The Best Point Guard

Chapter 431: Chapter 7: The Genius Persona Has Been Hyped Up

In the end, he decided against walking over. But he didn’t leave. He just sprawled out on the sidelines. He didn’t want to go home. If he went home, he’d be hassled by lawyers and agents, asking him this and that. The police would call him too.

The court had become his sanctuary.

In a daze, he felt like he was twelve or thirteen again. Back then, he had also hidden away on the basketball court, fully focused, to escape trouble on the streets and turmoil at home.

Just then, a loud cheer erupted from the court.

Nate Robinson drove to the basket and threw down a spectacular dunk, drawing waves of screams from everyone.

The young guys rushed over and piled on top of Nate Robinson on the floor to celebrate.

Eddie Curry cracked a smile.

Su Xi waved him over, signaling for him to join in and add some pressure on Nate Robinson.

Eddie Curry quickly ran over and dived on top of the pile. With his three-hundred-plus pounds added to the mix, Nate Robinson immediately begged for mercy.

Su Xi said, "I’ll give you two choices. First, from today on, you wear my signature shoes and average at least one dunk per game during the preseason. Second, I’ll jump on too and add a little more pressure."

"The first one! The first one! The first one!"

Nate Robinson hastily made his choice, and only then did Su Xi pull Eddie Curry off.

After getting up, Eddie Curry raised an eyebrow at Su Xi. "You’re quite the businessman," he said.

"Of course," Su Xi said with a smile. "How about you help me supervise this kid? Make sure he does an extra five dunks every day in the gym."

Hearing this, Eddie Curry immediately wrapped an arm around Little Potato’s neck like an eagle snatching a chick. "No problem, Jack. Leave a small matter like this to me. I’ll definitely turn this rookie into the NBA Dunk King."

Eddie Curry was instantly fired up.

Nate Robinson was helpless. As a rookie, he could only endure this kind of ’hazing’.

But then Su Xi told him, "Tomorrow, I’ll have the staff come over to make a custom mold of your feet."

Hearing this, Little Potato was overjoyed. This was a custom service! If he had to pay for custom sneakers himself, it would be a significant expense for him.

’Su Xi might be threatening me, but he’s also giving me shoes—custom ones! And... he’s making me dunk once a game. Isn’t that just helping me build my reputation in disguise?’

The more Nate Robinson thought about it, the more delighted he became. He thought to himself: ’Jack must see me as his trusted protégé!’

At the same time, Eddie Curry was also thinking: ’Does Jack see me as his second-in-command? He’s already letting me manage the rookies for him? Heh heh, the man’s got good judgment.’

"Eddie, you be the ref. We’ll split into two teams and play some three-on-three," Su Xi told them.

Eddie Curry quickly agreed.

Then they quickly formed two teams: Nate Robinson, Trevor Ariza, and David Lee on one.

Su Xi, Channing Frye, and Turiaf on the other.

Looking the part, Eddie Curry blew his whistle and announced the start of the game.

Even though it was just a team practice, Su Xi went all out from the start.

He shoved Nate Robinson aside, drove to the basket, clashed with David Lee, and scored an easy layup over him.

David Lee’s and Nate Robinson’s strength was considered pretty good among the rookies.

But compared to a monster like Su Xi, they were no match at all.

Su Xi scored repeatedly.

He completely broke them down.

The NBA preseason hadn’t even started, and Su Xi was already giving them a baptism by fire.

"Eddie, come show David Lee how it’s done in the NBA," Su Xi said, stopping the game.

Hearing this, Eddie Curry didn’t overthink it. He took off the whistle and got on the court.

Su Xi drove to the basket again, deliberately slowing down. He collided with Eddie Curry, and his layup missed the rim.

Nate Robinson rushed in, grabbed the rebound, and passed it to Eddie Curry.

In the paint, Eddie Curry posted up and overpowered Turiaf, who couldn’t handle him at all.

Eddie Curry turned, a little hook shot... SWISH!

Easy score.

"You guys better learn well. He only used thirty percent of his power," Su Xi said to Turiaf and David Lee.

Hearing Su Xi’s praise, Eddie Curry’s heart couldn’t help but beat a little faster, and his face flushed. "Fifty percent, Jack," he said.

"These rookies really don’t have any defense."

Nate Robinson passed the ball to Eddie Curry again.

Eddie Curry went one-on-one with Turiaf again. He used a face-up shot fake to throw Turiaf off balance, then used his massive body to push Turiaf aside and made the layup.

Eddie Curry’s offensive skills were excellent. He had a soft touch in the post and possessed a complete arsenal of a center’s offensive moves.

Plus, his size advantage was obvious.

Otherwise, why would the Bulls have made him their rebuilding cornerstone back in the day?

It’s just that the kid never lived up to his potential, lacked drive, and didn’t work hard enough. After several years with little to show for it, he was lured over by Isaiah Thomas with a fat contract.

Eddie Curry scored five straight baskets, but in the end, Su Xi’s team still won the game.

Su Xi sealed the game with a three-point jump shot, being the first to reach 21 points.

But Eddie Curry really enjoyed the feeling of almost single-handedly turning the tide.

After the game, he even suggested they all go to a strip club.

Su Xi rejected the suggestion. "What’s the fun in going to a low-class place like that for women you can just buy with money?" he said. "Young guys should start off on the right foot. If you’re going to have fun, you should aim for something high-class."

Su Xi’s words were incredibly persuasive.

Eddie Curry was immediately convinced.

But for the rookies, it was like having a bucket of cold water dumped on them. They wanted to experience those "low-class" things.

Eddie Curry was tired of it all, but they hadn’t even started.

Nate Robinson even whispered, "There’s a process for everything, isn’t there? Brother Eddie, take us to see the world..."

Eddie Curry took the opportunity to get him in a headlock, putting his second-in-command management policy into effect. "Didn’t you hear Jack? You’ve got to start off on the right foot. What’s there to be afraid of when you’re following Brother Jack?"

Nate Robinson was immediately subdued—physically subdued.

Eddie Curry was thoroughly enjoying this feeling.

...

Nine days after the New York Knicks’ training camp began, they had their first preseason game against the visiting Phoenix Suns.

The Phoenix Suns had the best record in the regular season last year. They lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals and ultimately failed to face the Pacers in the ultimate showdown. Some of their fans were quite disappointed, believing that the Spurs getting swept 4-0 brought shame to the West. They thought if it had been the Suns, they might have been able to win.

Isaiah Thomas looked at the suggested starting lineup Su Xi had given him, feeling a bit puzzled.

He had been very curious these past few days... how had Eddie Curry and Su Xi gotten so close?

It made perfect sense for those rookies to be hanging around Su Xi. New players who want to make it in the NBA and get their careers started on the right foot will naturally gravitate towards the team’s strongest core player.

But how had Eddie Curry started gravitating towards him too?

Moreover, he felt that Eddie Curry’s mental and physical condition were much more robust now, and he even seemed to have lost some weight.

’Did Jack put a spell on him?’

He was actually staying behind for extra work after practice now.

And he was doing it on his own initiative.

Su Xi had never once mentioned training to Eddie Curry. He just asked Eddie to help him manage Nate Robinson and, while he was at it, give some pointers to the rookie big men on offense. Occasionally, he’d have him fill in for some three-on-three.

Eddie Curry had no problem schooling the rookies, of course.

But Su Xi praised him to the high heavens, always saying he was only using forty percent of his strength.

After receiving so much flattery, he started to feel like a bit of an impostor.

So, he would occasionally put in a little extra work.

And at times like these, Su Xi would even go over and stop him. "No need to overdo it, Eddie. With your talent, regular practice is enough."

Eddie Curry would nod repeatedly, and he did indeed stop doing much extra practice... at the facility.

But the moment he got home, he would bury himself in intense training.

He dug out videotapes he hadn’t touched in years and watched them relentlessly: things like *The Four Great Centers Teach You Post Footwork*, *Olajuwon’s Classic Footwork*, *Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Teaches the Hook Shot*, and *Chamberlain’s Anchor Point Theory*...

Su Xi had already established the persona for him as a "genius who could dominate ninety percent of centers without even training," and the younger players looked at him with eyes full of admiration.

He had no choice but to train in secret.

All so he could enjoy the aura of a genius and those looks of pure admiration.

...