Chapter 23: Darius Miles or Scottie Pippen?
When Yu Fei saw his name on the list of the best lineup for the first day of the training camp, he was very happy. It signified that his performance today had won the recognition of the professionals.
He also noticed that James had been selected for today's best lineup of the lower grades.
It was a surprising incident.
What Yu Fei did not expect was that he saw another familiar name at the camp—if speaking in terms of the year 2023, this name would make his pupils quake and his DNA dance.
Indeed, this training camp for Yu Fei was a DNA-not-dancing challenge.
In the higher grades today's best lineup, Yu Fei saw Carmelo Anthony!
The list noted that Anthony belonged to the class of 2002, 17 years old, from Towson Catholic High School⑴, currently playing for the Ace Team, positioned as shooting guard and small forward.
As an eleventh-grader, Anthony was emerging as a standout at the camp. Before this, hardly anyone knew him because both his high school and its district were not strong, and his national ranking was outside the top 50 for the class of 2002.
This kind of ranking had no appeal in the competition among the higher grades.
However, he proved his mettle in a one-on-one proving game, managed to join the higher grades team, and on the first day of the camp, he averaged 25 points per game, firmly making it into the best lineup.
"An eleventh-grader is that awesome?"
Iguodala, who practically got stuffed today with the passes from Yu Fei, felt that the competition in the higher grades was nothing special. But when he saw a fellow grade-mate slaughtering in the higher grades group, the feeling of disparity immediately showed on his face.
Roy took a look at the schedule and said with surprise, "The Ace Team is in our group."
"When?" Yu Fei asked.
"The second game tomorrow," Roy replied with a smile, "But they're unlucky since after playing against us, they'll have to play against DeAngelo Collins' team."
Yu Fei did not see Anthony today.
He felt that he should have crossed paths with Anthony, but Anthony's appearance wasn't as recognizable as James'.
After all, not everyone looks as mature as James who, at only 16 and a half, appeared much older.
"You're feeling smug now, but if you screw up in front of an eleventh-grader tomorrow, don't even say you've been to the ABCD Camp when you get back to Seattle."
After taking a jab at Roy, Yu Fei left the court with his team.
When Iguodala found out that Yu Fei chose not to stay in the players' dormitory but instead opened a room at the nearby Marriott Hotel, he said enviously, "Your family must be very rich."
Yu Fei did not reveal the truth to Iguodala.
After returning to the hotel and freshening up, Yu Fei decided to treat everyone to dinner.
Aside from Roy and DiMio, everyone else was very excited.
"Brandon, the boss is treating, why aren't you excited?" E.J Elders, a substitute of the Jade Team, asked.
Roy rolled his eyes and said, "It's just pork cutlet rice. What's there to be happy about?"
Yu Fei asked with a smile that hid a knife, "You have a problem with that?"
Roy shook his head and said, "No. I just think, with our status, we deserve a better dinner."
"What status? The one where your national ranking got pushed out of the top hundred? Or the one as a bully who preys on the weak?" Yu Fei said helplessly, "Before coming here, I participated in the Kent City AAU competition and won a prize of 2,000 US dollars. If you all can put on a good performance in the next two days, I promise I'll treat you to a big meal on the last day of camp!"
Yu Fei led his little brothers into a restaurant with good business, and after ordering their meals, they began to chat.
Interestingly, the members of the Jade Team had nearly one thing in common—they all came from single-parent families.
Not to mention Yu Fei, Iguodala's father only appeared when he was 10 years old, E.J Elders had never seen his father, Francisco Garcia wouldn't talk about his father at all, and Will Wilkins said that his parents divorced early, and he grew up under his father's stick and belt.
"Guys, I'm really happy to know you," Yu Fei raised a glass of cola, "To single-parent families."
Everyone raised their glasses, except for Roy who hesitated.
"Uh... my parents are both around..." Roy said awkwardly, "Should I still toast to single-parent families?"
"Your parents are both around?" Yu Fei laughed teasingly, "Everyone sitting here is from single-parent nobility, without a dad or a mom. You have both parents, so you don't deserve to sit here at all."
With Roy's experience, it was hard for him to catch Yu Fei's teasing. DiMio smiled and helped him out, "You all are luckier than me; I was raised by my grandmother."
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"Who would have thought such a small dinner table could show us the diversity of American families," Yu Fei changed his tone. "Well then, here's to lumberjacks."
Before Hollywood ushered in the big era of lumberjacks with the Fast and Furious franchise, American blockbusters were still decent. So Yu Fei decided he would become a lumberjack before the lumberjack heroes took over the screen.
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The ABCD Training Camp had a war room where staff members would gather to discuss player performances after the day's activities.
Jonathan Burnham, Wakaro's most trusted scout.
Valan Sam, a professional in the basketball industry with 40 years of experience.
Daniel House, a recognized basketball expert...
The most authoritative figures of the ABCD Camp were gathered there, and Wakaro had only one question, "Answer me with just one name—who was the most impressive player you saw today?"
"LeBron James."
Valan Sam, who focused on the lower grades, said, "He's the real deal, I can almost certainly say he will become the player with the brightest future in ABCD history."
"Carmelo Anthony," said Daniel House. "He holds his own even against twelfth-graders, and moreover, his scoring skills are something many players will never possess in their lifetimes."
Then, Wakaro looked towards Jonathan Burnham, who was responsible for observing the upper grades.
Wakaro was particularly interested in his opinion.
Since 1995, almost all of Burnham's predictions had been spot on.
He thought Garnett was extraordinary, Kobe would be the next superstar, McGrady a genius, and Odom's ambition and focus would be his shackles... The only exception was Darius Miles.
Burnham had thought Miles would become a small forward version of Kevin Garnett, but that hadn't come true yet.
Even though Miles had just finished his rookie season, it was almost certain he was not a prodigy like Garnett.
Compared to previous years, this year's returning players at the ABCD Camp had only a few worth paying extra attention to.
DeAngelo Collins would have been an easy answer, but Burnham wasn't optimistic about Collins's current level of play translating into higher-level games.
The name Frye lingered in Burnham's mind.
However, in some ways, Yu Fei was too similar to Miles.
Wakaro asked, "Jonathan, wasn't there any twelfth-grader who made a deep impression on you today?"
After a few seconds of hesitation, Burnham finally said, "I'm not sure if Frye is the second coming of Darius Miles, or if he's the second Scottie Pippen."
Burnham's response reminded Wakaro of that interesting young man.
Whether it was being the only Asian American in the camp, or his unconventional question during Kobe's Q&A session that crossed the line, or his performance today, all of it made Wakaro remember him.
"What concerns you?" Wakaro asked.
Burnham said, "His playing style is chaotic, we know he plays center at school, but in the camp, he is entirely a point guard! A 6-foot-9-inch (208CM) point guard!"
"I cannot imagine him playing as a point guard in the NBA, but if you consider him a 6-foot-9-inch small forward, his dribbling skills aren't so terrifying," Burnham said. "I have seen many forwards with good ball-handling and excellent physical conditions, but out of ten such players, only one becomes a Scottie Pippen, and a few become erratic two-way swingmen like Billy Owens. The rest, like Brad Sellers, just disappear into the crowd."
The miscalculation on Miles had cast a shadow over Burnham's eyes, but Wakaro trusted his own judgment more.
He too had misjudged a promising young man, but that only resulted in a loss of half a million dollars.
What he sought were those with the potential to bring in billions.
This year, he saw a James among the younger players. How about the senior group? Could Yu Fei be that person? And if he wasn't, what about it? Such individuals didn't come along every year anyway.
So, with a smile, Wakaro gave his mantra, "Let's wait and see."
⑴ Carmelo Anthony only transferred to Oak Hill High School in his senior year.
⑵ Billy Owens, the third overall pick of the 1991 draft, was pre-draft hyped as a combination of Magic Bird, followed the footsteps of Wilkins who adamantly refused to go to Utah, prompting his team to trade him, the second generation of 'high hope, low achievement' brother.
⑶ Brad Sellers, the odd talent whom the Chicago Bulls selected with the ninth pick in the 1986 draft, was hyped pre-draft as a 7-foot tall players with a sharpshooter's touch, a ball-handling wizard, and a rebounding fool. He didn't stand up to Jordan's bullying and was even deemed a draft flop by Krause before his first season was over. Thus, in the 1987 draft, Krause selected based on Sellers' characteristics, picking a rebounding big man (Oakley) and a ball-handling forward (Pippen).
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