Ben Wallace spent a week in the hospital. Although his face was still swollen and his teeth were still loose, the ringing in his head had finally stopped, and he was able to watch TV and read the newspaper.

When he turned on the TV and saw that Su Xi had become the player with the most All-Star votes in history, he was in complete disbelief. ’What the hell happened? Am I the one with the concussion, or has the whole world gone crazy?’

He quickly flipped to a TNT program and saw Tracy McGrady looking disappointed and angry. "This isn’t about basketball anymore; it’s a popularity contest," McGrady said. "Hollywood has invaded the NBA. Pretty soon, we’ll all be competing based on our acting skills. And to be honest, Little Sheep Su Xi’s acting is quite good. He could have a career in Hollywood. He’s the one who put Ben Wallace in the hospital, and now he’s vacationing in Miami while the league hasn’t punished him at all."

"His marketability hasn’t taken any hit, and everyone thinks he’s the victim. Ben Wallace is the one who’s become notorious..."

WHOM! 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Hearing those words, the ringing in Ben Wallace’s head started up again.

’What?’

’I got beaten this badly, and that bastard didn’t get punished at all?’

He immediately made a call to find out what happened. When he learned that he had been suspended for 13 games and fined 50,000 USD, while Su Xi had only received a token two-game suspension, he completely lost it. He wanted to protest. He wanted to file a complaint. He wanted to hold a press conference to air his grievances and tell the whole world that Su Xi was the real bastard—that Su Xi was the one who had tripped him, punched him in the face, and kicked him.

Ben Wallace was completely dumbfounded. ’Is there no justice in this world? Is there no fairness?’

He called his agent, demanding to hold a press conference.

He furiously vented, rattling off a long list of complaints.

Then, his agent asked him a question. "So you’re planning to make a big public announcement that you’re the one who got beaten up by Little Sheep Su Xi?"

"Huh? Is there a problem with that?" Ben Wallace asked.

"Think it through again," his agent said.

Only then did Ben Wallace realize something was off.

"You’re the tough guy the entire league respects. Your suspension is almost over. If you come out now saying you’re the one who got beaten up, do you think the league will change its decision? And what do you think the fans will say? Don’t you think they’ll see you as a whiner?" The agent’s words struck a nerve with Wallace.

"So I’m just supposed to take this loss?" Wallace said furiously.

"Yes," his agent said bluntly. "He really got the better of you this time. The only thing you can do now is keep your mouth shut and swallow your pride. Then, wait for the right moment to get your revenge!"

Ben Wallace was furious, but there was nothing he could do.

"Besides," the agent added, "the hype around this incident is already over. The whole world is more interested in Little Sheep Su Xi’s love triangle. The buzz from the Auburn Hills Palace incident has completely faded."

"Just drop it."

That was the agent’s final word on the matter.

Ben Wallace was miserable, but he was also helpless.

He had to swallow this bitter pill.

...

The day after Ben Wallace was discharged from the hospital, the Detroit Pistons made a trade, acquiring Rashid Wallace from the Hawks for a few role players and some draft picks. At the same time, the Pacers made a signing, bringing on Kenny Anderson for a minimum-salary contract.

Kenny Anderson had been bought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers three days earlier. He and James were like oil and water, and couldn’t stand the sight of each other. They ultimately had a clean break with the Cavaliers, and both parties went their separate ways.

The Pacers immediately extended an olive branch, and he happily accepted their minimum-salary offer.

With the Pacers, he wouldn’t need to learn a new system. Besides, due to Su Xi’s stamina issues, the Pacers were in need of a Point Guard who was already familiar with their playbook, making Kenny Anderson the perfect choice.

"Any player unwilling to be James’s servant will end up leaving. I’m not the first, and I won’t be the last." Kenny Anderson didn’t forget to throw some trash talk on his way out. "The Cavaliers are basically a semi-feudal team."

It was a powerful and resonant statement.

It got to the point where Nike had to increase its marketing budget.

A wave of negative press about Kenny Anderson immediately drowned out his comments. After all, Anderson had plenty of skeletons in his closet from his younger days, back when he was a talented but arrogant guard.

These articles painted Anderson as a difficult problem-player, making it seem like the Cavaliers were completely justified in cutting him and that he was just slinging mud at the "Chosen One."

But... this was proof that the internal conflicts on the Cavaliers had reached a breaking point.

When the Su Xi trade first happened, many in the media said the Cavaliers had made out like bandits and that the Pacers had paid too steep a price.

And yet, not only had the Cavaliers’ record failed to improve, but they had actually fallen out of the top eight in the East.

The Pacers, meanwhile, had solidified their spot as number one in the league and had even gotten their revenge on the Pistons. Now, they had even managed to bring Kenny Anderson back into the fold.

The first thing Kenny Anderson said upon returning to the Pacers was, "Everyone wants to come back now. Even Stephen Jackson was asking me about the weather in Indiana. Nobody wants to play with a ’Chosen One’ who acts like he’s above everyone else. He doesn’t have a single elite skill, yet he gets all the special privileges. Every play is designed for his teammates to adapt to him, rather than him using his abilities to make the game easier for them."

"He’s even more selfish than I was back in my day."

The moment Kenny Anderson said that, Larry Bird couldn’t keep a straight face.