The longest river

Chapter 225 2001 NBA Draft
The Trail Blazers celebrated their championship at Philadelphia's biggest nightclub.

This time, Yang Shuai didn't drink too much. When he came out for some fresh air, Vaccaro talked to him about a piece of news he had recently heard.

Nike plans to move its headquarters from Portland to Long Beach, Los Angeles.

Nike's official explanation is that they are focusing on the Los Angeles market, but everyone knows that they can't stay in Portland any longer.

The best-selling sneakers in Portland right now are Reebok's HY series, while Nike sneakers are almost unsellable locally, and even in Oregon.

This base raid was absolutely perfect.

“Sunny, we can put the brand independence on the agenda.”

After listening to Vaccaro's story, Yang Shuai also mentioned something he had planned long ago.

After Reebok grew stronger, internal factions arose. The remarks made by Reebok executives at the finals were just the tip of the iceberg. It's time for their brand to break away from the parent company, just like Air Jordan did back then.

Yang Shuai had already discussed this issue with Vaccaro. After separating, Vaccaro would become the head of the company, and he would only need to receive a share of the profits like Jordan.

Previously, they lacked an opportunity; now that the dynasty is complete, they have it.

The next day, upon returning to Portland, the Trail Blazers were once again greeted by a frenzy of fans at the airport.

This time, the road from the airport to the Rose Garden Arena, stretching for several kilometers, was lined with fans.

Anyone who didn't know better would think the champion's parade had already begun.

However, this also shows the impact of the Trail Blazers completing a dynasty.

Because the impact was so exaggerated, Yang Shuai, who had originally planned to go for a walk before the championship parade, ultimately chose to stay at home and become a shut-in.

However, compared to when he first transmigrated, he won't be bored staying at home now, because with the development of electronic technology, computer games have gradually become popular.

With the release of Devil May Cry and Red Alert 2, Yang Shuai even obtained an internal beta test account for the Legend of Mir.

He had a lot of fun.

Sure enough, even after traveling through so many years, he still found more happiness in technological advancements than indulging in pleasure.

A few days later, the Trail Blazers held a massive championship parade in Portland.

This time, the Roses were once again the lead car, but unlike the first time they won the championship, this time the parade was unprecedented in scale.

Allen pulled all the Trail Blazers staff into the car, and the long, snaking convoy set a new Guinness World Record.

The massive procession plunged the city of Portland into an unprecedented frenzy of celebration.

When the team returned to the Rose Garden Arena, the crowd had grown to the point of being enormous.

This time, Allen himself gave the speech.

His face was flushed, and he was clearly very excited.

For a billionaire like him, the threshold for happiness is very high, and the Trail Blazers' dynasty this time made him extremely happy.

During his speech, he promised to erect an unprecedentedly huge statue of Yang Shuai outside the Rose Garden Arena in the summer.

This promise instantly sparked jubilation among the fans at the stadium.

If the previous statement about the cultural influence of the dynasty on the Trail Blazers was rather vague, then erecting a statue is equivalent to sculpting it.

This approach is tantamount to turning Yang Shuai into a totem of Portland.

After the championship parade, Yang Shuai and Paul headed to New York.

This year's NBA draft will return to New York, and Yang Shuai wants to be there to witness Yao Ming being selected.

Thanks to Paul's efforts, Yao Ming is now a top draft pick and is already very busy even before entering the NBA.

Despite their busy schedules, after Yang Shuai arrived in New York, the two still managed to have a meal together at the World Trade Center, also known as the Twin Towers.

Yang Shuai's biggest concern is naturally Yao Ming's current draft situation.

"I have received a draft commitment from the Clippers."

This means that Yao Ming has already secured a top-three pick.

As for the top two, they are mainly Kwame Brown and Tyson Chandler.

These two have two major advantages over Yao Ming.

One reason is that they are American-trained centers, and NBA teams in this era have more trust in domestic players than in overseas players.

As for the claim that Yao Ming completely dominated Chandler, that wasn't a big deal in the eyes of the management, since Chandler was only 15 years old back then.

Chandler has just led his team to a three-peat in high school, averaging 26 points, 15 rebounds and 8 blocks per game last season, and has grown into a beast in the paint.

Secondly, they are all high school students.

With the success of high school players like Yang Shuai, Garnett, Kobe, McGrady, and O'Neal, high school students have become the most sought-after talents in this era.

The emergence of two top-tier high school centers will naturally attract a lot of attention from various teams.

It could even be said that the Clippers made a draft promise to Yao Ming largely because they knew they didn't have much of a chance of selecting those two players.

"It would be great to be able to go to Los Angeles."

To be honest, the Chinese market and the sports market in Los Angeles are even larger than those in the Bay Area.

And leading the Clippers to rise to prominence sounds pretty good too.

It's even more interesting when he thinks back to what Vaccaro said about Nike moving to Los Angeles; he wonders if Yao Ming will steal their home ground a second time.

After dinner, Yang Shuai and Yao Ming went to an electronics mall together, and Yang Shuai bought Yao Ming a set of the latest computer equipment.

This was mainly a return gift from Yao Ming when he gave him a bottle of his treasured Moutai liquor. Of course, it was also because of their previous experience that he knew Yao Ming liked playing video games.

Incidentally, Yang Shuai also shared some of his recent gaming experiences, which instantly gave the two another topic to bring them closer.

The following evening, the 2001 NBA Draft took place at Madison Square Garden.

Last year's draft was of poor quality, and since it was held in Minnesota, there weren't many fans in attendance.

However, the quality of this year's draft has improved significantly, and coupled with the fact that it was held in New York, the number of fans in attendance was enormous.

Moreover, because of Yao Ming, a considerable number of Chinese fans also came to the scene.

Wang Zhizhi didn't come to the draft before, but Yao Ming came this time and might become the number one pick. No one with this opportunity would want to miss it.

Half an hour before the draft began, Yang Shuai's appearance brought the atmosphere of the draft to a climax.

It's not just because of Yang Shuai's current status in the league, but also because, although many years have passed, the scene of Yang Shuai walking down from the stands to become a lottery pick is still a classic scene of the draft that fans talk about with great relish.

After a period of excitement and taking photos, Yang Shuai finally had time to turn his attention to the little green house.

The tables closest to the draft stage were set up in a row by Brown, Chandler, and Yao Ming.

In addition, there were many familiar faces to Yang Shuai.

For example, the table inside Yao Ming's seat is occupied by Pau Gasol.

Yang Shuai naturally knew who his deskmate called "the best of the best in three aspects," who led Kobe to a championship, and who was the true Finals MVP.

Then there's Shane Battier, who's even more of a heavyweight, as he was teammates with both Yao Ming and LeBron James.

Next up is Richard Jefferson, the "traitor" mentioned by his deskmate, who led James to a championship but ultimately chose to betray him.

There's also Jason Collins, the elder of the Collins brothers, who faced off against Yang Shuai back then.

Paul was sitting next to Yang Shuai at that moment, and as her agent, he would receive inside information earlier than others.

With the draft about to begin, Stern has stepped out from behind the scenes and into the spotlight.

He looked particularly smug because Yao Ming would be joining the NBA that year, and his overseas plans would take another leap forward.

The first pick belongs to the Warriors.

There had been rumors that the Clippers wanted to trade their number one draft pick, but the trade ultimately did not happen.

"No news yet?"

Stern returned to behind the scenes after announcing the news, but there has been no news from Paul's side.

"The Warriors have done a great job keeping things under wraps."

Not only Paul, but no one in the agent circle has any news.

So there is no other way but to wait.

This was the most agonizing wait Yang Shuai had ever experienced, aside from his own experience in the talent show.

“I think the chances are pretty good, after all, Yao had the upper hand against Tyson and Kwame during his tryouts in Oakland.”

Seeing that Yang Shuai was a little anxious, Paul added.

In the commentary booth, Barkley, Kenny Smith, and others were also discussing the number one draft pick at the end.

"Yao is the biggest risk, whether it's Kwame Brown or Tyson Chandler. The level of the CBA league he plays in is too low, and we don't know if he can adapt to the physicality of the NBA." "I think the Warriors will consider Yao from a market perspective. They have a great Chinese market, which will help them make a lot of money."

“I heard that Michael really likes Kwame and sees him as the next Kevin Garnett.”

After a long five minutes, Stern returned to the stage to announce the Warriors' selection.

"The Golden State Warriors selected Kwame Brown, a 2.11-meter center from Green High School, with the first overall pick in the first round of the 2001 NBA draft."

When the results were announced, cheers and commotion erupted from the audience.

The cheering fans were from the Warriors; compared to an overseas player with a lot of uncertainty, Brown was clearly a safer choice.

The commotion came from the Chinese people in the audience, who were disappointed that Yao Ming had not been selected as the number one pick in the draft.

When Yang Shuai heard the result, he was stunned for a moment, but then he smiled with relief.

Jordan still loves Kwame Brown as much as ever.

It was only at this point that Paul began to receive some messages.

The Clippers had already agreed to a trade with the Warriors, offering their third overall pick plus an unprotected first-round pick next year in exchange for the Warriors' number one overall pick.

The Clippers are not a playoff team these days, and their first-round pick will most likely be a lottery pick, which is a very valuable asset.

However, Jordan ultimately rejected the proposal because he felt that if the trade were made, the Warriors wouldn't be able to draft Brown with their third pick, and Tyson Chandler was a more defensive player who couldn't be the core of a rebuild.

In other words, Yao Ming will most likely go to Los Angeles.

The Wizards have the second pick, and they still have five minutes to consider.

This time, Paul received the message before Stern even came out.

"DC?"

Yang Shuai was quite surprised when he heard Paul say that the Wizards were going to draft Yao Ming, as there had been no prior indication of this.

"They did an excellent job of keeping things confidential beforehand."

Well, everyone in this talent show has a security card.

However, the Wizards do have good reason to draft Yao Ming, because they need a rebuilding core, not a defensive core.

Even if you can't be the top scorer, being the second-best is still pretty good.

Moreover, the saying "one of the top two picks is bound to be a flop" perfectly aligns with the basic laws of talent shows.

"In the first round, second overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft, the Washington Wizards selected Yao Ming, a 2.26-meter center from China."

Stern was beaming when he announced the result.

Compared to a second-round pick like Wang Zhizhi, Yao Ming was selected second overall, and the attention he received and the potential future he could have had were completely different.

The Chinese market was opened up by Yang Shuai, and it will be completely opened up by Yao Ming.

The camera focused on Yao Ming, whose face showed a hint of unhappiness.

However, he quickly adjusted his mindset, smiled as he stood up and hugged his family and girlfriend, then took the Wizards' hat and turned to go on stage.

The moment Yao Ming stepped onto the stage, the Chinese fans in the audience erupted in cheers.

Yang Shuai also reached out to applaud Yao Ming.

Now the NBA has three Chinese players, making next season exciting.

The draft is still ongoing, and the Clippers, with the third pick, did not select Gasol but instead selected Chandler.

This is somewhat surprising, because compared to Chandler, Gasol is clearly more like the core of the team.

It can only be said that NBA teams in this era have a deep distrust of overseas players.

Yao Ming's ability to become the second overall pick was largely due to the series of tryouts that Paul arranged for him.

However, subsequent news reports explained the Clippers' motivation for doing so.

Because the Clippers then made a trade with the Bulls, sending Chandler to the Bulls in exchange for Elton Brand.

The Bulls' move is somewhat baffling, considering that Brand consistently contributed 20+10 stats for two years with the Bulls, and last season he even developed playmaking skills, averaging 3.2 assists per game.

Moreover, the Bulls already had a fifth pick, and then they selected another center, Eddie Curry.

This is no longer just incomprehensible, it's rather abstract.

Then think about Ron Artest, who shone brightly after being sent to the Pacers.

It must be said that while Krause curbed Jordan's desire to manage the team during his time with the Bulls, he was nothing without Jordan.

From this perspective, perhaps the Clippers' promise to draft Yao Ming was merely an attempt to use him as a trade asset.

If he ends up going to Chicago, playing under Krause might not necessarily be a good thing.

Yao Ming had already finished his official interview, and before he went to give his domestic interview, Yang Shuai came down to the court and chatted with him for a while.

He saw the expression on Yao Ming's face when he was selected.

"The Wizards must value you a lot; the market isn't that important."

Yang Shuai offered words of comfort.

However, Yao Ming's answer was somewhat unexpected.

"It's not because of the market demand; I just feel I should be the number one draft pick."

Yang Shuai paused for a moment upon hearing this, then smiled and patted Yao Ming on the shoulder.

It seems Yao Ming kept something from him yesterday; this guy has an exceptionally high level of ambition.

Yao Ming went to be interviewed by Zhang Weiping and others, and Yang Shuai returned to the audience.

Paul then told him some news: the Hawks traded their power forward pick, Pau Gasol, to the Grizzlies, who will be relocating from Vancouver to Memphis for the new season.

Yang Shuai remained seated until the end of the first round of the draft.

This year's draft was affected by the Timberwolves being penalized with a draft pick, so there were only 28 first-round picks available, and the Trail Blazers got the 27th pick.

He gave Whitchter a list of candidates, including Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas, Mehmet O'Kur, and others.

Ultimately, Whitchter used this draw to select Oku.

After completing his dynasty last season, Sabonis' career has reached its zenith. He has chosen to let go of his knees and return to Lithuania to enjoy his retirement.

For the Trail Blazers, retirement and buyout are both losses out of thin air. If they want to strengthen their roster, they can only rely on the draft and signing minimum-salary players.

Okur is a center with outside shooting ability, which fits the Trail Blazers' requirements.

Yang Shuai also felt that there was no major problem with this choice.

Parker and Arenas are certainly good, but the Trail Blazers don't have the potential to develop them.

Keep in mind that Reed, a second-year player, is eagerly awaiting development for the new season.

Parker was ultimately selected 26th overall by the Spurs, while Arenas went to the Warriors 32nd overall.

You know what, if the Warriors really draft Yao Ming, then they don't even need to wait for Curry; the combination of Arenas and Yao Ming is already enough to make Yang Shuai's imagination run wild.

As time goes by, Yang Shuai's familiarity with the rookies continues to increase, and he can't help but feel a desire to take control of the team.

Perhaps after he retires, he'll try his hand at being a trader.

Besides the first round, the Trail Blazers also made a move in the second round, spending money to advance their draft position and then selecting Jaren Collins, the younger of the Collins brothers, with the 50th pick.

These two brothers had fought each other before, and Yang Shuai acknowledged their strength.

Although the younger brother's talent is not as good as the older brother's, he is a standard tank-type center, and with four years of college experience, he is perfect for taking on O'Neal.

After the training conference, Yang Shuai returned to Portland, while Yao Ming had to return to China in a couple of days.

Although there is no World Championship this year, there is the Asian Championship. Participation in national team competitions is one of the conditions set by the Basketball Management Center for allowing Yao Ming to participate in the NBA draft, which is also Yao Ming's own request.

Just like when he was only 17 years old and was chatting with Yang Shuai, he said that joining the national team and playing for the national team was what he wanted to do.

Before Yang Shuai returned to Portland, Rondo had already begun working on Yang Shuai's new documentary.

This documentary focuses on the Trail Blazers' three-peat, and there's no need to come up with a new title, because the perfect name was already on the shortlist for the previous documentary: "Throne of Thorns".

The filming of the documentary will require the participation of Yang Shuai and the Trail Blazers players.

However, while Yang Shuai was busy, the league had become unpredictable due to the upcoming free agency period.

The Lakers were the ones who started this phenomenon.

After losing to the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals last season, rumors of the OK being broken up have been rampant.

Now, with the free market approaching, it's no longer just a rumor, but something that's about to happen.

(End of this chapter)