Rebirth of the Industrial Tycoon - Vol 2 Chapter 619
Chapter 619 The Birth of Parallel Imports
In 2001, the NBA’s attitude towards high school players had improved considerably.
This is also thanks to the high school players who have entered the NBA in recent years, who have performed very well, which has reduced people’s prejudice and discrimination against high school players.
Among the high school players who joined the NBA in recent years, many star players have been born.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships and is the most popular star in the league; Garnett’s 20+10+5 for two consecutive years is already regarded as the league’s No. 1 power forward; McGrady’s outbreak last season made people Saw the figure of the superstar.
In addition to these three star-level players, such as Jermaine O’Neal, who has not had many chances to play before, has also played a quasi-double-double this season, and Rashard Lewis, after two years of hard work, has also Sit firmly in the starting position of the Supersonics.
Sports has always been a world in which the weak eat the strong.
And when these high school players entered the NBA, they were only seventeen or eighteen years old. Compared with those players who entered the NBA in their junior and senior years, high school players obviously have higher growth and plasticity.
It can be seen from the data that when high school players first enter the NBA, the data in the first year is often relatively stretched, but after two or three years, when they get used to the NBA game, the data will begin to grow rapidly.
For many rebuilding teams, the rebuilding process often takes years, so there is time to wait for young players to grow into star players.
Because there have been many successful cases in the past few years, after entering the 21st century, the NBA no longer excludes high school players.
Many teams regard high school players as an investment in the future, or simply as a scratch. Whether it is Bryant with the 13th pick or Tracy McGrady with the 9th pick, it is a **** profit for the team. Pen!
And in 2001, the first high school champion in NBA history was about to be born!
From the perspective of future generations, 2001 is definitely a big year for the draft.
The candidates are Arenas, Zach Randolph, Joe Johnson, Sean Battier, Jason Richardson, Gerald Wallace, Richard Jefferson, Local North American players such as Brand Haywood and Dalemport participated, as well as international players such as Big Gasol, Parker, Okur, and Radmanovic.
However, this year’s No. 1 pick has locked the members of the so-called “three treasures of high school” in advance, namely Eddie Curry, Tyson Chandler and Kwame Brown. .
It can be seen that the NBA still prefers big players.
In fact, in terms of strength, Big Gasol can completely become the champion. Gasol at that time, bearing the name of a Spanish genius, was already quite influential in the European arena.
It’s a pity that Big Gasol is not an American, so he fell to the third overall pick.
The “three treasures of high school” can be regarded as the popular candidates for the No. 1 pick in the draft year. They must be players with excellent strength and potential. If you look back at the draft reports of these three people, this is indeed the case. The ones given are all super Superstar template.
Perhaps scouts were blinded by Kobe, Garnett and others at that time, and believed that players who were dominant in high school could eventually grow into star players after entering the NBA, even if they had a short period of discomfort.
…
Washington, as the capital of the United States, has a very good sports atmosphere. But the Wizards aren’t the most popular team in the city, not even in the top three.
The number one sport in the United States is rugby. The Washington Redskins are an old-fashioned powerhouse in the NFL. They are naturally much more popular than the Wizards. It can be said that the Redskins are the most popular team in Washington.
In addition, the Washington Nationals in Major League Baseball and the Washington Capitals in ice hockey compete with the Wizards.
Even in basketball, the Wizards are not the only one in Washington. The two NCAA powerhouses, the University of Maryland and Georgetown University, are both in Washington. With Americans’ love for college basketball, the popularity of these two college teams, Even above the Wizards.
Therefore, the Wizards’ market has always been relatively stretched.
Of course, the main reason is the team’s poor performance. If the Wizards can win several championships, the market will definitely not collapse.
A few years ago, the Wizards traded Webber, hoping to improve the team’s record.
The arrival of Webber did help the Wizards to taste the taste of the playoffs. However, the NBA at that time was Jordan’s world after all. In front of Jordan’s Bulls, any team could only submit obediently.
In the 1998 season, the Wizards traded Webber away, and the team fell into a trough again.
Since the NBA is Jordan’s world, the owner of the Wizards made a decision to invite Jordan over.
The price of 20 million US dollars, selling 5% of the equity to Jordan, this is definitely a sale, but as long as Jordan can come, the 20 million US dollars is not a loss.
And Jordan was not reconciled to only being a player. He always wanted to own a team and be the owner of the team. This was no secret in the NBA at that time.
So the Wizards hit it off with Jordan and completed the deal.
With Jordan’s blessing, the Wizards, which is a relatively stretched ball market, also instantly gained media attention. Everyone began to care about the next step of the Wizards’ operation. How many stars have joined.
And this year’s Wizards also drew the No. 1 pick, which made it even more interesting.
…
In the training hall of the Wizards, many young rookies are training here.
Originally, in a ball market like the Wizards, there probably won’t be any well-known rookies willing to come for trial training. Excellent players all want to go to the big ball market, so that they can make more money; or to win championships The strength of the strong team, first grab a championship trophy.
However, because of Jordan’s joining and the number one pick, the Wizards have become the sweet potato in the eyes of rookies.
The title of the No. 1 pick is still very attractive, and the No. 1 pick appointed by Jordan has the golden key to enter the NBA.
Besides the court, Jordan sat in the front row of the bench, looking at the rookies who were training on the court, holding a notebook in his hand, and recording something from time to time.
Whether it is a scout or a reporter next to , the focus is not on the court, but on Jordan.
Which player Jordan looked at was the player the reporters focused on. If Jordan wrote a few words in the notebook, the reporter could write a news about Jordan’s attention to a certain rookie!
Kwame Brown and Tyson Chandler are also among the players on the workout.
I saw the staff of the Wizards stepped forward and said to Kwame Brown: “Kwame, wait a moment, we are going to arrange a one-on-one duel for you and Tyson Chandler!”
“One-on-one?” Kwame Brown frowned suddenly, with a very repulsive expression on his face.
Kwame Brown is a popular candidate for the No. 1 pick. It is normal for such players to refuse some training programs that they do not like. In the future, there will even be many excellent rookies who are unwilling to participate in the conjoined side.
The more trial training items, the more likely you can show your strengths, but the easier it is to expose your weaknesses. Therefore, in the face of trial training, the attitudes of popular players and uninterested players are completely different.
Hot players want to participate in as few trials as possible so as not to expose too many shortcomings. Because as favorites, they would have been selected with high picks. If they expose too many shortcomings, they will lower the draft pick.
Players who are not interested in, hope to participate in more trial training in order to show their strengths to the team. If a team performs well in a trial training, if they are attracted by a certain team, they can also find one in the NBA. jobs.
What’s more, this one-on-one duel is a comprehensive examination of the players’ abilities, and it is easier to expose their own shortcomings. For potential candidates for the top pick, winning will not improve the ranking. No. 1 pick, but loses will lower the ranking and become second or third overall, which is more or less worth the loss.
Therefore, Kwame-Brown was 10,000 unhappy about the one-on-one duel.
The Wizards staff also saw that Kwame Brown didn’t want to participate in the one-on-one, so he continued; “This one-on-one is Mr. Jordan’s request, if you refuse, I think Jordan You will be very disappointed sir!”
Hearing that it was Jordan’s request, Kwame Brown nodded and agreed even though his heart was full of unwillingness.
The situation is similar with Chandler, who doesn’t want to go head-to-head with Kwame Brown.
But knowing that this was Jordan’s request, Chandler also did not dare to refuse, and immediately agreed.
If it were someone else, who dared to make a one-on-one request to the two candidates for the top spot, they would have been kicked away long ago!
But Jordan is different. Jordan’s words are like a decree in the NBA. It is estimated that if Jordan speaks and makes players take off their pants and run naked on the court, some people will do it.
If nothing else, at least news such as “A certain player ran streaking on the court at Jordan’s request” will definitely become popular in major media across the United States. At that time, under the nickname of “streaking brother”, he will go on all kinds of blurbs. Shows can also receive a lot of advertisements.
The result of this one-on-one duel was Kwame Brown beating Tyson Chandler.
At this time, Kwame Brown was slightly taller than Tyson Chandler, physically stronger, and better technically. Tyson Chandler was beaten with no temper at all.
Jordan on the sidelines nodded with satisfaction. He had already decided to appoint Kwame Brown as the No. 1 pick this year.
…
Although he reluctantly participated in the heads-up, Kwame Brown was still in a good mood after defeating his biggest competitor.
Kwame-Brown returned to the hotel where he was staying, and just walked into the lobby when he saw a bald man come forward.
“Mr. Brown, hello, my name is James Bond, CEO of Feiyue Sports, are you interested in having a chat with me?”
This bald man is James Bond.
Kwame Brown doesn’t know James Bond, but he is no stranger to Leap Sports.
Now the CEO of Feiyue Sports has come to the door in person, and Kwame Brown knows with his **** that he is here to talk about advertising endorsements!
At this moment, Kwame Brown couldn’t help thinking of the story of Nike and Jordan.
Nike’s president Phil Knight personally found Jordan and persuaded Jordan to become Nike’s spokesperson, and then there will be a brilliant future for Nike for decades.
Now, Kwame-Brown feels that the same script has fallen on his head.
Kwame Brown doesn’t care whether Feiyue Sports can be as brilliant as Nike, what he cares about is that he can replicate Jordan’s success and become the number one player in the NBA!
In the NBA, countless point guards are sitting on the dream of becoming the second Jordan, and Kwame Brown, who is an inside player, also has the same dream.
…
The news that Feiyue Sports contacted Kwame Brown quickly spread.
Soon, so-called “sources” revealed in the media. According to “sources”, Feiyue Sports is very interested in Kwame Brown, believing that Kwame Brown has the physical strength of Karl Malone, the solid skills of Larry Bird, and Chris Webber. , Jason Kidd’s playmaking ability, Tim Duncan’s calm and maturity, and Michael Jordan’s charisma.
And Kwame Brown is still a high school player, he is so young, he will definitely become the ruler of the NBA for the next fifteen years!
This **** is a bit big, it’s more than a bit exaggerated, it has reached the level of shamelessness.
But this kind of news that rubs off on the hot spots of football stars is what the media likes to report the most.
Even if you boast that Brown is a very good rookie, but you haven’t entered the NBA after all, how many people know you? Just reporting Kwame Brown’s name, several viewers will pay attention to the news.
Rubbing a wave of the star’s popularity, the situation is different. Karl Malone and Larry Bird are all famous players in the NBA. Kidd is currently the No. 1 point guard in the NBA, not to mention Jordan’s name, which is known to everyone. Name, readers will pay attention to this news.
Overnight, Kwame Brown was blown away, he has not yet entered the NBA, as if he has become an epic superstar!
At the same time, other sports brands have also taken action, just because Feiyue Sports is very interested in Kwame Brown.
Feiyue Sports’ vision of selecting spokespersons has long been confirmed. At present, Feiyue Sports has not missed the point in selecting spokespersons. Now all sports brands in the United States know that any young player who is favored by Feiyue Sports will definitely become a Celebrity.
What’s more, there are two high school players, Kobe and Tracy McGrady, as a precedent. This shows that Feiyue Sports is very discerning in selecting high school players.
Now that Kwame Brown, who is also a high school player, is seen by Feiyue Sports, doesn’t it mean that Kwame Brown will become the next superstar!
As a result, other sports brands also began to contact Kwame-Brown.
…
Nike headquarters, Dyson also got the first contact between Feiyue Sports and Kwame Brown, and also knew that the president of Feiyue Sports went to meet Kwame Brown in person.
“It seems that Feiyue Sports is very interested in this Kwame Brown, will he be the next superstar!” Dyson said.
“Mr. Dyson, according to the news we have received, there are already many sports brands that have begun to approach Kwame Brown. If we want to sign Kwame Brown, it is best to do so as soon as possible.” The assistant said.
“Don’t worry. The Wizards have just completed the trial for Kwame Brown. Jordan should know more about Kwame Brown’s situation. I think he should ask his opinion before making a decision!”
After Dyson finished speaking, he took the phone and dialed Jordan’s number.
“Hey, Michael, is it convenient to talk now? I want to talk to you about something.”
Dyson is a veteran of Nike. He has known Jordan for many years, so he can easily contact Jordan.
Dyson asked Jordan directly if the Wizards would choose Kwame Brown as the No. 1 pick.
Ordinarily, this should be something that needs to be kept secret, but Jordan and Nike were originally wearing a pair of pants, so Jordan did not hide it. He directly told Dyson that the Wizards would use the No. 1 pick to select Kwame Brown.
Then Dyson asked Kwame Brown’s strength and whether it was really as promising as rumored in the news.
This question is really difficult for Jordan. As the best basketball player in the world, Jordan naturally knows that those words in the media are bragging!
The strength of Karl Malone, the skill of Larry Bird, the versatility of Chris Webber, the playmaking ability of Jason Kidd, the calmness and maturity of Tim Duncan, these things Kwame Brown does not have!
Not to mention his own leadership qualities, besides me, Michael Jordan, how can there be a second person in the world who has it?
But Jordan can’t say that Kwame Brown is a rookie. Otherwise, if he chooses a rookie to be the champion, wouldn’t he look like he has no vision!
So Jordan had to bite the bullet and praise Kwame Brown.
However, Jordan’s praise for Kwame Brown strengthened Dyson’s determination to sign Kwame Brown.
…
“Nike signs Kwame Brown for $80 million! 》
On the day before the draft, this news appeared in the American media, as if to tell the United States that Kwame Brown had locked in this year’s No. 1 pick.
Li Weidong looked at the newspaper in his hand with a deep smile on his face.
“$80 million, I hope Nike can have a long memory in the future!” Li Weidong sighed and called James Bond.
When James Bond appeared in front of Li Weidong, he had an unhappy expression on his face.
“What’s the matter? You look in a bad mood!” Li Weidong said.
“We were ridiculed by the tabloids!” James Bond continued; “There were a few local LA newspapers saying that we didn’t sign Kwame Brown was a big mistake, and the tone was like saying we missed out. One billion!”
“Maybe Kwame Brown is a parallel importer? We will save 100 million by then!” Li Weidong then asked: “Has Arenas been contacted?”
James Bond replied immediately: “Although I have not contacted him personally, but I have contacted his coach, and through the coach, he can be contacted.”
Li Weidong said, “I estimate that Arenas will be selected in the second round. After the results of the draft come out, tell Arenas immediately that we are willing to give him a long-term endorsement contract!”
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(end of this chapter)