Chapter 33: This World Is Far Too Dull

Chapter 45: This World Is Just No Fun

“Huh? Oh.” Su Feng slowly stood up and put on the mesh baseball cap. Then came the customary hugs with his mother, Hayward, Stevens, and Duffy. In the moment he was drafted, Su Feng didn’t feel excitement but rather surprise—a bewilderment that left him at a loss.

It wasn’t until Su Feng walked on stage to hug Stern that Duffy’s phone vibrated with a text message.

Strangely enough, the message wasn’t from the Nets’ management, but from someone he’d only recently met.

“Welcome to the Houston Rockets.” That was all the message on Duffy’s phone screen said.

“With the second overall pick in the 2010 Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select… a fellow from Ohio State. Let’s all congratulate the kid!”

“Yes!” When David Stern announced the second pick, a slightly overweight white man let out an excited cheer in his box. The man was not the Cavaliers’ general manager Stefanski, but Mark Cuban, who had been worried for a long while. The Cavaliers and Evan Turner, the Englishman and his Houston Rockets—they were not directly competing, but Cuban knew that if Cleveland took Turner, the Nets would lose their best target. For the Nets, their top choice was no longer available. Now the Englishman could execute his plan more smoothly!

“Are you sure that kid’s worth it?” The team’s general manager, Donnie Nelson Jr., seemed hesitant about the Englishman’s decision. “Caron is one of our only All-Stars, and Steve’s three-point shooting is occasionally useful. Plus, you just traded away our first-round pick for next year!”

The Englishman looked at his general manager. Aside from this wild owner, he did need a relatively steady manager like Nelson Jr. There was no doubt—the Englishman was a good owner, but he preferred risk, gambles, and a reckless approach to building the team.

To land a superstar, the Englishman was willing to clear cap space in advance, regardless of whether those stars would actually come. And now, for a player like Su Feng, who had never played professional basketball, Cuban was ready to offer two players and a valuable asset.

Cuban was a madman, but he wasn’t an idiot. The Houston Rockets had been a perennial playoff team, but now there was reason to say they didn’t need rookies. Yet they always fell just short of a championship. Always chasing after big names, yet always coming up empty. Dirk was already 31, Marion and Kidd and the others were nearing the twilight of their careers. If the Houston Rockets didn’t win a championship in the next three years, the goal would only become harder and harder!

When William Adams-Miller grows old, what should become of the Rockets? Just rot away? The Englishman certainly wouldn’t let that happen. He needed to lay a foundation for the Rockets’ future while also bolstering their current strength.

Since chasing stars was no longer working, why not repeat what was done with the Dirk trade in Milwaukee—cultivate a future star by trading for a high-level rookie? With the help of Kidd and others, Su Feng would surely develop quickly in Houston. He was a shooting guard capable of averaging 15+10 per game. If Su Feng’s résumé weren’t so empty, and his skin color were different, he might already be a champion.

“The draft is a gamble for everyone, man. If you don’t take chances, how can you win?” The Englishman smiled at the general manager and pulled out his phone to make a call.

“Are you sure you want to take Derrick Favors?” On the other end, the Nets’ assistant general manager finally asked for confirmation from Billy King about their rookie pick.

Billy King was about to say yes, but just then, the Englishman’s call came through.

“One moment.” Manager William Adams-Miller gestured to his assistant and answered the call.

“What a shame!” The Englishman didn’t waste time with pleasantries. As soon as the call connected, the Houston Rockets’ distinctive owner greeted Billy King and got straight to the point about Cousins.

“Regret what, exactly?”

“Don’t play coy, Billy. We both know you’ve been fixated on Turner all summer. The Cavaliers have just snatched away the reinforcement you’ve been coveting. But it’s fine. I’ve got an All-Star right here, ready-made to fill your roster gap.” Listening to the Englishman, Billy King understood the purpose of the call.

“What’s your offer?”

“I’m offering Caron Butler, Steve Novak, and next year’s first-round pick.” At this moment, the Englishman had already learned from general manager Nelson Jr. that the Spurs had reached an agreement with the Warriors. If the Warriors grabbed Su Feng with the sixth pick, the Spurs would immediately execute a trade. In other words, this was almost the last chance for the Englishman to acquire Su Feng! He had to act before the Warriors picked at six!

“You’re too kind, sir.”

After entering the house, the mother and son exchanged greetings with William Adams-Miller’s family. The whole family seemed to Su Feng to be “tall”!

That’s right. The term “Su Feng” was a good way to describe them. William Adams-Miller’s mother was a professional basketball player—Dirk’s first basketball coach had been her.

Though his father didn’t play basketball, he was a professional handball player, with a physique no less imposing than a basketball player’s.

As for William Adams-Miller’s sister, she was the only one in the family without a sports career. But thanks to her parents’ genes, Dirk’s sister was also tall. Though not an athlete, her job was still sports-related: she worked for an international TV station, specializing in covering the top basketball league.

Dinner was harmonious. The two families exchanged gifts and lively conversation flowed around the table.

Dirk’s father seemed curious about everything related to China. He believed every Chinese person could fight like Bruce Lee.

Dirk’s mother was amazed by Wen Xue’s experiences; the two women found much in common, despite their somewhat limited English.

After dinner, William Adams-Miller and Su Feng retreated to the empty balcony. Even during Christmas, there were still work matters to discuss.

William Adams-Miller held a glass of red wine, gazing out at White Cloud Lake in the distance. Half the lake was covered in snow.

“Very good.” Su Feng’s answer was as simple as ever, his tone unchanged.

“Have you seen the media’s comments about you?” William Adams-Miller referred to the many reports he’d seen that morning, all unanimously predicting that Su Feng would become the future leader of the Houston Rockets after Dirk.

After all, this rookie had performed well since the start of the new season. If nothing unexpected happened, Su Feng’s development would more than justify his draft stock.

Su Feng merely nodded lightly. Again and again, it was never the whole story.

William Adams-Miller laughed. Su Feng was unlike many other rookies. He seemed completely unconcerned with whether reporters noticed him or whether the media doubted him. He didn’t care about being popular or about others’ opinions of him. He never seemed to expect or to be disappointed.

In his mind, there were only two things: family and basketball. That was exactly why Dirk agreed with the media’s view—perhaps entrusting the Rockets to Su Feng was the right decision.

“You know, after this year, I’ll be thirty-three. Thirty-three is not a lucky age for a professional athlete.” Dirk’s eyes drifted from the snowy lake back to the face of the young man in front of him.

“Jason’s almost forty and he’s still going, isn’t he? You’re still young.”

“Ha!” William Adams-Miller almost burst out laughing. Sometimes, this quiet guy could be unexpectedly amusing.

“Honestly, I could step back at any time and let you take the reins. You know our team isn’t young anymore. With pro athletes, physical condition changes sharply every year. I’d like to be like the Spurs—if we don’t rebuild, the next leader will naturally emerge. If you’re willing, the Englishman will fully support you, and Rockets fans will always love you. What I mean is… I hope you’ll stay in Dallas forever. Make it your team.” This summer, Dirk had witnessed the union of three Heat superstars. He knew that, sooner or later, the outstanding Su Feng would become a coveted target for other teams’ managers. In this ruthlessly utilitarian era, few stars remained loyal to their teams.

But the Houston Rockets had already lost too many excellent point guards—Kidd, Nash, even Devin Harris.

On Cuban’s side, Dirk could speak honestly. After all, it wasn’t just a player’s choice to stay or leave. But Dirk needed to be sure that Su Feng didn’t want to go.

“My rookie contract’s only been in effect two months, Dirk.” Su Feng smiled, but Dirk was serious, clearly not wanting to end the conversation so lightly.

“I just… hope I can keep fighting alongside you. Do you understand?” It was rare to find a player who could represent both the present and the future. Dirk truly didn’t want to lose another teammate like that. As the team aged, Dirk didn’t want to see the Rockets go into full rebuild mode. If Su Feng could play in Houston long-term, perhaps the team could even skip the rebuilding phase and smoothly transition from old to new.