On June 29, 2012, this year's draft was held as scheduled at Madison Square Garden in New York.
This year's draft is recognized by all parties as a big draft year, and there are quite a few outstanding rookie players.
In addition to the popular No. 1 pick Anthony Davis, there are also well-known high school students in the United States Andre Drummond, North Carolina Blackhawks Harris Barnes, powerful forward Thomas Robinson, Dion Waiters, Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard and more.
Back then, the so-called good years recognized before the election were not necessarily the years with high success rates.
Whether many young people can play well depends on many factors.
Personal efforts, team cultivation, luck, and the process of history, etc.
There are some recognized New Years, such as 1984, 1996, and 2003. Looking back many years later, they are indeed New Years.
And some recognized New Years will feel like nothing more than that when viewed a few years later.
On the contrary, there may be surprises in some so-called small years, and the success rate is quite high.
For example, 2009 is a typical example. Before the election, it was considered a small year.
Griffin is recognized as the number one pick, but Curry and Harden are both very good, not inferior to Griffin in the slightest.
This year, the Clippers won the No. 1 pick again after 4 years, and they also won the championship last season.
From a fairness perspective, this is indeed bad. Every team has complained from the beginning of the lottery to before the selection.
In particular, some senior owners often complained to Stern, saying that this was detrimental to the development of the league.
Some old people hope that Stern can return to take charge and replace interim Adam Silva.
"Silva's control is still too weak!"
More than one owner privately claimed that Silva did not have enough control over the league and was taken advantage of by the Clippers and Smart.
Looking back, Silva did feel like he was being used by Min Congda.
The two of them conspired to take down Donald Sterling and wanted to replace him with Min Congda + a reliable boss.
In the end, Sterling's wife robbed the Clippers and won a championship along the way.
Fortunately, after Shelly Sterling took over, she stood by Silva's side and became a supporter of Silva.
David Stern, in the face of a flood of suggestions, withstood the pressure and continued to support Silva as the league president.
After the 2012 Finals, he issued a statement saying that he would not come back because his health did not allow it.
The stroke caused by the lockout in 2011 left him without enough physical strength to handle the complex affairs of the league.
He now continues to stay in the alliance in an advisory capacity, occasionally participating in some major decision-making, providing some opinions, or providing some resources.
The draft is the source and symbol of the vitality of the NBA. This year is the first time that Silva has officially hosted the draft. Stern assisted Silva in the background to handle related matters.
Of course, Adam Silva has been an assistant for more than ten years. He knows very well how to arrange and handle various matters in the draft, and he coordinates the work of various departments very well.
As the draft approached, Stern still reminded Silva, "Go to the Los Angeles Clippers to get some fresh air and find out if there are any questions about their selection, so as not to cause another accident."
The incident in the 2009 draft was something that both Stern and Silva would never forget, and that's when Smart's work began.
This year they won the No. 1 pick again, but they don't want to change their minds at the last minute and make it difficult for the president to step down.
Silva nodded and said: "I have sent people to keep an eye on it. There will be no problem."
Stern said: "It's not a good idea to let the Clippers get the No. 1 pick, but it's not too bad. Although we have to try our best to maintain balance, this is what I have been doing for 30 years. But too much balance, the NBA It has lost its charm. Fans like giants and dynasties, and they like those highly popular teams."
Although many owners protested to Stern, he still withstood the pressure and supported Silva's decision to favor a potential super team like the Clippers at some point.
Stern came to power in 1984. In the following decades, he has been using draft rules and salary rules to attack super teams, disrupt the power of the Boston Celtics at the time, and balance the interests of all parties. He does not want the league to be defeated by the Celtics again. The situation of a single family.
At that time, Auerbach and the Celtics dominated the league, which directly affected the introduction of the salary cap system, resulting in the famous Bird Clause.
Under Stern's continuous blows, the Celtics began to decline in the 1990s and had no results in the playoffs for more than ten years, while the league entered a period of prosperity.
Having said that, Stern pursues balance. He does not want to be dominated by one company like the 1960s, but he also does not want to be chaotic and chaotic like the 1970s.
After all, the NBA is a business league. It needs legends, stories, eye-catching superstars and super teams to compete for audience popularity.
Therefore, the ideal situation in Stern's eyes is one super team with multiple super powers, or two super teams with multiple super powers. It is best for the super teams to be in big cities and have sufficient fan markets.
Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago are all huge basketball markets with radioactive influence.
The No. 1 pick in 1985 was sent to New York and is still controversial.
The Lakers' three-peat dynasty in 2002 was also full of confusion.
In short, Stern has controlled the NBA to a just right balance for decades.
Adam Silva understood what Stern meant, but he would inevitably become a little impatient after hearing Stern talk too much.
He muttered in his heart: "I know all this. I will master the balance. In addition to the Clippers, there will also be opponents in the league."
At this time, Silva's assistant came over to report that the Clippers had made their choice and there was no problem.
Stern and Silva felt a little relieved.
It can only be said that the shadow caused by Min Congda is really not small.
At this moment, in the small green room area of Madison Arena, the invited young people in suits and ties are waiting for their fate.
This is a really, really important moment in their careers.
Where they play, who they work with, and which draft pick they choose will determine their destiny for many years to come.
Anthony Davis sat off the court with his family, looking a little nervous.
As the biggest favorite for the No. 1 pick, the Clippers management contacted him very early and said they would take him in the draft.
But Davis's family and his agent were skeptical.
After all, the breach of contract in 2009 had an impact on the Clippers' reputation.
To this end, Davis participated in trials with several other teams to keep other possibilities open.
Of course, from the bottom of his heart, he really wants to join the Clippers.
This is a championship team.
Moreover, the Clippers have a very good popularity and reputation among young people, and they are a big city.
Their general manager Smart is a legend.
It is said that the atmosphere within the Clippers team is excellent and very suitable for the development of young players.
Fame, status, honor, everything is at your fingertips.
If the Clippers don't select him, Davis will definitely fall to second place and go to the Bobcats!
This can be said to be the worst team in the league currently.
Although there is a very famous owner, this team is really not good.
Previously, Min Congda strongly invited Jordan to join the Clippers. Jordan missed this opportunity and the opportunity to turn around due to complicated procedures and distrust of Min Congda.
Davis is absolutely unwilling to go to the Charlotte Bobcats to play.
Of course, before the draft, the Clippers management repeatedly promised that they would not break their promise this time and would definitely select Davis.
But until the results are actually revealed, no one knows exactly what will happen.
After all, Min Congda likes to play cards that don't follow the rules.
On time, Silva took the stage to announce the start of the draft, giving the Clippers time to make their choice.
Five minutes later, Silva stood up to the front desk with a white envelope and said: "In the 2012 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Clippers selected Anthony Davis from the University of Kentucky with the first overall pick!"
As soon as Anthony Davis' name came out, the audience cheered.
Davis finally breathed a sigh of relief and stood up from the bench. The staff on the side handed him a Clippers-colored cap.
Davis came on stage and shook hands with Adam Silva. The most anticipated talent in this year's draft has its owner and became the No. 1 pick of the championship team!
Far away in Los Angeles, it was still afternoon, and the draft office was buzzing with excitement.
Min Congda watched the Clippers make a smooth choice and shouted: "Call it off! Go home!"
The Clippers originally had a first-round pick in 2012, but they sent it to the Thunder in the Harden trade.
For the Clippers, one No. 1 pick is enough, and the rest, including the two rounds, are of little use.
Rosser said: "We will no longer look at other teams' choices?"
"What are you looking at? What's there to see? Get off work and get off work!"
Min Congda asked the whole team to get off work, but no one dared to disobey, so they closed the door and left.
It's really comfortable to work at the Clippers. The half-hour shift ends with a walkthrough.
Following with the second pick, the Bobcats selected Anthony Davis's Kentucky teammate, McGee Gee, at Jordan's instruction.
I have to say that Jordan has a really accurate eye for people, and he only picks out those with no potential. This year can be said to be a good year. He didn't want a lot of potential stocks, but he chose this one with no potential.
After Jordan came to the Bobcats, he had a big problem with his selection: he was superstitious about famous schools.
Because he himself came from the elite school era of NBA rookies, and the famous rookies at that time were all from elite schools.
For example, Ewing, Olajuwon, senior brother Worthy, etc., including himself, so he believes in the signs of famous schools.
However, since the 21st century, as young players enter the league earlier and their time in the NCAA becomes shorter, many potential prospects are no longer students from famous schools.
Jordan was also obsessed with students from elite schools and NCAA performance. The result was that the draft was unsatisfactory and the real energy of the players could not be seen.
And the one time he took a risk and chose a high school student, he happened to get Kwame Brown... It can only be said that the door God opened for him was a bit big, and the closed window was completely welded shut.
With the third pick, the Washington Wizards selected Bradley Beal.
With the fourth pick, the Kings selected Thomas Robinson.
With the fifth pick, the Nets took Dion West.
With the sixth pick, the Golden State Warriors took Damian Lillard.
With the seventh pick, the Raptors selected Terrence Ross.
With the eighth pick, the Pistons selected Andre Drummond.
With the ninth pick, the Timberwolves selected Harris-Barnes...
A trade quickly appeared on the scene. The Golden State Warriors traded Ricky Rubio to the Timberwolves in exchange for No. 9 pick Harris Barnes.
This trade, which is not too heavyweight, indicates that after the Warriors missed Curry in 2009, their remedial work has basically been completed.
Then, the Warriors also signed Jeremy Lin in the free market, and the San Francisco market welcomed Lin Crazy.
Obviously, in the new season, the Golden State Warriors are about to challenge the status of the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers.
(End of chapter)
