Chapter 4: I'm waiting for you in Minnesota

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the 2009 NBA Draft at the Madison Square Theatre in New York, which kicked off today with the NBA2009-2010 season, which will be one of the best seasons in history!"

"Tonight, 60 of the world's most extraordinary young players will fulfill their dreams and become part of the NBA! This is the best reward for them. Their hard work and training are the main reasons for their achievements! ”

"They'll find that in the 2009-2010 season, they're going to shine in this league!"

"We will also be grateful for ESPN's coverage, the attention of NBA fans from all over the world! In the meantime, a big thank you to all the young guys who participated in the draft tonight, and thank you for joining us and being a part of the NBA! ”

"Next we're going to announce the 2009 NBA Draft!"

…………

David Stern, who was in the center of the draft, looked around the audience with a smile on his face, and after he said the opening remarks in a steady and powerful tone, the audience applauded thunderously, and everyone knew that the draft meeting had begun!

When the Los Angeles Clippers submitted their draft roster to Stern, Li Shihao's heart suddenly tightened, and his breath couldn't help but tighten, the NBA top pick, which is the dream of every basketball fan, looked at Griffin.

At least for now, he's ahead of us!

"The No. 1 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft was Blake Griffin from the University of Oklahoma, selected by the Los Angeles Clippers ......"

When Griffin's name was passed in the venue, the young people in the small green room all showed a look of frustration, the champion did not have suspense after all, and the Clippers still chose the inside monster!

Li Shihao hid the loss on his face, looked at Curry, and found that his eyes were full of determination.

He and Curry are the same kind of people, they don't give up on moving forward with everything in the outside world!

"The 2009 NBA Draft pick was Hashem Tabit from the University of Connecticut, selected by the Memphis Grizzlies......"

"The 2009 NBA Draft was James Harden from Arizona State University, selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder......"

…………

"The fifth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Riqui Rubio from the Spanish League, was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves......"

Hearing this, Li Shihao sighed in his heart, his face was a little unsightly, he looked at Duffy on the side, and saw that his expression was also faintly angry, only to hear him scold in a low voice:

"Hell, do they care so much about a point guard who is involved in the Spanish league?"

"Bruce, you have to be mentally prepared, if the Timberwolves still choose you, you may need to compete with Rubio for playing time in the future!"

Li Shihao looked solemn and nodded: "I will play a performance that they will regret this season, and I will never be a substitute for someone!" ”

"The sixth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Bruce Lee from Syracuse University, was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves......"

Li Shihao held back the anger in his heart, hugged Duffy and then put on a cap with the Timberwolves logo on the stage, and he smiled reluctantly under the spotlight.

Then, the draft was still uneventful, and the Golden State Warriors took Stephen Curry as planned, leaving the New Yorkers in vain.

Surprisingly, the Timberwolves chose Tylawson with the eighteenth pick, another young point guard player with a unique style, which makes people wonder what the Timberwolves are up to.

In the first round, three point guards were selected with three picks, and two picks were still top-10 picks, which made many people wonder if the Timberwolves' uniform group was infected with the Trail Blazers.

The news that came later made Li Shihao and his agent Duffy look at each other.

The Nuggets traded North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson from the Timberwolves for the signing of North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson at the cost of a future first-round pick.

The Timberwolves then reached a trade deal with the Grizzlies, with the Timberwolves sending Ricky Rubio a signing and some cash in exchange for Dak Milicic from Memphis plus a future second-round pick.

The two consecutive transactions have made countless media exclaim, and the purpose of the Timberwolves is about to come out, which is undoubtedly a huge sincerity!

The Timberwolves selected three point guards, but only Li Shihao was left, which is undoubtedly hoping that Li Shihao will be the core!

The forum on the other side of the ocean is in a state of explosion, completely stunned by these two transactions!

Li Shihao smiled wryly and said to Duffy: "Bill, it seems that I have to play amazing data, otherwise I won't be able to make the bet made by the Timberwolves!" ”

Duffy nodded, his expression serious, his brows furrowed and he thought carefully about his next move!

The Timberwolves got Daco Milicic through these two trades, the 03-year-old roster has good interior talent, but lacks the team's training, if it can be developed, it will be a good addition to the Timberwolves' interior line!

The Nuggets haven't had a first-round pick for four years in a row, and this time they sent away a future draft pick from Charlotte Bobcats in order to get Tylawson.

The Nuggets favored Lawson early on. They desperately need a bench replacement Chauncey Billups, the Nuggets' backcourt brain will be 33 years old next year, and the high-intensity games will make his playing time drastically reduced, and the Nuggets need a new generation of defenders on the line.

After these two transactions, Li Shihao will become the focus of media public opinion during this period of time, and how to make good use of this to operate is a big problem left to Duffy and his team!

A week after the draft, that is, on July 5, Li Shihao, accompanied by Duffy, officially signed the first professional contract with the Timberwolves, a 2+1 10.5 million guaranteed contract, with the third year as a team option.

As soon as the contract was signed, Li Shihao moved his family to Minnesota, and in the future, unless he was traded, he would play in the ice and snow for at least three years.

Minnesota, as the team city of the Timberwolves, although the ranking of cities in the United States is not high, there are still several Fortune 500 companies settled here, and the economic level is not bad, otherwise KG would not have won a contract of more than 100 million yuan at that time, causing a sensation!

The ball market here has been in a state of semi-red since KG left Boston, and the team has not been able to play a brilliant record, so fans naturally do not buy tickets!

Duffy's advice to Lee before leaving was to hope that he could quickly develop his own style within three years and lead the team back to the playoffs!

It is not easy to enter the playoffs in the powerful West, and Duffy also had expectations for Li Shihao when he set this goal.

As long as Li Shihao leads the Timberwolves to return to the playoff queue and revive the glory of the Timberwolves in the Wolf King era, then with the vast Chinese group behind Li Shihao, Li Shihao will undoubtedly receive the attention of the league.

Little Emperor James is now able to call for wind and rain in the east, a large part of which is because of the alliance's support, maybe Li Shihao can also get this opportunity.

Only by waiting for the start of that long season will everything be clear.

Li Shihao has been insisting on high-intensity training in Minnesota, and he always remembers the promise he made to Curry before leaving:

"I'm waiting for you in Minnesota in the snow and ice!"