Link had no idea how Yao Ming had felt on his first flight to Houston, but he himself had been nothing but nervous.
As soon as he stepped off the plane, Link spotted a large crowd of fans gathered outside the airport. They were holding signs that read "Welcome to Houston" and cheering excitedly for him.
Link also noticed that almost all the fans who had come to greet him were Asian. Some might have been Chinese Americans, while others might have come from China. But it was clear that local fans had little interest in Link.
After all, Yao had been the first overall pick, while Link had gone undrafted.
Link wasn't a star, so he waved amiably to the fans. He had wanted to sign autographs for a few of the younger ones, but Carl Jones pulled him into the car.
"Welcome to Houston, buddy. I'm Anthony Oakes, the Houston Rockets' low-post offense coach. Today, I'm here on behalf of the Rockets to welcome you."
As soon as Link got into the van, a Black man shook his hand.
"We've got a lot to do today, Link. First, you'll attend a press conference. Then you'll go to a fan fest, and tonight..."
"Wait..." Link interrupted Anthony Oakes before he could finish.
Link knew it was rude, but he couldn't help himself.
"If that's the case, when am I going to the practice facility? As far as I know, the Rockets have a game tomorrow, December 6. I'm here to play, right? But how am I supposed to play if I don't practice with the team?"
At Link's question, Anthony Oakes glanced at Carl Jones, who immediately stepped in to smooth things over.
"Don't worry, Link. We'll get through the formalities, and you'll have your chance to show what you can do. Today is only the second day of your ten-day contract. You'll have plenty of opportunities to prove yourself. Take it easy, buddy."
With Jones putting it that way, Link had no choice but to let it go. He nodded lightly.
And so Link spent the rest of the day wearing a fake smile. It wasn't that he disliked the fans who supported him. He had just begun to question why he had come to Houston.
The endless promotional events were wearing Link down. He wanted to play basketball and earn a place in the NBA, not become someone else's cash cow.
Link knew that once the attention died down, who would still need him? He'd surely be kicked to the curb, and the capitalists would find the next "inspirational Chinese American" to exploit.
After a day of being "tortured," Link had made tens of thousands of dollars, but he wasn't happy. He hadn't signed with an NBA team for a measly few thousand bucks. He was sure Upshaw hadn't wanted him to go to the NBA just to earn a little money, either.
Upshaw had entrusted all his dreams and hopes for the NBA to Link.
As he lay in bed, Link slowly closed his eyes. Tomorrow, the Houston Rockets would host the Detroit Pistons. He didn't know whether he'd get to play, but if he did, he had to seize his "lifeline."
※※※
On December 6, 2010, the NBA regular season continued. The marquee matchup that day was the Thunder against the Bulls. Fans were eagerly anticipating a showdown between two young talents, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose.
But the game between the Houston Rockets and the Detroit Pistons was drawing plenty of attention, too.
It was true that neither the Pistons nor the Rockets were among the league's strongest teams anymore. The Rockets had been stuck on the edge of the playoff race, while the Pistons had long since fallen out of the Eastern Conference's top eight.
Even so, tickets to the game at the Toyota Center were nearly impossible to find, for two reasons.
The first was that Tracy McGrady, now with the Pistons, would be returning to the Toyota Center. Though he'd left the Rockets on bad terms, McGrady had given the best years of his career to Houston.
His miraculous 13 points in 35 seconds was still a favorite story among fans. The return of a former hero to his old home was always a compelling storyline.
The second reason the game had attracted so much attention was that, after Yao Ming, another Chinese player might represent the Rockets on the court. Though Link was a Chinese American, his ancestry was entirely Chinese. That had earned him attention beyond what his abilities alone warranted.
But to the Rockets' veteran coach, Rick Adelman, this was just another ordinary regular-season game. He only cared about winning. The Pistons weren't a strong team, and the Rockets, battling on the edge of the playoff race, needed to win every game they were supposed to win and make the most of every opportunity.
That was why he'd arrived at the Toyota Center practice facility early that morning. He wanted to prepare properly for the game.
As soon as Adelman approached the practice facility, he heard the thump of a basketball bouncing inside.
At first, Adelman didn't think much of it. He knew the Rockets' staff sometimes took a few shots when nobody else was around. But when he pushed open the gym doors, he froze.
"Who are you?" Adelman asked, staring blankly at the man in a number 5 Rockets practice jersey. But the moment he'd asked, he regretted it.
He suddenly remembered who the guy was. Wasn't he that G League player Morey had signed recently?
"My name's Tom Lin, but everyone calls me Link. Good morning, Mr. Rick Adelman!"
Seeing the head coach, so familiar to Chinese fans, standing right in front of him made Link feel much less nervous. He'd been through too many similar experiences in the past few days.
"Uh... You came in this early to practice?" Adelman asked with an awkward smile.
"Yeah. I know I have to work harder to keep up with everyone, so I have to make use of the mornings." Link scratched his head. Recent events had been a real pain, but he had never slacked off on his training or lowered his standards for himself.
After all his hard work, the progress bar before Link's eyes was nearly half full. It wouldn't be long before he leveled up.
In competitive sports, ability was what mattered. So Link didn't dare let up for even a moment. He pushed himself constantly so he could level up as soon as possible.
"Mm. You're a hard worker, kid. Keep it up."
With that, Adelman returned to his office without another word.
Adelman had been in the NBA for decades, ever since becoming an assistant coach with the Trail Blazers in 1983. He knew very well that hard work alone didn't always get you anywhere.
What did Link have on his résumé? A triple-double against Luke Ba Weiyuan and a double-double against Lance Stephenson. By NBA standards, those accomplishments were insignificant.
Adelman sighed. What a shame to see such a burning passion go to waste. The veteran coach knew perfectly well that Morey had signed Link purely to attract attention. The game had sold out, so Morey had already accomplished what he wanted.
In Adelman's system, there wasn't a place for Link at all. Signing him hadn't been Adelman's idea; it was simply a business decision by Morey. Link was nothing but a cash cow. If Link's agent hadn't also been a rookie and a greedy opportunist, why would the Chinese American have come to Houston?
Adelman shook his head and didn't give the undrafted player another thought. His most important job now was to win the game against the Pistons.
As for players like Link... Who would even remember him ten days from now?
※※※
Luis Scola was having a terrific game. He'd once been one of Link's favorite big men. The Argentine wasn't especially strong or athletic, but with his soft touch and beautiful footwork around the basket, Scola had been a force in the post during his prime.
This season, without Yao Ming, Scola's scoring average had risen to 18.3 points per game. He had become one of the Rockets' most important scorers.
And today, Scola's performance left Link dumbfounded. The undersized Pistons power forward, Jason Maxiell, was no match for him. The Argentine was unstoppable, carving up the defense on his way to a game-high 35 points.
With Scola playing so well, the game had turned into garbage time early. With 1:48 left, the Pistons were down by 18.
In an era when the three-pointer hadn't yet become commonplace, making up 18 points in 1:48 was all but impossible. The Pistons had McGrady, but even he couldn't score 13 points in 35 seconds every game.
"Congratulations, Rick. We're in garbage time now. We've got this one."
On the bench, a Rockets assistant coach was already embracing Adelman to celebrate the win. Every victory meant a lot to the Rockets this season.
Adelman had only one job left: send in the garbage-time lineup.
He'd been about to put in Jared Jeffries, but then he noticed Link at the end of the bench, his eyes burning with anticipation. The veteran coach suddenly changed his mind.
Link's burning gaze and the sight of him working so hard were hard for Adelman to forget. It was true that Morey might have signed him for publicity, but that wasn't the Chinese American player's doing. To put it bluntly, Link might have made a little quick money, but he'd been kept in the dark and was a victim, too.
No matter how good he was, he deserved a chance. Adelman called out and waved Link over.
Everyone was stunned. Link had practiced separately from the team that afternoon. He hadn't practiced with them for even a single minute!
And now, Adelman was putting him into the game!
Link hadn't expected to play in his first game with the Rockets, either. So when Adelman called him over, he froze for a moment.
But he quickly pulled off his disposable warm-up shirt and ran over to Adelman.
"Remember, don't lose that enthusiasm." With that, Adelman sent Link onto the court.
The veteran coach shook his head. Maybe because of Yao Ming, he'd developed a soft spot for Asian players who were willing to work hard...
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