Chapter 623: The Draft

Crawford basically sat out all of last season. If they could trade him for Ray Allen, the Knicks’ lineup would instantly take off.

The Knicks needed a legitimate shooting guard.

Besides, Ray Allen didn’t need the ball in his hands.

If they got Ray Allen, the Knicks’ five-year plan would be on much more solid ground.

But Su Xi hesitated for less than twenty seconds before refusing. “There’s no need. Save James Dolan some money. Let him give Milicic a big contract.”

Isaiah Thomas knew what Su Xi was thinking. “Just as I guessed. I knew you wouldn’t agree.”

“If we have two draft picks, who would you pick?”

“I’ll send you the files on our target players. If you have time in the coming days, you can also come to the training facility and watch their tryouts.”

Su Xi nodded.

Then, he hung up the phone.

While waiting for Isaiah Thomas’s assistant to send the files, he casually turned on the TV and started watching the news.

A TNT program went to the rookie camp in Orlando, where they interviewed several popular prospects.

“The Knicks should pick me.”

The first thing on screen was Durant making a splash. “All the fans in America, all the entertainment fans, should support me. Only I can make Jack change his mind. He should be with Scarlett. I have a way to fix their relationship. I’m a level-100 Scarlett fan.”

“Besides, my style of play is a great fit for the Knicks. The Knicks need an all-weather shooter like me.”

Durant was raw but confident.

Su Xi found him a bit surreal, from his hazy eyes and wispy stubble to his confident pronouncements.

‘That’s definitely the mindset of a future superstar,’ Su Xi concluded.

But the Knicks couldn’t pick him.

The Knicks couldn’t have too many of these “surreal” players; they already had enough.

Besides, the Knicks weren’t short on small forwards.

Right now, the Knicks were a little thin in the backcourt and the frontcourt.

So, Su Xi focused his observation on the big men and guards.

Next up was Greg Oden.

If Durant looked a bit surreal, then Greg Oden was the epitome of someone who looked old for his age. He looked like he could be the same age as Uncle Mu, not at all like a 19-year-old kid.

There were countless awe-inspiring tales about this superstar NCAA center. Many people said his floor was Russell.

This just went to show how formidable he was.

The league and the media also had very high hopes for him.

The last player to have this much hype was James.

You could tell just from their Chinese nicknames. James is the “Little King,” while this guy came right out of the gate as “The Emperor.”

The Emperor had a world-weary face. He tried hard to force a smile for the camera, but the gap between his two front teeth only made him look older.

“I like the Knicks, and I like Jack. If I got to join New York, I’d be ecstatic, of course. It’s the city I want to be in most. But Atlanta is nice too, isn’t it? I’m willing to start my career in Atlanta.”

Greg Oden said.

He had a very clear understanding of his draft stock.

In reality, the top two spots in this year’s draft had long been a foregone conclusion.

No matter what the Knicks did with their draft pick, the consensus was that the Hawks would use the first overall pick on Oden, and whichever team picked second would take Durant.

The real suspense would start from the third pick onwards.

Many media outlets described this year’s draft class as: one all-time great, plus one superstar, followed by a group of elite-level players.

Then, Su Xi saw Yi Jianlian.

Yi Jianlian was also at the Orlando camp.

But he was only doing physical measurements and some non-contact physical training.

In these aspects, he was outstanding.

He was considered a very mysterious prospect.

He was very shy. Facing the New York reporters, his English was a bit halting. Even though Su Xi had told him to practice his English a long time ago, it wasn’t his native language, so it was normal for him to stumble a bit.

Su Xi had always thought his vocal tone was a bit like Kobe’s.

But the way he spoke English felt very different.

“It feels great playing with Su Xi and Yao Ming; they take very good care of me. I hope to perform well in the NBA, to learn from them, and to work towards reaching their level.”

He played it safe with his answers, and even seemed a bit socially awkward.

Compared to Su Xi’s style of challenging anyone and everyone, and Yao Ming’s humorous and down-to-earth personality, he represented something else entirely.

‘He still needs to work on his social skills,’ Su Xi thought.

But it probably didn’t matter. The NBA was a job, after all, and not every team’s locker room was as harmonious as the Knicks’.

For the most part, players were just colleagues who stuck to the game plan and played how they were supposed to play.

Just then, Isaiah Thomas sent over some player tapes, and Su Xi began to watch.

It had to be said, Isaiah Thomas had a pretty good eye for the draft. The players he picked all had unique characteristics.

In terms of drafting, he was leagues better than Michael Jordan.

Moreover, when it came to mocking and attacking Jordan, he was also number one in the league today.

Three years ago, who could have imagined that the great villain Isaiah Thomas would make such a huge comeback through Su Xi, staging a complete reversal against Jordan’s powerful dominance?

His sarcastic remarks about Jordan after the Finals had been a precision strike against him.

It was true that Jordan only won his championships after Bird, Magic, and Isaiah Thomas got old. What he said was a fact, even if it smacked of him trying to put himself on their level.

Furthermore, Jordan had indeed never shown the kind of powerful dominance Su Xi had; Su Xi often swept his opponents in the Finals.

Jordan, on the other hand, needed six games.

Jordan fans used to love saying, “Jordan never plays a Game 7.”

Well now, Little Sheep Su Xi didn’t even need a sixth game.

Jordan had, in fact, responded to Isaiah Thomas.

However, he had responded privately, and it was later leaked by someone close to him.

Jordan said: “All Isaiah Thomas knows how to do is lick Jack Su’s boots. His only job with the Knicks is to praise Jack Su. He has absolutely no ability whatsoever. He’s a guy everyone hates. Nobody wants to be friends with him, which is why he was left off the Dream Team.”

In the past, those words would have been devastating.

But now, Isaiah Thomas couldn’t care less.

Because he had already won an Olympic gold medal, and he had even beaten the Dream Team.

Albeit as a consultant for the Chinese Team.

But what did it matter?

His career no longer had any regrets, and he was still continuing to build his legacy.

The next day at the Knicks’ training camp, Su Xi was present for the entire tryout session.

He sat on the sidelines with a clipboard.

This put a lot of pressure on the young kids. They were extremely nervous, afraid they would perform poorly.

But the more nervous they were, the worse they played.

“Noah, your free throws need to be more accurate.”

Occasionally, Su Xi would say a few words.

“Horford, you have a good feel for the game.”

“Gasol, you’re stronger than your brother.”

“Nick Young, don’t take wild shots.”

“Carl Landry, nice rebound.”

“…”

Just getting a couple of comments from Su Xi was enough to make these guys so overjoyed they felt like they were floating. It would become bragging rights they could take home.

And in fact, it could also boost their popularity and draft stock, as long as their agent told the media, “Jack Su is very high on our player.”

After all, over the past two seasons, Su Xi had already proven his excellent eye for the draft.

And that evening, Su Xi and Jessica Alba were photographed having dinner with two Chinese players who were entering the draft.

It was Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue.

They were both going to participate in this year’s draft.

This was also the first time Su Xi had appeared in the same frame as a Hollywood actress since his intimate interaction with Huang Xiaoman on the sidelines.

This triggered a double-dose of attention from both basketball and entertainment media.

In an instant, the hype went through the roof.

In the projected rankings on major draft websites, Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue skyrocketed.

Originally, Yi Jianlian’s stock was around the top eight; now he was shooting for the top five.

Sun Yue’s stock had been late second-round, and now he was almost projected as a first-rounder.

Meanwhile, on the entertainment media side, they were already declaring victory and fantasizing about Jessica Alba and Jack Su’s wedding.