Champion Creed-Chapter 1013 - 328: 38-Year-Old Super Villain (Thanks to the generous reward from Household Steward Hero)_2

This is why New York fans dare to say with confidence that they don’t need Ewing.

Marcus Camby absolutely has talent; in fact, during his college years, he was thought to be the second Admiral on defense. He appears slightly skinny but possesses athleticism of a small forward level, which is very similar to the Admiral.

Years later, Anthony Davis’s draft template was indeed Marcus Camby.

This is enough to illustrate how outstanding his talent is.

So the kind of defense from yesterday’s game, where all he did was block shots and leap recklessly while losing track of opponents, absolutely doesn’t reflect Marcus Camby’s level.

A player’s speed may slow down, his jumps may deteriorate, or he may even grow lazy, but his awareness absolutely shouldn’t worsen.

John Stockton’s passes are exceptionally good day in and day out for decades, the Dream could still provide assists from the low post during his time with the Hawks, and the Big Ape, no matter how poor his stamina, could still persist late into the night at the Gold Club. Awareness is engraved in the DNA of every player and will not change.

Marcus Camby though? His performance yesterday seemed like he lost even the most basic defensive awareness, which is almost impossible.

All these point to one fact—he deliberately didn’t plan to play well.

Mutombo cares a lot about Marcus Camby because they knew each other before entering the NBA and shared a period.

Of course, it wasn’t a heroic romance but friendship.

In 1992, Camby, who was still in high school, attended the Nike Training Camp and met Mutombo there.

Mutombo remembers Camby being extremely excited at the time, shouting loudly, "I must become a great player like you!"

And Mount Mutombo told him: "Kid, persistence is the only shortcut to realizing dreams!"

Afterwards, Camby and Mutombo corresponded during Camby’s college years. They seldom met but kept in touch like friends. The young man spoke of his troubles, and the patient uncle replied to every concern.

Their relationship was like the early stages of Garnett and Roger’s friendship.

In the spring of 2001, when Camby’s mother and two sisters were kidnapped at home, panicked, the first person he thought to call was Mutombo.

However, after Camby was injured in the autumn of 2001, he suddenly stopped contacting Mutombo.

Mutombo still wrote him some letters, but received no reply.

Everyone knows that one-sided dedication is really exhausting. Over time, Mutombo also stopped reaching out, and their relationship completely broke down.

After becoming teammates in the Bay Area, the two acted like strangers, with no communication.

Frankly, Mutombo was a bit angry; he didn’t know where he had offended that guy to make him disregard this friendship entirely.

But when he saw Marcus Camby about to leave yesterday, Mutombo was the first to stand up to block him. He still wanted to save this guy who once was considered a friend; he didn’t want to watch Marcus Camby, so obviously talented, fall from grace.

You can’t explain why Mutombo did this; the only explanation is that beneath the rough exterior of the uncle, he was actually a good person like the elegant Saru.

But Camby at this moment was just like when he was injured in 2001; he again refused all help.

Not long after Camby left, Mutombo met Roger.

Roger was on the phone as he got in the car, just nodding at Mutombo as if he had something urgent.

But Mutombo still took the initiative to ask, "Are you in a hurry, Roger?"

"I have dinner planned with Scarlett Johansson; there’s still an hour left, but considering the Golden Gate Bridge is just as unpredictable as ’Martin’s Morning,’ I think I am quite in a hurry. What’s up, Mount? Is there something you need?"

"About Marcus, are you really going to exclude him from the main roster?"

"Don’t talk to me about that waste anymore; he’s the only one I’ve ever misjudged." Roger was utterly disappointed in Camby.

"Will the team trade him?"

"Yes, because that bastard has quietly requested a trade just now. Moron, doesn’t he know that the general manager would first call me for anything? Why doesn’t he dare to directly talk about a trade in the locker room? Damn it."

"Roger, the kid might still be salvageable; we all know he has ability."

"Well, I wish him luck and hope he can showcase his skill elsewhere. Anything else, Mount?"

"Nothing..."

"Goodbye, and by the way, thank you for what you did last night. Next time, I won’t let Tim Duncan that freak laugh in front of you again."

With that, the red Ferrari sped away.

Dikembe Mutombo sighed; some things are really beyond control.

The next day, the news of Marcus Camby’s placement on the Warriors’ trading block stirred up quite a storm.

Camby had just played his first official game for the Warriors yesterday, logging 15 minutes. And yet, after only 15 minutes, he got traded?

The media were all curious about what exactly had happened.

However, the entire Warriors team kept tight-lipped, never exposing Roger kicking Camby out of the locker room.

Camby’s trade was officially put on the agenda, and Bob Bass practically kept his phone in hand the first day, fearing missing any calls.

But surprisingly, the first day saw only three teams inquire about Camby, and their offers were very low; it was all just fringe material or second-round draft picks.

Obviously, Camby had overestimated his own market value, and Bob Bass had too.