First in scoring

Chapter 84 83. Draft
On the 20th, Zhang Yang came to Charlotte to participate in the second tryout of the Bobcats.

When Zhang Yang and Bynum came for tryouts, the Bobcats arranged a special session for them.

This time the Bobcats did not invite Bynum, but invited four other high school students to participate in the draft.

Louis Williams followed the staff into the training ground, and what caught his eyes was the scene of Zhang Yang practicing catching the ball, turning around and shooting. He even thought about giving up the tryout.

how old are you!

Where's Ellis? Ellis, why haven't you come to the tryout yet? McRoberts went to college, and you are the leader of our 12th grade high school students... No! Even if McRoberts didn't go to college, you are still the strongest in the 12th grade! You just watch me get bullied by an 11th grader?
After the tryout began, Louis Williams kept praying that he would not be assigned to play one-on-one with Zhang Yang anymore, but God doesn't care about poor people.

Like the Lakers, the Bobcats invited several high school students, but the one who was arranged to practice with Zhang Yang was still the one with the highest ranking.

Louis Williams gave up on himself. When he was attacking, he held the ball as if he was holding a pack of dynamite and rushed to the basket... and then got blocked several times.

Bickerstaff was stunned by Reed's performance.

No, he remembered that when he tried out the fifth-ranked high school student in the United States last month, the other party performed quite well!
But Jack's defensive awareness and habits are really good. During the last tryout, old Bickerstaff showed a strong interest in Zhang Yang's defense.

How did a high school student who had only been playing for less than two years develop such good habits?
That can only be talent!

In the president's office on the second floor of the training ground, Executive Vice President Michael Jordan stood in front of the one-way floor-to-ceiling window.

He already had his favorite draft picks, yes, those guys from North Carolina.

With the No. 5 pick, the first choice is Marvin Williams and the second choice is Felton.

With the 13th pick, the two T1 players will definitely not be selected. The first option is Sean May and the second option is McCants.

This year's tryouts, except for the two tryouts where these four guys came together, he didn't come to watch any other tryouts for college students, overseas players, or high school students.

The reason he came today was that old Bickerstaff had mentioned to him several times how great the defensive talent of the genius who just turned 17 was. He was overwhelmed by the harassment and had to agree to come and take a look, but he didn't want to show up in front of the high school students.

Jordan watched a group of one-on-one matches between Zhang Yang and Lu Wei. Is it good? He could do it when he was in high school. Although his footwork and defensive habits were not so good at that time, his physical fitness was better and his awareness was not bad. What Zhang Yang can do, he can do as well. It's nothing special.

Just when he was losing interest, the second set of one-on-ones began. When Jordan was about to leave, he saw Zhang Yang dribbling the ball to the right side of the free throw line, leaning against Louis Williams... Oh, are there still high school students who can post up now? How rare.

After a few seconds, Jordan's eyes widened.

The 17-year-old boy's post-up play was poor in Jordan's eyes, but his post-up moves, posture, and the change of rhythm from slow to fast...

Jordan recalled the fear of being dominated in the playoffs all those years ago.

At that time, he had just entered the NBA and had the second best rookie season performance in the NBA since the 80s. He entered the playoffs with the ambition to conquer the world, and then he met Bird.

That guy had the Bulls in his hands.

In his sophomore year, he suffered a serious injury. After recovering from the injury, he trained hard and entered the playoffs with a stronger attitude. He scored 63 points in a single game, breaking the playoff scoring record... but was swept by Bird again.

No matter how he scored, Bird calmly led the team to fight back and forth with him, and even scolded him a few words. At the critical moment, Bird used one shot after another to keep the Celtics ahead... He broke Baylor's record for scoring against a loser in the playoffs.

At that time, Big Bird, who was almost 30 years old, used the same weird back-to-the-basket move as the kid downstairs who just turned 17!

...

Downstairs, in the first set of sparring, Zhang Yang defeated Lu Wei 10 to 4. He felt that his opponent was just playing blindly.

He didn't know why Louis Williams had such resentful eyes... but it didn't matter. He felt that old Bickerstaff was very satisfied with his first set of one-on-ones, so he took the risk of showing off his undeveloped back-to-the-basket skills. Anyway, even if he accidentally lost the second set, he was confident that he would win the third set.

He played so-so, but he tested the effectiveness of high-post back-to-the-basket play - it is almost impossible to be intercepted when playing one-on-one with a big man against a small man, and the probability of error is extremely low; the probability of being robbed when turning around and shooting after getting close to the opponent is also extremely low; he was not good at turning around and rushing when the opponent came back to him after playing close to him, but this move of playing big against a small man can easily pin the opponent aside, leaving room for breakthrough, and can also protect the ball...

After a busy day in Charlotte, Zhang Yang appeared at the FedEx Center in Memphis the next morning.

The tryout times notified by the Bobcats and the Grizzlies were close together. After training yesterday afternoon, he went straight to the airport and took an evening flight to Memphis.

The Grizzlies’ second tryout was similar to the Lakers and Bobcats’ first tryouts, with individual tryouts and comprehensive and detailed testing.

After another busy day, in the evening, Zhang Yang leaned on the sofa chair in the hotel restaurant. He played a game of "back to back" for a whole day, and the young man felt tired.

Zhang Yang looked at his agent who was eating happily across the table and said, "Arn, haven't you been busy with the tryouts for those two college students these days? No need to come all the way here, my tryouts are over."

It is impossible for Tellem to sign only two high school students in one draft.

Jarrett Jack from Georgia Tech and Jason Maxiell from the University of Cincinnati were also included in Tellem's draft picks.

In fact, there are several college students who were signed, but none of them got invited to a second tryout. Now they are all resting and praying to God.

Tellem wiped his mouth, drank some water, and said, "I want to know about your tryout as soon as possible and understand how much interest they have in you."

Zhang Yang: "Did you understand?"

Tellem: "I talked to Bickerstaff on the phone, and before coming to the hotel, I went to the FedEx Center and smoked two cigars with the logo man... Do you think they are going to draft you?"

Zhang Yang: "It's possible, but it should be the second round."

Tellem: "Oh? Why?"

Zhang Yang: "I asked Andrew about his second tryout. The centers that the teams compared him with were all college students, while the ones I compared with were all high school students. They might want to use their second-round pick to gamble on my lottery ticket."

Tellem: "It's a good analysis. They did only prepare a second-round pick, but there were a lot of mistakes."

Zhang Yang: "What's wrong?"

Tellem: "It's not that they are only willing to use the second round pick to select you, but they think that the second round pick may be enough. They arrange high school students to compare with you because you are younger than other high school students. It is definitely not appropriate to arrange juniors and seniors to compare with you. It's not that they don't value you, otherwise why would they try you again? We only need to do one thing now."

Zhang Yang: "What's the matter?"

Tellem: "Put a little pressure on them..."

Zhang Yang: "What kind of pressure?"

Tellem: “You’ll know when the time comes.”

Zhang Yang: "Okay."

Tellem: "Aren't you curious about what I'm going to do?"

Zhang Yang: "I'll know when the time comes."

Tellem: "..."

...

On the second day of the Grizzlies' second tryout, on the 22nd, Zhang Yang returned to Yinshan to rest and wait for the draft on the 27th.

Although he said he was resting, he still trained for six or seven hours every morning and evening.

After Zhang Yang started training at her doorstep, Yang Jing finally understood how strong her son's willpower was. She was very curious: is exercise really as addictive as her son said?

Yang Jing curiously performed a few sets of five-step boxing in the yard... Forget it, it doesn't matter if she is fat. At least she was beautiful back then.

It is June 6th, and basketball fans are focusing on the NBA draft two days later, discussing who might be the No. 25 pick.

Bogut has the best chance of winning, Deron and one of North Carolina's four young players, Marvin Williams, have a certain chance, and Webster, the third highest-ranked high school student in the United States, also has the hope of an upset.

In the evening, the media in Memphis and Los Angeles suddenly broke the news - Logo Man decided to use the 19th pick in the first round to select Zhang Yang to avoid being intercepted by the Lakers.

As the 'youngest contestant in history', Zhang Yang has been discussed for the past two months... or to be more precise, he has been ridiculed.

Many people were waiting to see him make a fool of himself and were expecting him to lose the election.

However, some of the mocking remarks, from a certain perspective, are tantamount to praising his talent.

Some media reported that he would have been the top high school student in the United States in 2006. If high school students were allowed to participate in the draft in 06, he would have been a lottery candidate or even a top three candidate. They said that he graduated early and participated in the draft because high school students in 06 were not allowed to participate in the draft.

In short, in 2005, the 'big year for high school students', Zhang Yang was the most special one among them. Even though he had never accepted any public interviews or participated in any public tryouts, he still remained a hot topic.

After this news came out, some people said it was fake news, but many people believed it!
Because the Lakers and the Grizzlies really tried out Zhang Yang, more than once!
Not participating in the joint tryouts, not participating in the open tryouts, and at this time, people who believed this statement said that he had already received a draft commitment...

Zhang Yang was pulled from the yard to the study by his mother and read the online discussion post. He finally understood what Tellem meant by "putting a little pressure on them".

How can I describe this operation? It's cool! The Grizzlies' second-round pick is the 39th pick, and the Lakers' second-round pick is the 37th pick. There is indeed a possibility of competing for a certain player.

After the Lakers won three consecutive championships in 2002, the issue of the logo man being forced to resign was brought up again.

The logo man went against all odds to trade Divac for Kobe, helping the Lakers complete their first dynasty in the 21st century. However, he ended up becoming a victim of the Lakers’ family infighting, and now he’s fighting the Lakers for another high school student…

After reading the analysis of netizens, Zhang Yang actually felt that it made a lot of sense!
He thought about how after the draft application list was released, Tellem bought a draft to forcefully bind him and Bynum to the 96 class of Kobe and O'Neal; the first tryout team was the logo guy...

The 'mystery' that Tellem had kept in place also came into play before the draft.

This guy with a slicked back hair is really fun!
...

On June 6th, at 27 p.m., the 8 NBA Draft began at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Only 15 people were invited to the Little Green House this year.

More than 30 high school students participated in the draft, but only two were selected into the green room by the general managers of each team.

全美高中生第2的埃利斯、第5的路易斯-威廉姆斯、第10的拜纳姆、第11的布博伦、第12的CJ-迈尔斯、第14的阿米尔-约翰逊、第18的布拉奇……等9人全都没收到小绿屋邀请。

Zhang Yang did not receive an invitation either. He and Bynum were waiting in the conference room of Madison Square Garden.

The two high school students selected for the Green Room were Martell Webster, ranked third among high school students in the United States, and Gerald Green, ranked 3th.

Zhang Yang saw Monta Ellis, the second-best high school student in the United States who was as thin as a monkey, in the conference room.

Ellis sat alone in a corner, resisting contact with others.

From Ellis's body language and facial expression, Zhang Yang guessed that what he was thinking was 'I'm so embarrassed', 'I really want to escape', and 'Everyone must be laughing at me'.

The second-best high school student in the United States is too proud and takes himself too seriously.

Zhang Yang looked around. The players in the conference room were all very nervous and spoke very little. Even though Ellis was the second-best high school student in the United States, no one cared.

Now is the moment to decide their fate. If their names are called, they will become millionaires. If their names are not called, they will fall into the abyss...

Quite exciting!

Zhang Yang also met Louis Williams, who ignored him and he felt very sad.

We have met so many times and practiced against each other so many times. Even if we are not friends, we should at least nod and say hello, right? Too much!
Looking away, Zhang Yang noticed that Bynum next to him looked very conflicted.

He asked curiously, "Didn't the Lakers promise to select you with a lottery pick?"

Bynum glanced at Zhang Yang and said, "Yes, I promised, but I saw on the news that the Lakers will compete with the Grizzlies for you and take you away with the 10th pick."

Zhang Yang was stunned: "Has the version been updated to this point?"

Bynum: "What version?"

Zhang Yang: "Ahem, don't worry, that's fake news."

Bynum: "You don't have to comfort me. How could that be fake news? The media analyzed it so well. I know you are very good. Although not as good as me, you are half a year younger than me, which is already very good..."

Zhang Yang: "What nonsense are you talking about? Forget it, just wait to shake hands with the Jew."

On the huge TV in the conference room, the top three picks in the draft have been selected.

The Bucks selected Bogut with the first pick, the Hawks selected Marvin Williams with the second pick, and the Jazz selected Deron Williams with the third pick.

The three most popular T1 rookies were all selected in the top three.

People's expectations for the 'last No. 1 high school pick' did not come true, and Webster, who carried the 'hopes' of high school students, fell out of the top three.

However, when Deron shook hands with Stern on the stage, the picture-in-picture shot cut to Felton.

Zhang Yang saw Felton's expression and it was so ugly!

He could understand Xiaofei's mood at the moment. He had just defeated the fat man Deron in the Crazy Three finals, but ended up losing to Deron in the draft.

If Zhang Yang entered the green house, he would go over to comfort Xiaofei and tell her not to be sad, because sadder things were yet to come.

Soon, something happened that made Felton even more angry - the Hornets selected Chris Paul with the 4th pick!

Felton, Deron, and Paul have been compared in the past two months. Felton thinks he is better than these two, but it turns out that these two are ahead of him!
Felton was selected by the Bobcats with the fifth pick. When he went on stage to shake hands with Stern, he still couldn't control his expression.

With the 6th pick, Martell Webster became the biggest winner among high school students this year and was selected by the Trail Blazers.

The TV commentator stabbed Ellis in the corner of the conference room - "This pick should have belonged to Ellis..."

When it comes to the 7th pick, Zhang Yang is guessing whether it will be the pitching center Channing Frye, the eyebrow-less warrior Villanueva who can do three or four things with comprehensive skills, or the powerful man with invincible strength in the green room Ike Diogu?
Then, the TV screen switched to the side stage, and the host announced - the Lakers sent Caron Butler, the 10th pick in the first round, and the 2007 first round pick to the Wizards and Raptors in a three-way deal in exchange for Kwame Brown, the 7th pick and the 16th pick in this draft!
Then, the three-minute selection time was up, and David Stern returned to the court with an envelope, opened it and read: "Ladies and gentlemen, in the 3 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers selected the seventh pick in the first round... Andrew Bynum from St. Joseph High School in New Jersey!"

An Zhu, who was humming beside him, suddenly turned his head and looked at Zhang Yang: "What did the Jew just say?"

"He asked you to go and shake his hand."

...

The staff waiting at the door of the conference room came in and took Bynum away.

Zhang Yang was surprised at first that the Lakers would trade up to select Bynum, but he soon felt that this was normal.

Tellem bought articles to forcefully link Bynum and himself with O'Neal and Kobe from the 96 class. He was heavily ridiculed, but As for Bynum, he has been constantly compared with O'Neal by the media and fans in the past two months. It is normal for the Lakers to worry about being snatched away.

Zhang Yang's speculation was correct this time. In the Knicks draft office, James Dolan was pounding the table angrily.

At this moment, Zhang Yang suddenly remembered that when the Lakers traded up, they seemed to have traded back the 16th pick in the first round... Could it be?

He was not very nervous at first, but now his heart was pounding fast.

Who are you going to be teammates with? Playing with the Los Angeles Symphony?

Zhang Yang was looking forward to it, and commentators from major TV stations were also discussing this matter.

The logo man wanted to use the 19th pick to select Zhang Yang to prevent the Lakers from snatching him away. Now the Lakers have given away all their 2007 draft picks and even resorted to the outrageous move of trading Caron Butler for Kwame Brown to increase this year's draft pick, which is the 16th pick... How you look at it, it fits in with the rumors of the past two days.

Lakers draft office.

Kupchak watched Bynum go on stage and shake hands with Stern on TV and let out a long breath.

This last-minute deal was truly thrilling. He opened the door and heard the sound of someone pounding the table, which was very pleasant.

He had already received news that the Knicks wanted to snatch the new version of O'Neal Jr. and had been planning a deal for the past few days, but had not yet completed it. A draft pick higher than the Knicks' would not be difficult to get, as Caron Butler, a high-quality bargaining chip, was there.

But he still needs to get a draft pick higher than the Grizzlies' 19th pick, and the deal was not completed until the start of the draft today.

At first, Kupchak didn't believe the rumor. He knew it was definitely a trick played by the old man named Tellem.

But he still wanted to find out the "truth", so he called his teacher to ask whether it was true or not. The other party's answer could be summed up in two words - guess?
Kupchak had wanted to bet that the teacher's gun was empty.

But the eldest lady and the second young master just want to compete with the logo man, to ensure that they can snatch the player from the logo man, so that he can get a draft pick higher than the Grizzlies while trading for a draft pick higher than the Knicks.

This caused him to almost lose Bynum.

Fortunately, after adding the unprotected first-round pick in 07, the Raptors agreed to the three-way deal at the last minute.

At the same time, in the Grizzlies draft office, the logo man called Nets general manager Randy Yormark: "Randy, help me choose a player with your 15th pick..."

……

……

Xiaofeng will try to stabilize the update time of the daytime chapter starting tomorrow. He will see what time he can finish writing it, and will update at that time in the future.

I had wanted to write a big chapter today to finish writing about the draft, but now I’m so sleepy that I’ll continue writing when I get to the company tomorrow morning. These two days were said to be holidays, but I ended up being more tired than usual, so I might as well not have had a holiday.

Please give me monthly votes and recommend votes!

(End of this chapter)