Don't Call it a Comeback - Rejuvenated Fultz on a Mission
May 3, 2022 10:21:04 GMT -5
killiam bing likes this
Post by 20s on May 3, 2022 10:21:04 GMT -5
Anaheim, CA (AP) – 3025 TMBSL Media Day: as Markelle Fultz walked from TV spot to photoshoot to the horde of reporters waiting to bombard him with questions, one thing appeared clear: he was a man on a mission. For Fultz, the goal was redemption after a horrid 3024 season which reminded many of the early days of his career spent wasted in Cleveland. A nightmarish time in his life that many thought he may never recover from. But Fultz climbed out of that hole once and came back from the dead to
The story of Fultz is filled with highs and lows – the 19 year old’s upside made him the second overall pick in the 3015 TMBSL Draft. He headed to Cleveland where he was paired with third overall selection Malik Monk, a fellow teenager who was a surprising selection that high in the draft. The two formed what should have been a superstar tag team who would lead the Cavaliers to greatness.
However, that’s when the dreams ended and the nightmare set in. Fultz and Monk were put through questionable developmental tactics by Cleveland staffers which led to a shaken confidence and disappointing results. The Cavs chose to focus on bulking up the young point guard instead of having him focus on developing his outside shot, a move questioned to this day by many. Due to the controversial training tactics, Fultz struggled mightily throughout his 7 seasons in Cleveland winning only one rookie of the year award and only making the All Star Game in his final 5 seasons in Cleveland. Even more disappointing was the fact that Fultz was only All League five times in Cleveland and only one of those five was even first team.
After those seven forgettable seasons, the Cavs shipped Fultz off to Dallas before he eventually ended up in Anaheim after a veritable game of TMBSL hot potato, no one wanted to touch the downtrodden point guard after what had been done to him in Cleveland. However, William King saw something in Fultz that intrigued him. “Everyone else may have only seen this five time all star, five time all league player who was coming off a first team all league selection, but I saw a guy who just needed someone to believe in him,” said King at the time of the deal.
King decided to take a flyer on Fultz who didn’t command much of a market after the debacle in Cleveland. The depressed market is why King was able to snag Fultz as a throw in when trading their future 1.1 pick for elite wing Bingo Smith.
Immediately, the fresh environment paid dividends for Fultz. His new team focused on developing his three point jump shot and losing some of the added mass he had packed on with the Cavs – and wouldn’t you know it – Markelle Fultz won TMBSL MVP in 3022, his first season in Anaheim. Fultz and the Amigos fizzled out in the postseason with second and first round exits in his first two seasons with the club before breaking through to a WCF appearance in 3024.
However, it was the 3024 season when Fultz had a mental breakdown and his game cratered as a result. There were trade rumors all offseason with King making it public that the downtrodden PG was available “cheap as f***”. Still, no team was willing to meet King’s miniscule asking price for Fultz, so the team elected instead to sign him to a 6 year deal worth $131 million dollars.
Fultz has rewarded King’s faith in him in a big way, returning to his former glory and becoming the odds on favorite for MVP at the ¾ mark of the 3025 season. For Fultz, the redemption tour doesn’t end here, though: his ultimate goal is to win a second game in the conference finals.
