It's late May 2010, and summer is getting closer.
The playoffs are still going on, but most teams have already started their holidays to prepare for the new season.
The Los Angeles Clippers' playoff journey ended in more than two weeks, and the players have begun taking vacations.
The Clippers headquarters at Staples Center continues to be busy, because the offseason for players is the busy season for management.
On May 19th, Olshey came to New York to participate in the 2010 draft lottery ceremony.
Last season, President Rosser participated in the lottery on behalf of the team and got the No. 1 pick.
They drew a good pick and selected a very good player.
Although Stephen Curry missed the three-pointer in Game 6 of the playoffs.
But he has earned praise and respect, and his performance deserves the title of No. 1 overall pick.
In the competition for Rookie of the Year, Curry lost to Evans of the Kings.
Evans' 20+5+5 performance in his rookie season was too amazing.
But Olshey believes that Curry is the better one because he proved himself in the playoffs.
The Clippers were not in the lottery because they entered the playoffs.
But because of Kaman's trade in the middle of the season, they got the Grizzlies' first-round pick.
The Grizzlies' record is 30 wins and 52 losses, and they have a 2.2% chance of winning the No. 1 pick.
The Bulls had a 1.7% probability of winning the No. 1 pick in 2008, so miracles are possible.
Unfortunately, Olshey did not have as good luck as Rosser.
The 2010 No. 1 pick was taken by the Washington Wizards.
This is a really crucial pick for the Wizards.
They just went through gun scandal this season.
The sudden accident completely disrupted the team's construction plan.
Just like the Pacers who experienced the Auburn Hills incident, the Wizards' original structure fell apart because of Arenas' suspension.
Jamison and Butler have both been traded away, and it is also a matter of time before Arenas leaves the team.
As luck would have it, the Wizards got the No. 1 pick, and their probability of getting the pick was 10.3%.
This undoubtedly injects good luck into the rebuilding Wizards, who are eager to select future cornerstone players in this year's draft.
The Philadelphia 76ers got the second pick, the New Jersey Nets got the third pick, and the top three were surrounded by the poor Eastern Conference teams.
The following teams are ranked according to their record, and the Grizzlies' pick only protects the top three picks.
Therefore, the Clippers successfully obtained the ninth pick, as well as their own first-round pick No. 26 and second-round pick No. 51.
If it were put in the past, Olshey would definitely trade these picks away in exchange for enough immediate combat power.
Different teams have different draft strategies, and some teams like to draft and develop young people.
Some teams are not very interested in the draft, preferring to directly purchase and trade players to develop their combat capabilities.
The Clippers have been swinging between the two. In the past few years, they tried to cultivate high-position picks, but as a result, none of them, such as Odom, Olowokandi, and Darius Miles, were cultivated.
Starting from Brand, the team shifted to the immediate combat route, trading away all players unless they were high picks.
Anyway, if you can't cultivate it yourself, it's better to go to trade and get someone to cultivate you. Although the cost will be higher, you want to be sure.
After Min Congda took over the team, the Clippers' strategy obviously changed again. Min Congda didn't like transactions.
Throughout the season, the Clippers made a trade and kept all the draft picks in hand.
The management was quick to make a fuss, but everyone had nothing to say because the team's record was very good.
With 50 wins and 32 losses in the regular season, they were in the top half of the Eastern Conference.
The team's stable environment allows players to play with peace of mind.
Look at the Wizards. The result of the chaos in the locker room is that the team is dislocated and falling apart.
Reconstruction is a long process. How many fans can accompany the team through the long road of reconstruction.
During this period, the team's box office and income were not guaranteed, and the team's morale was difficult to unite, which was very painful.
Olshey has experienced this pain, so he sincerely admires the changes Mr. Smart has brought to the team.
The Clippers management also summarized this and believed that this is profound Eastern wisdom:
"Stability is above all else and building a harmonious team."
After the draw in New York, Olshey did not return to Los Angeles.
Instead, he boarded a flight directly from New York to Shanghai. Accompanying him were the team's two deputy marketing directors, three scouts, a financial assistant, and a business team from YouTube.
A group of more than 20 people went to China to establish a basketball talent development foundation for Min Congda's "Three Treasures Plan".
When he boarded the plane, Olshey felt uneasy because he had felt unreliable from the moment he started preparing the plan.
Olshey originally thought that Mr. Smart's idea was to go to China to find the second Yao Ming, hoping that the Clippers could eat the Chinese market like the Rockets.
However, Min Congda later repeatedly emphasized not to cooperate with the officials, but to go to China to build training camps and conduct talent selection.
As the saying goes, strong dragons cannot overwhelm local snakes. Even if the Clippers are a professional NBA team, how do you organize them when they go to an unfamiliar place?
Without the cooperation and assistance of official organizations or local basketball organizations, is it difficult to go to various schools to distribute flyers?
If it might be caught as an illegal operating unit or a spy agency, it would be the end of the world.
The only contact information Min Congda gave me was an ordinary mobile phone number. When I got to Shanghai, someone would call me if I called this number.
Olshey took the phone number he kept with the ticket out of his pocket—it was written on a napkin.
"Mr. Smart feels unreliable as always, but fortunately, the funds are very sufficient. You should still trust Mr. Smart."
Olshey encouraged himself in his heart. He didn't even tell the 20 people in the team. He led a group of people with a phone number on a napkin in his hand. After more than two months of preparation, he rushed to China.
This was the first time Olshey had done such a crazy and outrageous thing, and he chose to believe Min Congda.
After a 15-hour flight, spanning the entire North American continent and the North Pacific, the plane arrived at Shanghai Pudong Airport on the afternoon of May 22.
Before we even got off the plane, the Clippers' director of international scouting, Fabrizio Bischiat, asked: "Neal, are you sure we can set up a development foundation when we come to China?"
Olshey said: "Why do you ask that? We have all arrived in Shanghai."
Bishyat said: "But until now, I have never met anyone from China. You haven't told us anything. I even wonder if you were sold to China."
Olshey said nothing. To be honest, he felt the same way.
During the two-month preparation period, no one from China came to contact me personally.
For example, Bischiat is an international scout, and he is always in contact with European clubs.
Everyone will communicate with each other, and any plans or projects will be communicated in advance.
Telephone conferences, emails, face-to-face meetings, etc., to maintain relationships with each other.
Only in this way can things be carried out smoothly.
What kind of foundation is this time? The momentum is so great that it has attracted people from YouTube.
But there was no movement at all from China, and no one from the NBA China headquarters was notified.
Olshey was really worried that a group of them might be suspected of espionage.
But when I got off the plane and arrived at the departure hall, this worry was relieved a lot.
Because in the lobby they saw a huge banner:
"Warmly welcome the visit of the Los Angeles Clippers inspection team."
(Welcome to China, Clippers.)
(End of chapter)
