Chapter 285: The Draft: Prioritizing the Greek Freak

Wade Dong's playful remark left Gentry in high spirits.

"Dong, you're a great man!"

Gentry laughed and said, "You've only been in the league for ten years, and you're already shutting down opportunities for future players."

Nash added, "We're lucky to have been teammates with Dong just as he's about to start dominating the league."

Sarver chimed in, "So many players want to join the Suns because they know it's the only way to win an NBA Championship."

The conversation suddenly shifted, and they began boasting about themselves.

Sarver boasted about being a great boss, Gentry about being a great coach, and even Wade Dong struck a pose as if he were the best in the world.

Li Jiajia rolled her eyes and walked to a quiet corner to read a book, as she couldn't stand listening to them anymore.

The change in the conversation's tone was largely due to the fact that as they chatted and drank, they became more and more tipsy, and it turned into a boasting contest.

...

The next morning, Wade Dong woke up with a slight headache.

Nash hadn't been very generous as a host, serving Bordeaux wine and claiming that Bordeaux grapes were the best.

That was nonsense; the best grapes were from Turpan!

They had been drinking since noon the previous day, and Wade Dong wasn't sure how much he had consumed. After Li Jiajia drove him home, he fell asleep, and now he had a headache.

In the morning, Sarver and Gentry visited with gifts.

This scene had played out the previous year as well. They had discussed it while drinking the day before, and with the NBA Draft about to begin, Sarver and Gentry wanted to hear Wade Dong's suggestions.

The lottery for the draft order had just concluded, and the Suns had a first-round pick from the Raptors as part of a trade they made in 2011.

The NBA Draft was about to start.

The Suns had two first-round picks, one at number eleven and another at number twenty-nine. There were many excellent players available, and Sarver wanted to hear Wade Dong's suggestions.

The previous year, it was Wade Dong who had advised the Suns to select Green and Middleton, and those two players had indeed brought many surprises to the team.

"This year's players..."

Wade Dong went through the list of players participating in the draft, which he had already reviewed.

The list was provided by Luo Qingyan, who, following Wade Dong's advice, had already signed several players in advance.

There were many agents and agencies in the US, but Luo Qingyan remained the top choice for rookie players, especially with the backing of the Wei Dong Group.

Wade Dong skimmed through the list again and noticed a Chinese player named Gu Qi.

If he had been biased, Wade Dong would have wanted the Suns to pick Gu Qi. However, he was well aware that with Gu Qi's current abilities, making it into the first round was almost impossible.

It would be a mistake for the Suns to use their eleventh pick on Gu Qi.

"There are several good players: Antetokounmpo, McCollum, Gobert, Oladipo, and Schroder..."

After going through the list, Wade Dong mentioned over a dozen players and then circled four of them, saying, "Antetokounmpo is the top choice, and Gobert, Adams, and Schroder are also good players."

While this was a parallel world, it still had some connections to the previous one.

According to Wade Dong's memories from his previous life, several rookies were undervalued in this year's draft, such as Antetokounmpo at number fifteen, Gobert at number twenty-seven, and Schroder at number seventeen.

The Suns currently held the eleventh pick in the first round, so they had a chance to draft one of these players.

Antetokounmpo, Gobert, Adams, and Schroder.

Using the eleventh pick to draft any of these players would be a good decision, and drafting Antetokounmpo would be a huge win.

Gentry, seeing the four players Wade Dong had circled, said, "These four players don't stand out, and they have obvious weaknesses. They aren't highly regarded in this year's draft, but with our eleventh pick, we have a chance to sign one of them."

Sarver asked, "Out of these four players, which one should we prioritize?"

"I just remembered something."

Wade Dong looked at Sarver and asked, "Who is our current team manager?"

Wade Dong only remembered that the previous team manager had recently left, and he wasn't sure if a new one had been hired. Most of the time, Sarver was the one who contacted Wade Dong.

It was rare to see an owner as hands-on as Sarver, and he and Gentry formed a stark contrast.

Sarver said, "We don't have a team manager at the moment. Do you have any recommendations?"

"I'll keep an eye out for someone suitable."

Wade Dong nodded and then said, "If none of these four players are drafted in the top ten, prioritize Antetokounmpo."

"Antetokounmpo?"

Sarver furrowed his brows and looked at Gentry, asking, "Who is this guy?"

Gentry replied, "He's not from the US; he plays in a second-tier league in Europe. Last season, he averaged 9.5 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.

He has good physical attributes and athletic ability, but his shooting skills are terrible, and he's too skinny. It's unclear if he can handle the league's physicality.

His draft model is Batum, and I personally feel that Batum is Antetokounmpo's ceiling."

"But..."

Gentry paused and added, "In this year's playoffs, the Warriors' Huang Yu performed exceptionally well, which has made the league pay more attention to European league players. Antetokounmpo has a lot of room for improvement, and several teams are keeping an eye on him."

"Listening to Gentry, I feel like this Antetokounmpo guy isn't that great. It's uncertain if he'll even be drafted in the first round."

Sarver looked at Wade Dong, curious, and asked, "But from what you're saying, Dong, it sounds like you're quite optimistic about this player. Why is that?"

"Just a hunch."

Wade Dong gave a vague answer without further explanation.

Based solely on the pre-draft data, Antetokounmpo didn't have many advantages over the US players, aside from his height, long arms, and good athletic ability. It was normal for him to be undervalued.

However, Wade Dong knew that once this player entered the league, he would earn the nickname "Greek Freak" and improve rapidly, even becoming one of the league's top players.

If the Suns could draft Antetokounmpo, it would be a huge win.

"Then we'll follow Dong's suggestion."

Sarver nodded and then asked, "The draft is about to start. Dong, do you want to join in the fun?"

Wade Dong shook his head and said, "I'm returning to China tomorrow, and I probably won't come back to the US before the start of the new season."

"Oh."

Sarver nodded, a bit dejected, and then asked Gentry, "Gentry, do you want to join in the fun?"

"I won't be going either."

Gentry also shook his head and said, "I'm taking my family to China for a vacation and will also be buying some good tea leaves and tea sets. I probably won't be back in the US before the start of the new season."