The invincible kryptonite of basketball

The Bucks selected Dragan Bender with the seventh overall pick.

……

The draft ahead went fast, and shortly after the lottery ended, it was the Pelicans' turn.

The 20th and 22nd picks are embarrassing picks in a young draft year.

This is why the 76ers are willing to trade with two similar picks.

However, after Tang Tian agreed to the transaction, he had already planned.

Chapter 858 Two Choices for the Pelicans

"The No.2016 pick in the first round of the 19 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks selected DeAndre Bembry, a 1-meter small forward from St. Joseph University."

"The No. 2016 pick in the first round of the 20 NBA Draft belongs to the ... New Orleans Pelicans, and they have 5 minutes to think about it."

The Eagles with the nineteenth pick finished their selection, and then the Pelicans.

Xiao Hua frowned instinctively when he thought of the Pelicans.

The Pelicans have been too successful in the draft in the past few years, and this time he prays that the Pelicans will miss it.

"Are you sure you want to choose him?"

Although Tang Tian had proved his vision many times before, Dempsey still couldn't help asking one more question.

Because Tang Tian asked him to choose this guy with good wingspan and defense, but poor in other aspects, including shooting, which the Pelicans need most, and poor ball handling.

Especially the three-pointer. In the small ball era, a striker who can't shoot has a very limited role.

Not everyone can become Leonard. It is a blessing that this kind of player can become Aminu.

"Aminu's free market this year will be very good. This is an insurance policy."

Tang Tian opened his mouth to explain.

Dempsey nodded. Although he was a little skeptical, he still chose to believe in Tang Tian.

The staff went out with an envelope containing the results.

Dempsey and Tang Tian continued to chat about the 22nd pick.

"The No.2016 pick in the first round of the NBA in 20, the Pelicans chose Pascal Siakam, a 2-meter power forward, from New Mexico State University."

Siakam was the person Tang Tian and Dempsey communicated with before.

Embiid's national teammate from Cameroon looks very similar to the Pelicans' backup forward Aminu last season.

The height and wingspan are close to Aminu, and when he entered the league, he was also good at defense and not good at shooting.

Unlike Aminu, he played for New Mexico State University, and his university performance was much worse than Aminu's.

This was also the reason why there was such a big gap between the two, and why Dempsey was suspicious of Tang Tian.

The Pelicans now have a healthy salary space. Instead of choosing someone who may become Aminu in the future, it is better to renew Aminu directly.

But Tang Tian couldn't say too much, he knew Siakam's upper limit was much higher than Aminu's.

This has something to do with physical coordination, golf quotient and room for improvement, and it cannot be explained by a physical talent.

"No, we're not going to use the 22nd pick to select a guard with an injury risk. His injury history in college is too serious."

The Pelicans' 20th pick has already been made, and when Tang Tian said he would choose Brogdon with the 22nd pick, Dempsey directly opposed it.

Brogdon played well in college, averaging 18.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists last season, leading the University of Virginia to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.

As a result, he was elected the Defensive Player of the Year by the National Coaches Association, was selected to the All-American team unanimously, and became the first player in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference to win both the Player of the Year and the Defensive Player of the Year.

That's a lot of honor, but Brogdon didn't enter the draft until his senior year, and he missed the entire sophomore year because of a left foot injury.

This kind of older rookie with a history of injuries is extremely low in the draft market, and it is considered lucky to be selected in the second round.

Now Tang Tian wants to choose him with a pick in the middle of the first round, which is a bigger gamble than Siakam.

Siakam is a defensive champion anyway, and optimistically speaking, he still has the opportunity to develop shooting ability like Leonard and Aminu.

But Brogdon has been finalized, there is no upper limit space and there are potential injuries. This is too big a gamble.

"Then you try to trade down. If you want a first-round pick, we lost Dinwiddie and need an immediate player."

Tang Tian didn't insist on it blindly, he said a compromise method, and gave a reason that Dempsey could accept.

Dempsey reluctantly agreed.

Although theoretically speaking, it is enough to find immediate combat power and go directly to the free market, but he still wants to give Tang Tian face.

The draft continued, and Demps moved very quickly, reaching a deal with the Suns before the start of the 22nd pick.

"A trade happened. The 22nd pick in the first round of the NBA draft went to the Phoenix Suns. They had five minutes to think about it."

After Xiao Hua announced the deal, the details of the deal also scrolled behind him.

In fact, Woj preemptively reported that most people already knew what the deal was about.

The Pelicans sent this year's 22nd pick, 60th pick and some cash, and got the 27th pick (from the Cavaliers) and future second-round picks from the Suns.

The Suns selected Malachy Richardson, a 22-foot-1 shooting guard from Syracuse University, with the 98nd pick.

The draft is still going on, and Brogdon has never been selected.

The information Demps has is also known to the general managers of other teams.

Except for Tang Tian, ​​no one would want to select a guard with a history of injuries in the first round.

You must know that in the draft, the most indispensable thing is the guard, and there are a lot of them.

"With the 2016th overall pick in the first round of the 27 NBA Draft, the Pelicans selected... Malcolm Brogdon, a 1'96" shooting guard from the University of Virginia."

When the Pelicans made this choice, there was a burst of cheers from the Pelicans fans.

Brogdon has a high reputation in college. For fans, they can't see any other potential except for the recognized potential stock.

Especially in the position at the end of the first round, fame is what they value more.

But the general managers of other teams snickered when they saw it.

After Xiao Hua saw it, his brows finally relaxed.

Finally, the Pelicans made a wrong choice.

Brogdon also came to the draft scene. Although he didn't enter the small green room, he still has high expectations for himself.

The lottery didn't want him, and the first round was almost over, and he still wasn't wanted.

Just when he was frustrated and thought he was going to fall out of the first round, the Pelicans finally got him a hand.

He got up excitedly and walked quickly to the stage.

Although the contract will be very small at the end of the first round, it is the first round after all, and the guarantee contract can be directly obtained, which is fundamentally different from the second round.

The Pelicans' first-round draft is over, because the 60th pick has been traded, and their draft assignments for this year are also over.

Demps was still in the draft hut waiting for possible trade proposals from other teams. Tang Tian said hello in advance and then went downstairs.

Siakam and Brogdon, if they opened their eyes, they would know how much the Pelicans made in the draft this year.

Especially Brogdon.

Siakam needs time to grow because he is a potential stock, but Brogdon, as he said, is an absolute immediate combat power.

When the team lost Dinwiddie, it would be a good thing to add him.

In particular, he is particularly good at shooting three-pointers, which is what the Pelicans need most.

Chapter 859 Duncan Retires

The first round of the draft was about to end, and when he went downstairs to find Siakam and Brogdon, Tang Tian met an old acquaintance.

Tatum, the league's vice president.

Ever since Tang Tian entered the alliance, the relationship between the two has been very good.

After Xiao Hua came to power, Tatum also became the chief vice president of the league.

The two greeted each other and chatted for a while.

"Your performance in the finals was great, and you can win the championship in that situation."

Tatum congratulated Tang Tian, ​​and his words seemed to indicate that he was not very satisfied with the penalty scale.

"I don't want to go through that penalty scale again."

Tang Tian said with a smile.

"Will do."

Tatum pointed, and then leaned to Tang Tian's side and whispered.

"I also miss the kind of basketball in the David era. I will try to change it on the league board."

After he finished speaking, the staff over there reminded him that he could go backstage.

The first round of the draft is over, and it's his turn to broadcast the second round.

Tang Tian looked at Tatum's back thoughtfully.

His current low position in the league is no longer at the same level as the local Spurs.

He even surpassed James, and with one or two more championships, he can already be close to Jordan back then.

Before, he couldn't stop Xiao Hua from taking office, but now he can gradually speak up to change.

Tatum would be a good replacement.

He saw Siakam not far away, put the idea aside, and then walked over.

Siakam looks young, but very talkative.

For players who can go out of Africa, like Aminu before, this seems to be their unique label.

"I can't wait to play with you, it will be my honor and I will train hard for this goal until it comes true."

And the difference between Siakam and Aminu is that he speaks very tensely, which makes it easy for people to have a sense of trust in him.

"you will."

Tang Tian smiled and hugged him, giving him the greatest encouragement.

After chatting with Siakam, Tang Tian met Brogdon again.

Contrary to Siakam, Brogdon looks mature and steady, and doesn't talk much.

But this is also the characteristic of senior students, and their aspirations are relatively mature.

Both of them are very distinctive and will be a good addition to the strength of the Pelicans.

After saying hello, Tang Tian sat aside and listened to Tatum's whole broadcast.

As far as Tatum is concerned, his temperament is still relatively poor, but judging from the exchanges between the two previous people, his ambition is not necessarily lower than that of Xiao Hua.

This year is a small year in the draft. In the second round, apart from Brogdon, who was picked up by Tang Tian, ​​only Zubac has some strength.

On the contrary, for Chinese fans, this year's draft has gained a lot.

Zhou Qi was selected by the Rockets with the 31st pick (trading the draft rights from the Celtics).

The same Chinese player is also the 31st pick, which inevitably makes people look forward to it.

But thanks to Tang Tian, ​​the league has regained confidence in Chinese players.

After Zhou Qi, Wang Zhelin was also selected by the Nets with the 51st overall pick.

This pick is also higher than in history.

Two Chinese players were selected one after another. It seems that neither of them were at the draft scene, but this was enough to make Chinese fans excited again.