ctnovel Chapter 51 Where to go?
Chapter 51 Where to go?
Supersonic Office.
The atmosphere among the team's top management remains tense, and everyone is busy.
"The Clippers aren't answering their phones, but Donnie Walsh from the Knicks is calling." Scout Hao Wei handed over another spare phone that connected.
"Sam, I want the No. 4 pick you have. Name your price," Donnie Walsh's voice came through.
"Sorry, we're not selling the No. 4 pick, but we can trade the No. 24 pick for it. You can use your No. 6 pick in exchange." Presti rejected the other party's purchase request and instead offered to trade for the other party's No. 6 pick, saying, "I can get you a max contract."
The SuperSonics currently have a lot of salary cap space, and the Knicks need to clear that space, so there's a possibility of a collaboration between the two.
"No, you have to trade KD for it."
Fake!
I want KD again!
KD, your whole team can't get him.
Presti inwardly cursed Donnie Walsh for being ungrateful. The Knicks' general manager wasn't that idiot Isaiah Thomas anymore; he was hard to deal with and not so easily fooled.
Just like the Heat looking down on the SuperSonics' assets other than Durant, the Knicks are in a similar situation.
"KD isn't good enough? You can pick any other player you want."
"I'll think about it."
"Beep beep beep beep..."
"Boss, Larry Bird from the Pacers is calling."
"Hang up."
At that moment, Stern announced from the stage: "With the second pick in the first round, the Miami Heat select Kansas State University's Michael Beasley."
Beasley stood up, hugged his family, and then walked onto the stage.
Zeng Zhen looked at the spirited Beasley and thought about the guy's resume.
Beasley possessed physical test data that far surpassed Durant's (vertical jump 5 centimeters higher, 0.3 seconds faster sprint in the paint) and a dominant performance of 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per game at Kansas State University, but ultimately became an NBA journeyman, basically saying goodbye to the NBA and only able to play in the CBA by the age of 30. His downfall was not caused by a single factor, but by off-court issues, personality flaws, on-court shortcomings, and professional attitude, among other factors.
The NBA is not lacking in talent, but it is never easy for a talent to truly grow into a superstar.
After shaking hands and taking photos with Beasley, the next step is to wait for the third pick to be determined.
The pedestrian office.
"Beep beep beep!"
"Beep beep beep!"
Larry Bird was holding the phone, looking completely bewildered. Of the team general managers who had been drafted 12th overall, only Donnie Walsh answered his call; the others hung up. The "King of Show" told Walsh that he wanted to trade with the Knicks for their 6th pick.
Donnie Walsh said yes, then the "King of Show" would have to take on Eddy Curry and Stephon Marbury's contracts plus next year's first-round pick!
Upon hearing this condition, Larry Bird immediately cursed over the phone: "Fuck! Donnie, you're dreaming!"
If this deal goes through, the "Pretentious King" feels he will be ridiculed by the media for a long time.
Larry Bird misses the days when Isaiah Thomas was in charge of the Knicks.
Why couldn't that guy last a little longer?
Larry Bird is eager to improve his draft position to ensure he can select Zeng Zhen.
"Boss, the Grizzlies and Timberwolves have reached an agreement to swap first-round picks, which also involves a few players, but we don't know the list yet."
"Okay, I understand."
.....
At this point, Stern said, "The Minnesota Timberwolves selected OJ Mayo with the third pick in the first round! Now we'll wait for the Seattle SuperSonics to make their selection."
At the Supersonics' temporary office, Presti, like Larry Bird, had prior knowledge of the swap between the 3rd and 5th picks, and his expression remained largely unchanged.
The Timberwolves offered to trade their third and fourth picks to the SuperSonics, but that would involve exchanging several players for him, players that Presti didn't want, and ultimately Presti rejected the offer.
There's not much difference between the three and four positions; the two teams just chose different directions.
Looking at the blank envelope in his hand, Presti could only write a name on it for now.
As for Zeng Zhen, he became a little nervous after seeing Mayo take the stage, because the SuperSonics were one of the teams that valued him the most. In his previous life, at this time, the SuperSonics chose Westbrook.
Mayo walked confidently onto the stage.
Zeng Zhen remembers that Mayo delivered impressive stats of 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists per game in his rookie season. He was once considered a top shooting guard in the league's future, but eventually faded out of the NBA completely around the age of 30, and even ended his career due to a suspension.
Mayo's downfall was caused by a fatal off-court doping problem, his on-court shortcomings that were not addressed in time, his arrogant professional attitude, and the unfavorable team development environment. Mayo is a typical case of "talent being consumed by self-destruction and dragged down by external factors".
Mayo's downfall was even more regrettable than Beasley's, a case of squandering a winning hand.
Zeng Zhenna used Beasley and Mayo as reminders to himself not to be too reckless and follow in their footsteps.
On CCTV's side, Zhang Weiping chuckled and said, "Hehehe, the top three picks were basically in line with everyone's expectations, but the next picks are hard to say. Let's look forward to seeing where Zeng Zhen will be selected."
Zhang Weiping is very excited, which reminds him of when Yi Jianlian was selected two years ago.
Pity.
Yi Jianlian failed to make it in the NBA.
"The Seattle SuperSonics selected UCLA with the fourth overall pick in the first round..."
At this moment, Stern paused slightly, making Love, Zeng Zhen, and Westbrook gasp for breath.
"Russell Westbrook!!"
Westbrook straightened his collar with a smile.
Although Zeng Zhen and Love were both somewhat disappointed, they quickly nodded to Westbrook.
The SuperSonics had been observing Westbrook for a long time and had made a draft commitment to him early on.
"Damn it!! Fuck!!"
In the Knicks office, Donnie Walsh cursed. The Knicks have never publicly commented on their rookies; their sixth pick was Westbrook, who has explosive athleticism.
After failing to select Westbrook, Donnie Walsh set his sights on Zeng Zhen and Danilo Gallinari.
Donnie Walsh has been wavering between the two, mainly because Zeng Zhen's performance in the regular season was terrible, but his performance in March Madness was so crazy that it felt unreal.
Then there are Asian guards, but there's no precedent for a guard of this skin color to succeed in the NBA, so it's a huge gamble.
Gallinari has consistently performed well in Europe, and this season he even won the Serie B MVP award.
"Mike, what do you think we should pick for our power forward position?"
"Negro has a more consistent performance. He has been through the professional league, and his professional attitude is also fine. I have more faith in him," D'Antoni said frankly.
D'Antoni had known the Gallinari family for a long time and felt that Gallinari was a safe choice.
"OK, I understand."
At this point, Stern announced that the Grizzlies had selected Kevin Love with the 5th overall pick.
Seeing Love stand up as well, Zeng Zhen was slightly disappointed; his performance still did not change his choice of the top five picks.
Is he going to join the Pacers?