Chapter 77: No Choice
In the President’s office at FedEx Forum, Jerry West observed the players’ training through the floor-to-ceiling window.
Gay did not participate in team training today.
The reason was back tightness.
West was waiting for Gay’s agent Arn Tellem. He believed that after experiencing such a thing, Gay would definitely react, and the person executing his will would be Tellem.
He pondered while waiting, but could not calm his mind no matter what.
What disturbed him even more was the unpleasant conversation he had just had with Xu Ling. The young man’s toughness and decisiveness exceeded all his expectations. He had thought of many possibilities: Xu Ling would defend his actions, or simply admit his mistake. Anyway, the matter had already happened, and what they needed to do was to clean up the aftermath.
But West never expected that Xu Ling would comprehensively refute his criticism in a tone accusing management.
West was not an unreasonable person at all. Xu Ling’s offensive rebuttal made him suspect that he had misjudged the person again. In that instant, he almost thought the person standing in front of him was not the emotionally stable, elegant and amiable Xu Ling who had never had any unpleasantness with anyone during his short college career, but Nick Van Exel.
An unreasonable madman, an emotional patient whose response to criticism you never knew, but Xu Ling was not such a person.
This made West involuntarily consider from Xu Ling’s stance. He was someone adept at refuting himself. He liked to repeatedly think about whether things that had already happened could have been better. For example, in the 1962 Finals, they battled the peak Celtics for seven games. Until the last shot of Game 7, the outcome was still undecided. The Lakers had a buzzer-beater opportunity against the Green Army at that moment. West was on the court, Baylor was also on the court. Giving the ball to either of them could have killed the game, but in the end they chose to let Frank Selvy take that shot.
You know, that shot did not go in.
Countless historical revisionists like to assume that if the Lakers’ coaching staff had been smart enough, they should have given the ball to their star players. How could you not let “Mr. Clutch” take the final shot when you had him?
West woke up countless nights, recalling himself taking that shot, but he could not dream of himself hitting the buzzer-beater. The demon in his heart could not give him such a beautiful assumption. Returning to reality, he would only coldly realize that at the time, it was the right decision. If Selvy had not hit two shots at the last moment, there would have been no last moment.
West was accustomed to analyzing problems from multiple angles, weighing gains and losses, and ultimately reaching an indisputable conclusion.
Regarding today’s turmoil, West could understand Xu Ling’s feelings and was clear about the pressure the other party was under. However, he still found it hard to accept that Xu Ling, at such a critical moment, adopted a resolute posture of “screw the team’s interests, I don’t care, I just want Gay dead,” completely tearing off the facade.
But even if he could not accept it, what could he do?
Downstairs, Mark Iavaroni’s whistle sounded, announcing the official end of today’s training.
The players dispersed in twos and threes, discussing their evening plans, while only Xu Ling remained on the court. He called over his confidant Roderick Craig, changed into a dry training uniform, and then began an additional forty minutes of defense training under the guidance of trainer Drew Graham.
It is said that this was a habit he developed since his college days.
Back when he first arrived at Texas Tech, Xu Ling’s defense was far from the oppressive style it has now. Then-head coach Bob Knight required him to practice defensive footwork for half an hour daily. Within months, he transformed into the “Freezer” that terrified guard-forwards across college basketball.
“Mr. West, training is completely over.”
Laura Granka walked in to inform him.
“Does he do extra practice like this every day?” West gazed at the tireless figure on the court and suddenly asked.
“As long as it’s home court, it seems so,” Granka told the truth.
West fell silent for a moment. Although Memphis appeared dilapidated and outdated in many ways, for the rich, perhaps only one-third of the area met modern civilized standards. Once leaving Beale Street, entertainment options were scarce. But even so, Xu Ling’s almost ascetic self-discipline was still touching.
“He should try to find some entertainment to relax.”
West could not help but think. Perhaps this young man was not as bad as he initially judged? Perhaps basketball was his only solace here? Perhaps he had accumulated too much anger with nowhere to vent, and he unfortunately became the outlet for it all?
West watched quietly. Ten minutes, twenty minutes, half an hour quietly passed… Finally, Xu Ling ended his extra practice, and the arena returned to silence.
The phone on the desk still had not rung.
It seemed Arn Tellem’s call would not come.
Tellem was a smart man who knew that the best thing for Gay to do now was to stay quiet. Besides patiently waiting for that slim “turning point” that Tellem hoped for, they had no other choice—otherwise, they would only expose more flaws.
Unfortunately, Xu Ling’s earth-shattering performance and declaration had already erased all other possibilities in the cruelest way.
Now, West and this team with an uncertain future had only one choice left: fulfill the master’s wish and clear all obstacles from his path ahead.
Since he could not wait for the other party’s call, he would take the initiative to call.
West no longer hesitated, picked up the receiver, and dialed Arn Tellem’s number.
“Arn,” West’s voice carried a hint of cold fatigue, “notify Rudy. Starting tomorrow, he will enter the daily observation list due to ‘back tightness’ and sit out indefinitely.”
Tellem was silent for two seconds on the other end of the line, then burst out in a sharp voice: “What? Jerry! You can’t do this! You’re completely ruining him! His value has already hit rock bottom, and doing this is telling the entire league you’re dumping him cheap! This doesn’t serve either of our interests! We can talk, Rudy knows he was wrong, he can apologize.”
A trace of almost mocking sarcasm flashed across West’s face.
Apologize? Before today’s training, publicly bowing his head to that damn Chinese player was Rudy Gay’s last chance! But he actually thought faking illness for a few days would reset everything? Naive, stupid. Utterly irresponsible for his own life. Some people might be destined to mature only after making mistakes on major decisions, but unfortunately, Memphis could only be the transit station that helped him mature.
“Arn,” West interrupted him, clearly with little patience left, “this is not negotiation. This is a notice. This is the only way I can think of right now to protect his ‘remaining value.’ You should know that a suspension for ‘personal reasons’ invites too much speculation, while ‘injury’ is the oldest excuse for sitting out in professional sports.”
“Do you have to push things to the extreme?! Everyone will see through it!” Tellem was almost roaring. “You’ll completely enrage him! Aren’t you afraid he’ll spill everything to the media?! Then the Grizzlies will become the laughingstock of the world!”
“You’d better make him shut up.”
West was the type to agonize, to trouble himself, and to waver easily because he considered too much, feared too heavily, and worried about the consequences of mistakes. But once he decided, he was also someone who never looked back.
West said coldly: “Because if he dares say one more word to the media, I will ensure he spends the next two years in the development league ‘treating’ his back. I swear I’ll do it. For his own good, you’d better relay my words to him verbatim.”
There was only heavy breathing on the other end of the line.
Arn Tellem really did not expect the situation to plunge from “very bad” to “hell level” in an instant.
Was this what it felt like to play for the Grizzlies?
Tellem tried a final struggle: “Jerry, think about the consequences, this looks really bad.”
“The situation is already bad enough,” West said. “Now we’re just choosing a relatively decent way to end it.”
Tellem’s efforts failed.
The next morning, the Memphis Grizzlies officially released a brief announcement:
“After assessment by the team’s medical staff, forward Rudy Gay will sit out indefinitely due to back tightness, with no timetable for return. He will enter the daily observation list and miss all basketball-related activities until further notice.”
The announcement revealed no further details. Like a stone thrown into a lake, it caused no ripples at the official level, yet beneath the surface, it triggered an undercurrent powerful enough to devour everything.
Everyone knew full well that Rudy Gay’s career in Memphis had come to an early end in the most professional yet cruelest way.
That night, the Grizzlies would host the Milwaukee Bucks at home.
This was also the Grizzlies’ first game after parting with Rudy Gay.
Despite widespread external criticism, FedEx Forum was still packed with fans tonight.
At courtside, team owner Michael Heisley and President Jerry West rarely appeared side by side, their expressions solemn. Their simultaneous presence was a strong signal in itself, drawing frequent camera attention and reporters’ various interpretations without needing words.
Was this some statement of support for the team?
Reporters always found so-called metaphors and hints in seemingly unrelated things.
But Xu Ling had no interest in the silent power games in the stands.
His gaze passed over the noisy crowd and fell behind the baseline.
There, a unfamiliar new ball boy stood, looking a bit chubby.
Xu Ling walked to the sideline and tightened his shoelaces.
The new chubby ball boy was struggling to carry a basketball hoop almost as wide as himself, huffing and puffing forward, his round face flushed red from the effort.
Xu Ling reached out to steady it for him.
“Thank you, sir!” The little boy looked up, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “I’m Henry! Henry Carter! First time here today!”
“You’re welcome, Henry.” Xu Ling smiled, feeling the child’s energy was pure. “Just call me Eli.”
Henry set down the hoop and curiously sized up Xu Ling, seemingly mustering courage before asking the next question: “Mr. Eli, everyone’s talking about Mr. Rudy Gay today. Is he sick? When will he come back? I love watching him dunk!”
The chubby boy’s tone was innocent and direct, without any adult probing or scheming, just purely missing his favorite star.
Xu Ling squatted down, meeting Henry’s eyes that held not a trace of impurity, his smile still gentle.
“Henry, some players leave to go to places that need them more. And some players stay…”
Hmm, how to put it?
The man who personally ended Rudy Gay’s Grizzlies career lightly patted the boy’s shoulder: “…to make this place one everyone wants to return to.”
Henry blinked, feeling that the kind Mr. Eli had answered him, yet said nothing at all. But he remembered the words “need” and “return,” nodding in innocent understanding.
⑴West’s recollection of the 62 Finals is basically a retelling of his thoughts on that shot in his autobiography. But I still could not understand, so I checked the game’s stats, and now I understand even less. That night, Baylor shot 13/40, West 14/30, combining for 76 points. And this Selvy who took the final shot went 2/10 for the game. In other words, he bricked all game but hit two at the end, so the Lakers decided to let him take the shot deciding the season? I don’t get it.
