Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 89 After the Trial
Morning light streamed through the window, casting stripes of light and shadow on Jerry West's desk. The front page of the Memphis Business Journal's sports section in front of him featured a snapshot of Xu Ling's dunk over Bynum.

This is a photo that is hard to ignore; West has been staring at it for a long time.

In the photo, Xu Ling's body is hunched over, his eyes sharp as swords, while Bynum is contorted in a desperate pose, trying to stop her but to no avail. The title is in large boldface: "The Hammer of God".

Next to the newspaper was a bulky Dell LCD monitor displaying the ESPN.com homepage. The headlines had already been updated.

West picked up his Starbucks coffee and took a sip. His gaze swept past the newspaper and landed on the even more shocking headline on the screen:

[Breaking News: Devastating news for the Lakers! Bynum diagnosed with a torn ACL in his left knee, out for the rest of the season]

The report coldly states the facts: "An MRI scan conducted last night in Los Angeles confirmed that Lakers center Andrew Bynum suffered a serious knee injury during last night's game against the Grizzlies. He was diagnosed with a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, accompanied by a meniscus tear. He is expected to miss the remainder of the season, and his return date will be postponed indefinitely."

West put down his coffee cup, tapped his fingers silently on the table, and showed no joy of victory on his face.

All I could think about were various ideas surfacing in my mind.

Then, West picked up the cordless phone on the table and dialed a number.

“Mickey,” West’s voice was calm and unwavering, “I just saw the news. I’m very sorry about Andrew; it’s a heavy blow to him and the Lakers.”

On the other end of the phone, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak's voice was hoarse and exhausted, as if he hadn't slept all night: "Thanks, Jerry. This is a fucking disaster."

The pleasantries ended quickly, and West cut to the real topic, but his tone was as if he were just asking casually: "So, those previous discussions... I'm afraid we'll have to put them on hold for now?"

As 2007 drew to a close, the Lakers remained inactive, and trade negotiations for Kobe were postponed because their record was good, and everyone felt that this situation could continue for a while longer.

Bynum is a key figure; his talent is recognized throughout the league. If the Lakers want to trade for an All-Star for Kobe, then Bynum is a powerful asset.

Now, Xu Ling has crushed this bargaining chip.

Bynum is not just an attractive asset; he has actually become an important player for the Lakers, scoring 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks last night, and is a pillar in the paint.

Putting aside last night's game, Bynum has averaged 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game this season, which is much better than Kwame Brown's performance.

Without Bynum, the Lakers are truly just a team that relies entirely on Kobe's individual performance.

Bynum's season-ending injury not only deprives the Lakers of their starting center, but it will also disrupt all plans, and the resulting butterfly effect may be astonishing, or even terrifying.

In fact, the Grizzlies have already been affected.

West is currently actively trying to sell Pau Gasol.

The Lakers are the team most interested in this.

The two sides have discussed specific asset exchanges, and the initial agreement is for a major trade involving Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, and Luke Walton.

Now everything is back to zero.

“Jerry, all the frameworks we discussed before were based on the premise that Andrew was the key asset,” Kupchak said, his tone filled with frustration. “Now, none of that matters.”

“I understand.” West’s voice was devoid of any emotion. “Keep in touch.”

After saying that, West hung up the phone.

Meanwhile, Xu Ling was in the living room of his apartment, watching ESPN's "SportsCenter" program on TV.

On the television screen, the host's face was grave: "This is undoubtedly one of the most heartbreaking moments of the season. Andrew Bynum, the 20-year-old center, was entering the breakout year of his career, only to fall in such a cruel way. Let's review what happened last night."

The camera switched to slow-motion replays of the dunk from multiple angles.

Xu Ling watched expressionlessly as he battled Bynum in the air, smashing the ball into the net, followed by the horrifying twisting of Bynum's knees and his screams as he landed.

Sitting on the sofa next to him, Roderick Craig couldn't help but exclaim, "Holy shit, Eli, I've seen this so many times, it's unbelievable but also fucking terrifying!"

On television, experts have already begun discussing the potential consequences.

"This is more than just an injury," the commentator said. "It completely changed the Lakers' season plans and could even change the landscape of the entire Western Conference. Bynum was a core part of the Lakers' future plans and their most valuable asset in any discussions about trading Kobe. Now, all of that is gone."

Another guest chimed in: "That's right. Now all the teams interested in Kobe—Chicago, Dallas, New York—will be reassessing. Without Bynum as a core asset, what can the Lakers get in return? Draft picks? Expiring contracts? Those things won't help the Lakers rebuild quickly."

"More importantly," the host added, "what will Kobe himself think? He craves victory, he craves championships, but the Lakers have now lost their most important young asset, and their path to championship contention through trades is almost completely blocked. How much patience does Kobe have left?"

Xu Ling pondered this question again: Had last night's game already disrupted the future trajectory of the NBA in this timeline?
Since the Grizzlies are no longer willing to trade Pau Gasol for a bargain, the Lakers would have to give up Andrew Bynum if they wanted to find an All-Star caliber teammate for Kobe. Now that Bynum is out for the season, the Lakers' competitiveness has further decreased, and they have no assets to trade for an All-Star player. Once the decline in competitiveness becomes apparent in future games, what reason does Kobe have to stay with the Lakers and waste his prime years?

Thinking about this, Xu Ling began to think about the most terrifying thing—could Kobe really be traded?

"Eli, what are you thinking about?"

Seeing that Xu Ling remained silent, Craig couldn't help but ask.

Coming to his senses, Xu Ling said calmly, "I was thinking, although Kobe scored 58 points over me, I also got 48 points and 13 assists, which should be considered pretty good for a rookie, right? Will those respectable media friends be a little more lenient with me this time?"

“If they dare to be intolerant, I’ll help you bash them on Twitter!” “How?” Xu Ling teased, “Like this time when you took the initiative to suggest that Eagle County dragged Kobe into this mess?”

Craig burst out laughing. "That's right. Why should we always be on the defensive? We need to take the initiative sometimes too. Besides, Kobe dared to do that kind of thing, so why would he be afraid of what others say?"

Man, what else can I say?

Xu Ling responded to his best friend's "brilliant opinion" with a shrug that looked rather tense.

Without a doubt, the Grizzlies vs. Lakers game is the most watched game of the season so far.

Whether it was Kobe's 58 points and 6 rebounds in a losing effort, or Xu Ling's career-high 48 points and 13 assists, as well as that devastating dunk at the end, all of these made the NBA a hot topic in the sports world.

Lakers fans, overwhelmed with despair, anger, and a sense of loss, expressed their hatred for Xu Ling through various channels.

Not long ago, because Roderick Craig mentioned that Eagle County dragged Kobe into the mess, Lakers fans had already left thousands of curse messages on Xu Ling's tweet a few weeks ago. After the game, in less than half a day, the number of curses exceeded five figures.

Lakers fans are trying to prove through various channels that Xu Ling deliberately murdered Bynum.

Fans who were just watching the spectacle and Grizzlies fans who felt they had gotten their revenge used Xu Ling's answer from yesterday's interview, "Sir, may I dunk?", along with a poster of Bynum lying on the ground with Xu Ling looking down arrogantly, to mock him.

The match was widely reported by major media outlets.

ESPN even created a talk show specifically for this, hosted by the now somewhat famous outspoken Stephen A. Smith.

"Without a doubt, this is the most pivotal event of the season, and perhaps even the seasons in recent years!" Renowned commentator Stephen A. Smith waved his arms and spoke animatedly on the show. "It goes far beyond the outcome of a single game! Listen, let's put aside all the hypocritical moral arguments! Was Eli's action within the rules? Yes! Was Bynum's injury unfortunate? Yes! But this is the NBA! This is the highest level of competition!"

"The fact is!" Smith practically roared, "The Los Angeles Lakers, this powerhouse, their plans have failed! The possibility of Kobe Bryant staying with the Lakers to contend for a fourth championship has vanished along with Bynum's knee!"

Nike-affiliated media outlets, such as Chris Sheridan, continue to attempt to guide public opinion, emphasizing the "danger" of the dunk and Xu Ling's "cold-bloodedness." However, faced with the enormous real-world impact, these moral condemnations appear pale and powerless. Public attention has completely shifted from "whether the move was clean" to the much larger question of "what will happen next."

Adidas' marketing machine was in full swing across the internet, with the official website immediately releasing a huge poster of Xu Ling dunking on Bynum on major platforms, accompanied by the concise yet impactful caption: "Judgment of the Captain".

Thus, this earth-shattering dunk was dubbed the "Judgment Dunk" overnight and spread wildly in the headlines of major sports media and fan forums.

This happened the day after the trial knot was set.

In most parts of the world, people are living the same lives as yesterday, but the NBA can never go back to what it was yesterday.

Since they don't need to participate in this season's Christmas Day game, the Grizzlies have four days of rest after defeating the Lakers before facing their next Western Conference powerhouse, the New Orleans Hornets, at home.

For these four days, the team only needs to maintain basic training, and then they can enjoy this most important holiday in the Western world.

Xu Ling arrived at the training facility earlier than usual. In the locker room, he met Pau Gasol. The Spaniard was smiling as he handed him a beautifully wrapped long gift box.

“Merry Christmas, Eli.” Gasol’s voice was gentle and steady. “A little gift, I hope you like it. Time flies, another year has passed in Memphis.”

The Spaniard smiled, a smile that held a calm that came after experiencing ups and downs.

"The team is changing, the city is changing, but being here with this group of teammates to welcome the New Year doesn't feel bad."

"Thank you, Paul."

Xu Ling accepted the gift and then began to worry about what gifts to prepare for her teammates.

They didn't mention a trade, perhaps because Gasol's desire to be traded has diminished, but things have already started to move, and unless there's a specific reason, that moment will happen sooner or later.

Xu Ling quickly changed into training clothes and went to the court to stretch.

Milic was eating popcorn non-stop, and when he saw Xu Ling, he even wanted to invite him to eat with him.

"Training is about to start, is it okay for you to eat this?" Xu Ling asked.

“It’s just training, what’s the big deal?” Milicic said smugly. “Besides, I’ve prayed for myself, you know? There’s a fortune teller near my house who thinks I’m having good luck lately.”

Xu Ling couldn't help but ask, "Do you really think these things have worked?"

He discovered that Milicich had a particular fondness for prayer.

It just doesn't make sense that such a devout belief would come from this playboy.
If he is truly a devout believer, then his private life is enough to make God despise him.

If he isn't, then why does he pray all day long, whether there's something to say or not?
“Of course, don’t you believe me, Eli?” Milicic said to himself. “To be fair, without my prayers, your last-second dunk yesterday might not have happened. Okay, I admit you played a great game, but honestly, I think my prayers accounted for at least 1% of the credit. That’s what I think, and you can’t deny it!”

Xu Ling stared at him for a long time, and after confirming that he was serious, she asked a question that made everyone burst out laughing: "So did you forget to pray for our opponents as well? Otherwise, how could poor Andrew Bynum have gotten injured? I'm serious, I think you're at least 99% responsible for Andrew's injury for not praying for them. That's what I think, and you can't deny it!"

That's how it is; the pain belongs to the Lakers, to Kobe, and even more so to Bynum.

Happiness belongs to the Grizzlies. They have no worries right now. They have a four-day vacation. They have an All-Star who requested a trade but still misses his old team. They have a backup center who eats a big bucket of popcorn before practice. They also have a very, very, very respected (within the team only) rookie of the year. They are happy and have no trouble.

Until trouble came knocking again.

(End of this chapter)