Jim Bass Ambition

Chapter 161 The Great Harvest

At 07:30 ET, David Stern announced the start of the draft.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, who hold the No. 5 pick, have five minutes to make their selection.

Of course, everyone knows that these 5 minutes are just a formality, as David Stern walked up to the stage for the second time and read out the Cavaliers' selection, wearing a baggy suit and hairline not so touching. LeBron James, without a doubt, walked onto the stage first, took a Cavs hat from the staff and posed for a photo with David Stern.

The second pick was nominally owned by the Memphis Grizzlies, but after changing hands several times, it finally went to the Nuggets.

Kiki Vandeweghe finally got what he wanted, and despite the cost, Vandeweghe felt the sacrifices were worth it.

Carmelo Anthony became the No. [-] pick. He was expected to be the lifelong enemy of LeBron James. In the eyes of many people, there was no problem with this choice.

Darko Milicic and his agent sat at the table, a little disappointed. After so long, they still failed to compete with James and Anthony.But it would be better if he can be selected by the Los Angeles Lakers. After all, the big city of Los Angeles has much more exposure than Cleveland and Denver.

Elsewhere, Dwyane Wade and his agent Rob Pelinka got a call from Lakers general manager Kupchak.

The content is simple: "Welcome to the Los Angeles Lakers."

David Stern walked up to the microphone again, opened the envelope, and read out the draft results.

"The third pick in the 2003 NBA draft, the Los Angeles Lakers selected Dwyane Wade out of Marquette."

There was an uproar at the scene. It was predicted that Wade's pick would be 5th to 8th, but the Lakers used the No. [-] pick after a hard-fought trade to select the older and shorter shooting guard, and it is said that his knees have serious potential injuries.

And the big favorite Darko Milicic actually fell out of the top three, which also surprised many people.

In the Miami Heat's war room, Pat Riley hammered the table hard.

The Toronto Raptors with the fourth pick seemed to see an opportunity, and they decisively chose the dropped Milicic.

The Heat almost used up 5 minutes of draft time before finally selecting Chris Bosh. It seems that Pat Riley had a lot of psychological struggle.

After a dizzying operation, the Lakers, with four draft picks, became the most active team in the draft. Except for Wade, they selected David West with the 16th pick and the 29th pick. And part of the cash was traded with the Grizzlies to get Leandro Barbosa with the 27th overall pick, and finally used the Nuggets' second-round pick to select shooter Kyle Korver.

Of course, this kind of operation has mixed reputation and reputation. Several years of experience have shown that the Lakers' draft ability is trustworthy, but some people think that Jim's use-and-sell method is too cold-blooded and commercial, which is not conducive to the unity of the team.

"Let's see what Jim Buss has done, sold two years in a row and replaced the team with a bunch of rookies who didn't finish their rookie contracts, except for Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher. Well, we couldn't even find a single player who played more than three years with the Lakers. Ben Wallace played an integral role in winning the championship last season for such a volatile team. But Jim Buss actually traded them a week later, in exchange for a few rookies? And he actually put the No. [-] pick on Carmelo Anthony and Darko Milicic, and chose one with Kobe Bryant. For older rookies with Bryant overlapping positions, I am more inclined that the real Jim Buss has been kidnapped, and now this one is pretended by Celtics fans, so it is in line with common sense.” After the draft, ESPN’s newly hired Reporter Stephen A. Smith commented in his column.

"If you count Udonis Haslem, who is often sent down to the development league, the Lakers already have 4 power forwards, but they don't have any center. The three centers of last season have all been traded away from the team. Is Kevin Garnett really going to play center? That would be great news. I expect him to storm into Jim Buss' office and yell at him 'I'm understating my height because I don't want to play center!' .” In the TNT studio, Barkley also raised questions about the Lakers’ lineup.

"Jim, I remember we discussed that the team lacked insiders, so you sold the only remaining center forward." Kupchak looked at the brand new roster and said helplessly.

"Except for Shaquille O'Neal, there are no centers worth worrying about now. Houston's Yao, he is too young. And I don't think the Pacers can reach the finals." Jim is indifferent.

"So, sir, is Kevin really going to play center next season?" Stevens asked in a low, worried voice.

"Yes, he will like it. The so-called center is actually just a noun. Phil used Toni Kukoc as the center at that time. Did he also play in the paint? I know Kevin doesn't like to wrestle with people in the paint, so Find him a helper. You will know when you see Nene and David. They are two strong as cattle. After a season of training, few people can push them in the low post." Jim motioned to Steven Don't worry.

"We have to think about the season first..."

"That's right, so tomorrow, I have to go to Louisiana, and there are still some things that need to be finished. Mitch... You don't have to go, you have other tasks, and you have to finish them before your opponent, Brad, Come with me." After finishing the arrangements, Jim signaled the meeting to end.

Jim did not go back to his home, but rushed to the home of Dr. Jerry Buss.

"Good job, Jimmy, do you want a drink?" Dr. Buss seemed to have expected Jim to come, and had already poured two glasses of red wine.

Jim picked up a glass and drank it like water, causing a twitch on Dr. Bath's face.

"Did I do something wrong? People say that the Lakers are the most humane team, but I feel more and more like Danny Ainge that bastard. If this continues, will anyone still want to play for us?" Jim poured the wine on his own.

"As long as the team is still winning, there will be people willing to play for us, and no one will refuse a championship ring. As long as we can still win the championship, then everything you do is right." Dr. Buss raised his hand. Pick up the wine glass.

"For the Lakers championship." Jim raised his glass and touched Dr. Buss.

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(End of this chapter)