Chapter 583 - 82: Catching Up to the Self Once Held in High Esteem (Part 2)

Su Xi started off with a string of canned, official-sounding answers.

For the number one player in the league, who had been around for four years, spitting out a few pleasantries was second nature.

He didn’t even have to think; the words just flowed out.

"As for why I only played for such a short time, it’s because I felt my teammates were playing better. I wasn’t feeling well tonight."

Su Xi casually made up an excuse.

"But you scored five straight points at a crucial moment? You didn’t look unwell at all."

"As the number one player in the league, when a dispute breaks out on the court, I have to go out there and set things right. It’s my responsibility."

Su Xi stated bluntly.

His words were domineering and completely unfiltered.

But no one disagreed with his statement.

Because it was, quite simply, a statement of fact.

"Jack, we saw you bring Jerome James back to the roster last week, and then yesterday, you traded Millsap to Orlando for Milicic. A lot of people are saying you made these adjustments because of the Cavaliers’ formidable frontcourt. Is that the case?"

"It wasn’t just because of them," Su Xi said.

"So, you have been worried about the Cavaliers?"

"’Worried’ isn’t the right word. They’ve always been losers in front of us. I’ve never heard of anyone worrying about an opponent they’ve already beaten," Su Xi answered bluntly.

"So what do you have to say about this trade? Many are saying the Orlando Magic won big, and that the Knicks got nothing out of it besides a late first-round pick."

"Of course not. It was a win-win trade. We’re very grateful for the outstanding contributions Millsap made to the Knicks and the community during his time here. He’s an elite player with a lot of potential. But by the same token, don’t overlook Milicic’s talent. He was the number two pick in the 2003 draft. He’s one of the super-talented players from my draft class."

"But nobody thinks he can be mentioned in the same breath as you guys anymore. I mean, everyone’s calling him a bust, saying he didn’t deserve to be drafted that high."

"That’s an unfair assessment. The talent hasn’t left Milicic’s body. He’s going to have a breakout in New York. I firmly believe in him. I’ve always believed he’s the best big man from the 2003 draft class."

"Alright, that’s all for the interview."

Su Xi waved to the camera. He always had the privilege of ending an interview whenever he wanted.

He never waited for a reporter to ask him the final question.

Whenever he wanted to stop, that was the final question.

He was never short on topics to talk about.

Isaiah Thomas then took over, facing the media’s barrage of questions.

He spoke with great confidence.

"If Jack doesn’t want to play, then he doesn’t play. What’s so strange about that? As the number one player in the league, his mood is the most important thing."

"The trade? What’s there to say? Have you ever seen me make a losing trade? The Knicks fans aren’t worried, so what are you all worried about?"

"As for Milicic, I just want to say that Joe Dumars is no idiot. He has a decent eye for talent, though not as good as mine. But it’s at least better than a lot of other famous names out there. Milicic is definitely talented, and he will certainly play an important role in our system."

"A bust? Why call him a bust? You guys used to call Zach Randolph a troublemaker, didn’t you? You said Zach would wreck our team’s locker room. But what about now? Zach Randolph should get the Sportsmanship Award!"

"..."

Isaiah Thomas continued his confident rant in front of the TV cameras.

He had always been a smooth talker.

Of course, he was also very good at creating headlines.

"Shaquille O’Neal and Ilgauskas combined definitely can’t beat Milicic and Zach Randolph! I’m calling it now!"

"Just wait and see!"

Once Thomas got excited, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

If it weren’t for Su Xi, the sports channels would be making him eat his words every night.

But because of Su Xi, he managed to get away with his bold predictions every time.

Now, the media didn’t dare to criticize him lightly, for fear of being proven wrong again.

...

Su Xi, David Lee, Zach Randolph, Kyle Lowry, Isaiah Thomas, and James Dolan returned to New York on a chartered plane.

Two of their companions were missing from the plane; Novak and Millsap had already left for Orlando to report to their new team.

This was the NBA.

However, the atmosphere on the plane was still lively.

That was because James Dolan had brought three "Las Vegas souvenirs" onto the plane. They had served Dolan well in the city, so he was taking them to New York to see the world.

Zach Randolph sat with Dolan, appraising the three beautiful women’s figures with an artist’s eye.

He even had them jump up and down a few times.

"Not bad at all," Randolph’s professional assessment made James Dolan very happy.

In fact, Dolan wanted Su Xi to join in on the commentary.

He highly approved of Su Xi’s taste; after all, Su Xi was the one rumored to be involved with a bevy of sexy Hollywood starlets.

But Su Xi wasn’t interested in that. He was on the plane watching game tapes of Milicic, trying to determine how much untapped potential he still had.

After watching for a bit, Su Xi was pleasantly surprised.

Milicic was still very young. Even now, he was only 21, about to turn 22.

He was born in ’85, making him the youngest rookie in the entire 2003 draft class.

He was only 17 when he entered the league.

He had accomplished almost nothing under Larry Brown, but thankfully, Brown only coached him for two seasons. Sanders had still managed to teach him a few things.

Some of his basketball instincts were still there, even though in Orlando, Stan Van Gundy had continued his brother Jeff Van Gundy’s strategy of having him bulk up and play as a blue-collar worker.

But his feel for the game remained.

That feel for the game is a mysterious thing. You either have it or you don’t. If you’re not born with it, you’ll probably never have it.

Milicic could pass, he could score, he could facilitate, he could set screens, he could box out, he could grab rebounds, he could switch on defense, he could defend... He could do a little bit of everything, but he was ordinary at all of it.

He hadn’t found his role.

His morale was low too.

He had no experience playing with his full effort in a game, and even fewer opportunities to do so.

Ever since entering the league, he had been constantly beaten down and had almost no confidence left.

For a young man, this was undoubtedly a depressing situation.

...

In his New York hotel room, Milicic watched the interview with Su Xi and Isaiah Thomas. He could understand English now.

When he heard that both Su Xi and Isaiah Thomas had high hopes for him, he felt something he’d never felt before: ’It seems... I have a chance to become the player everyone expected me to be.’

’But can it really happen?’

He had already suffered so many setbacks.

But deep down, he still remembered the encouragement Su Xi had given him when they faced off back when he was a rookie.

Su Xi’s encouragement had kept the last flicker of hope in his heart from being extinguished.

It was the last ember in the dead ashes of his heart.

And as Su Xi grew more and more dominant in the NBA, eventually becoming the number one player in the league, that ember burned more steadily. ’Someone like Su Xi believes in me, so I must have some value. I’m definitely not as worthless as Larry Brown and the others said I was.’

’Otherwise, why would Larry Brown have been run out of town by Jack the Goat with his tail between his legs?’

Now, he finally had the chance to play on the same team as Su Xi.

Moreover, the trade was rumored to have been orchestrated by Su Xi himself.

He believed that Su Xi had summoned him here because he had high hopes for him.

’In that case, I have to deliver.’

...

When Su Xi saw Milicic at the practice facility, Milicic was already drenched in sweat from his workout.

Su Xi was usually the first Knicks player to arrive at the facility, so he was surprised to see Milicic was even earlier than him.

This caught Su Xi by surprise.

Just then, Milicic walked over and said to Su Xi, "Jack, it’s great to finally meet you. What kind of teammate do you need me to be?"

Su Xi thought about it seriously, then said, "I need you to be that super-talented phenom everyone had such high hopes for!"