The Way of the Center

Chapter 57 : 1 twists and turns

Morris sat next to the TV with a can of beer. He pressed the remote control and switched the screen to CBS TV. He just finished talking with Anjie, and the kid was already too excited. And shortly after, the draft will officially begin. Morris was watching TV nervously, as if he was the one who participated in the draft.

Madison Square Garden in New York is overcrowded today. Basketball fans from all over the United States gather here. The NBA Finals may only be about the life and death of two teams, while the draft is directly related to the future of all NBA teams. Fans of various teams have come from afar, wanting to witness what choices their team will make.

Is it possible to witness the team like the 1984 Bulls in the third overall pick Jordan like a god, or like the HSD Wizards in 01 with the No. 1 lottery pick a big parallel. No one knows the result, and the draft is an exciting gamble that arouses everyone’s curiosity.

In addition to Anjie’s parents and Moslav, Ricard and Divac also successfully reconciled with Anjie in New York. They will accompany Anjie to participate in the upcoming draft. Of course, Mike Taylor’s family has also joined this team. You must know that this year the Tornadoes are not the only player in the draft. It is worth mentioning that Mike Taylor also chose Meslav as his manager.

“Are you ready? Maybe we can join forces in the NBA.” Tyler and Anjie stood in front of the Madison Square Garden Theater. When they came out again, their lives would change drastically.

“Let’s go buddy.” Anjie and Mike Taylor touched their fists, and they both were ready to fight as if they were in the player tunnel.

Time goes by every minute, and there are fans from various countries and regions in the stands. There are still many international players in this year’s draft. In the stands, you can even see Chinese fans waving the Chinese flag. They all know that another Chinese big man is ready to step on the NBA stage.

Now An Jie and the people accompanying him are sitting down the stage, as if they are about to watch an advanced opera performance. However, what is going on in the next stage can be hundreds of times more exciting than the opera, because in a few minutes, NBA commissioner David Stern will be on stage, and he will personally announce the future of these teams and players.

Dozens of Chinese media were also crowded into the interview area. Most of them set aside a whole section to report on Anjie’s draft. CCTV even broadcasted the draft live! You must know that before Anjie appeared, Joe Alexander, who had a close relationship with China, was the subject of much media coverage. After all, in the highest hall of the basketball world, the Chinese are still too few.

The managers of each team are constantly yelling into the phone, and the time left for them to make decisions is running out. While they were still hesitating and entangled, David Stern finally came on stage.

An inspiring speech won Stern the applause of everyone off the court, but people now only care about the small envelope he holds. Suddenly the lights in the audience dimmed, and only a spotlight shone on David Stern’s body. The draft has officially started!

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Chicago Bulls chose the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.” Having said that, Stern paused and glanced at the envelope in his hand. Stern is skilled at using this kind of old and spicy method to whet the appetite of the audience.

“The Chicago Bulls chose Derek Rose from the University of Memphis. Let us congratulate him.” There was a burst of applause. The Bulls really chose this awe-inspiring point guard with the No. 1 pick. The Chicago fans were not disappointed. , Choosing Rose can also be said to be well-received.

Derek Rose wore a suit and a Bulls baseball cap, and walked up the stage with a smile on his face to shook hands with Stern for a photo.

“Next, Pat Riley, how are you thinking about it?” Meslav glanced at the luxurious box above his head, Riley must have made a decision there.

Michael Beasley or Angel, or choose O.J. Mayo and Wade to form a double shot in the backcourt. Pat Riley, who had a headache, didn’t make a choice until the end, and put the written name in the small envelope that determines his fate.

Five minutes later, David Stern took the stage again. This time, all the Chinese media focused their cameras on An Jie. They knew that An Jie and the Heat had had a deep contact. An Jie’s heart was pounding, and he was now sweating profusely when he was nervous.

“The second overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Miami Heat chose…” Stern glanced at the envelope as always. “Michael Beasley, from Kansas State University.”

“Stupid!” The moment Stern said his name, Meslav cursed. That **** Pat Riley, actually chose an unruly data brush.

Beasley jumped up in excitement, and he walked onto the stage in a few strides, unintentionally or intentionally, he glanced at An Jie with that annoying look, as if he was announcing his victory in a high-profile manner.

“It’s okay, we still have a lot of opportunities.” Meslav turned his head and comforted An Jie and his family with a calm tone. As a manager, he should not mess with himself first.

The third overall pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves chose O.J. Mayo. The domestic media’s illusion that An Jie could be selected in the top three was officially broken.

Fourth overall, the Seattle SuperSonics are hesitating, should they choose a good big man to assist Durant, or continue to choose an extremely offensive outside line to enhance offensive firepower? The Sonics general manager Presti made up his mind after a struggle.

“The fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Seattle SuperSonics chose, Russell Westbrook, from the University of California, Los Angeles.”

Presti believes in his choice. After all, he is a person from the Spurs system. Looking at the Spurs’ successful draft experience, you can know why Presti can correctly select Durant. But to be honest, he is still very interested in that big Chinese man. But no way, you can’t have both fish and bear paws.

The Memphis Grizzlies chose Kevin Love with the fifth overall pick. They originally wanted to choose Westbrook, but they were taken a step ahead by the Sonics. They had no intention of choosing Love. The Grizzlies just wanted to use him as a bargaining chip in exchange for a good outside player. This is business, this is the NBA.

Danilo Gallinari, the sixth overall pick from Italy, was selected by the New York Knicks. The Knicks are really obsessed with European players in recent years. But when they made the decision, the Knicks fans booed dissatisfied from the stands. Not all rookies can become the darling of fans.

After 　　 several picks are occupied by outside players. In the current NBA environment, outside players who perform well are much more popular than before. An Jie’s heart became more and more flustered, he was really afraid that he would fall below the 15th overall pick. Ricard kept helping Anjie decompress, but as long as Stern didn’t pronounce Anjie’s name, Anjie’s tension would never dissipate.

has now come to the tenth overall pick, and the New Jersey Nets will announce their choice.

Since Anjie defeated the Lopez brothers in the 64 NCAA March Madness Championship, the Nets have maintained a high degree of attention to Anjie. Their goal is to choose a big center, but is it Brook Lopez or Angel?

The general manager of the Nets remembered the embarrassment of last year’s No. 1 pick, Greg Oden, overshadowed by his injury, and he associated it with the weaker physique of Asians. Asians, look at Yao Ming’s tragic injury history in the NBA, An Jie might suddenly fall down one day! Anyway, at least Brook Lopez is not a glass man. The Nets general manager made a decisive decision and wrote Brook Lopez’s name on the envelope.

Missing the Nets with the tenth overall pick, Anjie and Meslav can only pin their hopes on the Kings, because the Indiana Pacers with the eleventh overall have never expressed interest in Anjie, and Anjie did not go there. The Pacers tried out.

As expected, the Pacers chose Jerry Bayless with the 11th overall pick, and then it was the King’s turn!

Divac under the stage became more focused. Will his old club fulfill his promise? After all, the two sides only reached an agreement verbally, and the Kings did not say in black and white that they would definitely choose Anjie.

The general manager of the Kings just hung up a phone call. The matter is almost settled. Let’s make this decision easily now.

David Stern is on stage again. Several heavyweight drafts have just had results, but for Chinese fans and reporters, the true climax of this draft has not yet begun.

Holding the envelope of the Kings team, the eyes of all Chinese fans were gathered on Stern.

“The 12th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings chose…”

An Jie felt that Stern’s pause seemed to last for several years. His heart touched his throat, but Stern took a quick look at the envelope that determined An Jie’s fate.

“The Sacramento Kings chose, Anjie! From Iowa State University! Let me congratulate this big Chinese man!”

Anjie “played” from his chair excitedly, and he embraced his parents excitedly, followed by Ricard, Divac, and Moslav. Finally, I didn’t forget to hammer each other’s chest with Mike Taylor.

“Go Anjie! Let them know the main center of our Tornado team!” Taylor helped Anjie get the Kings baseball cap Anjie put it on and walked onto the podium.

“Welcome to the NBA, boy.” David Stern smiled at An Jie friendly, and then shook hands with An Jie. All the Chinese media have exploded, shooting all the pictures frantically.

Can Stern not laugh? The Chinese market with huge potential is now opened by him. In the past, there were Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi, and Battelle. Last year, there were Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue. This year, another Anjie came out. The joining of these players is enough for Stern to make a fortune in China.

Angel did not leave immediately after coming off the stage. He also had to accompany Mike Taylor and his family to wait for the draft results of his teammates.

Just when everything was getting better, Meslav suddenly received a text message from the general manager of the Kings. At first he thought it was a routine blessing message, but when he opened it, Meslav was stupid.

“Angel.” Meslav tried hard to make himself see the content of the text message clearly, and made sure he was not dazzled.

“What’s the matter?” An Jie turned to look at his manager. Meslav has been in this business for a long time, and now the surprised expression on his face gave An Jie a hint of foreboding.

“You were traded by the Kings.” Everyone sitting around raised their heads and stared at the talking Meslav in disbelief.

(Three shifts on offer, did the ending surprise everyone, add book friends group: 426042887, please take pictures of me.)