The next morning, both the NCAA and the NBA circles were abuzz.
Michigan's five-person team returned to action, scoring a buzzer-beater against the league's powerhouse Lakers that night. The hype was truly immense.
The Bullets had won four of their last five games, most of which came against playoff-caliber teams, prompting a reassessment of their strength.
Lin Yu's name was mentioned with increasing frequency. Every press conference was filled with praise from the entire team.
The back-to-back victories had ignited an unprecedented level of morale within the Bullets' locker room. Even Fei Che, who had long harbored ambitions for a palace intrigue, had recently put his plans on hold.
After defeating the Lakers, the Bullets faced three weak opponents. If nothing unexpected happened, they could easily win them all, effectively securing their place in the playoffs.
After these three games, National Holy Week began. Then, in about a week, the trade market for this season would officially close, leaving no room for roster changes.
Lin Yu knew the Bullets had become much stronger thanks to his adjustments, but he still felt something was missing. He was considering contacting Seidel to discuss a trade for reinforcements before the trade market closed.
…
On the plane to San Antonio, the players were still brimming with excitement after their game-winning victory over the Lakers, playing and joking in small groups.
Of course, there were also quieter ones, like Legler, who was perusing a magazine with gusto.
"Did you know? This magazine says the strongest muscle in the human body is our tongue!"
Legler exclaimed in shock. Amidst a sea of muscular men, he might have been trying to channel the preppy, gentle image.
"That doesn't make sense. If the tongue is so powerful, why don't people use it in fights?"
His heartfelt question captured the attention of everyone in the cabin, and everyone stared at him in shock.
"Tim, you've never used your tongue in a fight?"
"God, are you a virgin?"
Lin Yu also laughed. "A 33-year-old virgin? You can't be that? Are you also abstaining from sex like AC Green?"
"He's abstinent like an iron man, playing almost a thousand games, barely missing a game. What are you abstaining from? You must be secretly draining yourself, right?"
Legler blushed. "I just haven't had any in the last year. If I were as rich as you guys, I'd make sure I had a new one every day!"
"I have a mortgage payment of at least $5,000 a month. I have so many other needs."
When Lin Yu heard the word "mortgage," he couldn't help but feel sympathy for Brother Tuizi. Who could have imagined that even NBA players could be mortgage enslaved people? To pay off their mortgages, they're too afraid even to approach women. No wonder they've developed bone hyperplasia.
He suddenly remembered the favorability quest with Brother Tuizi. Initially, Lin Yu wasn't planning on doing it because even if he completely conquered Brother Tuizi, it didn't seem like there would be any significant improvement. Even with his current favorability of 70, Brother Tuizi's open three-point shooting was already quite impressive.
But hearing how pitiful Brother Tuizi was, and the fact that reaching full favorability would increase his Charisma, Lin Yu felt it necessary to continue the quest.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier? We just left Los Angeles!"
"If you had told me earlier, I would have treated you to a night out in Los Angeles last night. That's Los Angeles. You never know if the girl you spent a passionate night with will become an A-list Hollywood actress a month later!"
While catching his breath, Webber said he'd pay for Ben Wallace's losses. He probably felt good about it at the time, so he was always asking for it.
Hearing Webber's words, Brother Legs was filled with regret, slapping his thigh and exclaiming, "What bad luck!"
Jalen Rose was about to offer some words of comfort, but quickly retracted his head, fearing that Brother Legs would blame him for his bad luck.
Lin Yu was also filled with regret. Hollywood, an A-list actress, just missed out!
"Since I missed out on Los Angeles, San Antonio will do, too. I'm not picky," Brother Legs said with a sullen face.
Feiche burst into laughter. "San Antonio? I remember going out here two years ago."
"If you don't mind those girls all looking like Admiral Robinson, you might give it a try."
Harvey chimed in, "Think about it, there's no way they're any good. Any girl with some real talent wouldn't want to go to Los Angeles or New York to make some serious money."
"Just bear with it. After the All-Star Weekend, we'll have an away game in New York. Chris will take you out to see the world then."
Seeing the group chattering about this topic, Lin Yu sighed to himself: Ben Wallace was the better choice. What a simple kid.
"Hey, Chris, when we get to New York, can you show me the world, too?" Ben Wallace asked timidly.
...
At one in the morning of their arrival in San Antonio, Lin Yu was half asleep when the notification chime jolted him awake.
"Ding, Tim Legler's favorability has increased. Current favorability is 90 points."
Lin Yu was so angry that he burst out laughing. Just how horny was this guy? Speed car said that every girl in the Holy City looked like Admiral David Robinson, and yet this guy still couldn't stand the loneliness.
It seemed that he must have pestered Weber to take him along. Lin Yu guessed that Legler's year-long abstinence wasn't due to financial reasons, but more likely because he didn't dare to go alone.
Normally, teams on the road would have a curfew, and Brother Legs' behavior was a classic example of a violation. However, Lin Yu didn't bother to punish him. After all, their next opponent was the Spurs, and even if Brother Legs battled Admiral Robinson all night, it wouldn't affect the Bullets' chances of winning.
Webber was highly regarded, and tonight he might be giving Brother Legs some courage.
The image of Brother Legs and Admiral Robinson's passionate lovemaking lingered in his mind, and Lin Yu didn't sleep well the entire night.
The next day at training camp, Brother Legs was radiant, living up to the old saying, "Happy events bring joy..."
Lin Yu dismissed the players after two hours of training, pretending nothing had happened.
He returned to his hotel room and called Old Unseld.
"Mr. Unseld, should we use these last two weeks to strengthen our team and prepare for the playoffs?"
Lin Yu got straight to the point.
"Strengthen? Do you have any ideas? Tell me."
"Wait, let me be clear. Don't go after Ben Wallace. I'm not going to sell him."
Unseld quickly warned Lin Yu. Dwight Howard was his face, and even though he realized he was dispensable to the Bullets, he didn't want to sell him off.
Lin Yu hadn't planned on moving Howard. After all, he had the "Fusion" aura, and selling Howard would completely negate it.
Besides, Howard's cost-effectiveness isn't bad, not that he's incompetent. Keeping him on the team means Howard can fill in if Webber gets injured.
And Harvey's form won't last long. If Lin Yu can't find another suitable small forward, he'll have to move Webber to the three and have Howard start at the four.
"Don't worry, it's Quinto I want to trade."
"He was the sixth pick in the '93 draft, and he's performed very well in recent years. He has good trade value."
"Anyway, we already have Jalen Rose and Legler, so we don't need Chaney at the two."
Lin Yu said slowly.
"What? Are you serious? Legler isn't suitable for starting. You know that better than me."
"As for that unlucky guy, he got outscored by a teenager for over 20 points in the first half last night. Are you planning to make him our starting shooting guard?"
Unseld shouted excitedly.
Lin Yu gave a helpless smile. Jalen Rose was unlucky; no one could deny that, but his skill and potential were immense. In his prime, he was a star player for the Pacers. After joining the Bulls in 2003, he even became the team's star player, averaging over 22 points, four rebounds, and five assists per game—an authentic top-tier forward-guard swingman.
It was a shame that if Lin Yu told Unseld this, would he believe it?
"Sir, is there any trade information in the league lately? Perhaps it could give us some inspiration."
"Trade information? The most intriguing thing these days is the trade negotiations between Pat Riley's former team, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Dallas Mavericks."
"The Mavericks are willing to trade Mashburn, and the Heat are offering three players. Besides Sasha Danilovic, the other two are just extras."
Lin Yu was shocked and quickly asked, "Mashburn? Monster Mashburn?"
Unseld laughed. "Two years ago, he was certainly a monster, but since he was injured last season, his average has dropped from 24 points per game to 10 points per game now."
"Pat Riley is really a stockpile. Even if the chips he offers are cheap, what good is it in trading for a useless player?"
Lin Yu was ashamed. How could you, a general manager of a ninth-ranked team in the Eastern Conference, say that the second-ranked team is a stockpile?
Upon hearing the Mavericks were trading for Mashburn, Lin Yu had only one thought in mind: to acquire him, no matter the cost.
Mashburn, the monster, was selected by the Mavericks with the fourth overall pick in the 1993 draft. That year's top pick went to Webber, the second to Bradley, the third to Penny Hardaway, and Chaney the sixth.
In his first season as a Maverick, he averaged 19.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. His sophomore season saw his averages soar to 24.1 points. Only a handful of small forwards in NBA history have ever averaged that much in their sophomore season.
Everyone felt the Mavericks had struck gold; they had acquired a historic small forward whose rise was imminent.
However, misfortune struck during Mashburn's junior year, when a serious injury sidelined him for the entire season. When he returned this season, he averaged only 10 points per game, and his scoring efficiency was extremely low, with an embarrassing 37% shooting percentage. This caused the Mavericks to completely lose hope in him.
The Heat's desire to trade Mashburn was simply a gamble, betting that he could return to his peak form. Even if they lost, the chips they offered wouldn't affect the team's overall effectiveness.