LeBron James, your house got robbed.

Chapter 117 The 12-Year Draft (Part 1)

As the sunlight began to set, the public square was already nearly deserted, with only rows of streetlights standing tall.

The scattered wine-red ribbons on the ground seemed to be the only trace of that grand ceremony.

The Cavaliers' post-championship parade route started from Quicken Loans Arena and ended at the city's landmark public square.

Two days ago, hundreds of thousands of people packed this place, and the whole city stopped to participate in the carnival.

In a daze, Chen Shuo could still see the expressions on those people's faces, some were fanatical and crazy, some were overjoyed, and some were in tears. The emotions of hundreds of thousands of people gathered together are still fresh in his memory.

Chen Shuo threw away the ribbon in his hand, his eyes gradually becoming clear and firm. It was time to look forward.

It's only a ten-minute walk from here to the quick loan center.

For convenience, Chen Shuo has spent most of this year in the Quick Loan Center's office, rather than at the suburban Knights' training base.

This has led the Cavaliers' management to shift their focus to Quicken Loans Arena this season.

Grant has tried to persuade Chen Shuo to move to the suburbs quite a bit, and he even brought it up at the party after the championship parade a couple of days ago.

Grant's reasons were quite valid.

"There are no established communities here in the public square, so there's no way to guarantee your safety. You know you're the soul of the team now."

Chen Shuo didn't think it was a big deal.

He has gotten used to living here.

American community culture is more family-oriented, which is quite convenient for him, a loner.

Besides, he didn't think there was anything dangerous about the place.

It looks brightly lit, but the only problem is that there aren't many pedestrians.

Often, it was a journey that would take more than ten minutes, and Chen Shuo would walk alone under the cold light of the streetlights.

Of course, the main focus is on developing the land near the public square.

As a result, this place appears desolate for the time being.

After Chen Shuo walked into a small alley with ease, his body suddenly tensed up, and his eyes were fixed on the shadow beneath his feet.

You can vaguely make out that the person following behind is wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

This is the standard attire for black guys.

Chen Shuo tried to quicken his pace, but the figure behind him kept closing in.

Further ahead, even the streetlights were in disrepair due to construction.

We can't go any further.

Thinking of this, Chen Shuo stopped walking, and the shadow behind him also stopped.

"Listen, you're having some trouble, and I might be able to help you."

Chen Shuo slowly turned his body around, trying to control the range of his movements as much as possible.

In this place, who can guarantee that the other side doesn't have a gun?

After Chen Shuo turned around completely, he quickly checked the follower's attire: a face mask with a skull on it, a black hoodie, several letters tattooed on the bare black skin of his hands, and a large iron chain around his neck.

This guy has probably been involved in gangs.

Chen Shuo tried to soften his tone and be friendly: "Hi, we can—"

The black man opposite suddenly pulled down his mask, his face showing a look of surprise.

"Chen, my God, it's Chen Shuo! You saved this city!"

Chen Shuo felt relieved. It seemed to be a local, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

"Yeah, that's right, I'm going to the arena to prepare for tonight's draft."

The young Black man was clearly very interested in it.

"God, every player you've chosen is outstanding."

"Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, even that white guy is pretty good."

"By the way, didn't we not have any draft picks this year?"

Chen Shuo spread his hands and slowly explained, "Last year, we traded the No. 4 pick to the Bobcats for their No. 9 pick and a 13 first-round pick from the Trail Blazers."

"We traded another first-round pick from the Trail Blazers to the Celtics, so we have a first-round pick this year."

The Black man seemed excited: "That's right, the 9th pick became Thompson, and he hit TheShot in the Finals."

"I'm a huge Klay fan."

Chen Shuo immediately started making empty promises: "Then you're very lucky. Give me your home address, and I can give you a Thompson autographed jersey."

A flicker of hesitation crossed the Black man's face; the allure of the jersey ultimately prevailed over reason.

Chen Shuo quickly realized the other party's hesitation.

This guy probably thinks I'm trying to get his address and is about to call the police.

Fortunately, the other party did not show any malice.

Seeing that the conversation had gone on long enough, Chen Shuo realized that saying too much would lead to mistakes, so he used the excuse that it was getting late to successfully slip away.

Even after arriving at the quick loan center, Chen Shuo was still a little scared.

If you run into those Latino gangs, things won't be so easy.

Perhaps Grant's excuses weren't so bad.

When Chen Shuo entered the meeting room, all the members of the talent show team were already in place.

However, everyone present understood that the talent show was entirely up to Chen Shuo's discretion, and they were just there to go through the motions and watch the show.

"Chen, we've received information that a big deal may be about to happen."

Chen Shuo shifted his gaze to the television screen, looking at the 12 draft list. He really didn't remember any major trades happening during this draft.

With Chen Shuo's photographic memory, it can only mean one thing: the gears of fate have begun to turn, and the cause that Chen Shuo planted himself is about to bear fruit that is different from the original timeline.

Chen Shuo sat in the first row and casually picked up the documents on the table.

"Do you have any more concrete information?"

Grant shook his head, but Tyronn Lue spoke up, "For the past half season, the Celtics have had an assistant coach acting as head coach."

"I heard that their head coach for the new season will be Brad Stevens from Butler University."

Cole turned around and looked at Tyronn Lue.

"I know Stevens. He's exceptionally good at drawing plays, and he can execute almost every ATo (after-timeout) play."

Chen Shuo's eyes flickered, a hint of surprise flashing across his face, but he quickly regained his composure.

It seems that Ainge had his eye on Coach Stevens as the young coach for the post-Big Three era for a long time.

It's just that it's happened a year earlier.

With five draft picks in hand, the Celtics are the most likely team to make a major trade tonight.

However, Stevens prefers players he has personally nurtured. In other words, Stevens is a coach who develops players through experience and is not quite used to the traditional approach of forming teams with established giants.

Just as Chen Shuo was lost in thought, Stern came out and announced the start of the draft.

The New Jersey Nets have officially moved to Brooklyn, so the NBA draft has been moved to the Barclays Center.

"Each team has five minutes to think, and now we await the New Orleans Hornets' decision."

Stern turned and walked back behind the scenes, and NBATV immediately switched to Anthony Davis's college highlights. Davis was simply dominant in college, taking both easy and difficult plays, displaying historic off-ball attacking ability, and his terrifying raw talent was clearly visible.

ESPN has given Davis two player comparisons: Kevin Garnett and Tyson Chandler, or, as a columnist put it, Davis is more like a combination of the two.

The Hornets' management can make choices with almost no need to think.

Stern returned to the forefront: "The New Orleans Hornets selected the number one pick in the 2012 NBA draft."

Anthony Davis

At this moment, Davis was extremely green, with thick eyebrows that formed a single line and protruding canine teeth, making him look like a primitive man.

That's why they say money supports people.

Later, thanks to the benefits of US dollars, Anthony Davis even showed signs of becoming quite rugged and handsome.

The second pick didn't keep fans waiting much longer.

As expected, Steve Jobs once again chose Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Jordan told the media that this young man could inject a tough spirit and team culture into the team through his defense.

Chen Shuo agrees with the basketball god's thinking on this point.

For a new team to quickly unite, defense is undoubtedly the best option.

Carefully studying the opponent's offensive habits, working tirelessly to hone defensive skills, giving it your all, and maintaining close communication and cooperation within the team.

Especially the last point, defense is essentially the result of teamwork. It requires a lot of communication on the court, telling teammates to switch on defense, reminding teammates to set screens, and so on.

Garnett never stops talking; besides trash talk, he's always urging and reminding his teammates.

All of these contribute to the cohesion and unity of the young team.

Jordan hoped that McGee would become the Bobcats' Pippen, assisting the new generation of team core Kemba Walker.

Unfortunately, the basketball god's eye for players was really not that great.

McGee's extremely bizarre shooting technique, with a three-point shooting percentage of only 25% in college, destined him to be unable to adapt to the new era of the NBA.

Just then, Grant received a phone call, hung up after a few words, and realized that everyone was staring at him.

"The Celtics appear to have traded their third pick."

"But the specific details of the transaction are still unknown."

Chen Shuo stared intently at the screen. This time, Stern came up exceptionally slowly, and the Celtics had almost exhausted all their time.

"The Boston Celtics selected Bradley Beal with the 3rd overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft."

Chen Shuo's gaze followed the camera to the round table in front of the small green house.

Bill stood up, hugged his family and friends one by one, and accepted a blue hat.

Blue?

The blue lightning bolt logo is clearly visible.

Thunder? Presti has made his move.

Besides James Harden, Chen Shuo couldn't think of any other assets the Thunder had.

It can't be Durant or Westbrook, can it?

This time, the Thunder didn't even give Harden a chance to discuss a contract.

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