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The draft has changed from the noisy and extraordinary scenes in the past, and quietly kicked off in Vancouver.

The media's evaluation of the rookie level of this year is average, and they think it is far worse than last year. Only Yang Rui knew that the so-called experts were all nonsense, and the success rate of this year's rookies was very high, with many stars among the top ten.

Following last year's No. 4 overall pick and No. 1 pick the year before last, the Grizzlies sit at home and hold the No. 2 pick, ready to pick a potential rookie.

Glenn Gruward was also the object of ridicule by his peers after he entered the field. The Raptors have a high pick every year, and they are a pair of difficult brothers and sisters with the Grizzlies. The fact that the draft is held in Canada is like a kind of compensation for them.

Yang Rui and Glenn chatted about the draft and trade.

The two draft picks that the Blazers got in exchange for Stoudemire are from next season. The Raptors only have two draft picks this year. Therefore, Yang Rui can only choose someone in the second round, and the pick is still very low. , No. 47.

The management previously promised that Yang Rui has the right to recommend several basic-salary role players in the free market, no matter who they are, they will definitely sign them.

This kind of goodwill behavior is generally only useful for new coaches, and it would definitely be scoffed at by a famous coach. The chances of a basic salary player finding a strong man are too low.

Yang Rui thinks it is enough, even if the Raptors want to recruit big-name stars, no one is willing to come, they can only rely on training. If he didn't know that the Raptors lineup has a future, he wouldn't want to come.

"Glenn, there must be trades before the start of the new season, right? Can I designate a few people who are not for sale? They play a huge role in the system."

"Of course." Glenn agreed very happily. The Raptors have no stars at all, and the salaries of the players are not high, so it doesn't matter if anyone stays.

Yang Rui took out a post-it note and a ballpoint pen, and wrote down three names, Billups, McGrady, and Christie. Except for these three people, the others are traded casually.

He didn't mention Carter and O'Neal. These two must stay on the team. It's nonsense.

Seeing that there were only three not for sale in his mind, Glenn secretly lamented that the Raptors are really bad. He was a little surprised to see Billups' name.

As a third pick in 1997, Billups played very poorly in the Celtics, shooting 39% from the field and 33.9% from the three-point range. His organizational skills were average, averaging 11.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.

In the mid-term trade to the Raptors, Billups performed worse. He played 29 games and averaged only 11.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 31.7 minutes per game, shooting 34.9% from the field and 31.6% from the three-point range.

Glenn thinks that Billups' breakthrough ability is average, half of his shots are three-pointers and he is not accurate. He doesn't look like a point guard at all, and his personality is even more problematic. He is considering how to trade.

"Are you sure you want to keep Billups?"

"Ok, he's 191cm tall, very strong, and he'll be an excellent defensive player if he trains well at the No. 1 position. And his main scoring method is long-range shooting, which is in line with my tactical philosophy. Believe me, he will be an important player for the Raptors. a member."

"Well, I hope he can play at the level of Tanhua." Glenn said with a wry smile.

He still doesn't like Billups, because this is a troublesome guy, otherwise the Celtics wouldn't be eager to send him away and make a loss-making deal.

President David Stern gave a speech, and the draft officially began.

Clippers manager Elgin Baylor was the first to submit a selection and selected center Michael Olavokandi, nicknamed "Sugar Man."

He is a Nigerian immigrant. For some reason, he reminded many experts of the great Hakeem Olajuwon.

Like Olajuwon, Olavokandi has not been in contact with basketball for a long time, but he is very quick to get started. In just a few years, he has already swept the NCAA Pacific Division in his junior year, surrendering data of 22.2 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.88 blocks. .

Yang Rui admires Elgin Baylor very much. It is a miracle that this great fairy can work as the Clippers manager for many years.

The boss didn't fight him hard.

Baylor's vision is invincible, the draft has never been right, and the best man selected is Odom. During his days as a general manager, the Clippers have been a bad team.

The gap between Olavokandi and Olajuwon is too big, he can't shoot outside the paint area, and his free throw percentage is just over half. The most amazing thing is that this rough guy uttered a classic Hollywood-style confession in 2005: "Actually, I am a shooter."

The Grizzlies selected point guard Mike Bibby at No. 2. This also makes people wonder, obviously the team lacks outstanding scorers, and a group of super swingmen in the back look down on them.

Picking Bibby spelled a hidden danger for the Grizzlies' future. In Yang Rui's previous life, the Grizzlies were at the bottom again next season, and Francis was selected in 1999, another point guard. As a result, Francis did not want to join, so he had to send him away.

The Nuggets selected the insider Riff LaFrentz, who has the ability to shoot three-pointers with his left hand and is also good at defending and blocking shots, which is very powerful.

He signed a 7-year 72.5 million contract in Yang Rui's previous life, but unfortunately, he started to get injured and slack, and became a garbage contract.

The Raptors selected Jamison in fourth place, and immediately traded with the Warriors in fifth place, in exchange for Kattega's 800,000 cash.

Glenn showed the insidious side of a professional manager. He had already found out that the Warriors' target was Jamison, cut off his husband in advance, and made a small profit. This kind of poor team who tightens their belts likes to calculate such things.

Carter was smiling when he took the stage, knowing that he would go to the Raptors. He and Maddy are distant relatives, ready to fight side by side by phone.

The Mavericks selected insider Robert Traylor for the sixth place. He is 203cm tall and weighs 129kg. He was nicknamed "Tractor".

The Kings selected point guard Jason Williams with the seventh overall pick.

The 76ers selected point guard Larry Hughes with the eighth overall pick.

The Bucks selected Dirk Nowitzki with the ninth overall pick.

The Celtics selected forward Paul Pierce with the 10th pick.

The Green Army picked up a big deal, and Pierce was seriously underestimated. He has immediate combat power, he can play in the NBA, and he has already played star data in the second year, squeezing out the original team's starter Ron Mercer by virtue of his strength.

At this time, the classic change at this conference also appeared. The Mavericks traded Nowitzki with Traylor and the Bucks.

The German king was destined to start his star career with the Mavericks, while the Bucks switched to their favorite Fatty, and there was an excellent water dispenser administrator on the bench, so cute.

Yang Rui also thought about whether the Raptors would be stronger if he proposed to replace Nowitzki and a certain Bucks player with Jamison? Nowitzki's peak period lasted longer than Carter's, and when he retired, he surpassed Chamberlain in total points.

But Nowitzki is not an instant combat power, and it takes some time to cultivate to exert his power. Moreover, his physical fitness is average, and he has been criticized by the media as a "soft guy" for many years. In terms of popularity, he is far inferior to Carter, and no one will think that he is Jordan's successor.

The Raptors need popularity and eye-catching stars. From this point of view, there is indeed no one more suitable than Carter in the entire league.

In any case, Yang Rui believes that the Raptors will be very strong next season, even if there is no time to train and run in.