Thunder draft cabin.
Presti's expression at this time was as if he was constipated.
His drafting style is like that of a Jaguar, hiding in the shadows and then accurately capturing targets.
The selection of Westbrook and Ibaka last year was the same operation.
This year, his goal...yes, it is Xu Yong.
Harden was once his top priority answer. Although the Thunder already had Westbrook, he was more like a "scoring point guard". Durant also had no organizational ability. They needed a two-way player like Harden who could organize. Can defend.
But Harden's problem is just like what was said in the draft report: his ball holding rate and turnover rate are too high.
The latter may be improved, but the former is in direct conflict with Westbrook, because Westbrook can't play without the ball even if his shooting is poor.
In contrast, Xu Yong naturally became his first choice.
Xu Yong has a point that is easily overlooked by others, and that is his ability to improve.
In his freshman season, Xu Yong, despite his excellent physical fitness, is still just a scorer without the ball and is a high-quality or even top-level role player.
But by the time he was a sophomore, Xu Yong was already the second ball-handling point, and he also developed a stable pull-up shooting ability, and his ball-holding breakthroughs were also significantly better.
This is a scary thing. It shows that Xu Yong has a lot of room for improvement in the future, that is, he has a lot of potential.
Compared to one point in Harden's draft report, the potential is small.
Even when other managers were focusing on Xu Yong's performance in the finals, his focus was on the semi-finals.
In that game, Xu Yong was fouled, but he was not injured.
A seemingly small detail dispelled one of his biggest concerns, the injury problem of yellow people.
In fact, yellow players are not much worse than white players in terms of physical talent. Their biggest problem is injuries.
But Xu Yong, just like his bounce, is an alternative among yellow people.
The last point is that Xu Yong does not take the ball and his defense is better than Harden. He will fit in well with the team.
So he has been targeting Xu Yong for a long time, and he is not worried at all.
Because according to the information he got, Xu Yong has a high probability of going to the Knicks with the eighth pick, and a small probability that the fourth pick will be taken by the Kings.
But it doesn't matter, because he will cut it off quietly.
But he never expected that the Grizzlies, no, the Bulls would actually intercept!
Moreover, the Bulls spent a lot of money to acquire Xu Yong, and even gave away two starters and a future unprotected first round.
Not to mention how well Thomas and Salmons played last season, let’s just say that in the unprotected first round, if the Bulls don’t make the playoffs, then the Grizzlies will be like Qin Shihuang touching the wires and win.
You must know that after the Bulls do this, most of the remaining players on the team are players on rookie contracts. This is a high probability event.
It's now and it's the future. It's not an exaggeration to say that the Bulls will trade half the team for Xu Yong.
The most important thing is that there was no news before.
If so, wouldn't it be much easier for him to trade the No. 3 pick for the No. 2 pick than for the Bulls to trade the No. 5 pick?
This confidentiality work can be called a "secrecy card".
This was also his first miscalculation since taking office with the Thunder.
But things have happened. What else can he say besides congratulating the people of Chicago?
Now he faces the choice of who to draft with the third pick.
In the five minutes it took for the Thunder to make their third pick, Grizzlies fans were already going crazy on social media.
"When Chris Wallace took office two years ago, he gave Pau Gasol to the Lakers for nothing, and now they have changed the second pick to the fifth pick. Who can tell me what the brain of our general manager is? Is it filled with shit or feces?"
"I miss 'Logo' so much now. He made us a strong team in the Western Conference, but now I feel like I've eaten shit."
"I have died twice. Once I heard that we actually selected a yellow player with the second pick, and once I heard that our second pick turned into the fifth pick. Really kill me!"
"Brother, think on the bright side. The Bulls gave away two starters to get Xu Yong. They may not be able to enter the playoffs next season. The pick we got is probably a lottery pick."
"Does this make any fucking sense? You feed me shit and then tell me there's a piece of chocolate in it?!"
…
Stern walked to the stage for the third time and announced the Thunder's third overall selection.
"With the third overall pick in the first round of the 2009 NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected James Harden, a 1.96-meter shooting guard from Arizona State University."
Without Xu Yong, Harden became the Thunder's best choice.
As for Thabeet, Presti didn't catch his eye.
Harden also stood up excitedly and went on stage.
The pick was a full three spots higher than his projected sixth pick.
And who would have thought that the small Arizona State University would be ranked second and third overall at the same time!
…
Kings draft cabin.
Walsh's expression was very complicated.
After a fierce ideological struggle before, he finally decided to make a bold decision and forcibly picked Xu Yong with the fourth overall pick.
When Brother Maloof asked, he said he got the wrong envelope during the draft.
Although that means he has to take a huge risk, but this is his relationship after working for this team for fifteen years, and he does not want to miss such an opportunity.
So while waiting, he was nervous and excited.
He even rehearsed in his mind how surprised he should be when Stern announced that the Kings had selected Xu Yong.
The result is now good, all his preparations are no longer needed, and he doesn't have to take any risks, because Xu Yong was picked as the second pick.
He didn't know whether to feel relieved or uncomfortable for a moment.
…
Stern walked to the front of the curtain for the fourth time.
The most nervous people at the scene at this time were actually the Grizzlies fans.
Because after the Thunder selected Harden, Thabeet was still not selected.
So as long as the Kings don't choose, they still have a chance to win their favorite big man.
"With the fourth pick in the first round of the NBA in 2009, the Sacramento Kings selected... Tyreke Evans, a 1.98-meter point guard from the University of Memphis."
When Stern announced the result, there was a burst of cheers from the fans, from Grizzlies fans.
They were the group with the strongest presence tonight.
And at the same time, fans on social media have also gone into a frenzy.
"I was wrong, I have to apologize to Chris Wallace, and now we can actually draft Thabeet with the fifth pick! Oh my God, he is simply the second 'God Forget it'! How incredible!"
"Wallace is so great. Not only did he bring us Thabeet, the 2.21-meter giant, but he also got the Bulls' first-round pick for free. This is definitely one of the greatest trades in NBA history. !”
"Let's pop the champagne, we are the biggest winners in this year's draft!"
…
Five minutes later, Stern walked to the stage for the fifth time and announced the Grizzlies' selection amid the cheers of Grizzlies fans.
Without too many surprises, the Grizzlies drafted Thabeet with the fifth pick.
Grizzlies fans once again cheered, and some fans couldn't help but dance at the scene.
The live footage showed Thabeet, and Thabeet's expression... looked like he was constipated.
He could have been the second pick, but after a round of inexplicable operations, he directly became the fifth pick.
The management of the Bulls and Grizzlies are happy, and the Grizzlies fans are happy, but he even lost more than real money.
Because the person who was elected second was Xu Yong!
Not only did Xu Yong block him on the court, but now he even blocked him in the draft!
A world in which only Thabeet was injured was achieved.
At this time, Xu Yong came out of the press conference after being interviewed by reporters.
At this time, Schwartz was already waiting for him at the door.
But he is not alone. There are two people beside him, one he has never met, and one he has met once in the United Center training hall, Bulls head coach Vinnie DeNagro.
