But the traffic had already come his way, so he could only grit his teeth and press on.
On the third day, he published his third hit piece.
Its title was sensational: "Wang Yi May Announce His Retirement After This Season, Choosing to Avoid the Competition."
In the article, Bayless let his imagination run wild.
He interpreted Wang Yi's low-key approach as a sign that he had lost interest in basketball:
"His average of 34 points per game may look impressive.
But in reality, Wang Yi is paving the way for retirement.
He knows he can no longer dominate the court the way he did when he was younger.
And he knows he can't compete with rising stars like King Arthur.
So he's chosen this 'coasting' style of play. It lets him save face while still raking in a substantial salary before retiring.
According to reliable sources, Wang Yi is already planning his business ventures for after retirement.
His team is reaching out to several brands, preparing to make a full-scale move into the business world after this season."
To support his claims, Bayless also listed several changes in Wang Yi's stats this season.
"His attempts are down by 12 per game compared to last season.
His average playing time is down by five minutes.
His share of points scored in high-intensity matchups has fallen by 20%.
All these stats show that Wang Yi is deliberately conserving his energy and preparing to retire.
He's no longer chasing peak individual performance.
He no longer yearns for championship honors.
To him, basketball has become a job he could take or leave."
This article, full of wild speculation, finally left some uninformed passersby wondering.
"Could Wang Yi really be retiring? I haven't seen enough of him playing yet!"
"If he really is paving