At the post-game press conference, the General—holding his young son Jerami Grant—became the center of attention. Every reporter wanted to know what had transpired within the Bullets organization.
Tonight's game was utterly bizarre: first, Howard came off the bench for the General, and second, the General delivered this otherworldly performance.
"I want to thank my coach, Lin Yu. He didn't just give me an opportunity—he reignited my competitive spirit."
"I must admit, like others, I once underestimated him because of his age. Now, I have nothing but admiration."
"He's like the sun, illuminating the entire Bullets team. Just think about what happened to us after he became head coach."
Throughout the press conference, the General gazed at Lin Yu with almost tender eyes, his words brimming with praise.
Reporters began dissecting the General's words, and moments later, shock gripped their hearts.
Before Lin Yu arrived, Big Ben, Legler, and Harvey were all benchwarmers—non-entities within the team. If someone had claimed they'd vanish from the NBA next season, no one would have doubted it.
Yet after Lin Yu's arrival, all three unleashed remarkably impressive combat prowess.
Harvey, needless to say, had just scored 48 points tonight with extraordinary efficiency—a feat no Bullet player had achieved this season.
Legler was also being utilized to his fullest potential. Under Lin Yu's guidance, his three-point shooting ability had been maximized.
Big Ben needed only three games to transform from a fringe player into a defensive presence rivaling the likes of Dikembe Mutombo and Dennis Rodman.
All these changes were brought about by none other than Lin Yu, who was only 26 years old!
After the press conference ended, Onseld called Lin Yu over and brought him to his office.
"Buddy, can you tell me what the hell is going on with my team?"
"Dabon being unearthed—I can understand that."
"Legler proving invaluable—I can force myself to understand that too."
"But what's going on with Harvey? I feel like I'm not fit to be the team's GM—I know nothing about what's happening."
"What kind of magic do you have? Harvey was clearly washed up before, so how did he become so strong under you?"
Onseld felt he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if he didn't get an answer.
As the Bullets' helmsman, the team had been under his absolute control for the past decade. But since Lin Yu arrived over a week ago, he found the Bullets had become somewhat unfamiliar.
Of course, Onseld could fully accept this unfamiliarity, because the team's performance had tangibly improved.
From a previous four-game losing streak to their current three wins and one loss, the Bullets' combat effectiveness had undergone a qualitative leap.
Lin Yu scratched his head, utterly unable to answer Onseld's question. "Sir, there's something called the rookie's aura. Have you heard of it?"
"It's when a beginner does something and everything goes incredibly smoothly. I might be in that situation right now."
Onseld rolled his eyes. "Do you really think I'm an idiot? Who would believe that?"
Lin Yu sighed inwardly. If you can believe Jalen Rose is a jinx, why can't you believe in a beginner's aura?
Besides, Lin Yu wasn't making this up—his trump card really was the aura...
"Fine. I've seen too many strange things in my life to be surprised by one more."
"I'll ask you one thing: what about Zhu Wan? You can't expect me to bench a player I signed for $100 million."
That was Onseld's real concern. Uncle Huo Er was the player he'd personally snatched from the Heat, offering him the league's first $100 million contract. Keeping him on the bench indefinitely would be laughable.
"It's not as complicated as you think. Harvey is 32 now. He can't keep playing at this level forever."
"The season isn't over yet. I just want to experiment with different lineups. If we face injuries in the playoffs, we'll be ready with alternative rotations."
Lin Yu's explanation was flawless.
Onseld clapped and cheered. "Excellent! Excellent! You're exactly the kind of head coach I was looking for."
After beating the Magic tonight, we've climbed to ninth in the Eastern Conference standings—playoff contention is within reach.
If we can go 3-1 on our upcoming four-game road trip, we'll definitely crack the top eight in the East.
Lin Yu nodded. "No problem. The Lakers opener might be tough, but the Spurs, Grizzlies, and Nuggets? Those are free wins. "
"By the way, when will Jalen Rose report to the team?"
This morning, the Bullets officially submitted the trade with the Pacers to the league. The deal is now complete, and Jalen Rose is officially a Bullet.
"He and Anthony Davis are on a flight to Washington. You'll see him tomorrow morning."
"Jamie King and Ray Jackson should also report tomorrow morning. They're both unwanted free agents—signing them was a breeze."
Lin Yu nodded. With the Michigan Five now assembled, the upcoming road trip would be the perfect chance to showcase them.
Against the Lakers, fielding all five would be impossible. Val's skill level was inconsistent, and while Jamie King had some talent—a 2005 second-round pick—Ray Jackson was completely unfit for the NBA. He'd only cause problems on the court.
However, the road game against the Spurs presented an opportunity to start all five. The Spurs were currently tanking anyway.
The next morning at eight o'clock, Lin Yu's figure appeared at Citibank.
Half an hour later, his worn briefcase held an extra fifty thousand dollars in cash.
After collecting the money, Lin Yu rode his beat-up bicycle back to the training ground, his heart pounding the entire way, terrified that some highwayman might ambush him and steal his hard-earned cash...
He was overthinking it, really. With his chipped bicycle and peeling briefcase, any robber would worry about losing money on the deal—after all, bullets aren't cheap.
Upon reaching the training ground, Lin Yu immediately called over Da Ben.
"Here, take this ten thousand to pay your fine."
"And here's another ten thousand to buy a car. Don't think I don't know you take the bus here every day."
"Don't try to humiliate me, and don't thank me. We're brothers—what's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine."
"If you really want to thank me, help me move later."
Lin Yu pulled out two stacks of hundred-yuan bills and handed them to Da Ben.
Da Ben took the money, silently vowing to repay Lin Yu tenfold or a hundredfold once he signed a big contract.
By ten o'clock that morning, Weber led three players toward Lin Yu.
"Coach, they're here."
Webber's voice trembled. To him, it felt like a dream—the Michigan Fab Five reunited once more.
Howard walked over, embracing Jalen Rose and the others one by one.
Looking at the Michigan Fab Five before him, Lin Yu couldn't help but recall the scene of the Five Mice Stirring Up Trouble in Tokyo. Washington, D.C., located in the eastern United States, was essentially the capital—just like Tokyo.
"Congratulations, Host. You have assembled the historical-level bonded team [Michigan Fab Five] and obtained the permanent aura [Synthesis]."
[Synthesis]: When all five members of the Michigan Fab Five are present, the Host may designate one player as the target and absorb 2% of all attributes from the other four players.
This system notification made Lin Yu inwardly sigh with satisfaction—this was a steal. He had been wondering how to acquire other permanent auras.
Peak Auras were undeniably powerful, but their limitations were too severe. If Lin Yu didn't acquire a promising freshman rookie in the future, those Peak Auras would become utterly useless.
Lin Yu surmised that the method for obtaining permanent auras likely involved assembling renowned historical teams.
Now that he knew the acquisition method, Lin Yu could devise ways to collect more permanent auras in the future.
Of course, the newly acquired Fusion Aura also had significant limitations. It required all five Tigers to be present simultaneously, meaning it could only be used in very specific scenarios.
For instance, when a team faces a game-winning moment, someone needs to step up for the clutch shot in the final three seconds.
For instance, if Weber is designated as the target, even if Jamie King and Ray Jackson have low stats, they should still have around 40-50 points. A 2% boost could increase Weber's overall stats by about 1 point. Howard and Jalen Rose could provide more, collectively adding at least 5 points to Weber's overall stats.
This is quite significant and could greatly increase Weber's chances of making the game-winning shot.
During regular play, the combined aura effect becomes negligible. Since Jimmy King and Jackson are already underwhelming players, draining more from them would turn them into massive liabilities on the court. Focusing on neutralizing these two would only accelerate the Bullets' defeat.
Regardless, it at least adds another tactical option. In critical moments, Lin Yu still has something to fall back on.