the rest, only noise

Chapter 1198 You Can't Do It Like This
"Today is your most special day of the year. You are about to have the most special moment in your life. Let's guess who will be number one. Allen Iverson? Marcus Camby? Ray Allen? Stephon Marbury? This will be remembered forever. You want to hear your name on this night. So when that moment comes, you need to be grateful because you lived up to the talent God gave you. Your life will never be the same. Boy, your NBA dream has come true."

TNT specially found a tragedy teacher to make a short film before the draft.

In the clip, the tragedian speaks softly to this year's rookies.

At present, the Lakers are not yet sure whether the tragic master will continue to play, and he himself is seriously considering this matter.

However, nothing is as important as today's draft at the Continental Airlines Arena (CAA) in New Jersey.

All parties are looking forward to it.

For the Lakers, they invited Johnny Buss, the eldest son of the Buss family, to the CAA site as the team representative.

The forum draft war room is tentatively scheduled to be in the president's office.

Two hours before the draft, Louie came here to prep.

Then, (Chick) Hearn, Jim, Jenny, West, Kupchak, Buzz Sr., and others all came to the office.

"Any news?"

Jenny said the correct nonsense: "No accident, San Antonio will take Allen Iverson with the first pick."

Well said, but Louis wants to know some news that people on Earth don't know.

Jim said eccentrically: "Then I guess, Toronto should use the second pick to select Marcus Camby."

"That's not necessarily true." Zhao Yuanzheng reminded Bass Jr., "Toronto has PJ Brown, and Marcus Camby is not a player they urgently need."

Kurt Lambiel, who fought with Zhao Yuanzheng last year, said with a sinister smile: "Really, Coach Zhao, you mean a team like the Toronto Raptors, do they consider the team's suitability in the draft?"

Zhao Yuanzheng retorted with reason: "If it was an ordinary draft, they might choose the player with the highest talent, but there are many talented players in this draft, and they can choose the player that suits them best. I even think they might trade the second pick."

Louie interrupted their argument: "I just want to know what's going on in San Antonio."

West said what he had: "They seem to be focused on the No. [-] pick."

Is it really that simple?

At this time, the phone in the office rang.

Louis picked up the phone and asked, "Who is it?"

"Louis, it's me, Elgin!"

"Elgin?" Louis asked. "Is there anything wrong?"

Baylor said straight to the point: "You have too many draft picks, do you want to send me one?"

"Okay, I can give you the No. 19 pick in the first round, but you have to give me Doug Christie."

"It's a good idea, how could the NO.19 lottery be exchanged for Doug?"

"So, let's not think about good things." Louis said straight away, "There is no pie in the sky."

Baylor immediately chatted with Louis for a few words.

He is very annoyed by the market for this year's picks, and the picks of previous years are not so high in value.

While chatting, Louis noticed a message.

Baylor wants Atlanta's eighth pick in the first round, but San Antonio also wants it. The two sides are seeing-saw, and it depends on who bids higher.

"Actually, we don't need such a high pick. The pick at the tenth position is enough." Baylor said with emotion, "But it's really not that simple."

"You're not unaware of the hype surrounding this year's draft, it's normal."

"I just don't understand, a bunch of players who just proved themselves a little bit in college, is there such a big gimmick, it's crazy!"

Louis hung up the phone and began to think about countermeasures.

Unlike the Knicks and the Spurs, they don't have the determination to win the eighth pick, while the Spurs are determined to get the eighth pick.

What can they do with the No. [-] pick?

Picking Kobe with the No. [-] pick, even a traveler, would not be able to do it, it was too shocking.

With the No. [-] pick, others would say it's a huge gamble, but given how much the Lakers bet on Kevin Garnett last year, it might not work out.

With Popovich's current reputation in professional basketball, it is impossible for him to take Kobe with the No. [-] pick.

There are only Louis and Auerbach in the industry who have enough reputation to support this choice.

Therefore, the Spurs will definitely trade to the eighth pick at any cost.

Once they succeed, if the Lakers do not make changes, they can only watch Kobe and Iverson team up.

"Sir, what's the matter with you?" Little Bass asked.

"I just heard a message that San Antonio is actively pursuing the No. [-] pick," Louie said.

West became nervous: "Is the news true?"

"Do you think Elgin is going to lie to me?"

"Probably not necessary."

Old Buss asked sharply: "Will this affect our draft plan?"

Louie said with a smile: "In the entire draft, it is possible to use the lottery pick to select Kobe, only San Antonio and us."

"Coach Lu, is there a possibility that the Spurs are actually looking at Corey Kittles?" Rambis said, "To be honest, using the lottery pick to select a high school student who has not yet developed is a very big risk. I don't think the Spurs are willing to spend such a big price to do this."

Jenny immediately added: "Kobe may be a one-in-a-million talent, but absolutely no team is willing to use the top eight picks to select him."

Louis looked at West, wanting to hear his opinion.

The male talent is roughly like the LOGO man, and he hesitated at the moment.

"Is it possible that San Antonio's interest in Kobe ... is a smokescreen?" West said. "They just want to lure other teams to draft Kobe to make sure their target is safe."

"Is there such a possibility?"

West loves Kobe very much, but love has no limits.

If they decide that the Spurs want to pick Kobe, then in order to get Kobe, they have to raise their pick to the top seven.

In this year's draft, the value of the picks is mainly divided into two grades.

The first two are the first gear, and the third to sixth are the second gear.

The seventh overall pick is a very special position.

It can either select any of Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby, Shareef Abdul-Rahim, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Antoine Walker who accidentally fell, or it can select the most talented person outside of these six.

Although its value is not as good as the second-tier pick, it is infinitely close.

Any team that wants to get it has to be prepared to bleed.

Compared with the risk of losing Kobe, others, including West, seem unwilling to bear the higher price and cost.

To put it bluntly, everyone has no front and back, and no one knows how great Kobe's potential is.

West can guarantee that Kobe is the most promising player he has ever seen, but what is he willing to bet on Kobe?
Was he really 100% sure Kobe could be a great player?
As long as you can't see the future, you can't say 100% that he will do it.

Louie took in all their reactions.

Old Bath said, "Lu, you decide."

"It's really interesting. You were the ones who fell in love with Kobe at the beginning, you were the ones who invited him to try out, and you were the ones who begged me to choose him. Now that things are uncertain, you are the first to be shaken." Louis mocked with a hippie smile, "You can't do anything like this."

As soon as Louis finished speaking, he winked at little Bass.

Buss Jr. responded: "We can't sit still, no matter what, we must ensure that Kobe becomes one of us 100%!"

Old Bath was shocked by his son's mettle.

Is this still the prodigal son who worries him that he won't be able to manage the family business?

Even Jerry West can't guarantee it, how can you do it?

"Are you sure, Jim?"

Louis asked with a smile.

"Sir, you always taught me that people who can't persevere to the end can't do anything. I will definitely persevere on Kobe. I believe he will become our key player!" Bass Jr. said firmly.

Finally, Louie looked at West.

His meaning is very clear, even the boss's precious son is going to insist, don't you have your own attitude?
You were so optimistic about Kobe at the beginning, what is it to look forward and backward now?
West felt an irresistible pressure attacking his body.

He said helplessly: "I support Jim."

"Don't say it as if you were forced. You started this matter. If you hadn't guaranteed it, I wouldn't have taken Jim's recommendation seriously. He is not a professional. You are the one who guaranteed it." Louis still wanted to blame West in the end. "Now we have to pay a higher price to ensure that we get Kobe. If Kobe can't do what we want in the future, I hope you can also take responsibility like a man."

Still the same sentence, if you have credit, it must belong to the little Bass, if you are at fault, then [-]% of it is your LOGO man, who made you want to wade into this muddy water?

So, what is Louie's confidence in getting the seventh pick?

it's actually really easy.

The team holding the seventh pick is the Detroit Pistons.

Their most pressing issue right now is Glenn Robinson's Buddhahood, and Steve Smith's ceiling is limited, but as long as he works patiently, he can still turn the team into a playoff-caliber team.

That's what their general manager, Earl Monroe, is most pressing about right now.

Louie worked with Monroe when he was the general manager of the Clippers.

It was also Louis' guidance that Monroe was able to turn the Clippers into a super battleship. He also left there immediately after his success and got a job in Detroit.

Now he has a problem, but it is difficult to solve it alone. If a handsome, kind-hearted and loyal road coach calls him and wants to continue his career, what is the possibility that he will reject Louis?
This is Louis' confidence, and it is also the benefit of making friends.

It can be said that in the professional basketball circle, Louis can do whatever he wants.

West was completely suppressed by Louis' aura, and Rambis and others who wanted to make trouble did not dare to confront Louis head-on.

Everyone's eyes gradually turned to the TV.

On TNT TV, Ernie Johnson is explaining the background of this year's draft, and his partner is Hubie Brown and Rick Pitino, who just led the team to win the national championship.

When Ernie asked Pitino whether the large number of underclassmen entering the draft would affect their prospects. After all, some players are not ready for professional basketball.

Pitino's answer can be said to be impeccable: "Ralph Sampson, Irvin Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Benjamin Wilson, they all entered professional basketball early, this is not a problem, as long as they are good enough, players will become talented."

In addition, several people from TNT also discussed the fact that the alliance and the labor union have not yet reached an agreement.

If a consensus cannot be reached by July 7, the first month of the offseason will be locked down.

Then, the camera came to the draft scene, David Stern took the stage, said the opening speech that has remained unchanged for thousands of years, and gave all parties 5 minutes, and then——

"In the 1996 NBA draft, the San Antonio Spurs selected Allen Iverson with the first pick in the first round, from Georgetown University!"

At this time, Iverson was still a spirited guy, with cropped hair instead of the furrows that became popular in the league later, and he was honestly wearing a suit, not the street wear that made Stern introduce a dress code to restrict it.

"I got it right!"

Jenny Buss said happily in the Lakers draft room.

His younger brother immediately mocked: "It's so amazing, sister, you can guess that the Spurs will use the first pick to select Allen Iverson."

Louie signaled them to be quiet, ordered the TV to be turned down, and called Detroit.

(End of this chapter)