Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Chapter 939 939 561 This Summers Actions Next

?Chapter 939: Chapter 561: This Summer’s Actions, Next Summer’s Consequences Chapter 939: Chapter 561: This Summer’s Actions, Next Summer’s Consequences The draft continued.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had this year’s number three pick, and after the Supersonics selected Kyrie Irving with the number two pick, they felt they were in an excellent position.

They already had a cornerstone for building the team.

John Wall was getting better and better, but one person couldn’t do everything. As a rebuilding team, they had to choose the most talented person remaining.

They were thrilled that Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was still on the list.

They almost gleefully chose McGee with their second pick, the so-called fusion of Gerald Wallace and Scottie Pippen, which could definitely not be wrong.

Then, almost as if it were destined, Bradley Beal was selected by the Wizards Team with the fourth overall pick in the first round.

Only this time, D.C. didn’t have Wall anymore.

Because of the lockout, Brandon Knight, who played an extra year in college, was chosen by the Charlotte Bobcats.

Meanwhile, holding the sixth pick, the Golden State Warriors chose Damian Lillard. It’s worth mentioning they had two lottery picks this year.

Next was Andre Drummond, who had been considered a genius on par with Anthony Davis, but had completely fallen off after entering NCAA.

His skills were poor, there were concerns about his attitude, and scouts doubted his willingness to work hard to improve his weaknesses. Doubts about his professional attitude were key reasons for his drastic slide down the draft board.

He fell into the hands of the Toronto Raptors.

Then, also due to the lockout leading to a return to college, mature senior Klay Thompson was selected by the Warriors Team with the thirteenth pick in the first round.

He, like Beal, rushed toward his fate, but the real deciders of his destiny were no longer in Golden State.

Great as the Splash Brothers are, they are just splashes of water, and when the water isn’t there, their splashes, no matter how eye-catching, wouldn’t be seen on the stage of the sixth game of the divisional finals.

Due to a large number of holdbacks in this year’s draft, the overall talent and depth far exceeded any other in the new century, thus, the 2012 draft was also called the “Golden Generation.”

Unfortunately, despite the hype, the number of players who could fulfill their potential in the NBA was very few.

Subsequently, the Supersonics selected Marquette University’s stocky forward Jae Crowder with their late first-round pick.

The Warriors pressed on, choosing Draymond Green from Michigan State University with their second-round pick.

Another second-round gem, Chris Middleton, was scooped up by the Houston Rockets.

With that, the 2012 draft concluded.

After the draft, Yu Fei went to see where those familiar faces had ended up, and he was quite surprised.

The Warriors picked Lillard, Thompson, and Green in a manner almost like cheating.

But Thompson and Green were originally their picks in his previous life, so that was not a big deal. The key was Lillard.

Although this guy couldn’t compare to Curry, regardless of how fierce he was, each time he faced the playoffs, he would be thoroughly defeated, but in a Western Conference without Curry, well-developed, he might become the top point guard in the West.

Three draft rights for three all-stars, has there ever been such luck in history?

Yu Fei didn’t know; he only knew that the rise of the Warriors seemed unstoppable.

Keep in mind, they not only had the three rookies they just selected, they had signed Joe Johnson with a top salary after the lockout ended last year.

They also chose a guy named Kawhi Leonard in the 2011 draft.

And they had selected Tyreke Evans with the fourth pick in the 2009 draft.

In terms of lineup alone, the Warriors had gathered top talent at each position, they just didn’t know it.

Yu Fei couldn’t help but wonder, did the Warriors of this era really have some sort of destiny on their side?

Certainly, they didn’t get Curry, but even so, they still looked like a team with a bright future.

Such matters were hard to think about in detail, for talk of fate was too elusive. It could only be said that the Warriors’ management did an outstanding job.

The conclusion of the draft signaled the approach of the offseason.

This summer wasn’t as star-studded as last summer, but there were still two major superstars and a few overlooked all-stars entering the free market.

The big stars were naturally the Laker’s Nike duo.

In summer 2009, the second-best player in the world, Kobe, and the third, LeBron James, met in Los Angeles to form the Evil Empire, with only one goal: to end the Supersonics’ dynasty.

However, the script did not go as they had envisioned.

James faced disgrace in the 2010 Western finals, and the subsequent lockout took away the Evil Empire’s second chance to challenge the Supersonics. This past season, the Lakers were utterly uncompetitive against the Supersonics.

Over the course of the season, it became apparent that James had surpassed Kobe in readiness and impact on the game. It could be safely said that the Lakers’ future competitiveness did not depend on Kobe, but on whether James would stay.

And James had never made a commitment.

Recently, the trade of Durant to the desperate Lakers fans brought a glimmer of hope.

Durant gone, the Supersonics not so strong, Big Fei nearly 30, LeBron and Kobe should charge again!

But James’ response was extremely rational.

Cavaliers fans would not find his attitude unfamiliar.

“LeBron James must do what is best for LeBron James,” he said while on vacation in Florida.