NBA: The Dynasty Crasher

"It's all made up. I didn't do anything. This was everyone's choice. This is why rookies get such a bad rep."

Jordan came out to clear the air, but it didn't matter. The media wasn't out to get him specifically—they just knew targeting him would sell more papers.

A media outlet caught Zhao Dong on the phone for an interview, and he didn't hold back.

"Yeah, I got iced out. No shame in admitting that. I'm a rookie—comes with the territory. But hey, I ain't mad. At least my first All-Star stat line is better than a certain someone's."

"So Jordan says you have bad relationships with people. What do you think about that?" the reporter followed up.

Zhao Dong just chuckled. "Man, I'm just a rookie. How popular you think I'm supposed to be? Should I be best buddies with every superstar?"

(TL: Dude is using being a rookie everytime as an excuse hahaha.)

Then he added with a smirk, "But I'll give it to Jordan—dude's got pull, just like Thomas back in the day."

"Pfft!"

The reporter straight-up burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, another bombshell dropped—rumors that Karl Malone and Zhao Dong got into it off the court and challenged each other to a fight. Apparently, some All-Star snitched to the media.

The league office was pissed. They immediately sent out a strict warning: no NBA player was allowed to participate in professional fighting events.

Any player caught doing something that could hurt the league's image? Yeah, the league wasn't gonna have their back.

That shut down any idea of Zhao Dong and Malone stepping into a ring.

---

Off the court, Zhao Dong's agent Ringo Wells locked in a financial broker for him—a 35-year-old German-American named Hoffman.

New York's Wall Street was crawling with these finance guys, but Wells picked this one for a reason. Dude was disciplined, played it safe, and didn't pull reckless moves. But at the same time, he knew how to chase profits. That was exactly the kind of balance Zhao Dong wanted.

Hoffman worked for an investment firm called Hurricane. When Zhao Dong got back to New York, they met up, and after checking things out, he signed the investment deal.

"Short ETH?" Hoffman raised an eyebrow when Zhao Dong told him his plan.

The guy had heard some whispers but nothing solid.

But he did know Thailand's economy had been slowing down since last year. Exports were down, the real estate bubble was bursting, and bad loans were piling up. The whole thing was a ticking time bomb.

"Yeah, I'm making a bet," Zhao Dong said. "But keep it between us, alright?"

"Of course."

Hoffman nodded, then asked, "How much leverage you looking for?"

"What are my options?" Zhao Dong asked.

"100x, 200x, 400x—Hurricane can offer all of them," Hoffman replied.

"You got any advice?"

Hoffman thought for a moment. "I'd say go with 100x and keep enough reserves. Safer that way. If you're putting in a million, split it into four parts. Use one for trading, the second for backup funds, and keep the last two as reserves in case things go south."

Zhao Dong nodded. With 100x leverage, even a 1% swing could wipe him out. Having a reserve was crucial.

He had the big picture in mind—February to July was prime time to make his move. By August, the crisis would start hitting Hong Kong, and that's when he'd cash out.

---

Back on the court, the Knicks were rolling. After the All-Star break, they ripped off five straight wins. Adding in the two before the break against the Mavs and Spurs, they were riding a seven-game streak.

But Zhao Dong wasn't happy.

His touches were dropping, and it was obvious.

On February 21st, in a back-to-back road game, the Knicks ran into Shawn Kemp and the Supersonics. They took an L, snapping the streak.

Still, 42-12. Second in the East.

But the real problem? The tension in the locker room.

During the game, Zhao Dong got into it with Patrick Ewing and Allan Houston. Heated words were exchanged. And it showed—the team looked disjointed, and they took the loss.

---

"Since the All-Star break, Zhao Dong's touches and shot attempts have dropped significantly, while Ewing and Houston's have gone up. It's clear—there's trouble in the Knicks' locker room. Could this team be on the verge of breaking apart?"

That was The New York Times' headline. And they didn't stop there.

The New York Daily News ran a piece too:

"The Knicks are banking on Zhao Dong as their future. They even pushed to get him voted into the All-Star starting lineup. But it seems the locker room isn't on board. Ewing and Houston's actions make it clear—they don't want Zhao Dong as the next franchise player."

Knicks GM Ernie Grunfeld saw the reports and lost it.

"These damn New York papers!" He slammed the newspaper down in frustration.

Knicks fans were pissed, and the debate exploded across the league.

Most fans sided with Ewing—no surprise there. They didn't even bother asking why this was happening. They just rode with their franchise legend.

At the same time, they couldn't really blame Zhao Dong either. After all, he was the one getting frozen out. So instead, they turned their frustration toward Allan Houston.

They called him selfish, saying he was hogging the ball and freezing Zhao Dong out.

---

But this time, Zhao Dong wasn't completely powerless.

He'd been in New York for half a season now, and his performances were matching up with Ewing's rookie year. Fans were starting to see him as the next big thing. Plus, with the Knicks and the New York media hyping him up, he had built his own fanbase.

And those fans? They had his back.

But they weren't ready to turn on Ewing. His legacy was too deep. Instead, they doubled down on blaming Allan Houston.

---

Then the biggest Knicks fan of them all, Spike Lee, stepped in.

In front of the media, he made it clear where he stood.

"Zhao Dong is our future. That's a fact.

No matter what, he needs to get his touches and his shots. That's what he deserves. That's the respect he earned on this team.

But I'll be real—Patrick went a little too far this time. Teaming up with a guy who just got traded here to push down our future? Nah, that ain't it.

The front office needs to step up. Make moves. Some people gotta go this offseason. We need trades. And most importantly, the offense has to run through Ewing and Zhao Dong. They're the two most important players on this team."

---

Spike Lee's words sent shockwaves through the Knicks fanbase.

And surprisingly, fans agreed with him.

Nobody had an issue with Ewing and Zhao Dong being labeled as the team's cornerstones.

And then the trade talks started.

More and more fans began calling for the Knicks to ship Allan Houston out.

---

Allan Houston wasn't ready for the heat.

He never expected to get caught in the crossfire between Ewing's and Zhao Dong's fans. But now, he was getting slammed from both sides.

The New York media went after him hard. Fans were trashing him left and right. The pressure was suffocating.

Dude couldn't sleep.

And on the court? It was obvious. His game was slipping.

The storm had only just begun.

---

Unrelated Names Removed:

Hoffman, as he is not an NBA-related character. (Kept him since he's part of the finance storyline.)

Hurricane Investments, as it is a fictional company.

Taiguo (changed to Thailand for clarity).

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