The Best Point Guard-Chapter 34: [The Draft Issue]

Madison Square Garden Arena is the Mecca of basketball, a place many players dream of making a pilgrimage to.

New York is the economic and cultural heart of the United States, and the arena boasts a uniquely privileged location in the very center of Manhattan, New York’s most prosperous borough.

Ever since Jeff Van Gundy led the Knicks to a first-round elimination in the ’00-’01 season, the team has failed to make the playoffs. They no longer have the air of the iron-willed New York Gang of the ’90s, and Coach Donnie Chaney is seen as someone who can’t fully control the locker room.

New York fans are the most impatient in the world, and the New York Media are their accomplices. They’re like parents who don’t know how to raise a child; the moment the kid underperforms, they don’t offer patient guidance or encouragement. Instead, they stand on the sidelines, mocking and jeering, hoping humiliation will somehow spark a revival.

The Knicks, in turn, have adopted the attitude of a petulant child who has given up completely.

Alan Houston, who had landed a nine-figure contract, became a time bomb in the team’s locker room. The other core guard, Spreeville, was resentful of this contract, leading to severe internal strife. On top of that, Alan Houston was prone to injuries... All in all, the Knicks were now caught in a vicious cycle.

As a result, the media turned its attention to college basketball in New York State.

Syracuse University’s incredible run this year was widely reported, and NCAA fans are inherently more loyal than NBA fans anyway.

With Syracuse University breaking into the Sweet Sixteen and bringing the Elite Eight matchup back to Madison Square Garden Arena, basketball fans across New York State were buzzing with excitement.

Many media outlets began heaping praise on the Syracuse University players. They played the role of the ’bad parent,’ using extensive coverage of Syracuse to provoke the Knicks, much like using ’the neighbor’s kid’ to put down their own child.

While Su Xi was training at Madison Square Garden Arena, Cameron Anthony was being interviewed, a forest of cameras and microphones pointed right at him.

It was a bigger media circus than Su Xi had ever seen.

The New York Media gushed over Cameron Anthony, describing him as an omnipotent, super-talented genius and hoping he would join the Knicks to play the role of savior.

Su Xi began his own training on the other side of the court.

He continued to work on his ball-handling and dribble penetration. His ’Super Flexibility’ talent had improved to an upper-intermediate level, giving him greater control over his technique.

Su Xi practiced for half an hour before sitting down on the sidelines to rest.

Cameron Anthony, still in the middle of his interview, suddenly beckoned to him. "Hey, Jack. They want to chat with you for a bit."

Su Xi waved his hand, declining.

Cameron ran over and dragged him over anyway.

"This is Little Sheep Su Xi, our team’s starting point guard," Cameron Anthony announced, hyping Su Xi up. "Ever since the start of the national tournament, he’s been the most important engine for our team. He was outstanding in the last two elimination games. I think he’ll be an NBA player very soon."

The media was also very curious about Su Xi. He had been brilliant in the past two games, playing a crucial role in both, even if his stats weren’t as flashy as Cameron Anthony’s or Hakeem’s.

"Jack, what do you think of tonight’s opponent? What do you think our chances are of making it to the Elite Eight?" a reporter from *Slam* magazine asked first.

"It’s hard to judge them before we’ve played, but our chance of making the Elite Eight is one hundred percent," Su Xi said.

"Why so confident? Auburn University eliminated the number two seed, Wake Forest University, in their last game," the reporter pointed out. "We’re only the number three seed."

Su Xi said, "Because I have a way to shut down their three core players, which will let Cameron score without restriction."

Su Xi delivered the most arrogant words with perfect calm.

He gave off an air of unprecedented sincerity, combined with a lawless assertiveness.

It was the same feeling you get when your dad calmly unbuckles his leather belt, calls your name, and says, "Come here. We need to talk."

You know you’re about to get a beating, but you can’t resist.

For the first time, the New York reporters truly felt the small shock that was the "Little Sheep Su Xi" style.

Some reporters stared at Su Xi with wide eyes, finding him unbelievable. Beside them, Cameron Anthony was calm; he was used to it. This was just how Su Xi normally talked. "You’d better believe him."

"What method will you use to shut them down?" the reporter asked again.

"Watch the game," Su Xi said, still speaking with that same sincerity. "I hope they give me a challenge. I’m desperate to improve."

Then, the reporters moved on to the topic of the NBA. One asked Su Xi, "Cameron said you’ll be in the NBA soon. Do you think you have a good chance? Before the 64-team national tournament began, you weren’t well-known. Do you think your performance in the last two games is enough to impress an NBA team? Are you ready to declare for the draft?"

"I’m not concerned with those things right now," Su Xi answered seriously. "My grandfather told me when I was very young: sharpening the axe doesn’t delay chopping the wood. Right now, I need to sharpen my axe."

"So the NCAA tournament is your whetstone?" the reporter asked.

"Some games are, some aren’t," Su Xi replied.

"Which ones aren’t?"

"I won’t answer that," Su Xi said. "It would be embarrassing for some teams."

Su Xi’s interview was a breath of fresh air. The reporters were eager to continue, as he gave them a completely new experience. He was sincere, but his sincerity was laced with arrogance. The media loves to cover players with this kind of distinctive personality, as it generates more attention.

Su Xi’s previous interviews on national cable television and CBS had already made him a popular NCAA player with reporters. If he made it to the NBA in the future, he would surely be a media favorite. The NBA media loved to stir up trouble even more than the college media.

Coach Jim called Su Xi and Anthony over to run through some plays.

The reporter from *Slam* magazine ran over to ask Jim a question. "Coach Jim, do you think Jack has a chance to go to the NBA after this season? Cameron said Jack will be an NBA player very soon."

Coach Jim froze.

’The NBA? Jack?’

He had never considered the possibility of Jack going to the NBA. There were rumors the last couple of days about Kobe Bryant being unusually close with Su Xi, as if trying to recruit Jack to the Lakers.

But he thought the chances were minuscule. A championship team like the Lakers wouldn’t waste a roster spot on a rookie. Championship teams prioritize stability; even if they needed to strengthen their roster, they wouldn’t do it through the draft. Besides, Su Xi hadn’t truly proven himself in the NCAA yet.

"As far as I know, he has no plans to go to the NBA. He will be staying with the Orange Team," Jim Boham replied to the reporter.

He then walked over to direct the players in a full-court drill.

He frowned, looking weighed down by his thoughts. He didn’t want Su Xi to enter the draft, he didn’t want McNamara to enter the draft, and he didn’t want Hakeem to enter the draft either... As a college head coach, he wanted to hold onto as many good cards as he could.

His record, his reputation, and his salary all depended on it. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

If it weren’t for the fact that Cameron’s talent was too exceptional to be contained, he wouldn’t want Anthony to enter the draft either. Ideally, he’d have him play for four years, like Duncan.

Over the past while, he had repeatedly spoken with Anthony, hoping he would play one more year in the NCAA.

However, Cameron Anthony had his own plans. He didn’t want to lose a year of earning potential. Given his draft stock, playing one less year in the NBA would cost him several million USD. Besides... the NBA valued potential above all. Playing another year didn’t guarantee his stock would rise; it was more likely to fall. Plenty of past examples proved this point.

This was an irreconcilable difference between many college teams and their superstar players.

That’s why many super-talented players make it clear during recruitment that they only plan to play for one year and will leave at any time.

The world of college basketball simply can’t hold on to those super-geniuses with surefire high draft stock.

But for players like McNamara and Hakeem, who were on the bubble between being drafted and going undrafted, the coaches had plenty of ways to keep them.

As for someone like Su Xi, they had even more methods.

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