Chapter 871

1992/6/24

draft day

While the world focuses on the training camps of the Dream Team and the college All-Stars, it also pays attention to the NBA draft.

Fortunately, the timing of these two events does not conflict.

Neither the NBA nor USA Basketball would be foolish enough to allow two gimmicky things to collide.

Before the start of the draft, an earthquake-level deal first appeared.

After being dormant for eight years, the mediocre Earl Monroe finally made the biggest move in his general manager career.

Of course, this is what both parties want.

The Clippers sent the No. 5 pick in the first round and Rick Schmitz and the unprotected first-round pick in 1993 to Houston in exchange for Hakeem Olajuwon, who had been tortured by the Rockets for many years.

During last season, Olajuwon almost left the Rockets.

It's just that no team can provide a suitable offer, so they choose to stay.

This summer, Olajuwon's contract has only one year left, and he has made it clear that he will not renew his contract with the Rockets when the contract expires.Therefore, when the Rockets were unable to meet Olajuwon's vision of building a championship team, they exchanged for the return of maximizing benefits.

A quasi-All-Star center, a No. [-] pick in the draft year, and a first-round lottery pick with a high probability.

This is the price of a one-year use right of a super center with both offense and defense.

No team can follow.

Knowing that he was traded, Olajuwon found a local TV station to shoot a 10-minute short film "I was traded? I'm so sad, how sad it is to see me laughing" to review his 8 years in Houston.

Clippers general manager Earl Monroe said proudly: "We are confident to keep Hakeem in Los Angeles, and we have the ability to build a championship team around Hakeem. My boss, Mr. Donald Sterling, hopes to send a message to the world through me-we are ready to spend money!"

Sounds kind of funny.

Sterling?The most stingy owner in the history of professional basketball is going to spend money?
Sterling is not trustworthy, but the combination of Olajuwon and Mutombo is a rare twin tower with extreme offense and defense in the merger era.

Mutombo himself has the appearance of DPOY, and Olajuwon is one of the only four superstars in the league with both offense and defense. These two alone are enough to bring the Clippers into the playoffs.

NBC analyst Doug Collins said: "There are signs that there will be a lot of big deals this summer. Some teams that have lost their competitiveness have already targeted next year's draft, and the whereabouts of players like Clyde Drexler are also worth looking forward to."

This year's draft is different from previous years.

This is the first time since the 80s that the NBA has arranged the draft outside of New York-Portland.

Blazers fans rejoice.

In particular, David Stern emphasized in his opening speech: "Portland has a glorious sports history, and the Trail Blazers were the Western Conference champions last season."

"Now, the 27 teams participating in this year's draft have understood the relevant procedures of the draft. Orlando, which has the No. 1 pick in the first round of this year, will make their selection within 5 minutes."

Bob Neal, an announcer for NBC, which broadcasts the draft nationally, half-jokingly said, "I'd be shocked if Shaquille wasn't the first pick."

"I'm going to be very shocked," Hubie Brown said, which made Bostonians uncomfortable. "This will be the most confusing choice since the Billy Owens battle."

Doug Collins is much more direct: "I think the negative impact of this will be far greater than the Billy Owens trade."

The Orlando delegates looked tense, as if they were making a difficult decision.

When Louis in front of the TV saw this scene, the Coke in his mouth almost spewed.

"What are they struggling with?"

"Wouldn't anyone really be entangled between O'Neill and Mourning?"

After 5 minutes, the answer was revealed.

Even Stern temporarily gave up his usual suspenseful pace and read out quite normally: "In the 1992 draft, the Orlando Magic selected Shaquille O'Neal with the first overall pick from LSU."

Unanimous cheers.

O'Neill stood up, walked onto the stage and hugged the president, and said in an interview that he didn't care about Wright's inclusion in the dream team and so on.

Louis almost forgot that he didn't recognize that the Dream Team was the best team in history because he didn't have himself.

Several members of the NBC commentary booth started the annual show.

"Undoubtedly the choice." Neal said exaggeratedly, "Even if you put the best players in every draft in the past 20 years into this draft, Shaquille will still be the No. [-] pick."

Hubie Brown put it bluntly: "His willingness to defend could be an issue, but he's unmatched offensively. Let him get the ball in the post and it's over. Orlando's priority is to find a good lob for him."

Doug Collins' comments were a bit more serious than Brown's: "Don't be misled by his physicality and athleticism. He has good inside skills. He has a unique close-to-the-basket hook in a post-up state. Considering his size and agility, you can think of him as a seven-foot-one Charles Barkley."

In front of the TV, Louis gloated at Ewing.

"You're going to die at his hands next season," Louie said.

Ewing has been in the alliance for seven years, and he thinks that he is no weaker than the three Bodhisattvas (Sampson).

That's it?

Even if you only look at O'Neill's college highlights, this person's ability is beyond doubt.

Ewing knew that O'Neill had two strokes, but in front of Louis, let alone two strokes, even if he had four strokes, six strokes, eight strokes, unlike Sampson who beat him to amnesia after meeting him year after year, don't let him beat himself.

In Louis' room, apart from Ewing, there were Sampson, Byrd and Zhao Yuanzheng.

This is a strange combination. The Green Kai Giants and Ewing shouldn't be able to piss in the same jug, but strangely, they became friends.

Seeing Louis make fun of Ewing like this, Bird naturally remembered how Louis provoked him when he was still in Boston.

"You bastard, you can't change your shit!" Byrd resolutely stood in the same camp as Ewing.

"That's right!" Ewing suddenly discovered that two people with the same disease can really become confidantes beyond the barrier of skin color, "If you say I'm not as good as him before the fight, are you still my coach?"

Louis suppressed a smile and said, "Don't tease me, the fact that you are inferior to this shark needs to be tested in actual combat? It is obvious that you are inferior, isn't it, Ralph?"

Sampson and Ewing's friendship is odd.

In terms of hobbies, the two are not the same, but Ewing wants to make friends with him, because Sampson is the only center who beats him until he loses his temper.

Since they are friends, Sampson must speak carefully.

"I think O'Neal's advantage will be bigger at the basket, but Patrick has a clear advantage outside the paint area." Sampson said fairly.

"Laughing to death!" Louie joked, "Did you hear that, Patrick? You are a seven-foot-tall center as strong as King Kong, but you are forced to shoot outside by this fluffy rookie. Do you dare to say that you are better than him?"

Bird once thought, if Louis hadn't left, could the Celtics have dominated from 1984 to 1992?

Now, he has no illusions.

Whether the Green Army can dominate until today, let alone, he is not sure whether he can bear Louis for so many years.

"I understand you, really." Byrd looked at Ewing with pity.

Ewing's face turned blue and purple from Louis' anger, and he secretly wrote down O'Neal's name and the team that chose him—Magic, right?He's better than me, right?If I don't punch out this little boy's shit in the regular season, even if that bastard Louis is right!
After the second pick, the representative of the Philadelphia 76ers looked relaxed.

They easily selected Ewing's junior, Alonzo Mourning.

A few people from NBC blew it up, and Ewing even stood up for the juniors: "I think ZO is the real champion, he is much better than O'Neill!"

"Come on, all your insiders from Georgetown have the same shape. Just look at what you were like at the beginning and you will know what he is like." Louis patted Sampson, "Just this kind of stuff, Ralph can crush it with one hand."

Ewing was about to refute, but think of Sampson beating himself like playing.
"I admit that he is not Ralph's opponent, but I am comparing with O'Neal. Do you dare to say that O'Neal is stronger than him?" Ewing gradually lost his reason.

"Bet I don't drink Coke for a year." Louie said amazingly, "He's no match for the Sharks."

Ewing, Bird, and Sampson all knew what not drinking Coke for a year meant to Louie: "Are you serious?"

Bird asked curiously, "What do you want to bet?"

"Patrick, if I lose, I won't drink Coke for a year. If I win." Louie smiled sinisterly, "You are not allowed to accept special services from nightclubs, bars, and underground clubs for a year."

"It's not fair!" Ewing said convincingly, "Drinking Coke is just a hobby. I have a physiological need. Can it be the same? You can stop eating chicken for a year, but can you not go to the bathroom for three days?"

Is anyone not shocked by Ewing's ups and downs in IQ?

Look at this sophistry ability, why can't it be put in front of reporters?Hitting inside, right?
"Don't you know what Coke means to me?" Louis looked at Ewing disappointedly.

"He didn't forbid you to find a girlfriend. If you lose, you can find a stable girlfriend to solve your physical needs, which will also make your life more stable." Bird said with a smirk, "But if this bastard doesn't drink Coke for a year. No, at most three days, he will jump off the building."

"Hillbilly, which side are you on?"

"QNMD! You don't think I'm on your side, do you?"

(End of this chapter)

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