Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1016 - 586 Scepter_3
Chapter 1016: Chapter 586: Scepter_3 Chapter 1016: Chapter 586: Scepter_3 “`
Think about his age.
This giant, born in 1980, was already 34 years old.
It was almost certain this was to be the last big contract of his career, and he definitely wanted a full max contract; taking a pay cut was out of the question.
Therefore, Yao Ming’s situation was very delicate.
Although he was getting older, he had just helped the team defend its title in Miami with his top-notch three-point shooting, shot-blocking, and rebounding ability.
In this day and age, big men who can excel in all three of these skills deserve a max contract, not to mention Yao Ming also had value in low-post tactics.
Any strong team would need a player like him.
...
If Miami dared let him go, there would be a whole bunch of teams ready to snatch him up.
No matter what Miami decided, Yu Fei had already notified his team to be prepared.
The cap space cleared by Pierce’s departure could provide a full max contract to a big fish in free agency.
What better time than now to offer such a contract to Yao Ming?
They desperately needed a big man like that.
This would be a matter for after July, the top priority now was to prepare for the NBA Draft.
The 2014 draft class was touted as packed with talent, and even late first-round picks could yield players with decent potential.
But Clippers’ General Manager, Arne Trem, was facing a dilemma.
This year, their major shortfall revealed during the playoffs was a weak frontcourt.
Therefore, the frontcourt would definitely be the priority at the draft.
But whom to choose?
Was there a DeAndre Jordan-style gem to be found this year?
Trem, proud of his years researching NBA drafts, used to sign players treasure-hunting style when he was an agent, but despite signing so many, talents like Yu Fei and Kobe were rare.
Moreover, these individuals shared a characteristic—they were not the draft gems Trem was desperately seeking now.
Although their draft positions weren’t high, Yu Fei and Kobe were lottery picks.
With the 1996 and 2001 draft classes being called lottery jackpots, was it really a skill to find talent from the lottery picks during talent-rich years?
It would be like Trem willing to bet his entire fortune on Jabari Parker being the next NBA superstar, but what use would it be?
They didn’t have a top-three draft spot and would never have the chance to choose Parker.
The Clippers, being the third-ranked team in the league during the regular season, looked good in-season, but that standing was not so favorable when it came to draft pick allocation.
Third place meant they only had the 28th pick of the first round this year.
Finding a truly useful player at that position was enormously difficult.
In his moment of helplessness, Yu Fei appeared.
He brought with him a scouting report.
Yu Fei had been waiting for this day.
Just transport any basketball fan with a basic understanding of modern basketball to an NBA team during the 2013-2014 season with the task of managing a rebuilding team, and they could complete it with ease.
The steps were simple: first, pick Giannis Antetokounmpo; then, pick Nikola Jokic. After two steps, the job was done.
Choosing the Greek Freak might require using an earlier draft pick to ensure he was firmly selected, but Jokic needed no worries.
The current first-round 28th pick of the Clippers was enough.
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At this stage in his career, Jokic was not considered prominent.
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In 2013, he represented Serbia at the U-19 World Cup, averaging only 7 points and 5 rebounds per game, and there were rumors that he was “blown out” by Zhou Qi—although this was a rumor, given Jokic’s ability back then, it was indeed very likely he would be at a disadvantage against the younger Zhou Qi.
Subsequently, Jokic improved rapidly and soon possessed the qualifications for the draft.
However, in the eyes of the scouts, he was merely a white big man with high basketball IQ but extremely mediocre athletic ability.
At this time, his draft prospect was only considered to be a second-round pick.
Months earlier, Jokic had been invited to the Nike Hoop Summit.
In that game, Jokic played for the “World Team,” and the most dazzling star on that team was undoubtedly Emmanuel Mudiay from Congo. Mudiay even called Jokic “Nowitzki.”
However, his teammate’s praise did not substantively improve Jokic’s evaluation. His slow pace failed to win over the scouts’ hearts.
Some talents just can’t be assessed by the naked eye and so-called professional intuition.
Scouts trust more in talents that are visible to the naked eye.
Thus, even though Zhou Qi only scored 2 points and 3 rebounds at the Nike Summit, with his 216cm height and 232cm wingspan, he still managed to enter the lottery area in mock draft predictions. Meanwhile, Jokic, the seemingly unremarkable chubby player, was still seen as nothing special in the eyes of the scouts, who thought he could at best be a second-round level player.
Yu Fei placed Jokic’s information on Trem’s desk, stating, “We will select him with the 28th pick.”
This was not a suggestion, but an notification.
Trem looked troubled—he had also scouted Jokic.
“I know him… this Serb…” Trem said with some difficulty, “his athletic talent might not be able to adapt to the league’s pace of play.”
Fei responded with a playful tone, “You speak as if you have played in the NBA.”
Trem insisted, “Every scout acknowledges his basketball IQ, but relying solely on basketball IQ is not enough to make it in the NBA. Using the 28th pick on him would really be…”
“Really be a wise move,” Yu Fei interrupted him.
He had no intention of arguing with Trem about whether Jokic was suited for the NBA or not.
“I want you to guarantee me that Adam Silver will personally announce on June 26 that the Clippers select Nikola Jokic with the first round 28th pick!” Yu Fei said decisively. “There can be no mistakes in this matter!”
This was the epitome of the Clippers.
If Yu Fei did not express an opinion, then others could act according to their own judgment and inform him of the outcome afterward. Yu Fei would mostly not intervene.
But once Yu Fei had a clear opinion, no differing voices were allowed.
Perhaps it was his experience in Seattle that made him acutely aware of the importance of a one-man rule.
He was increasingly averse to others countering his decisions, especially those he believed were 100% correct.
Trem sighed; he knew there would come a day like this when he decided to recruit Yu Fei.
“As you wish,” Trem said, “if he’s still available at the 28th pick, we will select him.”
“No, what I mean is…” Yu Fei’s desire for Jokic greatly shocked Trem. “If someone tries to use a higher pick to select him than us, we should trade up at all costs to ensure that we get this Serb!”
Trem finally understood Yu Fei’s determination.
A few days later, the Clippers received good news.
Steve Ballmer excitedly announced to the public that the Clippers had reached a six-year television broadcast contract with a local Los Angeles TV station.
Starting from next season, the Clippers would be able to earn 150 million US dollars a year from the local television contract.
“I believe that under Yu Fei’s leadership, the future of the Clippers is bright. This year we have surpassed the best performance in our history, and next year we’ll achieve even more. One day, the Clippers will stand at the pinnacle of the League!”
Within just one year, what used to be the weakest team in professional basketball had become a ferocious money-devouring behemoth.
Steve Ballmer was very clear about the root cause of this series of transformations.
There’s no such thing as a dominant power without reason in this world.
This was the second time Yu Fei held this kind of power. Back in Seattle, he had been naive in the way he handled power. Now, he firmly grasped the scepter in his hand, and no one could easily approach it.
