The longest river

Chapter 45 1995 NBA Draft
On the afternoon of June 28, the 1995 NBA Draft kicked off at the Toronto Dome.

The event attracted a large number of Canadian fans and fans from the United States, including some Asian faces.

Although Yang Shuai has faced much criticism since signing a record-breaking endorsement deal with Reebok, current feedback suggests he has a high probability of being selected in the first round, which naturally raises high expectations among Asian fans.

Yang Shuai was sitting in the stands near the aisle.

Apart from the popular rookies selected for the Green Room, the other rookies who came to the event waited in the stands.

Of course, Yang Shuai wasn't alone. Besides Lin Xiulan and the others, Fisher and Ray Johnson were sitting around him, along with Reebok staff.

From the stands, you can see the entire Green House from above.

Then, Ferrescher, who was standing to the side, introduced the people to him one by one.

The person closest to the main stage, who can get up and walk up the steps, is this year's top draft pick, Joe Smith.

Smith is a monster in the college frontcourt. In his freshman year, he averaged 19.4 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, and last year he improved his numbers to 20.8 points and 10.6 rebounds.

He won almost every major college-level award and the Naismith Player of the Year award.

Among those standing next to him were Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, and of course, Garnett.

These are all considered top-five favorites among the rookies.

As Ferrescher continued his presentation, his phone vibrated.

After checking his phone, Ferreira turned to the side and whispered a message to Yang Shuai.

He received a message from someone he knew within the Pacers organization, confirming that they would select Yang Shuai with the 23rd pick.

The Pacers?
Yang Shuai seemed to be deep in thought.

This is earlier than ESPN predicted, but it's not actually a particularly good place to go.

The Pacers narrowly lost to the Magic in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last season; they are a championship contender.

While joining a strong team might offer more exposure, playing time becomes a major issue.

Moreover, social media was not as developed in this era, and there was a big difference between large and small cities. Indianapolis, where the Pacers are located, is a small city, and Reebok probably wouldn't want him to go there.

Just then, a chorus of boos erupted from the crowd.

Yang Shuai stopped talking to Fraser and looked up curiously, then saw a Jewish man with half-gray hair wearing gold-rimmed glasses walk out from behind the stage.

That is David Stern, the current head of the NBA and the league commissioner.

At this time, Stern was just over 50 years old and looked very energetic.

After the boos subsided, Stern read an opening statement.

Yang Shuai had also watched the draft, but by then the league commissioner was already Adam Silva, so he listened attentively when Stern read the draft.

"The first pick belongs to the Golden State Warriors, and they have five minutes to consider it."

The Warriors finished fifth-worst in the league last season, but they were fortunate enough to get their third number one draft pick in franchise history.

Five minutes is agonizing for everyone, but for the draft teams in each draft house, it is the busiest time.

On the second floor of the stadium, each team has a small office that serves as their "temporary war room".

At that moment, the phone in the Warriors' office kept ringing.

In the 1992 NBA Draft, Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, and Jerry Laettner were considered future Hall of Famers. In 1993, Chris Webber and Anfernee Hardaway were considered rising stars. 1994 was even more brimming with talent, including "Big Dog" Robinson, Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Juwan Howard, and many more.

However, perhaps due to the excessive depletion of talent in recent years, the 1995 NBA draft was considered a weak draft year.

Therefore, even the top pick has a high probability of being traded.

Five minutes later, Stern returned to the stage.

"The Golden State Warriors selected Joe Smith, a 2.08-meter power forward from the University of Maryland, with the first overall pick in the first round of the 1995 NBA draft."

No deal was made, and Smith went to Oakland.

However, the deal came about when the second pick was made.

The Clippers, holding the second overall pick, packaged the second overall pick and Randy Woods, and traded Rodney Rogers and the 15th overall pick to the Denver Nuggets.

The Nuggets then selected Antonio McDyess, a sophomore from the University of Alabama, with the second overall pick.

McDyess is only 2.06 meters tall, but his wingspan is an astonishing 2.28 meters, making him a true wingspan monster.

The 76ers, with the third pick, chose to retain the draft pick and used it to select Jerry Stackhouse, a shooting guard from the University of North Carolina who was highly touted before the draft and is also 1.98 meters tall.

Stackhouse is considered the best perimeter player in this year's draft. He averaged 19.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game in his sophomore season and was named the best player in the country by the media.

The Washington Bullets, with the fourth pick, selected Stackhouse's North Carolina frontcourt partner, Rasheed Wallace, who averaged 16.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in his sophomore season.

In fact, the selection of the top four candidates shows that, compared to the past when candidates would complete a college degree or at least three years of study before running for office, most top college students now run for office after completing only two years of study.

Vaccaro was very forward-thinking; entering the draft early has become a trend in the draft.

When the Timberwolves were selected fifth overall, Yang Shuai set his sights on Garnett.

During a previous conversation, Garnett mentioned that the media predicted he would be the fifth overall pick.

Garnett had his head down, his hands supporting his head, and his legs were shaking rapidly.

This is a subconscious bodily reaction when a person is under extreme stress.

"The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Kevin Garnett, a 2.11-meter power forward from Farragut High School, with the fifth pick in the first round of the 1995 NBA Draft."

When Garnett heard his name called, he jerked his head up, and his face instantly lit up with excitement and joy. He almost cried as he stood up to hug his mother.

The last time a high school player was drafted was in 1975. After a 20-year gap, a high school player has finally entered the NBA again.

What's interesting is that Daryl Dawkins, a high school player at the time, was also selected with the 5th overall pick and was also a 2.11-meter power forward.

Garnett turned and went up to Yang Shuai, glancing in his direction. Yang Shuai gave him a thumbs-up and made a goodnight gesture.

Garnett understood that Yang Shuai meant he could finally sleep peacefully, and he also cheered Yang Shuai on.

Seeing Garnett already on stage, beaming with a bright smile as he posed for a photo with Stern, Yang Shuai inexplicably began to feel a little nervous.

It was at this moment that Ferrescher received another message.

The Suns have learned of the Pacers' decision through their channels, and they will most likely use their 21st pick to acquire Yang Shuai.

……

The Miami Heat's draft cabin.

The draft has now progressed to the 9th pick, and they must make a selection for the 10th pick as soon as possible.

The phone kept ringing in the office, and the noise, accompanied by the conversation of the team's general manager Randy Finder, made Riley frown.

The Heat desperately need an inside player, but their draft position this year is late, and they haven't found a suitable target yet.

The team originally planned to select Bryant Rivers, a player from the "big countryside," but he was picked by the Grizzlies early on with the 6th pick.

Most of the remaining interior players are utility players, and selecting them wouldn't bring much help to the team.

So now he either has to pick the best player out of the short guys, or he has to turn his attention to extroverted players.

Just as he was thinking this, Yang Shuai's image flashed through his mind subconsciously.

He vividly remembers the high school student who directly challenged him during the trial.

However, he quickly dismissed this idea himself.

Garnett was able to be a high draft pick because he was an inside player. If you let him use the 10th pick to select an outside player, especially an Asian player, he would be ridiculed by his peers.

Moreover, Yang Shuai also revealed many problems during the tryout that day. The Heat will definitely need to spend time developing him, and whether they can develop him successfully is also a question.

There have never been any high school perimeter players who have made it this far, and Asian players are generally more physically fragile, so injuries are very likely.

If any one of these scenarios leads to Yang Shuai failing to perform, his reputation as a "master strategist" will be ruined.

Fender's voice brought Riley back to reality.

With the draft now at the tenth pick, the Heat must make their decision immediately.

"What's Cleveland's draft pick this year?" he asked Finder.

"17."

"Do we have any chips to trade for another lottery spot near the lottery zone?"

"It should be possible, but we might have to offer Khalid Reeves or next year's draft pick."

李维斯是热火队去年12顺位选中的1米91的双能卫，新秀赛季表现不俗，场均贡献9.2分2.8板4.4助攻。

Just then, there was a knock on the office door; it was a league staff member coming to inquire about the results.

"Kurt Thomas."

Riley gave the Heat's tenth overall pick.

……

"In the first round of the 1995 NBA draft, the Dallas Mavericks selected Cherokee Parks, a 2.11-meter power forward from Duke University."

The draft was in progress, and despite knowing that it was unlikely that Yang Shuai would be selected at this position, his breathing still quickened involuntarily.

His body also became somewhat hot, and he had to take off his coat first.

Perhaps at this moment he finally understood what Garnett felt while waiting.

"You have an 80% chance of being selected by the Cavaliers with the 17th pick." Fraser kept updating Yang with the inside information he could get.

It's clear that his ranking is steadily moving up.

Yang Shuai breathed a sigh of relief; that was the best possible outcome.

Just then, a staff member came to Yang Shuai's side and reminded him to put on his suit.

Yang Shuai then turned to look at Frisch, his eyes full of doubt.

There are still 4 picks to go before the 17th pick, do we need to prepare so early?
However, he still put on the suit as the staff told him to.

But after he finished dressing, he noticed that there were many cameras in the passageway, all pointed in his direction.

This was the 13th time Stern had come out from behind the stage.

His initial excitement had clearly faded, and all this going in and out was tiring work.

However, he quickly composed himself, smiled, and picked up the envelope containing the results of the 13th pick.

"The Sacramento Kings selected...Shuai Young, a 6'6" shooting guard from Cleveland High School, with the 13th pick in the first round of the 1995 NBA draft."

(End of this chapter)