Basketball Terminal

Chapter 104 The Fool
On April 1st, April Fool's Day, the alarm clock rang, and Li Wei reluctantly got out of his warm bed. Brushing his teeth at the sink, looking at his numb reflection in the mirror, Li Wei thought, "Another day I don't want to go to work!"
Having been in the NBA for a month and a half, Li Wei has adapted to the pace of NBA life, but the high-density training and game schedule has also led to a period of fatigue. Fortunately, Li Wei has a good ability to adjust; he knows how to release pressure and conserve energy. He plays when he should play, rests when he should rest, and trains when he should train.

Of course, getting up early every morning for training was still the most difficult part. The weather in Manhattan in April was still quite cool, and it took a lot of willpower to get out of a warm bed after a night's sleep. The day before training or a match, Li Wei insisted on not bringing women home to stay overnight. Otherwise, with their soft, fragrant bodies in the morning, he would not want to get out of bed, and he might even have sex with them, which would delay things even more.

After washing my face with cold water and making some breakfast, my body gradually woke up, my mood improved, and the bad feeling of not wanting to go to work was gradually replaced by excitement. Today is another match day, back-to-back, and the home stadium will welcome more than 1700 fans. Li Wei hopes to perform well.

I turned on the TV and listened to the morning news while eating breakfast. During yesterday's game against the Rockets, Harden left the court halfway through due to hamstring discomfort, which worried me a lot. Harden is a key offensive player; without him, the scoring would probably be halved—who would pass him the ball? Fortunately, judging from Harden's expression after the game, the situation wasn't too bad, and it shouldn't be a serious problem.

According to the Nets, James Harden's MRI results were negative, indicating no serious damage, and he may need about ten days of rest.

News reports quickly provided the results: Harden must have undergone medical examinations overnight, and the report was in—good news. Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief; Kevin Durant would be back in about ten days. It's truly remarkable to have the Big Three competing together; Durant had been on the bench for a month and a half, and Li Wei hadn't played a single game since joining the Nets.

Durant's prolonged absence has increased Harden's burden. He already had a hamstring injury, and the excessive playing time and high ball possession have caused his old injury to flare up due to accumulated fatigue. Li Wei thought it best to let Harden rest more and get a full rest before the playoffs. Otherwise, it would be a waste if he returned to play and got injured again.

Li Wei knew about hamstring injuries; the psychological impact was significant, and a serious injury could take a year or more to fully recover. Of course, Li Wei knew his voice carried little weight and he couldn't change the coaching staff's or management's minds. Nash had a strong old-fashioned mentality, often playing through minor injuries. He believed star players should shoulder more responsibility; Harden might only need ten days of rest before returning to the court—after all, he was paid more and bore more responsibility.

After filling his stomach, Levi went out. Paris-Ropin called to say he had arrived and was waiting for him downstairs. Once in the car, Levi asked Ropin, "What did you want to see me about? Why did you insist on picking me up this morning?" Ropin replied, "Victor, I'm thinking of resigning."

"what why?"

"Because I... I won the lottery, and I no longer need to be a broker."

"Wow, double happiness! Congratulations!"

"What do you mean! I'm leaving you!"

"That's good. After you drop me off at Hss, you can go back."

"Okay, okay, I was just kidding, it's April Fool's Day!"

"I knew it, your joke was terrible."

"I have other good news: I passed the agent exam yesterday! I've officially become a sports agent!"

"Where's my brother?" "He passed a long time ago... I took the test three times."

Li Wei patted Luo Ping on the shoulder. This guy was almost 40 years old, a black man with no formal education; it was already a miracle he passed the agent exam. Li Yue said the exam wasn't too difficult, and it was open-book, but for many black men who find studying harder than eating shit, any exam is an insurmountable challenge. The fact that Luo Ping gritted his teeth, took the exam, and got the certificate showed that he truly had the will to do this job well.

On the way, Luo Ping told Li Wei that he had developed two more clients besides Li Wei, both of whom were college players. It was currently the NCAA season, and after that, the draft season would begin. Luo Ping would then be working tirelessly to help these rookies connect with teams and find tryout opportunities. It could be said that Luo Ping's career as an agent was getting on track.

Like players, NBA agents are in a profession with a huge wealth gap. Exceptional agents wield immense power in the league, controlling access to the best players and representing those interests in negotiations with teams and sponsors to secure the best possible outcomes. A truly skilled agent can elevate a player to a level they don't deserve.

For example, Ben Nate and Wiseman's agent, Schwartz, was able to elevate these two busts to the top two picks, which was entirely due to the agent's skill. Although he was later called a fraudster, to be fair, the draft is a matter of mutual consent, like buying and selling antiques. If the buyer is fooled, they can only swallow their pride and not accuse the seller of making a fake. Everyone relies on their own abilities.

Some agents only serve fringe players, acting as middlemen for unknown players in the G League and Continental League, signing small contracts and earning meager brokerage fees. According to surveys, many NBA agents don't have any player clients of their own; they do this part-time, hoping to get a client on a whim.

For a broker like Luo Ping to connect with Li Wei and still manage to develop two clients on his own is already quite impressive in the league. Indeed, many people are simply lacking an opportunity; once given one, education, background, and age will no longer be limitations on one's development. Besides developing clients, Luo Ping also diligently negotiates commercial deals for Li Wei, helping him secure small advertising and event opportunities to earn extra income. It's fair to say he's living a pretty good life.

Of course, Luo Ping's real goal was to get Li Wei to endorse sports brands, which would be a sign that an NBA player had truly become famous and an important part of the sports business logic.

"Victor, with Harden injured and Durant out, this is an opportunity for you! You need to step up, score more points, assist more, and become the team's offensive core! I think you've been too lax in your games lately, like you're just clocking in and out!"

Li Wei's recent performance has indeed become more stable and uneventful, averaging a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds per game without any major highlights. The Nets' winning streak ended, but this didn't affect the team's overall performance. They continued to win, maintaining their position in the top two of the Eastern Conference, so Li Wei felt like he was just going through the motions at work, without much pressure.

Li Wei realized he had indeed been a little lax lately, not playing as aggressively as before, because the team's chemistry was excellent. Especially on the perimeter, players like Harris and Shamet were incredibly potent from three-point range; against weaker teams, a single three-point barrage in a quarter could overwhelm them. Li Wei focused on defense, rebounding, and providing appropriate playmaking and screens; that was his job for the game.

Luo Ping is right; he really should seize the opportunity to have a breakout game. But as the saying goes, you can't just have a breakout game in the NBA, especially on offense. On the defensive end, if he can shut down a player like Harden or LeBron, he can ride on their fame and attract attention by locking them down. But on offense, without Harden, it's really not that easy for Li Wei to score high points based on his own offensive abilities.

The pressure faced by ball handlers and the pressure faced by rim catchers are on completely different levels; otherwise, how could ball-handling stars receive top salaries?

Upon arriving at the HSS training center, Li Wei went upstairs. The team was scheduled to have a simple offensive tactics practice in the morning to prepare for the evening's game. Just after changing his clothes, Li Wei ran into Nash, who told him, "Victor, you'll be the point guard tonight, replacing Harden."

Li Wei thought to himself, "Coach, why are you joking with me too? Do you really think I don't know it's April Fool's Day?" "Fine, I won't call you out on it." Li Wei replied, "I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Nash nodded, thinking that Victor, that kid, really could handle things.

(End of this chapter)