The Best Point Guard

Chapter 428: Chapter 6: The Terrible Knicks

When the New York Knicks officially announced that Isaiah Thomas would also be taking on the role of head coach for the new season, the news drew boos even from the New York Media.

Evidently, Isaiah Thomas had failed to build a trustworthy reputation in the Big Apple over the past two seasons.

As time went on and the Knicks made no further moves, the media’s expectations for their new season grew lower and lower.

When Su Xi first joined, people thought the Knicks would become a powerhouse in the East, win at least 50 games in the new season, and secure a top-four seed in the playoffs.

But now, as June had turned to September, everyone’s speculation about the Knicks had become: can Little Sheep Su Xi lead this sinking ship into the playoffs?

With the new season approaching, the media churned out numerous previews and predictions.

The San Antonio Spurs were considered the biggest favorites to win the championship. Although they hadn’t made any significant moves in the offseason, their roster was still formidable.

Next up were the Miami Heat. The Heat had made many additions in the offseason, with a squad of seasoned veterans like James Posey and Gary Payton joining the team. They all wanted to ride the tail end of O’Neal’s prime to a championship title.

Su Xi’s former team, the Indiana Pacers, was ranked as the third favorite to win the title. For a team coming off two consecutive championships, this wasn’t a particularly high ranking. After all, they had lost Su Xi. Although Stephon Marbury was expected to largely fill the void at the point guard position, some optimistic analysts even claimed that Marbury’s scoring ability was superior to Su Xi’s and that the Pacers could reach even greater heights.

Beyond these three teams, the Detroit Pistons had completely fallen apart. Larry Brown had resigned, and Ben Wallace had accepted a max contract from the Chicago Bulls. After getting dismantled for two seasons in a row, the Pistons had lost the courage to make a third run for the title.

Their underdog story was only half-finished.

In addition, other teams worth watching included the Phoenix Suns, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Houston Rockets.

Su Xi and the Knicks were only projected to finish eighth in the East.

However, in the ranking of the top 100 players for the season, Su Xi’s name was ranked fifth. The four stars ahead of him were Duncan, Garnett, O’Neal, and Kobe.

Su Xi was ranked fifth.

Furthermore, the highest-ranked third-year player was LeBron James at tenth, with Wade at twelfth and Carmelo Anthony at nineteenth.

This ranking proved Su Xi’s dominant position among the new generation of players.

But many fans were still dissatisfied. "Why is Little Sheep Su Xi only ranked fifth? He beat Duncan, O’Neal, and Kobe in succession to win championships. Garnett doesn’t even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as him."

This was exactly why Su Xi had transferred. A significant part of his success in Indiana was attributed to the Pacers as a whole.

This perception was filled with a great deal of bias.

The reasons for its formation could have been jealousy, or perhaps his skin color.

All in all, despite reaping immense fame and commercial benefits in the United States, Su Xi had not received a completely fair and just evaluation in the professional sphere of basketball.

Meanwhile, Su Xi’s tabloid headlines continued to spread like wildfire in New York.

At the end of August, Su Xi and Jessica Alba were photographed shopping in Manhattan. When a New York paparazzo secretly took her picture, Jessica gave him the middle finger. The paparazzo then taunted her, "You don’t look nearly as good with Little Sheep Su Xi as Scarlett does."

This enraged Jessica, a Los Angeles native, and she swung her backpack, attempting to teach the paparazzo a lesson.

But Su Xi stopped her and led her away from the scene.

The incident still caused a public stir.

A week later, Su Xi and Scarlett attended a luxury brand’s autumn fashion show. They openly displayed their affection at the event, with Scarlett practically hanging on Su Xi. They were inseparable. Furthermore, the ever-resourceful paparazzi managed to use a listening device to record Scarlett saying to Su Xi as she got into a car, "Tonight, don’t you dare go easy on me. Fuck me to death!"

Such shockingly bold words triggered a media frenzy in New York.

Then, in mid-September, Su Xi was photographed doing a shoot for Playboy magazine. At the same time, he also became the global spokesperson for a luxury brand’s lipstick line, and his poster appeared in the most prominent spot in Times Square.

Meanwhile, Su Xi also landed many commercial gigs in New York, and he was frequently photographed attending various events.

As one of the most famous athletes in the world, Su Xi’s every move was under intense scrutiny.

Even a trip to the Atlantic Ocean for a ribbon-cutting ceremony was interpreted as a spending spree.

Su Xi’s wealth and fame were increasing rapidly, and New York’s world of fame and fortune welcomed his arrival with open arms.

However, this also sparked concern among the more serious sports media outlets. They worried that Su Xi would be corrupted by New York’s high society, causing his professional skills to decline.

After all, some of Su Xi’s former teammates who had fallen from grace weren’t even on his level, yet they had lost themselves to the temptations of New York’s nightlife. Su Xi was now at a much higher level, more famous, and so young. Could he resist the immense allure of New York?

There is a proverb in the United States: If you love someone, send them to New York. If you hate someone, send them to New York.

Now, Su Xi had come to New York.

What kind of fate awaited him?

Many Knicks fans were worried.

...

「October soon arrived.」

Teams all across the league opened their training camps.

The Knicks held their training camp at the Syracuse University basketball arena, a move that was clearly a meticulous arrangement by the management. Su Xi was from Syracuse University, and he had helped them win their first-ever championship title. He was also the first player in NCAA history to record a quadruple-double in a championship game.