Mountain Peak System: a Path to NBA-Chapter 491 163 When the GOAT Falls (10,000-Word Update, Please Subscribe and Vote!)

The news that Qin Yue would miss the entire 08/09 season due to injury had just been announced, and the whole basketball world immediately turned into chaos.
"I know it's hard to bear. Back then, I felt like a fan; I couldn't do anything. I could only watch from the sidelines and cheer with everyone else." The old GOAT concerned himself with his heir apparent at the first instance, saying, "I didn't want to be disturbed by anyone, didn't want the phone to ring, didn't want to watch TV, didn't want to listen to music. I just needed the purest darkness at that time."
After a pause, with his ribs still aching, the old GOAT added, "But I believe you will get through it just like I did. Trust me, once you survive this darkness, nothing can ever bind you again."
Qin Yue was undoubtedly grateful for the old GOAT's concern.
But unlike Jordan back then...
The naturally more optimistic Qin Yue didn't feel the darkness that Jordan mentioned.
On the contrary, as an injured player, he had to console his teammates instead.
Steve Nash felt as if his world had collapsed.
Would he really never win a championship?
It was precisely to latch onto Qin Yue's enormously strong support that Nash chose to join the Warriors this summer. Learning that Qin Yue would miss the entire upcoming season, his mood could only be described as heartbroken.
Endless darkness engulfed Nash's heart in an instant.
Kwame Brown, who was about to enter his contract year in the new season, was also extremely saddened.
Without Qin Yue, his partner (big brother), Brown, who felt an extreme lack of security, would have to shoulder the Warriors' frontline burden alone this season.
This terrified Brown, making him worried that he wouldn't perform at the same level on the court and earn a contract next season that could support his family.
There was also Jarrett Jack and Will Bynum, who watched, waiting for Qin Yue to return triumphantly with an Olympic gold medal, along with Anthony Morrow, whom they wanted to introduce to Qin Yue.
Without their core, the Warriors lost their direction in an instant.
"How should we play in the new season?" asked a bewildered Gerald Wallace, who had already stepped out from the injury shadow of the last season, "Are we going to tank the season?"
And the team's head coach Mike Malone responded to the prospective star forward, "I don't know either."
"It's over! It's all over! That's how I felt when I learned Messiah would miss the 08/09 season due to injury." Years later, Mike Dunleavy told ers, "We all knew Messiah's importance to the team, and his injury was a fatal blow to us."
Grant Hill, who wanted to win a championship ring before the end of his career, even prepared for retirement upon hearing the news of Qin Yue's season ending.
"I don't know if I can still hold on after he returns from his injury," Hill said hopelessly, "And I feel my arrival affected this team's luck."
While personally teaching McRoberts how to set screens for their star on the court, Troy Murphy's bright eyes immediately dimmed.
"If I could, I would bear all the pain for him," Murphy said sincerely, "We cannot afford the cost of losing him."
This summer, having just secured a long contract thanks to Qin Yue, Matt Barnes immediately rushed to the hospital.
He cried his heart out at Qin Yue's bedside, nearly making Qin Yue think it wasn't his season but his career that was over.
"Matt, you don't have to be so sad. Tim said he's confident he can help me recover 100% from this injury."
"But I still can't help feeling sorry for you."
"..."
Undoubtedly, Qin Yue's season-ending injury dealt a devastating blow to the Warriors in unimaginable ways.
What should be their goal now?
With the Warriors' current lineup, led by Nash and Wallace, they are absolutely capable of making a playoff push.
But if entering the playoffs is all they achieve...
Does that really mean anything to a team driven by championships?
Warriors' General Manager Chris Mullin rushed to the hospital as soon as Qin Yue's injury was released.
Mullin needed to verify Qin Yue's injury and use it to establish new season goals for the Warriors and future team-building plans.
Yet...
Even with forewarning, Mullin remained silent for hours upon learning of Qin Yue's season-ending injury.
However...
Once calm, Mullin demonstrated the decisiveness expected of a General Manager.
First, Mullin told Qin Yue that the Warriors must not invest too much in the new season.
Because, in Mullin's view, it was entirely meaningless.
"I plan for Steve and Gerald to each play half the season. On the one hand, they can maintain form with an appropriate amount of games during this relatively relaxed season.
On the other hand, our championship players who also need rest will get more downtime."
Qin Yue agreed with Mullin's arrangement.
Then Mullin said to Qin Yue, "But we also can't tank without limits, because this is a team that has won the championship for two consecutive years, losing too much might cause them to gradually lose ambition while you are injured."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yue nodded in agreement.
Finally, Mullin said, "I've already looked at next year's draft projections. The player you asked me to keep an eye on is currently projected to go between the fifth and tenth picks in the first round.