You're Fired

In his first game with the Rockets, Link put up 5 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist. Though his playing time was limited, two of his plays made the top five highlights of the night, giving him a pretty solid start in the NBA.

Over the next two games, Link's performance remained steady and unremarkable.

On December 9th, the Rockets lost to the Bucks. But Link's playing time increased to two and a half minutes, and he recorded 7 points and 3 rebounds. Notably, he shot 2-for-3 from the field, with 6 of his 7 points coming from beyond the arc plus a free throw—highly efficient.

On December 10th, the Rockets faced the Cavaliers in a back-to-back. Thanks to Kevin Martin's absurd 40-point outburst, the post-James Cavaliers were utterly dismantled, and the game entered garbage time early.

With garbage time came opportunity. Link got three and a half minutes on the floor today, posting 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. To put up those numbers in under five minutes was remarkably efficient.

If not for one unlucky shot that rattled in and out, Link would have scored in double digits for the first time in his NBA career.

With that, Link's 10-day contract with the Rockets officially expired after three games. He was growing more well-known in Houston, and it was clear that Adelman was increasingly trusting him.

At first, Link probably wasn't part of the team's plans. But now, Adelman would intentionally or unintentionally increase his playing time.

After the game, Link returned home full of anticipation, ready to sign his second 10-day contract the next day. He was confident in his performance over these three games and believed it was enough to keep him in Houston.

But when Carl Jones came to see him, the news he brought was far from what Link had imagined.

"We need to pack up and head back to Oklahoma City first thing tomorrow morning."

"What did you say?" Hearing that, Link's cheerful mood vanished instantly.

Of course, his face immediately darkened. Link wasn't Duncan or Leonard—he wore his heart on his sleeve and didn't bother hiding his emotions.

And he had been putting up with Carl Jones for far too long.

From the very start, the only thing Carl Jones had been busy with was lining up one commercial gig after another for him.

Appearing at supermarket promotions, cutting ribbons for some no-name brand, even pretending to eat at a restaurant to draw in customers... These gigs paid anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars, none of them legitimate business deals.

Link wasn't stupid. He knew exactly how this benefited Carl Jones. Every commercial event netted Jones a 20% cut. The amounts weren't huge individually, but they added up. In just ten days, Carl Jones had pocketed tens of thousands of dollars.

Who wouldn't love easy money like that? Especially someone as greedy as Carl Jones.

Link had always assumed that once Jones made enough cash, he'd focus on the NBA contract. So he didn't interfere much. But now, Jones had let him down.

Seeing Link's expression sour, Carl Jones quickly explained, "Morey never planned to keep you in Houston. He signed you just to draw attention. Now that you've served your purpose, he naturally won't renew you."

Link didn't deny Jones's claim. As a transmigrator, Link remembered that in 2018 and 2019, the Los Angeles Lakers had twice signed G League player Andre Ingram. That older G Leaguer's inspirational story had been hyped up both years.

But did the Lakers really need Ingram? No. They did it to use his story for publicity. Because those two years, the Lakers' record was so terrible that without some narrative, no one would care about them.

The first year the Lakers signed Ingram, Link thought they were being classy. But when they did it again the second year, he found it nauseatingly exploitative. Did Andre Ingram really fulfill his dream? No. He was just a PR tool.

So Morey might have signed him for the same reason. But that didn't excuse Carl Jones.

"The Rockets don't have a spot for me, Morey doesn't want to renew... So, besides those damn commercial gigs, did you fight for me? Did you sit down with Morey and confront him? Or did you know from the start that I wouldn't stay in Houston, but you sent me here anyway to maximize your commercial value?"

Faced with Link's barrage, Carl Jones was speechless.

"You said we could make it big together, but what you've done so far has disappointed me, Carl."

Just as Link was fuming, his phone rang. He quickly pulled it out, hoping for a turnaround.

Maybe Adelman had convinced Morey? Or perhaps Jordan Hill had put in a good word?

But no. The caller ID wasn't anyone from the Rockets—it was Upshaw's mother.

Link shot Carl Jones a vicious glare, composed himself, and answered.

"Martha, what's up?"

"Link..."

The moment she spoke, Link knew something was wrong. Upshaw's mother was on the verge of tears!

From their previous interactions, Link knew the Upshaws were an optimistic family. Especially his mother, Martha—no matter how tough life got, she always smiled. Even when she occasionally vented to Link, it was self-deprecating.

But now, the most cheerful woman Link had ever met was speaking with a sob in her voice.

"What's going on?! What happened?" Link was anxious. Everyone knew crime rates were high near Upshaw's neighborhood. He feared something had happened to Upshaw.

"It's Zeke. He's in the hospital. I don't know what happened—he collapsed during the game and hasn't woken up yet. The doctor said he..." Martha paused, as if even saying the word took immense courage. "The doctor said it was a cardiac arrest that caused the collapse. He's in emergency care now. I don't know what to do, Link. I don't know who else to call. I..."

Cardiac arrest. Hearing those words, Link's hair stood on end. Suddenly, he remembered the small round pill bottle Upshaw always carried.

"Don't worry, Martha. I'll book the earliest flight and be there as soon as I can. Zeke will be fine. He's a professional basketball player!"

Link ended the call hastily, didn't even pack his bags, grabbed his coat, and headed out. His best friend had collapsed during a game—he had no time for anything else.

"Where are you going?" Carl Jones panicked. He knew he couldn't afford to lose his cash cow.

"Back to Oklahoma City, just like you wanted!" Link snapped.

"Oklahoma City? No, the commercial gig there isn't until tomorrow noon. We don't need to rush. We can—"

Carl Jones stopped mid-sentence because he saw sparks practically flying from Link's eyes.

"Screw the commercial gigs, Carl Jones. You're fired. You're fucking fired! Go find your next cash cow and stop following me!"

With the Rockets dropping him and Upshaw mysteriously hospitalized, Link was at his boiling point. Carl Jones had walked right into the line of fire.

Jones swallowed hard, clearly intimidated by Link. In all their time together, he'd never seen Link this angry. But he quickly regained his composure and put on a disgusting sneer. "If you want to fire me, you'll have to pay me a fifty-thousand-dollar penalty, Link! It's in black and white on the contract!"

Hearing that, Link actually smiled. Now he saw Carl Jones for exactly what he was. This guy had never been his friend. He was right—he was just a pawn for both Morey and Jones.

One needed a cut from the commercial contract, and the other needed a "clown" to draw in the fans.

Seeing Link stop in his tracks, Carl Jones sneered smugly, thinking he had intimidated Link. After all, fifty thousand dollars was no small sum for a poor kid playing in the G League.

Little did he know, Link calmly pulled out the check he had just received from the Rockets, then viciously slapped it across Carl Jones's face, even spitting on his shoes for good measure.

"You money-grubbing bastard, take your check and get out of my sight. I guarantee you'll be ruined by money sooner or later. And I'll be more than happy to see that day come."

Having cursed him out, Link zipped up his jacket and walked out of the rented room.

His trip to Houston was over, but he felt no nostalgia. The only thing on Link's mind now was getting back to Upshaw's side.