"Mr. Onseld, did you celebrate April Fools' early?"
"He's our new head coach? He looks at least two years younger than me."
Chris Webber complained right in front of Lin Yu. Juwan Howard, standing beside him, quickly tugged at his arm, urging him to say something.
Lin Yu couldn't care less about Webber's opinion of him right now. He was frantically searching for Ben Wallace's figure.
Without Big Ben, his plan was impossible to execute. Delivering results that satisfied Bolin would be tough in the upcoming week.
Onseld glanced at Lin Yu, noticing his unnatural expression, and an inexplicable rage flared within him.
"Shut your mouth! Show respect for the coach—it's basic professional conduct for a player!"
"Every player here, listen up!"
"If I catch any of you showing disrespect to the coach, I'll rip your balls off and toss them to the stray dogs in the Baltimore ghettos!"
Old Bone Crusher's face flushed crimson as he raised his enormous, superhuman hand and clenched it into a vicious fist.
The older the veteran, the more he valued discipline. Seeing Weber treat the head coach with such contempt, Old Bone Crusher wasn't about to let it slide. Plus, he held Lin Yu in high regard and naturally stepped in to defend him.
Anselm commanded immense authority within the team. When he unleashed his fury, every player present held their breath in silence.
Weber flinched back in fright, not daring to utter another word.
"You take it from here, Lin."
"Dismissed. Free training."
Anseld patted Lin Yu's shoulder with an encouraging look before turning and leaving the training ground.
The players scattered, beginning their free training sessions.
Lin Yu's previously tense expression relaxed as he spotted Ben.
Murray-Sang was simply too massive, and Big Ben, being a fringe benchwarmer, always stood at the very back of the crowd, entirely obscured by Murray-Sang's bulk.
"Hey, Ben!"
Lin Yu's face lit up with a smile as he quickened his pace toward Big Ben. Operation Win Over Big Ben officially commenced!
"Coach, nice to meet you. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Ben, still shaken by the furious Old Bone Crusher moments ago, forced a smile uglier than crying, terrified of being accused of disrespect.
"Pleased? That's exactly how you should feel!"
"I plan to start you at the center tonight. You certainly have reason to be pleased."
Lin Yu fixed Ben with a kindly gaze as he spoke.
Ben was stunned. He wanted to ask if April Fools' Day had come early, but Lin Yu's utterly serious expression made it seem like no joke.
"Coach, are you serious?"
"I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. Sometimes when they joke around with me, I can't tell if they're kidding or not."
After saying this, he flushed and broke into a shy smile.
As a rookie, and an undrafted one at that, he was the perfect target for locker room pranks. Big Ben clearly got teased by Weber and the others on the regular.
"Of course it's true—as true as gold!"
"I swear on my career, you're starting tonight."
"Man, seize this chance. I guarantee you'll skyrocket in value after tonight."
The moment Lin Yu finished speaking, a system notification flashed in his mind.
"Congratulations, Host. Ben Wallace Affinity Boost activated. Current Affinity: 50. Detailed information is available in the Player Attributes panel."
Lin Yu was stunned. He hadn't expected that simply promising Big Ben a starting spot for one game could boost his affinity so dramatically.
He had seriously underestimated how desperately players like Big Ben, stuck at the bottom of the roster, craved a starting position.
Once he secured a starting spot, his playing time skyrocketed. Ben Wallace, who previously averaged just 5 minutes per game, would now log at least 30 minutes as a starter.
With playing time surging, his individual stats would inevitably improve. Better numbers meant higher standing within the team, paving the way for lucrative contracts down the line.
His locker room status would also rise—at the very least, he wouldn't be the lowest-ranking player subjected to bullying in the real locker room anymore.
Lin Yu eagerly checked Big Ben's player attributes panel.
[Ben Wallace](Peak Aura Boosted)
[Strength 85][Speed 70][Vertical 76]
[Low Post Offense 42][Low Post Defense 85][Rebounding 81][Blocking 82] Steals 62
Mid-Range Shooting 37
Three-Point Shooting 11
Free Throw 39
Passing 35
Ball Handling 22
Driving 23
Current Affinity 50, Enjoying 50% Aura Effect
Lin Yu froze. Something felt off. Big Ben's stats were far worse than he'd anticipated.
He wasn't surprised by the low offensive and ball-handling stats. If any of Big Ben's attributes had surpassed the 60 mark, Lin Yu would've suspected he'd traveled to a parallel universe.
What felt off were Big Ben's rebounding and defensive stats—they were genuinely too low.
Big Ben at his peak couldn't possibly have been this weak.
In an instant, Lin Yu realized where the problem lay—his affinity rating was too low, preventing Big Ben from fully benefiting from the Peak's enhancement effects.
"I still need to figure out how to win Big Ben over. At the very least, I have to raise his affinity rating to 90 or above."
Tonight's game marked Lin Yu's career debut. The better Big Ben performed, the more secure Lin Yu's position as head coach would become.
But Big Ben's current stats were clearly insufficient—at the very least, he struggled to deliver stunning plays on the court.
...
Over the next few hours, Lin Yu transformed into a hyperactive little lamb.
"Ben, feeling tired? Have some water and take a break."
"I went out specifically to buy this drink for you. No one else gets any."
Lin Yu even unscrewed the cap before handing it to Big Ben.
"Ding! Ben Wallace's favorability has increased. Current favorability: 55 points."
"Ben, you're sweating buckets. Come here, let me wipe it off."
"Ding! Ben Wallace's favorability has increased. Current favorability: 60 points."
"Nice shot! Free throw practice... One hundred attempts, and you made... hmm, 36? There's still plenty of room for improvement."
In an instant, Lin Yu realized where the problem lay—his affinity rating was too low, preventing Big Ben from fully benefiting from the Peak's enhancement effects.
"I still need to figure out how to win Big Ben over. At the very least, I have to raise his affinity rating to 90 or above."
Tonight's game marked Lin Yu's career debut. The better Big Ben performed, the more secure Lin Yu's position as head coach would become.
But Big Ben's current stats were clearly insufficient—at the very least, he struggled to deliver stunning plays on the court.
...
Over the next few hours, Lin Yu transformed into a hyperactive little lamb.
"Ben, feeling tired? Have some water and rest a bit."
"I went out specifically to buy this drink for you. No one else gets any."
Lin Yu even unscrewed the cap before handing it to Big Ben.
"Ding! Ben Wallace's favorability has increased. Current favorability: 55 points."
"Ben, you're sweating buckets. Come here, let me wipe it off."
"Ding! Ben Wallace's favorability has increased. Current favorability: 60 points."
"Nice shot! Free throw practice—100 attempts... Hmm, 36 made? Still plenty of room for improvement."
Ding! Ben Wallace's favorability has increased—current favorability: 62 points.
For the past few hours, Lin Yu has been hovering around Big Ben, asking about his well-being and offering constant praise. Even Bo Yangyang, who arrived later, couldn't help but call him a suck-up.
Lin Yu saw nothing unusual about it. Wasn't it normal for a coach to care about his players?
Ben Wallace didn't think it was unusual either. Being a bit slow on the uptake, he only realized Lin Yu genuinely cared for him, causing his affection for Lin Yu to skyrocket.
The other players on the training court were dumbfounded, completely baffled by what Lin Yu was doing.
Was he too young and inexperienced, trying to find a patron among the players? That's precisely what Lim had done when he first arrived.
But Lin Yu, why are you groveling to this nobody, Big Ben? Shouldn't you be sucking up to Weber or Howard?...
Morning training ended. Lin Yu looked exhausted. Winning Big Ben over was proving far more complicated than he'd anticipated.
Getting past the 60-point affection threshold was easy.
After hitting 60, the difficulty skyrocketed. It took Lin Yu considerable effort to push it to 70.
The real problem was that once he reached 70, no matter how much Lin Yu fawned over him, the number wouldn't budge an inch.
By afternoon, Lin Yu checked Big Ben's stats panel to see how much his attributes had improved.
When Lin Yu glanced at the affection bar, he suddenly noticed a new line of text added after the 70% rating.
"No black man can resist cash, Rolexes, and Cadillacs. If he does, give him double."
Lin Yu's eyes nearly popped out of his head. How could this damn system be promoting racial discrimination? Thankfully, the attribute panel was invisible to others—otherwise, his coaching career would be over.
The NBA is often called the "Black League." Discriminating against Black people in the Black League? Future Clippers owner Donald Sterling was the perfect cautionary tale.
"Is this some hint? Telling me how to boost his favorability next?"
"Oh crap, this really turned into an SLG eroge—it even gives strategy hints."
Lin Yu, having inherited this body's memories, knew full well the system's description was accurate: no black man could resist a Rolex and a Cadillac.
Earlier, when Ben was chatting with Lin Yu, his gaze kept drifting toward Lin Yu's Rolex.
"Ben, you like Rolexes?" Lin Yu pulled Ben closer and asked with a smile.
Ben scratched his head awkwardly. "Of course. Every kid from the black neighborhoods dreams of owning a Rolex."
"Too bad I'm broke. After taxes, my $150k salary barely leaves me $100k."
"I've got eleven siblings, and my mom's getting old. I gotta put food on the table for them."
"Once I save up, I'm buying one for sure."
Ben's words made Lin Yu's heart ache. Even after making it into the NBA, Ben's life remained incredibly tough.
Living in the capital wasn't easy. Playing in Washington, Ben had to shell out at least $1,000 a month just for rent, and he had so many family members to support.
"It's yours." Lin Yu slipped the still-warm Rolex off his wrist and pressed it into Ben's hand.
Ben looked like a startled rabbit, his face filled with alarm. "Coach, I can't accept this!"
"Why not? I have plenty of Rolexes at home. This is just a basic model, not worth much."
"Consider it an early gift to celebrate you blowing your opponents out of the water tonight."
As he spoke, Lin Yu's heart ached. He was actually poorer than Big Ben himself—his basement was home only to dead rats and cockroaches. Where would he have gotten a Rolex?
But to help Big Ben improve quickly, Lin Yu couldn't afford to be picky.
"Coach, do you really think I'm ready for the starting lineup?" Big Ben asked nervously, clutching the watch.
All the gifts he'd ever received combined weren't worth as much as this single Rolex.
"Starting lineup? Can you show some ambition?"
"You're the next bone-crushing machine that will make other centers tremble, the super beast dominating the paint, destined to be a top-tier star with a multi-million dollar contract."
"Consider this Rolex my investment in you."
Ben Wallace trembled violently at these words, nodding solemnly at Lin Yu.
"Ding! Ben Wallace's favorability increased. Current favorability: 90 points."
This shrill notification sounded like heavenly music to Lin Yu's ears. Success! After playing the fool for so long—even giving away his most valuable possessions—he had finally raised Ben's favorability to 90 points!
Lin Yu eagerly rechecked Ben Wallace's attribute panel.
[Ben Wallace](Peak Aura Boosted)
[Strength 95][Speed 75][Vertical 80]
[Low Post Offense 45][Low Post Defense 90][Rebounding 89][Blocking 89][Stealing 66]
Mid-Range 38 | Three-Point 12 | Free Throw 39 | Passing 36 | Ball Handling 23 | Drive 24
[Current Affinity: 90, Enjoying 90% Aura Effect. Requires triggering specific scenarios to increase affinity further.]
Lin Yu's face lit up with delight. This was precisely what he wanted. Even without fully entering Peak Mode, these stats could still dominate most centers in the league.
Crucially, these weren't even his final stats after entering the game—he could still benefit from Lin Yu's random aura effect.
This week's random aura boosted David's Strength by 10 points, along with 3 points each in Rebounds and Blocks. Even at only 90% effectiveness, the impact was staggering.
Ben Wallace will boast a staggering 104 points in strength, 91.7 rebounds, and blocks—a true beast in the paint!
With everything in place, Lin Yu couldn't wait for tonight's home game to begin. He was ready to make a splash in the NBA with Ben Wallace by his side.