The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 986 The dust has settled
At 6 p.m. New York time on June 26, the 2002 NBA Draft took place as scheduled at Madison Square Garden.

The NBA Finals in June mark the end of a season, while the NBA Draft in June heralds the start of a new season cycle.

That's how the NBA seasons are, repeating year after year, endlessly.

Gan Guoyang missed the 1984 NBA Draft. After many years, he came to the draft venue with Yao Ming.

Since Yao Ming's parents did not come, Gan Guohui, as his agent, accompanied him throughout the process, while Gan Guoyang went backstage and stayed with the Guanghui team's draft squad.

This year they have a first-round draw with the number 18 seed, giving them some room for choice and maneuvering.

However, Gan Guoyang had already selected his players early on, and it seemed unlikely that anyone would compete with them. Therefore, the draft team wasn't too concerned about the 18th pick; what they really cared about was the number one pick.

Danny Ainge was sitting in his office chair with his feet propped up on the desk, seemingly oblivious to everyone around him.

Upon seeing Gan Guoyang enter, Anji quickly composed himself, put his feet down, stood up, and came over to report the situation to Gan Guoyang.

"It should be fine."

"What do you mean by 'should'? I'm sure there won't be any problem."

"Then there's definitely no problem, as long as the knight doesn't change his mind."

“Jim won’t change his mind; I’ve talked to him about it. If he does, I’ll kill him.”

The two white shooters from the Trail Blazers' first dynasty are now both providing assists for Gan Guoyang.

Of course, they didn't lose out either, especially the Cavaliers, who had a very lucky 5.9% chance of getting the number one draft pick.

Jim Paxson probably knew in his heart why the number one draft pick came to Cleveland.

So, Paxson remained unmoved by the clamor throughout Cleveland for Yao Ming to be drafted.

Yao Ming didn't even go to Cleveland for a tryout. He only participated in a few joint open tournaments in Chicago and Las Vegas, and didn't go to the team for a tryout on his own.

This is actually a signal to all the teams: you can't get me.

It's definitely hopeless. The number one draft pick has already been handed to the Cavaliers. What can other teams do?

More teams are setting their sights on next year, the 2003 draft, which is a bumper year.

Apart from Yao Ming, there was little else to note in 2002; there were no particularly captivating superstar players.

Therefore, the overall atmosphere of the draft was rather bland, with everyone's attention focused on the first pick.

"He should have brought his parents with him. This guy is a bit stubborn and insisted on coming by himself."

Other rookies usually bring their families to the draft, including not only their parents but also a whole host of relatives.

For many rookies, being drafted by the NBA means a change in their lives and destiny; it's a case of one person's success bringing prosperity to their entire family.

In the past, everything was arranged by his parents, but this time Yao Ming was quite stubborn and insisted on going to the United States alone, even though he could have a team of agents.

"I'll establish myself here first, and then I'll bring you over," Yao Ming said.

At this moment, the tall but somewhat thin Yao Ming possessed a stubborn spirit.

Ainge said, "Only stubborn people can survive in the NBA; this is not a place to play around."

Gan Guoyang agreed with Angie's statement that NBA salaries will continue to rise, which also means that the working environment will become increasingly harsh.

Competition will become increasingly fierce, with talents from all over the world converging here. Having a few skills is far from enough; you have to work incredibly hard.

As the time drew near, David Stern took to the stage and officially announced the start of the draft.

As usual, there was a chorus of boos from the sidelines. Stern has done a good job managing the NBA over the years, but he has also been the subject of a lot of controversy.

As the NBA improved, his power grew, and his autocratic tendencies became increasingly apparent.

Furthermore, his actions, such as supporting big-market teams, ignoring small-market teams, creating super teams, manipulating games and drafts, and restricting player attire, have sparked discontent among many fans.

Some commentators believe that Stern led the NBA down a path of complete commercialization from which there is no return, and that it has long lost the original spirit of competitive sports.

One day, the NBA will become closely associated with gambling, match-fixing, biased refereeing, and doping, turning into a complete money-making monster rather than a place for fans to enjoy basketball and for players to pursue their dreams.

Stern simply laughed it off. Receiving boos at Madison Square Garden was a regular feature of the draft every year; he would put his hand to his ear and smile as if listening.

Stern then announced that the Cleveland Cavaliers would be given two minutes to make a decision before stepping down.

Two minutes later, David Stern came to the stage with an envelope in his hand. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he opened the envelope and read: "With the first pick in the first round of the 2002 NBA draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers have selected Yao Ming from Shanghai, China!"

As expected, the Cavaliers selected Yao Ming, who was the popular choice!

Sitting in the audience, Yao Ming, who looked quite shy, stood up and walked onto the stage with a smile.

His body was so enormous that David Stern appeared extremely small in comparison.

Before going on stage, a staff member handed him a Cleveland Cavaliers hat. Yao Ming took the hat and shook hands with Stern.

But Yao Ming didn't put the hat on his head; he knew he didn't belong with the Cavaliers and that a trade would happen soon.

Sure enough, shortly after the Cavaliers drafted Yao Ming, the NBA officially announced that the Las Vegas Glory and the Cleveland Cavaliers had made a trade, sending Brad Miller, Gilbert Arenas, and a 2003 first-round draft pick to the Cavaliers in exchange for Yao Ming, the Cavaliers' 2003 second-round draft pick, and point guard Andre Miller.

As soon as the news came out, public opinion was in an uproar.

Charles Barkley, who was broadcasting the draft live, yelled: "Robbery! The Las Vegas Glory robbery! This is blatant draft and trade manipulation! It's all to get Yao to Las Vegas, to become Forrest Gump's successor! This...this is a complete rip-off! Why would the Cleveland Cavaliers do this? Because Jim Paxson is Forrest Gump's fucking brother!"

Barkley, you talk like you're not Forrest Gump.

Kenny Smith, standing nearby, remained silent, not wanting to expose Barkley's true colors.

The fact that Yao Ming was to be sent to Glorious was almost common knowledge; there are no secrets that stay hidden forever.

Barkley, who was very close to Gan Guoyang, already knew about this.

He's yelling and shouting on TV now, just for the sake of the show.

I'll have to drink with Ah Gan tonight to apologize, so I'm just saying it casually, don't take it personally.

Gan Guoyang really didn't mind. Barkley could say whatever he wanted on TV, as long as it didn't violate his principles.

Whenever a reporter asks Gan Guoyang, "How would you evaluate Barkley's assessment of you, Sonny?", he just smiles and says, "Let him say what he wants; he can say whatever he wants."

With Forrest Gump's protection, Barkley became even more unscrupulous. In reality, there was a script, and it was checked before the game, so there's no problem with saying that.

Yao Ming soon learned that he had been traded, and a weight was finally lifted from his heart.

He changed his hat from the Cavaliers' to the Glory's, put it on his head, and gave the interview to reporters.

"Congratulations Yao, you've become a member of the Las Vegas Glory team. You'll be playing alongside your idol. What's that like?"

The translator translated the question for Yao Ming, who said, "I'm very excited. Although I'm in the US, going to the Glory team makes me feel like I'm coming home." The host laughed and asked, "Did you initially think you would be going to the Glory team?"

Yao Ming replied, "Actually, my favorite team is the Trail Blazers, but unfortunately they have such a good record that they don't have the number one draft pick."

Yao Ming responded calmly and with a touch of humor, making the host and audience feel comfortable.

On the one hand, Yao Ming himself has high emotional intelligence and IQ. He understands American humor, can make fun of himself, and is quick-witted. He is not stupid at all.

On the other hand, Gan Guohui's agent team provided him with specialized media interview training, teaching him how to handle interviews, what to say, how to control his demeanor, and how to express himself correctly to achieve better results.

Yao Ming is very smart and learns quickly, so in front of the camera, after shedding his initial timidity, he performed with ease.

Soon, Yao Ming's interview ended, and the host said, "The NBA has gained another Chinese big man. My goodness, is the 21st century about to enter an era dominated by Chinese centers?"

With the second pick in the first round, the tanking Chicago Bulls selected Jay Williams from Duke University, and the second pick emerged.

The Bulls have been making a lot of moves in the past two years. Jerry Krause went to great lengths to prove that he could build a championship roster without Jordan, making various trades, tanking, and selecting talented players. In the end, after several years of this, all they managed was a mess.

This season, he traded away Ron Artest and Elton Brand, hoping to promote Tyson Chandler and Eddie Curry to the starting lineup.

He even dared to dream of forming an inside combination of "Kevin Garnett + Shaquille O'Neal," failing to learn any lessons from the success Jordan brought him.

Moreover, the twin-tower lineup was repeatedly destroyed by Agan, showing that Jerry Krause was too eager to prove himself and insisted on taking a path that was considered impossible.

Although Jay Williams won the 2001 NCAA championship with his college team and was named the NABC Player of the Year, in terms of on-court talent, he was not the kind of superstar who could change the landscape of the league; his ceiling was probably just an average star player.

Since there's really no one else to choose from, let's pick the most famous one, the NCAA champion guard.

The Warriors selected Mike Dunleavy Jr., son of Mike Dunleavy Sr., with the third pick, while the Phoenix Suns selected high school player Amar'e Stoudemire with the fifth pick.

Stoudemire wore a suit with an excessively long hem, making him look like a person inside a case. The fashion sense of Black people is becoming increasingly perplexing.

With the Glory's 18th pick, they selected Luis Scola, a player from Argentina.

However, Scola did not attend the draft; he is currently playing for another club and is probably still sleeping.

With Scola secured, the Glory Draft Office was essentially closed for the day, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

With the acquisition of Yao Ming and Andre Miller, and the departure of Brad Miller and Gilbert Arenas, the team's roster has undergone further changes.

Gan Guoyang asked Ainge if he had notified Brad Miller and Arenas, and Ainge said, "I have already texted them."

"You should give them a call."

"Isn't this just asking for trouble, especially Gilbert? He's working so hard. I bet he's crying at home right now."

"Fine, I'll play."

After much deliberation, Gan Guoyang decided to call his two former teammates.

Last season the team was very united, and their upset of the eighth seed in the playoffs was a miracle.

Now that Yao Ming has broken up the roster and sent away two outstanding players, one inside and one outside, Gan Guoyang feels that he still needs to say goodbye to them.

He first dialed Miller's number. Miller was very calm on the other end of the phone. He had been reluctant to come to Guanghui in the first place, but he was only willing to come after Old Tang came.

He doesn't mind being sent to Cleveland now; in fact, he'd be quite happy to be in Cleveland since it's closer to Indiana, making it easier to go home.

As someone who has played in the NBA for several years and moved twice, Miller has become accustomed to the fact that the NBA is a business.

"Tell Yao Ming that I'll crush him next time we meet and prove I'm the better one!" Miller said half-jokingly at the end, expressing some disappointment about the trade, but mostly optimism.

But Arenas was different. Gan Guoyang called him three times before he finally answered, and when he spoke, his voice sounded like he was about to cry.

Arenas has always been a strong-willed person. He suffered a setback in last year's draft. He played very well in his rookie season, but his role quickly declined after the team traded for Van Exel.

In the playoffs, Van Exel completely overshadowed rookie Arenas.

Arenas is looking to regroup for the new season and deliver a spectacular performance.

Instead, they received a trade notification and were sent to the terrible Cavaliers.

Gan Guoyang kept reassuring Arenas, telling him that the team had extended his contract with a longer one in advance in order to facilitate the trade, so he wouldn't have to worry about his contract next season.

Moreover, if you go to Cleveland, you can be the boss and make the Cavaliers your own team.

"At Glorious, this will always be my team. You know when I'll retire? You probably won't have much screen time next season. Cleveland is your sky, and I have a lot of faith in you, Gilbert. I expect you to become an All-Star, to become the king of Cleveland. You have that potential, otherwise why would I have picked you?"

Gan Guoyang's words of comfort greatly improved Arenas's mood.

Although Arenas was arrogant, unwilling to admit defeat, and disobedient, he respected Gan Guoyang.

In his rookie season, Gan Guoyang led the team to unite the new team, eliminating major conflicts and aligning everyone's interests.

His actions set a good example for Arenas, who vowed to become a leader like Forrest Gump in the future.

He will be bulking up his muscles like crazy this summer, aiming to make a name for himself next season.

After speaking with the two, Angie stepped forward and said, "You are so kind, Sonny."

Gan Guoyang said, "I'll call you the day I lay you off."

Angie smiled awkwardly. Of all the players on the team, Gan Guoyang was the one Angie feared the most, and only Gan Guoyang could keep him in check.

Gan Guoyang then went to see Yao Ming, who had already finished taking his official photos. The two shook hands; Chinese people are not used to hugging, and shaking hands is more common.

A large number of media outlets and reporters surrounded the two for interviews.

Gan Guoyang saw Zhang Weiping, who is now a reporter for CCTV and an NBA commentator.

He told Gan Guoyang, "If it weren't for your encouragement, I'd still be selling beer."

After dealing with the media reporters, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Yao Ming called home to report the situation, and his parents said they saw it on TV, which was broadcast live nationwide.

Just like when Wang Zhizhi participated in the draft last time, he received nationwide attention.

Gan Guoyang also spoke briefly with Yao Ming's parents, promising them that he would take good care of Yao Ming.

After hanging up the phone, Gan Guoyang said, "It's getting late. Come on, I'll take you somewhere to get used to Las Vegas!"

Yao Ming scratched his head and said, "Where are we going this late?"

"Atlantic City! Let me introduce you to some of my old friends."

The 2002 NBA Draft has concluded.

(End of this chapter)