Chapter 845: Draft Part 2
The 2000 NBA draft was held in Minneapolis, the largest city in Sussex. Many people feel unfamiliar when talking about this largest city.
But when talking about the Minneapolis Lakers, many people may be very familiar with the three words "Lakers" at the end. After all, this is an absolute NBA powerhouse team.
Minneapolis was the home of the Lakers before 1960. After 1960, the Lakers moved to Los Angeles and changed their name to the Los Angeles Lakers. Therefore, the Minneapolis Lakers sounded so strange. The choice to hold the draft here this year is obviously a tribute to this old city.
On the day of the draft, Yang Dongxu also came to the draft, which attracted the attention of many people. After all, everyone is very familiar with Buck Coulson, the general manager of the 76ers team, and Larry Brown, the coach.
These two people accompanied a person with an obvious oriental face into the stadium, and everyone instantly thought of the mysterious big boss from the East who rarely appeared in front of the media to acquire the 76ers.
Then thinking of the big man from the East in this year's draft, many people couldn't help but have ideas in their minds. However, the idea is one thing, but whether to do it is another.
After all, it is an indisputable fact that the draft pick is equal to money, and the money belongs to the boss. They have the decision to disgust the 76ers team, but if they suppress this big man from the East, but fail to achieve results in the end, the team owner will definitely find him to settle accounts.
So in the NBA court dominated by whites and blacks, there is an Oriental boss, and the other party seems to want to bring an Oriental big man into the NBA, which makes some teams uncomfortable, but it is just uncomfortable.
After all, the boss who can afford to play in the NBA is not something that those who are uncomfortable on the scene can afford to offend, not to mention that this boss is said to be not only in IT, but also very familiar with some bigwigs in Hollywood. Those bigwigs are all capital crocodiles, and they also control a lot of media resources, which is what they can't afford to offend.
Racial discrimination can be kept in mind, and sometimes it's okay to show it openly, but it must not be said in person, let alone exposed by the media, otherwise it will be a huge trouble.
The 76ers had a very good performance last year, so their first-round draft pick was relatively late. For insurance, Buck kept his first-round draft pick even though he thought Yao Ming would not be selected in the first round, although he did not trade for a higher draft pick.
In this way, even if someone chose Yao Ming out of impulse, he could use this first-round draft pick to add money to the other party for a trade, or trade the second-round draft pick for money.
In short, he must 100% guarantee that Yao Ming will be forwarded to the 76ers, even if he did not sign on the spot and then changed the sign, or traded, in short, no matter what method is used, Yao Ming must play for the 76ers.
If Yao Ming is not selected in the first round, it will be even simpler. Make a deal with other teams in advance to see which team is optimistic about the first-round rookie in addition to the person signed by its first-round draft pick, and then the 76ers will help sign him and then the two teams will trade.
At the beginning of the draft, Yang Dongxu sat calmly, and the league chairman began to read the names. His appearance did not change history. Kenyon Martin became the No. 1 pick and was signed by the New Jersey Nets.
The second pick was the Vancouver Grizzlies' pick, who chose Michael Swift, and then the Los Angeles Clippers chose Miles, and the top three did not change.
The top three picks were two power forwards, which shows the love of power forwards for the league teams now. This made Buck nervous. After all, although Yao Ming had never played in the United States and had no information obtained by scouts, his height was there, which was full of talent.
However, after a tense quarter, he put his heart back in his stomach. Although many people noticed Yao Ming, no team took the risk to sign him. After all, many scouts and managers still believe in the data they have. After all, having data will not deceive people is the most professional. As for the unpredictable future, it is a matter of the future and has nothing to do with them.
So when the 76ers took the 20th place, Yao Ming was still not selected, and many teams even began to wonder if this big man from the East would enter the second round or even be eliminated in the second round if the 76ers were not the last.
Buck looked at his boss and found that the boss did not express anything. He gritted his teeth and made a deal. Then he did not choose Dayao, but chose Speedy Claxton according to the historical trajectory.
This choice made many team managers look exciting, and they kept looking at the 76ers. I wondered if this big man from the East was really not good enough. The 76ers boss was reluctant to give him a first-round draft pick.
Then if he was in the second round, should he make a move to disgust the 76ers? But what if the other party just operated this big man to play in the NBA without really wanting to sign him? Will it be a waste of money?
While these team managers and teams were struggling and guessing, the 29th first-round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers was selected, and the draft began to enter the second round.
The draft continued and as the second-round picks were constantly being selected, everyone couldn't help but look at the 76ers again and again, because the top ten second-round picks had passed, and the 76ers still had no intention of signing Dayao, as if they were still waiting for something.
Until the 19th, they used their own draft pick to take Yao Ming, which made many team managers start to struggle again. Is it because of their compatriots that they don't look good if they don't sign in the second round? Or is it because the 76ers' operation was successful and they signed the players they wanted without paying any price? In short, they have too little information to analyze and can only struggle.
"You look very nervous. Can you not sign if I say you will sign?" Looking at Dayao who was walking over with a 76ers hat, Yang Dongxu laughed and teased.
"I am a little nervous." Dayao smiled embarrassedly. He is still too shy now and not as lively as he is in private in the future.
"Don't care so much about the ranking. If you can show your performance, even if you are selected last, it will only make you more dazzling. This flaw can't cover up anything." Yang Dongxu comforted after teasing.
Obviously, he was also afraid that Dayao would have a grudge because of the draft ranking. However, Yang Dongxu obviously thought too much about this. As long as he could enter the NBA to play, Dayao's own expectations had been realized. He had never thought about the draft ranking before.
Flying back to Philadelphia with the team, Yang Dongxu personally sent Yao Ming to the stadium, showing his attitude as a big boss. The players of the team welcomed Yao Ming's arrival.
Compared with other teams who are a little curious and wary of such Asian faces, the 76ers have no such problem at all. Because the two team doctors from the East have gained their absolute trust.
On the court, when some players have dislocations due to fierce confrontation, or injuries such as muscles and groins need to go to the hospital for filming or even surgery.
The accompanying team doctor can accurately judge the injury by just touching it. Even if the dislocation looks terrible, they can reset it in minutes.
And after the reset, it can also determine whether the player can play again. No matter what diagnosis is made, there has never been any case of misjudgment of the injury after the game.
This is also one of the main reasons why the 76ers' performance has been getting better and better in recent years, but the injuries have remained at a low level.
So now many NBA teams have noticed this, and even some stars with good strength and sub-health want to play for the 76ers. Many people no longer see Chinese medicine as before, feeling that it is a mysterious but terrible witchcraft, but begin to look at this dazzling crystallization of human civilization that has been passed down for thousands of years from the right perspective.
"I have explained to the training room about training. The first period of time is mainly to adapt to the team. Don't worry if you can't achieve any results. Also, don't gain weight blindly, and you must think carefully about signature shoes.
The signing fee and other factors are secondary. You must first ensure that the shoes provided by the signature shoes are safe and suitable for you. There are many players who retired in the NBA because of ankle injuries due to bad shoes.
If there is anything wrong with the body during training or confrontation, communicate with the team doctor as soon as possible. In addition to being the team doctor, Lao Zhao and Lao Wang also serve as the team trainer. If there is anything wrong, just communicate with them at ordinary times."
"I know." Coming to a strange place and getting along with so many strangers, Dayao was quite nervous at first.
But he felt the enthusiasm from the bottom of his heart of his teammates, and there were two familiar Chinese people in the team. It was so happy that someone could communicate with him in Chinese at ordinary times.
"Let the assistant take you down to get familiar with the environment of the stadium. I have found a house for you, but you have to pay the rent yourself. You must keep up with the usual training, and even do better than others." Yang Dongxu knows the truth that too much is as bad as too little.
So he can help Dayao prepare in advance for some things, but some things need Dayao to adapt himself. After all, it is impossible to gain a foothold in the NBA without extraordinary efforts. After all, those who can enter the NBA are talented. How can you stand out among so many geniuses without working hard?
"I know, look at my performance." Yao Ming patted his chest and promised. This is not an empty talk, but he must make a decision from the bottom of his heart. Whether it is training or daily life, he has decided not to make any mistakes in his requirements. Then he will be a role model for Eastern players.
"Work hard." Yang Dongxu patted him.
Then he went into the office with the team manager. After the draft, it was the summer season, and then it was the new season. In this season, the 76ers' goal is to win the championship.
After all, the team has received enough reinforcements this year, especially Lamar Odom, who was traded back from the Clippers at a high price last year. He has performed like a future superstar in just one season, got a triple-double in a single season and was selected to the All-Rookie First Team. His all-around performance made Larry Brown, who was a little partial to Iverson, often take time out to care for his baby in various ways.