The Best Point Guard-Chapter 38 - 36: Crouching Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix
With a brain trust like this advising him, James Dolan’s mood remained unaffected. It was clear the damage his brain had sustained from his past drug use was irreversible.
Today, they had come together to scout Carmelo Anthony.
This brain trust was convinced the Knicks had a great chance of landing a top-three pick, and that Carmelo Anthony, from New York State’s own Syracuse University, would instantly become a box-office draw and save the Knicks from their misery.
Although James Dolan’s brain had suffered some irreversible damage, making him quick to trust people, he wasn’t a complete idiot. He said, "We could put five pigs out on the court and Madison Square Garden would still be packed every night. Is the box office really something we need to worry about?"
Old Dolan had been a banker in his early years. He probably knew his son was a spendthrift who would never amount to anything and would drive a bank into bankruptcy sooner or later. So, in the latter half of his life, he converted his wealth into fixed assets: Madison Square Garden Arena, the New York Knicks, and a few hotels and television stations. With these businesses, one could make a fortune just by sitting back and collecting rent and selling tickets.
When parents truly love their children, they plan far ahead for their future.
Once the game began, the dynamic duo immediately started pitching Anthony.
"Look at that! What a beautiful jump shot from Anthony."
"His triple threat is absolutely masterful."
"Wow, that turnaround jumper was gorgeous..."
"We have to draft him. We’re on the verge of a new era. He’ll be the new Ewing, leading us to a brighter future."
"..."
They kept feeding these kinds of ideas to James Dolan.
This was how they had always manipulated James Dolan. A rich heir like him was easily swayed by flattery. He had no desire to actually get his hands dirty with the nitty-gritty of running the team.
And so, his brain trust was given room to operate.
Tonight, however, James Dolan seemed bored. He wasn’t all that impressed with Carmelo Anthony. He asked, "If Anthony is as amazing as you say, why is Syracuse losing?"
"We don’t even have a place for him. Weren’t you the ones who told me that with Alan Houston and Spreeville, we have the best pair of swingmen in the entire league?"
"This McNamara guy isn’t anything special either."
"Who is ’Little Sheep Su Xi’? Why does everyone keep shouting that weird name?"
James Dolan was full of counter-questions.
This caught his brain trust completely off guard.
Then, McNamara was injured, and Su Xi took the court.
When Su Xi managed to stop Kylingsworth on defense, James Dolan, who had been lounging in his chair, shot to his feet. "What a play!"
"A point guard taking on a giant of a center, I love it," James Dolan said. "Do you think this kid is worth a lottery pick? Our fans love him! He looks more like a savior than Anthony does!"
Huh???
The brain trust was aghast, terrified their boss was about to do something reckless on a whim. Scott Layden quickly interjected, "Boss, this rookie is nothing special. I’ve looked into him. He was brought to Syracuse University by Reggie Williams. His high school career was completely unremarkable..."
"Then how could he stand up to a big man? Who did you just say? Reggie Williams?" A distant name surfaced in James Dolan’s memory. "Reggie Williams! I know him! He’s the one who was in that car accident, right? I really liked him... Well, if he’s a player Reggie recommended, then he must be good."
James Dolan had watched a Syracuse University game last year. It was also an Elite Eight matchup, and it was also played at Madison Square Garden Arena. James Dolan and his brain trust had been sitting in these very same seats.
At the time, James Dolan had been very impressed by Reggie Williams. In fact, his brain trust had also liked Reggie Williams a lot. If Reggie hadn’t been in that car accident, the Knicks would have very likely used their seventh pick to trade up. Trading for the Rockets’ first pick might have been difficult, but swapping for the Bulls’ second pick... that would have been highly feasible.
If that had happened, the Knicks wouldn’t have drafted the Brazilian Nene, and they certainly wouldn’t have traded him for Antonio Davis... and they wouldn’t already be preparing for next season.
"Other than being a little strong, this guy is useless."
Donnie said, "Based on my years of experience, he probably can’t even run an offense."
The dynamic duo was terrified that their spendthrift boss, James Dolan, would get some wild idea and do something crazy. What if Dolan actually used a lottery pick on this Little Sheep Su Xi? If he turned out to be a bust, the boss would be fine, but they would be the ones taking the blame. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
So, they frantically tried to talk him down.
Just then, after Carmelo Anthony shot the free throw from the technical foul, the ball was inbounded to Su Xi.
Su Xi received the ball, and Auburn University’s tall point guard, Stephen Levin, moved in on him.
He spread his arms, forming a massive defensive barrier.
But Su Xi went right at him. Su Xi wasn’t fast, but his movements were decisive and he was incredibly strong... As he bodied up against him, Levin was forced to retreat again and again.
Su Xi backed him down inside the three-point line, then stopped on a dime. Levin hurried forward to press him, but just as he planted his front foot... BANG!
Su Xi executed a quick change of direction. His explosive power fueled a sharp cut, allowing him to shift from left to right in an instant... Levin was left frozen in place as Su Xi slashed into the paint.
Kylingsworth quickly came over to help, bracing himself to knock Su Xi down. Su Xi, however, suddenly faked a pass to the inside, causing the Auburn defense to collapse... and in that split second, he whipped the ball to the weak side.
Carmelo Anthony was wide open. The man guarding him had gone to cover Hakeem in the paint.
Anthony took the open shot... SWISH!
The five-point lead was cut to just one.
Su Xi had changed the entire game the moment he stepped onto the court.
The light that had faded from Coach Jim’s eyes now flared with new life. He was once again struck by his own foolishness. ’Why did I keep Jack on the bench? Why am I so determined to stop him from going to the NBA? It’s not like he ever said he was dead set on going.’
While Jim was wrestling with his excitement and regret, James Dolan clapped his hands, his eyes shining. He turned to Donnie and said, "And you said he couldn’t run an offense? With passing skills like that? Jason Kidd himself is hardly any better. That was a no-look pass! Even I saw it."
Uh...
Donnie was completely blindsided. He never expected Su Xi to have that kind of passing skill up his sleeve.
It put him in an awkward position.
The other advisor at his side quickly added, "That’s just a basic pass, Boss. He can pull it off in the NCAA, but not in the NBA. The NBA is full of athletic monsters. Any single one of them would completely dominate at the NCAA level. I think this kid’s real problem is still his defense. Being able to stand up to a center just shows he’s strong. But... a guard’s primary job is to guard other guards."
"And you know how terrifying NBA guards are."
James Dolan’s excitement subsided a bit. He frowned and asked, "Is that really true?"
Yes!
The dynamic duo nodded in unison. They had to stop their ’foolish’ boss from going rogue. They had no intention of taking the fall for a mess that wasn’t of their own making. Using a lottery pick on this Asian guard? That was insane. Not even Michael Jordan or Elgin Baylor had been that blind in their decisions.
At that moment, the matchups in the frontcourt reset.
While Syracuse was playing zone defense, Auburn’s primary scorer, Daniels, received the ball on the wing. He blew past Duanni with a single-step drive, but Su Xi quickly rotated over, instantly cutting off his driving lane.
Daniels halted his advance and began executing a series of crossovers in front of Su Xi. His handle was incredibly crisp and precise.
He was adept at baiting defenders into making mistakes. His talent was undeniable; by NCAA standards, every aspect of his game was at an advanced level.
Now, he was up against this "Little Sheep Su Xi," the player the entire arena was chanting for.
He was suddenly fired up. He was going to completely dominate this Syracuse bench player who had become the crowd’s great hope.
Taking him down would mean destroying Syracuse’s will to fight back.
’I can’t let them think they still have a chance to come back!’
...
...
^
Still a long 4,000-character Chapter. Asking for recommendation votes and monthly passes!
