NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 436: Drafting Two Players

The firing of Coach Li still caused a huge stir during the otherwise uneventful offseason. He wasn't just any unknown head coach; he was Coach Li, a former championship-winning coach, nicknamed "Pig Head" and the "Grandmaster of Inspirational Quotes"—no nobody in the running.

Charles Barkley, a well-known critic of Doug Dustin, admitted on a show with his partner Kenny Smith: "Honestly, I'm not surprised Doug was fired. It's obvious that Dustin was behind it all. I'm sure Dustin didn't like him. Doug preferred to use DeAndre Jordan, and Dustin's good friend Art Mayork had fewer opportunities. He was jealous of DeAndre and wanted to get rid of him. Doug's presence prevented Art Mayork from rising to prominence, and I think that's why Dustin wanted to get rid of Doug!"

"So who will be the Clippers' new head coach after Doug leaves?" Kenny Smith asked.

Barkley stated with certainty, "I don't know who it is, but I'm quite sure of one thing: the new head coach is definitely a puppet, a puppet who completely obeys Jia Fei. He'll most likely be a coach with little fame; such coaches are more obedient!"

After being fired, Coach Lee refused to give an interview, clearly still harboring resentment about being let go by the team. Indeed, they were begging for his services like dogs, and now they're complaining about his looks after they've had their fill. Back when the Clippers were practically begging for Coach Lee, the entire league saw it. To get this championship-winning coach, they were willing to offer the Celtics extra compensation, which was unprecedented at the time.

Of course, the Clippers owner at the time wasn't Ballmer, and the team wasn't run by the "Logo Man," so it's just a matter of changing times.

Old Li has remained unchanged, constantly getting reversed, even with Jia Fei by his side. His debuffs are too severe, and his opponents are too strong. Even Jia Fei can't change the trend, so what else can he do? Just like the endless chatter of the Myanmar A, besides closing the account, trying to defy fate will only lead to losing everything.

June 23, New York City, the Big Apple.

The 2017 NBA Draft was held on the 23rd at the Barclays Center in New York. Jia Fei and Art Mayork were also present at the draft, along with their respective team's general manager Arsène Wenger and the team's de facto leader, the man behind the logo.

The Clippers have two draft picks in this year's draft: a first-round pick (28th overall) and a second-round pick (42nd overall).

Considering that several second-round picks this year have great potential, Jia Fei suggested that the Clippers purchase a 43rd overall second-round pick from the Hawks.

Unlike first-round picks, second-round picks are less valuable and can be acquired through cash transactions. Often, even n second-round picks cannot be exchanged for a single high-ranking first-round pick.

Just like in the previous life, the 76ers used their first overall pick to select Richie Jenner, the Lakers used their second overall pick to select LaMelo Ball, and the Celtics used their third overall pick to select Jayson Tatum.

The Clippers had their first-round pick at 28th, so Jia Fei took a short nap. Art Mayork would wake him up after the lottery picks were all over.

Just like in the previous game, the Lakers used the 27th pick to select the "handsome and capable" Jeanie Buss, no, I mean Kuzma.

There are three candidates remaining in the first round of the draft: center Bradley, combo guard White, and 3-and-D guard Josh Hart.

Jia Fei made the decision, and finally, the bald NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced: "The Los Angeles Clippers have selected Colorado guard Derrick White with the 28th overall pick in the first round!"

White is 23 years old this year. According to the previous life, the Spurs selected him with the 29th pick in the first round.

The reason for choosing White instead of Hart is not because Hart is bad. Selecting either of them with that pick would have been a win, but White's ability to create opportunities with the ball makes him a greater value to the team than Hart.

In the NBA, especially among guards, 3-and-D guards are less valuable than those who can develop their own shot. Playmaker is highly sought after in modern basketball. Not only can he develop his own shot, but he also has excellent defense, a good shot, and high basketball IQ. He is definitely an underrated talent.

After the first round ended, the second round began.

The Clippers selected Dillon Brooks, a wing player from the University of Oregon, with the 42nd pick in the second round!

The Clippers selected center Isaiah Hartenstein from the Lithuanian league with the 43rd pick in the second round!

With this, the Clippers' draft season is over. They acquired White, Dillon, and Hartenstein at very low draft positions, strengthening their guard, wing, and frontcourt positions respectively.

Jia Fei is quite satisfied with this draft; he couldn't ask for more than he did by getting Hartenstein and Dillon with second-round picks.

After the draft, NBA teams began to accelerate their operations.

The day after the draft, the man with the logo approached Jia Fei to ask for his opinion on the team's center position. The two had previously discussed this and both agreed that the team shouldn't invest too many resources in the center position. This also meant that DeAndre Jordan no longer fit their team-building needs. If they really wanted a center who could dominate the rim, why spend over 20 million?

Jia Fei wanted Horford, but the man with the logo looked hesitant. "Jia, I know you like playing with Al; you won a championship together in Atlanta. I also like Al; he's the most effective big man of this era. But as far as I know, General Manager Ainge doesn't plan to trade him. He's playing very well in Boston, and the team trusts him."

Jia Fei knew, of course, that Horford wouldn't be easy to acquire; he was just saying it casually. Compared to Milwaukee, Horford was a better fit for their frontcourt. Horford excelled on both offense and defense, possessed well-rounded skills, was durable, and had a long peak period. He could play center or power forward, could switch on defense, and could hold his own against dominant centers like Embiid—he was practically the perfect piece for a championship.

But Horford is not only expensive, but also not for sale, so I can only forget about it.

Jia Fei thought to himself that the Celtics' general manager was Danny Ainge. If he were to trade with that old man, let alone gain any advantage, even if Ainge was willing to trade Horford, he wouldn't be Ainge if he didn't give up a few first-round picks.

"Jia, what do you think of Kelly?" the man with the logo asked.

"Kelly? Which Kelly? The Kelly from DNF?" Jia Fei joked.

“It’s Kelly, Olynyk!” the man with the logo said.

"Oh, it's him!" Jia Fei came to his senses. There are quite a few people in the league named Kelly, but Olynyk is the only one.

Olynyk Jaffee certainly knew. With his flowing long blond hair, anyone who didn't know better would mistake him for a beautiful woman, but he turned out to be a man. Despite his long, flowing hair and white appearance, this guy was ruthless and vicious. The video of him breaking Love's arm back then was chilling; he was practically the embodiment of evil.

If Zha Zha is a white lotus, then Olynyk is the white lotus's brother—the ultimate white lotus.