Champion, please stay!

Chapter 78, Section 76: The course of history has already changed, let's get hyped! NBA!

Yi Shui's voice was transmitted to everyone's ears through the speakers, igniting cheers from the fans.

He also heard shouting coming from a table near the secondary stage...

There were probably tables further away as well, but it's a pity the elementary school students weren't there.

However, it seems there's a live broadcast in the waiting room, so there's nothing to regret.

Yi Shui returned to his table and sat down, sipping wine with his teachers and friends while watching the talent show.

The next order of play is irrelevant to me, so that's easy... well, not entirely irrelevant.

During the first 20 days or so of training this month, the new head coach Mike D'Antoni and president Walsh both talked to him about who to draft in the second round.

He said he wanted to draft DeAndre Jordan, but the two guys' reactions, though they didn't say anything, seemed to say it all in their eyes.

It seems they think his talent for playing basketball and his good looks are all things he earned through intelligence.

However, he was also curious whether DeAndre Jordan would fall to the second round. In the scrimmages during the Combine, Jordan's overall performance was better than Brook Lopez's, who needed to handle the ball.

He can pair well with most point guards, can score wherever he's told, never backs down, and has extremely high efficiency in receiving passes and finishing plays.

I heard he was the NCAA shooting percentage king in the 07-08 season.

Soon, it was time for the second in line, and Stern called out Beasley's name.

In his 'past life', Yi Shui was curious why Beasley was chosen from among so many excellent players in the 08 draft class.

But after going through the entire draft process and seeing so much news analysis, he learned that the Heat could only afford the 3 or 5 position, and could only want players who could contribute immediately.

Of all the people in the little green room, only Beasley met the requirements.

He was a good fit as the number one draft pick, but unfortunately the Heat didn't get the pick, so he didn't get the chance to experience the culture and customs of a state that doesn't tolerate idlers.

I heard Jordan really liked that place; the beach was full of Cuban girls.

After Beasley shook hands and gave a one-sentence interview, the host on the secondary stage announced that the Timberwolves and Grizzlies had completed the trade.

The Grizzlies traded their fifth overall pick, Mike Miller, Bryan Cardinal, and Jason Collins to the Timberwolves in exchange for their third overall pick, Marko Jalic, and Greg Buckner.

This trade was within Yi Shui's expectations... He remembered that the two teams exchanged draft picks, but he didn't know the details.

It certainly seems like a win-win situation. The Timberwolves didn't need such a high draft pick (3rd overall) and even upgraded Jaric to Mike Miller.

For the Grizzlies, this ensures they can draft the players they want.

Once Gay found his rhythm, Mike Miller became largely irrelevant.

Moreover, Mike Miller is a disaster at shooting guard; whoever he guards goes on a rampage. In order to maintain his value, he has to be given a lot of playing time and shot attempts.

But then, something unexpected happened.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Memphis Grizzlies selected... Derrick Rose from the Memphis Tigers!"

Yi Shui's eyes widened in surprise. "Rose? The Grizzlies didn't draft Mayo?"

Yad chimed in, "The Grizzlies will definitely use their No. 3 pick to select Rose! He's a hero in Memphis. I saw a news poll that showed his approval rating in Memphis was higher than Rudy's after March Madness."

Johnson Bird chimed in, "Brook, you didn't see that, did you? After the announcer announced the trade between the Grizzlies and the Timberwolves, Mayo collapsed... Oh my god! He cried! Haha!"

Yi Shui looked at Mayo, who was burying his head in his knees and convulsing, and noticed that the people at the other tables around him didn't seem surprised.

He then remembered that Stern had just said 'from Memphis,' no wonder!
He only remembered that Rose was from Chicago, and Chicago had to pick him. Now that he thinks about it, the Grizzlies had no choice but to pick Rose, and they had to create the conditions to do so.

I wonder if they'll draft Rose with the number one pick... but that question is now irrelevant and doesn't matter anymore. However, if the Grizzlies draft Rose, what will happen to Conley?
They might be used as bargaining chips to exchange for immediate combat power.

If Rose can team up with Noah, then he should also be able to team up with Gasol, who is similarly not very athletic but excels at playmaking and defense.

Yi Shui's lips curled up; things were gradually becoming interesting.

Then it was the fourth pick. Mayo looked up expectantly, but didn't hear his name called, so he continued to cry.

The SuperSonics selected Westbrook.

This time, Yi Shui's reaction was different from those around him, and he knew that it was probably the same as before.

But others believe that if Mayo falls out, the SuperSonics will definitely pick him, because that's OJ Mayo!

Even players who didn't like Mayo from the same draft class would grit their teeth and agree that Mayo was the strongest player besides Yi Shui when it came to skill.

At this point, a heated debate broke out in the Timberwolves' draft office, with some believing they should decisively pick up Mayo, while others thought they should stick to the team's tradition of developing their interior players.

With only one minute left on the countdown, owner Glen Taylor instructed McHale to make the decision.

McHale certainly wanted a center, and he was good at developing that, but the name he ultimately wrote down was OJ Mayo.

What if Mayo becomes the next Jordan?
Soon, the Timberwolves' decision was relayed to all fans in the arena and watching on television through Stern.

This was yet another instance where Yi Shui's reaction differed drastically from others, but he had calmed down by now.

From the moment he became the top draft pick—no, even earlier—the course of history had already changed.

He felt no fear or unease about this; on the contrary, he felt excited.

If things remain unchanged, how can he participate? How can he write his own basketball history?

Let's get this party started, NBA!

...

Originally, Yi Shui only watched the subsequent talent shows as a bit of fun.

But with the draft changing from the 3rd to the 5th pick, the future landscape of the NBA will inevitably change as a result, and he will focus his attention.

It's likely a pointless exercise, but the analysis still needs to be done.

The Clippers then selected Kevin Love with the 6th pick.

This fits the Clippers' style perfectly—they draft the most talented players from the remaining roster, have geniuses on the team, and it's good for selling tickets in Los Angeles.

The Bucks selected Joe Alexander with the 7th overall pick.

Yi Shui guessed that the Bucks were planning to trade Lian Mei away. In his memory, the team was working hard to achieve good results and definitely didn't value Lian Mei's role player-level talent.

But they couldn't bear to give up the Chinese market, so they chose a mismatched 'Chinese boy'.

With the 8th pick, the Bobcats selected DJ Augustin.

My friend next to me was shocked that the Bobcats didn't draft Eric Gordon.

Yi Shui had no impression of the player Augustin, but he had a deep impression of the round-faced Gordon, who was still a key player for an NBA team more than ten years later.

All I can say is that he truly lives up to his reputation as Boss Qiao.

The Nets' selection of Brook Lopez with the 9th pick and the Bulls' selection of Eric Gordon with the 10th pick were both standard choices.

Yi Shui was just about to reach the 11th pick and was looking forward to the next change when suddenly the secondary stage lit up, and then his eyes widened in disbelief!
The Pacers traded their 11th overall pick, along with contracts for Marquese Daniels and Jamal Tinsley, to the Knicks in exchange for Zach Randolph!
(End of this chapter)