Chapter 572 - 499: Rose
In the warehouse on the other side, there were also several large screens.
After the show began recording, the large screens started to display a live feed from the court.
In front of one of the screens, DeRozan and three others were huddled together.
"That guy actually passed?" DeRozan’s eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn’t figure out what incredible talent Chen Yu had seen in Durant to give him a precious direct pass.
DeRozan remembered Durant from the fight yesterday.
He was really skinny, had no strength, and couldn’t fight. If Beasley hadn’t rushed to the front and taken all the hits, Westbrook could have pinned Durant to the ground and beaten him senseless.
And the one-on-one just now also proved how fragile Durant’s body was.
To make it in the NBA, your body is fundamental.
Under these circumstances, DeRozan really couldn’t understand why Chen Yu would give him a direct pass.
The surrounding players were all muttering, not understanding the result.
Westbrook muttered, "Do you think he knows Dr. Chen? Maybe it was fixed for him to get a direct pass."
All six of the other judges, including Jordan, had voted to eliminate him. But Chen Yu not only gave Durant another chance to play one-on-one, he even gave him a direct pass in the end.
"I don’t think so." A chubby Harden shook his head. "If they really knew each other, he would have been let go last night."
Would he have been locked up with us until this morning?
Just then, Holidays said, "Actually, he’s not completely useless. I feel like his body is very flexible. Look at how wide his crossovers are. I think that’s why Dr. Chen let him pass."
’Poor physicality, unable to use his skills... Holidays felt that wasn’t the real problem.’
’Or rather, everyone here has that problem.’
’After all, they were still young, and they were facing active, NBA-level players.’
’Take Durant, for example. Being skinny isn’t a big deal; he can just bulk up.’
’But the crossover ability, ball control, and outstanding wingspan he showed in the one-on-one—that’s what the others don’t have.’
At first, Holidays also thought passing was determined by the result of the one-on-one. But after watching for a while, he realized that winning or losing didn’t matter at all.
’The production team probably didn’t expect any of them to have an outstanding performance anyway.’
So, it was understandable that Chen Yu saw a spark in Durant and passed him. But giving him a direct pass slot still felt like a bit much to Holidays.
There were only so many direct pass slots. Using one meant one less was available.
’The ones who could impress all seven judges and pass easily didn’t need a direct pass ticket.’
’Only those whose talent wasn’t quite outstanding enough would need one.’
Holidays glanced at Westbrook out of the corner of his eye. ’His height is a killer. He might grow more in the future, but if he went to the open auditions now, he’d most likely be eliminated.’
Westbrook didn’t notice Holidays’s gaze. His eyes swept over the heads in the crowd, finally locking onto Oden in the distance.
He was standing all by himself.
His good friend, Conley, wasn’t selected because he was born in ’87, making him over the age limit.
"You guys think that Oden guy can win his one-on-one? I mean, even score just one basket," Westbrook said.
So far, not a single person had managed to score a basket or get a defensive stop.
The other three all turned to look at Oden.
At 7-foot, 249 pounds, Oden stood out in the crowd.
"Hard to say." Holidays also glanced at Oden. "His height and weight are almost the same as Milicic’s, but Milicic has been in the NBA for a year, made the All-Rookie First Team, and most importantly, the Pioneers spent the whole season developing him. He also trained with Dr. Chen. He’s very strong."
’Just in terms of experience, there’s a huge gap between them.’
On the screen, faced with this reversal, Durant was thanking Chen Yu profusely as he jogged off the court, as if afraid Chen Yu would change his mind if he was a second too slow.
The auditions continued.
"I’m up." Westbrook’s number was the earliest of the group, number 68. He had to go to the other side to wait.
"Good luck."
Harden wished him well.
DeRozan also stepped forward, hugged his good friend, and whispered in Westbrook’s ear, "Russell, no one else believes in you, but I do. You’re a real genius."
Westbrook nodded firmly, gave Holidays a final high-five, and walked toward the outer area to record his VCR.
Some were eliminated, some passed. On the set, the audition numbers had already reached 51.
On the court, Jordan was already making small talk with Chen Yu about where to go for dinner later.
With so many people, the show definitely couldn’t be filmed in one day.
The goal for today was to get through a third of them, about ninety people.
Even so, they would have to keep filming into the afternoon.
Just then, George Gervin suddenly asked, "Chen, what about that Curry kid, the one who’s been training with you? How is he?"
He was quite curious about this little guy who had been training with Chen Yu since ’02.
"He’s alright, but I feel like if they played for real, he’d get destroyed by Ford," Chen Yu said with a smile.
When Chen Yu first started working with Curry, he discovered his strength was his reaction speed.
Then, as they trained, his talent for his ball-handling gradually emerged.
But after Curry entered high school, especially now as a sophomore, Chen Yu watched his games and discovered another one of his talents: he was good at reading the game and finding open spots to shoot.
He could often use off-ball movement to get to an open spot, then catch and shoot to score.
His timing for finding open space was incredibly precise, as if he had a natural instinct for it.
However, that kind of ability couldn’t be displayed at all in a one-on-one challenge like this.
And his disadvantage in height would be infinitely magnified.
So even if he went out there, there would only be one outcome: he’d be mercilessly destroyed.
’But it doesn’t matter. He’s my guy, after all. Chen Yu already had a direct pass ticket ready for him. As for why he gets to go straight through? Well, he’s just talented.’
George Gervin chuckled. He got it.
Just then, the auditions reached number 52.
Derek Rose from Chicago!
"I think I’ve heard your name before," Jordan interjected during the self-introduction.
Jordan paid attention to the local talent in Chicago.
A flicker of excitement showed in Rose’s eyes, but his gaze remained locked on Chen Yu.
He was grateful to Chen Yu from the bottom of his heart.
Not for basketball, but for life.
In Rose’s mind, basketball wasn’t the problem. He was very confident he could play well; whenever he stepped on the court, he was always full of confidence.
But life was far more difficult than any game.
And Chen Yu, who came from the same neighborhood, had given him the greatest help in his life, allowing him to focus on basketball without any worries.
In Rose’s heart, that was more important than anything.
"Good luck," Chen Yu said with an encouraging smile.
Rose nodded vigorously, thrilled.
’That reaction...’
The other judges exchanged a look and understood in an instant. As long as Rose didn’t perform too poorly, they would definitely let him pass the preliminary round.
’They were getting paid so much to be judges; they had to return the favor when it was due.’
’Besides, it’s just the preliminary round. It doesn’t matter.’
Rose was matched up against Ford.
The two were almost the same height, and their weight was nearly identical.
Rose was even a little skinnier.
But when the two took their positions and Rose started his drive with the ball, Ford was suddenly startled.
’Fuck, he’s fast!’
Ford moved his body almost instinctively to block Rose’s path.
After two dribbles, Rose pushed right through Ford’s defense and, while falling backward and completely off-balance, threw the ball up.
It was an incredibly difficult driving floater.
And the key thing was, it went in!
The ball spun around the rim once and dropped in.
The venue went silent for a moment.
The first made basket of the day appeared just like that, without any warning.
In the opposite stands, James and the three others were taken by surprise.
"Luck," Bosh muttered.
The shot was incredibly difficult, but it clearly had an element of luck.
"Not entirely," Wade said, shaking his head slightly. "His first step is extremely fast, and his ability to handle contact on the move is pretty good. Most importantly, he has a good core."
After jumping, Rose’s body was completely off-balance. He relied on incredible core strength to stabilize himself and complete the floater.
Otherwise, it would have just been a wild heave.
"Chen, this kid... isn’t bad," Owen, on his right, muttered, his eyes narrowed slightly.
’Good speed, and most importantly, a great core.’
’Having a strong core is a talent in itself.’
Chen Yu chuckled. "He has an excellent feel for the game."
On the second ball, Rose chose almost the same method of attack.
He tried a pump fake to get Ford in the air, but Ford didn’t bite at all, staying with him step for step and solidly contesting Rose’s shot.
Rose wasn’t discouraged. He gritted his teeth, and on the third ball, he even tried a flashy move—a drive into a spin.
But Ford unhesitatingly stripped the ball from him.
Chen Yu sighed softly. ’Still a bit green.’
’He’s just a high school freshman, his body hasn’t fully developed yet. Even if he has some talent advantage, which player who makes it to the NBA doesn’t have talent?’
’Not to mention a player like TJ Ford, who, despite his huge height disadvantage, was drafted in the lottery based on his speed and even made the All-Rookie First Team.’
’Trying to beat him with pure physicality is just impossible.’
’And his skills aren’t enough either. The few moves he’s learned, Ford knows them all inside and out, so there’s no advantage there.’
’Instead of trying to read the defense and play to his strengths, he goes for flashy moves like that. The only result is getting the ball stripped or his shot blocked.’
On the fourth ball, Rose tried to replicate his first shot.
But his first basket really did involve some luck. This time, he completely lost his balance, fell hard onto the floor, and the ball didn’t go in.
As he went for the shot, the experienced Ford applied even more physical pressure.
Chen Yu frowned again.
Chen Yu had noticed a problem before when watching Rose’s games and tapes.
The kid played with a kind of reckless abandon, constantly throwing his body around without any thought as to whether he’d get injured.
’That’s not a good habit.’
While his mind wandered, the final ball was contested by Ford and missed.
Rose tried a change of pace, only to prove once again that he was overthinking it.
After the five possessions were over, Rose’s eyes were filled with frustration.
Even on the first basket, he felt he had just caught Ford off guard and relied on a bit of luck.
He wanted to put on a good show for Chen Yu, to prove himself.
But the reality was, he still wasn’t good enough. He was too far off.