Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 66 Pretending nothing happened until something did happen (Thanks to Bamboo Path for the Alliance Leader Award)

As the hustle and bustle of Media Day drew to a close, the reporters were satisfied, each feeling they had gained a great deal, and eager to rush back to the editorial office to turn the Grizzlies' internal strife into tomorrow's sports headlines.

According to the procedure, the team still needs to complete the last step: taking a team photo for the new season.

However, Rudy Guy did not show up.

He cited "sudden physical discomfort" as the reason for his absence.

Upon hearing this official statement, one reporter couldn't help but joke, "If I were Rudy, I would probably feel 'uncomfortable' after hearing Eli's words."

“It’s more than just feeling unwell,” a fellow reporter chuckled, “I probably would have thrown up on the spot.”

More observant viewers noticed that not only was Guy absent, but President Jerry West was also not present on set; instead, Vice President Dick Vissach replaced him. This detail immediately sparked further speculation.

It is well known that the relationship between West and Visachus was far from harmonious.

See? This is the fate of a small-market team that has been dormant for years, suddenly gaining massive attention. All the long-standing problems didn't arise overnight; they had always existed, but no one had paid attention before. When a nationally acclaimed superstar like Xu Ling arrived in Memphis, all the previously overlooked hidden dangers were inevitably exposed to the spotlight. Reporters keenly noticed West's absence and quickly linked it to internal conflicts, but no one delved into the fact that since becoming the team's administrator, Jerry West had never participated in a single preseason team photo.

Not once.

He has a very high opinion of himself and always believes that his presence will steal the attention that the coaching staff and players deserve, which is his consistent stance.

That's Jerry West. He never deliberately cultivates his influence, but once the team he built falls into a slump, he blames everything on himself.

In the president's office overlooking the training field, Jerry West had just turned off the media day livestream. Xu Ling's calm yet sharp response from the screen still seemed to echo in the air.

His face was terribly grim. After a moment of silence, he said to Laura Grankole, "Get Rudy to my office. Have him here right now!"

Guy arrived late, strolling leisurely into the office with a nonchalant expression on his face.

West didn't offer him a seat, his gaze heavy as he stared at him, his tone stern but not angry: "Rudy, I watched you enter the league. I remember you in your rookie season. Humble, eager to learn, willing to give your all for every opportunity. Tell me, what turned that young man into the person he is today? Choosing to complain publicly through the media, creating unnecessary conflict within the team?"

West paused briefly before continuing, "You and Eli aren't destined to be at odds. If you really try to understand him, you'll find that your styles can coexist and even complement each other. You could have been a frontcourt duo that would have taken the entire league by storm."

On the surface, Guy maintained a humble and receptive demeanor, his head slightly bowed, but his gaze drifted elsewhere. Inwardly, however, he was filled with disdain and contempt for the man with the logo's instructions. Coexistence? Complementarity? Euphemistically, isn't it just about putting that damned Chinese guy above everyone else, making the whole team follow his lead? On what grounds?
West saw through his perfunctory attitude, and his voice grew even colder: "Rudy, talent can open doors for you, but professional attitude and vision will determine how far you can ultimately go. You are still young, you have plenty of time to compete with Eli, and you have enough talent to become a player far better than I imagine."

Guy responded vaguely, "I understand, Jerry. I'll be careful."

Then Guy left.

West knew in his heart that this was just a perfunctory response. But his most important task at this moment was to clearly convey the management's attitude. Even if it was just a hypocritical gesture, he had to make Gay believe that the team was still outwardly maintaining the stance of "believing that he and Xu Ling could coexist."

He then instructed his assistant, Laura Grankole, to invite Xu Ling over.

Xu Ling arrived a little late because he had just finished taking a family portrait.

When he entered the president's office, West was deep in thought, looking at the schedule for the new season.

“Jerry,” Xu Ling said naturally as he entered the room and sat down opposite West, “You wanted to see me?”

Aside from the few days of tryouts and signing, Xu Ling had very little direct contact with West.

In his recollection, the only time West ever called him proactively was to inquire about Jarius Jackson. Xu Ling gave an affirmative response at the time, and shortly afterward, the Grizzlies signed Jackson.

Regardless of West's reasons for making this move, and regardless of whether the always stern old man wanted to give his third overall pick a reliable teammate in his new environment—all of this made Xu Ling feel valued and respected.

Therefore, even though he knew perfectly well why West had called him over, he did not show any dissatisfaction, but simply waited calmly for the other party to speak.

West didn't waste words on empty platitudes and went straight to the point: "Eli, I admire your toughness, which is an indispensable quality for a leader. But the way you handled things today was too impulsive."

Xu Ling remained silent and did not respond.

“We all know what you’re saying is true, but you shouldn’t have targeted Rudy so directly!” West’s face showed obvious dissatisfaction. “By doing this, you and Rudy have no chance of turning back, and you’ll make us a laughing stock in the entire league!”

Why do we need a way back?

West's gaze sharpened: "What?"

"Why do we need to look back?" Xu Ling repeated. "What part of the Grizzlies' past is truly worth remembering?"

Since taking over the team in the spring of 2002, West admitted to making mistakes and wrong decisions, but ultimately helped this once-disgraced team reach the playoffs for three consecutive years. This is enough to comfort the fans.

He never imagined that someone would so casually deny all of this.

Xu Ling's question was like a bullet, unexpectedly striking the most untouchable part of West's heart.

The man with the logo instantly flew into a rage, abruptly standing up and exclaiming, "Don't jump to conclusions about things you don't understand! The Grizzlies may not have a glorious history, but they are still beloved by countless Memphis fans! You have no right to criticize—do you hear me? You have absolutely no right to tell me 'the past is not worth remembering'! Unless you can lead us to better results with concrete actions!"

"Until then, all you have to do is fucking get back to where you were and pretend everything's normal! Keep training and preparing, pretend you and Rudy can still coexist, pretend the media day fiasco was just a young man's spur-of-the-moment thing! Then, like a damn team, start the new season together!"

This is the second old man Xu Ling has encountered since his transmigration who has roared at him due to emotional outbursts.

What Xu Ling truly meant was that he had absolutely no interest in "reconciling with Guy." But West clearly misunderstood him. Or perhaps, he really did misunderstand?
Even if West hadn't gotten angry, wouldn't the conversation have ended up like this anyway?
What does Xu Ling really want?
Trade Rudy Guy?

Undeniably, he does have this intention. However, it's currently training camp, and the trading window is far from open. No matter how deep the conflict, they must temporarily conceal it and maintain a facade of calm.

The moment Xu Ling stepped out of the CEO's office, he suddenly realized the true core intention behind West's vehement words:
pretend.

Pretend nothing happened, and then wait for things to change.

Outside the CEO's office, West's assistant, Laura Grankole, still wore a professional smile. Clearly, she had already heard the outburst that had just erupted inside the office.

"Is Jerry's mood always this unstable?"

Xu Ling asked casually.

“Believe me,” Glenkler’s smile remained unchanged, “he’s always been like this.”

The training camp continued as usual the next day.

If there's anything worth mentioning, it's that Rudy Gay didn't expect the $60 million man to still be willing to pass him the ball after what happened on Media Day, which led him to catch the ball in his face during practice, just like Sakuragi Hanamichi.

He got a nosebleed as a result.

Xu Ling stood to the side, hands on her hips helplessly: "If you're planning to tell the reporters that I beat you so badly your nose bled, I won't deny it."

In the distance, Lowry burst into laughter, and the others joined in.

For a moment, Marc Jafaroni almost forgot about the events of Media Day.

His team looks too normal.

This level of normalcy made his scalp tingle and his spine feel cold.

However, just because the Grizzlies are back to normal doesn't mean the outside world will let go of the media day issue.

Various media outlets rushed to report on the Grizzlies' media day event. Obviously, Guy, who took the initiative to provoke the incident, received a lot of criticism, but Xu Ling, who was ruthless, was also considered to have a bad character.

Especially some media figures affiliated with Nike.

For example, ESPN's Ric Bucher wrote in his column: "Rudy Gay was certainly the catalyst, but Eli's reaction proves that Rudy's accusations were not unfounded. Forget about that 'half-court finisher' from TTU; Eli is more arrogant than we think. In this respect, he may be the closest to his draft template, and we may really be witnessing the rise of the next Kobe Bryant."

Undoubtedly, as the world's most influential sports media, ESPN has intricate connections with major leagues and sports brands.

Butcher's statement is just one example of this.

The impact of this incident was so great that even Xu Ling's college mentor, Bob Knight, spoke out in support of his student.

“That’s utter nonsense!” Knight once again displayed his unwavering protectiveness. “Ask anyone else who has worked with Eli, and no one will say he’s arrogant, or that he’s the kind of person who enjoys privilege! I’ll say it again, it’s nonsense. Everyone who has worked with him thinks he’s the best person they’ve ever met. Rudy Guy is the first exception so far. Now I ask you, are the others mistaken, or is Rudy Guy lying? Answer me!!!”

Ultimately, it was ESPN's star writer Bill Simmons who stepped in to clean up the mess.

In his 2007-08 NBA season preview column, he wrote: "In my initial plan, the Grizzlies were ranked tenth in the West because I believed Eli could play a role on a decent team. Maybe not as great as he was in TTU, but I absolutely believed he could get the Grizzlies back on track within a few years. But now, I'm wavering. I believe in Eli, but I don't believe in a broken team. Pau Gasol doesn't want to be there, Rudy Gay has fallen out with him, and he doesn't have any help. You can't single-handedly turn things around! So, I'm ranking the Memphis Grizzlies fourteenth in the West. Ahead of Minnesota and behind Seattle."

Simmons's point is easy to understand: leave it to time.

Indeed, time will tell. But the battle between sportswear brands never stops, from morning till night.

After training camp, the Grizzlies traveled to Las Vegas for preseason games. They faced the Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, and Los Angeles Clippers before moving to Texas to play against Yao Ming's Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz.

During this two-week, five-game preseason campaign, the Grizzlies achieved a record of three wins and two losses. Xu Ling contributed a well-rounded stat line of 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists in an average of 26 minutes per game, with a field goal percentage of 52%, demonstrating excellent adaptability to the intensity of the NBA.

However, behind his impressive individual performance, there are still obvious problems – his average of 2.5 turnovers per game is particularly striking. Especially when implementing the SSLO attacking system strongly advocated by head coach Marc Jaffaroni, Xu Ling's decision-making and passing choices in high-speed transitions still fall short of the tactical requirements. He sometimes appears hesitant, and at other times, his pursuit of speed leads to some unnecessary passing errors.

However, the preseason is where problems are found. To help Xu Ling get used to the pace of the NBA, Jaffaroni had Xu Ling play full-time point guard in the five preseason games, a situation that would not happen during the season.

Judging from the process, Xu Ling adapted quite well.

However, some disagree. For example, ESPN senior reporter Chris Sheridan published a commentary after the Grizzlies' preseason games titled "What Did Adidas Buy for $60 Million?" The article sharply questioned the legitimacy of Adidas's exorbitant signing, portraying Xu Ling as a "marketing product that doesn't fit the team's existing system and is overrated." More notably, Sheridan explicitly stated that the contract's equivalent value was comparable to the contract Nike offered LeBron James years ago.

Does this mean that Adidas has already regarded Xu Ling as a LeBron-level superstar destined to shine in this era?
Clearly, Adidas will not stand idly by while Nike-affiliated media outlets exert public pressure on Xu Ling.

Soon after, David Aldridge, a renowned reporter for The Washington Post, wrote a counter-article titled "Shortsightedness and Prejudice: Why Are We So Quick to Judge a Young Man's Future?", which served as a powerful rebuttal.

In his article, Aldridge astutely points out: "Mr. Sheridan cleverly overlooks Xu's defensive anticipation, his off-ball movement agility, and his clutch performance beyond his years. To completely dismiss a talent based solely on five winless preseason games and an immature tactical system is utterly shortsighted. History has repeatedly shown us that evaluating talent requires patience—don't forget, back in 2003, Ricky Davis still thought LeBron James could become his 'good teammate' in the future."

In an instant, a media war broke out among sports brands, with Xu Ling as the protagonist and Memphis as the battlefield. Where had the people here ever seen such a scene before?
Amidst this chaotic atmosphere of clamor, anticipation, and doubt, the Grizzlies stumbled through their preseason journey and ushered in the regular season opener at the end of October.

They will host the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, led by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili.

That morning, Xu updated a tweet:
"Forget yesterday when the sun rises. Good morning, Blues City."

(End of this chapter)