"Mr. Chen, isn't it inappropriate to ask me to meet you at this time?"
Hearing Coach Gong's question, Chen Yilun laughed it off, unconcerned.
"I'm not part of the System, and I'm not even considered an insider back in China. There aren't that many rules for me."
Coach Gong glanced around. "Still, aren't you worried that meeting me like this could cause a bad impression?"
"That won't be a problem." Chen Yilun placed his cigar back in the ashtray. "My boss has shares in this hotel. I've already arranged it—no one will be coming onto this floor tonight."
Relieved by his words, Coach Gong finally sat down.
"So then, Mr. Chen, what did you want to see me about?"
"No, no, don't make me sound so distant." Chen Yilun quickly waved his hands. "Just call me Yilun, or Little Chen—it's fine either way."
"The reason I asked you here today is that I want to hear from you about the most promising young talents back home. You know I'm not very familiar with the domestic scene."
Chen Yilun shifted slightly closer to Coach Gong.
"I've worked hard to set up tomorrow's friendly. I've invited at least twenty scouts to attend. Those guys are sharp—they won't be impressed with the same old clichés."
"That's not an issue."
Hearing this, Coach Gong eased up a little.
"This game is mainly for developing the young players. Tomorrow, they'll be our main force."
"That's good to hear. But there's something else!"
With Gong's assurance, Chen Yilun raised another point.
"I managed to secure an internal slot for this year's Summer League. Since we're all Chinese, I'm keeping it for your team. What I need from you is to help me find one truly talented player. I really want to see another Chinese face in the league."
Coach Gong was momentarily stunned. A Summer League spot was very different from a training camp invitation—those weren't easy to get. And most likely, even Director Zhang wasn't aware of this.
"Shouldn't you be discussing this with Director Zhang?"
"I don't trust the Basketball Association!"
Chen Yilun said bluntly, "If they find out, they'll just use it for politics. What I want is someone who can actually play—someone who can be noticed and really has a chance to stay in the league!"
His words inevitably warmed Coach Gong's heart.
"I understand. After tomorrow's game, I'll give you a name."
"As soon as possible. The league's about to start, and I don't have much time." Chen Yilun rose to his feet.
"I should go now—if we keep talking, someone might find out. Oh, right!"
Just as he was about to leave, something occurred to him, and he turned back.
"That kid Ding on your team—I've seen his tapes. Can he create with the ball one-on-one?"
"Ding?"
Coach Gong thought for a moment.
"Yes. Ding used to play as a ball handler with his club. But he's still young and needs more polish."
"That's fine. Could you give him a few isolation plays tomorrow? I really like his athleticism and ball-handling ability."
...
The night passed without incident.
The next day, inside the Kings' arena.
Since it was just a friendly, no tickets were sold publicly. They were distributed internally instead.
Even so, the stands had a decent crowd—media, scouts, employees' families, and some Kings season ticket holders had all been invited.
"Today's game is special. I've been a Kings fan for decades, but this is the first time I've seen a national team from another country play in Sacramento."
An elderly fan with white hair and beard spoke to his young grandson in the stands.
"Everyone, give it your all today! Stick to the plays we've practiced, and show the spirit of our national team!"
Coach Gong finished his pregame pep talk on the sideline.
The Kings also showed plenty of respect to the visitors.
Their starting lineup was: CJ, Ben, Crowder, Porter, and Jokić.
On the bench sat LaVine, Oubre, Oden, and other rotation players for the upcoming season.
As for Rudy Gay, Chen Yilun hadn't called him, and even if he had, he probably wouldn't have shown up. Since signing his contract, Gay had been busy enjoying his vacation. The only way Chen Yilun knew his whereabouts was through his Twitter posts.
...
At tip-off, Zhou Qi—nicknamed the "Big Monster"—was eager to prove himself. He leapt up and directed the opening possession to his teammate, Guo Ailun, who brought the ball up.
Guo dribbled slowly past half court. From the weak side, the shooting guard immediately came up from the 45-degree angle to set a screen.
Ben, reading the play, charged over to switch onto him.
But just as Ben cut across, Zhou Peng, at small forward, stepped directly into his path.
"That's a fake screen!"
The moment Ben was stopped by Zhou Peng, Genzi slipped into the space created at the 45-degree weak-side angle for a wide-open look.
Right as he settled, Guo's pass arrived.
"Clang!"
Although it was an open shot, Genzi's first attempt was off, the ball bouncing hard off the back rim.
Jokić, already well-positioned under the basket, pulled down the rebound. He was about to outlet to CJ when he noticed Ben and Crowder already sprinting down the court.
With quick instinct, Jokić fired a pinpoint football-style outlet pass.
Ben caught it effortlessly past half court and barreled toward Yi Jianlian, who was retreating into the paint.
Seeing Ben's drive, Yi Jianlian backpedaled into the restricted area, preparing to contest the layup.
But in midair, Ben took the hit from Yi Jianlian and kicked it out to the corner.
Crowder, waiting there, calmly rose for a pull-up jumper. Swish—the ball dropped cleanly through.
"Coach Gong also likes running horns sets, huh."
Watching from the sideline, Chen Yilun chuckled after the transition.
That last sequence had been a textbook horns play. For some reason, it seemed every head coach of the men's national team loved using horns.
"The transition defense is still too slow. Look how easily they're getting fast-break points!"
Coach Gong shook his head in frustration, muttering to Coach Du beside him.
After a few standard possessions, the game started tilting heavily, just as expected.
Aside from Yi Jianlian, who could still hold his own, the others clearly struggled against NBA-level competition.
Seeing this, Coach Gong began subbing in the younger players, simplifying the tactics to give them more chances to showcase their abilities.
"You take this one yourself!"
After crossing half court, Guo Ailun shouted at Ding Yanyuhang, passed him the ball, and moved to the weak-side corner.
Taking a deep breath, Ding squared up against his matchup—rookie Kelly Oubre, two years younger than him.
He glanced around the court and signaled to Zhou Qi inside.
The Big Monster responded, pulling up to the top of the arc for a screen, dragging Oden out of the paint.
As Zhou Qi set his position, Ding exploded off the dribble, squeezing past Oubre and driving inside.
At the same time, Zhou Qi popped out to the three-point line. Since Oden had already seen Zhou hit one from deep earlier, he didn't dare leave him open.
This left the paint exposed for a moment.
Ding powered his way into the lane and rose for a shot, with Oubre contesting. The two collided midair, twisting Ding's shooting hand.
Still, Ding twisted in the air and forced up the shot.
The ball hit the front rim, bounced twice, and finally dropped in.