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Chapter 268 The Forsaken Child, the Veteran Yearning to Cling to a Powerful Backer
6 month 29 day.

The 2012 NBA Draft was held as scheduled in the theater at Madison Square Garden.

As expected, David Stern, who was giving a speech in the center of the stage, was met with a chorus of boos.

However, it is different from previous years.

The reason Stern was booed this year was mainly because the outside world believed that he had rigged the draft pick that ultimately went to the New Orleans Hornets.

Just as Qin Yue remembered, because the league did not allow any new owner to take over the Hornets to move the team out of New Orleans, which is still recovering from the hurricane to this day.

Therefore, after the Bensons agreed to take over the devastated team, rumors circulated that the Hornets would receive compensation from the league.

Although Stern explained in an attempt to quell the rumors, "The NBA draft lottery has always been fair, open, and impartial."

However, considering that this year's top draft pick is Anthony Davis, the "firstborn son of America".

Even if the league didn't engage in any behind-the-scenes manipulation, the Hornets, already under intense scrutiny, are bound to attract the envy of fans from other teams.

"Will Anthony Davis become the next messiah?" — ESPN Live News Brief

There was no suspense at the draft.

With the first overall pick, the Bensons unsurprisingly selected Anthony Davis, who had been part of the Kentucky University's run to the March Madness championship this year, for the New Orleans Hornets, which will be renamed the Pelicans next season.

As a young player whose draft comparison is GOAT.

Although 19-year-old Davis still has many details to improve in the scouting report compared to Qin Yue, who was more mature at the time.

Davis, who received a five-year, $55 million contract from Nike as soon as he decided to enter the draft, had already been widely sought after before entering the draft because of his physical test data, which was very similar to Qin Yue's.

Moreover, it should be noted that Davis, who is still developing, has not yet reached his limit in terms of both dynamic and static talents.

Qin Yue, who came from the future, had the privilege of seeing Davis's physical test data when he was 21 years old.

Barefoot height: 208 cm.

He is 211 cm tall with shoes on.

Arm span 233 cm.

Standing reach height: 284 cm.

Standing vertical jump: 75 centimeters.

The running jump is 91 centimeters.

In addition, before gaining weight, he had a 3.3-second 3/4 sprint time and a four-point movement within the three-second zone in under 11 seconds.

Without exaggeration
This is a set of physical test data that would be considered monstrous regardless of the era.

In addition to possessing historically great physical and dynamic talents, Davis also demonstrated to scouts during his college years his ball-handling skills, which have great potential, as well as a basic level of defensive awareness.

Therefore, people have high hopes for Davis and expect him to become the next version of himself. In Qin Yue's view, this is definitely not wishful thinking.

Do you think Carmelo Anthony can surpass you in the future?

As someone close to the GOAT, Evans, who now wishes Qin Yue could beat any exceptionally talented player to a pulp on the court whenever one appeared, asked with a curious expression.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yue said, "Besides myself, I don't think anyone can surpass me in the next fifty years."

As someone who has been through it all, Qin Yue fully understands people's desire for young talents in the NBA to surpass them.

After all, before he traveled through time, one of the joys of watching basketball was the hope that a young player would emerge who could surpass Jordan.

Unfortunately...
Let alone the current Davis, even the Davis of the future with the amazing "C-LeBron value" is nothing more than this in Qin Yue's eyes now.

In the past two years, Qin Yue has felt a sense of loneliness that only Michael Jordan experienced back then.

“You know what, Ronnie, actually I’m more eager than anyone for Anthony to grow up at a speed that exceeds everyone’s expectations.” At this moment, Qin Yue turned his gaze to Evans and said this.

"why?"

"Because being invincible is a very lonely thing."

At the draft, Anthony Davis, crowned number one overall pick, attracted a lot of attention with his intelligent-looking eyebrows.

Following that, the Trail Blazers, holding the second overall pick, made a deal that Qin Yue considered a sure-fire win.

The Portland Trail Blazers, who traded away their second overall pick, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, not only received Damian Lillard, who was selected sixth overall by the Sacramento Kings, but also, after including two minor players, used their seventh overall pick from the Kings to select Harrison Barnes, nicknamed "Blackhawk," from North Carolina.

Although, in the end, the Kings did acquire Gilchrist, a player with exceptional talent before the draft and known as an all-around swingman, in this trade.

But the Kings, who lost Lillard and Barnes, incredibly missed two correct answers in a row.

With the King's assistance, Qin Yue believed that the Trail Blazers' rise to prominence was only a matter of time.

In addition, Bradley Beal, Dion West, and Thomas Robinson were selected by the Timberwolves, Wizards, and Cavaliers with the third, fourth, and fifth picks in the first round, respectively.

While Qin Yue was still marveling at the Trail Blazers for making such a great trade...
LeBron James, who has already lost his crown and recently earned the new nickname "the forsaken one," has received news that drives him crazy.

Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh robbed the Minnesota Timberwolves.

If the Knicks agree to trade LeBron James, the Timberwolves will trade their newly drafted Bradley Beal and new star Kevin Love to the Big Apple.

However, historically speaking, the Knicks are more likely to be the ones getting robbed.

But given James' current "one-man show" status in the basketball world, Timberwolves fans felt their intelligence had been greatly insulted as soon as the trade was announced.

No!

What makes LeBron James so capable that, after trading away Love, he also wants us to include a promising rookie like Beal?

Why?
Is he worthy?
Unfortunately, in the eyes of the Timberwolves' management, James was not good enough.

So no matter how much Wolves fans protest, they are destined to only be able to complain online.

And what about the Knicks?
Since the end of the Finals, Walsh, who has been working tirelessly to trade for LeBron James, has clearly done his best.

No one knows how much effort Walsh put in behind the scenes to fool the Wolves.

Moreover, in a sense, Walsh's trade to steal from the Timberwolves is currently the best solution for the Knicks.

As early as last year's Western Conference Finals, the Lakers had already proven to the world that if they wanted to move Qin Yue, the new GOAT who excels on both offense and defense, away from the paint, firstly, their own interior players also needed to have a certain shooting range.

Now, the team has Howard and Love.

Outside of them are Iguodala, Durant, and Harden.

The Knicks' roster balance has been greatly improved.

More importantly, the Knicks also acquired Beal, a high-quality backup scorer, in this trade.

As for James, who is about to be sent to Minnesota and will lead the Timberwolves to compete for next year's number one draft pick?

Without a doubt, James has ushered in the darkest day of his life.

Who are the current players on the Wolves team?

After the Timberwolves traded Love, Qin Yue, who couldn't immediately recall any other well-known players on the team, turned to Evans and asked. After thinking for a moment, Evans replied, "Their biggest star right now is probably only Yi Jianlian."

Yi Jianlian?

It's incredible.

In the CBA, a team with Yi Jianlian as its core is undoubtedly a championship contender.

In the NBA
With Yi Jianlian being the only player the Timberwolves can still contribute, Qin Yue couldn't even imagine what kind of two years James would face with the Timberwolves before his current contract expired.

That's right. Although James' current contract is a "3+1" contract, because the Knicks did not agree to give James a player option back then, even if James wanted to leave the Timberwolves, he would have to sell tickets for two years for the Timberwolves, who had the team's draft picks.

"Brown, are we really going to Minnesota?"

Randy Mims, one of James' close associates, was devastated the moment he learned that the Knicks had traded James to the Timberwolves.

"Brown, you're in the prime of your career right now, and we can't let your talent go to waste in a godforsaken place like Minnesota."

Maverick Carter, who works for Nike, knows better than anyone that if James wastes two years with the Timberwolves, he will likely become just an ordinary star when he becomes a free agent again.

but
This is the truth.

Unable to control his own destiny, James ultimately had to head to the freezing cold of Minnesota.

However, setting aside Minnesota's various locational disadvantages, James, who is about to become the "Wolf King," will at least this time not have to worry about not getting enough ball possession to fill his skill plate in Minnesota.

after all
The current Timberwolves team truly doesn't have any big-name stars.

At the draft, after the Knicks sent their "forsaken son" LeBron James to Minnesota...
Before the Warriors selected Draymond Green with the 27th overall pick in the first round, which they acquired from the Pacers, other notable first-round picks from the 2012 draft class included Andre Drummond, Evan Fournier, and Myles Plumlee, who were selected by the Pistons, Magic, and Celtics, respectively.

Meanwhile, two of the most promising players from the 12 second-round draft, Jae Crowder and Khris Middleton, were both recruited by the Bucks.

The 30th pick in the second round.

With the Warriors selecting Robert Sacre, the 2012 NBA Draft came to a successful conclusion.

This summer, the Warriors, who have already undergone a new round of roster changes, will now turn their attention to the upcoming free agent market.

Unlike those who did not want Qin Yue to interfere with the team's draft process.

Before the free agency market opened, Warriors president Larry Riley's greatest hope was that Qin Yue could persuade Tim Duncan, who would become a free agent this summer, to join the team.

Unfortunately, Duncan left the Spurs in order to defeat Qin Yue, and no matter how Qin Yue tried to persuade him, he could not shake his determination to beat his junior one before retiring.

"I gave up. He's such a stubborn mule."

After failing to persuade Duncan to join the team, Qin Yue said the following to Riley.

Seeing this, Riley asked, "Did Tim say which team he'll be joining?"

Qin Yue nodded and said, "Tim said he would bring his talents back to the West."

Riley said with a wry smile, "He can't very well choose to join the Lakers, can he?"

Qin Yue shook his head and said, "Joining the Lakers? That doesn't suit Tim's personality."

In fact, Qin Yue was also surprised when he learned that Duncan had decided to join the SuperSonics.

Even if Yao Ming is still in his prime.
The current rebuilding SuperSonics team has no chance of challenging the Warriors.

However, since Duncan has already made his choice.

In response, Qin Yue could only wish his senior good luck.

The NBA free agency market officially opened on July 1.

The Heat, by signing David West and Reggie Evans in the free agent market, have finally strengthened their frontcourt, which had been barely held together by Bosh and Haslem for the past two years.

Originally, West was also someone Qin Yue actively recruited this summer.

Unfortunately, West is still the proud and arrogant West.

"I'm not at the point where I need to be a backup for someone like Kwame Brown."

In response to Qin Yue's offer of recruitment, West replied as follows.

Although Brown had already become a substitute in last season's playoffs while with the Warriors.

But the thought of competing for playing time with someone like Brown made West furious.

"What do you mean by 'someone like me'?"

As for West's reason for rejecting the Warriors, Brown, who was actively preparing for his Octagon battle with O'Neal, was anxious: "I am the championship center of the Warriors' first dynasty, what kind of championship is David?"

Qin Yue hadn't expected the Warriors' recruitment efforts this summer to go so poorly.

Throughout the first ten days of July, the only good news for the Warriors was that Curry signed a contract extension ahead of schedule and Jamison signed a very cost-effective minimum salary contract.

However, compared to the team's previous roster, the Warriors, with a large number of young players who need time to develop in the new season, have lost the roster depth they had when they established their first dynasty.

As of now, the Warriors' roster is as follows:
Centers: Brown, Sacre.

Power forwards: Qin Yue, Green.

Small forwards: Wallace, Jamison, Barnes.

Shooting guards: Green, Butler.

Point guards: Curry, Jack, Livingston.

In terms of the inside game, even if Green plays a full four years in college, he can't immediately become the Dream Chaser that Qin Yue remembers.

Needless to say, Thackeray was another story.

Qin Yue suggested that the Warriors select Sacre, since they never expected Sacre to make a name for himself on the court.

As for the forward and guard positions...
Young Green and Butler proved themselves in last season's playoffs, but compared to the Warriors team with its abundance of sharpshooters...
The new Warriors' wing and guard positions have clearly lost some of their firepower.

In short, finding a reliable backup center and a shooter to replace Mike Dunleavy in the free agent market has become the Warriors' top priority this summer.

Then the problem is coming.

Are there any players in this year's free agent market who meet the Warriors' requirements?
The answer is, of course.

Moreover, in order to wait for Qin Yue's call, this player has even rejected invitations from several championship contenders.

“If you still hold a grudge about what happened back then, I can formally apologize to you in public.”

In mid-July, in order to prove his sincerity in currying favor with Qin Yue, Ray Allen said the following to Qin Yue on the phone.

……

PS: A belated but welcome update.

(End of this chapter)