Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

On May 23rd, Yu Fei came to Houston with Quentin DiMio and Anthony Lawson.

Just like in his previous life, where Yu Fei had no fondness for Harden, or the Rockets team that followed, he held the same sentiment in this life.

The Rockets were a team that couldn't afford to lose.

Though Aviation City was considered a large city, the Rockets were by no means a big market team. If the team didn't show competitiveness, or if it didn't embody the "courage and perseverance" that Texans admired, instead degenerating into the typical rebuild teams by tanking, the fans would quickly abandon them.

The current owner of the Rockets, Alexander, wouldn't allow such a situation to occur. Hence, even as Olajuwon grew too old to play, the team had to look forward. Subsequently, a dispute between Olajuwon and Coach Tomjanovich led Olajuwon to request to be cut from the team. Before management could make a decision, Olajuwon suffered from a blood clot. As a result, his relationship with the team mysteriously improved. By the season's end, Olajuwon, believing he could still contribute an average of 11 points and 7 rebounds per game, felt he deserved a contract beyond the salary cap for his retirement.

Publicly, the Rockets professed they would reach a new agreement with Olajuwon, but behind the scenes, they were already looking for a new team for their number one franchise star. This breakup was inevitable, like the split between Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

The problem was, Brother Tom's split was due to an affair with a fox spirit, what about the Rockets? They only had the 13th pick.

Fonde Recreation Center

This was the training camp base for the Rockets, where Yu Fei met their head coach, Rudy Tomjanovich.

Afterward, Dennis Lindsey, the Director of Personnel, took Yu Fei to a spacious office.

This is where they would interview Yu Fei.

Last night, Trem briefed Yu Fei on the tryout process. He mentioned that some "particular" teams had an interview phase, and some teams even heavily emphasized it – in history, some top five prospects dropped out of the top ten because of a poor interview performance.

"Are you nervous, Frye?" Lindsey asked with a smile.

Would one feel nervous being interviewed by a team in turmoil with their franchise star? Of course not.

At the same time, DiMio and Lawson were asked to leave the interview room.

This was reasonable, as only a solo interview could reflect the actual state of the interviewee.

DiMio gave Yu Fei a look that said, "Answer well," and Yu Fei casually waved his hand to signal confidence.

Yu Fei, with an air of innocent naivety, said, "Your voice is very pleasant to listen to, everyone here is so kind, why would I be nervous?"

"OK, then let's officially begin."

Coach Tomjanovich's straightforward approach to questioning was refreshing: "What do you think is the worst aspect of your game as a basketball player?"

Too kind, never trash-talked, so never got my brains beaten out on the court?

Yu Fei confidently said, "I don't think I have a bad side."

Lindsey then asked, "How do we know that you are a unique player and not just another talker?"

Wait, who forced me to have this little chat here with you guys?

Yu Fei replied with a light smile: "I don't know what I can do here other than talk."

Coach Tomjanovich couldn't help but laugh.

Lindsey, having no choice, continued with the next question: "Historically, Asian basketball players haven't been able to secure a foothold in the NBA. How will you prove that you can?"

"Who was the last Asian basketball player unable to secure a foothold in the NBA?"

"Mitsusaka Wataru."

Hearing the name, Yu Fei identified him as a 'little brat'.

"How tall is he?"

"5 feet 7 inches."

Yu Fei, already too lazy to ask which era this 'little brat'—no, old brat—played in the NBA, just wanted to know if the interviews with all NBA teams were this stupid.

Before crossing over, Yu Fei thought the best career a player with average talent could have was like Wansheng Wei from Peking University, the legendary center: getting selected by a top team, then securing three consecutive championships. On the court, he could score the winning shot against peak Zhou Qi, and off the court, dare to spout historical trash-talk against CBA's spoiled brats.

Deciding to emulate Wansheng Wei, Yu Fei stood up and said to Coach Tomjanovich and Lindsey, "Can we just start playing? I don't think this interview makes any sense, I don't want to continue. There are many more tryouts to attend, and I don't want to waste time here."

Yu Fei indirectly reminded Coach Tomjanovich and Lindsey of a fact.

That if Yu Fei performed well in the tryouts, it was unlikely his draft position would fall out of the top ten. Attending a tryout for the Rockets, who only had the 13th pick, was already a humble gesture.

"How was it?" Lawson asked, "Why so quick?"

Yu Fei proudly replied, "I think I made a strong impression."

Then, DiMio came over with a grim look on his face.

"We might have come to the wrong place," DiMio said. "Frye, do you know Eddie Griffin?"

"Yeah, the forward from Seton Hall University," said Yu Fei. "He's entering the draft this year, right?"

DiMio asked, "Do you know what the outside world says about him?"

Yu Fei stayed silent, eager for more details.

"They say Eddie Griffin is a mature version of Frye Yu," DiMio observed Yu Fei's expression closely, noticing no unusual reaction.

Yu Fei shrugged, "I've known about this for a while."

Not only was Yu Fei aware of Griffin, a player whose height, wingspan, and style of play were very similar to his own, but he also knew that comparisons between the two had been circulating since last month.

For NBA teams, Griffin was more attractive because his talent had been tested in the NCAA.

Yu Fei was just a high schooler, hence a bit riskier.

Since their styles were similar, the one who competed at a higher level naturally had the upper hand.

This news wasn't surprising to Yu Fei, what he wanted to know was why DiMio said they had come to the wrong place.

"Their head coach..." DiMio's glance shifted toward Rudy Tomjanovich who was busy with the preparations for the tryout, "He has publicly stated that if the Rockets had the number one pick, they would choose Eddie Griffin."

"Do you believe it?"

"I do; it's flattery."

"That sounds harsh," Yu Fei laughed, "Currying favor sounds more appropriate."

DiMio asked unexpectedly, "Aren't you angry?"

"Why should I be? The draft is a two-way street. If they prefer Eddie Griffin, Houston is by no means my top choice either."

Then, Yu Fei went through physical measurements, impressing everyone, followed by participation in a scrimmage.

The players who came to Houston for the tryout today were mostly upperclassmen, with the only one who seemed to pose a real challenge to Yu Fei being Jarron Collins, the center from Stanford University.

Yu Fei had no qualms about going all-out against these second-round prospects who barely had any draft buzz. Playing from the perimeter to the inside, from point guard to center, he racked up 28 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 blocks.

After the scrimmage, Yu Fei took a quick shower, changed clothes, and left with a brief goodbye.

He didn't even give the Rockets the chance to dine with him.

That evening, Rudy Tomjanovich and his coaching staff had a meeting for over an hour, specifically discussing Yu Fei's performance that day.

A major argument for Griffin's superiority was that he had proven himself in college.

Yet, today Yu Fei had dominated against seasoned NCAA players, which was equally persuasive.

Name: Yu Fei/Frye Fulai

Birthday: December 30, 1982

Height: 6 feet 9 inches (206cm), height in shoes 6 feet 10 inches (208cm), wingspan 7 feet 3 inches (220cm)

Weight: 222 pounds (99kg)

Standing reach: 8 feet 9 inches (274cm)

Vertical leap (no running start): 30 inches (75cm)

As Rudy Tomjanovich pondered over the physical measurement data which was almost identical to Eddie Griffin's, he fell into deep thought.

To be fair, Yu Fei hadn't left a good impression on Tomjanovich, mainly due to his poor interview performance.

Yu Fei seemed disinterested in Houston, showing impatience during the interview.

However, Eddie Griffin wasn't flawless either; otherwise, he would have been the consensual first pick, not just Tomjanovich's personal top choice.

Suddenly, Yu Fei's interview demeanor came to mind, bringing with it a wave of disdain and irritation reminiscent of the aftermath Kermit Washington had left on Tomjanovich's head in 1978.

Tomjanovich overwhelmingly favored Griffin because he seemed more like an inside player than Yu Fei.

The talent Yu Fei showcased today was remarkable; his ball handling was polished, he could initiate offense from outside, command the team as a point forward, and demonstrate a variety of skills. He practically showed everything except his potential dominance as an inside player.

Could his strengths transition to the NBA?

No, his stature ruled out the possibility of him being an NBA-level point guard. There is only one Magic Johnson.

Tomjanovich's heart was set on Eddie Griffin; he stopped considering Yu Fei.

"Did we send a tryout invitation to Eddie's agent?" Tomjanovich asked.

Daniel Lindsey replied helplessly, "Yes."

"When does the tryout start?" Tomjanovich asked, excited.

Lindsey sorrowfully said, "He declined our invitation."

Tomjanovich's eyes returned to Yu Fei's measurement chart.

Suddenly, he felt this impatient yet arrogant young man wasn't so bad after all.

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