James Under Fire?

"On the court, do what you're supposed to do. Don't worry about anything else. Then go home and enjoy your life. Take your two daughters and enjoy everything Los Angeles has to offer. You've earned it!"

"We're all just ordinary professional players. We work hard and play hard, but wins and losses have never been something we can change through sheer willpower alone. So don't put so much pressure on yourself. Your two All-Star teammates are still recovering from their injuries. Once they're back, I'm sure things will get better."

"So before then, your first priority is to stay healthy, physically and mentally. If there's anything weighing on you and you can't take it anymore, you can call me anytime."

After Chen Xi spoke from the heart, the other end of the line fell silent for a long time.

Faintly, Chen Xi could hear a sound like paper rustling.

"Thank you, Chris. Really, thank you. I'll give everything you said some serious thought."

"You don't have to thank me, man. As I tried to comfort you, I was also trying to comfort myself. I once had a friend who went through something similar, but I couldn't say any of this to him. I've kept those words bottled up for a long time, so I'm glad I can say them to you now."

That was as far as words of comfort could go. In truth, would they really help DeRozan all that much?

Probably not.

The person who could truly help him was himself.

Of course, the best thing would be for James and Griffin to speak up for him...

But so far, Chen Xi hadn't seen any news to that effect.

So he made the first move.

November 20.

The Thunder were still in Los Angeles. That evening, they