The rest is just noise

Jennifer Beals ordered a meal, but she didn't eat much.

While waiting for her meal, she took out the script and memorized her lines.

"Are you a movie star?" Zhao Yuanzheng finally reacted.

Bierce asked: "Isn't it the same?"

"Like, you are almost the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." As soon as Zhao Yuanzheng opened his mouth, Louis knew he was an old licker.

Bierce closed the script and asked, "Almost?"

"Second only to Coach Lu's girlfriend." Zhao Yuanzheng obviously didn't know what it means to say that she is not as good-looking as another woman in front of a beautiful woman who is the center of attention wherever she goes. "She is 100 points, and you are 99.9 points."

Is a difference of 0.1 points enough? It’s too much to overestimate the size of a woman’s belly.

"It's rude to talk about appearance in front of others, Xiao Zhao." Louis' emotional intelligence is obviously lower than Zhao Yuanzheng, "Just keep it in your heart that Marlena is more beautiful, don't say it out loud."

"Then you keep saying that?" Biers asked sharply.

"Uh, let's change the topic. What's the purpose of your visit to Chicago this time?"

Bierce opened the script again, "Didn't you already see it?"

"Oh, how about this script?"

"very nice."

"Even if you say that, I won't show it to you."

Next, they started eating.

Zhao Yuanzheng talked about what he discovered after being on a business trip for more than a month.

"This is going to be a very high-quality draft, with a lot of big players with extremely high ceilings."

"Ewing! Will you choose Ewing?" Bills suddenly interrupted Zhao Yuanzheng's report.

You thought she was interested in basketball, but this was just her revenge and the first of countless times to interrupt Zhao Yuanzheng's reporting work.

"Do you still know Ewing?"

"Of course!" Beers made a smile, "Who doesn't know that he is the biggest lottery ticket after Kareem?"

What does this sentence mean? Professional basketball has higher expectations for Ewing than Maravich, Walton, Skywalker, Bird, Magic, Sampson, Olajuwon, and Jordan.

Louis, who has a deep understanding of Ewing's current problems, thought of the 2014 draft.

People call Wiggins the most important rookie after James.

I just don’t know if Durant agrees or not.

"I think Ewing has the highest ceiling in this draft class." Zhao Yuanzheng nodded.

"I told you, just pick Ewing and that's it!" Bills said proudly.

Zhao Yuanzheng's next sentence was: "But the probability of him touching the ceiling is less than 1%."

In this era when Ewing is praised per capita, is it as strange or as angry and frightening to meet an insider who doesn't think highly of Ewing as it is for all Americans to watch Madonna's amazing performance at the Grammys?

"Tell me about it." Louis smiled.

Zhao Yuanzheng said: "I think Ewing's progress has stagnated in the past few years. He has not made much progress because Georgetown does not have a long-term training plan. They only need Ewing to grab rebounds, defend intimidatingly, and protect the basket.

.”

"His offensive skills are a bit simple, and his awareness of positioning is weak, because in the NCAA, there are no more than 5 opponents worthy of his serious positioning and rebounding. Coach John Thompson advocates high-pressure defense that presses people, which makes Ewing develop

The habit of attacking outside will become a serious problem in the NBA, and there are countless bad habits. These problems that should have been corrected in four years of college have all been retained." Zhao Yuanzheng seemed to feel a little sorry for Ewing.

, "He should have entered the league sooner."

Bills expressed doubts: "If he has so many problems, how come so many people are optimistic about him? You are obviously exaggerating!"

"I have never doubted Ewing's ability to become a superstar. This is inevitable. In terms of his talent, becoming a superstar in the NBA is just his 'floor'. But his 'ceiling' is the impact of professional basketball on him.

"My expectation is to become a Bill Russell who is dominant on the offensive end." Zhao Yuanzheng asked, "Madam, do you know Bill Russell?"

"Of course I know him!"

Louis dared to bet his mating rights for a month. Today was the first time Bills heard Russell's name.

"The problem is that his offensive ability seems monotonous in college. Georgetown does not focus on his offense. Even his defense has countless details. And he is already 22 years old. How long does he need?

How long will it take to polish the details on both ends of the offense and defense? When he finishes dealing with these things, how much time will he have to touch his ceiling? Will his peak physical period be wasted?" Zhao Yuanzheng said with a smile, "This doesn't matter to me.

It is said to be an issue worthy of long-term attention.”

Based on Zhao Yuanzheng's reconnaissance of Ewing, his probation period has ended.

Louis is convinced that Zhao Yuanzheng is a professional basketball player who has similar thinking to him and does not regard obvious dynamic talents as crucial. While paying attention to players' talents, he also pays attention to the players' "intangible assets."

What are intangible assets? Those who play 2K must know this term.

2K's AI has not been able to reflect the value of players' intangible assets, but in reality, you are facing real people, and their intangible assets largely determine how much they can realize their talents.

.

Character is an intangible asset, mental strength is an intangible asset, and technical details are also intangible assets.

Even the feel of the ball is an intangible asset.

Ewing is a player whose dynamic talents are perfect and static talents are unparalleled, but his level of development is so low that people regret his four-year college career.

His character and mental strength are perfect.

But his skills, habits, movement details, and game feel are all so bad that he doesn't look like a player who has played four years in college⑴.

After talking about Ewing, Zhao Yuanzheng began to share his findings with Louis.

In more than a month, he discovered two leftovers whose prices were not high in the draft.

"DePaul University's Tyrone Corbin (Tyrone Cor is equal to nSG/SF), has strong athletic ability and is a very oppressive individual defender. He may not be the core, but he is definitely the puzzle piece that a strong team needs."

In addition to Corbin, Zhao Yuanzheng also brought a surprise to Louis.

He found someone from the NCAA's Division III league who Louis knew.

"Manute Bol, he's at Bridgeport Academy, even though it's only Division III"

"Wait! I know this person!" Biers interrupted Zhao Yuanzheng for the third time.

Louis didn't need their introduction to know Bol. He just didn't know that Bol was drafted in the 1985 class. Now that he knows it, he definitely can't miss this wonder in NBA history who is 7 feet 7 inches (2 meters 31) and can shoot three-pointers.

Member of the star team.

Biers excitedly said that she knew him, but both Louis and Zhao Yuanzheng expressed doubts.

"It's true! Bridgeport College is in Connecticut, and I study there! Anyone who likes basketball knows that there is a Sudanese man who looks like an alien at Bridgeport College!"

What a coincidence?

Louis asked: "How is he?"

"I don't know how to say that he plays in the third level league. The intensity is too low, but he definitely has great potential. Do you know how tall he is?"

Louis pretended he didn't know.

"He's seven feet six inches!"

Zhao Yuanzheng pursed his lips, and Biers basically said what he wanted to say.

I can only add at the end: "Boll could have played Division I, but his school was involved in the illegal admissions scandal, so he went to Bridgeport College. He was an unprecedented individual. I can't

Not sure what his future will be like, but I'm sure he belongs in the NBA."

Now, the first name on the Knicks' pocket list for the 1985 draft has appeared, and it is Manute Bol.

Louis does not think that he is a person who can achieve his career entirely by relying on the prophets of time-travelers. He has also had some success stories where he was not sure, but relied on his work experience in his previous life to conclude that he will be successful (Andrew Tony, Cheeks, Ford

Lloyd).

But when encountering someone like this who is certain that he will definitely become a talent, if you have the chance to win, you must win. Otherwise, no matter what you do in time travel, you have to use your own advantages.

After lunch, they were about to separate.

Zhao Yuanzheng continued his business trip, and Louis told him before leaving: "Go back to New York first and ask Dave to correct your ID."

"The trial period is over?" Zhao Yuanzheng asked in surprise.

"It's over." Louis was as optimistic about Zhao Yuanzheng in front of him as he was before, "You will definitely be qualified for this job."

"Thank you, Coach Lu!"

He was about to leave when he suddenly stopped: "By the way, Coach Lu, I also made a discovery."

"If you have time, you can go and watch this game." Zhao Yuanzheng did not elaborate, "I believe you will not regret it."

He didn't say who he wanted Louis to focus on, he just said that he would go and see it when he had time.

The most important thing for Louis now is time. The Knicks' game will not start in the short term.

Louis decided to take a look. He looked at the ticket in his hand and realized that Bills had not left yet.

"Why are you still following me, Jennifer?" Louis asked inexplicably.

"My wishing tree tells me to follow the first acquaintance I meet today closely, and something good will happen in the end."

Louis didn't ask whether the wishing tree spirit worked or not, "Are we acquaintances?"

"Once alive, twice familiar."

"Okay, now I'm going to watch a high school game in a stadium a few kilometers away. Are you interested?" Louis asked.

Biers shook his head firmly: "I'm not interested, but I believe in the wishing tree, so I will go with you."

"If nothing good happens in the end, will you smash the wishing tree?"

"10000% yes."

⑴Many people mention that Ewing is a "center forward textbook". I won't say whether this is right or not. I will say that as a seven-foot center, he has super super athletic ability, the agility of a small forward, and is as wild as KG.

The desire to compete, 22 years old, a monster of talent + immediate combat ability, in the first four years of his NBA career, he averaged double figures in rebounds per game in no year, the number of fouls remained high, and turnovers were twice as many as assists. You can imagine George

Four years in Chengdu have lowered his ceiling to a great extent.