Champion Rules

Chapter 300, Page 296: The Lotto Draw Ceremony Will Always Be Fair, Just, and Transparent (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
In Game 2 of the series, the Miami Heat continued to focus their defense on Lynch.

Ultimately, the result and process of the match were almost identical to G1.

In the first three quarters, Lynch drew a lot of defensive attention, but the Knicks' role players performed exceptionally well, maintaining their advantage throughout.

In the fourth quarter, a fully-energized Lynch pulled out his scythe, forcing the Miami Heat to display their explosive scoring ability.

Pau Gasol and Andre Iguodala did their best, but a fully-rested Lynch might only be able to compete with a combined defense from a prime Madonna and a prime Carmen Electra.

The Heat were defeated in both games, with no chance to fight back, which was obviously beyond the expectations of Miami fans.

In their view, the Heat should have been able to compete with the Knicks this season.

But the reality is: the Heat in the playoffs are still the same familiar Heat, while the Knicks in the playoffs have been completely transformed.

The end of a dynasty team is often not a glorious one.

The 98 Bulls, destined to fall apart, got bogged down in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The OK duo, whose conflicts were public, barely managed to get past the Kings in 2002 thanks to controversial officiating.

Even so, the dynasty team's heritage and strength allowed them to survive and successfully win three consecutive championships.

Even if a dynasty team begins to decline, it doesn't necessarily mean they will fail.

And in this New York Knicks team, there is not even a trace of the dynasty collapsing.

This means that the chances of them failing are extremely slim.

This is bad news for all the teams vying for the title.

But for the teams vying for the number one draft pick, this is good news.

If the Knicks' goal of "surpassing a three-peat," which is almost impossible in the modern basketball environment, still holds true, then they will definitely go all out for this lottery draft, and will inevitably squeeze out more potential to trade for immediate contributors.

Minnesota Timberwolves general manager David Kahn sensed an opportunity and decided to squeeze a hefty sum out of the Knicks.

David Kahn's reputation has been tarnished lately, not only because his team is once again at the bottom of the Western Conference, but also because DeMar DeRozan's outstanding performance makes his decision two years ago to skip DeRozan and choose Jonny Flynn seem incredibly foolish.

He harbored resentment over this.

He was constantly waiting for an opportunity to take back everything he had lost.

If the Timberwolves get the number one pick, he vows to make Sam Presti, that bastard who likes to hoard draft picks, pay the price!

Anyway, this year is a weak draft year, so even if you get the number one pick, it doesn't necessarily mean you can turn things around.

Why not take this opportunity to snap up all of the Knicks' first-round draft picks for the next few years?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are also evaluating the trade.

After LeBron James left last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Gordon Hayward, a "white version of LeBron James," with the second overall pick.

However, the white forward's performance in his rookie year was extremely disappointing. Daniel Gilbert, in a fit of anger, fired Danny Ferry, who had served the team for many years, and hired Chris Grant as the new general manager.

Chris Grant, the new manager, hopes to change the team's current situation in a short period of time, while not undermining its potential.

This year's draft class has far too few top-tier talents that are clearly visible, and even the number one pick, Kyrie Irving, may not necessarily succeed.

What kind of heights can you expect from a short, offensive-minded point guard? Not everyone can be Allen Iverson.

Kelly Irving can at best be a great second option, but he can't be the cornerstone of a rebuild.

In fact, even if he really is Allen Iverson, that inefficient, high-volume playing style is no longer popular.

Therefore, he decided to sell the draft pick.

If the trade partner is the New York Knicks, he is confident that he can acquire a strong player who can contribute immediately, as well as at least three first-round draft picks.

Before the season was even over, the New York Knicks had already become easy prey for lottery teams.

Because this year's draft is considered a weak one, these teams are sharpening their knives, planning to forgo this year's draft and instead aim for a broader future.

They were all ready to seize the opportunity to devour the rich "flesh and blood" of this champion team.

Sam Presti was also very nervous. He and Lynch had confirmed more than once that Kelly Irving was the best choice for the Manhattan Project to succeed.

He may not be the player with the best potential, or he may not be the player with the best personality.

But he is the player best suited for the Manhattan Project.

It's like this: black ripped socks are far inferior to cotton socks in terms of both warmth and durability.

However, in certain specific situations, it becomes an irreplaceable choice.

If the Knicks need a rookie to immediately establish themselves as a championship starter within the next three years, then no other rookie besides Kyrie Irving can do that.

That silent robot? Unreliable.

The guy who dribbled past you? He's even less reliable.

If the timeframe is extended to 5 to 6 years, Sam Presti would indeed find it difficult to determine which of the three is better.

But when the focus is on the tight three-year timeframe, the answer becomes clear.

The Knicks are not thinking about five or six years from now, but are doing everything they can to seize the moment and help Lynch break through the three-peat barrier to create an even more amazing and unattainable record.

Therefore, Sam Presti must get the number one pick.

Recently, he has received many offers from teams, most of which are exorbitant.

大卫.卡恩那个白痴甚至想把智商税收到11年后，也就是他妈的西历2022年——没错，他的报价是2014、2016、2018、2020和20222五个首轮签！
And Johnny Flynn.

He wanted to personally send this disgrace back to New York.

The asking price seemed outrageous, but Sam Presti knew that if he wanted to continue the Manhattan Project, he didn't have much room to maneuver.

Presti did not intend to make a trade decision before the lottery draw was over, because he wanted to make sure that he would get the number one pick in the draft.

Even so, rumors of the deal continued to be reported by the media.

The names DeMar DeRozan, Wilson Chandler, and DeAndre Jordan frequently appear in the rumors.

Sam looked at the newspaper and hated these revelations.

"Those bastards!" he growled angrily as he sipped his coffee in his office. "Did they have to drop this juicy gossip at this crucial moment?!"

He was worried that trade rumors would affect locker room stability.

At this crucial moment when the team is working together to reach the top, the Knicks have been thrust into the eye of trade rumors.

He believes in Lynch and Shane Battier's control over the locker room, but the longer these rumors circulate, the more likely they are to affect the Knicks.

Sam Presti could do nothing but hope that everything would settle down soon.

After finishing his coffee, Sam Presti got up and headed to the parking lot.

Attend tonight's lottery draw ceremony.
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Michael Jordan personally attended this year's lottery. Although the labor negotiations have ended, Lynch's pointed remark still bothers him:

"Why is Charlotte the Lynx still wallowing in the mud? Because of your incompetence!"

Look at the players you picked, look at the stupid decisions you made on draft night that made the whole league laugh.

"That's the key reason why the Charlotte Bobcats can't succeed!" What does that arrogant brat know? My draft picks are bad?
I was just unlucky!
People will only laugh at Adam Morrison for being all talk and no action, but who remembers that the boy suffered a devastating torn ACL in his left knee in just the second year of his career? That was the turning point in his career!
People always like to ridicule Emeka Okafor for not being worthy of the third overall pick (the first overall pick in 04 was Lynch, and the second was Dwight Howard), but who cares that he ruined his ankle in his second season in the professional league?

I just lacked a bit of damn luck!
This year, Michael Jordan, fueled by a burning passion, poured unprecedented effort into the draft.

Through long-term observation and his keen eye for basketball, he has identified the Bobcats as his target.

That's a combination of the power forward and small forward positions, a super future warrior with top-notch athleticism and basketball skills, often referred to as "LeBron James and Lynch's illegitimate son"—Derrick Williams!

The media is all hyping up Kelly Irving, ha, just a bunch of laymen who don't understand basketball!

Michael Jordan knew that if the Knicks got the number one pick, or rather, if they got Derrick Williams, then Lynch could indeed break the three-peat curse.

Therefore, he was prepared to compete with the Knicks for the contract.

No matter the cost, he was determined to get the top scorer spot.

Meanwhile, David Stern was being interviewed by reporters.

After the crisis of the next season's suspension disappeared, the old Jewish man's smile became more and more frequent.

Although it was mainly Lynch's doing, he was still pleased that the league did not descend into uncontrollable chaos during the final stage of his term.

He was truly grateful to him.

Even when faced with the same pointed questions that reporters ask every year during the lottery draw, David Stern, in a good mood, still kept a smile on his face.

"David, does the league really have an internal mechanism to manipulate the draw results?"

"Did the Cleveland Cavaliers' acquisition of the second overall pick last season serve as a form of compensation from the league for Daniel Gilbert's loss of LeBron James?"

"Faced with the escalating doubts, do you acknowledge that the fairness of the lottery draw has encountered an unprecedented crisis of trust?"

David Stern remained calm and unhurried, and the doubts have never subsided since the very first lottery draw in history.

But this is exactly the result he wanted to see.

Over the years, the traffic and popularity surrounding lottery draws have been increasing.

However, these opinions have not had any substantial impact on it.

He answered calmly:
"The lottery draw adheres to the principles of fairness, impartiality, and transparency. Although the process of drawing ping-pong balls is not broadcast live, we invite league executives, team representatives, media, and impartial staff from Ernst & Young to witness the draw every year."

I know that there have been many shocking lottery results in NBA history, but it is precisely because of the uncertainty that the lottery is so fascinating.

The league has never encouraged tanking, and the lottery draw is the best rule to curb intentional tanking.

It's not that lottery teams aren't allowed to rebuild, but rather that they should follow a rebuilding path unique to the league, adhering to a fundamental principle of winning, rebuilding according to specific circumstances, and seeking progress while maintaining stability. At the same time, it's important to note that special circumstances call for flexible rebuilding.

Therefore, the league will not change any rules regarding the lottery draw in the short term.

The Chinese reporter was completely dumbfounded.

Why does it feel like listening to the evening news?
David Stern spouted a bunch of nonsense. As the league's commissioner, being able to spout nonsense skillfully is a basic skill.

Finally, after the interviews ended, representatives from each team entered the venue after drawing lots.

Sam Presti sat down with trepidation, still pondering the trade proposals and praying that David Kahn, that idiot, wouldn't get the number one draft pick.

The draw actually ended before the live broadcast, but apart from the representatives who witnessed the draw, no one knew the result.

The live broadcast mainly focused on announcing the results, starting from the 14th place and revealing the winners one by one from lowest to highest.

During this process, Sam Presti's mood shifted from nervous to excited.

Even as the highly anticipated top three picks were about to be announced, the New York Knicks' name was still not called!
Kenny Smith, who was commentating on the lottery draw, was surprised: "The New York Knicks' lottery pick came from the Los Angeles Clippers. There are seven teams with worse records than the Clippers. But now, they've actually made it to the final stage of the lottery draw!"

Charles Barkley didn't speak, but his heart was pounding.

Also making the top three are the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

These happen to be the two teams most eager to make a trade with the Knicks.

In the live stream footage, Sam Presti was constantly looking at his phone.

He is receiving information from the Cavaliers and Timberwolves.

Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant made his final offer: DeAndre Jordan, Wilson Chandler, and three first-round draft picks.

Timberwolves general manager David Kahn was even more greedy: You better pray I don't get the number one pick, otherwise my asking price will only be higher than Chris's!
Michael Jordan held his breath as a chilling thought suddenly popped into his head—but he suppressed it, unwilling to believe it would become a reality.

At the same time, Lynch also received a text message.

"Can we break up our current roster to try and get the number one draft pick!?"

The text message was from James Dolan, who was going crazy.

Without a trade, the Knicks' journey to surpass a three-peat will become extremely difficult.

If the Knicks make a trade, they are very likely to face the situation of losing both the present and the future—because even if they get Kelly Irving, they may not be able to achieve a four-peat after disrupting the team's existing framework.

This is indeed very difficult; the possibility of having the best of both worlds is almost zero.

This is why there are no teams that win four consecutive championships in modern basketball.

David Stern walked onto the stage and drew a card representing the third pick, which bore the Cleveland Cavaliers' logo.

Chris Grant wasn't happy; in this weak draft class, the third pick had very limited value.

The Cavaliers dropped out of contention, the Knicks moved into the top two, but Timberwolves general manager David Kahn was already celebrating with a fist pump.

He believes the Timberwolves, with 17 wins, are destined to be number one!

So he sent the pre-edited text message: DeAndre Jordan, Wilson Chandler, and five first-round draft picks, in exchange for the super talent Johnny Flynn!

David Stern walked to center stage for the last time, James Dolan's eyes were closed, his fingertips were cold.

Lin Qi turned off his phone, let out a breath, and prepared to accept his fate.

He has decided that he will not trade if he does not get the item.

Although that would make a four-peat incredibly difficult, at least we can try again.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, with his signature enigmatic smile on his face, David Stern turned the card inside the envelope.

In that instant, Sam Presti's face turned as white as a dead man.

This was the most emotionally turbulent moment of his life.

Michael Jordan felt dizzy.

Timberwolves general manager David Kahn clutched his chest, seemingly struggling to breathe, whether from excessive excitement or shock, it was unclear.

Kenny Smith's scream instantly pierced through the nationwide live broadcast signal:
The team that got the second pick in the 2011 NBA draft is the Minnesota Timberwolves!
Ladies and gentlemen, this also means—

The New York Knicks got the number one draft pick!

(End of this chapter)