Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

But this matter has already been put on the agenda, hasn't it?

In fact, coming back now is equally risky for Jordan.

The estimated recovery time for him is two months, and even if he recovers faster than most, that would still take a month and a half.

And it has only been a month.

For Jordan, he is no longer young, and his recovery speed surely can't meet the theoretical standards for quick recovery.

If the Wizards can't make it to the playoffs, Jordan might as well call it the end of the season.

But now, they still have a chance to make the playoffs, which brings about a lot of variables.

During practice, Jordan's running and lateral movements are somewhat limited; he is definitely not 100% recovered. If he comes back now and ends up getting hurt again, perhaps he would have to retire for good.

For an athlete of his age, he can't afford a serious injury like an ACL tear.

Face reality, Michael, you've aged, and now this is Frye's team.

More than one Wizards player dreamed of saying this to Jordan, but when they stood in front of him, faced with that authoritative visage, they all held their tongues.

They are not Yu Fei; they can't bear the consequences of angering Jordan.
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In the end, it was up to Yu Fei to step forward himself.

"You want to come back?" Yu Fei asked.

Jordan looked back at Yu Fei, "Do you support it?"

"Why should I support it?" Yu Fei asked with a smile, "In the month you've been away, I've averaged 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists per game, and our win rate is nearly 50%. Why do you think I should welcome you back? Do you think I like playing at a slow pace, or that I can't do it without you?"

Jordan's expression darkened.

He could feel that Yu Fei wasn't there for small talk.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Are you sure you want me to say it?"

Yu Fei responded loudly.

Suddenly, everyone was looking over.

Jordan glared at Yu Fei fiercely, unsure of when the people in the Wizards' practice facility had gotten used to someone standing up to Jordan.

Because every time, it was the same person challenging him.

But then, one day, Yu Fei escalated the challenge to "humiliation."

He gained his own authority by attacking Jordan.

And Jordan had no way to stop him.

Today, the same thing was about to happen again.

"Looks like you really want me to say that phrase, so all right, since I'm the bad guy here," Yu Fei's smile vanished, "We don't need you!"

"What did you say?!!!"

"We don't need you." Having said that, Yu Fei turned around to face his other teammates, feeling great to be the center of attention, loving the feeling of being watched. "Folks, you all know very well that this man's return would only cause havoc, but you are all conscientious good people who tolerated him even when he acted high and mighty. But I'm different, sorry, I have no conscience, especially when dealing with such people. I'll say it today, we don't need him!"

Yu Fei didn't even glance at Jordan, but his voice grew louder.

"When he was here, everyone was insulted!"

"He recklessly played with injuries, dragging us out of the top four in the Eastern Conference away from playoff contention!"

"Then he left, and from that moment on, we no longer needed him!"

"Without him, we beat the Lakers!"

"Without him, we remained competitive! Until today, we are still in the running for the playoffs!"

"We didn't need him before, and we don't need him now!"

"We will enter the playoffs without him, and the last thing we need is for him to come forward now, like some damn egomaniac, and say we need him!" Finally, Yu Fei turned towards Jordan, even as his opponent was red with rage and looked as if he wanted to tear him apart, Yu Fei still delivered his final words, "Sorry, we don't need you."

Yu Fei met Jordan's deadly glare without flinching.

"That's the reality."

Jordan looked towards the others, those who flattered him on normal days, those who treated him like a god, those who never dared to go against him.

The same people were standing here, so why had his reign disappeared?

"Do you all feel this way?" Jordan gritted his teeth, barely containing his fury as he uttered the question.

Deathly silence!

The court was silent as a mass grave!

Not even the sound of breathing could be heard!

They didn't have the courage to stand up like Yu Fei and say "we don't need you," but they could silently let Jordan confirm the "reality" spoken by Yu Fei.

Silence is also an answer.

Jordan pursed his lips, his brown eyes filled with bloodshot, and he turned back to glare fiercely at Yu Fei, those eyes brimming with resentment and fury.

"OK..."

Jordan nodded, turning to leave the arena.

Was this a symbolic moment of Jordan's reign coming to an end?

Most of the Wizards players had this thought cross their minds.

Only Doug Collins knew this was not the end.

The authority Jordan lost today would return in another form tomorrow.

He was still Jordan.

He just couldn't fly anymore.

But the influence and authority of Flying Jordan were still there; if Yu Fei had shattered him within the Wizards, how would Jordan react?

Collins knew the result, but for some reason, he didn't feel that Yu Fei had done anything wrong.

The only mistake Yu Fei made was being spotted by Jordan in the 2001 draft.

This, in turn, led to another mistake—the Wizards traded for his signing rights from the Cavaliers.

That sparked a series of conflicts that followed.

But was Yu Fei really wrong? He was just a proud, dignified, and hot-blooded young man, just like Jordan years ago when he first arrived in the Windy City and proclaimed he would make the Bulls as respected as The Celtics and the Lakers.

The young man had grand dreams, only the gravity here was too heavy; Collins couldn't imagine how much Yu Fei had endured to get this far.

Maybe in reality, Yu Fei's efforts would seem insignificant to Jordan, but that didn't mean he was wrong.

Collins supported Yu Fei.

As Collins acknowledged this fact, he trembled as if a loyalist had inadvertently betrayed his own Emperor.

Then, Yu Fei said, "Continue the training, we have to win tonight's game."

The Verizon Center returned to normal.

As if Jordan had never come back.

Or, as if Jordan had never existed.

That night, the Wizards played at home against the 76ers.

Due to Allen Iverson's absence, the 76ers seemed to be even more lacking in offensive options than the Wizards.

Even though Yu Fei didn't find his shooting touch that night, his teammates all had the determination to prove themselves.

They wanted to show Jordan that "we don't need you" was not an empty phrase.

Halfway through the game, his teammates' touch told Yu Fei that today, as long as he played defense and passed the ball well, they could win the game.

In the end, focusing on defense, rebounds, and passing, Yu Fei secured his ninth triple-double of his rookie season.

With 15 points, 16 rebounds, and 15 assists, he was easily named the best player of the game.

Larry Brown's praise for Yu Fei was like a dark humor to those in the know: "Dealing with one Frye in D.C. is tough enough, if Michael could come back for the playoffs, I have no doubt about their competitiveness."

Even for those outside the Wizards organization, the conflict between Yu Fei and Jordan was an open secret.

Brown's statement could be said to be nonsensical.

And Yu Fei's NBC live postgame interview hinted at some unknowns.

"Frye, with just one more win you can secure a playoff berth, how do you feel about that?"

"Great, I'm proud of my teammates, and I'm incredibly proud that we can achieve this."

"There are rumors that Michael might make a comeback soon, what do you think?"

"Fake news."

"Really? Is that fake news?"

"I hope it's fake news because even if Michael came back, we would struggle to win the championship, and without Michael, we can still make the playoffs. Rather than risk returning, it's better to rest well and keep hope for next season. That's my thought, um, my personal thought."