I was determined to be bad, but I went straight to the Basketball Hall of Fame

Chapter 534 Challenge
On June 2012, 6, this year's NBA Draft was held as scheduled at Madison Square Garden in New York.

This year's draft is a big draft year recognized by all parties, and there are quite a lot of outstanding rookie players.

In addition to the popular No. [-] pick Anthony Davis, there are well-known American high school students Andre Drummond, North Carolina Blackhawks Harris Barnes, powerful forwards Thomas Robinson, Dion Waiters, Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard, etc.

Back then, the so-called big year recognized before the election was not necessarily a year with a high success rate.

Whether many young people can play well depends on many factors.

Individual efforts, team cultivation, luck, and the course of history, etc.

Some well-recognized big years, such as 1984, 1996, and 2003, are indeed big years when viewed after many years.

And some well-recognized big years, looking at them a few years later will make people feel that they are nothing more than that.

On the contrary, some so-called young years may have surprises, and the success rate is quite high.

For example, 2009 is a typical example, and it was considered a small year before the election.

Griffin is recognized as the No. [-] pick. As a result, Curry and Harden are very good, not inferior to Griffin.

This year, the Clippers won the No. 4 pick again after [-] years, and they also won the championship last season.

From a fair point of view, this is indeed very bad. The teams complained a lot from the draw to the election.

In particular, some senior bosses have often complained to Stern, saying that this is not good for the development of the league.

Some old men hope that Stern can return to power, replacing interim Adam Silva.

"Silva's control is still too weak!"

More than one boss claimed in private that Silva did not have enough control over the league and was used by the Clippers and Smart.

Thinking back, Silva did have the feeling of being used by Min Congda.

At the beginning, the two conspired to take down Donald Sterling and wanted to replace Min Congda + a reliable boss.

In the end, Sterling's wife robbed the Clippers and won a championship along the way.

But fortunately, Shelley Sterling stood by Silva's side after she took office, and she became a supporter of Silva.

And David Stern faced the turbulent suggestions, withstood the pressure, and continued to support Silva as the president of the league.

After the 12 finals, he issued a special statement saying that he would not come back again because his health did not allow it.

The stroke caused by the lockout in 11 years left him without enough physical fitness to deal with the complicated affairs of the league.

He now continues to stay in the league as a consultant, and occasionally participates in some major affairs decisions, provides some opinions, or provides some resources.

The draft is the source and symbol of NBA vitality. This year is the first time that Silva officially presides over the draft. Stern assists Silva in the background to handle related affairs.

Of course, Adam Silva has been an assistant for more than ten years. He knows how to arrange and handle various matters in the draft, and he coordinates the work of various departments very well.

As the draft approached, Stern still reminded Silva, "Go to the Los Angeles Clippers to find out if there is any doubt about their selection, so as not to cause another accident."

The accident in the 2009 draft was unforgettable for both Stern and Silva, and Smart's whole job also started from then.

This year they won the No. [-] pick again, but don't change their minds temporarily to make the president unable to step down.

Silva nodded and said, "I've already sent someone to watch it, there will be no problem."

Stern said: "It's not a good idea to let the Clippers get the No. 30 pick, but it's not too bad. Although we have to try our best to maintain balance, this is what I have been doing for [-] years. But excessive balance, the NBA Just lost his charm, fans like to have giants and dynasties, like those high popularity teams."

Although many bosses protested to Stern, he still withstood the pressure and supported Silva's decision to favor a potential super team like the Clippers at some point.

Stern came to power in 1984, and in the following decades, he has been attacking super teams through draft rules and salary rules, disintegrating the power of the Boston Celtics at that time, and balancing the interests of all parties. He does not want the league to appear again. A dominance situation.

At that time, Auerbach and the Celtics were in charge of the league, which directly affected the introduction of the salary cap system, and thus the famous Bird clause.

Under Stern's continuous blows, the Celtics began to decline in the 90s, and had no success in the playoffs for more than ten years, while the league entered a prosperous period.

Having said that, Stern pursues balance. He doesn't want to be a monopoly like the 60s, but he doesn't want to be chaotic like the 70s.

After all, the NBA is a business league that needs legends, stories, and eye-catching superstars and superteams to compete for audience popularity.

Therefore, the ideal situation in Stern's eyes is one super team with multiple teams, or two super teams with multiple teams. It is best for a super team to be in a big city with a sufficient fan market.

Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago are all huge basketball markets with radioactive influence.

The No. 1985 pick in New York in [-] has been controversial ever since.

The Lakers' three-peat dynasty in 2002 was equally confusing.

In short, Stern has controlled the NBA in a just right balance for decades.

Adam Silva understands what Stern means, but it is inevitable that he will be a little impatient after hearing Stern talk too much.

He murmured in his heart: "I know all this, I will grasp the balance, and the league will have its opponents rise besides the Clippers."

At this time, Silva's assistant came to report, saying that the Clippers had made a choice and there was no problem.

Stern and Silva's hearts were slightly relieved.

It can only be said that the shadow caused by Min Congda is really not small.

At this moment, in the small green room area of ​​the Madison Arena, the young people who were invited were in suits and ties, waiting for the choice of fate.

This is indeed a very, very important moment in their careers.

Where to play, who to cooperate with, and which pick to be selected will determine their life and destiny for many years to come.

Anthony Davis sat on the sidelines with his family, his expression a little nervous.

As the biggest No. [-] pick, the Clippers management contacted him very early, saying that he would be picked in the draft.

But the Davis family and his agent were skeptical.

After all, the breach of contract in 09 had an impact on the Clippers' reputation.

For this reason, Davis participated in the trial training of several other teams and kept other possibilities.

Of course, from the bottom of his heart, he really wants to join the Clippers.

This is a championship team.

Moreover, the popularity and reputation of the Clippers among young people are very good, and it is a big city.

Their general manager, Smart, is legendary.

It is said that the atmosphere in the Clippers team is excellent, which is very suitable for the development of young players.

Fame, status, honor, everything feels at your fingertips.

If the Clippers don't choose him, then Davis will definitely fall to the second place and go to the Bobcats!
This is arguably the worst team in the current league.

Although there is a very famous owner, this team is really not good.

Before Min Congda tried to invite Jordan to join the Clippers, Jordan missed this opportunity and the opportunity to stand up because of complicated procedures and distrust of Min Congda.

Thinking of going to the Charlotte Bobcats to play, Davis is 1 unwilling.

Of course, before the draft, the Clippers management repeatedly promised that they would not break their promise this time and would definitely choose Davis.

But until the results are actually announced, no one knows exactly what will happen.

After all, Min Congda likes playing cards out of routine too much.

On time, Silva took the stage to announce the start of the draft, giving the Clippers time to make their selections.

Five minutes later, Silva stood on the front desk holding a white envelope and said: "In the 5 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Clippers selected Anthony Davis from the University of Kentucky with the first pick!"

As soon as Anthony Davis' name was spoken, the audience cheered.

Davis finally breathed a sigh of relief and got up from the bench, and the staff on the side handed him the Clippers color cap.

Davis came to the stage and shook hands with Adam Silva. The most watched talent in this year's draft has his own name and became the No. [-] pick of the championship team!

Far away in Los Angeles, it was still afternoon, and there was joy in the draft office.

Min Congda watched the Clippers make a smooth choice, and shouted: "Call work! Go home!"

The Clippers originally had a first-round pick in 12, but they were sent to the Thunder in Harden's trade.

For the Clippers, one No. 2 pick is enough, and the rest, including [-] rounds, are useless.

Roser said, "We won't look at the options of other teams anymore?"

"What are you looking at, what is there to see? Get off work, get off work!"

Min Congda asked the whole team to get off work, and everyone dared not disobey, so they closed the door and left.

It is really comfortable to work in the Clippers. The half-hour shift is over after a cutscene.

Immediately after the No. [-] pick, the Bobcats selected Anthony Davis' Kentucky teammate, McKeegee, at Jordan's behest.

I have to say that Jordan's vision of people is really accurate, and he only picks those with no potential.

To say that after Jordan came to the Bobcats, there was a big problem with the selection, that is, he was superstitious about famous schools.

Because he himself came out of the NBA rookie school era, and the famous rookies at that time were all from famous schools.

For example, Ewing, Olajuwon, senior brother Worthy, etc., including himself, so he believes in the brand of famous schools.

But at the beginning of the 21st century, as young players entered the league earlier and spent less time in the NCAA, many potential players are no longer elite students.

Jordan is also obsessed with elite students and NCAA performance. The result is that the draft is not satisfactory, and the real energy of the players cannot be seen.

And when he took the risk to choose a high school student, he got Kwame Brown... It can only be said that God opened the door for him a little too big, and the closed window was completely welded.

With the third pick, the Washington Wizards selected Bradley Beal.

With the fourth pick, the Kings selected Thomas Robinson.

With the fifth pick, the Nets took Dion West.

With the sixth pick, the Golden State Warriors took Damian Lillard.

With the seventh pick, the Raptors chose Terrence Ross.

With the eighth pick, the Pistons chose Andre Drummond.

With the ninth overall pick, the Timberwolves selected Harris Barnes...

A deal soon appeared on the scene. The Golden State Warriors traded Ricky Rubio to the Timberwolves for No. 9 pick Harris Barnes.

This is not a heavyweight deal, but it indicates that after the Warriors missed Curry in 09, their remedial work has basically been completed.

Then, the Warriors also signed Jeremy Lin in the free market, and Lin Crazy ushered in the San Francisco market.

Obviously, in the new season, the Golden State Warriors are about to challenge the status of the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers.

(End of this chapter)