Chapter 42: I'm Not That Kind of Man
After Yu Fei gave Eddie Griffin two strong punches, the true messengers of justice arrived.
They pulled the two apart, only to see Griffin's nose and face swollen and bloody, while Yu Fei's eyes were on fire, as if two punches were not enough to dissipate his breath.
"I'm going to kill you!" Griffin roared in hatred, "I'm going to kill you!" β
Yu Fei responded: "Come on, I'll just stand here, wretched, let me see what you can do to kill me!" β
The match was interrupted, Griffin was persuaded to retire to the infirmary, and Yu Fei should have been ejected from the game, but there were only five players on the white team.
At first, the Celtic coaches wanted the Black to draw a man to join the White team, but the other four players on the White team refused.
As a result, Yu Fei could only carry two technical fouls that were not counted at all.
At the same time, the Celtics also made a decision that regardless of Griffin's injury, he should no longer play with Yu Fei.
The farce is over and the game continues.
Celtics coach Jim O'Brien called the assistant coaches to his side to talk about what had just happened.
"It's probably the most ridiculous thing that's happened in tryouts in almost a decade, how did they get into a fight?" O'Brien said regretfully.
Frank Vogel, who has a good sense of flying, said fairly: "It's Eddie who does it first." β
John Carroll, the head assistant coach, laughed, "But Frye's return shot was unsparing, and if those two punches had happened anywhere off the court, Eddie could have taken him to court." β
Lester Conner, Celtics' scouting director, who has been tracking Griffin for years, is not surprised by events like this: "Eddie has always had a fiery temperament, and a lot of people have been comparing him to Frye lately. There were also some issues with our penalty criteria, and it was understandable that Dick [the referee] didn't control their emotions in time. β
O'Brien was too lazy to continue listening to these words, and what he really cared about was: "If we use media connections to hype up what happened on the court today, will it affect their draft prospects?" β
When Carroll heard this, she felt that their head coach was holding back bad water.
Fights are a penalty for players, let alone fights during tryouts.
You can even fight during tryouts, and when the team starts competing for a place in the team, won't it be overturned?
"How's the hype?" Vogel asked.
That's another science.
For the media, distorting the facts is very simple, as long as the narrative is changed, it will give a completely different feeling.
Since you want to hype, what is the purpose of hype, is it to belittle someone, or to elevate someone?
According to this situation, the Celtics will definitely not be able to choose Yu Fei and Griffin, so if they want to make a fuss about this matter, they must be running to belittle a certain player.
O'Brien looked at the assistants and said, "Maybe we can highlight the two punches that Frye gave to Eddie." β
John Carroll laughed, "Eddie Griffin's agent must be interested in this." β
Vogel objected to the plan: "Frye's agent is Arne Trym, and we can't hide it from him. β
"Rest assured, no one will know." O'Brien said, "Eddie is not going to rest on his laurels, he's going to expand this matter, and we're only going to have to act as an anonymous insider to do it skillfully." β
Vogel has a lot to say, but doesn't know which one to say.
The internal atmosphere of the Celtics is toxic, and they can completely change the way, such as trading up for a higher pick, Yu Fei's draft prospects are not untouchable, and playing smart like this now is not burying mines for himself?
Yu Fei didn't know what the Celtics' coaching staff was secretly planning when they stood together.
Due to the absence of Eddie Griffin on the field, Yu Fei couldn't find anyone who could directly oppose him, so he played from the No. 1 position to the No. 5 position.
By playing against players who also have lotto prospects, Yu Fei has a general idea of his abilities.
At this stage, it is difficult for Yu Fei to play inside in the NBA, but fortunately, he is mobile enough to play the NBA-level No. 3 position.
Whether it is against Rodney White or Kadric Brown, Yu Fei does not find it difficult.
Ironically, Griffin wasn't there, and the black team was playing better than it had just been.
The core of their offense revolves around White and Brown.
Yu Fei began to play up a lot with White, suppressing the opponent in the front and back court through single defense and rich offensive skills.
On the other side, Brown blew up both Roy and Joe Johnson.
In terms of physical fitness, Brown is the most prominent on the court.
At the end of the first half, Brown scored 16 points to help the Blacks hold on to the score.
Yu Fei looked at Brown and said to Roy, "He's also from a community college, don't you really think about it?" β
"You say he's from community college?" This is something that Roy doesn't know.
"It's not just him," Yu Fei said, "Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Sam Cassel, Mitch Richmond, Latriel Sprewell... (1) They are all from community colleges. β
Yu Fei really didn't want Roy's life to change because of his appearance.
For ordinary people with little talent, making one wrong choice can affect a lifetime.
If Roy didn't go to community college, if he could get into a League I university without passing the community college, and then polish it for a few more years, would he still be that Roy?
Once a few years have passed since something happened, it's all over.
Listening to Yu Fei's words, Roy also fell into deep thought.
In the second half, Yu Fei was disappointed to find that Eddie Griffin did not return, so he could only focus all his energy on Rodney White.
As a destined lotto show, White's technical reserves and talent are like a role player, the long board is not long and the short board is not short, and it is very easy to target.
Yu Fei threw himself outside and inside, and White was difficult to parry.
In the final game, 62-49, the white team easily defeated the black team with a lack of interior line.
Yu Fei was undoubtedly the man of the match, the Celtics' focus on Joe Johnson and Kaedrick Brown also performed well, Rodney White disappointed, and Eddie Griffin "lived up to his reputation", and when he threw punches at Yu Fei, it was a moment for the Celtics coaching staff that "he was exactly as rumored".
Of this year's potential lotto show, only Eddie Curry, like Griffin, would flatly deny his rumored image: "I'm not that kind of person." β
So, when Griffin proved that he was really that kind of person, it was really not a good thing for him.
After the match, Jim O'Brien invited Yu Fei to dinner.
Yu Fei said that he had to ask the agent first.
O'Brien smiled: "Kid, you don't need an agent for everything. β
"Okay then, where are we going to eat?" Yu Fei quickly entered the role.
O'Brien likes the speed with which he turns, "There's a nice French restaurant nearby. β
"Coach, although the French food is delicious, I can't eat enough, I'm still a child." Yu Fei asked, "Is there a branch of the Pork Chop Immortal in Boston...?" β
Unfortunately, there is no Pork Chop Immortal branch in Boston, as only Kent City in the United States has a Japanese restaurant called Pork Chop Immortal. Although the store manager claimed that the store was a national chain, today, Yu Fei exposed his lies.
O'Brien mistakenly thought that Yu Fei liked Japanese food, so he chose a high-end Japanese restaurant, but even if a high-end Japanese restaurant has fast food such as pork chop rice, it is impossible to be full, just like French food, delicacy is the first place, and the portion is purely for feeding pigeons.
Although it was delicious, Yu Fei was not full. For the sake of O'Brien's promise at the dinner table that "the Celtics will draft you with the tenth pick in the first round", Yu Fei had no choice but to be surprised.
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"If you think the quality of the 2000 draft was too bad, then you shouldn't expect anything from the 2001 rookies. This year's No. 1 pick could fall to a young player like Kwame Brown, an 18-year-old high school student at Green College, or Eddie Griffin, a first-year student at Seton Hole University. Regardless, it will take a few years for a first-round pick to bring positive feedback to the team. - ESPN Column: Draft Preview
"The Wizards' draft strategy largely depends on whether Michael Jordan returns to play next season. As the team's president, Jordan's first instinct might have been to opt for a talented player like Brown, a forward full of potential. However, Jordan as a player may have other options. βThe Washington Post
There are far more questions in this year's draft than answers. The NBA knows very little about the seven high school players (Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Fry Yu, Usman Cice, Eddie Curry, DeSagana Diop, and Tony Key). Clearly, the good old days when teams got an instant and huge boost from the draft are over. The NBA Draft has become the market of the future. - Sports Illustrated
Outburst! During yesterday's Boston Celtics tryout, Eddie Griffin clashed violently with Frye Yu. According to a person familiar with the matter, Frye punched Eddie twice in the face and the condition was severe. Eddie Griffin accused Frye of being a lawful murderer: "Everyone says I'm a jerk, but I tell you, I'm not that kind of person. Please look into my eyes, look at my nose, that *** is that kind of person! βThe Boston Globe