Probe the wind.

This is a very technical operation, after the lottery and the period before the draft, the managers and coaches of NBA teams are quite busy.

All teams want to maximize their signings, and for teams with clear goals, they will try to seek trades from teams that have been drafted with high picks in order to prevent their favorite players from being drafted early.

There's a lot of the chips in the trade, from draft picks from the same year, to cash, to players, and even future draft picks.

After half a month of running, the Timberwolves, who hold the No. 4 pick, are full of confidence and are waiting for the draft at the end of June.

The 1997 draft is not a so-called draft year from the perspective of later generations, and it is different from the stars of 96.

This year, it was the real sun in the sky, and the stars were silent.

In the entire 96-97 season, a total of 9 teams were messed up for Duncan, except for Duncan, who was "not recognized as the No. 1 forward in history by Mr. Ma", the others were not superstars.

The Green Army and the Spurs left Coach Rick Pitino of the University of Kentucky and Popovich, who deliberately went from manager to coach in order to compete for Duncan, and the two almost got into a fight.

And this time, in addition to Duncan, the most famous is probably the second Bird.

As for Tracy McGrady, one of the future big four quarterbacks? It's all said, that's the future, and now, he's a high school player with a congenital disease, how much attention do you expect him to have?

His tryouts were quite explosive, but so what?

His draft market is better than that of Wu Dao, a yellow-skinned Asian high school student, so "a loss".

Last year, in September 1996, Wu Dao received an invitation to an open tryout for rookies in the NBA.

The open trial runs from the end of September until November.

The open audition is a great stage for the rookies participating in the draft to show their abilities.

It's open to all rookies, but not everyone actually participates in this open audition.

Because the program of public trials is fixed, for some players, the open trial will not only not allow their abilities to be fully revealed, but for some players with fatal shortcomings, the open trial may expose their own problems.

For players, of course, they are more willing to show their highlight moments on the pitch, no matter which of their strengths they rely on, it is more advantageous than participating in some training programs that they are not good at and exposing their problems.

At the same time, some players will be more or less in contact with those teams who like them before the draft, such as Duncan, many teams have already contacted him, and people like him may not necessarily participate in open trials.

First, because the fame is big enough, the talent and record are considerable enough, and the participation in the trial can get a better ranking, and the second is because of some private agreements, although the rookies have no independent choice at all, but the player's perception of the team is also very important.

Although the management of the Timberwolves does not want Takedo to participate in the open tryout at the end of September, for Takemi, how can he miss this opportunity to show his ability?

According to Wu Dao's own thoughts, he must participate in an open trial, and he needs to prove his ability and potential so that more teams can see it.

At the same time, Takedo also wants to get an unbiased scouting report.

His draft projection is 18th in the second round.

In terms of drafts, the top 30 can be understood as the first round, the so-called 18th in the second round, that is, the 48th pick.

The biggest difference between the first round and the second round is actually how much the team values you, and the rookie teams with low picks in the first round don't necessarily pay much attention, let alone the second round.

Philip Saunders secretly rushed to Oak Hill Academy after learning of Martial Arts' idea, first set up the team's coach Smith, and then, with Smith's help, lobbied Martial Arts together to persuade Martial Arts not to participate in public trials.

At the same time, the words are showing that the Timberwolves attach importance to martial arts, so that martial arts can participate in the draft with confidence, and their Timberwolves' draft signing will definitely be used on martial arts.

And for the sake of martial arts, no matter what sign they draw, they will trade upwards as much as possible.

At that time, the lottery had not yet begun, and the Timberwolves themselves did not know what they had drawn.

In order to strengthen his persuasive power, Philip Saunders promised to give Takeshi plenty of playing time, and also said that when the Timberwolves were introduced, they would rebuild the team around Garnett and Takemi.

After grinding for an afternoon, Philip Saunders saw that Martial Dao was still a little hesitant and did not make a clear statement, he knew that Martial Dao should be shaken.

After a few more days, Takedo finally agreed not to participate in the open trial.

Wu Dao's consideration is also very simple, although the Timberwolves are only verbal promises at present, they are indeed full of sincerity.

Wu Dao knows very well that if he insists on participating in the open trial, it is not clear whether he can get a fair evaluation, and the Timberwolves will definitely have a problem with themselves.

For martial arts, the gains outweigh the losses.

Of course, Wu Dao is also very clear, in case the Timberwolves shit luck draws the champion lottery, the other party will definitely choose Duncan without hesitation.

Not to mention what kind of chemistry Duncan and Garnett's interior combination can play, there is no substitute for Duncan's trade value alone.

But even so, Takedo still accepted the condition of not participating in the open trial.

It's very simple, because even if you go to other teams and get a good pick, you won't necessarily be guaranteed playing time.

The order is just a stepping stone, and the playing time is what martial arts really value.

Therefore, after the lottery ended at the end of May 1997, Takedo heard that the Timberwolves had drawn the fourth pick.

Wu Dao, who learned this result, was still relieved, but fortunately it was not the champion sign~~

If the first pick is made, the Timberwolves will really choose him in the first round.

If the Timberwolves break their promise, then the martial arts really have to continue studying

However, before the dust settled, Wu Dao still couldn't help but get nervous, and in the period before the draft began, he had been soaking in the arena, numbing himself with crazy training, trying to keep himself calm.

But during this period of training, martial arts was frequently striking, and there was no calmness in the past.

After living for so many years, on the eve of the draft, even Martial Arts couldn't help but get nervous.

June 25, 1997.

Wu Dao, who wears a sportswear all year round, rarely wore a formal suit today to attend the NBA Draft in Charlotte, North Carolina.

On this day, only his high school coach Steve Smith was present with Martial Arts. Relatives and friends, martial arts were not invited, although he knew in his heart that the timberwolves would choose him nine times out of ten, but he couldn't stand it!

How can this thing have a certain amount, Wu Dao doesn't want to be embarrassed in front of his family.

After a "short" opening statement, the draft officially began.

Without incident, to the cheers of the Spurs, young Duncan appeared on camera and in the spotlight.

The Spurs, who got the top pick, directly took Duncan into the bag.

And there is no surprise that the Philadelphia 76ers chose the "second Bird" of the University of Utah - Keith Van Horne.

Keith Van Horne, who was drafted, embraced his excited family, and it was not only the Philadelphia 76ers who chose him that chose him, but also the New Jersey Nets management in the audience.

The Nets have reached a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, and this "Bird No. 2" will play for their Nets!

The Celtics, who held the third overall pick, were not so happy, and Coach Rick Pitino of the University of Kentucky was quite wonderful at this time for Duncan to leave.

The current Green Army is already very stretched, and if the team gets Duncan and builds a team around Duncan, Rick Pitino is really confident that he will wave his magic wand in the NBA and help the Green Army up.

Even if you can't get Duncan, it's good to get that "Bird No. 2"!

Do you understand the gold content of "Bird Second" in this era! If they can build around Keith Van Horn, the Green Army may be able to rise as well.

But now that there is neither Duncan nor Keith Van Horne, Coach Rick Pitino simply doesn't want to stay with the Celtics anymore, he wants to go back to Kentucky, after all, the University of Kentucky just won the NCAA in '96 last year.

Compared to the unpromising Celtics, he felt that Kentucky was a better fit for him.

Yes, in Rick Pitino's view, the Green Army has no future, and if the team can't get a great rookie or a real superstar in the future, the team has no future.

In fact, Rick Pitino was with the Green Army from '97 to '01, and the Celtics didn't make the playoffs in those four years.

Although they were desperate, the Celtics' signing would not be wasted like this, and they chose Chauncey Billups with the third pick.

This is a star defender from the University of Colorado, who is 191cm tall and weighs 88kg, and is known as "Mr. Key".

The Celtics will choose this one, also with a "give it a try" attitude, because at the college level, Chauncey Billups is still quite good, he led the team to 22 wins in his sophomore year, breaking the school history record of the University of Colorado, and just last year was selected as the best 12 players in the NCAA.

The Celtics couldn't be mistaken in choosing him.

The dust settled on the top three, and the Timberwolves management, who got the fourth pick, breathed a sigh of relief, and then suddenly smiled.

Although they know that the draft market of martial arts is very stretched, the first two positions are undoubted, and the Boston Celtics in the third place are also relatively racial, but they can't stand it!

Thankfully, none of this was as they expected!

Unlike the relaxed management of the Timberwolves, Wu Dao was a little nervous at this time, and the rhythm of his breathing couldn't help but slow down and wait quietly.

And just as he was expecting to hear his name from the mouth of the man on the stage, an unfamiliar English name came to his ears.

Antonio Daniels!

The Timberwolves were the fourth pick, choosing Antonio Daniels, a 193cm guard, and Takemichi was a little stunned for a while when he heard the name for the first time.

"Betrayed?"

Wu Dao was a little stunned, and the director's camera also cut to Antonio Daniels at this moment, and the guard immediately smiled when he heard that his name was selected in the fourth pick.

And equally happy, there is also the Grizzly Bear, who was selected with the fifth pick.

When Wu Dao was still confused, he heard his name, got the Grizzlies with the fifth pick, and chose himself.

Martial Dao, who was originally a little dazed, immediately reacted when he heard that Grizzly Bear chose himself.

Co-authoring is not a betrayal, but the Timberwolves took the No. 4 pick to exchange some "cash" for themselves.

Yes, the Grizzlies and the Timberwolves reached a private agreement, and in the case of a first-round pick swap, they added another $150,000 just to be able to make their picks higher.

The Timberwolves also accepted the deal with a grin after receiving a call before the election, knowing that the Grizzlies were going to select Antonio Daniels.

At the same time, when the grizzly bear was choosing, he was told to choose the yellow race from Oak Mountain High School, martial arts.

When the name of "Wu" sounded, the vast majority of people in the venue were at a loss.

On the contrary, Maddie, who is also a high school player, silently looked at Martial Arts after hearing the name of Martial Arts.

The camera quickly swept to the martial arts, after all, the only yellow player, it is still easy to find.

After a short period of stunned, Wu Dao also got up, straightened his clothes, and walked towards the stage. Everyone in the audience looked at Martial Arts with curiosity, and at this time, someone finally found the Scouting Report of Martial Arts.

The scouting report of the martial arts is still very bluffing, and if it is put on a black player, there is no problem in getting this pick.

But as we all know, the living environment of yellow players in this era is still very limited.

Therefore, the eyes of the people in the audience who looked at the martial arts and the Grizzlies were strange.

The Grizzlies are also looking at Martial Arts carefully, and they were only notified by the Timberwolves before the selection that they chose Martial Arts, and they don't know much about this player.

Sensing the stares of the people in the audience, the grizzly bears were also indifferent, and they weren't used by us anyway.

The draft continued, and it is worth mentioning that Maddie, who also participated in the draft in high school, got the ninth pick.

With a congenital condition and a high school student, he was still drafted by the Toronto Raptors at No. 9.

Only now, the eyes of the media are focused on Duncan, Keith Van Horn and Wu Dao.

The first two are because of their own ability and fame, while martial arts are because of their skin color.

Do you understand the gold content of a yellow high school student who was selected with the fifth pick in the NBA?

Predictably, martial arts will soon be thrust into the limelight, not because of how strong martial arts are, but because the whole of America is waiting to see the grizzly jokes.

Oh.

After the draft, Budo was traded to the Timberwolves.

All over the country is watching the Timberwolves joke.

Even Minnesota fans were excited after knowing that their team got the No. 4 pick, but in the end it was exchanged for a yellow high school student.

Although Minnesota is a small ball city, the degree of "enthusiasm" of fans is even greater than that of some big city fans.

And when the outside world was boiling, the management of the Timberwolves was smiling one by one.

In the new season, the original head coach, Coach Beal, has been kicked.

As for why?

The Timberwolves can't let the team's future Kevin Garnett and Stephen Marbury carry the pot, right?

In popular parlance, the Timberwolves lost, but Garnett and Marbury didn't.

And team manager Philip Sanders took over the coaching whip of the Timberwolves.

At the end of the draft, Martial Arts and a kind of rookie took rookie photos.

When taking pictures, Martial Arts can clearly feel that the rookies seem to be a little alienated from themselves?

Especially the black players who are better than their own bottom picks.

In this regard, Wu Dao didn't care either.

Someday, martial arts will teach them to respect!

And by the time Wudao stepped foot in the NBA, the East Asian media had gone crazy

It's just that Wu Dao didn't know it, and after the draft was over, he packed his things and went to Minnesota to meet his teammates.

Garnett was also very happy to learn that Martial Arts had successfully entered the Timberwolves, and he finally waited for Martial Arts to be the "shooter who assisted him".

(End of chapter)