The Best Point Guard

Chapter 429: Chapter 6: The Terrible Knicks

The Knicks’ new season was setting sail from here, which was a very good omen.

Su Xi arrived at his old college and first met with the school’s leadership. Most of his former teammates had already graduated, but a few had stayed on as assistant coaches. Everyone was doing very well for themselves.

When they met again, there was no awkwardness despite the change in their respective statuses. They all chatted just like they used to.

The head coach, however, was a bit reserved. He had once hoped to keep Su Xi by his side to help him build the foundation of a powerhouse team. But who would have known Su Xi would take flight so spectacularly, breaking into the NBA after a single season? Now, he had even surpassed his seniors, with achievements greater than those of Carmelo Anthony.

After meeting with his old friends, Su Xi headed to the gym.

He hadn’t even entered the locker room when he was hit by the pungent smell of smoke.

’Thankfully, it’s not *that* damned smell.’

But when he walked in, he saw Eddie Curry, Jerome James, and Jalen Rose slumped in their seats. Each had a cigar dangling from his mouth, puffing out clouds of smoke.

Seeing Su Xi walk in, Eddie Curry gestured to him. "Hey, Jack. Care to try our New York specialty?"

"No, I’m not interested in that stuff."

"Don’t be scared, my man. It’s not laced with anything. It’s just something to get you going. We do this ritual every season to get our spirits up, to tell ourselves the new season has started and it’s time to get into a competitive mindset."

Su Xi glanced down at the three of them. Each one had a potbelly. Eddie Curry was as round as a ball. Jerome James had long since lost any semblance of a professional athlete’s physique. Jalen Rose was slightly better, but his face was still bloated and puffy.

There are all sorts of ways for a player to fall from grace in the NBA, but the results are always similar: a decline in athletic performance, a toxic locker room culture, and a drop in the team’s ability to compete.

These three basically had no thought for the future.

Jerome James had a breakout performance in his contract year, and after duping Isaiah Thomas into giving him a massive contract, he’d basically been coasting. He didn’t want to compete. He had no interest in hustling for one last contract; he was perfectly happy to just occupy a roster spot and do nothing.

Eddie Curry had long since lost the aura he had as a high school phenom. Nicknamed the "Little Shark," the only area where he was now approaching—and even surpassing—O’Neal was his weight.

He might be able to land one more contract in the NBA, but it would almost certainly be for the league minimum.

Jalen Rose had been playing his whole career; most of the players from his generation had already retired. So what motivation could he possibly have left?

Su Xi frowned, saddened by the toxic atmosphere on the Knicks.

He quickly changed into his jersey and sneakers, then asked, "Who let you bring this crap in here?"

"Isaiah!"

Eddie Curry said, "He likes to take a few puffs himself. He’s the one who got us started on them."

Uh...!

Su Xi froze.

He knew the "Smiling Assassin" had a street mentality, but he never expected it to be this bad. Getting close to players by smoking cigars with them... he was probably the only person in any front office in the entire league who would do something like that.

Su Xi left the locker room and walked into the gym, where Isaiah Thomas was in the middle of his media day photoshoot.

He was enthusiastically directing players into position and telling everyone, "The reporters will be allowed in in about 30 minutes, so let’s look sharp, everyone."

On the sidelines, Su Xi saw Anfernee Hardaway. Hardaway had kept himself in great shape. Although he’d bulked up a bit since his prime, you could still see the smooth, graceful form of his younger days in his overall silhouette. Compared to those three lumps in the locker room, his professionalism was on another level.

"Hey, Anfernee," Su Xi said, walking over to greet him.

"Hey, Jack."

They shared a warm hug.

Su Xi then asked him how his body was holding up. Hardaway said it was great. He’d seen a lot of doctors in the offseason, including some traditional Chinese medicine specialists, and he felt his body wasn’t in as much pain as before. He thought he’d even be ready to play in the preseason.

But Su Xi told him to get more rest and not rush his return, insisting that finding his rhythm was the most important thing.

Su Xi was still wearing number 30 for the Knicks, and soon it was his turn for the media day photos.

Before that, a few of the younger guys came over to greet Su Xi. Even though Su Xi was younger than some of them, seniority on the basketball court isn’t determined by age. When a two-time Finals MVP and one-time regular season MVP is standing in front of you, it’s hard not to be respectful.

Nate Robinson, Channing Frye, Ronny Turiaf, and the sophomore Trevor Ariza all came over one by one to greet Su Xi.

Su Xi didn’t say much to them in return, nor did he make any special effort to win them over, simply remaining cordial.

After the photoshoot, the Knicks opened the floor to the media.

The Knicks’ training camp attracted a swarm of reporters every season. Being located in the nation’s largest city, the team received some of the most intense media attention in the entire NBA.

However, the New York media was notoriously critical. They weren’t like the press in Los Angeles, which mostly praised its players. In New York, the media didn’t care if you were on the home team; if you played badly, they would unleash all sorts of vicious attacks.

They would even pressure the front office to trade players.

New York fans were the same way. When the team played well, their cheers were the loudest in the league. But if the team played poorly, they would jeer, boo, and sometimes even cheer for the opposing team’s players.

Many said that the New York media and fans were the most short-sighted groups in sports, offering no help at all to the Knicks’ development.

The most absurd thing the Knicks had ever done was trading away their franchise cornerstone, Patrick Ewing.

So why did they trade Ewing, a player who had given so much to the team?

The New York media concocted the now-famous "Ewing Theory," relentlessly promoting the idea that ’the team actually played better without Ewing.’ Under the weight of this media campaign, combined with the fans’ boos and Ewing’s own declining performance, he was ultimately traded.

This dealt a devastating blow to the Knicks’ ability to attract free agents. After seeing what happened to Ewing, most superstars wanted nothing to do with New York.

This was also why so many people had been against Su Xi joining New York in the first place.

But Su Xi didn’t care about any of that. He wanted to prove himself, and to do that, he would take the hardest road.

The reporters swarmed him, loaded with questions they were eager to ask.

"Jack, what’s your goal in joining the Knicks? What are your expectations for the new season?"

"What else could it be?" Su Xi replied with a smile and a shrug, turning the question back on the reporter.

He paused for a moment before continuing, "As for expectations? I don’t have any for this season. Just play good basketball. We’ll get started, and we’ll find the answers along the way."

"So we can’t even hope for the playoffs this season?" the reporter pressed, a little disappointed.

"Of course, *you* can hope for that. But that’s not my expectation," Su Xi answered.

"What do you think of the team’s current roster? Are you worried about chemistry with your teammates?"

"I’m not worried about chemistry. I think the roster is fine. We have players at all five positions."

"What position will you be playing this season? Shooting guard or point guard?"

"Either one. I don’t like to limit myself. The specific position I play will be up to Isaiah Thomas."

"The last time you worked with Isaiah Thomas, you won an Olympic gold medal. Do you think you can bring that same good luck to the NBA?"

"I don’t think you need luck to win. No team that’s ever won a championship did it by a fluke."

"So, do you think Isaiah Thomas is a good coach? Do you think the team needs to improve on defense?"

"He’s a great coach under FIBA rules. As for the NBA, we haven’t even had a practice yet, so I can’t answer that. And every team needs to improve on defense."

"The Knicks made no other major signings in the offseason. Are you disappointed by that? Do you regret joining the Knicks? A lot of other teams were pursuing you."

"I’m not disappointed. And I have no regrets. Joining the Knicks was the best choice for me. I know this team has its share of problems, but that’s exactly why I came here. I came to prove myself."

"And you’ll prove yourself by winning a championship?"

"How else?"

Su Xi’s rapid-fire answers continued in his signature style: confrontational and full of rhetorical questions.

The New York reporters would have to get used to it.

Still, Su Xi’s answers filled them with immense confidence and excitement.

Su Xi was aiming for a championship, and that was exactly what New York needed.

And all of today’s interviews would be condensed into a single headline: Su Xi was here to prove himself by leading the Knicks to a championship!