The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 519 - 223 Pacers, Is This What You Call Rebuilding a Team?!_5

Chapter 519: Chapter 223 Pacers, Is This What You Call Rebuilding a Team?!_5

Then the Miami Heat, with the second pick, chose Michael Beasley, who was dubbed the "left-handed Durant."

Looking at Beasley’s current reputation value, there didn’t seem to be any problem with the Heat’s pick.

Beasley later lived up to his scoring ability, which was unstoppable when he found his groove.

The only problem was that his condition was too unstable, and he lacked a competitive spirit; he merely treated basketball as a job, indulged in marijuana as an "addict," and ultimately his achievements fell far short of his talent’s ceiling.

But again, that being said...

Su Wan never felt sorry for those who wasted their talent.

With the third pick in the first round, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected O.J. Mayo and then traded him to the Grizzlies.

Mayo’s achievements were just so-so. Indeed, due to drug-related issues, he directly squandered his NBA career.

However, it’s worth mentioning his archetype; the first "upper Jordan lower Kobe" wasn’t Green of the Rockets, but O.J. Mayo.

This aspect alone showcased his physical talent!

If it weren’t for Derrick Rose’s truly exceptional talent, honestly, Mayo’s reputation would have been sufficient for the No.1 Pick.

With the fourth pick in the first round, the Seattle SuperSonics selected a surprise name:

Russell Westbrook.

If last year’s selection of Kevin Durant by the SuperSonic’s management was an expected choice, this year’s pick of the future "God Turtle" was totally unexpected, accompanied by some skepticism.

Adding to this was the controversy in the following year when the SuperSonics, with the third pick in the first round, chose James Harden...

It’s clear the SuperSonic’s scouting system really had some expertise.

The Thunder’s future "Second Brother" officially entered the league!

With the fifth pick in the first round, the rebuilding Minnesota Timberwolves chose Kevin Love.

Just look at these names in the top five picks!

The quality was truly high.

Three All-Stars emerged from just these five players...

Following that, the New York Knicks, with the sixth pick in the first round, chose Danilo Gallinari.

Then with the seventh pick, the Clippers selected Eric Gordon, the future "Round Face Deng."

Next, with the eleventh pick in the first round, the Brooklyn Nets chose Brook Lopez.

Up until the thirteenth pick in the first round.

Su Wan perked up. This was the Pacers’ pick for the season.

Larry Bird’s ultimate choice was:

Robin Lopez!

That selection made Su Wan pause.

Another center?

Then the big screen at the venue displayed an immediate trade.

Seeing suddenly a bunch of names appear, not to mention the fans on site being stunned, even Su Wan was taken aback.

Larry Bird had specifically told him to watch tonight’s draft, saying there would be a surprise.

He really didn’t expect the surprise to be this huge.

It was a three-way trade.

Two of the parties involved were very familiar to Su Wan:

The Pistons and the Nuggets!

"The Pistons trade Chauncey Billups along with a 2009 first-round pick and Alon Afflalo, getting Allen Iverson from the Nuggets, plus Boris Dior from the Pacers;"

"The Nuggets trade Allen Iverson, getting Foster and Robin Lopez, as well as the Pistons’ 2009 first-round pick from the Pacers;"

"The Pacers trade Robin Lopez, Foster, Dior, getting Chauncey Billups and Alon Afflalo from the Pistons!"

The 2004 Finals MVP was about to join the Pacers!

Seeing this trade, Su Wan hastily pulled out his phone and called Larry Bird to ask how he convinced the Nuggets to give up Billups.

Bird was confused for a second: "The Nuggets didn’t ask for Chauncey! They had no idea the Pistons were willing to trade Chauncey!"

It was then that Su Wan learned that Bird was the architect of this three-way trade.

He found out through his intelligence network that the Pistons were planning to trade Billups and contacted Joe Dumars to discuss the trade.

Joe Dumars told him that although they were willing to trade Billups, the prerequisite was getting a star player to invigorate the Pistons’ market.

Bird immediately thought of Allen Iverson.

He hastily contacted the Nuggets’ general manager, and after several heart-to-heart conversations, he quickly understood the Nuggets GM’s thoughts: Denver’s summer plan was to clear Allen Iverson’s contract and to strengthen their weak frontcourt.

Kenyon Martin’s performance had been declining year on year following a major injury; they needed a more solid frontcourt.

When Bird heard this, he immediately proposed the stable Foster and athletic power forwards like Robin Lopez with the rookie pick, plus the Nuggets’ existing Nene, creating the idea of "the new Denver Three Towers."

It would also allow them to clear Allen Iverson.

The Nuggets’ GM heard there was such a good deal and immediately agreed.

Listening to the entire cause and effect, Su Wan couldn’t help but marvel:

The order in which you appear in life is really important!

Just like that, Chauncey Billups, who was supposed to go to the highlands to accomplish something great with Anthony, got hijacked and ended up with the Pacers.

This new season, the Pacers had found the perfect point guard.

The outside world saw that the Pacers had completed a very decent upgrade even before the free-agency market opened, sparking widespread discussion.

But before they finished discussing this...

July 1 arrived, and the Pacers’ announcement that they had signed Shaquille O’Neal with a "mini mid-level contract" completely blew the free-agency market.

No...

What happened to the rebuild?

Pacers, is this what you call rebuilding a team?

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