Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 91 Kobe's Verdict

Jerry West stood like a stone statue in the VIP box, oblivious to the roaring waves outside the window. A glass of whiskey sat before him, its amber liquid stagnant under the light, mirroring his current mood—a deathly stillness hanging precariously on the edge of a cliff.

He should have stayed at home.

While the Grizzlies defeated the Lakers on Christmas Eve, moving up to sixth in the league and looking very promising, he was embroiled in trouble. A trade that had been agreed upon with the Lakers unexpectedly fell through due to Bynum's serious injury, leaving him feeling deeply exhausted. He needed to get away from the noisy arena and process the frustration of his disrupted plans alone.

However, he could not truly find peace.

Whenever he thought he could calm down, he would be overwhelmed by an indescribable, chilling unease that clung to his heart like vines, dragging him from home to FedEx Stadium.

He told himself he was just there to see. To see how the young man he had chosen, the one on whom he had placed his hopes, and the one who had to shoulder everything because of his and the young man's own series of decisions, would fight against Chris Paul.

The game was as intense as he had anticipated. Chris Paul's maturity and experience were astonishing, while Xu Ling's performance was dazzling, like a burning flame. Every drive to the basket, every powerful rise after a physical collision, every three-pointer he hit when the score was about to widen, made the arena even more electrifying.

West has seen it clearly.

Marc Jaffaroni's ridiculous and long-bankrupt SSOL system was eventually simplified into the simplest and most brutal tactic in the world—give the ball to Eli.

Xu Ling, this proud to the point of being obsessive, actually tried to shoulder all of this with his still immature shoulders.

This is the source of West's unease.

He believed in Xu Ling, but how could a young man who was not yet 20 years old play an average of 38 minutes per game as the team's leader? The Grizzlies were not a weak team; they wanted to make the playoffs, which meant that Xu Ling didn't even have the opportunity to hone his skills in low-intensity games like Kevin Durant.

Every minute he plays is essential.

West often privately asked Jafaroni to reduce Xu Ling's playing time, but always received a response that agreed in principle but could not be guaranteed.

The reason is simple: Xu Ling is Marc Jafaroni's guarantee of his position as head coach.

This infuriated West.

Averaging 38 minutes per game is insane for a rookie. Every time he watched a Grizzlies game live, a sense of unease would overwhelm him, and tonight, that feeling began to engulf him. His thoughts started to drift uncontrollably into the darkest abyss. He thought of Bill Walton, that brilliant center, how endless injuries and overuse destroyed what should have been a much brighter career. He remembered the excruciating injuries he himself had endured as a player, how each time he fell to the ground, the fear that his career might be over gnawed at his heart.

Then, West saw that shortly after the start of the second half, Paul started his personal offensive mode, and Xu Ling responded in time. Then—Xu Ling used a crossover to get past Peterson and drove straight to the basket. The speed and decisiveness at that moment made West hold his breath slightly.

boom!
The loud thud of the rim echoed faintly through the glass. The cheers of the fans reached their peak instantly.

But at the height of the cheers, West saw Xu Ling land, his body momentarily stiffening in an unnatural, twisted way, and a fleeting look of pain flash across his face.

As the team doctor and all the players surrounded him, West suddenly turned around, practically shoving open the VIP box door. Ignoring the astonished looks of the others behind him, he rushed toward the tunnel leading onto the field. His steps were quick and hurried, even a little unsteady. The calm, refined, and strategic man with the logo on his logo had vanished; now he was just an old man shrouded in fear.

He rushed to the players' tunnel and saw team doctor Hazard looking up, seemingly saying something to the coaching staff, while Xu Ling tried to stand up and move his ankle.

Then, he learned the specifics from what the crowd was saying.

cramp?

Just a muscle cramp?!
The almost suffocating sense of relief instantly pulled West back from the brink of collapse, leaving his legs even feeling weak. But then, it was immediately replaced by an even stronger, more fearful rage.

West strode onto the field, seemingly oblivious to the fact that this was a game and countless cameras were pointed at him. His face was ashen, his eyes chillingly cold, and he completely ignored head coach Jaffaroni, walking directly to Xu Ling and the team doctor.

"how do you feel?"

West suppressed his emotions and asked in a low voice.

"It's nothing, Jerry, just a cramp." Xu Ling tried to stretch his leg; although his muscles were still a little sore and stiff, it was fine. "A little stretching will do the trick, I can still fight."

"Go to the hospital." West interrupted him bluntly, leaving no room for negotiation. "Get a thorough checkup right now! MRI, ultrasound, every possible test! I want to make sure everything is absolutely right!"

Xu Ling clearly hadn't expected West's reaction to be so intense, but he didn't want to withdraw from the game: "I really have no problem, and..."

"Stop talking nonsense!" West's suppressed anger finally erupted, booming like thunder on the sidelines. It startled not only Xu Ling and the surrounding players, but also the nearby referees and opposing players, who looked over in astonishment. "You know nothing about injuries, you don't know how to take responsibility for yourself, you fucking know nothing! Do you know what it feels like before an Achilles tendon ruptures? Do you know that stress fractures don't even have noticeable pain in the early stages?! You know nothing!"

“This might just be a cramp for you, but for this team, you are the future! You are a precious, fragile asset! I cannot, and I will never allow anyone, including yourself, to risk it! Let alone for this one fucking regular season game?!”

This wasn't the first time Xu Ling had seen West lose his composure like this.

He could roughly understand West's lingering fear and the resulting stress response.

Moreover, it's quite obvious that although this old man doesn't usually interfere much in the affairs of coaches and players, if he wanted to, very few people on the Grizzlies could defy his will.

Mark Jaffaroni had already shut up, and Xu Ling could no longer sense his presence.

After exchanging a few glances with West, Xu Ling looked at the bewildered faces of his teammates and coaches around him, and finally nodded slowly, saying to the team doctor, "Okay, Dr. Hazard, let's go."

Without Xu Ling, the Grizzlies have no hope of winning.

Moreover, most of the fans came because of Xu Ling.

When Xu Lingyi left the field, fans were heartbroken and lost faith in the game.

Xu Ling and the team doctor went to the locker room, took a shower first, changed their clothes, and then went to the hospital together.

They conducted a full range of tests, even more comprehensive than West had described, and the final diagnosis was "motor-related muscle spasms," commonly known as cramps.

"Doctor, don't you think Jerry is overreacting?"

By the time all the test results came out, the Grizzlies-Hornets game had already ended. As expected, the Grizzlies, without Xu Ling, collapsed in the fourth quarter and ultimately lost to the Hornets by 13 points.

Recalling West's reaction earlier, Xu Ling casually asked a question.

“He just cares about you,” said team doctor Frederic Hazard. “He’s seen too many young players get injured because they don’t know how to take care of themselves, and he doesn’t want you to be the next one.” Xu Ling thought he was quite resilient; before the transmigration, he wouldn’t even have suffered a minor sprain, let alone cramps. After the transmigration, although he had a new body, he rarely got injured.

However, West meant well, so Xu Ling could only complain a few times.

Then, Xu Ling talked to the team doctor about his playing time.

He does get a lot of playing time, which is a real test for a rookie, but there are other players in the league who get even more playing time, so how come they can keep up?
“Apart from Allen Iverson, most players who maintain high playing time either know how to manage their energy or have a personal trainer who creates diets and recovery plans,” Hazard remarked with a smile. “If you have a trainer, he certainly won’t agree to you arbitrarily increasing your training volume.”

The trainer's words reminded Xu Ling.

He had heard that James spends millions of dollars a year maintaining his body. Considering that this guy can still make the All-NBA team at the age of 40, his ability to resist aging is unparalleled in basketball history, and in any sport with direct contact, you won't find another one as long-lasting as him.

There's either some kind of supernatural force involved, or some hidden secret; there must be some reason behind it.

This also highlights the importance of trainers and post-match recovery.

The day after Xu Ling suffered a cramp, an emergency meeting, attended only by the core management team, was held behind the closed door of the Grizzlies president's office. No heated arguments leaked out, but the only information that emerged afterward was crystal clear.

Jerry West, with an unequivocal stance, characterized Xu Ling's excessive fatigue as a serious dereliction of duty by management. He demanded immediate measures, whether it be adjusting the rotation strategy or accelerating trades to strengthen the team, to alleviate Xu Ling's burden immediately and elevate it to a strategic level of protecting core assets.

From that day on, rumors about a trade involving Pau Gasol and Rudy Gay increased.

Gasol remains an All-Star caliber player and is the Grizzlies' most important asset.

But Guy has some issues.

Ever since Xu Ling and Gay fell out, the Grizzlies have been benching Gay, not giving him games or requiring him to participate in practice. Gay always trains alone on the sidelines, with no one interacting with him. Apart from the NBA executives, the outside world has almost forgotten about him.

In terms of value, Gay is still a decent asset, but everyone knows he's fallen out with the team and hasn't played for a while, so nobody knows his current situation and he won't get a suitable offer.

West wondered if it was necessary to put Guy back in the roster for a few games to let people test him out.

But does Xu Ling agree?
Clearly, Xu Ling was unwilling to continue playing alongside Guy, so the premise for this whole thing simply didn't exist.

However, many things are interconnected.

From the moment Xu Ling and Gay exploded onto the scene, he was destined to be subject to strict scrutiny from the outside world. The media kept a close eye on him, and any mistake he made would be met with criticism. The team could only focus on him, so he was able to take on a major responsibility as a rookie.

Therefore, there are cases where players average 38 minutes per game.

The accumulated fatigue over a long period of time has put him in a delicate physical state.

The Hornets' cramps served as a warning.

In the following two weeks, the Grizzlies faced a series of tough opponents. They suffered three consecutive losses against the Rockets and Spurs, dropping out of the top eight, but then won two consecutive games against the Pacers and Heat, returning to the top eight.

2007 has quietly passed, and 2008 has arrived.

The Grizzlies faced the SuperSonics again, with Xu Ling scoring 35 points against Durant, leading the team to a three-game winning streak. However, their winning streak was interrupted by the Warriors, who are unstoppable when they're on fire. Then came the rematch against the Lakers.

When the two teams last met, the Lakers were fourth in the Western Conference, while the Grizzlies were eighth. Now, the Grizzlies remain firmly in seventh place in the West, while the Lakers have plummeted since then, currently sitting in tenth place with a 20-19 record.

Kobe's frustration grew day by day.

The Lakers seem mired in a quagmire, unlikely to see any turnaround this season. They lack trade assets, and how much longer can Kobe's dwindling patience last?
This highly anticipated rematch did not unfold as expected.

Xu Ling twisted his ankle during pre-match training and was subsequently diagnosed with a grade one sprain, forcing him to miss the game. According to the team doctor's assessment, he will need to rest for at least ten days before undergoing a re-examination.

This was precisely the moment the Grizzlies' management had been waiting for—the moment to test the waters.

Jerry West first called Xu Ling to inform him of the team's plan to play Rudy Gay in order to showcase his form to other teams. Xu Ling had no objections. Thus, Gay returned to the court after more than a month's absence.

This arrangement quickly sparked various speculations from the outside world.

"Have Eli and Guy made up?"

"Has the Grizzlies' locker room conflict been resolved?"

"Are they really okay?"

However, some astute fans saw through the deception immediately: "This is just the Grizzlies showcasing a product! They just want to prove that Rudy Gay can still play!"

Despite the absence of Xu Ling, the game was unexpectedly intense. The Grizzlies, playing with a depleted roster, displayed remarkable resilience, relying on their outside shooters and Gasol's playmaking to battle the Lakers until the very last moment.

With 11.1 seconds left in the game, the score was tied at 92.

The Lakers had one last chance to attack. Kobe received the ball at the top of the arc, and facing Mike Miller's tight defense, he faked several shots and forced his way out, then pulled up at 21 feet from the basket against the onrushing defender—a signature, extremely difficult fadeaway jumper.

The basketball swished through the net with precision!
94 to 92! The Grizzlies have only 1.7 seconds left.

Rudy Gay then attempted a last-minute winner from a throw-in but failed, ending the game.

All that remained was the cheering crowd at Staples Center, as if this game could change anything.

However, there was no joy on Kobe's face. Only he knew best that this Grizzlies team, missing Xu Ling, was far from the resilient team they had been before Christmas—and yet they had managed to fight such an opponent until the very last second?
He walked to the sidelines with a grim expression, his cold demeanor making it impossible to believe that he had just made the game-winning shot.

"Kobe, this is undoubtedly a thrilling revenge match! How do you feel right now?" A reporter on the sidelines eagerly handed him a microphone.

Kobe glanced at the camera, a hint of boredom in his voice: "Without Eli Xu, there's no real victory. Let alone any revenge."

(End of this chapter)