Chapter 747 - 672: How to Get Oden

Chapter 747: Chapter 672: How to Get Oden

With Nelson and his team in charge of recording the data, Chen Yu didn’t have to pay too much attention.

"His skills have gotten better," Brian said, a little surprised.

Last year, when they were filming the show, Oden’s technique was extremely raw. He played entirely on his physical gifts. Other than thunderous dunks, he couldn’t do anything.

And that was just high school. Once he got to the NBA, it would only get worse.

In the NBA, you can’t just play with your body; you need skill too.

But now, almost a year later, Oden’s technique had actually improved quite a bit.

He had some footwork under the basket and could even pull off a low-post hook shot.

He probably knew how to do it before, but being able to use it while being defended was another matter entirely.

Chen Yu said, "He paid a hefty sum, after all. During his rehabilitation, we didn’t just focus on restoring his athletic ability. We also arranged for technical training. The goal was to see him perform with skill, not just raw athleticism."

Brian nodded. In any case, he was very satisfied with what he was seeing.

With the leg-length discrepancy fixed and his body fully adapted, his power, pivots, and jumps were all a clear step up from last year.

And the Oden from last year had already made Brian drool.

"Chen, I’ve been thinking about something."

Brian pulled Chen Yu aside. "Look, Oden will definitely be in the ’07 draft. That leaves us with only a year."

The league changed the age limit for the draft. Oden, who could have originally entered the draft next year, now had to wait until ’07 at the earliest.

That’s the year after next. It’ll be here in the blink of an eye, really.

"So?"

Chen Yu asked in return.

Brian said, "So, shouldn’t we start thinking about how to get Oden? Or Durant?"

He added Durant’s name, knowing that Chen Yu was a big fan of his.

Chen Yu knew this was what Brian was thinking about. He glanced at Oden on the court and said, "Haven’t you already been scheming? You’re planning to trade one of our stars for the first-overall pick."

Given the Suns’ current situation, tanking for the first-overall pick was clearly not an option.

The fans and the stars on the team would never stand for it.

So the only option was to trade a star for the pick directly.

And Brian had already decided who to trade.

Marion!

Hardaway had become a symbol of the Suns. He was a role model and a guaranteed ticket-seller. They’d trade Nowitzki before they ever let him go.

Nowitzki was the one they got for O’Neal, and since they had just acquired him, it would be awkward to trade him away so soon.

That only left Marion.

With a multi-million dollar contract and an All-Star appearance under his belt, he counted as a star by any measure.

His stats were a bit lackluster, but that was mainly due to his role on the team.

On the Suns, he played the role of the third option.

If he went to a weaker team and became their core player, averaging 20-plus points a game would be a piece of cake.

If he left, Posey could step up to take his place.

Posey was pretty good, too.

Besides, they would have to re-sign Chandler to a multi-million dollar contract soon, which would increase the salary cap pressure. Trading Marion could also help reduce expenditures.

Brian said, "That was the old plan. But now I feel like the situation is different. I’m worried Oden will turn into a super-talent like James, and no one will be willing to trade the pick."

Just like in ’03, whoever drew the number one pick would never have traded it away.

And now that Oden had the surgery, his underlying physical problems were solved, and his athletic ability was even better than before.

The talent he was showing now was approaching James’s level.

Even if there was still a gap, Oden was a center—a franchise cornerstone. That position gave him an added premium.

"Chen, you know, you probably should have waited a couple of years to do his surgery. Like, after he entered the league and we got him," Brian added.

"Oh, give me a break. What kind of thinking is that?"

Chen Yu shot him a glare.

With Oden’s condition, once you discovered it, you couldn’t delay. The longer you waited, the worse the problem would become.

By fixing it now, he can play for two more years and use that time to polish his skills.

If you waited until he was in the league to do the surgery, you’d first have to wonder if any team would give him that much time to recover. Then you’d have to consider whether he’d need to completely re-adapt and rebuild his skills after his comeback.

Time waits for no one. If you keep delaying, you might just drag a prodigy down to mediocrity.

But Chen Yu understood what Brian was getting at. "You’re afraid you won’t be able to trade for the number one pick, aren’t you? So now you’re thinking about tanking. Don’t even go there. If you start thinking like that, Jerry will have your hide."

Tanking hurts ticket sales. His old man would definitely not let him get away with it.

Brian quickly said, "I’m not thinking that! I’m just saying we need to be prepared. We need a backup plan in case we can’t trade for the number one pick."

In the NBA, you have to prepare for major trades well in advance, finding ways to clear cap space and accumulate draft picks.

"You want to trade for a ’07 lottery pick ahead of time and just roll the dice?" Chen Yu countered.

That was how they got the number one pick back in ’02.

Brian nodded.

Tanking was out of the question, so that left only two options: a blockbuster trade, or a gamble on the lottery.

As he said this, his gaze on Chen Yu was intense.

After all, it was Chen Yu who had represented the Suns and drawn the number one pick that year, kicking off the Suns’ road to a dynasty.

"Do what you want. You can give it a shot. Anyway, as long as it’s not Anfernee, you can trade whoever you want," Chen Yu said, unconcerned.

On the current Suns team, the only player Chen Yu couldn’t bear to part with was Hardaway.

He deserved to retire as a Sun, and the Suns owed it to him to let him finish his career there.

Not to mention, he had always been one of Chen Yu’s closest friends.

As for everyone else, even Nowitzki, if a trade was on the table, so be it. Chen Yu didn’t really care.

Brian’s face lit up. "Great! As long as you’re on board. I’ll go talk to my dad about it."

He had been seeking Chen Yu’s approval.

When it came to managing the team, Chen Yu’s opinion as a minority owner was very important, because Old Kolangelo trusted him too.

With Chen Yu sharing his view, he could move forward with his plans boldly and confidently.

"Oh, right, there’s also Stephen. He should be in the ’07 draft too, right? Don’t worry, I’ll figure out a way to free up a first-round pick and select him," Brian said, remembering Curry.

Curry, who was also born in ’88, should be eligible for the ’07 draft.

Given Curry’s relationship with Chen Yu, it was unlikely he would go to any other team. And the Suns, out of respect for Chen Yu, would draft him even if his talent was limited.

And that wasn’t even mentioning that Curry’s performance was actually pretty decent.

Chen Yu nodded slightly.

That went without saying. Who said the NBA was free of personal connections and favors? It had them just like anywhere else.

Besides, Chen Yu had pretty much planned out Curry’s entire career path for him.

After graduating from high school, he would go directly to the University of Arizona, a renowned basketball school where players like Arenas, Bibi, Terry, and Richard Jefferson had spent their college careers.

Chen Yu had met the president of the University of Arizona at the governor’s banquet.

His clinic was also a partner institution for their medical school, and many of its graduates received priority for internships there.

With that kind of connection, getting Curry into the university would be ridiculously easy.

He’d play for one year and then declare for the draft.

After filming the show last year, Chen Yu’s confidence in Curry had grown even stronger. The kid might be lacking in raw physical talent, but he had certain qualities that would allow him to stand out. His future was bright.

Even if a poor performance hurt his draft stock, that would actually be a good thing, saving the Suns from having to pay too high a price to select him.