Chapter 22 New Apartment, New Goals

That night, Archer received a call from his father, Andy Strakhan, telling him he had been fired and would receive official notice the next day.

Archer was dumbfounded. "Dad, what are you talking about? Didn't I sign a contract?"

"The contract was voided because of your racial discrimination against a Mexican. There's no severance, you idiot!"

"Are you talking about Jerry? You're joking, right?" Archer asked loudly.

"Go check the internet, and start visiting more often, so you don't end up underestimating people who are much stronger than you," Andy shouted before hanging up.

Andy felt his son was useless. He had taken great effort to earn his certification at 31. What was there to be proud of?

The University of Southern California wasn’t showing them any respect - how could they expect severance after tarnishing the university's image?

Archer, who was arrogant and often made sarcastic remarks even to friends for laughs, found that no one from the party had advised him to apologize, and now it was too late.

Most people preferred to watch the drama from the shadows, intervening only if someone close to them was involved.

The ones who also ridiculed Jerry were now scrambling to hide, and were certainly not allying themselves with Archer.

Archer was shell-shocked when he checked the news online; the man he had despised was indeed the assistant coach of the New York Knicks, the Lead Assistant Coach no less. The gap with between Jerry and Archer, who had just been a university assistant coach, was immense. Plus, insulting the New York Knicks management was basically courting disaster.

It wasn’t just their annual salary; their status and prospects were also very different.

It was easy to network and meet influential figures if you worked for the New York Knicks. In contrast, a college coach could hope for one of their players to become an NBA star, at best.

If an NBA assistant coach performed well, it was possible they could become a head coach. At 23, if Jerry wasn't exceptionally bad, there was a significant likelihood that he would become head coach. You needed to court favor with someone like that, not ridicule or antagonize him.

The situation was much more troublesome than Archer had anticipated. Jerry wasn't an ordinary coach - he was a Mexican-American and the only Mexican to be a coach in the NBA.

The proven incident of racial discrimination created a severe backlash in the United States. Many Mexicans protested, and the British faced embarrassment.

After seeing the video and his own disgrace, Archer, filled with hatred for Jerry, picked up the phone, intending to call but putting it down after dialing a few numbers.

What could he say now without further humiliating himself?

Shouting wouldn't help him regain his job. Threatening Jerry would only make matters worse. The online sentiment was one-sided; Jerry could sue him for emotional distress at any time, and how could Archer hope to win such a lawsuit?

He was afraid and lacked the courage to contact Jerry.

Archer didn't realize that he hadn’t understood Jerry at all, and he hadn’t imagined him being so cunning as to bring a camera to the party. If Archer didn't keep his distance now, his downfall could be even worse.

Unbeknownst to Archer, the Five Star Club was preparing to ask the coaching association to cancel his basketball coach qualifications. The worst thing had already happened.

The next day, Thomas Bentley watched the morning news with a steely gaze, harboring no intentions of reconciliation. "Jerry, do you plan to sue him? With the video as proof, you're sure to win. I can help you find a lawyer."

"It's too much trouble; I don't hate him enough to sue. Let him self-destruct," Jerry responded, showing little interest in Archer.

Archer had already paid the price since he had lost his job and the opportunity to coach again.

When Jerry saw that Thomas still looked unsatisfied, he changed the subject. "How about we look for a new apartment? It's too crowded here."

"Sure, when?"

"Let's check it out today. A colleague of mine recommended a suitable apartment." With his newfound connections, team management members living in New York had offered recommendations for living spaces as a small favor.

Jerry called the number Scott had given him, and they quickly met with the landlord and viewed a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment not far from the stadium.

They were both satisfied and immediately signed the contract, paying a year's rent.

After some discussion, they purchased a lot of new furniture: a TV for the living room, two black sofa chairs directly opposite the TV, two large beds, desks, and cabinets.

Thomas, who was a fan of the TV series Friends, arranged his room exactly like Chandler and Joey's apartment from the second season. Jerry approved of this idea; he liked the series too.

After they moved into the new apartment, Thomas found a job on Wall Street and stayed busy.

Thanks to the special interview, Jerry became known across the United States. However, aince the NBA had entered the offseason and Jerry hadn’t showcased his performance, major media outlets showed little interest in interviewing him or inflating the discrimination incident.

Jerry enjoyed his leisure time, waiting for the team training camp to open in September. Coaches had it easier than players during the off-season. They weren’t required to go through grueling training and they didn’t have to worry about performance decline.

The New York Knicks management was busy making calls to the Summer League New York Knicks' five starters, offering camp contracts to Bruce, Mikki, Ben, and Stephen, who would represent the New York Knicks in the preseason games in October.

Ernie appreciated Chucky's offensive talent and offered him a two-year contract with the first year fully guaranteed and the second year as a team option.

Since Chris Charles and Charlie Ward weren't particularly strong in breakthrough capabilities and primarily contributed defensively, if they needed someone in the second quarter to bolster the offense, the short-statured guard Chucky could be useful.

Currently, the New York Knicks had ten players under contract, and it wasn't out of the question for them to keep all five team members from the Summer League. Because of this, every member trained hard, aiming to become stronger.

The Washington Wizards had considered letting Ben go, but after his standout performance in the Summer League, the manager Jenna Connelly reconnected with him, preparing to offer a direct contract.

"Ben, you were outstanding in the Summer League. We’re willing to provide you with a minimum salary. If you train your shooting this summer to enhance your offensive capabilities, you could be part of the rotation lineup."

A minimum salary was exactly what Ben was after. If he hadn't met Jerry, he would have agreed to the Washington Wizards' offer right away. After receiving the call, he hesitated.

Ben remembered what Jerry had told him.

"Strength and defense are your weapons. The first thing you need to strengthen is precisely these areas; don't worry about offense.

"As long as you can defend, even if you didn’t score, if I was the coach, I would still let you start.

"Ben, I think your height is an advantage. If you were 7 feet tall without offensive skills and lacked mobility, you would be useless.

"You're setting your sights too low. I see you as an All-Star."

'If I sign with the Washington Wizards, maybe I’ll just be a fringe player, but if I join the New York Knicks, I could be a stable member of the rotation. Jerry would surely suggest playing me,' he thought.

During the Summer League, Ben had become somewhat addicted to blocking shots and snagging rebounds, and he felt confident about performing well in the NBA.

After pondering, he took a deep breath and said slowly, "I'm sorry, but I decline."

Jenna couldn't believe it. "Why? Did someone offer you a better contract?"

"No, but my goal is to join the New York Knicks."

Jenna realized the negotiation was futile; he had lost interest in the Washington Wizards. She regretted not being decisive enough in the summer.