Chapter 66: Pretend Nothing Happened Until Something Does
The hustle and bustle of Media Day began to wind down, and the reporters were quite satisfied, each feeling they had reaped a rich harvest. They were eager to rush back to their newsrooms and turn the Grizzlies’ internal conflict into tomorrow’s sports headlines.
According to procedure, the team still had one last item on the agenda: the team photo for the new season.
However, Rudy Gay was nowhere to be found.
The reason for his absence was cited as “sudden physical discomfort.”
Upon hearing this official explanation, one reporter couldn’t help but quip, “If I were Rudy, after hearing Eli’s remarks, I’d probably also feel ‘uncomfortable.'”
“More than uncomfortable,” a fellow reporter chimed in with a laugh, “I probably would have thrown up on the spot.”
More observant individuals noticed that not only Gay was absent, but President Jerry West was also not present for the photo shoot; his place was taken by Vice President Dick Versace. This detail immediately sparked further speculation.
It was well-known that the relationship between West and Versace was far from harmonious.
You see, this is the fate of a small-market team that has been dormant for years suddenly garnering immense attention. All the long-simmering issues didn’t arise overnight; they had always existed, but no one cared before. And when a nationally recognized superstar like Xu Ling arrives in Memphis, all the previously ignored hidden dangers inevitably come to light under the spotlight. The reporters keenly picked up on West’s absence and quickly linked it to internal conflict, yet no one delved into the fact that Jerry West had never participated in a preseason team photo shoot since becoming the team’s manager.
Not once.
He held himself in high regard, always believing that his presence would steal the spotlight from the coaching staff and players, a principle he consistently upheld.
That’s Jerry West. He never deliberately managed his influence, but if the team he personally assembled hit rock bottom, he would blame himself for everything.
And in that presidential office overlooking the practice court, Jerry West had just turned off the live broadcast of Media Day. Xu Ling’s calm yet sharp response on the screen seemed to still echo in the air.
His expression was terrifyingly somber. After a moment of silence, he said to Laura Grancolfer, “Have Rudy come to my office. Have him come right away!”
Gay arrived late, sauntering into the office with a nonchalant expression on his face.
West did not offer him a seat. He gazed at him with heavy eyes and spoke sternly, though not shouting, “Rudy, I watched you enter the league. I remember what you were like in your rookie season. Humble, eager to learn, willing to give your all for every opportunity. Tell me, what has caused that young man to become this way today? Choosing to complain publicly through the media, creating unnecessary division within the team?”
West paused for a moment and continued, “You and Eli aren’t destined to be at odds. If you were truly willing to get to know him, you would find that your styles are completely compatible, even complementary. You could have been a forward line combination that the entire league would take notice of.”
On the surface, Gay maintained an appearance of humbly receiving instruction, lowering his head slightly, but his eyes drifted elsewhere. Internally, he felt nothing but disdain and contempt for the LOGO man’s lecture. Compatible? Complementary? Such nice words, but it just means letting that damn Chinese guy rule over everyone, making the whole team kowtow to him, right? Why should I?
West saw through his perfunctory attitude, his voice growing colder: “Rudy, talent can open doors for you, but professional attitude and vision will determine how far you ultimately go. You are still young, you have enough time to compete with Eli, you have enough talent to become an even better player than I ever imagined.”
Upon hearing this, Gay merely mumbled, “I understand, Jerry. I’ll be mindful.”
Then, Gay left.
West knew in his heart that this was just a perfunctory response. But at this moment, the most important thing was to clearly convey the management’s stance. Even if it was just a facade, he had to make Gay believe that the team was still outwardly maintaining the position of “believing he and Xu Ling can coexist.”
Afterward, he instructed his assistant, Laura Grancolfer, to fetch Xu Ling.
Xu Ling arrived a bit later, as he had just finished his team photo shoot.
As he walked into the president’s office, West was lost in thought, staring at the schedule for the new season.
“Jerry,” Xu Ling naturally entered the room and sat down opposite West, “You wanted to see me?”
Aside from the tryout and signing days, Xu Ling had very little direct contact with West.
In his memory, the only time West had personally called him was to inquire about JaJuan Jackson’s situation. Xu Ling had given a positive response at the time, and shortly after, the Grizzlies signed Jackson.
Regardless of West’s considerations for this move, or whether the always poker-faced veteran was trying to give his third overall pick a reliable teammate in a new environment – all of this made Xu Ling feel a sense of valued respect.
Therefore, even though he clearly understood the reason West had called him, he did not show any dissatisfaction, calmly waiting for the other person to speak.
West did not waste time with empty pleasantries and got straight to the point: “Eli, I admire your toughness; it’s an indispensable quality for a leader. But your approach today was too impulsive.”
Xu Ling remained silent, offering no reply.
“We all know you’re speaking the truth, but you shouldn’t have directly targeted Rudy like that!” West’s face showed clear displeasure. “By doing this, you’ve left no room for either you or Rudy to turn back, and you’ve made the entire league laugh at us!”
“Why do we need room to turn back?”
West’s gaze sharpened: “What?”
“Why do we need to turn back?” Xu Ling repeated. “In the history of the Grizzlies, which part is truly worth remembering?”
Since taking over the team in the spring of 2002, West, despite admitting to mistakes and wrong decisions, had ultimately helped the once-disgraced team reach the playoffs for three consecutive years. This was enough to appease the fans.
He never imagined that someone would dismiss all of it so casually.
Xu Ling’s rhetorical question was like a bullet, unexpectedly hitting the most untouchable part of West’s heart.
The LOGO man was instantly enraged, he stood up abruptly and said excitedly, “Don’t jump to conclusions about things you don’t understand! The Grizzlies may not have a glorious history, but they are still the beloved team of countless Memphis residents! You have no right to comment – do you hear me? Right now, you have no right to tell me ‘the past isn’t worth remembering’! Not unless you can use your actions to lead us to better results!”
“Before that, what you need to do is get the hell back out there, pretend everything is normal! Keep training, preparing, pretend you and Rudy can coexist, pretend the farce on Media Day was just a momentary impulse of youth! And then, like a damn team, face the new season together!”
This was the second old man Xu Ling had encountered since his transmigration who had yelled at him due to an emotional outburst.
What Xu Ling truly wanted to express was his utter disinterest in “mending fences with Gay.” But West had clearly misunderstood him.
Or, did he truly misunderstand?
Even if West hadn’t gotten angry, wouldn’t this conversation ultimately end up in this situation?
What did Xu Ling truly want?
To trade Rudy Gay?
Undeniably, he had that intention. But it was currently training camp, and the trade window was far from open. No matter how deep the conflict, they had to conceal it for now and maintain a surface-level peace.
The moment he stepped out of the president’s office, Xu Ling suddenly realized the true core intention behind West’s heated remarks:
Pretend.
Pretend nothing had happened, and then, wait for things to change.
Outside the president’s office, West’s female assistant, Laura Grancolfer, still wore a professional smile. Clearly, she had heard everything that had transpired in the office moments before.
“Is Jerry always this unstable emotionally?”
Xu Ling asked casually.
“Believe me,” Grancolfer’s smile didn’t waver, “he’s always been like this.”
The next day, training camp proceeded as usual.
If there was anything worth mentioning, it was that Rudy Gay, after the Media Day incident, was surprised that the Sixty Million Dollar Man still passed him the ball, causing him to take a ball to the face during training, much like Sakuragi Hanamichi.
He consequently got a nosebleed.
Xu Ling stood to the side, hands on his hips with a helpless expression: “If you plan on telling the reporters that I beat you until you bled from the nose, I won’t deny it.”
In the distance, Lowry burst into laughter, and the others joined in.
For a moment, Mark Iavaroni almost forgot about the Media Day incident.
His team looked too normal.
The degree of normalcy made his scalp tingle and sent a chill down his spine.
However, just because the Grizzlies seemed normal didn’t mean the outside world would let the Media Day incident go.
Various media outlets vied to report on the Grizzlies’ Media Day incident. Clearly, Gay, who had initiated the confrontation, received significant criticism, but the merciless Xu Ling was also deemed to have a bad personality.
This was especially true for some media personnel affiliated with Nike.
For example, ESPN’s Ric Bucher, in his column, wrote: “While Rudy Gay was the trigger, Eli’s reaction precisely proves that Rudy’s accusations were not unfounded. Forget that ‘half-court finisher’ from TTU; Eli is more arrogant than we imagined. In this regard, he might be the closest to his draft prospect archetype, and we might truly be witnessing the rise of the next Kobe Bryant.”
Undoubtedly, as the most influential sports media outlet of the era, ESPN had intricate ties with various leagues and major sports brands.
Bucher’s statement was a microcosm of this.
The impact of this matter was so significant that even Xu Ling’s college mentor, Bob Knight, came forward to speak on behalf of his disciple.
“Complete nonsense!” Knight once again displayed his unwavering protectiveness. “You can ask anyone else who has worked with Eli, and no one will say he’s arrogant, nor will anyone say he’s the type to enjoy special privileges! I’ll say it again, this is nonsense. Everyone who has worked with him thinks he’s the best person they’ve ever met, and Rudy Gay is the first exception so far. Now I ask you, did everyone else misjudge him, or is Rudy Gay lying? Answer me!!!”
In the end, it was ESPN’s star writer, Bill Simmons, who cleaned up the mess.
In his preview column for the 2007-08 NBA season, he wrote: “In my initial projections, the Grizzlies were ranked tenth in the Western Conference. I believed Eli could be effective on a decent team, perhaps not as great as he was at TTU, but I absolutely believed he could get the Grizzlies on track within a few years. However, now I’m wavering. I believe in Eli, but I don’t believe in a fractured team. Pau Gasol doesn’t want to be there, Rudy Gay is feuding with him, and does he have any help? You can’t turn the tide single-handedly! Therefore, I’m ranking the Memphis Grizzlies fourteenth in the Western Conference, ahead of Minnesota and after Seattle.”
Simmons’ statement was easy to understand: time would tell.
Indeed, time could answer all questions. But the competition between sports brands was ongoing from morning till night.
After training camp, the Grizzlies embarked on their journey to Las Vegas for preseason games. They faced the Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, and Los Angeles Clippers consecutively, then traveled to Texas to compete against the Houston Rockets, featuring Yao Ming, and the Utah Jazz.
During this two-week preseason stretch of five games, the Grizzlies achieved a record of three wins and two losses. Xu Ling, in an average of 26 minutes per game, contributed a well-rounded stat line of 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, with an impressive shooting percentage of 52%, showcasing his excellent adaptability to NBA-level competition.
However, behind the dazzling individual performances, significant issues remained – he averaged 2.5 turnovers per game, a number that was particularly conspicuous. Especially when executing the SSLO offensive system, strongly advocated by Head Coach Mark Iavaroni, Xu Ling’s decision-making timing and passing choices during high-speed offense-defense transitions still lagged behind the demands of the tactical system. He sometimes appeared hesitant, and at other times, his pursuit of speed led to some unnecessary passing errors.
But the preseason is precisely for identifying problems. To help Xu Ling adjust to the NBA rhythm, Iavaroni had Xu Ling play full-time point guard for all five preseason games, a situation that would not occur during the regular season.
From the process, Xu Ling adapted quite well.
However, not everyone thought so. For instance, ESPN senior reporter Chris Sheridan published a commentary titled “What Exactly Did Adidas Buy for Sixty Million Dollars?” after the Grizzlies concluded their preseason. The article sharply questioned the rationality of Adidas’s sky-high contract, portraying Xu Ling as a “marketing product who is overvalued and ill-suited to the team’s existing system.” More remarkably, Sheridan explicitly pointed out that the equivalent value of this contract was comparable to the one Nike offered LeBron James back in the day.
Does this mean Adidas views Xu Ling as a LeBron-level superstar destined to shine throughout the era?
Clearly, Adidas would not stand idly by while the Nike-affiliated media exerted public opinion pressure on Xu Ling.
Soon, authoritative reporter David Aldridge of The Washington Post countered with an article titled “Short-sighted and Prejudiced: Why Are We Rushing to Judge a Young Man’s Future?” launching a forceful rebuttal.
Aldridge incisively pointed out in his article: “Mr. Sheridan skillfully ignores Xu’s anticipation on defense, his off-ball movement intelligence, and his clutch stability beyond his years. To completely dismiss a genius based on five preseason games of no consequence and an immature tactical system is sheer short-sightedness. History has repeatedly taught us that evaluating a genius requires patience – don’t forget, at this time in 2003, Rich Davis still thought LeBron James would become his ‘good helper.'”
Suddenly, the public opinion war between the sports brands had erupted, with Xu Ling as the protagonist and Memphis as the battlefield. The people here had never witnessed such a spectacle.
Amidst this chaotic atmosphere of clamor, anticipation, and doubt, the Grizzlies stumbled through all their preseason journeys and welcomed the regular season opener at the end of October.
They would host the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, led by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, on their home court.
That morning, Xu posted a tweet:
“When the sun rises, forget yesterday. Good morning, Blues City.”
