Volume 1 Western Cowboy Chapter 40: Driving up the price of Wei
Brandon Roy sighed. His first March Madness tournament journey ended in such an anticlimactic way.
Roy's performance was remarkable with 13 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds.
But what good was that? His team was slaughtered by 24 points.
In the face of a tragic defeat, no matter how dazzling the personal data is, it is worthless.
Roy looked up and saw Nate Robinson and Bobby Jones, both of them slumped in their seats with lifeless eyes, as if they had been sucked dry.
The two may be the only group in the March Madness tournament who can make a highlight reel of the blocked shots.
Bobby Jones scored 7+5 today, got 7 points, and got 5 nosebleeds!
Although Little Potato Robinson was not as miserable, he also had hot pot three times.
Of Wayne's 11 blocks, these two brothers accounted for 8.
It’s really a heartwarming gift package.
The two brothers bet before the game that whoever could dunk on Wayne would get $500.
Looking back now, this was probably the stupidest bet they had ever made in their lives.
Before the game, they also wanted to leave an impressive performance in front of Chinese reporters and American fans, and they did it.
But unfortunately, what people remember is not their slam dunks, but their embarrassing appearance when they were blocked time and time again.
"Too strong, why is it so strong..." Robinson muttered to himself.
"I'm not a superstar, I'm not a superstar..." Bobby Jones kept repeating this sentence. His dream of becoming a superstar was completely shattered by Wayne.
The entire locker room was filled with despair.
For the Huskies, who were participating in March Madness for the first time in five years, this game was indeed a huge blow.
After changing their clothes, the Huskies players boarded the team bus back to the hotel.
Tomorrow morning, they will leave the sad place of Las Vegas and return to Seattle.
Well, don’t be fooled by the name of the University of Washington, this school is actually not in Washington, but in Seattle.
Embarrassingly, when the Huskies players were walking from the player tunnel to the parking lot, the Cowboys players happened to be walking out of the locker room.
The two teams met again, and there was an awkward atmosphere in the air.
Nate Robinson and Bobby Jones rushed forward with their heads down. They didn't dare to look at Wayne's face at all.
Just as Roy was about to keep up with the two older brothers, a strong hand pressed down on his shoulder.
Looking back, it was the "big devil" Wayne.
"Brandon, you did a great job today." Wayne smiled amiably. He just wanted to come up and say hello to this future superstar.
Wayne had no idea that the psychological shadow he left in the hearts of the Husky trio was far beyond imagination.
So when he pressed Roy's shoulder, Roy felt a sense of oppression.
"Thank you..." This is because Roy has been in gangs and has a strong psychological quality, otherwise he probably wouldn't have the courage to respond.
If Wayne knew that he was such a villain in Roy's mind, he would probably want to die.
Hey, I'm here to make friends sincerely.
"Well, work hard, I think you will become a very good player. Don't worry, you will never see me in the NCAA again after this year. So you can show your skills in the future March Madness tournaments."
After saying that, Wayne waved goodbye to Roy, then quickened his pace to catch up with the team.
Roy stopped and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Wait? Was Wayne just encouraging and praising me?
It seems... this person is not that scary.
※※※
The day after the round of 64 of the March Madness tournament ended, contrary to people's expectations, there were almost no upsets.
All of the top ten teams in the country ranked by the Associated Press successfully advanced.
Championship candidates such as Connecticut, Duke, North Carolina and Illinois also passed the test easily.
Of course, the Cowboys, ranked sixth in the country as a dark horse, did not disappoint people either.
Wayne's alternative double-double of 17 points and 11 blocks became news that major sports media rushed to report.
"Amazing Chinese forward, 11 blocks in a single game, comparable to Shaq!"
"The next all-around warrior? A complete analysis of Wayne's potential!"
"Space Wei blocked 11 shots and won the coach's trust!"
Looking at the headlines related to Wayne in the newspaper, Larry Bird threw the newspaper on the desk in despair.
"What the hell, what is written here!"
"What's wrong? I think it's well written." Donnie Walsh put on his reading glasses, picked up a copy and took a look.
Although the words are a bit exaggerated, the sentences are a bit impetuous, and the analysis is a bit nonsense, but overall, the report is not excessive.
After all, in the much-anticipated March Madness, a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds is indeed very rare.
"Don't you find it strange ? Why are there so many media outlets reporting on Wayne overnight? It's as if they want him to be famous."
"Isn't this normal? It's the March Madness tournament, and you know how much attention this event attracts." Walsh shrugged .
"No, it can't be that simple. Wayne's popularity has increased abnormally. I think someone is deliberately doing this!" For some reason, Stern's face appeared in Bird's mind.
"What do you mean? Someone is driving up the price of Wei?"
"Well, either other teams are playing tricks, or Stern has stepped up his promotion of Wayne for the Chinese market. This is really difficult for me!"
Bird frowned. Now, after being widely reported by the media, it would be difficult for Wayne's ranking not to rise.
Maybe, his draft ranking will even surpass that of his teammate Tony Allen!
"There's nothing we can do about it. If we can't be selected, we'll have to give up. Our first goal is to win the championship, after all." Walsh didn't care too much.
The Pacers are a championship-contending team, and their focus is not on the rookies.
Moreover, Walsh did not think Wayne had the potential to become a star.
Although the Pacers have the sharpshooter Reggie Miller, Walsh doesn't think Wayne can survive in the NBA by shooting. It's simply unreliable.
It's just that he had promised Bird to let him be fully responsible for basketball affairs, so Walsh didn't pay much attention to the draft this season.
"Yeah, of course, of course...our goal is to win the championship." Bird nodded, but he felt unwilling to miss Wayne, a guy with great plasticity.
When have I ever forced the king to admit defeat?
So in the afternoon, Bird called scout Sweet to his office for a secret conversation between the two of them.
Bird needs to make Sweet clear which teams, besides himself, are interested in Wayne.
Only when you know the intentions of others can you make plans.
Sweet was a little bit incredulous when he saw Bird was so serious: "You have decided to choose Wayne?"
"No one can say they have made a decision until the draft is actually over. But... I think he has great potential and his possibilities are too great.
He could be nothing, but he could also be a star. You know, I'm going to gamble anyway, so why not gamble on someone who has a better chance of success?"
"That's right, and that's why I'm optimistic about Wade. By the way, I've often seen Roy Perkins in the stands this season." After listening to Bird, Sweet immediately got into the role and began to share information with Bird.
"Roy Perkins? The one who sold you insurance?"
"No, he is a scout for the Trail Blazers. He has been observing Wayne for a long time, probably longer than me. So I am sure that the Trail Blazers are Wayne's potential next home."
Bird was very good at talking. If he remembered correctly, the Trail Blazers had three first-round picks...
It’s very tricky.
Unlike Bird, Steve Patterson clapped his hands with joy when he saw the news about Wayne all over the place.
Stir it up as hard as you can. The hotter the better.
Only in this way can the Trail Blazers reap the most market dividends from Wayne.
Patterson was feeling happy when his cell phone suddenly rang.
After finding out that the call was from the scout he sent to the high school, he immediately pressed the green answer button.
However, the moment the call was connected, Patterson's eardrums were almost broken by the noisy shouting in the receiver.
"Won! Won! He won! Oh my God, can you imagine? He won!"
"What did you say!? Why is it so noisy over there? Who won?" Patterson was confused. What was going on?
"Sebastian Telfair, the top high school point guard in the country, hits a buzzer beater over Dwight Howard, a buzzer beater!
Can you imagine? His shot went over Howard's fingertips and into the net, and he beat Howard and the No. 1 pick.
Listen to the cheers, the whole place is going wild! You don’t want to miss this, Steve, trust me, you have to find the replay of this scene.
If I were to give you advice right now, we have to draft Telfair, we have to do it!
He is likely to be the next Allen Iverson, the next Stephen Marbury, the next super high school guard like Kobe!
It's so amazing, so incredible, he is the next Hall of Fame player in Brooklyn! No, he already is! "
Patterson held the phone far away, feeling like his eardrums were about to burst.
But from the voice heard on the phone, Telfair seemed to have done something extraordinary.
Hit the buzzer-beater over Howard?
It's really a big heart killer!
After hanging up the phone, Patterson looked at a copy of Sports Illustrated magazine on his desk.
This is an issue of the magazine last year. The cover characters are James, who was still playing in high school at the time, and Telfair, who had just scored the buzzer-beater against Howard.
The title of this issue is very tempting: Imagine Telfair and James rule the world.
Well, Sebastian Telfair, a super high school student as famous as James, nephew of Stephen Marbury, made a name for himself on the streets of New York at the age of 9.
He signed an endorsement contract with Adidas while still in high school in order to compete with Nike, which signed James.
Now, he has defeated the 2004 No. 1 pick candidate Dwight Howard.
No matter how you look at it, this guy is on his way to becoming a superstar.
The Trail Blazers have three first-round picks this year, but they will probably only have one in the lottery.
Whether you miss Wayne or Telfair in the lottery, there will be a risk of being snatched up by other teams.
So, should we use that lottery pick to first ensure the safety of top high school students or the safety of Chinese international students?
Patterson fell into deep thought.
David Stern's price-raising behavior completely disrupted the market rules of the 2004 draft.
