I was going to make this a single story, but decided to expand it and continue writing chapters of it throughout the season. It's going to be detailing Clifford's rookie season in Bangor as he tries to establish himself to the fanbase, and to the league at large! Hope you enjoy this evolving storyline~

FBA is the creation of  buckhopper

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January 4th, 2015

Clifford Carlin had seen the face of Barton Rouge all over Bangor ever since he arrived, and not just on the court. The Cajun Fox's charming smile and piercing gaze could be seen all across town, whether it be on posters on the walls of local businesses, on stickers in car door windows, or projected grandly onto the exterior walls of Shawshank Stadium on game night, Rouge's face was everywhere.

Now, a mere two months after the trade, it still was.

Though Rouge's likeness was no longer projected onto the exterior walls of Shawshank, framed photos of the Cajun Fox could still be found throughout the building. The posters on the walls of local businesses remained. The bumper stickers sporting Rouge's face were replaced with bumper stickers that read 'We miss you Barton!'

Of course, Clifford missed him too. He had learned many invaluable lessons from the veteran point guard during their brief time together. Rouge had acted as a friend, and mentor to the mutt. However, Clifford had dealt with his disappointment at losing Rouge, and had moved on. The fans, on the other hand, had not. No matter where Clifford went in town, he'd overhear snippets of conversation such as, “We never should've traded Rouge,” and “I still can't believe we got rid of Rouge.” It seemed that the fans were still in shock, and either unwilling, or perhaps more likely, not compelled to move on from Rouge.

It was understandable. Tides fans had been excited beyond belief to acquire the league star in 2013, and now he'd been swept away only a year later, smack dab in the first month of the regular season. The fans were shell shocked. Who did they have to turn to now? Had Rouge been traded during the offseason, and Clifford been drafted as his replacement, the fans would've recovered from the shock of the trade, and had hope for their top 10 draft pick. But Rouge was still there when Clifford was drafted. In the minds of the fans, the mutt had been drafted only to compliment Rouge off the bench. How could they now turn to a mere complimentary player to replace their beloved star?

Clifford was playing well, beyond any reasonable expectations. He was leading all rookies with over 300 game minutes in PER and PIE, second overall in rookie EFF rating, averaging double digit scoring, shooting with a top five field goal percentage, and was a fixture on the leaderboard in overall assists and assists per game. Had it gone noticed by Tides fans? Clifford didn't think so. For him, it was the same tune he'd been dancing to his whole life; working hard, playing well, but never getting noticed.