Chapter 375: The Underdog
Chen Yilun stood by the sideline and watched Rose’s entire solo performance from start to finish.
“Is the inertia of history really this strong?”
With a strange expression, Chen Yilun scratched his head.
In the original timeline, Rose had also pulled off a 50-point miracle around this same time.
Back then, though, Rose was with the Timberwolves—and their franchise star was Jimmy Butler.
But unlike the original timeline, where Butler had conflicts with Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, this time Rose’s opportunity came simply because Butler and Durant were on normal rest rotations.
No matter the reason, that rose which had already withered bloomed once again on a damp, chilly winter night in Sacramento.
“Definitely worth coming,” Chen Yilun muttered.
He straightened his clothes and stood up.
“Boss, something came up.”
Prince jogged over to Chen Yilun’s side.
“What is it?” Chen Yilun turned his head, curious.
“George Karl is on the line. He wants to talk to you.”
“Who?”
Chen Yilun’s eyes widened instantly at the familiar yet distant name.
“What could he possibly want to talk to me about?”
Ever since Chen Yilun’s team had completely swept him out of the playoffs, George Karl had retired and gone home to enjoy his later years. Over the past few years, he had barely shown his face in the league.
What business could he possibly have with Chen Yilun?
With those doubts in mind, Chen Yilun quickly walked to a quiet spot in the player tunnel.
“Hello? This is Chen Yilun.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a strong, booming voice came through the phone.
“Yilun, long time no see!”
“Yeah, Karl. You’ve got it easy now—completely ignoring us juniors who are still fighting tooth and nail out here,” Chen Yilun said with a laugh.
In the league, there was an unspoken rule: no matter how fiercely management fought while working, once someone retired, past grudges were always buried with a smile.
So even with Karl calling out of the blue, Chen Yilun gave him full respect.
“I’m calling you this time about something serious,” Karl said, turning earnest after a bit of small talk.
“This old man is here to play the role of a lobbyist.”
“There’s a young guy I really believe in, and I want to help him find a future.”
After saying that, Karl himself felt a little embarrassed.
If he were still working on the front lines, he wouldn’t feel awkward at all—at worst, he could repay the favor later through resource exchanges with Chen Yilun.
But now that he had retired, and with the current situation, the chances of him making a comeback were slim to none.
Asking Chen Yilun for help now was essentially freeloading off his resources.
“Go on. Tell me what it is,” Chen Yilun said after a moment of thought, deciding to hear him out.
Even though Old Karl was now a fallen tiger with little real value, the brand of a thousand-win coach still carried weight.
If the conditions were right, Chen Yilun didn’t mind doing Karl a favor and letting him owe another debt.
“Well, here’s the thing,” Karl said, organizing his thoughts.
“When I was still in the league, I had a younger guy working under me. He was diligent, hardworking, and never complained, but he just lacked an opportunity. After I retired, he started bouncing around different teams doing temporary work. Honestly, it’s hard to watch.”
“So I thought I’d come to you and see if you could help him out. If it puts you in a difficult position, then forget it.”
As he listened, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of Chen Yilun’s mouth.
So that’s what this was about—trying to keep a bit of his legacy alive.
Back when Karl was still in charge, even though his faction was already short on talent, he himself was still there to hold everything together, forming a system of his own.
But once Old Karl stepped down, the assistant coaches who had gathered around him scattered immediately.
And what hurt Karl the most was that every single one of them ended up doing worse than the last.
had utterly embarrassed himself.
“Hahaha!”
Chen Yilun laughed out loud before continuing.
“So who is it that even you, Old Karl, care this much about? You’ve actually got me curious.”
“You probably won’t recognize the name,” Karl said.
“Jamahl Mosley. Just a nobody with no real presence.”
Jamahl Mosley?
The name sounded extremely familiar.
Chen Yilun frowned and searched his memory.
Before long, he remembered exactly who that name belonged to.
In the future, the head coach of the Magic. The man who single-handedly built their rock-solid defensive system, and someone who once competed with Udoka for Coach of the Year.
Old Karl was asking him for help?
This was basically delivering talent straight to his doorstep.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Chen Yilun deliberately put on a conflicted tone.
“Mosley, huh. I’ve actually heard that name before. But hasn’t he always been a fringe figure in league management?”
“He doesn’t have much of a reputation,” Karl said awkwardly, rubbing his nose.
Everyone knew that positions on the Kings’ assistant coaching staff were incredibly hard to come by.
Asking Chen Yilun for a slot, and putting forward a fringe league figure at that, was bound to put him in a tough spot.
But Karl had no choice. He truly had no one else left.
The only reason Mosley was even being recommended was because he had worked tirelessly under Karl, leaving a strong impression.
“I know this puts you in a difficult position,” Karl continued. “I really had no other options. I just want to borrow your platform to let him get some polish.”
“But I’m not here to freeload. If nothing unexpected happens, I’ll have a spot on the next Dream Team.”
Karl couldn’t have made the terms any more explicit—this was a straightforward exchange of interests.
No matter how smoothly Chen Yilun operated within the league, there were always certain invisible barriers that set him apart.
What Karl meant was that he could pass along some information to Chen Yilun during future FIBA competitions.
But to be honest, the price Karl was offering wasn’t very appealing to Chen Yilun.
Over the past two years, there had been no shortage of people trying to approach him through various channels, but one after another, Chen Yilun found them all lacking.
The broader basketball environment was clearly heading in a downward direction. Chen Yilun alone was far too weak to reverse such a major trend.
That was why, in recent years, he had deliberately been distancing himself from certain external entanglements—to avoid being dragged into situations where he would end up taking responsibility for things beyond his control.
“I understand what you’re saying,” Chen Yilun said slowly, rubbing his chin.
“Personally, I can agree. But the final decision on assistant coaching appointments rests with Malone. I’ll recommend him for you—but whether it’s approved will be up to Coach Malone.”
Comments (0)
Please login or sign up to post a comment.