"The Warriors and Cavaliers are both relatively average. Especially the Cavaliers—after LeBron left, they fell apart completely and turned straight into a tanking team.
The Knicks, on the other hand, have clearly improved since Stoudemire joined. As a former teammate, he knows us well, so we need to take them seriously.
The Clippers are decent, but…"
Gentry paused and looked at Blake Su. "The Clippers have last year's number-one pick, Griffin. He missed the entire season due to injury, so this year is essentially his rookie season. He'll be your strongest competitor."
"Mhm."
Blake Su nodded seriously, without a trace of fear.
Gentry continued, "As for the strongest opponent recently, that would be the Thunder. I'm sure you all saw their game against the Heat last night.
To go toe-to-toe with the Heat like that—the Thunder's 'Big Three' are truly impressive.
Kevin, Russell, and Harden—overflowing with talent—are improving at a rocket-like pace. It won't be long before they make the entire league tremble.
Beating the Thunder will be our biggest challenge at this stage of the season.
Of course… we can't afford to relax against the other four teams either, or we'll pay a heavy price. Understood?"
"Got it!"
Everyone nodded, their fighting spirit rising.
"Mhm."
Gentry nodded in satisfaction, then added, "Pack up. We're heading to Golden State. Tomorrow night we'll be facing the Warriors on the road, so we'll get there early and prepare."
Not long after,
the Suns boarded their private jet bound for Golden State.
On the plane,
Blake Su leaned back in his cushioned seat, reflecting on the past few days since his arrival. Everything felt surreal and exhilarating. Now that he'd adjusted, he felt even more anticipation for what lay ahead.
At the moment,
what he needed to think about was choosing an agent.
An outstanding player—or businessman—needed a capable agent by his side.
Since the day Rich Paul, Jeff Austin, and Bill Duffy had come to see him, several other agents had also contacted Blake Su by phone.
However,
none of them showed up in person, which instantly killed his interest in talking further. In the end, his choice narrowed down to those three—or more accurately, between Austin and Rich.
Blake Su's expression grew serious.
"Austin has Curry and Giannis under him. Both are steadily moving toward superstardom.
Their own hard work is crucial, of course, but a good agent definitely plays a big role behind the scenes—offering plans, guidance, and real support.
So Austin's ability is beyond question.
The downside is that his resources aren't as extensive.
As for Rich, he's a famous NBA agent. He represents LeBron, Paul, and other superstars. His resources are abundant, and his ability is unquestionable. In terms of overall strength, he's stronger than Austin.
But…
because he has LeBron and Paul, if I sign with Rich, will I really get enough attention? Will he only be able to spare limited time and energy for me?
Very likely.
After all, at this stage, the value I can create can't be compared to LeBron or Paul.
On the other hand,
under Austin, Curry is only in his second year, and Giannis hasn't even arrived yet. He won't be overloaded, which means he'll have more time and energy to focus on me.
Besides… having fewer resources isn't a real problem. At a higher level, resources are something you fight for yourself. As long as I perform, as long as I raise my value, resources will naturally come to me.
In that case,
an agent who can focus fully on me and still has strong ability would be the better choice."
The more Blake Su thought about it, the clearer everything became, and the more certain he was of his decision.
"Alright, Austin it is. And if possible… that would be even better."
Blake Su narrowed his eyes as an idea quietly took shape in his mind.
...
By the time they arrived in Golden State and checked into a hotel near Oracle Arena, it was already 7 p.m. Blake Su wasn't one to sleep early, so after dropping off his luggage, he called Steve Nash. The two decided to head out for a meal.
With Nash leading the way, they arrived at a restaurant.
Business was booming.
They went up to the second floor and found a relatively quiet spot to sit down.
"Blake Su, a few of their signature dishes here are really good. Want to try them?"
Nash asked, menu in hand.
"Of course."
When eating at a new place, you naturally order the house specialties.
"Blake Su!!!"
Just as he was about to say more, Blake Su heard someone call his name. He looked up and froze—it was Jeff Austin. The world really was small.
Thinking about it again,
it made sense.
After all, this was Golden State. Austin was Curry's agent, and right next to him was the future sensation—Stephen Curry himself.
The two had also come out to eat and talk business.
"What a coincidence."
Austin walked over with a smile. "Since we've run into each other, perfect timing. I wanted to talk with you again anyway. Blake Su, Steve Nash—if you don't mind, why don't we eat together? My treat tonight."
Nash looked at Blake Su.
"No problem."
And so…
Blake Su, Steve Nash, Austin, and Curry all sat at the same table.
While Nash and Austin were ordering, Curry looked at Blake Su and smiled warmly. "Hi, Blake Su—the rookie center. I'm Stephen Curry. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too."
Blake Su smiled lightly. "You seem to know a lot about me?"
"Of course."
Curry flashed a bright grin and continued, "Eleven for eleven in your debut, 23 points in half a quarter, leading the team to an epic 23-point comeback. Then yesterday, 43 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals.
You even broke your fellow countryman Yao Ming's single-game scoring record.
You're the hottest rookie right now—outshining the top pick, John Wall. And that performance yesterday even stole the spotlight from the Thunder's 'Big Three' and the Heat's 'Big Three.'
That's seriously impressive."
"Tsk…"
Blake Su paused, then laughed. "Hey, don't you know a bit too much about me? I'm… starting to feel a little scared."
"Haha!"
Curry waved his hand and laughed. "Nah. Austin's been telling me all about you on the way here. He couldn't stop praising you."
"I'm just stating the facts,"
Austin said with a smile.
Blake Su glanced at him and nodded inwardly, feeling even more confident in his choice. Curry continued, "Still, for a center, your style is incredibly unique.
That's really impressive.
If you keep it up, you're going to give a lot of players serious headaches."
"Seems like that's true,"
Blake Su shrugged.
There was nothing he could do. With Iverson's Talent and the [Peak Anthony Jump Shot], despite standing 215 centimeters tall as a center, his efficiency was clearly higher when attacking from the perimeter.
"Your offense is pretty unique too,"
Nash, who had been listening quietly, chimed in.
"Me?"
Curry blinked and pointed at himself.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser