The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 36 The Second Place Show
"China's Tang Dynasty?!"

Upon seeing the general manager write "T", Peter Philip's eyes widened, and he turned to look at the seat where Tang Bei was sitting.

Tvortsk wrote "Tang Bei" smoothly on the paper, let out a long breath, as if he had completed an important task, and felt all the pressure in his heart disappear.

The Hornets only won 31 games last season, finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference, and allowed an average of 113.4 points per game. Poor defense was one of the team's main problems.

Choosing between Tang Bei and Mourning was a particularly difficult dilemma for Tvortsk, making the decision somewhat arduous.

Alonzo Mourning is a defensive stalwart in the paint, a decent offensive player, and a more mature center who can be used effectively as soon as he joins the team.

Tang Bei is currently very inexperienced, and his overall offensive and defensive strength is not as good as Mo Ning's, which is why he wrote Mo Ning first.

However, during the trial, Tang Bei performed well against Mourning, even gaining the upper hand in the paint.

Mourning's lack of height puts him at a significant disadvantage when defending a heavy center like Tang Bei under the basket, making the defense very difficult.

In particular, Larry Johnson is also a short power forward, and Mourning is not tall enough, so this inside duo is at a disadvantage in terms of height.

In terms of defense, which the Hornets desperately need, Tang Bei has also shown enough potential, but he still needs time to grow.

From another perspective, Mo Ning is already quite mature, but Tang Bei is not. This means that Tang Bei's potential for growth is likely greater, and his potential for development is also greater.

Therefore, he ultimately chose Tang Bei, who had greater potential and room for growth, rather than Alonzo Moning.

Tvercz quickly put the note into an envelope and handed it to an official staff member waiting on the side. The staff member immediately went up and handed it to David Stern.

Stern took the envelope, pulled out the blank paper, and was taken aback when he saw the name on it.

Who did the Hornets ultimately choose?

At this moment, Jim Brewer, Rick Sander, Christine Lightner, Mourning, and others were all nervously speculating.

David Stern coughed and read, "The Charlotte Hornets selected Tang Bei from...China with the second overall pick in the first round."

"Oh!"

A whirlwind of exclamations erupted in the memorial stadium.

"yeah!"

Eric Fleischer shouted excitedly.

Eric is incredibly lucky!

Mark Fleischer, sitting in the back, muttered resentfully.

"Shet!"

Laettner was furious that he wasn't even the second pick, and he couldn't understand why the Hornets made such a stupid choice.

Mourning was extremely frustrated, not understanding why the Hornets, who desperately needed defense, chose Tang instead of him.

"me?"

Tang Bei seemed to hear David Stern call his name, and was very surprised that he had been selected second overall.
"what?"

Xu Jicheng's mouth dropped open, he could hardly believe his ears. Wasn't it supposed to be the last place in the lottery? The second place is the last place in the lottery?

Caught off guard, he panicked and nearly dropped his camera, breaking out in a sweat from fright.

"Second in line?"

Far away in Los Angeles, Zhang Heli was equally astonished.

"Shet!"

Upon hearing David Stern pronounce Tang Bei's name, Timberwolves general manager Jim Brewer looked disappointed and muttered a curse under his breath.

Beside him, Mavericks general manager Rick Sund also wore a similar expression, clearly disappointed.

The two were the first to meet Tang Bei. They were invited by Fleischer to Tang Bei's first CBA game, but ultimately they were unable to attend, which they both found very regrettable.

"Congratulations, the Hornets were foolish not to choose Mourning and Laettner. Now you have the opportunity to choose them."

Rockets general manager Steve Patterson, though disappointed, couldn't resist making a joke. Jim Brewer chuckled and said, "Laettner is good too, Mr. Patterson. I just wonder who your Rockets team is looking to draft?"

Rick Sander said, "Jim, you choose Lightner, so I'll leave Mourning to you."

Steve Patterson's face turned a little grim, but what could he do when the Rockets were drafted so low? By the time it was the Rockets' turn, they'd probably only have some rotten cabbages left.

"Crack, click, click..."

At this moment, Tang Bei took the Hornets baseball cap from the staff and put it on his head. Xu Jicheng excitedly pressed the shutter, and the media reporters on the scene also pressed the shutter, and the flashes went off everywhere.

"Hello, Mr. Stern."

Tang Bei shook hands with David Stern and spoke in English with neither humility nor arrogance.

David Stern smiled and said, "Welcome, Tang. I'm delighted to see a young Chinese man join the NBA and I look forward to your success here."

He was genuinely pleased that Tang Bei was selected second overall; it was even a pleasant surprise.

John Liu then went up on stage and quickly began translating.

"Thank you!"

After Tang Bei thanked David Stern, David Stern stepped aside a little and moved closer to the microphone, preparing to say something.

Although he didn't expect to be selected second overall, he had made preparations and discussed what he wanted to say with Eric and the others.

Facing such a grand occasion, he showed no stage fright and spoke in Mandarin:

"I'm very happy that the Hornets drafted me, and I'm really looking forward to starting my NBA career in Charlotte. I hope to use my abilities to make the Hornets better."

He spoke at a moderate pace, and John Liu's translator was able to keep up with his rhythm.

"Clap clap clap..."

Dave Tvertzke and Eric Fleischer applauded with great delight.

"Tang, welcome to the Hornets."

"Thank you!"

As Tang Bei stepped off the stage, Dave Tvertzke went to greet him.

The two had communicated one-on-one at the official joint tryout camp in Chicago, and later met again when Tang Bei went to train with the Hornets, so they were already acquainted.

Before they could exchange more than two words, a TNT staff member came over to remind them, "Tang, it's time for the interview."

"Tang, you go do your interview first, we'll talk later," Tvortske said hurriedly.

"OK."

Tang Bei led John Liu into the interview booth, which contained a camera, a photographer, and a middle-aged white reporter in a white shirt and black tie.

"Tang, I'm John Scott, a reporter from TNT." The white reporter looked at Tang Bei with a scrutinizing gaze.

"I am Tang Bei."

"Tang, do you think your talent deserves second place?"

The white reporter's questions were barbed, and his eyes were fixed on Tang Bei, deliberately creating a pressure-filled atmosphere.

Tang Bei ignored the other party's slight pressure; at this moment, he was in a very relaxed state of mind.

From the moment he succeeded in the talent show, his life underwent a tremendous change. He will be far removed from the nickname "Tang the Big Rice Bucket," and his life is heading towards success.

At this moment, he is a success, and with this successful mindset, any pressure will be ignored.

On the contrary, he was a person with strong energy and spirit, with bright and imposing eyes. Under his gaze, the interviewing reporter could not withstand the pressure, looked away, and dared not stare at him anymore.

"Damn it, why don't I dare to stare at him?"

Although the reporter turned their attention back, they dared not look directly at Tang Bei for long and had to look away from time to time.

(End of this chapter)