One Year Left to Play

Speaking of the 13th pick, the first person Nash thought of wasn’t himself; he didn’t feel he had any grudges with Zhang Hao. What came to his mind was the most famous 13th pick in the league today, Karl Malone.

Looking at Zhang Hao’s smile, Nash felt as if Satan was smiling at him.

Nash genuinely hadn’t expected that someone as inconspicuous as him, an end-of-the-lottery rookie, could actually catch this guy’s attention!

Originally, being picked 13th had Nash so excited at the draft that he couldn’t manage his expressions. Now, he really wanted to swap draft spots with his fellow rookie who was still lurking at the end of the bench, even if it meant earning less!

Because he initially expected to be picked in the late first round, being selected in the lottery was completely unexpected.

Zhang Hao found Nash’s reaction quite amusing and wanted to tease him further. Just then, a sturdy guard protected Nash from behind, accompanied by a tall guy who looked technical-foul-worthy.

"Gentleman, don’t bully the rookie. If you have a problem, come at me!" Isaiah Rider said, staring up at Zhang Hao.

O’Neal and Barkley, the Magician, Ben Wallace, and others came up behind Zhang Hao, led by Boss Kenny in a suit.

Then Sabonis, Chris Dudley, Stacey Augmon, and other Blazers players gathered around.

The chatting referee hurriedly stepped in between the two groups, and the coaches frantically tried to pull their players away.

Moments ago, the referee was laughing about whether Zhang Hao would taunt the other side when the game started, because the opponent had Rashid Wallace, a high-ranking rookie from the same draft class as Zhang Hao.

Then, things escalated beyond what they expected! Two groups faced off directly!

Kenny Anderson, dressed in a suit, felt unlucky, wondering why his young brother loved stirring trouble so much.

Barkley had a simple thought: as long as Zhang Hao didn’t suffer, it was fine. If a fight broke out, he’d join in... if they really started fighting, could he catch a ten-day to half a month break?

O’Neal just wanted to join in the fun; he didn’t want Zhang Hao to get beaten. If Zhang Hao got hurt, who would take charge?

On the Blazers’ side, it wasn’t yet the Portland Prison Brigade. Sabonis, Chris Dudley, Stacey Augmon, and others were good guys, here to mediate.

Zhang Hao looked at the scene, shook his head, and said, "Alright, I won’t bully the rookie..."

Not wanting to escalate the conflict? Kenny Anderson was pleased! His younger brother seemed to have matured a bit...

Then, Kenny Anderson saw Zhang Hao turn to Rashid Wallace and say, "Then I’ll bully you, Rashid."

Why me! Rashid Wallace felt awful; what did he mean by "then bully you"?

Do I look easy to bully?

Also, this guy was stepping up, I was just here for the fun!

The others didn’t expect Zhang Hao to suddenly say this; for a moment, the players were all silent... how did this guy manage to say such things with such a calm expression?

Zhang Hao continued, "Let’s make a bet. Let’s see who scores higher tonight. If I score at least 10 more points than you and we win, you’ll be my training partner for the summer."

"Why should I..." Rashid Wallace immediately refused, but was interrupted by Isaiah Rider—

"Do you really think you’re guaranteed to win? We’ll bet with you, what if you lose?"

Zhang Hao, still calm, said to Isaiah Rider, "If I lose the bet, I’ll be his training partner for the offseason."

"Fine! It’s settled!" Isaiah Rider said, leading Nash away, and the Blazers group also dispersed.

One of the parties involved, Rashid Wallace, hadn’t even finished his sentence before being dragged into a bet, wanting to say something but was directly pulled away.

Isaiah Rider, known for being loyal and a famous troublemaker, wasn’t foolish; the Lakers’ trio and other stars were all around, and a fight would definitely be at their disadvantage.

However, Rashid Wallace wasn’t as fierce as he looked; he didn’t want to escalate the conflict, and his logic was better than his teammates’.

Now he just wanted to say, "With this bet, win or lose, I still have to be that guy’s training partner! Where’s your brain? Where’s your brain?"

...

A teammate causing trouble again, what a headache...

Oh, it’s Zhang Hao! No worries then.

Zhang Hao making a bet during a conflict to outscore the opponent by 10 points?

No big deal, routine move.

Aiming to win?

That’s essential; with a 10-game winning streak, continuing to win is the basic goal.

Del Harris watched the players return after nearly a conflict, acting as if nothing had happened, as though they were accustomed to it, feeling a deep sorrow—how did my team become like this?

Sure enough, it’s all that damned kid’s fault!

Back on Zhang Hao’s side, seeing that today’s "stealing the show" mission prerequisite was completed, he focused his attention on analyzing the opponent.

"Isaiah Rider, 25 years old, 196 cm, 98 kg, 86 rating, offense 92, defense 73, three-point 82, mid-range shot 84, layup 95, speed 89, strength 87, jumping 96...

Average 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3 assists, 0.8 steals...

Current contract: 4 years, 19 million, this season’s salary 3.61 million."

"This salary, are you kidding me? I remember he averaged 19.6 points last season, shouldn’t someone with this performance at this age start at least 6 million?"

Zhang Hao saw news about Isaiah Rider when Aprile Clark helped clip and organize newspaper articles for him before the season.

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