Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

Chapter 525: Little accident, fifth overall pick!

Exploring the wind.

This is a very technical operation. After the lottery is over and before the draft, NBA team managers and coaches are very busy.

All teams hope to maximize the benefits of the picks in their hands. For those teams with clear goals, in order to prevent their favorite players from being drafted early, they will also try their best to offer high picks to those who have drawn high picks. Teams seek trades.

The bargaining chip in this transaction includes many things, including draft picks of the same year, cash, players, and even future draft picks.

After less than half a month of running around, the Timberwolves, holding the fourth pick, are full of confidence and are waiting for the draft to be held at the end of June.

From the perspective of future generations, the 1997 draft was not considered a so-called big draft year, unlike the star-studded 96 draft.

This year, it was really a time when the sun was in the sky and the stars were without light.

In the entire 96-97 season, a total of 9 teams failed for Duncan. Except for Duncan, "the number one power forward in history who was not recognized by Teacher Ma", the others were not considered superstars.

The Celtics and Spurs were on the verge of a fight over Duncan, coach Rick Pitino, who left the University of Kentucky, and Popovich, who had been promoted from manager to coach.

And this time, apart from Duncan, the most famous player is probably Bird, who is second.

As for Tracy McGrady, one of the top four shooting guards in the future?I have said that that is the future, but now, he is a high school player with a congenital disease. How much attention do you expect him to get?

His trial training was indeed explosive, but so what?

His draft performance is only a little bit better than that of Budo, a yellow-skinned Asian high school student.

Last year, in September 1996, Budao received an invitation from the NBA to hold open trials for rookies.

Open tryouts begin in late September and run through November.

Open trials are a very good stage for rookies participating in the draft to show their abilities.

Although it is open to all rookies, in reality, not everyone will participate in this open trial.

Because the items of open trial training are fixed, for some players, open trial training will not only not allow their abilities to be fully displayed, but for some players with fatal shortcomings, open trial training may actually hinder their ability. Expose your own problems.

For players, they are of course more willing to show their highlight moments on the court. No matter which of their own strengths this highlight moment relies on, it is better than participating in some training programs that they are not good at and exposing their own problems. favorable.

At the same time, some players will have more or less contact with teams that are interested in them long before the draft. For players like Duncan, many teams have already contacted him, such as People like him may not necessarily participate in open trials.

Firstly, because they are famous enough, and their talent and record are impressive enough, they can get better picks regardless of whether they participate in trial training. Secondly, because of some private agreements, although the rookies have no right to make independent choices, the players have a strong influence on the team. Perception is also important.

Although the management of the Timberwolves does not want Wu Dao to participate in the open trial training at the end of September, for Wu Dao, how can he miss this opportunity to show his ability?
According to Wu Dao's own ideas, he must participate in open trials. He needs to prove his ability and potential so that more teams can see it.

At the same time, Wu Dao also hopes to get a fair scouting report.

His projected draft pick is No. 18 in the second round.

In terms of the draft, the top 30 can be understood as the first round, and the so-called 18th pick in the second round, which is the 48th pick.

The biggest difference between the first round and the second round is actually how much the team values ​​you. Teams with low picks in the first round may not pay much attention to you, let alone a second round pick.

After learning about Wu Dao's idea, Phillip Sanders immediately came to Oak Hill College in secret. He first managed the team coach Smith, and then with Smith's help, they lobbied Wu Dao not to participate in open trials.

At the same time, both the words and the words reveal the importance the Timberwolves attach to Wu Dao, so that Wu Dao can participate in the draft with confidence. The Timberwolves' draft picks will definitely be used on Wu Dao.

And for the sake of martial arts, no matter what lottery they draw, they will trade up as much as possible.

The lottery had not yet started at that time, and the Timberwolves themselves did not know what lottery they had drawn.

In order to strengthen his persuasiveness, Flip Saunders promised to give Budao ample playing time, and also said that the Timberwolves would rebuild the team around Garnett and Budao.

After Phillip Sanders spent the whole afternoon, he saw that Wu Dao was still hesitant and did not express his position clearly, so he knew that Wu Dao must be shaken.

After a few more days of grinding, Wu Dao finally agreed not to participate in public trials.

Wu Dao's considerations are also very simple. Although the Timberwolves are only making verbal promises at present, they are indeed sincere.

Wu Dao knows very well that if he insists on participating in an open trial, it is unclear whether he can get a fair evaluation. The Timberwolves will definitely have a grudge against him.

For martial arts, the gains outweigh the losses.

Of course, Wu Dao also knows one thing very well. If the Timberwolves are lucky enough to get the No. [-] pick, the opponent will definitely choose Duncan without hesitation.

Let’s not talk about the chemical effect that the inside combination of Duncan and Garnett can play. Duncan’s trading value alone is irreplaceable.

But even so, Wu Dao still accepted the condition of not participating in public trials.

It's simple, because even if you go to another team and get a relatively good pick, you may not be guaranteed playing time.

The order is just a stepping stone, playing time is what martial arts really values.

Therefore, after the lottery was completed at the end of May 1997, Budo heard that the Timberwolves had drawn the fourth lottery.

After hearing this result, Wu Dao breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he was not the number one pick~~
If it were the No. [-] pick, the Timberwolves would really choose him in the first round.

If the Timberwolves break their promise, then the martial arts really have to continue studying.
However, before the dust settled, Wu Dao could not help but become nervous. During the period before the draft, he had been soaking in the gym, using crazy training to numb himself, trying to keep himself normal.

However, during this period of training, the martial arts was very intense, and the calmness of the past was completely gone.

After living for so many years, even Wu Dao couldn't help but become nervous on the eve of the draft.

June 1997, 25.

Budo, who always wears sportswear, wore a formal suit today and attended the NBA draft held in Charlotte, North Carolina.

On this day, the only person present with Wu Dao was his high school coach Steve Smith.None of his friends and relatives were invited by Martial Arts. Although he knew in his heart that the Timberwolves would most likely choose him, he couldn't stand the chance!
There is no guarantee for this thing. Martial Arts doesn't want to be embarrassed in front of his family.

After a "brief" opening remarks, the draft officially began.

Without any surprise, young Duncan appeared in the camera and spotlight amid the cheers of the Spurs crowd.

The Spurs, who won the No. [-] pick, directly pocketed Duncan.

As for the No. 76 pick, there was no surprise. The Philadelphia 76ers chose Keith Van Horn, the "Second Bird" from the University of Utah.The selected Keith Van Horn hugged his excited family. Not only the Philadelphia [-]ers who chose him, but also the New Jersey Nets management in the audience were also smiling.

The Nets have reached a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. This "Second Bird" will play in their Nets!
The Celtics, who hold the third pick, are not so happy. The face of coach Rick Pitino, who left the University of Kentucky for Duncan, is quite exciting.

The current Green Army is already very strong. If the team gets Duncan and builds a team around Duncan, Rick Pitino will really have the confidence to wave his magic wand in the NBA and help the Green Army up.

Even if you can't get Duncan, it would be great to get the "Second Bird"!

Do you understand the value of "Bird Second" in this era?If they can build a team around Keith Van Horn, the Green Army may also be able to rise.

But now there is neither Duncan nor Keith Van Horn. Coach Rick Pitino does not want to stay with the Celtics at all. He wants to return to Kentucky. After all, the University of Kentucky just won the 96 NBA Draft last year. NCAA championship.

Compared with the Celtics, who have no future, he feels that Kentucky is more suitable for him.

Yes, in Rick Pitino's view, the Celtics have no future. If the team cannot find a powerful rookie or a true superstar in the future, this team will No future.

In fact, this is also true. Rick Pitino was with the Celtics from 97 to 01. In these four years, the Celtics did not make the playoffs.
Although they were desperate, the Celtics' pick would not be wasted like this. They selected Chauncey Billups with the third pick.

This is a star defender from the University of Colorado. He is 191cm tall and weighs 88kg. He is known as "Mr. Key".

The Celtics chose this guy with a "give it a try" attitude, because Chauncey Billups was quite good in college. As a sophomore, he led the team to 22 wins, setting a new record for Colorado. Record in university history, and was selected to the NCAA's best 12 players last year.

The Celtics couldn't make a mistake in choosing him.

After the dust settled on the top three picks, the Timberwolves management, who got the fourth pick, breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and then they suddenly started to smile.

Although they know that the martial arts draft market is very popular, there is no doubt about the first two positions. Although the Boston Celtics in third place also have a strong racial color, they can't stand the chance!
Fortunately, none of this went beyond their expectations!
Unlike the relaxed Timberwolves management, Wu Dao became a little nervous at this time, and the rhythm of his breathing could not help but slow down, waiting quietly.

And just when he was expecting to hear his name from the person on the stage, a strange English name came into his ears.

Antonio Daniels!

With the fourth pick, the Timberwolves selected Antonio Daniels, a 193cm defender. This was the first time Wu Dao heard this name, and he was a little stunned for a while.

"Betrayed?"

Wu Dao was a little dazed, and the director's camera also cut to Antonio Daniels at this moment. When the defender heard that his name was selected with the fourth pick, he suddenly smiled.

And equally happy are the Grizzlies, who were selected with the fifth overall pick.

When Wu Dao was still confused, he heard his name, and the Grizzlies, who got the fifth pick, chose him.

Wu Dao, who was still a little confused at first, immediately reacted when he heard that Grizzly Bear chose him.

Co-writing is not a betrayal, but the Timberwolves used the No. 4 pick in exchange for some "cash" for themselves.

Yes, the Grizzlies and the Timberwolves reached a private agreement. When the first-round picks were exchanged, they added an additional $15, just to move themselves to a higher level.

The Timberwolves received a call before the election and learned that the Grizzlies were going to select Antonio Daniels, and they accepted the deal with a smile.

At the same time, when the Grizzlies were choosing, they were told to choose the yellow guy from Oak Hill High School, Wu Dao.

When "Wu"'s name rang out, most people in the venue were at a loss.

On the contrary, McGrady, who was also a high school player, looked at Wu Dao silently after hearing Wu Dao's name.

The camera quickly scanned the martial arts scene. After all, the only yellow player was easy to find.

After a brief daze, Wu Dao also stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked towards the stage.Everyone in the audience looked at Martial Arts with curiosity. At this time, someone finally found Martial Arts' scouting report.

Martial Arts' scouting report is still very bluffing. If it were placed on a black player, there would be no problem in getting this pick.

But as we all know, the living environment for yellow players in this era is still very limited.

Therefore, the people in the audience looked at martial arts and the Grizzlies with strange eyes.

The Grizzlies were also looking at Wu Dao carefully. They were informed by the Timberwolves before the selection that they chose Wu Dao, and they didn't know much about this player.

Sensing the amusement-seeing eyes of the people in the audience, the people from the Grizzly Bear also had a nonchalant look on their faces, since they are not for us anyway.

The draft continues, and it is worth mentioning that McGrady, who also participated in the draft in high school, got the ninth pick.

Although he had congenital diseases and was still a high school student, he was still selected ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors.

But now, the media's attention is focused on Duncan, Keith Van Horn and Wu Dao.

The first two are because of their own ability and fame, while the martial arts is because of their skin color.

Do you understand the value of a yellow high school student being selected with the fifth overall pick in the NBA?
It is foreseeable that martial arts will soon be pushed to the forefront, not because of how strong martial arts is, but because the United States is waiting to see the grizzly bear joke.

Aww.
After the draft, Wu Dao was traded to the Timberwolves.

The whole country is watching the Timberwolves joke.
Even Minnesota fans suddenly became excited after they learned that their team got the No. 4 pick, but in the end it was a yellow high school student.

Although Minnesota is a small ball market, its fans are more "passionate" than fans in some big cities.

While the outside world was making a fuss, the Timberwolves' management was all smiling.

In the new season, the original head coach, Coach Bill, has been kicked out.

As for why?
We can't let the team's future Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury take the blame for the Timberwolves' failure, right?
In popular terms, although the Timberwolves lost, Garnett and Marbury did not lose.

Team manager Flip Saunders took over the coaching staff of the Timberwolves.

At the end of the draft, Wu Dao and the rookies took rookie photos.

When taking photos, Wu Dao could clearly feel that the rookies seemed a little alienated from him?
Especially those black players who were drafted lower than me.

Martial Arts didn't care about this either.

One day, martial arts will teach them respect!
When martial arts entered the NBA, the media in East Asia went crazy.
But Wu Dao didn't know it. After the draft, he packed up his things and went to Minnesota to meet his teammates.

Garnett was very happy to learn that Wu Dao successfully entered the Timberwolves. He finally waited for the "shooter to assist him" in Wu Dao.
(End of this chapter)