Legend of Tomorrow

? Guo Xu had already sent information on three rookies he was optimistic about to Brian Colangelo, two targets and one alternative.

Brian called back that day and told Guo Xu the good news. I have contacted Payton's agent, and he is willing to join with a two-year veteran's minimum salary.

Payton is not short of money, and he wants to avoid the tragedies of Barkley, Ewing and others now. If he does not have a championship ring in his career, no matter how explosive the data is, he will be questioned if he is a superstar.

After chatting with the boss for a while, Guo Xu called Payton again. The two got to know each other well after becoming teammates, so it would be better to say hello in advance.

Hi, Gary.

Hello, Jason. Payton's voice was full of excitement.

Welcome to join the Suns. Let's build a dynasty together in the new season. With you here, our last weakness has been made up for.

I promise to complete the tasks assigned by the coaching staff...

Payton is indeed slower, but the opponent's point guard cannot always be fast. When encountering the fast Guo Xu, Payton should have an advantage in playing on the bench for a while. He does not have to bear as many responsibilities as he did with the Lakers.

After a few pleasantries, Guo Xu gave Payton reassurance. Although he seemed like a loser who came to hug his thigh, Guo Xu respected him very much and the team also needed him.

A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Payton was a super point guard back then, and he was worthy of defending Jordan in the finals. He can help young players a lot on the defensive end and impart valuable experience. In terms of offense, Payton can also be regarded as a post master and can teach several insiders in the Suns.

These functions alone are worth an annual salary of 2 million. With a veteran's basic salary for two years, the Suns will make a lot of money.

As a result, the management's plan will also need to change accordingly, and the team will not need to select a rookie guard. Bryan originally felt that drafting a rookie point guard was unreliable and wanted to find veterans in the free market because there were too many young players on the team.

Last year the management didn't sign veterans because the powerful people in the free market looked down on the Suns. This year is different. There must be many people who want to join the defending champion team, but the management chose others.

Bryan traded a second-round pick, leaving only the late first-round pick and the second-round pick acquired from the Knicks that year, which was slightly higher. Guo Xu suggested choosing an insider and a swingman.

Guo Xu and Megan are currently staying at the Hilton Hotel, enjoying various discounts and VIP services, because Robert's family is also a shareholder of the Hilton Hotel. These venture capitalists have no taboos and can get involved in any industry as long as they make money.

Guo Xu met Robert’s eldest brother and sister,

After having a meal together, they all admired Guo Xu's idea of ​​a film and television entertainment plus catering group plus peripheral products, and regarded him as a promising partner.

On June 24, the 2004 NBA Draft was held at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City.

Guo Xu and Megan were sitting on the sofa, watching live TV, and playing with Steve and Bucky.

Now Megan agrees that raising cats is better than raising dogs, mainly because they are obedient, don’t run around and don’t break up the house. These two breeds happen to be the more honest of cats.

David Stern was booed by the fans again during his speech, and then the draft officially began.

Center Dwight Howard, who participated in the draft as a high school student, was selected by the Magic with the No. 1 pick. This year is the last conference with high school students participating in the draft. It is of great significance that he won the No. 1 pick.

The Magic always seem to be keen on selecting centers, and they are also good at building a system with centers as the core. After training them, they are also keen to give them to the Lakers...

In Guo Xu's previous life, Howard had a very high starting point and quickly became a star thanks to his Warcraft-like physical fitness. In terms of talent, except for his shorter height, he is not inferior to the Shark in other aspects. Unfortunately, his professional attitude and personality have become the biggest obstacles for him to move towards a historical center.

The Bobcats selected center Emeka Okafor with the second pick. Even if Jordan wanted to select a high school student, he couldn't pick it this time. The league gave the Bobcats the second pick.

Before the draft started, many people believed that Okafor would be the No. 1 pick, because it is very risky to select a high school player as the No. 1 pick. Although Howard has good athletic talent, there have been many talented players who have not been successful before, such as Swift, a high jumper, and Kwame Brown, who was nationally famous in high school.

Okafor performed very well in college and was known to be excellent both in character and academics, as well as in both offense and defense. The junior center from the University of Connecticut was the winner of the 2004 NCAA championship and the MOP in the semi-finals. Some people think that he will be the next Duncan.

Magic management considered drafting Okafor, but gave up after seeing his height. Okafor falsely reported his height as 210cm when registering, but in fact he was less than 205cm even when wearing shoes.

The Bulls, who have struggled for years, were lucky enough to win the third overall pick and selected combo guard Ben Gordon.

Gordon has comprehensive offensive methods and can make sudden shots. He is indeed an excellent offensive player. However, on the defensive end, he is limited by his height and is easily beaten. At 191CM, he mainly plays shooting guard.

With the fourth pick, the Clippers selected high school genius Shaun Livingston, a point guard who is 201cm tall and weighs 83kg.

Before the draft, Livingston was often compared to Howard. He is also a basketball genius who is popular in the United States. Some people said that he plays like Penny Hardaway, and others expected that he would become the second Magic.

Livingston was so stunned that he refused the invitation of Coach K, gave up the opportunity to play at Duke University, and directly participated in the draft as a high school student.

In Guo Xu's previous life, Livingston failed to fulfill his talent and became the famous Glass Man. His broken leg against the Bobcats was the scariest injury moment in NBA history, but he still used his strong will to overcome the injury and psychological shadow, returned to the game, and eventually joined the Warriors as Curry's substitute, helping The team won the championship.

Guo Xu felt that Livingston should have had a better life, but he ruined himself. Seeing how thin he was, it was impossible for him to adapt to NBA-level competition. If he went to college to practice for two years, he might become stronger before entering the NBA. star. Now, no matter how comprehensive his skills are, he can't become a magician. He is a strong man, but he is a chicken.

With the fifth pick, the Hawks selected Josh Childress, and the Wizards selected Devin Harris. The draft positions of the two teams have changed, but the players they selected have not changed. They are all players who are optimistic after the trial.

There was a huge change at No. 7. The Warriors selected Luol Deng, a small forward who is 206cm tall and weighs 100kg.

This is a player with All-Star potential, comprehensive skills, selfless style, and excellent defense.

In Guo Xu's previous life, Luol Deng joined the Bulls and the team quickly rose to prominence. Guo Xu couldn't help but want to observe a minute's silence for his childhood Jason Richardson.

What kind of luck does he have? There are a lot of butterfly effects. All the failed draft picks of the Bulls in the previous life happened, but a better person missed out.

There is no way. In the previous life, the Bulls selected Luol Deng with the seventh pick in exchange for a trade with the Knicks. That pick originally belonged to the Suns, but was traded to the Knicks in the previous big deal involving Marbury and Hardaway.

In this life, the Suns completed a trade with the Knicks in the summer of 2003. They did not send away the half-disabled Hardaway, and did not exchange for the injured McDyess. Many things were different. A series of butterfly effects, the Bulls could no longer select Luol Deng.

The Bulls' lineup is unreasonable and lacks wing defenders. They will definitely not be strong next. Guo Xu can only wait for an opportunity in the future to get Richardson. Judging from this situation, he will be regarded as a cancer sooner or later, so it should not be difficult to trade him.