Oden's tryout in Boston didn't do well, and he looked like he hadn't been training systematically for a while. Why is this happening? Maybe it's because he's locked in the top two picks since last year?

However, as the trial progressed, Anji became more and more uneasy.

Since Oden entered college, Angie has watched every game he plays.

Aside from the loss to Florida in the National Championship, Oden never showed NBA professionals the potential of being the next Russell or Ewing.

Before that, he had some great moments and more than 10 minutes of dominance, but never lasted the whole game.

Of course, he had plenty of reasons to defend himself.

His hand was injured.

He didn't want to get hurt again. So he's been restraining himself, but in any case, Oden hasn't played any better than Durant.

If Anji is given the first pick, he will definitely choose Durant.

There is no other reason than that Durant can give him more security.

On the night of the end of the lotto draw, Boston's basketball fans had a cheerful rally, chanting the names of Oden and Durant and ready to be fans of one of them for the next decade.

But Angie often wonders, is it possible that there is only one correct answer in this?

Even today, a hand injury is still affecting Oden's trials, and he doesn't look like he's fully recovered. Not long ago, at the Orlando joint tryout, Oden was also found to have a lumbar spine problem.

And in Boston, Oden has some new problems and hidden dangers.

His tryout performance was terrible, he had physical problems, he didn't feel the layup, and the athletic test was stopped.

What is the only thing Auden has? It's potential in the literal sense of the word.

And his smile.

Yes, smile.

Compared with other contemporaries, Oden's biggest characteristic is that he knew how to give the public a smile at an early age, which Durant has not yet learned.

Because the Celtics are very likely to select Oden's team, Oden has no reservations about the Green Army, and comprehensively showed his physical condition, which includes a detailed physical examination and physical examination.

This allowed the Celtics to confirm rumours that Oden had different foot lengths.

It's true.

Secondly, there is the concern of the Celtics' veteran team doctor about the health risks of his knees.

One bad news after another came to Anji's ears.

He became agitated, wondering if Auden was the right answer.

But no one can give an answer, and the only answer to that question will only come after the Celtics select him in the draft.

"Is Greg gone?"

Angie asked the assistant.

The assistant said: "Just as he was leaving, he was still changing clothes in the locker room. ”

"Tell his agent that I'm very happy with today's tryout, but we may need to look at Kevin Durant to make a decision."

As she spoke, Angie decided to go back to the office.

Suddenly, he stopped again.

He decided to take another look at Oden.

What's the biggest difference between a talented athlete and a stupid guy who lives with no athletic talent? They always seem to walk with an easy pace, as if they belong to another species. And those big men who have no athletic talent, or veterans who are old, give people another feeling.

As Oden walked out of the Celtics' locker room accompanied by his agent and greeted everyone with a smile on his face, Angie's mind was reminded of what his old teammate Robert Parrish would look like at the end of his career.

Oden looked like a 50-year-old man, walked in a weird way, and in any case, he didn't look like the kind of athlete who glides on the ground.

It was at this moment that crazy thoughts sprung up in Anji's mind.

But even crazier is that he needs to convince everyone on the board and make them understand why Scouts' once-in-a-decade supertalent Greg Oden can't lead the Green Army's future.

Boston's tryout for Oden was just an ordinary day for the NBA, but Angie's decision, as well as Durant's rejection of Boston's offer to try out (meaning the SuperSonics made a draft commitment), indirectly determined the distribution of power in the NBA in 2007-08.

Then, the time came to the day of the 2007 draft.

Before the draft began, news that the Celtics might trade the No. 1 pick had swept the trade market.

It's an open fact that the SuperSonics are ready to pick a No. 1 pick, but that doesn't mean Durant is a recognized No. 1 pick.

It's just the rise of Yu Fei and the popularity of the small-ball style that Durant's value in the eyes of some teams surpasses Oden. But no more than 30 percent of teams willing to pick Durant with the top pick. Supersonic just happens to be one of them.

Oden is the undisputed champion, and in the eyes of some teams, only Yu Fei and James can replace him.

Now, the Celtics are actually planning to trade the No. 2 pick?

Some are still speculating if something bad happened during the tryout, but many more have gone into a frenzy, and the phone in the Celtics draft war room keeps ringing.

A few minutes later, Stern announced what had already been known to the outside world.

The Seattle SuperSonics selected Kevin Durant with the first pick in the first round.

A small number of supersonic fans shouted: "Save our hypersonics!" ”

Durant didn't know what lay ahead, but entering the league as a champion was something he couldn't have imagined before he entered college.

Because, his champion of this class was locked in as early as when Oden was 15 years old.

Unexpectedly, in the end, he became the champion.

Durant can't help but think that if such dreams can be realized, then even crazier dreams are not impossible.

Could he have tasted the muse's footwash like Frye did?

Then, while fans were waiting for the Celtics to draft Oden with the second pick, ESPN's draft expert Andy Katz suddenly broke the news: "The Celtics plan to send the second pick to Minnesota in exchange for Kevin Garnett." ”

Almost at the same time, ESPN officially confirmed that the deal had been completed.

Celtic fans experienced both ice and fire for a while.

Bringing in Garnett means they want to win in the moment, but give up a 19-year-old supertalent for a superstar over 30? Is this really possible?

This is bound to be a highly controversial deal.

But the context of the deal is far more complex than one might seem.

Angie's offer for the No. 2 pick is always superstar, and he's really only targeting the two supergiants who are requesting a trade — Kobe Bryant and Garnett.

But the Lakers have Bynum, and their desire for Oden is relatively the smallest of any team, so they are proposing a chip increase for Oden + Al Jefferson + salary space + future draft picks.

Angie thought, you don't want to make this deal, you can just say it, you don't have to.

On the contrary, it is Ange's old teammate, Kevin McHale who is far away in Minnesota, who is very talkative. Since it was revealed last year that the Timberwolves were secretly plotting Garnett's trade, Garnett's heart has died. He understood the meaning of Yu Fei's original sentence "Don't let loyalty hurt you".

McHale's relationship with the Celtics undoubtedly gave the Green Army a lot of advantage in this deal.

As far as the chips given by the Celtics are concerned, it can basically be an equivalent exchange between Oden and Garnett, and the rest is garbage to fill Garnett's contract.

In this deal, the Celtics sent Wally Szczebiak home, and pulled in Vin Baker and others, who had not played for more than a year, to gather the chips needed for the trade and bring the depressed "ticket" back to Boston.

However, the Celtic operation was not over.

As soon as Garnett's news broke, it was reported that Angina's highly promising potential interior Al Jefferson had been traded for the Memphis Grizzlies' No. 6 pick.

Subsequently, ESPN's top reporter Mark Stein confirmed the authenticity of the deal — another piece of information that came out of the deal was that the Grizzlies had decided to rebuild around the youngsters, so Pau Gasol was highly likely to be traded.

However, Angie, who has been tumultuous in the trading market, is not satisfied.

He got the No. 6 pick from the Grizzlies not to pick a young man he likes, but to make a trade with the New York Knicks, who are selling Michael Reed, who has a deteriorating relationship with Thomas.

But Isaiah Thomas wants salary space in addition to the No. 6 pick, and the Celtics are just in the right place to meet their needs — because the Celtics have Theo Latrief on a multimillion-dollar contract that expires next year.

Then, in the negotiations, Angie targeted a high-quality young interior player who has recently risen from the Knicks - David Lee.

The two sides negotiated the return of Michael Reed and David Lee from New York in exchange for the Celtics' No. 6 pick, Ratliff and a 2008 first-round pick.

Anji's series of operations disrupted the trading market.

The Grizzlies, who got Al Jefferson, decided to sell Pau Gasol.

The team that took the lead was the Bucks, who had just completed two consecutive championships.

Whether Yu Fei stays or not, the Bucks still have quality trade chips and healthy salary space, as well as bonus contracts for Granger and Aldridge.

After selecting Joakim Noah, the Bucks bundled PJ Tucker and Sprewell and a 2009 first-round pick to Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies.

However, since the deal would require the Bucks to continue to execute Sprewell's contract before it would take effect, on the day of the draft, the two sides only completed a verbal agreement, but the deal was finalized, and the Bucks opened the first chapter of the post-Flyer era.

After the draft, the Bucks held a championship celebration in downtown Milwaukee.

Yu Fei gave a nearly 10-minute speech, looking back on his past five years in Milwaukee, and the voices that expected him to stay had faded because everyone heard Yu Fei's words clearly.

He's thankful for the past, grateful for the present, grateful for the support of the staff, teammates and fans, but what about the future?

Nothing, he just said, "Good luck to us." ”

Something is meant to happen.

(End of chapter)