The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 28 I bet he'll be in the top five
There was another match in the afternoon, so around noon, everyone went back to the hotel to rest.

In a luxury suite at the Hamptons Hotel, Orlando Magic's Director of Personnel John Gabriel was discussing draft-related matters with General Manager Pat Williams.

Gabriel is not only the director of player personnel, but also holds several other positions, including director of scouting, chief scout, and assistant coach.

He wields considerable influence and power within the Magic, holds significant advisory authority in draft matters, and enjoys a high status within the team.

Thinking about the draft lottery ceremony the night after tomorrow, he said, "Hopefully we'll have good luck the night after tomorrow."

The Magic have only 21 wins this season, ranking last in the Eastern Conference and second-to-last in the entire league. Their chances of getting the first overall pick are second only to the Timberwolves.

Williams nodded, looking expectant, and then asked, "John, it's time to reassess our draft range."

“What do you mean?” Gabriel asked.

Williams said, "Tang has a talent level on par with O'Neal. No one can ignore his talent, not even me."

Seeing Gabriel nod, he continued, "Tang is similar to Shawn Kemp; neither of them has NCAA experience, nor even high school league experience. Their game experience, basic skills, and basketball techniques are not even comparable to Rain Man's."

“This is one of Tang’s biggest weaknesses; his fundamentals are indeed far inferior to those of Rain Man during the draft,” Gabriel said.

Williams continued, "But he's not Shawn Kemp, because Kemp was a power forward, he's a much rarer center, a center with the same talent as Shaq. Shawn Kemp isn't worth the gamble, but Don is worth the gamble."

At this point, he thought for a moment and said in a serious tone, "I don't think his draft prospects will be like Shawn Kemp's. He definitely won't fall outside the lottery, and I'd even conservatively estimate that he'll be in the top ten, or even the top five."

The Magic will draw draft picks the day after tomorrow. If they don't get a top-three pick, they will get the fourth or fifth pick based on their record.

If the Timberwolves also don't get a top-three pick, they'll get the fourth pick, and the Magic will get the fifth pick.

If the Timberwolves get the top three picks, the Magic will get the fourth pick.

Therefore, the preliminary draft order is O'Neal, Laettner, Mourning, Gugliotta, and Lafonso Ellis.

They're all big men, from center to power forward. The closer a big man is to the basket, the more valuable he is. Even if he's not needed, he's a hot commodity in trades.

But Williams has already said that, boldly speaking, Tang Bei will be in the top five, and he will readjust the Magic's draft range, which will definitely be the top five.

John Gabriel asked seriously, "Pat, are you really betting he can make the top five?"

Williams nodded and said, "A little over a month ago, I didn't think he was worth a first-round pick, but now I've changed my mind."

The reason is very simple: his fundamental skills and technique are improving, and improving rapidly, which means his potential has the opportunity to be realized.

After a few minutes of consideration, John Gabriel finally spoke up: "First of all, O'Neal must be number one, without a doubt."

Williams nodded and said, "Even though Tang's talent is on par with O'Neal's, O'Neal has NCAA experience and his center skills are fully developed, so he can be used right away. Tang's future is still uncertain."

Choosing him from the top five was a big gamble. It wasn't a gamble on his talent—his talent is obvious—but a gamble on whether his potential could be realized, on whether he could master the fundamentals and techniques.

Gabriel said, "If Tang can't develop his skills, he can only rely on his talent to play. His future development will definitely not be as good as O'Neal's, or even Shawn Kemp's. Once he suffers a serious injury or gets too old, he won't be able to continue."

“Leitner got elbowed by Tang today, so should we pick him or Tang? I think we should wait,” Williams said.

Gabriel said, "Leitner is a skilled big man with a mid-range shot and playmaking ability, but he lacks strength and physicality. I think his speed is also not as good as Tang's."

“John, do you want to put him behind Don?” Williams asked.

Gabriel thought for a moment, then said, "Let's do as you say, wait a bit longer, until he's faced off against Tang." Williams nodded and said, "Mourning is also good. He'll become a defensive anchor in the paint and must remain in our top five options."

“Of course,” Gabriel nodded.

This makes it clear that Tom Gugliotta, Lafonso Ellis, and Tang Bei will replace one of these two as one of their top five options.

Ultimately, Gabriel suggested choosing Gugliotta because Ellis's height was only 203 cm, which would be a disadvantage for a power forward.

The order of the top five is only confirmed for O'Neal, who is the undisputed number one; the other four are still undetermined.

Like the Magic, other teams were also making some changes at this time, and Tang Bei's performance made these teams raise his draft prospects.

The media also raised Tang Bei's predicted draft position, from the end of the first round to the lottery zone, or even higher.

Previously, Tang Bei had not even entered the view of many media outlets, and no mainstream media predicted his draft position.

It wasn't until he entered the rookie camp and the first day's physical test results came out that he officially entered the media spotlight and received excellent reviews.

Unfortunately, the technical test on the second day lowered his rating, and many media outlets generally predicted that he would be selected at the end of the first round.

But this situation has now changed.

Among them, ESPN's predictions were the most audacious, and were reported on in ESPN's midday sports news.

"According to our frontline reporter Soros, rookie Tang performed well at the Chicago Rookie Combine this morning."

He shattered the backboard with a powerful two-handed dunk, collapsing the basket frame, and knocked down top draft pick Shaquille O'Neal three times during the contest, demonstrating his formidable physical strength.

This will significantly improve his draft prospects. Our conservative prediction is that Tang will have a very good chance of being drafted in the top ten of the first round, or even higher.

"Top ten in the first round?"

On the streets of Los Angeles' Chinatown, Zhang Heli, who was promoting Tsingtao beer at a Chinese supermarket, happened to see ESPN's midday news program, which surprised him greatly.

He has gathered some information. Tang Bei is indeed from China, but specific details are unavailable, as there is very little publicly available information about him in the United States.

Last night, I called some acquaintances in the basketball world in China, and none of them knew of Tang Bei, such a talented young man.

Now that the relevant domestic departments know about Tang Bei, it's unclear how they will react.

By this time, Lin Xiaoyan, who had returned to her post, had finished writing the manuscript and quickly passed Huang Yuhua's review before sending it back to the head office.

Holding the newly developed photos, Huang Yuhua exclaimed, "Tang Bei is really something else; he even knocked down the basketball hoop."

Lin Xiaoyan said with a smile, "He has been practicing martial arts since he was a child. He eats a lot, but he can't make money from martial arts. He was looked down upon by his neighbors in his hometown. Now he can finally make something of himself."

Huang Yuhua nodded and said, "He's still young. Even if he doesn't come to America, he can become a coach at a martial arts school in the future."

He then said, "The head office has notified us that your previous article about Tang Bei will be broadcast on CCTV's sports news program tomorrow at 21:55 Beijing time."

"That's great! I think Tang Bei will definitely succeed; he's really talented."

(End of this chapter)