Chapter 653: 470 Chapter 653: 470 Today’s biggest lesson for Simmons was that when he had many weaknesses, he should not pick a fight with someone who never prided themselves on their morality.

However, the incident gave Simmons even more motivation to finish his column.

Filled with tremendous anger, he completed the season preview that every NBA writer must write before the season starts, in just two hours. Nevertheless, the SuperSonics’ season preview primarily consisted of Durant’s interview, complemented by his own insights and judgements, ultimately resulting in an article that far exceeded the scope of a single team season preview. Therefore, he decided to publish this article separately.

That evening, while Yu Fei was working out in the hotel gym, Lin Kaiwen suddenly approached him and said, “That Boston bastard wrote an article.”

“Did he curse me?” Yu Fei asked.

Lin Kaiwen replied, “To be exact, he cursed us all.”

Then, Lin Kaiwen opened his laptop and showed Yu Fei the column that Simmons had published on the second page of ESPN’s website.

Simmons transitioned from Durant’s comments on “the only empire” to the SuperSonics’ season prospects and fiercely criticized the “empire” concept that Yu Fei’s camp revered as if it were the most evil thing in the world.

“Do you think what he says will come true?”

Yu Fei asked with a smile.

“He’s talking nonsense,” Lin Kaiwen swore.

“The concept of a one-man empire is indeed problematic,” said Yu Fei, “but at this point… there’s no need for me to pretend to be unaware of it all.”

Marc Stein, when he mentioned the concept of “SoleImperium” in his column last season, had not foreseen how quickly things would evolve.

It was just an idea he put forward in his column, a spur-of-the-moment creation, but after Yu Fei won his sixth championship, this idea became the “truth” of the Chosen Empire.

The people around Yu Fei, the sponsors he represented, were all promoting this concept.

In just one summer, it became inextricably linked to Yu Fei.

Yu Fei was not the creator of this concept, but he was the source of inspiration, and his work halted at the court. The moment the empire was born, he, the master of the empire, was unaware. It was only when the world began to oppose him that he realized the empire existed behind him.

But what could he do? Say this was not what he wanted? That he was a team player, just like everyone else?

That’s not how the master of an empire should act.

“Even though that’s true, KD…” Lin Kaiwen was dissatisfied with what Durant said in the interview, “he shouldn’t have said those things.”

Yu Fei retorted, “You all let him become a lucky guy basking in the empire’s glory, so what if he complains a bit?”

“Just let it go?”

“There’s nothing to pursue,” Yu Fei said. “Contact Mark, let him read Simmons’ article; within a day, I want to see a response.”

On the sixth day of training camp, Yu Fei officially reported in.

As planned, Yu Fei was only supposed to take a four-day leave.

But after finishing his external activities, Yu Fei felt he needed to adjust a bit, so he took an extra day off.

Karl said everything at the training camp was normal.

Yu Fei interpreted this to mean that nothing special had happened over the past five days.

Before Yu Fei’s arrival, the dynamic at the SuperSonics training camp was dominated by Durant alone.

Whichever team he was on would win in the scrimmage games.

Although only a third-year player, Durant’s immediate combat power had clearly surpassed Roy’s.

Newcomer Chris Bosh was neither here nor there, but he had worked on his three-point shot over the summer, and now he could reliably hit threes after pick and rolls at the training camp.

While Bosh’s defense was a notch below Marion’s, his rebounding protection and offensive versatility as a power forward were a level above Marion’s.

The relationship between Kwame Brown and Jermaine O’Neal was the team’s greatest source of amusement.

Their feud could be traced back several years.

At that time, Yu Fei and Brown were with the Bucks, but after winning the championship, Brown suddenly became arrogant, declaring himself the Eastern Conference’s second-best center–just behind Shaquille O’Neal, who was at the tail end of his peak.

Little O, seeing this bandwagoner making such audacious claims, would explode on him every time they met.

But Brown never lost face, even if he lost the game.

He lost the matchup, but he won the game.

Is there anything more important than winning the game?

Now, times have changed.

Little O is no longer the top center in the League, and Brown remains the player whose trash-talking ability far exceeds his immediate combat readiness. However, Little O, having chosen to join the Supersonics, had to play as a sub, whereas Brown’s starting position is unshakable as long as Yu Fei is around.

Therefore, Little O, who used to look down on Brown, is now below the latter in both status and rank within the Supersonics.

When reporters asked Brown for his view on Little O joining,
Brown replied, “He was an All-Star, but he didn’t win a championship, and that’s why he’s here. I can teach him how to win a championship.”

Upon hearing this, Little O’s mouth twisted in annoyance and he responded defiantly, “The only thing he can teach me is how to be a loyal Rottweiler in Frye’s empire!”

Although it was a biting exchange, Little O’s statement had a double meaning. One was that he wouldn’t let Brown boss him around, and the other was his acceptance of the concept of the empire. He was willing to contribute to the empire like Brown, without stealing the master’s glory.

Besides, why compete with Big Fei for the spotlight?

Brown has already proven what is most effective.

What if others ignore your contributions? You can always sing your own praises.

Is Kwame Brown the number one center in the League? Then he’s the number one center in the universe–of course, that’s after winning a championship.

On the day of Yu Fei’s arrival, Karl decisively split him and Durant into two groups for a scrimmage.

People on the team also wanted to know how the third-year Durant would fare against Yu Fei.

Last season, Durant had already been a model wing shooter, whether it was perimeter shooting or catching and shooting off cuts.

Some said that the sophomore Durant had already reached the level of Danny Granger.

But if Durant stopped there, he would just be a pre-Michael Porter Porter. The most important lesson for a great wing modeled after Yu Fei is how to drive the ball inside.

That’s where Yu Fei truly excelled.

To penetrate inside, you need ball-handling skills, and once you have those, it means you can create your own shooting space. Then, his height and wingspan combined with shooting make up an unsolvable offensive machine.

Over the past summer, it seemed Durant had figured it out; he might never dribble and toy with everyone like Yu Fei. He had the foundation for ball control, but his barefoot height is 2 cm taller than Yu Fei’s, and he doesn’t have the terrifying ball sense of Yu Fei. Various factors determined that his ball-handling would primarily focus on attacking the basket.

Then, Durant noticed his own ostrich legs, understanding that once his dribbling combined with his astonishing stride length, it would become a nightmare for all wing opponents.

The scrimmage started with Durant showcasing his all-around improved skills.

He was 3 for 4 from the field, looking to be on par with Yu Fei.

Until Yu Fei tore through his defense with a dribble and slammed into the basket for a dunk, the kind of direct, heart-pounding impact that awakened some realization.

The master’s game was over.

In order to transform from a wing shooter into a complete offensive machine, Durant had to develop his ball-handling, and the key to ball-handling wasn’t dribbling but physical confrontation.

Yu Fei didn’t let Durant showcase his footwork anymore and took the initiative to give him body contact.

The defensive intensity of an intra-team scrimmage can be greater than in real games. Under Yu Fei’s pressure, Durant’s ball-handling ability plummeted.

The situation reversed instantly.

Yu Fei forced turnovers from Durant in two consecutive possessions and then rushed to the frontcourt for dunks.

This was a classic “Your uncle is still your uncle” moment.

After the game, Yu Fei’s Red Team beat Durant’s team by 16 points, handing him his first defeat in six days, reaffirming the SuperSonics’ internal hierarchy.

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“If this is the result of your special training, I would be worried about the future of the Supersonics empire,” Yu Fei said, “Just how long will I have to wait for your confrontation ability to become adequate?”

“I won’t make you wait long,”
Durant responded quietly.

“I’ve already waited two years!” Yu Fei asked coldly, “You disappoint me, Kevin. Why are you still so fragile?”

The atmosphere was not only silent but also enveloped in a suffocating pressure.

The master of the empire could still overwhelm everything.