The Best Point Guard

Chapter 426: Chapter 5: Su Xi Gets to Work

Stephon Marbury had been having a pretty good time lately.

Since June, he had been proclaiming his own rebirth. Of course, he’d said something similar when he first joined New York. His return to the Knicks had been a massive sensation back in the day. As the Son of New York and a prime representative of the legendary ’96 draft class, expectations for him had been sky-high.

Now, however, they couldn’t stand each other.

"I’m very grateful to Little Sheep Su Xi. If he hadn’t come to the Knicks, my career would have been over."

"I’m really looking forward to my time in Indiana. I’m going to tone down my personality, integrate completely into the team’s system, and help the Pacers compete for a third consecutive championship. I believe I can do it."

"Thank you, Jack! He’s my savior."

Stephon Marbury was completely sincere in his praise for Su Xi during the interview. He wasn’t being passive-aggressive; he was genuinely grateful to have escaped his misery. "To me, my time with the Knicks was a nightmare. It was completely bleak, with no hope in sight, and people were always stabbing you in the back."

When a reporter asked what advice he had for Su Xi, he said, "Don’t make friends with anyone in the locker room. If you have any pull, get the team to trade every single person in there immediately. The Knicks’ locker room culture is completely rotten to the core."

"Don’t listen to any of the media hype, and don’t pay any mind to the praise from the New York fans. New York is the most fickle place in the world. They’ll put you on a pedestal when you’re playing well, but the moment you slip up, they’ll tear you down and drag you through the mud."

...

On the flight from Los Angeles to New York, Su Xi watched Stephon Marbury’s interview. Of course, he was also watching interviews with other Knicks players, like Eddie Curry and Jamal Crawford.

Su Xi faced a monumental task with the Knicks.

No one was optimistic about his chances.

In Indiana, he had led a team that was already a championship contender. The internal politics weren’t complicated—in fact, the team boasted an incredibly strong locker room culture.

But the New York Knicks?

From Stephon Marbury’s description alone, it was clear the team’s problems were deep-rooted and seemingly irreversible.

Furthermore, Eddie Curry had said, "I don’t think Little Sheep Su Xi is lacking for accolades. He came to New York for the money. He needs a big city like this. So, as for whether anything will change next season? I have no idea."

When asked his impression of Stephon Marbury, he said, "That guy always thinks he’s better than everyone else. He likes to use his skills and seniority to force people to listen to him. But in reality, he’s just a selfish guy who always plays for himself on the court. He’s definitely the one most responsible for the Knicks turning into what they are today. He is the ’Son of New York,’ after all."

So passive-aggressive.

Jamal Crawford didn’t have many good things to say either.

"Of course, I welcome Little Sheep Su Xi to the team. He’s a superstar who became famous at a young age, and his reputation is at an all-time high. I hope he can bring a breath of fresh air to the team. If we can get stronger because of him, that would definitely be a good thing."

"But we have a lot of problems to solve right now: sharing the ball, tactical assignments, defense, chemistry, trust."

Jamal Crawford went on at length.

He was the Knicks’ de facto number two option on the perimeter. He often stole the spotlight during games because he was a potent and streaky scorer. The problem was, his defense was terrible, and when he was on a hot streak, he got tunnel vision and only had eyes for the basket.

Su Xi rubbed his temples.

The problems were more complicated than he had imagined.

He scanned the Knicks’ roster. Aside from a few rookies, he felt that every single player was a handful, that each one had a problematic side.

’This is going to be tough.’

When Su Xi met Isaiah Thomas at the airport, Thomas gave him an enthusiastic hug. "You’re finally here!" he said, his voice brimming with genuine emotion.

Su Xi patted his shoulder and said, "Let’s not talk about anything else right now. Take me to your office so we can discuss the team’s situation."

Su Xi wasted no time.

He was a man of action.

Once they were in Isaiah Thomas’s office, Thomas closed the door and got straight to the point.

"Right now, it’s going to be pretty difficult for us to make any trades, Jack. As you know, all the players we have are on bloated, overpaid contracts. Unless we buy them out, it’s basically impossible to trade any of them."

Isaiah Thomas got a headache just looking at the mess. "It’s not that these guys didn’t have talent before," he said. "They’ve all had their moments of glory. But who knew that after coming to New York, they’d all turn out like this, just coasting on their fat paychecks."

Isaiah Thomas sighed.

Su Xi looked over the roster.

Frontcourt: Eddie Curry, Jerome Rose, Channing Frye, Tony Battie, David Lee, Morris Taylor, Turiaf, Antonio Davis.

Wings and Guards: Quentin Richardson, Jamal Crawford, Trevor Ariza, Malik Rose, Jalen Rose.

Point Guard: Su Xi, Nate Robinson.

On this roster, Jerome Rose was unable to play, and Eddie Curry had gotten as round as a basketball himself. Antonio Davis was in retirement mode, and Morris Taylor was in a similar state. The only truly playable frontcourt player was Tony Battie, who had followed him from Indiana.

And Tony Battie was a veteran.

The only others were three young players: David Lee, Channing Frye, and Turiaf.

Among the wings and guards, Jalen Rose was a former member of the Michigan Five, but now he was a journeyman. He still had some game left, but he was approaching retirement age. Then there was Quentin Richardson. A former young star on the Clippers and a shooter for the Phoenix Suns, his performance was now inconsistent. His heart didn’t seem to be in basketball anymore. The most famous moment of his life wasn’t on the court, but when he took a huge contract and immediately spent 1 million USD on a diamond ring to propose to some starlet.