Seeing Kirilenko get faked out and sent flying out of bounds, then watching Link score with ease, a substitute in a warm-up suit on the Jazz bench rubbed his hands in anticipation.
This was Link's fourth game with the Grizzlies, and his first as a starter. Yet after just four games, plenty of people were already singing his praises.
"He could become one of the most successful undrafted players in history."
"He could rank among the top five rookies this year."
"No doubt about it, he'll make a lot of lottery picks feel ashamed. Link's name has to be among the best rookies this year."
Those reports might not have seemed like a big deal to most people. But the rookies from the 2010 draft weren't taking them well.
How could an undrafted player become the most talked-about rookie after fewer than ten games? Was it just because of his skin color?
So plenty of the 2010 rookies wanted to face Link and see who was better. They wanted to show the media and fans what a truly outstanding rookie looked like.
DeMarcus Cousins had played the previous game with exactly that mindset. Unfortunately for him, Link wasn't his direct opponent, and the inexperienced Cousins had gotten schooled by Randolph.
But today, this Jazz rookie had a real chance to go head-to-head with Link.
Gordon Hayward kept his eyes fixed on the court, studying Link's every move. In college, Hayward had led Butler University to the NCAA championship game, earning a reputation as the best white American-born forward in the country.
But after entering the NBA, Hayward's profile had suddenly dropped. Given his personality, he wasn't chasing fame or fortune. Still, he didn't want to come to the NBA and accomplish nothing.
He wanted to prove he was more than