"Mission: Win the PAC-12 Championship. Reward: 5 Victory Points. Do you want to accept the mission?"
"Is the championship really that cheap?"
"You don't have to take the mission."
"Ah, might as well take it."
Given that Arjun only had 1 Victory Point, he really didn't have the guts to turn down a mission that offered more.
After accepting the mission, Arjun climbed down from his bunk bed and joined Westbrook, who was still groggy from waking up at 3 AM, for training.
While Arjun was eagerly anticipating the start of the NCAA's first game, the NBA was rocked by major news.
Kobe was challenging the Lakers' management, publicly demanding a trade.
After O'Neal left, Kobe had been padding his stats for years, finally realizing that he couldn't win a championship on his own. But the management wasn't helping him find a strong teammate. They brought in Bynum, selling him to Kobe as the future of the team, making Kobe wait for his growth.
After two consecutive years of being knocked out in the first round by himself, Kobe couldn't take it anymore. After criticizing the management's inaction, he requested a trade, hoping to join another team.
The NBA was in turmoil!
The first to publicly express a desire to make a trade was Mavericks owner Cuban.
Last season, the Mavericks had the best record in the league but were upset by the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs. This made Cuban realize that aside from Nowitzki, the rest of the team was trash. He straightforwardly made an offer to the Lakers: anyone but Nowitzki was up for grabs, and they could have a first-round pick too, just to get Kobe.
Cuban was bold, but the Lakers weren't interested in anyone but Nowitzki.
No luck for the Mavericks, and teams from the East started to get active.
Pistons, Bulls, Cavaliers.
Since their 2004 championship, the Pistons realized they needed a superstar who could score anytime, anywhere, so they targeted Kobe, hoping he could team up with Billups and chase another championship.
The Pistons' offer was pretty good: Hamilton, this year's 15th pick Stuckey, Mark Hill, and two first-round picks.
An All-Star, a promising rookie, a second-year player averaging 15+6, and two first-round picks.
It was said that the Lakers' management approved the deal, but Kobe refused.
Kobe didn't want to go to a team like the Pistons, which had beaten him before,he only had resentment for them.
The Bulls made an offer to the Lakers: 9th pick Noah, Ben Gordon, Nocioni, Thomas. Ben Gordon had averaged 21+3+3 last season, also an All-Star.
The Lakers didn't want Noah,they wanted Luol Deng, which angered the Bulls, and the trade was put on hold.
Besides the Pistons and Bulls, it was said that the Lakers also inquired with the Cavaliers about a one-for-one trade for James, but of course, that went nowhere.
"Arjun, what do you think? Where do you think Kobe will end up?" Westbrook asked Arjun after training, discussing the NBA news.
"Kobe isn't going anywhere,he'll stay in Los Angeles," Arjun said.
"Kobe's at odds with the Lakers now, he has to move. I think the Bulls have the best shot at getting him, and it's said Kobe agrees to go to the Bulls," Westbrook said.
"Why the rush? Just enjoy the show. The Lakers' big boss hasn't made his move yet," Arjun said.
"Didn't the Lakers' management also say they're seeking a trade for Kobe?" Westbrook asked, puzzled.
"Russell, you're still green. Just watch," Arjun said, patting Westbrook on the shoulder with a knowing look.
Sure enough, not long after Arjun and Westbrook's discussion, Lakers owner Jerry Buss couldn't stand the drama anymore. He met with Kobe, promising to get him the help he needed for the new season and telling him the Lakers were willing to do everything for him. Eventually, Kobe stayed...
The news broke the next day.
"Arjun, you're so cool, you were right again," Westbrook shouted in the dorm after seeing the news.
Arjun wasn't just right about this,he was right about a lot of things, which made Westbrook admire him even more.
Westbrook thought Arjun was not only great at basketball but also really sharp-minded, giving him a run for his money.
"Hey," Arjun just smiled and didn't say much.
As someone with knowledge from another time, he had a clear advantage.
Taking on the future legends like the "Triple-Double Beast" Westbrook was pretty easy for him.
...
"The PAC-12 is the Pacific-12 Conference, a collegiate athletic conference on the West Coast," explained Coach Howland in the Bruins' training facility to the rookies.
"Since this conference has the most NCAA championships, it's also known as the 'Conference of Champions.'"
"The PAC-12, as the name suggests, consists of 12 teams, including us, University of Washington, Stanford, USC, University of Oregon, Oregon State, and others."
"In the regular season, we play each team home and away. After that, it's single-elimination to determine the conference champion, followed by the NCAA Tournament, also known as March Madness..."
Despite the training camp starting ten days ago, some newcomers still didn't grasp the format.
No helping it, most of these athletes were more brawn than brains, finding the format too complicated.
Coach Howland sighed as he looked at Arjun and Westbrook, wishing all his players were as academically gifted as these two.
Arjun and Westbrook had the best academic records among the players on the team.
While other players worried about failing various subjects, these two could already tutor their teammates.
They were willing to learn, and the duo was ready to teach...
During this time, Arjun also got to know some of the other teammates.
Besides the rookies Arjun and Westbrook, there were Ethan Jameson and Ryan Knight.
Ethan Jameson was a five-star recruit, ranked 25th among high school players, and played as a small forward.
Ryan Knight was a four-star recruit, ranked 38th, also a small forward.
These two didn't compete directly with Arjun and Westbrook for positions, which made for a harmonious relationship.
Besides the four rookies, the rest were veterans.
Afflalo, Shaw, Collison, Raynor, Rowe, Abbot, Ethan, Ellis...
Among them, only Afflalo and Collison had prospects for the NBA,the others didn't stand a chance.
Arjun remembered this well.
Ethan, Afflalo, Collison, Ellis, Westbrook were all guards, his direct competitors within the team.
During training, Arjun quickly earned the trust of Coach Howland.
Three days before the first game of the season, Howland announced in front of all the players, "Arjun, you'll be starting as the point guard for the Bruins in the season opener."