LeBron James, your house got robbed.

Chapter 96 A team like the Cosmic Warriors can only exist under my leadership.

The NBA lottery draw is hosted by Adam Silver.

Chen Shuo looked at the thin, bald Jewish man.

Rumors have begun circulating in the league that Stern is considering stepping down.

Gilbert recently gave Chen Shuo a definite answer that Stern will likely announce his retirement plans around the end of this offseason.

There are more than two years to allow Xiao Hua to gradually take over.

Compared to Stern, Silver is more in line with the stereotypical image of a Jewish merchant in Chen Shuo's eyes.

They squeeze every last drop of profit and lack long-term vision.

Stern had a comprehensive strategic plan, and upon taking office, he reformed the league's drug abuse and violence issues, completely turning around the NBA's image.

He orchestrated the Lakers-Celtics rivalry and, together with Bulls owner Reinsdorf, created the legend of Michael Jordan, shaping the NBA...

The viewership ratings reached an all-time high.

What impressed Chen Shuo the most was Stern's global vision.

As early as the 80s, Stern began to establish a global presence.

Miami served as a gateway to the South American market; European players were brought in to participate in the NBA, and preseason games were held in Europe to open up the European market; and they even came to China, thousands of miles away, to promote their products.

The story circulating online about Stern waiting in the cold wind is, in Chen Shuo's opinion, insufficient to demonstrate Stern's courage.

The agreement signed with the country at that time revealed Stern's foresight.

According to regulations in the early 90s, only game videos and highlights were allowed to be broadcast in China. The NBA had to edit these videos, add music, and hand them over to China for broadcast. The fee was basically zero.

In addition, there are a series of treaties that are not very equitable.

It's like the NBA lost money to gain publicity, which laid the foundation for cultivating a huge potential fan base for the NBA in China in the future.

In comparison, Xiao Hua pales in comparison, unable to even do basic storytelling well.

However, in the next decade of rapid development of new media and the Internet, inertia will continue to grow the NBA pie along with the globalization strategy formulated by Stern.

This will, to some extent, cover up Xiao Hua's short-sighted business practices.

Until one day this grand show was completely replaced by new forms of entertainment.

Upon hearing the name Celtics, Chen Shuo instantly focused his attention.

"The 9th pick belongs to the Celtics, and the Timberwolves' draft pick has not been promoted by any team since."

The draw proceeded quickly because the actual draw ceremony had already taken place; currently, only the order of draws was being announced.

According to the alliance, the lottery was conducted under the supervision of a notary and auditing body.

The Pistons and Raptors then secured the 8th and 7th picks, respectively.

Chen Shuo watched the live TV broadcast and saw that the team originally scheduled for the 6th pick was the Kings, which was held by the Celtics.

In other words, Chen Shuo traded the Cavaliers' draft pick for this year's draft pick during the offseason.

Based on the Cavaliers' record, the Kings should be the 30th pick this year. However, the Cavaliers have the right to trade this pick to the Heat, which they obtained when they traded away LeBron James.

So the Kings exercised their trade right and got the Heat's 26th pick this season, which can be considered a small consolation prize.

As for Riley, he was probably a bit frustrated, as he hadn't expected that the right to exchange would actually be used.

"The 6th pick belongs to the Golden State Warriors."

The Celtics have a top-three draft pick.

The Warriors were originally destined to be the 7th pick in the original timeline, and they were ultimately drawn as the 7th pick.

Chen Shuo's arrival caused the Cavaliers to stop tanking, and the Kings, after losing their first-round pick, surged in the standings, which brought the Warriors' record down to 5th from the bottom, corresponding to the 5th pick.

The fact that the Warriors won the 6th pick only means that the Celtics' draft pick is now in the top three.

"The 5th pick belongs to the Portland Trail Blazers."

The Trail Blazers' pick on the Nets was also pushed to a later position.

Based on their record, the Hornets should be next in line.

"The fourth pick belongs to the Washington Wizards."

"The Celtics, Hornets, and Bobcats are in the top three picks."

As expected, the Hornets secured a spot in the top three.

Last month, the league sold the Hornets, which it had been managing, to the Benson family. They also own the N1 team, which is also based in New Orleans.

FL team—New Orleans Saints.

Chen Shuo recalled a reporter's report that the Hornets never had their own medical team and always relied on the Saints, which led to the team's players constantly suffering from injuries.

Thinking of this, Chen Shuo could only silently pray for Irving.

Chen Shuo has always felt apologetic towards Irving.

He has always tried to avoid having too much involvement with the players.

After all, Chen Shuo is the general manager.

Since his time travel, Chen Shuo has been determined to build an NBA star team.

Teams like the Lakers and Knicks are probably in a tough spot, but teams like the Spurs and Bulls still have a chance.

What Chen Shuo is doing is actually the same thing as Riley.

However, as the team gradually got back on track, Chen Shuo realized that being cold-blooded and ruthless was not something that could be done simply by wanting to.

These players are all living, breathing people who appear in Chen Shuo's life every day, making it hard not to develop some kind of bond with them.

There were also Cleveland fans; Chen Shuo used to think that this place was nothing more than a stepping stone for him.

On the night he won the Best General Manager award, Chen Shuo suddenly realized that he was getting used to life here.

I'm used to walking from Quicken Loans Arena to the central square every day, and I'm used to passing by those old, box-shaped buildings.

Just then, Xiao Hua walked back to the podium and pretended to take out a sign with the team logo from the envelope.

"The third pick belongs to the Boston Celtics."

It's true what they say, the same fortune can lead to different fates.

The league's principle toward the Celtics has always been to neither give them too much preferential treatment nor allow them to become too weak.

Of course, it's also because the Celtics' management is so strong that they don't need much support to rise to prominence.

However, apart from Anthony Davis, there were no other players in that year's draft who were good enough to be cornerstones.

The camera focused on the remaining two teams, the Bobcats and the Hornets, whose owners personally drew lots: Michael Jordan and Tom Benson.

Chen Shuo has basically concluded that the league's strategy has not changed, and the Hornets will still get the number one draft pick.

Besides needing to take care of his new boss Benson, Stern would absolutely not allow Anthony Davis, the son of America, to face the spurring of Michael Jordan.

"The second pick belongs to the Charlotte Bobcats, so congratulations to the New Orleans Hornets for getting the first pick."

The disappointment on Jordan's face was clearly visible.

Chen Shuo was a little surprised, as he thought Jordan would be quite sensitive to such matters.

Don't you have any self-awareness?

For so many years, no rookie has been able to develop in the Bobcats.

After criticizing Michael Jordan, Chen Shuo discussed the Hornets' roster.

The duo of Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, both former number one draft picks, is more than enough to form the cornerstone of a strong playoff team.

However, neither of them is suitable for offensive development. Irving's career has proven that he is more suitable as a wing isolation player, and Davis's career during those years also illustrates his limitations.

Although Anthony Davis has a classic story of big men in the paint.

A short player suddenly grows tall and becomes an inside player with the skills of a point guard. It sounds wonderful at first glance, but it is of no use in actual combat.

Anthony Davis grew taller starting in his freshman year of high school, and throughout his four years of high school and college, he basically didn't continue to develop his ball-handling skills.

This is nothing more than a pretty gimmick.

Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving are both basically standard 1.5 meters tall. They're not enough to be the main star, but they're practically perfect as the second star, like supermodels.

Anthony Davis may be the most perfect big man in the small-ball era. His defense is enough to support a system, and on offense, he can score 20 points just by finishing plays without needing the ball. In the bubble, Davis is also an explosive long-range shooter.

Kyrie Irving is the strongest wing isolation scorer in the small-ball era, possessing the ability to break through defenses regardless of the environment, and is definitely a top-tier scorer in the playoffs.

The only problem is that he followed the same path as Joko and acquired similar skill sets, but he doesn't have Joko's freakish physique.

Thinking about it, Chen Shuo suddenly realized that these two were James's best partners.

"....

Chen Shuo's expression suddenly changed.

It's unlikely that we'll see LeBron James on national television again during the 14 offseason.

"I've decided to take my talents to New Orleans."

Kyrie Irving in his third year and Anthony Davis in his second year are both rookie stars who can contribute immediately.

If the Benson family can manage their salary cap effectively, they could add another All-Star player, and the remaining cap space could be used to fill a large number of 3-and-D players.

Rubbing his forehead, Chen Shuo realized this was not what he wanted to see.

For Chen Shuo, as a general manager, he has never been content with just his own small territory.

Now that I have gained the ability to see the future, I should try my best to control the trend and use it to my advantage.

Sometimes, weakening your opponent's strength can increase your own chances of winning.

A super team like the Cosmic Warriors can only be allowed to exist in our hands.