Lenny Cook kept facing setbacks, making it difficult for the Ace Team to secure a second stable point of offense.
Fortunately, Carmelo Anthony was always Anthony, his defensive game might not be impressive, but on offense, he was nothing short of dazzling.
Compared with Anthony, Iguodala, another player from the class of 2002 with a similar build, seemed to fall far behind.
Iguodala lacked the versatile offensive skills of Anthony and also didn't have reliable scoring methods; he seemed capable of everything, but against slightly stronger opponents, he would falter as if he could do nothing at all.
What people praised most about Anthony was his physical talent.
His body allowed one to glimpse the future.
Then, Brandon Roy made his move.
One could see how much difference a year made looking at Roy.
At this time, Roy was not yet the future NBA player who would score 30,000 points, just as the current Anthony was not yet the kaleidoscope of offense he would become.
In terms of rankings, Roy wouldn't have made it into the top 100 nationwide for the class of 2001, whereas Anthony would certainly land in the top five for the class of 2002 after the camp, but Roy still managed to score continuously with his mature playing style and helped the Jade Team withstand the pressure during Anthony's fiercest attacks.
Roy's breakout was also closely linked to Yu Fei.
Every drive and shot by Roy came from a pass by Yu Fei.
This was another technical characteristic from Yu Fei's previous life. Since he was not tall enough back then, he often fed the ball to the talented players and shooters on his team, and over time, he naturally learned how to deliver comfortable passes to his teammates.
After playing as a center at K-M for a year, Yu Fei mostly converted his physical talent into performances in front of the scouts, and it was at the ABCD Camp that he really began to play with more freedom.
Today, he first allowed the experts to see his defense, then his leadership, followed by his organization and passing.
These displays of skill were different from Anthony's pure offensive talent.
Talented and versatile youngsters often have more possibilities.
As for Anthony, people could easily find a template for him—Pierce or Mashburn.
What about Yu Fei? Before joining the camp, everyone thought he resembled Lamar Odom, but now he seemed more like a taller Scottie Pippen.
Could he still surprise everyone?
Anthony's step-back jumper was still smooth but missed the mark.
Yu Fei sensed the rebound's landing spot, positioned himself in advance, leaped to catch the ball, and the moment he landed, he bellowed "Fast break," prompting three players from the Jade Team to rapidly descend the court.
Fei possessed a vengeful attitude; if Anthony scored on him, he would make sure to return the favor next round.
He put pressure on his teammates and even, if a teammate's finishing wasn't good enough, he would show his dissatisfaction.
When the arrogant Lenny Cook provoked him, he used brutal matchups and trash talk to make him crumble.
When he was satisfied with a teammate's finishing, he could generously give praise.
Some of these behaviors were related to his temperament in the game, some to leadership, some to personality.
And to a great extent, where a talented player ultimately ends up depends on these factors.
Given Fei's talent and game temperament, how far could he go?
West couldn't have an answer, but if he had this year's lottery pick (assuming Fei entered this year's draft), he might take a gamble on Fei.
Yet, he wasn't sure it was a solid choice, unless Fei showed more reliable performance.
By the end of the first half, the Jade Team and the Ace Team were tied, and Wakaro came over to probe West's interest; "What do you think, Jerry, any players catching your eye?"
"Cameron is not bad," West gave Wakaro an answer that couldn't possibly be wrong.
"I'm also quite optimistic about that kid," Wakaro nodded in agreement, then asked, "What do you think of Frye?"
West didn't want to show his fondness for Fei, because Wakaro was with Adidas, and once he showed he appreciated Fei more, it could bring a lot of unexpected implications.
Plus, he genuinely didn't want to openly show favor to Fei, and again, he never liked Asians.
"His talent is not bad..." West said cautiously, "But everything is quite rough. Of course, his ball-handling is impressive."
Wakaro seemed to know West would say this.
Everyone who didn't know Fei would have such an assessment, a very rational one.
There's nothing wrong with being rational, but if it's rationality without understanding the details, then it is another form of bias.
"What if I told you that he was still playing volleyball at the beginning of last year and, if you calculate carefully, he's had only one year of systematic basketball training? Would you still hold the same view?"
Wakaro looked at 'LOGO man' with a smile, eagerly awaiting his response.
West's cheeks twitched, "F***, are you f***ing kidding me?"
Wakaro's smile confirmed the truth of his statement.
When West looked at Fei again, his perception was completely different.