Early in the morning of June 24th, Beijing time, many Chinese fans were waiting in front of their TVs with great anticipation for that special live broadcast.
As early as 10 days ago, the NBA Finals came to an end.
At the Palace of Auburn Hills, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Lakers with the F4 combination 100-87, and won the O'Brien Cup with a total score of 4-1!
This is definitely one of the most unexpected endings in NBA history.
Of course, who is the champion and who is the FMVP are what fans have been concerned about ten days ago.
The 03-04 season has ended and the championship has been decided.
Today, fans are not concerned about the game, but the 2004 NBA Draft.
As the saying goes, the finals are about two teams, while the draft is about the fate of 30 teams.
Well, this year, it's the fate of 29 teams to be exact.
Although the addition of the Charlotte Bobcats has given the league 30 teams.
However, the Timberwolves' "yin-yang contract" incident deprived them of their first-round draft picks for five years.
Therefore, there are only 29 picks in the first round, and the Timberwolves have no chance of getting a first-round pick.
The NBA Draft receives as much attention as the NBA Finals.
This time, this huge influence also spread to China across the ocean.
Because Wayne received an invitation from the league a few days ago.
Since Wayne was predicted to be selected in the lottery, he had the honor of entering the "green room" and became the first Chinese player in NBA history to participate in the draft on site!
CCTV has long planned to broadcast the entire talent show live, and fans have been looking forward to it for a long time.
So when this news came out, it can be said that everyone was celebrating.
News about Wayne has been circulating in the country for more than half a year, and now, he is finally going to intersect with the NBA.
"Hey, you know what, Wayne really has the potential to be an entertainment star." When Coach Zhang saw Wayne in a suit outside Madison Square Garden, he couldn't help but make a joke with his colleagues.
When Wayne saw Zhang coaching them, he immediately went up to say hello.
He was wearing a Chinese red suit today, and his long summer hair was combed neatly, making him look like an adult.
In fact, Wayne didn't like this hairstyle, but in order to appear on camera during the draft, Schwartz forced him to get his hair done.
As soon as the draft is over, Wayne will shave his hair back to short.
As a sporty boy, how can I be obsessed with my own looks!
In 2004, most domestic athletes didn’t pay much attention to their appearance. So when Wayne appeared in front of everyone, he still surprised many people.
She is already very good-looking, and she even dressed up specially, she really looks like an entertainment star.
"Coach Zhang, you guys are here."
"Hehe, not bad, not bad, very energetic! Are you nervous?" Coach Zhang said, reaching out and pinching Wayne's arm.
Wow, it’s become thicker again. I gained a lot of weight in the summer!
"It's okay, it's okay. The main reason is that I have never experienced this kind of situation and I don't know what to do specifically." Wayne scratched his head. He was indeed a little nervous.
But it’s not that I’m nervous about not being selected, but rather a kind of nervousness about being in an unfamiliar situation.
Wayne believes that the embarrassment of sitting in the green room until the second round before hearing his name like Jordan Jr. should not happen to him.
The Trail Blazers are basically stable, and Wayne still has this confidence.
As for the Pacers...Schwartz only told Wayne that they might trade up for the draft pick and get it before the Trail Blazers.
But Wayne doesn't know whether it will succeed or not.
"Well, don't worry too much. Your mock draft pick is pretty high. I think there's a high chance you won't be in the lottery. Adjust yourself quickly and let's start the interview."
After Director Zhang finished speaking, he signaled for the camera to get ready.
Soon, fans all over China saw Wayne on TV.
At this moment, I wonder how many girls who accidentally saw the live broadcast were attracted by the handsome guy on TV.
Then, conversations like this took place in thousands of homes.
"Dad/brother/brother, what are you looking at?"
“This is the NBA Draft!”
"NBA Draft? Is it some awesome variety show?"
"This isn't a question of whether it's powerful or not. This is that kind of, that kind of... Forget it. I can't explain it to you clearly. Why do you care about this?"
"Nothing, I just thought this guy was pretty good looking."
“…”
"What's his name?"
"Wayne."
"Oh, singing?"
"…I play basketball. Stop asking."
"Don't kid me, the one playing basketball is called Yao Ming."
"…I'm too lazy to talk to you."
"Tsk, forget it if you don't want to explain. I'll see for myself."
Not only in China, but also outside Madison Square Garden, Wayne was surrounded and photographed by many American reporters.
The NBA draft started around 2015, and the styles of suits worn by players began to become more diverse and fashionable.
But now in 2004, almost all people's suits are regular styles such as black, dark blue and gray.
Wayne's red is really eye-catching among them.
After answering a few simple questions from Coach Zhang, Wayne walked into Madison Square Garden with his parents and Schwartz.
The flash lights on both sides of the entrance made it impossible for Wayne to open his eyes.
For some rookies, this day may be their most anticipated day.
Because a considerable number of them are likely to disappear after entering the league and will never receive so much attention again.
As soon as Wayne walked into the court, he ran into No. 1 pick candidate Okafor.
At this time, Mr. Perfect was being interviewed by reporters.
As a candidate for the top spot in the imperial examination, it is clear how many reporters are around him.
After seeing Wayne, Okafor's smile froze for a moment, but his strong professionalism still allowed him to keep smiling in front of the camera.
After Paul, the second fake smile boy came online.
"Hello, Wei."
“Hello, Emeka.”
The two shook hands, and countless cameras were focused on the opponents in the March Madness finals.
They have already thought of the title: "What sparks will old rivals create in the NBA?"
"Good luck to you today."
"You too, I hope you can be the No. 1 pick."
When Wayne said this, he felt like he was being too fake.
Because he knew Okafor would not be the No. 1 pick...
If Okafor was the No. 1 pick, the No. 1 pick in Orlando would not have gone to Houston. If he had not gone to Houston, the youth memories of a generation of Chinese fans would have been gone.
This butterfly effect, if you think about it, has far-reaching consequences.
"Ave, I see you guys have a pretty good relationship." After shaking hands with Okafor, Wayne's father asked with a smile.
"Well... okay, okay, just ordinary friends. He and I are both players under Schwartz." Wayne nodded awkwardly.
The relationship is pretty good? Yes, it's so good that I want to strangle your son to death...
Wayne and his parents sat down, while Schwartz went to accompany Okafor. After Okafor finished his selection, Schwartz came to Wayne's table.
After the family of three sat down, Wayne found that his table had the fewest people.
But it’s better this way, it’s simpler.
Wayne did invite old Sutton, but Sutton said he was afraid it would be embarrassing to cry at the draft, so he declined Wayne's invitation.
As for Mr. Tony, he could only watch the results of his audition on TV at home with his big family.
"Wayne is here." At this time, in the box, Donnie Walsh saw Wayne.
His red outfit is so eye-catching.
"Yeah." Bird nodded seriously.
"How was the talk over there?"
“Almost done.”
"Close to completion? That means we haven't reached an agreement yet."
“…” Bird was speechless. If Walsh wasn’t old, he really wanted to punch him.
Damn, do you have to be so blunt? Am I forcing someone to lose face?
Bird knew that the Supersonics lacked a point guard. Last season, they could only use "White Guys Can Fly" Brent Barry as the starting point guard, which shows how much they lacked people at this position.
At first glance, Barry's assist data is not bad, and he himself gives people the impression that he has a high basketball IQ.
But if you look at how many turnovers he has, you wouldn't consider him a qualified starting PG.
The shooting type No. 2 position is a role that is more suitable for old Barry. If you let him hold the ball and play PG, he is really a strong lock.
Therefore, Bird took the initiative to offer the main point guard Jamal Tinsley + the 29th pick in the first round, hoping to exchange it for the 12th pick in Wally Walker's hand.
The premise is that Wayne is not picked before the 12th pick.
However, Wally Walker politely rejected Bird.
His words can be simply translated as: "You are dreaming."
“Wayne is in demand, he played in Seattle, I’ve seen him perform.
So, Larry, such an outstanding rookie, I am afraid that you can’t trade for just one Tinsley.”
Jamaal Tinsley, a third-year guard, averaged 8.3 points and 5.8 assists per game last season. He plays with flashy style and is known as "the man who plays the NBA like street ball."
Gone.
This is Tinsley, a qualified, but only qualified main point guard.
He does have potential, after all, he is only in his third year, but Wally Walker doesn't think that potential is worth a lottery pick.
So, Wally Walker opened his mouth and said he needed Al Harrington, the Pacers' sixth man last season, who averaged 13.3 points per game!
Only if Harrington is added to the bargaining chips can this matter be discussed.
Harrington is an important part of the Pacers. He ranked second in the best sixth man voting last season, not far behind Antawn Jamison who ranked first.
Moreover, compared with Jamison, the two are very similar in both position and playing style.
Everyone knows that if Harrington is given more playing time and promoted to the starting lineup, he will definitely perform better.
For the Supersonics who are aiming to make the playoffs, Harrington is a good addition.
One trade can not only solve the problem of the starting point guard, but also add a reliable scorer. Isn't it great?
Then the negotiations reached a deadlock.
It's not that Bird is reluctant to let Harrington go. In fact, Harrington is destined to leave this summer.
Because the season had just ended a few days ago, Harrington called Bird and said, "If I can't secure a starting spot next season, I hope to be traded."
Harrington is tired of the role of sixth man.
The Pacers already had two time bombs in their locker room: Artest and O'Neal, and Bird didn't want another grumbling Harrington.
So, he has put Harrington on the trading list.
But Bird's plan was not to send Harrington to Seattle. He had other uses for Harrington.
After all, the Pacers need to bring in more than just Wayne. Just having Wayne can't guarantee that the Pacers will be able to defeat the Pistons.
The two sides discussed several more times, but problems arose every time with Harrington, so the deal was temporarily shelved.
Bird had no choice. Among all the lottery teams, only the Supersonics and the 76ers were willing to accept combat power.
The other few are of little use in terms of combat effectiveness.
But the 76ers were determined to get Iguodala, so Bird had no choice but to look for the Supersonics.
But Wally Walker didn't say anything final. He told Bird last night: "Call me anytime you figure it out, even after the draft."
Bird was so angry. It was the first time that he was controlled so tightly by someone!
Just as Bird was recalling the entire transaction, the 2004 NBA Draft officially began and David Stern took the stage.
On CCTV, Mr. Sun Zhengping also started to bring live broadcasts of talent shows to the fans.
"NBA Commissioner David Stern is about to take the stage to give a speech, and the draft will begin soon! Today, Wayne wore a red suit, which was very festive. I hope he can have a good ending."
After a perfunctory speech, David Stern looked at the manuscript in his hand and then approached the microphone.
The betting game for 29 teams has officially begun!
"With the first pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic select... Dwight Howard from Southwestern Christian Academy in Atlanta."
Happy Beast happily became the top scorer with a happy smile.
Okafor at another table sighed depressedly with a depressed expression.
At this point, Okafor could only sigh, "It's great to be young."
If he was a freshman, Howard would have no chance of being the No. 1 pick.
Chinese fans are so happy that the Magic chose Howard instead of Okafor, which means that the possibility of the Magic getting scoring champion McGrady has increased!
"High school player Dwight Howard has become the No. 1 pick in this year's draft! Howard, who just graduated from high school this year, is a big man with a style similar to Garnett. He has excellent ball control, mid-range and long-range shooting, passing, breakthrough, rebounding and blocking abilities. His fast footwork and good ball control make up for his lack of physical strength." Sun Zhengping immediately introduced this No. 1 pick to the fans according to the information in his hand.
Years later, when Mr. Sun Zhengping recalled this information, he would probably only want to say two words: "It's a rip-off!"
Okafor, like the original history, was picked second and joined the Bobcats.
Although he still had a perfect smile on his face when shaking hands with Stern, in fact, there were countless idiots galloping in his heart.
Schwartz sighed. He had indeed tried his best to build momentum for Okafor and had communicated with the Magic more than once.
But since the Magic have chosen to rebuild, Okafor will definitely not be the best choice. There is no way around it, even if he talks until his mouth is foaming.
But being in Charlotte also has its advantages. At least Okafor can brush his stats as he pleases.
The third pick went to the Bulls, and Okafor's younger brother Ben Gordon made the list.
Wayne looked at his parents and patted his chest: "The two people who just came on stage were both defeated by me."
"I see that you are very arrogant and fierce, so why aren't you in the top three?" Wayne's father smiled.
"Alas, there is no way. In this draft, it's not that whoever wins gets ranked higher. It's very complicated!"
With the fourth pick, high school genius Livingston appeared.
From then until the 10th, the draft results were the same as Wayne's previous life.
But the Cavaliers' 10th pick is really confusing. They already have Moose, but they used such a high pick to select Luke Jackson, a white small forward...
It's hard to describe the Cavaliers' draft. Unless the answer is very clear like James, they don't seem to be very good at selecting players.
But Luke Jackson doesn't have to worry, he's not the biggest fan yet.
In the future, if nothing unexpected happens, there will be a guy named Anthony Bennett who will be more of a fan than him.
With the 11th pick, the Warriors were content to take Biedrins, who had a professional background.
In fact, the Warriors management had been struggling between Wayne and Biedrins for a while, but ultimately decided that Biedrins, who was already a professional player, was a safer choice.
In this way, Wayne is basically certain to be selected at the 13th pick.
Well, if Wayne was a shooting guard, the 13th pick would probably bring him a lot of attention.
Steve Patterson also breathed a sigh of relief. The Warriors, the only possibility that could have snatched Wayne away, did not make a move. He finally got the man he had always dreamed of!
Wayne, get to the bowl!
At this time, Schwartz, who was sitting next to Wayne, received a cell phone ring.
He just responded a few times, nodded a few times, and then hung up the phone.
Then he leaned over to Wayne's ear.
"Wei, when you are interviewed after being selected, try not to talk about anything related to Seattle."
"Ah? Seattle?" Wayne was confused. What was going on?
Going to play IT basketball?
On the stage, David Stern spoke again.
"With the twelfth pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, the Seattle SuperSonics selected ... Wayne from Oklahoma State University."
"Wang Defa!?" In the box, Patterson directly suspected that Stern might have seen it wrong because of his old eyesight.
Seattle SuperSonics? There is no information saying they will choose Wayne!
Or... did the Supersonics choose it for someone else?
This guy is just one pick higher, how can you play it like this!
Wayne stood up mechanically, but soon smiled again.
Although the details are still unknown, Wayne could roughly guess that it was probably the Pacers who did it.
The reason for not talking about Seattle is probably to avoid embarrassment for everyone.
Otherwise, wouldn’t it be embarrassing if you just said “I love Seattle” and then immediately found out that you were traded?
IT basketball has turned into rural basketball.
Inside the Pacers' luxury box, Bird took a deep breath.
A stone in his heart finally fell.
For this guy, he made this kind of buzzer-beating deal for the first time in his career.
One and a half minutes before the draft results were announced, Bird finally gave in and agreed to trade Harrington to the Supersonics and take Potapenko's overvalued contract to balance the deal.
Wayne is here, well, although it cost him a huge price and he lost the best sixth man who was very useful.
This time, he was really blackmailed by Wally Walker.
There is no way. The party that takes the initiative to propose a transaction is often at an absolute disadvantage.
But it doesn’t matter, as long as Wayne can come.
Moreover, Bird can also cheat others and make up for his losses.
In fact, he already had a new plan to trick people and was ready to execute it, but that was the second step.
The NBA is just a friendly and sweet big family where you cheat on me and I cheat on you.
The people here are friendly, kind and simple.
"Hahaha, the Chinese player Wayne was finally selected by the Seattle SuperSonics at the 12th pick! He is the Chinese player with the highest pick in the NBA draft after Yao Ming, and the second player to be selected in the lottery!"
Sun Zhengping, like many Chinese fans, cheered.
Wayne walked onto the stage and old man David Stern handed him a SuperSonics baseball cap.
Wayne refused to wear this green hat...
Damn, can't the Sonics' hats be changed to a different color? When Yi Jianlian was drafted by the Bucks, he was wearing a white hat.
"Congratulations, Wayne. I'm looking forward to your performance." Stern patted Wayne's arm. How could he not be looking forward to it? Here comes another rich man.
Seeing that Stern's smile was a little stiff, Wayne put on his hat reluctantly.
Then, there was the classic scene of shaking hands with Stern.
Everything is finally settled.
"You got what you wanted, Bird. So, can he really help you get closer to the championship?" Walsh wiped the sweat from his forehead nervously. It was estimated that no championship-contending team would do so many things at the draft.
"Yes, yes, he can definitely help us, Donny." Bird lit a cigar and pretended to calm himself.
The first step towards reinforcement has been taken.