreude.

“Be content, Eli,” Rose shook his head and smiled wryly. “You’re just being asked ‘whet your finger’. Think of another client of mine who, for the next few months, even the next few years, will have to face countless microphones and answer various variations of the same question: ‘LeBron, tell us how you felt when you were faked out?’ ‘Whet your finger in front of someone at home, was that the most humiliating moment of your career?’”

Ross mimicked the reporters' sarcastic tone, then shrugged: "Believe me, you're in a much easier situation than any of this."

Xu Ling paused for a moment, then imagined the scene of James being surrounded by countless reporters asking about the "details of being faked out," and couldn't help but smile.

That scene was indeed a bit too cruel.

(End of this chapter)