The alliance is still full of all kinds of disturbances, but Edison remains unmoved. 90% of his plan has basically been completed, and only the last step is left to perfect it.
So what he has to do now is to complete this last step. Originally, according to Edison's original plan, he had already done it, but Kidd's deal made him abandon the original plan and wait until the time comes to adapt to the situation.
On June 24, 2004, New York's Madison Square Garden Theater became the focus of basketball fans around the world because the NBA 2004 draft was held here.
Edison arrived in New York early. Now he is wearing a crisp suit, his hair is meticulously styled, and he is wearing a tie in front of the mirror.
"You know, today is the most important day for you, and you must not mess it up." Edison said to himself in the mirror, his eyes full of perseverance.
"Dong dong dong" there was a knock on the door, and then Old Pat's voice came, "Paul, we are waiting for you at the exit of the hotel, please hurry up."
"Okay, relax now, we will definitely succeed. Keep smiling from now on, and then go enjoy this feast." Edison ignored Old Pat's urging, and still talked to himself in the mirror, and then said nervously
Smiled a little.
He was still too nervous. His efforts over the past month would only be rewarded tonight. If he followed his predictions, the Magic Dynasty would be just around the corner. If it failed, all the previous efforts would have been completely in vain.
Tyson said, "Everyone has his own battle plan before the punch hits the face." This afternoon will decide whether Edison was defeated by fate or defeated fate. In this case, how could he not
Nervous, how could he not be nervous? But Edison still tried his best to adjust himself, then pushed out the door, met with Old Pat and others, and went straight to Madison Square Garden.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Madison Square Garden, where the 2004 NBA Draft will be held." David Stern gave the opening speech on the stage.
Madison Square Garden is not just a basketball venue, it is also the venue for New York's most famous solo concerts, political rallies and other large-scale indoor events. The King of Pop Michael Jackson held a concert there, the Queen of Pop Madonna, and the Princess of Pop Britney.
They have all left their mark here; the first inspirational concert after the United States was hit hard by 9.11 and John Lennon’s last concert before his murder in 1980 were also held here.
Of course, here are more memories about basketball. Miller's choke happened here; Reed dragged his injured leg on the field to score to encourage his teammates; and Van Gundy firmly hugged Mourning's thigh regardless of his thin body.
, the classic scene of being forcibly dragged for half the game by the latter also happened here.
And here every summer we witness young faces entering the NBA, witnessing the arrival of future superstars, Jordan, Barkley, Iverson, Kobe..., and also witnessing legendary centers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Olaju becoming the number one pick.
Wong, Ewing, David Robinson, O'Neal. I don't know who can join them today.
"First of all, we would like to congratulate the Detroit Pistons again for their outstanding performance last season." Stern said nonsense.
There were bursts of applause and bursts of boos from the court. After all, everyone has a different stance on the Pistons winning the championship.
"Now, this venue is filled with the best young players in the world, and this will be the place where they can realize their dreams. We salute their long-term tenacity and hard work, and they will become the future of the league and every team."
Although Stern says these words every year, when you are here in person and look at the young but eager faces in the audience, you will be unnaturally infected by Stern...
Edison is now in a box in Madison, looking at the whole audience through the glass, looking at Stern talking eloquently, looking at the young people who are looking forward to it, and looking at his own reflection in the glass.
The outside of the box belongs to Stern and each rookie, while the inside of the box belongs to the management of each team in the league. Here, the directors of each team will fill in the name of the selected rookie, and then inadvertently change a lot
A person's life. At the same time, this is the trading platform of the draft. Every year, countless draft day transactions occur between boxes. The general manager of each team must make decisions based on the selection and selection of the previous team in a very short period of time.
Respond quickly to your own needs, propose a trading plan, and then reach a consensus with others in a very short period of time.
"I know that the young people in the audience can't wait to enter the league and play against the best players in the world, so I won't waste any more time. The draft begins now. First, give the Orlando Magic some time to decide where they want to be.
The first overall pick.”
The Magic now have a total of 5 draft picks, including their own No. 1 pick, the No. 30 pick, the No. 7 pick from the Suns, the No. 20 pick from the Nuggets, and the No. 26 pick from the Kings.
.
The camera immediately panned to the Magic's box. The phone in the box kept ringing, which showed that other teams were very interested in trading the No. 1 pick, especially after the Magic's cheap trade of McGrady.
But Edison didn't bother with the phone at all. Instead, he picked up the pen and wrote "dwighthoward" on the card as laboriously as if he was carving. Then he handed the card to Old Pat, who took a look at it and put it in the card that he had already prepared.
The envelope was then given to the staff, who walked onto the stage with the envelope.
Stern's result envelope, when opened, read:
"The Orlando Magic selected DeWalt Howard from Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy with the No. 1 pick this year, the league's third No. 1 pick out of high school."
Howard hugged the relatives around him one by one, muttered something to each other, and smiled almost to the ears. He looked like a standard big kid. He took the Orlando Magic cap handed to him by the staff and walked to the front desk.
Howard and Stern looked at the audience holding hands, and there were flashes of light in the audience.
Highlights of Howard's games were played on the big screen behind him, each of his dunks and big blocks, which made people excited to watch.
Charles Barkley, who was the guest commentator, looked at Howard on the stage, opened his mouth and began to comment: "Orlando people are taking a gamble. Between talent and experience, they chose talent. But in my opinion
, no matter from any perspective, Okafor is a safer choice. He has proven his ability in the college league. If you choose Okafor, the Magic will not be questioned. In fact, the height of Okafor and Howard
, the weight and strength are similar, but Howard is younger than Okafor and is more in line with the Magic's reconstruction plan. Moreover, Okafor has a history of serious back injuries, and no team will be satisfied with picking such a player to start his career.
He had a serious back injury before his career, especially with the Magic, who are full of injured soldiers, it is more difficult for them to make such a choice. The height of the center and the weight of 109.9 kilograms make him more comfortable in the power forward position.
Howard now looks like the young Garnett. I hope he can follow the growth path of Garnett. I believe the Magic must have their reasons for giving up the more promising Emeka Okafor for him.
.In fact, Orlando has been gambling continuously this summer. They first signed Nash with a big contract, and then sent McGrady away like a desperate move. Now it seems that they are doing preparations for selecting Howard today. McGrady
The departure of Howard can give Howard room for development, and Nash's rich experience can guide Howard's growth very well. This reminds me of Kidd and Martin of the Nets in the past two years. In short, a young head coach and a young No. 1 pick
, it seems that the Magic will create a youth storm in the league next season.”….
For Edison, the task of drafting has just begun. The No. 1 pick is in the hands of the Magic. Edison can choose whoever he wants, but it won't be possible in the future. The players he likes in the next few picks may be picked at any time.
Others intercept Hu. If all the targets except Howard were intercepted, then Edison would really be in tears. So Edison was not complacent because he got Howard. Instead, he became more cautious and did not relax at all.
Pay attention to every move on the draft field.
Anyway, with the selection of the No. 1 overall pick, the 2004 draft officially entered its climax.
Then the Bobcats, who held the second pick, quickly made their choice. There was no way. So far, the biggest favorites for the No. 1 pick were Howard and Okafor. Although who can become the final No. 1 pick is full of suspense.
But once the top pick is determined, the second pick will definitely be someone else.
"The Charlotte Bobcats selected Emeka Okafor with the second overall pick in 2004 from the University of Connecticut."
Okafor also had a simple smile on his face. After hugging his relatives and friends to celebrate, he stupidly wore a hat with the Charlotte Bobcats team logo. The Bobcats on the team logo are very novel for this league.
Kenny Smith also made a timely comment on this: "For the Bobcats, this is a perfect choice. Ranking second cannot conceal Okafor's basketball talent. When he was at UConn, he played inside statistics that dominated the United States.
Not only did he lead the team to win the championship, he also won the title of "Most Valuable Player". After graduating from his junior year, he is more stable and experienced than Howard, making him more suitable to be a leader, which the newly built Bobcats need most.
He is a clear leader, and this is exactly what Howard does not possess. He is too young. I like Okafor as a kid. He will be the core figure of the Bobcats in the next few years. His height of 2.08 meters allows him to
As a power forward and center, he may be the next Duncan or Garnett. I am optimistic about this choice of the Bobcats. And coincidentally, it is Dwight Howard and Emeka Okafor. One of them went to the Magic and the other went.
The Bobcats, but these two teams are both in the Southeast Division. In this way, the two have to play at least 4 games a season. They are considered to be facing each other. You can imagine how fierce the competition for the best rookie will be. Howard came to the Magic when
He can't be the boss because Nash is here. And Okafor will become the team's signature from the beginning of his career. This is more glorious and has more room for personal performance. But along with these halos, Okafor faces many challenges.
The pressure is much greater than Howard's. But no matter what, first of all, I have to congratulate him."
