score maniac

Chapter 17: The King’s F4

Cheat 2. 0 Special Feature: Weakness Detection System…?? When the display appeared before him, Gu Yu reflexively reached out and waved his hand, trying to touch the interface. But, as expected, his hand passed right through the prompt panel without even grazing it. What on earth was going on?? “I… I actually lost…?!” Cousins stood to the side, hands braced on his knees, eyes wide as he stared at the floor, letting the sweat drip down his face. He never would have imagined that he—hailed as the most talented big man in this year’s draft—would actually lose to a little-known Asian guard with no standout skills other than scoring against Kahn! Why?? Why did I lose?! Cousins admitted that from the start of the one-on-one match—and even when Gu Yu sank his first few shots—he’d essentially been playing without any real defense. Aside from those two times when he happened to block Gu Yu’s shots, the rest of the time, as soon as he was faked out, he simply stopped defending and let Gu Yu score at will. In that sense, Cousins certainly wasn’t taking the game seriously, and he didn’t take Gu Yu—that slick-haired guy—at all seriously. You could say that Gu Yu’s first six points were essentially “half-defended, half-given” by Cousins. But once Gu Yu started scoring in bunches and kept sinking shots with a series of mind-boggling, bizarre moves, Cousins started to panic. As the score gap narrowed, Cousins really wanted to step up his defense. However, Gu Yu’s sharp tongue wouldn’t let up, and he kept spewing trash talk nonstop. Cousins already had a short fuse, and with Gu Yu goading him like this, he found it even harder to tolerate. His defensive moves became increasingly erratic, and all he could think about was getting even on the offensive end. Back and forth, Cousins found himself at a disadvantage. By the time he realized he had to shut down Gu Yu’s sweet spot and stop him from scoring endlessly, the score was already 9–10. Then came Gu Yu’s sudden three-pointer, which sealed the game. I… lost? “Huff… huff… huff… huff…” Cousins kept gasping for breath, still unable to believe what had happened. He’d just entered the NBA—he hadn’t even had a chance to play a single game yet—and he’d lost to a player like this? I… “Weakness Detection System…?” While Cousins was sighing in bewilderment over here, Gu Yu, over there, also furrowed his brow as he began to study the text on the prompt panel in front of him, trying to figure out what it actually meant. The literal meaning wasn’t hard to grasp—the cheat he was currently equipped with could detect his weaknesses—but this raised two questions. First, does “weakness” refer to technical weaknesses or physical ones? If it referred to technical weaknesses, Gu Yu knew full well that, aside from shooting, he was practically useless. In the one-on-one matchup just now, he did indeed sink that final three-pointer, but Gu Yu knew it was because his previous string of baskets had “warmed up” his shooting touch. As a shooter, when his touch is on fire, making another shot feels only natural. If Gu Yu wants to make it in the NBA now, he must develop a full range of guard skills that are up to par. Even without any “cheats,” he would give this his all. On top of that, Cousins’ two blocks made it painfully clear to Gu Yu just how utterly inadequate his physique was for NBA-level competition. So what exactly is the purpose of this so-called “Weakness Detection System”? Is it merely to “detect” Gu Yu’s weaknesses and then inform him of them? If that’s all it does, is it really necessary to use a system notification panel to point out a problem that anyone with eyes can see? “Impossible.” Gu Yu instinctively felt that it was absolutely impossible. This cheat couldn’t possibly be that simple…! “Brilliant… brilliant!” Just as Gu Yu and Cousins were each lost in their own thoughts, Jeter—who had been silent for quite some time—finally spoke up from the sidelines. He even clapped his hands, a smile of admiration on his face as he said, “That one-on-one was truly spectacular!” “Huh…?” Although they’d been locked in a fierce battle on the court just moments ago, in that brief interval, the two young men—Gu Yu and Cousins—had actually come to acknowledge each other’s skills. Hearing the voice from the sidelines, they both froze for a moment. After exchanging a glance, all four eyes turned in the same direction. Who are these two guys…? “They’re both big stars now. Demarcus, of course, was already making waves in the NCAA—anyone who follows the draft knows him.” Jeter said with a friendly smile, “As for Gu… that punch he landed on Kahn—that really took the edge off!” “Haha, you flatter me.” Gu Yu chuckled, little knowing that the only reason Jeter had recognized him was because he’d immediately Googled him on his phone right there on the spot. “We know who you are, but you might not necessarily know who we are.” Jeter took a step forward and said, “Let me introduce myself. My name is Eugene Jeter. Although I just entered the league this year, recently signed a contract with the Kings, and am stepping onto an NBA court for the first time, I’ve actually been playing in professional leagues for several years. I entered the draft in 2006 but went undrafted. After that, I played in the Ukrainian and Israeli leagues, so I’m not exactly young anymore.” “I play point guard. My strengths are three-pointers and steals, and I’m also a decent playmaker. My nickname is Pooh—you can call me Pooh-Jeter.” “Pooh? That’s a great nickname,” Gu Yu said, giving a thumbs-up. “The guy next to me is Hassan Whiteside. He faced off against De Marcus in the NCAA, though I’m guessing you probably… don’t remember him.” Jeter, of course, had no idea about Gu Yu’s sarcasm. He smiled, patted Whiteside on the arm, and said to Cousins, “He plays center. His strengths are rebounding and blocking shots, and he’s got some accuracy from mid-range, too.” “Whiteside? ‘White Belt’? Great name! Each one’s better than the last!” Gu Yu gave another thumbs-up. “Barring any surprises, the four of us will be the Kings’ rookies this year.” Jeter, still unaware of Gu Yu’s Chinese-language inside joke, continued, “Position-wise, Gu and I will be the backcourt duo, while Whiteside and Cousins will form the twin towers in the paint. This lineup is very likely to see action in the upcoming Summer League. As for small forward, Kasbi—the rookie who joined the team last year—will most likely partner with us to form the starting lineup.” Oh. Hearing this, Gu Yu began to get the picture. This Eugene Jeter had bounced around several leagues and teams; compared to Gu Yu himself, as well as Cousins, “White Belt”… ugh, “White Edge,” and the others, he was considered a veteran. Although he also lacked NBA experience, Jeter would have more insight when it came to issues like how to fit into the team and how to find the rhythm of professional competition. It was precisely because of this experience that “Flop” Jeter had done so much groundwork in advance and was now reaching out to his soon-to-be teammates. He knew full well that how everyone performed in the Summer League would largely determine whether each player stayed on the team—and might even shape the rest of their careers. As a point guard, Jeter is quite short, so his ability to stand out relies heavily on his teammates’ cooperation. By reaching out now, he hopes to gain an edge during the Summer League. To put it simply, Jeter is the kind of “rookie go-to guy” you’ll find on every team—if you don’t understand something, just ask him. So… Gu Yu scanned the room, looking at the group of players who were about to fight alongside him, and nodded to himself. The four of us here are the Kings’ rookie F4 in the Summer League! “I think you all understand that we share a common goal: to stay in the NBA and remain with the Kings.” Jeter continued, “So I suggest we start running through some plays right now to get to know each other better. When we’re out on the court, we’ll need to look out for one another. What do you think?” The other three exchanged glances. After weighing the pros and cons, they all agreed there was nothing to lose and nodded in agreement. “So… shall we get started now?” Jeter suggested. “Hold on a sec—you guys go ahead and practice. I’m going to the bathroom!” Gu Yu called out, then turned and walked away under Jeter’s skeptical gaze. I need to figure this out first. As he walked out of the arena, Gu Yu studied the floating interface prompt in front of him carefully. All three of them are stronger than me. If I want to stay, I’ll have to give it two hundred percent. So… “I absolutely have to figure out right away what this ‘Weakness Detection System’ is actually for…!”