I'm not really a role player

Chapter 36 The Battle of Public Opinion

The next day, Li Ke went for a morning run as usual.

His morning running routine has changed a bit since before he got Damion James' jumping talent.

As long as there is no class in the morning, he will run farther and longer, and he will tire himself into a dog every time.

"D-level stamina, try to upgrade it by yourself."

Stamina is now another test subject for Li Ke. Li Ke predicts that if he can have B-level stamina, it will be enough to enter the NBA.

After running for a while, Li Ke specially bought a copy of "Austin News".

"Unfair Sports Illustrated!"

As a result, he saw the shocking headline on the front page before he saw his exclusive interview.

"So far in the new NCAA season, Kevin Durant is undoubtedly the best performing freshman, none of them, even removing the freshman restriction, he can also be the best performing NCAA basketball player..."

"And Greg Oden, who just came back in early December, may have performed well, but he shouldn't surpass KD, who has been on fire for the entire preseason in one game..."

"Obviously, Sports Illustrated's subjectivity and bias in the draft prediction rankings are not concealed at all..."

The title is horrifying, but the content is bland by comparison.

But in the United States, if a major newspaper is questioned as too subjective and biased, it is also a very serious problem.

Li Ke, who was jogging in the morning, found a place to sit down, carefully scanned the front page article, and found that he was mentioned.

"Sheldon Lee, the starting forward of the Horns at the University of Texas at Austin and Kevin Durant's teammate, bluntly said: Greg Oden is not a candidate for the No. [-] pick because he has too many injuries..."

Well, now, Li Ke knows why Stephen Adler asked so many questions about Xiao Du and Auden in yesterday's interview.

"Shooting at Sports Illustrated? It depends on whether people ignore you..."

Li Ke felt that Sports Illustrated would probably ignore the Austin news, which was only famous in the Austin area, but when he returned to the apartment and Xiao Du appeared again with frost on his face and a smile on his face, Li Ke knew that things were not simple.

"You know, Sheldon, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Daily, the Houston Chronicle, and the Austin News all complained about me this morning."

Xiao Du seemed very excited, but Li Ke frowned.

"I'm complaining about you?"

"That's right, although the article was written by the same person, I have to say that it is very correct!"

However, Li Ke shook his head. He knew that this matter was not that simple. The writer of this article, Stephen Adler, obviously came prepared from yesterday's exclusive interview.

……

Sure enough, in the afternoon, a CBS program, the battle between Xiao Du and Auden for the No. [-] prediction became the main topic of discussion.

Bill Simmons, a best-selling author and sports columnist who was invited to participate, expressed his views. He first evaluated Xiao Du.

"I have never seen a player like KD. He is seven feet tall and has an arm length close to 2 meters, but he is as thin as a bamboo pole. He can't play a center, and he doesn't have such strong dominance in the penalty area. He is a shooter and can shoot from any position on the court. I have to say that this is also a talent, but no one dares to bet on this unstable talent..."

"Compared to KD, the NBA prefers big men like Greg Oden. With the same height and arm length, Oden is more robust, and his dominance in the penalty area can be seen with the naked eye..."

"So, there's nothing wrong with the Sports Illustrated change?" the host asked.

"Yes, there is no problem. If I were the general manager of the NBA, I would also choose Greg Oden. 99% he will be the next cornerstone player. As for KD, 50% he will also be the cornerstone, but he still has a 50% chance of becoming Michael Olowokandi."

It is impossible for Xiao Du to watch such a program specially, but on the second day after the big show started, the discussion about Xiao Du and Auden has gone beyond that.

In response, Sports Illustrated did a phone interview with former NBA manager of the year and now retired Stan Kasten:
"Greg Oden or Kevin Durant? I will choose Greg. He is more talented. He will become the next Bill Russell or Tim Duncan. As for KD, he is also great, but he has too many uncertainties. The draft is one of the few chances for a weak team to turn around. No one will choose a rookie full of uncertainty and give up a rookie who can definitely become a Hall of Fame..."

And the opponent that Oden defeated just after his comeback, the head coach of NCAA Valparaiso University, Helmodru, also expressed his opinion in front of the media: "He met us just after his comeback, and he got a double-double in 23 minutes. When he recovers, you will learn more. Now he is obviously not at his peak..."

A current NBA executive who did not want to be named: "In the NBA, you will always be safe with the big man."

Xiao Du, who is keen on these reports, will naturally not ignore them.

So, in the next period of time, Xiao Du became gloomy and gloomy. He never thought that the public opinion would be like this.

And Stephen Adler, who provoked the incident, has not been idle during this time.

He wrote another article, pointing directly to Oden's injury.

Then, in the third article, comparing the performances of Xiao Du and Oden in the NCAA, the final conclusion is naturally that Xiao Du's performance is even better.

However, the experts who think that Oden should be the No. [-] pick can only come up with illusory things such as the theory of talent, the theory of the cornerstone of the center, and so on.

For a while, both sides had their own opinions.

The discussions seem to never end, but the NCAA season must go on.

During this period, the University of Texas has defeated a group of weak teams in the league in a row.

Of course, it is a weak team, but there are still some strong opponents, such as Kansas State University with Katil Martin, Oklahoma State University with James Uncurry and Terrell Harris, Oklahoma University with Blake Griffin’s brother Tyler Griffin, etc...

The University of Detroit still achieved a winning streak, maintaining its unbeaten record since the preseason.

As time progressed, their strong matchup with the University of Kansas was getting closer.

"In the Big [-], the University of Texas at Austin's Horns seem to be showing signs of being the best. This season, they have been winning and never losing. The Jayhawks of the University of Kansas in the same league have also been overshadowed by them, but even so, the Jayhawks cannot be ignored."

Bill Self is the head coach of the University of Kansas. His resume is much more brilliant than Rick Barnes. When he coached the University of Tulsa and the University of Illinois, he led the team to win the championship in the division. Now, he is only one NCAA championship to prove himself.

Li Ke is also very familiar with the name Bill Self, because there were rumors in his previous life that after Gregg Popovich retired, Bill Self would take over as the Spurs coach, which seemed to explain Self's coaching ability from other angles.

Kansas is a typical team basketball. In recent seasons, the NCAA has also been dominated by team basketball. The Gators who won the championship last season, although they have many stars, play team basketball.

This may be why Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers are full of confidence.

In the NCAA, superstars are always overturned, and team basketball is the one that keeps winning.

The big battle is coming, whether it is Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, or even Julian Wright and Daryl Arthur, they are clamoring in the media:
"End the Longhorns' winning streak and tell them the Jayhawks will always be king of the Big [-]!"

　This chapter has been changed again and again, so the post is late. Finally, please ask for the recommendation tickets and rewards for the next week. The new book needs care, and Yi Wen also needs encouragement

　　
　
(End of this chapter)