Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 53 Eve
After the physical tests, technical exercises, and sparring match with Eddie Jones were all completed, Jerry West didn't call it a day. He stepped forward and proposed the final step: an interview.

NBA interviews are usually used to assess a player's basketball IQ and tactical understanding, but a subtle fact makes this invitation different—at that time, the Memphis Grizzlies did not have a head coach.

West seemed to sense the other person's doubts and calmly added, "Don't worry, most of my questions are unrelated to basketball."

Agent Leon Ross frowned subconsciously, about to politely decline, but Xu Ling had already nodded decisively: "No problem."

The interview was indeed very quick.

West's questions were direct and clear, indeed moving away from tactics and on-court strategies, and touching more on mentality, decision-making, and off-court adaptation. Xu Ling answered each question candidly, with almost no pauses between the questions and answers.

Finally, West leaned forward slightly, placed his hands on the table, and while his tone remained largely cold, he extended an unexpected invitation: "I am not yet aware of your upcoming plans, but if time permits, I would very much like to have dinner with you and Mr. Ross tonight. At least, let me extend a little hospitality."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ling smiled slightly and replied jokingly, "Of course, Mr. West. Just don't suddenly make me have a one-on-one match with the waiter at the dinner table again."

A rare smile appeared on Jerry West's face.

That smile wasn't forced or a mere formality, nor was it the mechanical, distant politeness of our first meeting. It was subtle, genuine, even drawing almost imperceptible lines at the corners of his sharp eyes.

He quickly added a stroke to his ever-improving "Xu Ling's personality profile": possessing a natural sense of humor, relaxed demeanor, and easy to get along with.

Then, almost subconsciously, he added a sharp contrast: the complete opposite of Rudy Guy.

After the meeting, Xu Ling and Leon Ross took their leave and headed to the city to book a hotel to prepare for their overnight stay in Memphis. Only West and Eddie Jones, who had just wiped away sweat and changed into a clean T-shirt, remained in the training facility.

West turned to him, his tone as calm as ever: "Eddie, what do you think of Eli?"

Jones barely hesitated before blurting out, "That kid's amazing, Jerry. I'm not saying this just because he beat me. His skills are so well-rounded, he doesn't look like a rookie at all, and his fundamentals are incredibly solid. Not to mention his talent, his incredibly quick first step, his rhythm before taking off, his release point—everything is top-notch!"

"Do you think we should choose him?" West asked again.

“To be honest, if I were the SuperSonics’ general manager, I would use the second pick to select him,” Jones said decisively, then added solemnly, “but if he really falls to the third pick, we absolutely, absolutely cannot miss him.”

After pausing for a moment, Jones seemed to suddenly remember something, his voice lowered, and a hint of complexity appeared: "However, if we really choose him, I might have to worry about Rudy."

West listened quietly, his face expressionless, showing neither agreement nor disagreement.

Jones fell silent. He picked up a bottle of water, unscrewed it, took a sip, and gazed at the empty court, his thoughts drifting back to many years ago. He seemed to see again the figure in the Los Angeles training facility, bandaged up, practicing shooting with his non-dominant hand; that aloof yet unstoppable force that gradually eroded all room for maneuver and ultimately completely replaced him.

That evening, at a dinner, West, on behalf of the Grizzlies, formally committed to Xu Ling for the draft. They would select Xu Ling with the third overall pick in the first round.

Xu Ling thanked him, but Leon Rose said, "The third pick is very high, but I don't think you can reliably select Eli from this position."

West said, "We will do all the necessary work."

So when Xu Ling's team suddenly announced the day after his workout with the Grizzlies that they would be conducting closed training and would no longer accept any workout invitations, everyone familiar with the draft process knew that this often meant he had received a draft commitment from a team. Looking back at his workout trajectory: he went to the Trail Blazers and the SuperSonics first, and then abruptly stopped the entire process after his workout in Memphis. Anyone with a discerning eye could deduce that the team making the commitment was most likely the Grizzlies.

The Hawks astutely picked up on this signal and immediately instructed the media to release information that head coach Mike Woodson greatly admired Xu Ling. Considering Woodson's background as a coach from Bob Knight's system, even though Xu Ling had not come for a tryout, the Hawks still wanted to explore all possible options to acquire him.

Following this, General Manager Billy Knight publicly expressed his admiration for Xu Ling and extended another trial invitation to him. Xu Ling's team once again decisively declined.

The undercurrents leading up to the draft haven't subsided, with team management's phone lines constantly ringing. Besides the exploratory exchanges between the Grizzlies and Hawks, several other teams in the league are actively exploring potential trades.

With the fifth overall pick in the draft, Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge was already eager to acquire Xu Ling. He believed Xu possessed the potential to become the next Kobe Bryant and contacted both the Hawks and Grizzlies to actively explore the possibility of trading up for the draft pick, aiming to snatch this future superstar in his eyes.

Michael Jordan, the Bobcats' minority owner and de facto operator, also witnessed Xu Ling's talent firsthand during "March Madness." Despite the team's low draft position, Jordan's appreciation for Xu Ling led him to consider trading him up.

However, not everyone can successfully enter this game. Isaiah Thomas of the New York Knicks had his eye on Xu Ling back in the Big 12 Conference Tournament. At that time, Xu Ling was at best a lottery pick, and the Knicks could still get a 2007 lottery pick if they sold everything they owned. But after "March Madness" ended, Xu Ling firmly anchored his draft stock at the top three, and in a universally acknowledged super draft class like this year, the top three picks are practically untradeable. Aside from the Trail Blazers and the SuperSonics, Thomas called the offices of teams with picks three through six. In the end, no one seriously discussed the matter with him; the Knicks simply couldn't offer anything compelling.

Meanwhile, the movements of other promising rookies are also attracting attention.

The most shocking news was that Kevin Durant failed to complete an NBA standard bench press during a strength test, which raised doubts among some teams about his physical maturity.

While top draft prospect Greg Oden only had a tryout with the Trail Blazers, he displayed astonishing agility that belied his massive size. Despite his obvious injury concerns, including physical tests showing that his legs were of different lengths, the outside world—especially the Trail Blazers' management who were determined to draft him—did not seem to consider these insurmountable problems.

It's worth noting that Brandon Wright, a North Carolina center who was originally a top-six pick, publicly criticized Texas Tech during March Madness and even provoked Xu Ling through the media. At the time, some scouts thought this might be a manifestation of "Jordan-esque" competitiveness. However, after Xu Ling completely dominated North Carolina in the quarterfinals, especially after his overwhelming victory over Wright in their head-to-head matchup, Wright's draft stock plummeted. More fatally, his poor performance in this crucial game also cost him the favor of his fellow alumnus, Michael Jordan.

At this time, with only a few days left before the NBA draft, Xu Ling and his team arrived in New York to have suits custom-made.

Meanwhile, his core team also underwent another round of expansion. With business invitations, media contacts, and potential collaborations pouring in, Leon Rose and Roderick Craig alone could no longer handle the increasingly heavy workload. Therefore, the team first hired Sean Rogers—a tough, experienced retired veteran—to serve as Xu Ling's personal security and travel manager, ensuring his safety and order during his period of intense media exposure.

Following that, they officially signed a contract with Lin Zhijie, a Chinese-American lawyer from a well-known Wall Street law firm, who will be fully responsible for Xu Ling's legal affairs in areas such as contract review, commercial rights protection, and intellectual property management.

In the final days before the draft, Xu Ling's schedule in New York was filled with a crucial business negotiation—signing an endorsement deal with a sneaker brand.

As early as the initial trial phase, the domestic sportswear brand LN took the lead in offering a four-year endorsement contract worth a total of $50 million, demonstrating its great interest. However, at that time, Xu Ling's team was fully focused on the trials with various teams and the adjustment of his competitive state, and did not rush to advance commercial cooperation, so the relevant negotiations were temporarily shelved.

Now that the draft order is becoming clearer, and Xu Ling's market value and reputation are also clear, they can finally focus on this crucial issue. And it's not just him; the entire sneaker market is entering the final sprint before the draft—major brands are making every effort to secure their favorite rookies before draft night.

Reports indicate that Greg Oden, a top prospect for the NBA draft, has quickly reached a multi-year, lucrative endorsement deal with Nike, with the two parties finalizing the agreement shortly after a meeting in Portland. Oden's early signing has also prompted other brands to focus their attention and resources on Xu Ling, who also possesses significant market potential.

LN, Nike, and Adidas have all sent teams to prepare for formal negotiations with Xu Ling.

PS: I've finally crawled here. The draft is tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)