On June 24, 2011, this year's draft was held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
For the NBA, the annual draft heralds the start of the new season and symbolizes the entry of a group of new players into the league.
But this time is different. One week after the draft, the labor and management will negotiate.
Moreover, the outcome of this negotiation is not optimistic, and labor and management may not be able to reach an agreement.
Therefore, before the draft began, David Stern's face was full of fatigue and sadness.
Even so, when the draft started in the evening, he still stood in the center of the stage with a smile on his face.
This year's conference was not held in the familiar Madison Square Garden, so those obnoxious New York fans did not have the opportunity to boo Stern.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, who reached the Finals, unexpectedly won this year's No. 1 pick.
The last team to reach the Finals and still get the No. 1 pick was the Los Angeles Lakers in 1982.
The Lakers' No. 1 pick was traded from the Cavaliers in the 1981-1982 season.
Because of this absurd situation, the league had to introduce the "Stepien Clause" specifically for Cavaliers owner Stepien, prohibiting the team from trading away draft picks for two consecutive years.
Now, it's the Cavaliers' turn to enjoy the No. 1 pick. It can only be said that their ancestors have accumulated good deeds.
"In the 2011 draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Kyrie Irving from Duke University with the first pick in the first round!"
David Stern named the first name in this year's draft.
Kyrie Irving, an excellent point guard from the prestigious Duke school.
This is the fourth consecutive year after Rose, Curry, and Wall that the No. 1 pick is a point guard.
Every team is beginning to realize the importance of the backcourt and how much a good point guard can help the team's offense.
Point guard is a typical position where offensive benefits are higher than defensive benefits.
When teams begin to invest resources in point guards, it shows that the trend in the entire league is leaning towards offense.
After winning Irving, the Cavaliers were overjoyed and their strength was further enhanced.
After James in 2003, the Cavaliers finally have another high-ranking super rookie.
As a result, the Cavaliers' odds of winning the new season jumped to the top of the league.
Then with the second pick, the wise and great King of Minnesota, the reverse vane in the NBA draft world, the god of showmanship, and the Timberwolves management selected Derrick Williams from the University of Arizona!
The masterpiece of a no-three-no-four striker helped the University of Arizona overturn the prestigious Duke in this year's NCAA.
This may be why the Timberwolves chose him.
Min Congda, who was far away in the draft office in Los Angeles, felt very relieved to see the Timberwolves drafting such an uncompromising forward.
This shows that he and the Timberwolves are on the same side in terms of draft vision and draft standards, which is really reassuring.
Then, the Utah Jazz selected Turkish big man Enes Kanter with the third overall pick.
This is an unexpected choice, using the precious No. 3 pick on a Turkish center.
The Toronto Raptors took Jonas Valanciunas at No. 4.
The Washington Wizards took Jan Vesely at No. 5.
Teams with three consecutive picks have selected European insiders.
Obviously, Nowitzki's championship this year shocked many teams.
A young German boy could achieve so much.
Eastern teams like the Wizards, which didn't pay much attention to international players in the past, are starting to think about treasure hunting in Europe.
This power forward from the Czech Republic is 2.11cm tall, and his template is Dirk Nowitzki.
When he was selected with the fifth overall pick, he stood up and kissed his girlfriend passionately, which became his most amazing scene in the NBA.
Not every homegrown white forward who can shoot is Larry Bird. m.
Not all 210 big white players who can shoot are Nowitzki.
This lesson will continue to alert NBA management in the future.
Nowitzki No. 2, like Bird No. 2, is the easiest to fool people.
With the sixth pick, the New Jersey Nets selected Tristan Thompson from the University of Texas.
With the seventh pick, the Detroit Pistons selected University of Kentucky guard Brandon Knight.
The once evergreen Pistons in the East began their long rebuilding process.
The Charlotte Bobcats selected Kemba Walker with the eighth pick.
The Bucks selected Fredette with the ninth pick.
The Golden State Warriors took Klay Thompson, the son of the No. 1 overall pick, with the 10th pick...
Soon, it was the Clippers' turn to pick the 13th pick, and Min Congda was impatient to wait.
It's better to be the No. 1 pick. If there is only one No. 1 pick, he will get off work after the selection!
It's very annoying now. There is a 13th pick and a 20th pick. I have been waiting for a long time.
"With the 13th overall pick in the 2011 draft, the Los Angeles Clippers selected Kawhi Leonard from the University of San Diego!"
Stern announced Leonard's name on stage.
The young man stood up from his seat, his face expressionless.
He walked on stage numbly, put on a Los Angeles Clippers hat, and shook hands with Stern.
Leonard is actually very satisfied with this result. It's great to be able to play in Los Angeles.
He didn't know that in the Spurs' draft office in San Antonio, Texas, Popovich was furious!
"Farke! Farke! What's going on! Why did the Clippers select Leonard with the 13th overall pick! Schette! Call, call the Los Angeles Clippers draft office immediately..."
Popovich couldn't believe his eyes. Why was another person intercepted by the Clippers?
You robbed me of Bonner in the free market, you cheated on me in the playoffs, and now the draft has also taken away my carefully selected small forward?
The Spurs have been keeping an eye on Leonard for a long time and have spent a lot of scouting resources on contacting him.
After repeated inspections, the Spurs, who had no draft picks, decided to trade George Hill for the Pacers' No. 15 pick to acquire Leonard.
Previously, Popovich used various resources to understand each team's draft intentions and believed that no one would be interested in Leonard.
Who would have thought that the Clippers, a bad team, actually intercepted Leonard with the 13th pick!
Popovich felt his blood pressure rising and needed someone to vent some of his anger.
"Call Mike Dunleavy..."
"The phone is turned off and I can't get through."
Dunleavy had the foresight to turn off his phone on draft day.
Popovich was silent and burst into tears, and the team's plans for the new season were ruined.
The draft went on as usual, until the 20th pick, the Clippers' draft was finally coming to an end.
Min Congda couldn't help but want to go home from get off work and sleep.
"In the 2011 draft, the Los Angeles Clippers selected Jimmy Butler from Marquette University with the 20th overall pick!"
The Clippers picked Jimmy Butler at No. 20, another forward.
The reason why Min Congda chose him is simple: among all the players in the trial, his shooting is as bad as Leonard!
After taking Butler, there was a burst of applause in the Clippers' office.
"Okay! Very good! The draft is over successfully! The second round is...just let's do it, right? After get off work, get off work! Let's go, Jeff, let's go have a drink! Let's go have a drink together!"
There was one more pick left in the second round, and Min Congda didn't want to worry about it anymore, letting the person in front of him make his own choice.
I couldn’t wait to have a dinner party with my employees.
In another week, Min Congda will go to New York in person to witness another major labor negotiation since 1999.
Some people died, but not completely...
