<><>Gonna Take On The World Some Day: John Li<><>

[lids4]

For Massive Damage

Before the last war, before the treaty, the various groups of angry Arabs with guns could count on passive support from most of the population. Not many were willing to pick up a bomb and throw their lives away, but plenty were willing to turn a blind eye to what might be going on in their villages and neighborhoods. More still relied on the clinics, schools, and sanitation that such groups provided--Hamas spent 90% of its prewar budget on such things--in the absence of a competent government, reinforcing their legitimacy.

But by now, it was a different story. Hamas was smashed, its social functions supplanted initially by the occupying peacekeepers after the war and now by the semi-competent, Jordanian-backed PA. In addition, with peace came free trade. Nearly every Palestinian now knew an Israeli or two just to say hello, and vice versa, and though few would call each other friends, the two nations traded goods daily and employment and investment across the borders was very common. Prosperity made the opportunity cost of conflict and suicide far higher, and daily interaction made it harder to dehumanize the other--the joint schools were an example. As a consequence of this, civilians’ tolerance for disruption was low, and desire for a return to the bad old days almost nonexistent. While no doubt some people still harbored such wishes, they were too few to provide effective support for those militants who survived the war and wished to keep fighting. In addition, news of the kidnapping had spread everywhere thanks to the proliferation of cellphones and 15G towers. Namoor and Yitzak were popular among the common people too, and few were those who would not help to rescue them if they could.

So it was that a night watchman in the Port of Gaza City noticed an unusual amount of activity around a run-down warehouse near the docks, and that some of the men coming and going carried AK-47s. He flagged down a squad of Singaporean peacekeepers on patrol, who used a snake cam to look inside the warehouse and found the hostages, guarded by several gunmen. They called for reinforcements, and within minutes the general’s own “special” squad was on the scene. Door charges blew, followed by flashbangs, and with Americans in the front door and Singaporeans in the side door, the terrorists were dead in a hail of bullets before they knew what was happening. The hostages were safe, and barely had time to be stunned as the shooting was over so quickly. Most of the gunmen were killed, though two survived their wounds and were taken back to Jerusalem for interrogation.

I called Namoor’s phone, which went straight to voicemail with his recording “Yo, my phone’s been taken by terrorists, you probably don’t want to leave a message. I’m changing my number when I get home.” Yitzak’s phone was simply dead.

---

---

---

---

Namoor called from his new phone the next day.

“Guess this is what it takes to get more press than you for a couple of weeks,” he joked. “Damn Yitzak, this whole trip was his idea. I said I’d never come back here after last time, didn’t I?”

“Yeah you did. What changed your mind?”

“I dunno, he showed me these Q-ratings, I had no idea I was big over there. I mean really big, like my Q-rating over there is higher than yours. Yitzak’s too. He got offered this UN Goodwill Ambassador thing and he wanted me to get it too, plus I got a couple commercial deals over there so...I thought, what the hell.”

“Indeed.”

“Actually now I’m glad I did. I’m seeing a lot more of the place than I did on our basketball trip. It’s amazing.”

Yitzak had the same number but a new phone (his old one was destroyed by a terrorist when he tried to call for help), and he was remarkably calm. “We’re gonna finish the rest of the trip. Change up the order of stuff a little bit, hire a couple of mercs as bodyguards, but we’re not running away.”

 

[lids4]

Is anyone else seeing that SIZE FONT COLOR stuff? I've tried editing the text every which way and I can't get rid of it.

 

[leeec13]

Yeah, I think it's the new board markups or whatever. I'm not sure. Fantastic to have you back. I guess they weren't fearing for their lives because they seemed pretty chill to say they just got back from terrorists.

 

[DaaaaaBears]

You have to end your (hr) line with (/hr) right after it now. All the markup following it will be broken if you don't.

Glad to see Namoor and Yitzak are fine and that Golden State doesn't need to fill two roster spots.

 

[lids4]

The New Guys

“With the first pick of the 2038 NBA Draft, the San Diego Clippers select Ronyell Davis from the University of North Carolina.”

Well, that was interesting. The much-hyped 6’3” freshman was regarded as the next can’t-miss point guard prospect. Now he would join Marcus Freeman on the Clippers, which could be a solid core if Freeman got his ego under control--I knew almost nothing about Davis’s character. The Warriors were not an elderly team, but our core players were all in our mid-20’s, while Freeman and Davis were still in their teens. They might cause problems for us later down the line.

“With the sixty-fourth pick of the 2038 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors select Jack Montoya from the University of Miami.”

We needed another big man to replace D’Angelo. It was hard to say how good Montoya could be, given that he was little scouted. Given Previn’s unmatched ability to teach shooting and Jemane’s to teach defense, if Montoya could bring the right attitude and athletic ability to the table, he could end up being a serviceable player in a couple of years. That was more than most got out of a second-round pick.

Staubner and Telic were cutting short their time as Warriors coaches after two years, however, taking head jobs with Lanus and Umana Venezia respectively. The unofficial NABC blacklist of Previn had never been rescinded, but winning the O’Brien Trophy garnered him enough prestige that a few Americans were willing to break the ban and interview with him. Previn ultimately picked Willie White from Mike Brackins’ former North Carolina staff, and Gail Shepard, the women’s head coach from Division III runner-up Colby. White, no relation to former Chicago Bulls coach Carleton White, specialized in big men and could provide intelligence on Brackins’ strategy now that he was coaching the Lakers. Shepard specialized in wing players and would coach our summer league team. I checked out their bios. Both new coaches were just a couple of years older than me. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

 

[DaaaaaBears]

Looks like the Clips might finally be building a winner. Maybe they'll become the Warriors' main rivals since the Lakers appear to be on the decline?

Also can't believe that LaMarcua Cole never got another gig. Dude must have had Kobe's mindset but Brandon Jennings' jumper in terms of selfishness.

 

[leeec13]

I can't say that I've ever seen a female coach in the NBA but Pat Summit sure is one he'll of a coach. I'm interested in where that whole thing could go.

 

[redsoxaholic]

I can't say that I've ever seen a female coach in the NBA but Pat Summit sure is one he'll of a coach. I'm interested in where that whole thing could go.

Yeah I'm pretty sure thats unprecedented but everything seems to be a first for this stereotype-breaking Warriors team so it will work out

 

[lids4]

Sorry for the delay, folks. School dropped a ton of bricks on me this week. Double update on 4/18 to make up for it.

 

[saveusy2cj]

I can't say that I've ever seen a female coach in the NBA but Pat Summit sure is one he'll of a coach. I'm interested in where that whole thing could go.

If I had a team I'll choose Pat Summit they way she took the Lady Vols to the promise land over the years. She knows how to win.

 

[someperson46]

Sorry for the delay, folks. School dropped a ton of bricks on me this week. Double update on 4/18 to make up for it.

 

[someperson46]

double post

 

[lids4]

Sky Lines

All good things must come to an end. In July, Previn and the French national team were nearly ready to leave for the FIBA site in Sydney for a few final practices getting used to the time difference before pool play. Diana had been getting plenty of short-term work in Paris, but it was mostly small time. She had long before been booked to walk for Burberry at Hong Kong Fashion Week, so we said goodbye to Previn and headed out.

There wasn’t enough time to get an Israeli visa, so we stopped off in Amman instead, where Namoor Hassan and Yitzak Yehudi met us. To all appearances they were none the worse for wear from their experience in captivity. One surprise I wasn’t prepared for was their stature over there. In a few cases, literally: the airport featured a two-story-high Gatorade ad featuring the two of them in Warriors uniforms. The Nike store had a banner of Yitzak on the left of its grand entrance and a banner of Namoor on the right. The store manager took us all to lunch and got a picture to put on his wall.

“Of course everyone here has heard of John Li. But you’re the big star, the universal. You’re frankly not that interesting, no offense. These two men, they are fascinating to every Arab over here, and every Jew as well. That’s why Nike signed them up. We use them everywhere between Morocco and Tehran. After the revolutions, the war and everything, seeing their friendship played out in the public eye is exactly what they need.”

“I was kinda uncomfortable with it, honestly,” Namoor said. “Remember, before we visited Israel last year I thought I was Joe Sixpack from greater Detroit. But we were in Baghdad a couple days ago and they were all over us. They’re like, ‘you two are amazing. How can you have Muslims and Jews all living together in your country? We can’t even get along with people from the next village, and they’re our uncles and cousins!’ Made me realize, that’s what being American is about. And we’re the symbol of that.” He chuckled. “No pressure.”

“And before the Warriors drafted me I was just another basketball player in Israel,” Yitzak added. “One of the 20 or 30 household names, but not an icon. Today, I’m in more ads than anyone playing in this country. It’s like leaving got me noticed. Spins my head a bit.”

“I know exactly what you mean. I remember seeing that five-story picture of me when the opened Galaxy News Arena. I had to pinch myself.”

“And I when I made the SI Swim cover,” Diana put in. “Strange to think of myself that way. I’m still the same person. And fame has not changed you, yes? I know it has not changed Johnny.”

“I dunno,” Namoor mused. “I mean, I’m here, traveling around, doing charity and s**t. I never would have done this before.”

“Change isn’t all for the bad,” Yitzak added. “No sex scandals or drug arrests, none of that though. That’s probably what you’re thinking.”

Namoor punched in the shoulder. “Oh, just give it time.”

 

[lids4]

Sky Lines

All good things must come to an end. In July, Previn and the French national team were nearly ready to leave for the FIBA site in Sydney for a few final practices getting used to the time difference before pool play. Diana had been getting plenty of short-term work in Paris, but it was mostly small time. She had long before been booked to walk for Burberry at Hong Kong Fashion Week, so we said goodbye to Previn and headed out.

There wasn’t enough time to get an Israeli visa, so we stopped off in Amman instead, where Namoor Hassan and Yitzak Yehudi met us. To all appearances they were none the worse for wear from their experience in captivity. One surprise I wasn’t prepared for was their stature over there. In a few cases, literally: the airport featured a two-story-high Gatorade ad featuring the two of them in Warriors uniforms. The Nike store had a banner of Yitzak on the left of its grand entrance and a banner of Namoor on the right. The store manager took us all to lunch and got a picture to put on his wall.

“Of course everyone here has heard of John Li. But you’re the big star, the universal. You’re frankly not that interesting, no offense. These two men, they are fascinating to every Arab over here, and every Jew as well. That’s why Nike signed them up. We use them everywhere between Morocco and Tehran. After the revolutions, the war and everything, seeing their friendship played out in the public eye is exactly what they need.”

“I was kinda uncomfortable with it, honestly,” Namoor said. “Remember, before we visited Israel last year I thought I was Joe Sixpack from greater Detroit. But we were in Baghdad a couple days ago and they were all over us. They’re like, ‘you two are amazing. How can you have Muslims and Jews all living together in your country? We can’t even get along with people from the next village, and they’re our uncles and cousins!’ Made me realize, that’s what being American is about. And we’re the symbol of that.” He chuckled. “No pressure.”

“And before the Warriors drafted me I was just another basketball player in Israel,” Yitzak added. “One of the 20 or 30 household names, but not an icon. Today, I’m in more ads than anyone playing in this country. It’s like leaving got me noticed. Spins my head a bit.”

“I know exactly what you mean. I remember seeing that five-story picture of me when the opened Galaxy News Arena. I had to pinch myself.”

“And I when I made the SI Swim cover,” Diana put in. “Strange to think of myself that way. I’m still the same person. And fame has not changed you, yes? I know it has not changed Johnny.”

“I dunno,” Namoor mused. “I mean, I’m here, traveling around, doing charity and s**t. I never would have done this before.”

“Change isn’t all for the bad,” Yitzak added. “No sex scandals or drug arrests, none of that though. That’s probably what you’re thinking.”

Namoor punched in the shoulder. “Oh, just give it time.”

 

[lids4]

Settling In

Word from the States was that our summer league team was in good shape. We had two roster spots left and no cap space, so the many rookie free agents Wilson sent Shepard knew they had a real prize to reward the best of them. Around the time Diana and I touched down in Hong Kong, Previn’s French team and Yitzak’s Israeli team were arriving at the FIBA tournament site in Sydney.

No hotel for us. Terry Allen, Diana’s friend and fellow Victoria’s Secret Angel, invited us to stay with her. Her place in Kowloon City was gorgeous but small--real estate in Hong Kong was scarce, and space much more expensive than quality. Terry was British and divided her time between London and Hong Kong, and was away else it would have been unbearably crowded with the three of us there. My parents’ home in San Francisco wasn’t huge, but it was a legitimate two-story house. My own place in Alameda was about the same size, with only me living there. The close quarters would take some getting used to.

Still, Diana would be gone most of the day attending to preparations for the fashion week and Burberry’s attendant photo shoots and media events, so I was largely left to my own devices. The apartment building had a decent gym, and I decided not to bother wandering further afield. It was easy enough to go down there and work out for a few hours each morning. After that, I made a lunch of some of the healthy stuff Diana stored in the fridge, read thriller novels on my tablet, and went out looking for dinner. The signage in Hong Kong was bilingual, in English and traditional Chinese characters, but most of the street vendors’ English was so strongly accented that it might as well have been another language altogether. I was often reduced to pointing and saying “that”, and stuck the most innocuous-looking items since I had no way of asking what was in a food that I could understand the answer. Unlike in Paris, I didn’t understand a word of the local language.

Toward the end of July, the Warriors’ summer league squad began play. I’d catch the games the day after they were played, dissecting them and replaying segments to examine the young guys’ performances. Coach Shepard had essentially cloned Previn’s Euroball offense, but didn’t have the shooters to really make it work, especially at the post positions. There were too many missed shots from the wings, too many bad passes or open lanes they didn’t see from the point guards, and it was pretty obvious we wouldn’t be getting any immediate help from whoever claimed the last two roster spots. At least the new guys were getting the coaches’ undivided attention.

 

[lids4]

Sorry for the mounting list of broken promises. Finals are upon me and I won't be free and clear until May 13. So here's the punchline: updates will be sporadic, if any, between now and then. However, I will not be taking May as the off-month (since my policy now is to do every other), updates will resume on the May 13 and go through the end of June. July will be an off-month, and updates will get back to the normal schedule then.

 

[DaaaaaBears]

Good stuff lids. Glad to see Diana still in the thick of things.

 

[DaaaaaBears]

Double post

 

[lids4]

Ouch

I spent my last week in Hong Kong glued to the TV. FIBA tournament play was underway. Team USA was naturally enough a huge favorite, having swept pool play altogether. Steven Lancer played big minutes throughout, while the other players were all rotated through regularly to keep their NBA coaches and GMs from complaining that they were going to get worn down. Brackins was Lancer’s NBA coach as well, so he had nothing to worry about. Besides, Lancer reveled in his becoming America’s Sweetheart, a role he had never filled before because he was such a jerk. A recent piece of market research commissioned by the Warriors showed that I was the most popular player in the United States and Canada, and Lancer was the most popular everywhere else, the more populous Chinese and European markets no doubt contributing to his jersey sales remaining #1. With me out of action, the American public had nowhere else to focus their attention but Lancer, and the advertisers knew it. Other than my Coke ads, my spots appeared very rarely, whilst Lancer had at least one every commercial break.

Lancer and company rode a huge wave of momentum into the semifinal game against France. Previn outcoached Brackins, using his roster full of shooters to space the floor and negate the Americans’ superior athleticism. At the other end, the closer three-point line actually made it easier to use a zone defense since the Frenchmen didn’t have to collapse very far or recover very far. Rebounding was not so much of an issue, since they used la technique as Previn taught it to us at Northwestern, blocking out the nearest opponent instead of a particular assigned man. The Americans were better, plain and simple, and the French had no easy time of it. But they won, 105-100.

If that was a shocker, so was the outcome of the other semifinal game the following night. Mainland China, never known as a powerhouse even in Yao’s prime, defeated well-established heavy hitter Brazil with a late flurry of steals. I’d swear I heard half the city cheering when the buzzer rang. (Hong Kong did have its own basketball team too, but they hadn’t qualified for the Worlds.) The French annihilated them in the final game two days later, giving Previn a FIBA World Championship to go with his Olympic gold medal and O’Brien Trophy.

And then it was time to leave. Diana and I cleaned up Terry’s apartment, caught our flight, slept most of the way across the Pacific, and made it back to Oakland utterly jet-lagged. There wouldn’t be too much time to adjust before we had to fly out again. The first week of August meant Namoor Hassan’s wedding in Dearborn.

 

[DaaaaaBears]

Ugh, USA continues to get shamed on the international level. Wonder if Brackins will man up for the next go-around and roll with John at the PG spot.. I can imagine his game being perfect overseas (not that he isn't dominating the NBA).

The Kobe-Lancer parallels are obvious in this entry.

 

[lids4]

Dear readers, I have a further announcement. This chise will end after the current season. It's probably going to take until September/October to completely finish this season, so don't panic yet, but I wanted to give everyone plenty of warning. I've plotted it out and there's as good a stopping point there as any. Besides which, I'm honestly kind of running out of ideas at this point. John has reached the pinnacle of basketball achievement, he has a championship and a juggernaut team, he's finally got the right woman...there's not a lot of places to go from here. Better to end it with a conscious choice and a solidly plotted endgame than let it fizzle out like so many others.

So, I hope you all enjoy this last part of the ride. And don't fear, you won't have heard the last of me. I'll be starting a new player chise on the Madden or NCAA football boards when Johnny's story is done. This time it's going to be a darker tale, with a "bad boy" protagonist to contrast with Johnny. And with that, back to work on this! Next update on Thursday.

 

[lids4]

Eggshells

Two weeks before my 26th birthday, I was in Dearborn desperately trying to find a cleaner’s who could get the wrinkles out of my tux. It was in no condition to be presentable after being folded up and packed in my luggage. I finally gave up and left it to my hotel concierge, knowing the hotel would charge me an arm and a leg. It was important enough that I’d bite the bullet. The last thing I needed was to show up to the wedding in a wrinkled tux, or have to rent a cheap one if the cleaners didn’t finish on time.

Namoor had no groomsmen, only Yitzak as his best man. Previn was in town, but begged out of the bachelor party, calling it a young man’s game. Yitzak had rented out the top room at a club in Auburn Hills called Eggshells. On our way out of the elevator, I passed by a tall, slender man who looked oddly familiar. It was five minutes before I realized it had been Andor Szomory of the Pistons. A query of the bartender soon revealed that yes, Pistons frequented here, and no, he couldn’t tell me if any were here tonight. They were paid for discretion, after all.

Previn was right. It was a young man’s game, and more a single man’s too. Michael Eaddy left for the hotel after about an hour, having put in his appearance. I wasn’t far behind; I needed to pick Diana up at the airport in the morning. It was an odd thing: you commonly see videos of athletes in clubs as the center of attention. Not here. I don’t think anyone recognized me on the way out--nobody gave me a second glance. I wondered about that. After all, I was the second or third best-known NBA player at this point, and while I wasn’t unusually tall, my face was fairly distinctive. Then again, the Eggshell patrons were drunk and had their attention on other things, so perhaps it wasn’t so surprising.

When I got back to the hotel, Michael was already asleep in his bed. My bedroom was on the other side of the suite, and as I changed from my suit into my pajamas, I briefly pondered the night’s events. It hadn’t been terrible, just not my thing. And I could have gone home with one of the strippers. Maybe more than one of them. And I didn’t want to, not an appealing thought at all. I want Diana, not that. Am I going to be in Michael’s shoes in a year or so?

Maybe after all this time, I’m growing up.

 

[DeliciousFruitcake]

Dear readers, I have a further announcement. This chise will end after the current season. It's probably going to take until September/October to completely finish this season, so don't panic yet, but I wanted to give everyone plenty of warning. I've plotted it out and there's as good a stopping point there as any. Besides which, I'm honestly kind of running out of ideas at this point. John has reached the pinnacle of basketball achievement, he has a championship and a juggernaut team, he's finally got the right woman...there's not a lot of places to go from here. Better to end it with a conscious choice and a solidly plotted endgame than let it fizzle out like so many others.

So, I hope you all enjoy this last part of the ride. And don't fear, you won't have heard the last of me. I'll be starting a new player chise on the Madden or NCAA football boards when Johnny's story is done. This time it's going to be a darker tale, with a "bad boy" protagonist to contrast with Johnny. And with that, back to work on this! Next update on Thursday.

I would like to be the first to say,

Wow. I can't believe it's been this long. This chise got me to start playing basketball. Basketball pushed me into body building etc.
Dang, Lids. You're a great writer. If you ever write a book, let us know. This has been a fantastic read that feels novel worthy itself.

 

[lids4]

My update for today sucks more each time I reread it, so I'm going to scrap it and write a new one. Double update on the 24th to make up for not having one today.

 

[lids4]

The Big Dance

Diana and I sprawled on our bed fully clothed. By the time we got back from the reception, I’d been too tired to do anything but kick off my shoes and open my collar. Diana wasn’t in much better shape.

“I haven’t danced like that since my last brother got married,” she mumbled into her pillow.

“Never knew Yitzak had moves like that,” I mused. “The bride and groom vanished pretty early. Maybe they had more sense than us.”

Namoor and his longtime sweetheart, a Turkish engineering student he met while at the University of Iowa, put in an appearance for the guests’ benefit but ducked out for their honeymoon as quickly as they could. As we spoke, they were probably on a plane for the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“They’re so cute together,” she said, “I’m surprised he never brought her to meet you.”

“She wasn’t around much, I guess. He wanted to keep that time for just then. They’re more introverted than we are. But yes, very cute.”

Diana rolled halfway over, nestling her head under my chin. She sighed as I took her in my arms.

“Speaking of cute, might we see another one coming?”

“What, you mean am I going to propose now?”

She laughed. “No, although now that you mention it...”

I kissed her. “Thinking about it.”

She smiled. “Well, I meant Yitzak and Noor.”

“Now that would be...interesting.”

Namoor’s sister, the middle child of the Hassan family, turned all the guys’ heads but seemed to hit it off with Yitzak in particular. She was heading to Stanford for graduate school in a month, so she and Yitzak would be in close proximity if he could steal time off during the season. Noor had just finished a five-year stint in the Army, and saw combat in Syria, so while she could no doubt handle herself better than any of the guys, there was still Namoor’s natural protectiveness to worry about. He and Yitzak normally roomed together on road trips. This could get all kinds of messy and as captain, it would be my job to clean it up. Not the most exciting prospect.

“It’s going to be an interesting year.”

Diana was quiet. She was already asleep.

 

[lids4]

Starting Slow

As usual, Previn and Wilson had our travel roster down to 12 before the start of training camp. Our second-round pick, power forward Jack Montoya, made the squad, passing Noble Wimberly Jones on the depth chart in the process. Wilson had then traded Jones to the Knicks for two men: last year’s second-round pick Matt Decker, a point guard who spent more time in the D-League than on the Knicks’ bench, and David Kim, a shooting guard the Knicks had drafted out of Cal in the second round. That filled our position needs--we were short a wing after Radovic retired, and Namoor and I really needed an insurance policy--but by the end of our first practice I could tell their talent level was just about the same as Jones’. Which is to say, they were in no danger of cracking the regular rotation any time soon barring injuries.

Two years after signing Radovic, we were once again eligible to use the mid-level exception, and acquired

The preseason would be back to a standard domestic NBA schedule again after the foreign exhibitions last year. Three undrafted rookies would play for the Warriors before being sent down to the D-League for the regular season while Eaddy, Farlander and I watched in street clothes. I had to say the summer with Coach Shepard did good things for our young guys. She didn’t have long enough to really improve their physical talent, but they all looked mentally sharp, knew the system, and made few mistakes.

SG #98 Cornelius Cameron (6th season, Hawaii) 6’3”
The league’s finest perimeter defender--unless you ask a Laker fan, who would say Xavier Williams--he is built like a linebacker with 250 pounds of solid muscle, sets excellent screens, rebounds, and plays the passing lanes. Not a focus of the offense and incapable of creating his own shot, he has become a reliable spot-up shooter along with his other skills, helping to space the floor. Over the offseason, he added a eurostep and hop step attack, allowing him limited ability to attack the basket when one-on-one during a fastbreak.

C #55 Warwick Davis (7th season, Virginia Tech) 7’1”
Coming off the bench most of the time to preserve his health, Davis provides solid help defense and rebounding, and is the only real shot blocker on the roster. He is also the only non-shooter in the regular rotation, which gives tends to slow down the offense and lead to stronger help defense when he replaces Stanhope or Farlander on the floor.

PG #12 Matt Decker (2nd season, George Washington) 6’2”
Wilson traded for this rare creature in the NBA: a true point guard. A solid but unspectacular passer and ball handler, his scoring and defense leave much to be desired, and is a merely average NBA athlete. The Knicks relegated him to the D-League for much of his rookie season, and while he will be on the big club full-time in Golden State, the former second-round pick is unlikely to see regular playing time while Hassan and Li are healthy. His job is to practice, learn, and provide an insurance policy at the point guard position.

SF #33 Michael Eaddy (5th season, Northwestern) 6’7”
Less than three years ago, he was the face of the Warriors franchise. More comfortable now that he is in a supporting role, he remains the leading scorer and the reduced workload has made him unbelievably efficient, as he joined John Li in the golden 50-40-90 triple crown of shooting last year.

PF #51 Keyan Farlander (5th season, North Carolina) 6’9”
Arguably the most complete power forward in basketball, he has refined the masterful low-post game and rebounding that were his trademarks in college and added to them a reliable jump shot out to the arc, the soft touch of which has improved his post shots as well, and excellent defense. At this point, his height remains the only potential disadvantage in any matchup.

PF #49 Helmut Heinzenbacher (2nd season, Germany) 6’11”
A solid jump shooter and improving defender, the second-year man may have a chance to compete for playing time but it will be hard when Farlander, Stanhope, and Davis already command so many minutes.

PG #11 Namoor Hassan (3rd season, Iowa) 6’1”
Possibly the best backup point guard in the NBA, his rookie contract expires at the end of this season and Wilson will have to make a hard decision on whether to let him go or pay him a starter’s wage for 12 minutes a night.

SG #2 David Kim (rookie, California) 6’4”
A solid spot-up shooter, but brings little else to the table. The Knicks spent a second-round pick on him but shed no tears at parting with him. Presumably, Wilson and Previn saw potential for him to expand his game as Hassan did over a couple of seasons.

PG #17 John Li (6th season, Northwestern) 6’1”
The reigning Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year has no more secrets left. With the Coke commercials and accolades comes the attention of every defense night in and night out. The good news is that his vision and skill at making every type of pass means when he can drag the defense out of position, someone else will get an open shot.

PF #20 Jack Montoya (rookie, Miami) 6’10”
Size and strength were the obvious measurables for the ACC’s leading rebounder on draft day, but combining those qualities with intelligence and eagerness to learn convinced Previn and Wilson that this guy could become a very effective post player with a couple years of teaching--and made those men very happy when Montoya was still available with the last pick of the draft. He will probably not challenge for playing time right away.

PF #45 Mark Stanhope (3rd season, Australia) 7’0”
Now featuring solid defense and a handful of effective low-post moves to go with the smooth jump shot and screening he brought to the NBA from overseas play, Stanhope has proven the perfect starting “5” for Previn’s system and can easily rotate to the “4” when Davis replaces Farlander on the floor.

SF #1 Yitzak Yehudi (3rd season, Israel) 6’8”
Instant offense off the bench, Yehudi now fully takes over the sixth man role at both wing positions with Radovic’s retirement. He was a power forward before the Warriors drafted him, but continued work on his ball handling has made him capable of creating his own shot. He will become vastly more expensive after this season as his rookie contract expires.

 

[redsoxaholic]

More great updates. Gotta enjoy them while they last

 

[lids4]

Liftoff

JK: Good evening everyone and welcome to opening night of the NBA on ESPN. It’s the Los Angeles Lakers against the Golden State Warriors. It’s a gorgeous night here in Oakland. I’m Jeremy Kleinerman, with me, the Hall-of-Famer Dwyane Wade. A rematch of the Western Conference Finals here, Dwyane, and the Lakers with a new coach and a new system.

DW: Yeah, Mike Brackins won four NCAA champioinships with North Carolina, likes to run a lot, heavy on the transition ball. Problem is the Lakers are old. You think about Maarke Stele, Norm Youmans, Billy Hopkins--a lot of mileage on those bodies. So it’s going to be more the second unit that will get out and run. I think he’ll keep to the triangle offense when the starters are out there.

JK: On the other side, the Warriors, defending champions, not a lot of changes there.

DW: Well if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Pierre Previn beat Brackins in college, and with that championship last year, he’s proven that Euroball can work in the NBA. Hard to believe it’s only been two years since this Warriors team came together, but Henry Wilson, Pierre Previn, John Li, Keyan Farlander, and don’t forget Gilbert Jemane coaching the defense, they all came in here at the same time, they’ve been together the entire time, same system, same culture, same everything. The chemistry of the Warriors is something really unique in the NBA, and it’s going to serve them well.

JK: Speaking of chemistry. Now you see here some tape from the last practice of the preseason. There’s Matt Decker, the third-string point guard. 24 years old, second-year guy they got in that trade with the Knicks. Looks like he’s learning the triangle part of the offense and you see there Farlander on the block, Eaddy out in the corner, Li explaining the play to Decker. I mean, you’re the twelfth guy on the roster and three All-Stars are your practice squad helping you learn the offense.

DW: And that’s a big part of the Warriors culture. I expect they will go twelve deep tonight. They shorten up in the playoffs but they like to limit the starters’ minutes when they can in the regular season, keep them rested for the playoffs. The other thing is, because they go through all this, it builds into that trust. Previn, Li, and Eaddy have played together for such a long time, and the entire Warriors team concept grows out of that. So you’ve got a coach who has to know he can trust his players to play smart, and players who trust each other.

Result: W, 101-93

John Li: 18 pts, 15 ast, 3 to, 1 reb, 3 stl

Reporter: John, how does it feel to take down the Lakers after that grueling matchup in the playoffs last year?

JL: It felt good to win, but have some perspective. We all know the Lakers put it in cruise control in the regular season, we didn’t get their A-game tonight. So let’s not get too excited.

Reporter 2: What do you take away from a game like this if not confidence for a playoff rematch?

JL: Well it was good that we got everybody into the game, everybody played, everybody scored. Every Warrior got a dunk, actually. Except me. I think that’s going to help going forward, for the young guys, they’ll be less nervous since they’ve already gotten to play early.

 

[lids4]

Sorry guys, another subpar update today so I'm going to rewrite it. Double update 6/6. We've only got a season left so I want to make each update as good as it can be.

 

[lids4]

Double post. Not the good kind.

 

[lids4]

Grounded

EJ: Welcome to Inside the NBA from our studio in Atlanta, Ernie Johnson, Kenny “the Jet” Smith, Charles Barkley. Guys, what a beatdown we just witnessed.

KS: It was, but I gotta say what I think a lot of it was, style of play. You have two diametrically opposed approaches to the game tonight. The Warriors spread the floor with shooters, they want to beat you with the postup play, get the ball inside and collapse the defense, use passes to swing the ball to get the open shot. The Hawks are built for defense and shot blocking, they want to get out and run in transition, not much for the halfcourt offense.

EJ: Let’s take a look at the highlights. It’s pretty much all the Hawks.

CB: Well you see there, Warriors just can’t get back on defense when they miss. And they missed a lot, even inside. Farlander gets blocked here, they had what, 20 blocked shots in the game. Just couldn’t get anything inside.

KS: And then the outside shots aren’t falling--that dunk highlight started when Johnny Li missed a three. The Warriors like to go inside first and suck in the defense, but sometimes you need to hit the outside shot first to loosen up the D for your bigs. They couldn’t do that here, and the Hawks kept smothering them.

EJ: Also turnovers, 19 of them in the game.

CB: That’s very unlike the Warriors, though. I think it might be a fluke.

EJ: Li looses the handle on that Eurostep, fastbreak the other way. Nelson with the reverse dunk.

KS: Well look, these are now the defending champions of the NBA, they’re the darlings of the media right now, but they are mortal and you just saw their weakness. Outside of their main three guys--Li, Farlander, and Eaddy--their guys are not great athletes.

CB: I would throw in Cornelius Cameron as well.

KS: OK, yes, from a strength and quickness standpoint but at 6’3” with short arms he doesn’t have the length. But even say it’s those four guys. You don’t have a big man guarding the paint on the fastbreak because Davis and Stanhope don’t have the speed to run the floor. Farlander is too short and he’s not really a shot blocker. And besides, when you get a steal, usually at least one of those four good athletes is already behind you where he can’t catch up to the play.

EJ: So basically you’re saying if you can create turnovers, you will beat the Warriors.

KS: Exactly.

 

[lids4]

Chemistry

The last time I’d had a warning sign with these two, they weren’t talking to each other. This time, they were yelling at each other much more than usual. Communication is important in basketball but it almost seemed like they were using it as an outlet--and making the other young players nervous in the process.

There was no surprise captain’s meeting to mediate again. I figured that strategy wouldn’t work a second time. Instead, after our fifth game (versus the Clippers) I grabbed Namoor Hassan by the arm and pulled him aside before he could escape the building.

“What’s going on with you and Yitzak?”

“Dammit,” he hissed, looking down. Obviously he didn’t want to talk about this, but it wasn’t my job to make him comfortable. I stared at him until he took a deep breath and looked me in the eye. “It’s Noor. She and Yitzak are dating--well, they’ve been spending a lot of time together but last week was their first official date.”

“Kay. So you don’t approve?”

“It’s not that, but...well I guess a little bit, yeah. I’m more worried about what my family’s going to think. My Persian grandparents weren’t too happy having Arabs and Kurds in the family when my parents got married. Having a Jew for my best man was quite a jolt, though they ended up being okay with it...this might be too much.”

“Have you told Yitzak? Or your sister?”

“No, of course not! I don’t want to mess them up. Besides, she thinks I’m overprotective as it is.”

“And your parents?”

“I’m stalling. Trying not to talk about it.”

I caught Yitzak on the way to practice the next day. He was under the impression that Namoor was upset that he was dating his sister solely on big-brother protectiveness, and upset that Namoor was essentially giving him the silent treatment, especially on roadtrips where they were roommates. This frustration accounted for Yitzak’s end of the shouting matches.

I wasn’t really sure how to handle this. It took most of the ride back home to realize that the best solution wasn’t for me to meddle, but to give Namoor, Noor, and Yitzak an opportunity to work it out for themselves with a good influence nearby. I dialed.

“Diana, hey. Remember we talked about going bowling? I think I’ll invite some friends if that’s alright...”

 

[leeec13]

I accidentally scrolled down the very first page and saw like the 3rd comment saying that this was weak. weak lol

 

[lids4]

Writer's block is kicking my ass. Can't translate outline into updates. I have big plot points coming so what I think I'll do is given a week or so to sort this out, I'll post 3-4 updates together to hit you with a "wham episode" all at once. Thanks for your patience.

 

[leeec13]

Do what you do broski

 

[lids4]

Okay, this isn't working (obviously). I keep coming up dry or writing sucky stuff. The way I see it, there are two options at present:

1) I post the rest of the story as it is now, in outline form. I don't think that would be very satisfying.
2) I put John Li on hold indefinitely and write something else in the meantime to keep you entertained and jumpstart my own creative juices--something a little less intense, probably a Let's Play of Saints Row the Third or Alpha Protocol.

I'll need a couple of days to think it over, but in the meantime I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

 

[lids4]

Just to clarify, the LP would be Saints Row the Third or Alpha Protocol and run for a couple of months. Haven't decided if it would be on IGN yet.

 

[usp_mgs]

lids... <3

 

[usp_mgs]

double post fuck yeah

 

[DaaaaaBears]

I'm in favor of whatever option gets you finishing this, regardless of the timetable. You've had people stick around for almost four years now, so I don't think you have any reason to feel rushed. Do what's best for you.

 

[lids4]

Alright, I've decided to do the Saints Row 3rd LP. Look for it in a couple of days, once I've planned out how I want to do it. I'll post a link when I'm ready.

 

[lids4]

So a couple days becomes a couple more, and before you know it two weeks have passed. The problem is that just as my summer law job was ending, my next project producing a new play festival kicked in, and I'm trying to set up a new venture of my own on top of it. I literally have not had time to write. That being said, I think it best we just consider this thread on hold indefinitely. I will have time to start writing updates again in September, and once I have a month's worth of them written, I'll start posting again. That's what I did for the first 3 years of this story, so that even when I couldn't write, I had updates in the queue to post.

Being almost a grownup has its drawbacks

 

[DaaaaaBears]

Jordan executives clearly read up on Li vs. Lancer for the influence of this

 

[calturk]

Jordan executives clearly read up on Li vs. Lancer for the influence of this

That's awesome

 

[leeec13]

that is so g

 

[lids4]

Just to keep you in the loop: I haven't forgotten about this but I just don't have time or energy to write for it at the moment. I'm pulling together a startup business in addition to going to law school. I must be insane. Will get back to it when I can.

 

[leeec13]

Busy busy. Well, if you can't finish can we get a little synopsis at the end or something. Looking back maybe.

 

[DeliciousFruitcake]

Bump for newcomers from the 2k13 game. This is a community landmark.

 

[lids4]

Disaster

I sat in my easy chair with my head in my hands, wondering how this could have gone so wrong.

My brilliant idea had been to get Noor, Yitzak, and Namoor to come bowling with me and Diana. By the sixth frame, they were all fighting and Diana was miserable. In the eighth frame, Noor hit a strike and kissed Yitzak, partly to celebrate but party, I’m sure, to spite her brother. Namoor complained that they were in public and people were watching. Noor snapped that he should stop acting like a medieval savage of a camel jockey, and asked if he wanted her to stay in the kitchen too. Diana (never big fan of PDA) suggested she might be overreacting, and Noor suggested that Diana piss off. Needless to say, we never made it to the ninth frame. The happy couple stormed out, Noor dragging Yitzak behind her, then Namoor walked out muttering that this was the worst bowling alley ever. Diana then accused me of setting this whole thing up trying to fix everyone’s problems, and I had to admit she was right. She was furious that I had dragged her into it, and stormed out. She didn’t answer my calls the next day.

Speaking of the next day, as we played the Timberwolves in Galaxy News Arena, Warwick Davis suffered an injury that we later learned was a broken pelvis. Wilson placed him on the IR. In fact, the injury would end his career.

 

[lids4]

My new year's resolution is to get the rest of this season written and posted, along with an epilogue that covers the remaining years of John's career. Might manage a few updates before January, but don't count on it.

And Happy Thanksgiving