I just play ball

Chapter 151 What is the price?
After the words fell, Ke Wen was stunned for a moment, then bent down and put his head in his hands, and said with a slight sob: "You didn't lie to me?"

"Of course." Li Yue patted Covington on the back, "Don't be so excited, many people are watching us."

Covington immediately sat up straight, pulled up his shirt, took a deep breath slowly, and forced himself to smile.

"Although I've thought about it many times before, hearing you say it in person is still unbelievable.

Li Yue nodded slightly, and Covington continued: "I have been waiting for this moment for too long, thank you for your approval, I will definitely devote 100% of my energy to training, and I will follow all arrangements, and I will never let you down .”

"You deserve all this. This is the result of years of hard work, but this is just the beginning. The road ahead is very long. Stay focused and continue to struggle, and try to beat those who look down on you one day."

After Li Yue finished speaking, he stretched out his hand, and Covington held it tightly, everything was in his eyes.

After finishing the notice, Li Yue got up and left the auditorium, and went straight to the Lakers draft operations office.

As soon as he entered the door, Kupchak said: "I just asked around. The Rudy Gobert you mentioned is very likely to be snatched by the Thunder at the 28th pick. He performed amazingly. He was 18 years old in France. Lai played in pairs and scored 13 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steal in 1 minutes, so there is no need to worry about adapting to the confrontation intensity of NBA games.”

Li Yue nodded when he heard the words. The European Basketball League emphasizes physical confrontation. Gobert can adapt at the age of 18. Naturally, he can play normally in the NBA level, but now the Lakers need to compete with the Spurs.

After thinking for a moment, Li Yue said seriously: "I watched Gobert's game at UCLA before. He has a high basketball IQ and a very positive attitude towards the game. Popovich must be in love with him to death. It is recommended to trade with the 28th overall pick. picks."

As long as Gobert is obtained, the loss caused by Howard's departure will not be so small.

"I agree very much, but is he suitable for the team's current tactical system?" Kupchak's tone was slightly hesitant. "I remember you mentioned it many times, and the pace of the game will be very fast in the future."

"It will take several years for a certain trend to appear until it becomes a general phenomenon, and we can completely make adjustments. The most important thing is that Gobert's touch is still soft, and the lateral movement is not too slow, and we can also make some countermeasures by the way."

Li Yue knew that Kupchak was worried that such a selection would make it difficult for the coaching staff, because Gobert seemed to be a more traditional center than Howard, and D'Antoni might not know how to use it.

"Okay, I'll contact a few football teams to talk about it right away. How many pick ranges do you think are more sure?" Kupchak said, "I tend to be 20 to 27, and we can't change to higher picks at the moment. "

"It should be possible. Many teams don't know how to train him. The probability of him being selected in the lottery is extremely low." Li Yue had seen the predictions given by ESPN and NBADARFT before, and the two media respectively put Gobert in the 28 and 29 digits, the former predicts the Spurs to go, the latter predicts the Suns to go, and no other media is higher than 26.

"That's it." Kupchak walked to the table, picked up the phone and started making calls.

Li Yue sat on the sofa, and the talent show was officially held on TV. The camera swept across the Barclays Center, and there was a sea of ​​people.

Amidst the mixed sounds of fans cheering, screaming, booing, etc., David Stern walked out of the small house on the main stage with a smile, and stood in front of the podium slowly,

"Good evening, and welcome to this year's draft, fans. Before I start, I would like to thank the Nets. Barclays Center is a very attractive stadium. We just finished the 2012-2013 season finals, thank you The wonderful performance brought by the Miami Heat, congratulations to the Los Angeles Lakers for winning the championship, and we gather here tonight to formally welcome the young people who are about to become members of the NBA. They come from all over the world. It will happen... the first to make a pick is the Cleveland Cavaliers, 5 minutes to prepare!"

After Stern finished speaking, he turned around and walked into the small room. Fanatical cheers erupted from the scene. The camera showed the Cavaliers fans who were present at the scene. They frantically waved photos of Alex Lane, as if welcoming the arrival of the savior.

"These fans are too involved!" Black, the PR director sitting next to him, shook his head and laughed.

"It's hard for you to understand that kind of mood." Li Yue shrugged. "After all, Irving led the team to the bottom for years. The status of Cavaliers fans on social networks is from heaven to hell compared to when LeBron was still there."

"Who do you think they will pick? I saw news that Alex Lane's status as the No. [-] pick is not [-]% certain."

"They have Tristan Thompson and Varejao on the inside, Owen and Waiters on the outside. If they want to grow up quickly, the highest priority must be the striker. The best player in this year is Otto Porter."

"He participated in the Cavaliers' individual trial training before, and his performance was not praised. The words of the Cavaliers' official promotion are very polite."

"Then I can't guess. After all, Gilbert's thinking is different from ordinary people, and he speaks and does things in a way."

While the two were chatting, Kupchak called the teams with the 20-27 picks one after another. It sounded like the situation was not going well. Many teams believed that Howard had left and the Lakers desperately needed a replacement. .

Five minutes passed in a blink of an eye, and Stern walked out again smiling, with an extra envelope in his hand.

"In the 2013 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected...Anthony Bennett from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with the first pick!"

"Fuck me?" Li Yue jumped up from the sofa, as if seeing the sun coming out from the south.

The TV camera showed Bennett in the small green house. He immediately stood up and shouted, hugged relatives and friends beside him excitedly, turned around and stepped forward to take the Cavaliers cap, and quickly stepped onto the main stage, like a king. world.

The camera showed Noel, another No. [-] pick and favorite, but his face was indifferent, as if he didn't care about not being a commissioner.

But the Cavaliers fans at the scene really went crazy this time. Some screamed in pain, some looked dead, some were at a loss with their heads in their hands, and a very small part of them shouted in celebration.

"You guessed half right, he is indeed a striker." Black laughed, "Why are the Cavaliers?"

"Gilbert is really different." Li Yue clapped his hands. Bennett, who was ranked 10th in many lists before, unexpectedly soared to the sky and directly won the No. [-] pick, which can be described as a comeback.

While contemplating which qualities the Cavaliers might like in Bennett, Kupchak suddenly shouted, "YES!"

"What's wrong?" Li Yue put away his thoughts and turned to ask.

"The deal is done!" Kupchak was full of excitement. "The Nuggets are willing to exchange the No. 27 pick with us. Although they are only one pick higher than the Spurs, none of the previous teams targeted center players."

"So Mitch, what's the price?" Blake interjected, seemingly starting to prepare a press release.

"Next year's second-round draft pick and $250 million." Kupchak felt a little heartbroken. The price was indeed a bit high, but he had to ask for it. If he lost the opportunity, he would regret it.

"Then it's time for me to leave!" Li Yue walked towards the door, "to meet our future starting center."

　For the details of this transaction, I refer to where the Jazz got Gobert from the Nuggets back then. The price they paid was the 46th round pick in the same year and some cash. It refers to the price at which the Warriors purchased second-round picks.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)