Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 50 Mountains and Rivers
In mid-June 2007, Portland was still shrouded in rain. The damp air was filled with the scent of pine trees and sea breeze. For Xu Ling, who was used to the scorching Texas sun, this "Rose City" felt particularly cold. Dressed in simple sportswear, he stood at the entrance of the Trail Blazers' training facility—the "Practice Facility at Rose Garden"—and took a deep breath.

The Trail Blazers were Xu Ling's first training camp, and he was accompanied only by Roderick Craig.

Leon Rose believes that as long as Oden performs normally in the tryouts, the Trail Blazers will likely only draft the number one pick. Firstly, Oden has been hyped for two whole years and is hailed as an unmissable player. Secondly, the Trail Blazers also have Brandon Roy, a potential player in the same position as Xu Ling. Thirdly, LaMarcus Aldridge needs a strong center to help him protect the paint.

No matter how you look at it, Oden is a perfect fit for the Trail Blazers' needs.

However, the more this is the case, the more they need to come for trials.

As a top-three pick, wouldn't it be an indirect admission that he's inferior to Oden if he didn't come to the Trail Blazers for a tryout?
He was greeted by Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard, a tall, sharp-eyed middle-aged man. Also present was head coach Nate McMillan, known for his strict discipline, whose expression was equally serious.

“Welcome to Portland, Eli.” Pritchard extended his hand, his palm large and strong. “Ready?”

Xu Ling replied succinctly, "I'm ready at any time, sir."

The tryouts begin with physical fitness tests, and everything is conducted strictly in accordance with the standards of the NBA Draft Combine.

First, let's look at height and wingspan. Xu Ling stood on the measuring platform, took off his shoes, and the official measurement showed that his barefoot height was 6 feet 5.75 inches (approximately 198 cm). This is an ideal figure. For a player who primarily plays the two or three positions, this height is the perfect height for a shooting guard, and it also reaches the average level for an NBA small forward.

Next was the wingspan. When the measurer announced 7 feet (212 cm), a murmur rippled through the sidelines. Xu Ling's wingspan was nearly 14 centimeters longer than his 198 cm height, a figure that would be considered elite-level in the NBA. For perimeter players, wingspan represents length, and length, in turn, represents a player's lateral and vertical defensive impact.

Xu Ling dominated every shooting guard and small forward he encountered in the NCAA in terms of basic offensive and defensive statistics, relying on his elite-level static talent.

“If it were last year, Eli would probably be the top pick.”

Kevin Pritchard said to those on either side.

Afterwards, Xu Ling measured a standing vertical jump of 266 cm, followed by tests on body fat percentage, vertical jump, and sprint. Xu Ling's body fat percentage remained around 8.9%. Some fitness enthusiasts would be furious to see NBA players' test data, but in reality, all participants in the NBA physical tests have relatively low body fat percentages. The reason for this remains unknown. In the subsequent standing vertical jump test, Xu Ling demonstrated astonishing explosive power, easily jumping 37 inches (94 cm), and his running jump reached an astonishing 41 inches (104 cm).

最后是3/4场冲刺跑和底线折返跑。徐凌以3.03秒跑完3/4场，在敏捷性测试中，他同样展现出180公分级别的速率。

Xu Ling's dynamic data surprised the Trail Blazers' executives.

Because Xu Ling wasn't actually a classic Jordan-type basketball player in the NCAA. At first, he resembled Ron Harper, and then Ray Allen. But after the NCAA season ended, the scouts unanimously decided that he was the yellow-skinned Kobe Bryant.

Just yesterday, Oden put on a perfect workout on this court. His strength is amazing, his explosiveness is unparalleled, and he also has the speed of a guard. The only thing to worry about is his constant injuries over the past few years.

But this does not affect the Trail Blazers' determination to draft him.

They thought Xu Ling was just there to make a formality, but when Xu Ling completed the static and dynamic tests, the atmosphere in the Life Center Gymnasium was clearly different.

Because skill is the foundation of Xu Ling's dominance in the NCAA, and then he used these dazzling statistics to make people realize that this guy's talent is even more outstanding than imagined.

To everyone's astonishment, Xu Ling arrived at the technical test session, the first of which was spot shooting.

Trail Blazers trainer Geoff Clark gave Xu Ling a brief introduction to the rules of the program, and then it began.

Xu Ling received the ball and shot from five different positions: the corner, the wing, and the top of the key. His shooting form was textbook perfect, with a clean and crisp release and a smooth arc. The sound of swishing through the net could be heard frequently throughout the arena. In spot-up shooting beyond the three-point line, he made 22 of 25 attempts.

This is really not surprising at all.

Shooting skills were the foundation of Xu Ling's dominance in college.

In his next dribble-and-stop jump shot, Xu Ling demonstrated mature dribbling and rhythm. Whether it was a crossover dribble or a behind-the-back dribble, he could quickly adjust his body while moving, overcoming obstacles time and time again to score with a jump shot. It seemed that his jump shot accuracy while holding the ball was higher than his catch-and-shoot accuracy.

The last item is a dribble drive and layup. Jeff Clark pretends to defend, and Xu Ling has to use different methods to score depending on the defense.

Xu Ling used a variety of practical dribbling techniques combined with explosive power to easily get past Clark, constantly putting on a layup show. He maintained his balance under pressure and remained calm despite interference. Almost two months have passed since March Madness, and the world has gradually forgotten the wonderful performance he once delivered.

But today, he shook the Trail Blazers' firm belief with a truly great tryout.

Pritchard played in the NBA in the 90s. After retiring, he worked as a scout for the Spurs for a few years before being poached by the Trail Blazers to become the general manager of the rebuilding team due to his outstanding business skills.

After watching Xu Ling's trial, he said from the bottom of his heart, "This is the best trial I have ever seen."

He is at least 50% sure.

"And he looks like a future All-Star," Pritchard said like a die-hard fan. "He's more likely to become Kobe than Kobe ever was!"

Head coach Nate McMillan said, "But we can't draft him. We have Brandon Roy, and Oden is a player we can't afford to miss."

This statement stripped Pritchard from his irrational fanaticism.

He suddenly became fully awake.

Yes, even if Xu Ling really is the next Kobe, so what?

No one can afford the consequences of not selecting Oden as the first overall pick on draft day.

Oden is widely recognized as a key player, and the Trail Blazers have Roy. The Trail Blazers desperately need to climb out of their past slump and cannot afford to mess up this draft.

They spent years clearing out the inmates from the prison team, and it will take even longer to restore their reputation, but the framework for rebuilding is set: Roy and Aldridge are both future All-Stars, plus Oden. Just as Magic Johnson once described Jordan's Bulls as the team of the 90s, the Trail Blazers are the team of the 2010s, and they have the potential to dominate the Western Conference in the 2010s.

This doesn't even require Oden to fully realize his potential. He doesn't need to become the next Bill Russell; he only needs to reach the minimum standard of all centers who have been called "the arrival of Bill Russell"—Patrick Ewing—to dominate the West.

After the trial ended, Xu Ling was panting heavily, his jersey soaked with sweat. Pritchard walked up to him, a rare smile appearing on his face.

"You showed me the best tryout ever."

"Is he better than Oden?"

Xu Ling took the towel handed to him by the trainer and casually wiped the sweat from his face, but his eyes were fixed on Pritchard.

“Oden,” Pritchard began slowly, as if telling an ancient and heavy story, “is a mountain, solid and majestic, unshakeable. And you, Eli, are a rushing river, flexible and ever-changing, with infinite possibilities.”

This was the reality for the pioneers: all they needed was that mountain that could support everything. And they had no choice but to choose that mountain, otherwise the entire castle would be questioned.

"I understand, sir."

Xu Ling fully understood Pritchard's implied meaning; this was something he had already anticipated.

“In any case, Eli, your performance was impeccable,” Pritchard concluded, attempting to end the conversation with official words, “You have a bright future ahead of you.”

Xu Ling didn't respond further, but simply waved his hand and walked into the rain in Portland with Craig.

Pritchard stood there, watching the gradually blurring figure. Rain pounded against the windowpane, distorting Xu Ling's silhouette into a hazy outline before finally disappearing completely. He suddenly remembered that summer 23 years ago—1984, when the Trail Blazers, in pursuit of a great center, passed on Michael Jordan and chose Sam Bowie.

Will people talk about this year's draft in the same tone 23 years from now?
“Oden, Oden! All these guys know is Oden! That guy was clearly our defeated foe!” Craig said indignantly. “They’ll regret this.”

“Look ahead, Rock,” Xu Ling said with a faint smile. “Maybe ten years from now, people will say, ‘The Trail Blazers had a chance to draft Eli back then’—that sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?”

(End of this chapter)