024: Draft Show

The news that Michael Jordan might retire had thrown the entire NBA into chaos.

Everyone knew that Jordan's retirement would mean much more than just the absence of a star player in the league.

It would lead to a financial crisis in the basketball world.

All industries related to Michael Jordan and basketball were closely interconnected, and a separation would undoubtedly be devastating.

From the media to shoe manufacturers, and even the NBA itself, all would suffer huge impacts.

Although his retirement was not yet certain, even Jordan himself did not know if he would appear on the roster for the next season.

But everyone had to prepare for the worst in advance.

Krause was no exception.

Before the draft began, he once again called Eric Fleisher, inviting Roger to try out in Chicago.

And Krause had said over the phone, "If the tryout goes well, we'll try to trade up for a lottery draft pick."

Eric naturally heard the rumors that Jordan might retire.

And personally, he believed that a Chicago Bulls without Michael Jordan was a perfect fit for Roger's development.

Firstly, even if Jordan retired, his residual fame would keep the Bulls the most watched team in the entire league.

There were simply too many nationally televised games even to count.

This was an advantage the Timberwolves, Nuggets, and Pistons just could not offer.

No matter how well you play, what good is it if the fans can't see you?

Secondly, once Jordan retired, his great commercial image would need a successor. At that time, the league would definitely spend a lot of time and effort promoting this successor.

Then, who else could be more qualified to earn the title of "Jordan's Successor" than a scoring guard playing for the Chicago Bulls?

The title of Jordan's Successor was itself a magnet for traffic and exposure, which could be very beneficial in enhancing Roger's commercial value.

However, to Eric's surprise, Roger himself was not interested in playing in Chicago.

He told Eric that even if the Bulls managed to trade up for a high lottery pick, he did not want to try out in Chicago.

The reason was, "What if Michael comes back?"

In Eric's opinion, the likelihood of this happening was extremely low. Jordan had everything, lacked nothing in terms of money or honors, and his only opponents were the media.

Why would he need to make a comeback?

But Roger was very certain, it was a hundred percent going to happen.

Being Jordan's teammate might mean many championships, but you would never be the one in the spotlight.

You can forget about being under the spotlight even with Wizards' Jordan, let alone Bulls' Jordan; you'd just be an accessory.

And Roger was the type of player who needed the authority to shoot in order to perform well, but to expect a significant number of shots next to Jordan? Wake up, even being in the finals wouldn't give you that right.

So, even though Krause was sincere, Roger still had Eric decline the tryout invitation from the Bulls.

Roger just wanted to go to a more conventional lottery team.

Still, the news that Bulls might trade up to select Roger leaked out.

Krause deliberately released the information, aiming to attract teams interested in making a deal to contact him.

On this matter, Michael Jordan did not comment.

Since winning the championship, Jordan had been keeping away from the media, unwilling to be disturbed again.

He was so drained that he couldn't be bothered to deal with the media over something like the draft, having never felt such a desire to distance himself from the basketball world.

Thus, Scottie Pippen felt for the first time what it was like to be the main character.

All the media in Chicago were revolving around him, asking him to comment on what the Bulls were about to do in the draft.

Having already secured three championship rings, Pippen was naturally hostile toward a high school player who might squeeze his future salary:

"Krause always likes to take a different path in the draft, like in '90 when he insisted on picking some all-capable Euro-Magic that till today we haven't been able to see play in the NBA. Now, he wants to pick a high school kid? The guy always likes to do something abstract."

"But Roger performed really well in the tryouts, and he even held his own against Anfernee Hardaway," a reporter pointed out.

Pippen flashed a bright white smile, "Please, that was just one tryout. What does that prove? If Roger really joined the Bulls, he'd be crying to go home within a week under our training intensity."

The Chicago Bulls were a very special team, because Pippen and Jordan, the two stars, nearly always opposed General Manager Krause. Yet, they still managed to build a triple-championship dynasty.

This time was no exception.

Even in the draft, Pippen and Jordan were almost always singing a different tune from Krause.

The possibility of the Bulls trading to get Roger made his draft position even more unpredictable.

The NBA draft was so exciting exactly because many situations were simply unpredictable.

No one knew whether Shaq would let the Magic waver.

No one knew what choice the Warriors would make between Hardaway and Roger.

No one knew if the fifth-placed Timberwolves would ignore Laettner's preferences and resolutely select Roger.

Nor did anyone know what role the Chicago Bulls would play in this draft.