svetikya Chapter 66 Professional Business
Chapter 66 Professional Business
Knicks training facility.
Several times more reporters than usual gathered outside the base gate, their long lenses and microphones aimed at every luxury car coming in and out, like vultures waiting for carrion, their eyes filled with a thirst for "big news".
There are less than 48 hours left until the NBA trade deadline.
The atmosphere inside the training hall was oppressive.
No one joked, no one discussed last night's talk show, only the dull thud of the basketball hitting the floor, each thud like a hammer blow to everyone's heart.
The air was filled with a sense of "uncertainty".
Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler sat courtside, secretly scrolling through their phones, their fingers rapidly swiping across the screens as they watched ESPN's rolling trade rumors, their expressions shifting between anger and uncertainty.
Nate the potato was unusually quiet at this moment.
He leaned close to Li Xiangbei, who was tying his shoelaces, and whispered:
"Boss... I heard the Bulls made an offer, wanting to trade that expiring junk contract for me? Is it true? I don't want to go to Chicago, it's too cold there, and Rose is too fast, I can't keep up..."
Li Xiangbei didn't even look up.
"Unless the Bulls send Rose over, Donny won't make a losing deal like that. Your dunks can still sell tickets."
Li Xiangbei stood up and patted Nate on the head.
"Go warm up. Don't act like a girl."
In short, though rude, it calmed Nate's panicked mind like a stabilizing force.
But Li Xiangbei knew that this was only temporary; the real eye of the storm was on that big fat man.
……
Randolph.
This black bear, who usually rampages through the paint and has a fierce face, now looks like a lost child.
He experienced the Portland Trail Blazers' purge, the feeling of being treated as a "liability" and tossed around like garbage, a taste he never wants to experience again.
In the past half season, he has delivered the most efficient performance of his career alongside Li Xiangbei, enjoying the thrill of winning and the respect of his leader.
This feeling of "home" filled him with fear of the unknown that was about to come.
Randolph lingered in a corner on the sidelines, his old Nokia phone pressed against his ear.
On the other end of the phone, the agent's voice was cold and realistic: "Zach, the Clippers are inquiring; they want an inside scorer... The Grizzlies are also interested... The Knicks' management wants to free up salary cap space this summer to pursue LeBron, and you're their biggest asset..."
"beep--!"
A whistle broke the silence.
"Gather! Full court confrontation!" D'Antoni stood at center circle.
Randolph hung up the phone absentmindedly and went onto the field.
Game start.
On the defensive end, Randolph missed two consecutive opportunities for the opponent to cut inside and score.
On offense, in a simple pick-and-roll, Li Xiangbei's pass was practically on the line, which should have been an easy dunk.
But Randolph's hand was like it was coated in butter; the ball hit his foot directly and bounced out of bounds.
*Smack!*
D'Antoni had reached his limit.
"Zack!! If you don't want to train, get your ass home!! This is a training ground, not a stock exchange! Have you lost your mind?!"
Randolph suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins.
"What's the point of practicing this, Mike?!"
Randolph roared back.
"Maybe tomorrow I'll be guarding you guys in a tattered Clippers jersey! The better I practice now, the tougher I'll be against you then, right?! This is just business! We're all just commodities!"
The young players were so scared they didn't dare to breathe, while D'Antoni was speechless for a moment.
……
At this tense moment...
Li Xiangbei slowly walked over from the halfway point.
He walked up to Randolph.
Randolph was panting heavily, his chest heaving, when his phone vibrated again—it was his agent's relentless calls.
Li Xiangbei extended his hand.
Randolph paused for a moment, then instinctively didn't resist, letting Li Xiangbei take the phone away.
Li Xiangbei pressed and held the power button.
The screen flickered once and then went completely black.
Li Xiangbei turned and walked towards Randolph's locker. With a flick of his wrist, his phone landed precisely in a pile of towels deep inside the locker.
"Clang!"
He closed the cabinet door.
The sound wasn't loud, but in the quiet venue it was like a tuning hammer, shattering all the unease and restlessness.
Li Xiangbei turned around, but instead of looking at Randolph immediately, he scanned the entire field, his gaze sweeping over each of his teammates with their different expressions.
"Listen up, everyone."
Li Xiangbei's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
"From now until 3 PM Thursday, no one needs to answer the phone unless it rings. I'll handle anything, even if the sky falls."
This is not just a promise, but a declaration: Here, I am the source of information and your protector.
After saying that, he walked back to Randolph's side, stretched out his finger, and poked Randolph's thick pectoral muscles hard, making Randolph wince.
"You fatso, is your brain filled with mush?"
Li Xiangbei cursed.
"You're the core of this pick-and-roll play. If you leave, who am I supposed to play with? Am I supposed to have Nate set the screen for me? With his small frame, is he going to be the one setting the screen or getting screened?"
Nate, the little potato next to him, shrank his neck at the right moment, making a "I'm weak" look, which made several teammates burst out laughing.
The atmosphere immediately eased considerably.
Randolph looked at Li Xiangbei, the fear in his eyes slowly fading, replaced by an incredulous sense of gratitude. Boss... doesn't want me to leave?
"Pick up the ball."
Li Xiangbei pointed to the basketball that had rolled to the baseline.
"Don't let those boring news stories affect my assist average. If I score less than 20 points from pick-and-rolls next game..."
Li Xiangbei narrowed his eyes, revealing his signature "villainous" smile.
"You know what I mean!"
……
Randolph looked at the man in front of him, who was younger and thinner than him, yet possessed an aura as imposing as a mountain.
Li Xiangbei's "domineering" attitude gave him the greatest sense of security at that moment.
The boss needs me.
The eldest brother said it was nothing.
That means nothing's wrong.
Randolph didn't say anything. He wiped his face hard, turned around, ran to the baseline, bent down, and picked up the basketball.
"Bang! Bang!"
He slapped the ball twice hard, then let out a low growl:
"Keep going!! One more pick and roll! Nobody can stop us!"
The atmosphere in the training hall instantly transformed from oppressive to a battlefield filled with the smoke of gunpowder.
All the anxiety and unease turned into sweat and resistance at this moment.
D'Antoni watched the training games resume and let out a long sigh of relief.
He turned his head and gave a wry smile to his teaching assistant, Atkinson, beside him.
"Kenny, have you ever seen a rookie like this? For a moment just now, I felt like he was the general manager of this team."
Atkinson stared at the figure directing the movement on the field, his expression complex.
"No, Mike. He's the Godfather."