Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 411 - 270: There Will Always Be a Day

Chapter 411: Chapter 270: There Will Always Be a Day

Danny Granger had never thought that one day he would become an NBA player before this year.

So, when he was not selected in the top twelve picks, he was calmer than the few others in the green room.

For him, making it to the NBA was already a dream come true.

Was there anything to be dissatisfied about? No, even if he died, he would have no regrets.

Gerald Green by his side was stone-cold, anxious, looking around with an expression that said, “If I drop four more spots, I’ll have to return that Hummer and the big villa downtown.”

Then, the Bucks didn’t make Granger wait any longer.

Stern announced Granger’s name at the thirteenth pick.

He stood up, acknowledged his family, and then wished luck to those who had to continue waiting in the green room.

“Good luck to you all.”

Granger turned and walked onto the stage.

At that moment, ESPN’s Dick Vitale exclaimed excitedly, “So many people are talking about rookie wingspans, athletic ability, speed, and so on! But let me tell you, we’re talking about basketball, not track and field! Danny Granger dropping to this spot is absolutely ludicrous, but I’m thrilled that this young man went to the best team for him!”

Like other rookies, Granger had to answer three questions from Greg Sager in an interview on the spot.

Sager, as a special correspondent for the draft night, had been doing this job for many years.

For Granger, the most pressing question he posed was, “The Bucks are a championship-contending team, which means you might not get as much playtime as the other lottery picks. Are you prepared for this?”

Granger gave the standard answer, “I’m thrilled to start my career with a winning team. It’s a stroke of luck.”

Then, Sager asked, “Milwaukee is still affected by ‘that night.’ How will you handle this situation?”

Granger maturely said, “They ran into a bit of trouble last season. I think anyone could encounter that, but what’s past is past, and I believe I can start afresh with the team.”

“Do you think this is the best outcome?”

“Without a doubt, this is the best outcome I could have imagined.”

In fact, Granger very nearly missed out on the Bucks tonight.

Inside the Bucks, they believed the top five of this draft were Andrew Bogut, Paul, Green, Granger, Marvin.

Ranked in that order.

This led to an extremely peculiar situation.

Two people who were internally affirmed as top five picks in this draft dropped to the thirteenth spot.

Even though Gerald Green initially refused to work out for the Bucks, in the eyes of the Bucks’ scouts, Green was a high school player who most resembled Kobe and McGrady in recent years.

Despite not participating in the team’s workouts and not being as perfect in character as Granger, his talent was tempting.

Larry Harris had to consider one thing: if Yu Fei left after two years, the team could perhaps be built around Green.

For them, Green was a star of tomorrow.

Just when they decided to break the agreement and choose Green with the thirteenth pick, someone said, “It’s best to ask for Frye’s opinion before making a decision.”

Yu Fei then reiterated his wish to play with Granger and felt there must be some issues with Gerald Green; otherwise, the other teams weren’t fools—why would they leave a player predicted by several media outlets to be top five for the Bucks?

Yu Fei’s words were persuasive.

The reason Granger fell to the thirteenth pick was because of injury concerns, which was something everyone knew.

The scary thing about Green was that those teams who hadn’t worked him out had no idea what his issues were, causing those who had the chance to choose him to opt out instead.

The unknown negatives are always scarier than the known ones.

Because humans like to assume the worst outcome.

Not only did Green refuse workouts with the lower lottery teams, but he also declined to work out alongside others, meaning he did not want others to see him compete on the same court with his fellow draft class, thus avoiding the chance of being outplayed during workouts and becoming a stepping stone for someone else’s draft hype.

However, such behavior was in itself a lack of self-confidence.

So, what exactly did those teams that worked out Green one-on-one discover?

It was this fear, coupled with the strong request from Yu Fei, that led the Bucks to stick to their original plan and successfully select Danny Granger.

Seeing Granger get picked, Yu Fei turned off the TV with satisfaction.

A while later, Yu Fei heard the team used the twenty-sixth pick in the first round to select the sharpshooting point guard Salim Stoudamire.

Since Yu Fei knew a few friends from Fujian in his previous life, he also knew a few swear words in Fujianese.

Therefore, every time he saw the name Salim, he felt it was quite impolite.

The Bucks had another draft pick.

This was the sixteenth pick in the second round, acquired from Philadelphia.

The choice at this position was consistent: either pick a mature rookie with immediate fighting power or choose a raw prospect with high potential but rough around the edges.

But the 2005 draft was considered to be one of the deepest in years; even in the middle of the second round, the Bucks could still compromise and select the young high school player Louis Williams, who had a considerable level of readiness and his skills fit well with the team.

When the Bucks chose Lou Williams, Yu Fei was having dinner and turned on the TV to take a glance.

ABC was connecting to Little Harris, asking why they chose a high school player with a second-round pick.

Little Harris answered, “Louis has put on five pounds in the last month. He’s the kind of player who trains hard and is willing to improve. That’s why we chose him.”

Lou Williams’ interview was the funniest that Yu Fei heard that day.

Seg asked him if he was surprised to be chosen.

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With a serious face, Lou Williams said, “I was a bit at first, but after a month of hard work, I wasn’t really surprised.”

Yu Fei burst into laughter.

He had some knowledge of Lou Williams, as the latter had been active up until the era when the Clippers were assembled with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard at the helm.

It was a delightful surprise that a player he had watched grow up in his previous life was now coming to join the Bucks as his younger brother.

“Frye, here’s the schedule for the next few days.”

Assistant Lin Kaiwen handed Yu Fei a memorandum of the itinerary for the coming days.

Yu Fei took a look and found that the work for the next few days revolved around the “Frye-Yu All-American High School Star Invitation Tournament” hosted by Reebok in Seattle.

“Am I allowed to attend this without breaking any rules?” Yu Fei recalled that in recent years, there had often been fines for NBA practitioners and prospective NBA players who had yet to declare for the draft when they made contact in private.

The most notorious case was when Don Nelson Jr. went to Serbia to scout Milicic and received a hefty fine from the NBA.

Lin Kaiwen replied, “Don’t worry, this is a Reebok event, and you’re just attending as a brand ambassador, so you won’t have any private contact with the high school players.”

Yu Fei wasn’t afraid of the fine; what was there to be afraid of in just a fine? Stern might as well try to take all his savings, hmph…

However, considering that he had just regained some good reputation after playing the Detroit Pistons, he preferred to avoid trouble if possible.

Since there wouldn’t be an issue, why not go? Besides, it had been several years since he last visited his hometown.

“Are there any particularly impressive high school players?”

Yu Fei casually inquired.

Lin Kaiwen said, “There’s one who’s said to be better than LeBron.”

“That strong?” Yu Fei asked. “Who is it?”

“Apparently, he comes from Indiana, a kid who plays center.”

It was 2005 now, and if there really was such an exceptional player, playing until 2020 wouldn’t be an issue, but Yu Fei knew nothing about him, so he deemed it just hearsay.

The next day, Yu Fei and his team headed to Seattle.

Outside the airport, several media outlets had already been waiting in advance.

Although Yu Fei’s hometown was Kent, Seattle always gave him a feeling of being welcomed home.

Moreover, although he hadn’t played a single game for the Supersonics, every time his name came up in public discourse, the Seattle media invariably supported him unconditionally.

They should be aware that there’s no financial tie between them, it’s a spontaneous action.

They asked a few routine questions, and then let Yu Fei go.

Arriving in Seattle, the first person Yu Fei met was his good friend Brandon Roy, who was currently preparing for his senior season at the University of Washington.

Over the years, Yu Fei and Roy had had the chance to meet only during the holidays or June and July.

This year, Roy called Yu Fei quite often, as he started to have some draft prospects.

However, this year’s draft was too competitive, and Yu Fei suggested he wait another year.

After testing the draft waters, Roy decided to return to college.

“Do you know that although you haven’t played a single day for the Supersonics, every fan here still believes that you will come back one day?”

That night, as they dined at Roy’s place, Roy suddenly brought up the matter.

Return to Seattle?

Speaking frankly, in a way that might disappoint his folks back home, he had never considered it.

In fact, he hadn’t even seriously thought about leaving Milwaukee.

Even though a 2 + 1 contract extension made people think he wouldn’t stay long in Milwaukee, it was merely a way to put pressure on the front office and the owners.

“Perhaps there will be an opportunity in the future,” Yu Fei didn’t completely write off the possibility.

“Is your invitation tournament happening tomorrow?” Roy changed the subject from Yu Fei’s potential homecoming to play ball to the invitation tournament the next day.

Yu Fei looked at him teasingly, “What, do you want to join in? That’s all high school students there.”

“I’ll pass on participating,” Roy wanted to save face. “But I could make an appearance for the University of Washington. Our coach really likes that Greg Oden kid.”

Now, Yu Fei knew who the Indiana high school player was, the one rumored to be stronger than LeBron.

The next day, sponsored by Reebok and held in Seattle, the first Frye-Yu All-American High School Star Invitation Tournament kicked off.

The venue was the home court of the Supersonics.

At the scene, the stadium was packed to the rafters, and outside there was a sea of people, but these were not here for the future stars about to hit the court.

When Yu Fei stepped out of the Hummer, he heard deafening cheers and screams, as if he suddenly gained thousands of family members, with everyone present visibly excited by his appearance.

Yu Fei thought he had seen his share of big events, but this moment still moved him.

This sense of belonging and recognition was something Milwaukee had never given him.

“Brandon, they’re right,” Yu Fei whispered, “One day, I will come back here.”

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