CHAPTER 1266: CHAPTER 512: NOT THE MOST IDEAL, BUT THE MOST SUITABLE

Collison, a homegrown California talent whom Zhang Yang faced five times in high school, joined UCLA in 2005 and played for four years. He is a typical African-American, with parents who participated in the Olympics multiple times, naturalized American athlete, and his family is not short of money. Now he is a very mature player with anticipated immediate combat power higher than Holliday. In his senior year he was part of the Pac-12 First Team and All-Defense. Back then, Gui Gui, Holiday, who just finished the season, were all supporting him.

Of course, the shortcomings are also obvious. With a barefoot height of 180 cm, the physique is not good enough, and at 22 years old, the projected ceiling is not high, but it’s alright. They only need someone to replace the great Jack or a better backup point guard at the moment.

However, if they could select a youthful and immensely talented Holliday, who just turned 19 at the beginning of the month, that would definitely be a better choice...

...

With the Brooklyn Nets selecting Tyronn Williams with the 12th pick, the Rockets selecting Gerald Henderson with the 13th pick and trading him to the Pistons, and the Phoenix Suns selecting Earl Clark with the 14th pick...the lottery draft concluded.

After the lottery, Zhang Yang wasn’t very interested and chatted with Emma Roberts about his impressions of Collison. Of course, he paid attention to the selections of teams he cared about and noted down some names.

The Thunder Team traded for a mid-round first-round pick and selected Eric Maynor as a backup point guard for Rose.

The Hawks team selected Jeff Teague, who has excellent potential, a good overall view, and active defense, with the 19th pick as a backup for Bibby.

The Chicago Bulls selected athletic power forward Ty Gibson with the 20th pick, seemingly lacking confidence in Tyrus Thomas’ future.

The Kings Team used the 23rd pick acquired from the Grizzlies in a previous trade to select Omri Casspi. Zhang Yang felt a bit regretful about this. Had he fallen lower, they would have undoubtedly picked Casspi. Having played in the European league since he was 17 in 2005, and competing for the Rookie of the Year with Rubio and Gallinari, Casspi is mature enough for impactful play without the concern of losing motivation after Hill’s championship or losing Pietrus.

What troubled Zhang Yang was that the Nuggets Team traded for the 21st pick and selected Lawson, another fast point guard, evidently to fill the spot left open after not renewing Iverson’s contract... Iverson is no longer "The Answer".

Soon, arriving at the end of the first round, the Timberwolves with the 29th pick acquired from the Spurs, selected point guard Wayne Ellington, the new MOP from North Carolina.

Zhang Yang sometimes couldn’t understand what those chronically poor-performing teams were thinking with their scat net strategy. Logo Man’s operations in the mid-’90s were indeed successful, but he was Logo Man, with a coach like the Silver Fox Harris and an owner like Buss, who all understood basketball. Plus, their success was premised on picking up a Big Shark discarded by the Magic. Copying such success without understanding is not the way to do it.

At the 30th pick, Stern announced the name of Dante Cunningham, concluding the first round of the draft.

Emma Roberts tugged Zhang Yang’s arm and asked, "Who is this? I’ve never heard of him!"

Zhang Yang replied, "They indeed made the most prudent choice. He is a forward from Villanova University, a graduated player with a mature style, characterized by making no mistakes and possessing all-around skills."

"No mistakes? All-round skills?"

"Yes, before Rick showed me his college game footage. His shooting is particularly accurate, with a senior season three-point shooting percentage of 49%, but he could only make one three-pointer per game because he only takes wide-open shots. When defended, he passes it out. If he can’t pass, he secures the ball and waits for the point guard teammate to assist. His passing and dribbling skills are also good, and he never misses layups when unopposed, showing a keen sense of opportunity;

His defense is also diligent, and as long as the assignments do not exceed his capability, he nearly makes no mistakes. His body condition test during the workout was also good, with a barefoot height of six feet seven inches and weighing 220 pounds, capable of playing both the three and four positions.

However, due to his playing style, his on-court presence is very low. Even in his senior year, he only averaged 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal per game, with a low draft projection, from the end of the first round to the early second round."

"Sounds like quite a boring player, yet he seems very safe. What were the other options?"

"Sam Young from the University of Pittsburgh, yes, that one, the one picked by the Grizzlies, also a college graduate and older rookie with excellent physical fitness, having won the Across America Dunk Contest three years in a row with outstanding defensive activity, but nearly no offensive capability.

Marcus Thornton from Louisiana State University, whose brother is Al Thornton from the Clippers, both have outstanding scoring abilities but atrocious defense, suitable as sixth men.

There is also one projected around the 50th pick named Zeiss Badinger, having outstanding athletic ability, originally a volleyball player. His parents, brothers, and sisters were all members of the US volleyball team. Unlike Young, Badinger has good offense, but possibly due to his volleyball background, he dislikes offense and defense confrontations, especially defense. In college, he could rely on height and wingspan for interference, but his defense performance during workouts was awful."

"Then it’s better to choose Cunningham. Although he has no highlights, at least he has no weaknesses..."

The pace of the second round progressed much faster than the first, with shorter intervals and without the capping, handshaking, or photo-taking sessions. Stu Jackson just needed to announce the names and play video clips.