Chapter 738 - 663: Danny Granger

Chapter 738: Chapter 663: Danny Granger

Just then, Skiles, who was sitting opposite him, looked at Chen Yu. "Chen, I think the Hawks’ pick might have something to do with you."

"Me?"

Chen Yu froze for a moment.

Chen Yu understood the reason Brian had mentioned, but he still felt it wasn’t a good enough reason to pick Marvin Williams.

The Hawks have Harrington, Josh Smith, and Josh Childress. Their frontcourt is crowded, and their interior players are good enough. They just lack perimeter players and a point guard to organize the offense.

Picking Chris Paul would have been a match made in heaven.

But instead, they picked Marvin Williams. ’I really don’t know what they were thinking.’

Of course, in terms of talent, Marvin Williams was probably the most gifted of the North Carolina Four Young Masters.

A height of 6’9", a 7’3" wingspan, he could run and jump, had excellent athleticism, and a decent shot.

But no matter how you looked at it, the pick just didn’t seem right.

Skiles nodded. "Maybe Billy Knight watched your show and decided he wanted a player like Durant."

"No way."

Chen Yu shook his head.

’But then again,’ he thought, ’come to think of it, with those long arms, Marvin Williams does look a bit like Durant.’

Skiles laughed again. "Of course, it’s also possible he listened to Riley’s nonsense. Maybe he just likes these tweener forwards."

This year, the Pioneer’s run-and-gun offense was on fire. After they completely thrashed the Heat once, Riley said in an interview that the future of basketball should be fast-paced, just like the Pioneer’s style of play.

He even took it a step further, saying you don’t need clumsy centers or fragile point guards at all. Just having five forwards on the court would be enough.

He was probably imagining five players like James—strong, able to run and defend, and with playmaking abilities.

The media hyped up his comments for a while, but then nothing came of it.

’Maybe Skiles is right,’ Chen Yu thought. ’Perhaps Billy Knight really did fall for Riley’s nonsense. Otherwise, why would he be stockpiling a bunch of forwards just over two meters tall?’

"Maybe they’re just afraid of missing out on talent, like the Pioneers in ’84," Skiles added.

In ’84, the Pioneers drafted for need instead of picking Jordan, becoming a cautionary tale for the ages.

With a talent like Marvin Williams, what if he pans out and becomes a superstar? If you pass on him, you’ve truly missed your chance.

Chen Yu nodded slightly.

’True enough,’ he thought. ’The draft is a gamble, after all.’

’When you see that kind of talent, you don’t care about team need. You just draft him and figure it out later. It’s the principle of "better to make a thousand mistakes than let one slip through your fingers."’

Right after, the Jazz went with the theme of this being a strong year for point guards. They selected Deron Williams, one of the renowned Illinois Three Heroes, whose fame rivaled that of the North Carolina Four Young Masters.

He was on the older side and had just finished his junior year.

But he’s a point guard. Age isn’t a drawback for a point guard; extensive experience is exactly what you want.

The Hornets, who were in a state of turmoil, held the fourth pick and selected the other top point guard prospect, Chris Paul.

The Bobcat followed by taking another member of the North Carolina Four Young Masters, Raymond Felton.

This seemed to prove Brian’s point: the better you perform in the NCAA, the less desirable you are in the draft.

As a result, Sean Mei surprisingly slid all the way to the 13th pick, where he was also selected by the Bobcat, reuniting with his teammate Felton.

Brian shrugged, his expression clearly saying, ’See? What did I tell you?’

Skiles watched Sean Mei walk onto the stage and shake hands with Stern, unable to resist commenting, "Everyone says Bynum is like Shaq, but I think Mei looks even more like him."

With his wide and bulky frame, Sean Mei was the spitting image of a shorter O’Neal.

"With that much weight, though, I’m really worried his knees are going to be a problem," Skiles added.

In college, the pressure of the games is lower, so that much weight might not cause issues.

But the NBA is different. With such high-intensity games and that much weight, his knees could easily break down.

That’s why for someone with O’Neal’s body type to have the career he’s had, you can only say he has all-time talent. His knees must be made of steel.

"Don’t worry, that’s what I’m here for," Chen Yu said with a smile.

’In other words,’ he thought, ’they’re all potential clients.’

In the end, the Pioneers made their move. They traded away all their draft picks, gambling on the future.

And right after the Pioneers, the Lakers made a move as well.

They used this year’s first-round pick and a 2009 first-rounder to acquire the 17th pick this year from the Grizzlies.

Chen Yu’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the television.

’For Jackson to make a move like that, a player he coveted must have slid to this spot.’

’Who could it be?’

Soon, Stern revealed the answer.

Danny Granger!

Jackson had his sights set on him.

Chen Yu quickly recalled Danny Granger’s profile: 6’8" in height, a standard size for a small forward, with an outstanding 7’1" wingspan.

He had a jump shot, including from three-point range. Some scouting reports also noted that he had good defensive awareness with potential to be developed.

Most importantly, he had played a full four years in college before deciding to enter the draft.

He was a player with a relatively mature game.

That was likely the very reason Jackson had targeted him.

The Lakers didn’t need a project player right now. What they needed was to capitalize on the final year of Yao Ming’s rookie contract and make a run for the championship.

Therefore, they needed to pick a player who could contribute immediately.

His defensive potential and stable jump shot were exactly what the Lakers needed from their forwards.

Of course, this was the draft. The Hawks had already made a baffling selection, so whether Jackson’s pick would pan out as he hoped was anyone’s guess.

A pick around the 15th spot was probably the highest the Lakers could have traded up for.

And in that range of the draft, there weren’t many other great small forwards to choose from.

’Still,’ Chen Yu had to admit, ’even after being away from the Lakers for several years, Jerry West is always looking for ways to pay them back.’

Whenever the Lakers wanted something, they always seemed to get their wish from the Grizzlies.

The picks continued down the order.

The Phoenix Suns also completed a trade with the Fast Ship, getting Livingston as they had hoped.

At this point, the draft was essentially over for the Phoenix Suns.

As for their final second-round pick, the two of them had agreed earlier to just select Almi Johnson.

It would be great if he was available, but if not, so be it.

There were still plenty of other options around that spot in the draft.

For example, Andray Blatche or Lawrence Roberts.

’What can you really expect from a second-round pick, anyway?’

"Chen, I ran the numbers on next season’s salaries."

Clearing up cap space is still a pipe dream.

The main issue is Chandler.

His rookie contract expires this year, and Brian has already been in contact with his agent.

Their demands aren’t small; they want a long-term contract starting at ten million a year.

It’s a negotiation, of course—they make an offer, he makes a counter-offer—but after getting burned by the Gugliotta deal, Brian had learned his lesson about signing long-term contracts.

His target price was a contract starting at eight million.

Defensive players are hard to find, and defensive big men are even harder.

But a starting salary of eight million was more than fair.

"So?" Chen Yu asked.

Brian said, "Actually, trading him is also a good option."

The long-term goal was to cut salary and generate revenue, after all.