Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Chapter 505: Chapter 347: Wishing Us Good Luck

Greg Oden’s workout performance in Boston was not good; he seemed to be lacking systematic training for a while. Why was that? Could it be because he had been a lock for a top-two draft spot since last year?

However, as the workout progressed, Ainge grew increasingly uneasy.

Ever since Oden entered college, Ainge had watched every game he played.

Aside from a narrow defeat in the national championship against Florida, Oden had never shown the “next Russell or Ewing” level of potential to the NBA professionals.

Before that, he had some great moments and over 10 minutes of dominance, but never for an entire game.

Of course, he had his excuses.

His wrist was injured.

He didn’t want to injure it again. So he had been holding back, but regardless, Oden hadn’t performed better than Durant.

If Ainge had the first pick, he would definitely choose Durant.

There was no other reason, only that Durant gave him a greater sense of security.

On the night when the lottery ended, Boston’s basketball fans held a joyous gathering, chanting the names of Oden and Durant, ready to support one of them for the next decade.

But Ainge often wondered, was there a possibility that only one was the correct answer?

Even till today, the hand injury was still affecting Oden’s workout; he did not seem to have fully recovered. Recently at the Orlando pre-draft camp, Oden had also been diagnosed with a spine issue.

And in Boston, Oden presented some new problems and risks.

His workout performance was terrible, his stamina was an issue, his layups lacked feel, and his athletic tests had to be stopped.

What did Oden have to offer? He had potential, in the literal sense.

And his smile.

Yes, the smile.

Compared to his peers, Oden’s biggest asset was that he knew how to present a smiling face to the public early on, something Durant had not yet learned.

As The Celtics were very likely to select Oden, he held nothing back in front of them, fully displaying his physical condition, including thorough physical measurements and examinations.

This confirmed for The Celtics the rumors that Oden’s legs were of different lengths.

It was true.

Next was The Celtics’ veteran team doctor’s concern about Oden’s knee health risks.

One bad news after another reached Ainge’s ears.

He became irritable, eager to know if Oden was the right answer.

But no one could provide an answer, and the only answer to this question would come after The Celtics chose him in the draft.

“Has Greg left?”

Ainge inquired with his assistant.

The assistant replied, “He’s about to leave; he’s still changing clothes in the locker room.”

“Tell his agent that I’m very pleased with today’s workout, but we might still need to look at Kevin Durant before making a decision,” Ainge said as he decided to head back to his office.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

He decided to take another look at Oden.

What’s the biggest difference between a naturally gifted athlete and those big guys without any athletic talent? Their walking stride always seems effortless, as though they belong to a different species, while those big guys without the talent, or the old veterans, give off a different vibe.

When Oden walked out of The Celtics’ locker room with his agent, smiling and greeting everyone, an image of his old teammate Robert Parish at the end of his career popped into Ainge’s mind.

Oden looked like a 50-year-old man, his gait strange; anyhow, he did not resemble the type of athlete who glides along the floor.

It was at this moment that a wild idea surged through Ainge’s mind.

But what was even crazier was that he had to convince everyone on the board and get them to understand why Greg Oden, the “once-in-a-decade super talent” touted by scouts, was not the future of The Celtics.

For the NBA, Oden’s workout in Boston was just an ordinary day, but Ainge’s decision, along with Durant’s refusal of Boston’s workout invitation (implying the Supersonics had extended a draft promise), indirectly influenced the power distribution of the NBA for the 2007-08 season.

Then came the day of the 2007 NBA Draft.

Before the draft started, rumors were swirling that The Celtics might trade their second overall pick.

The Supersonics were prepared to select Xiao Yufei with the first pick, it was already a known fact, but this didn’t mean that Durant was the universally acknowledged number one overall pick.

It was just that with the rise of Xiao Yufei and the popularity of small-ball, Durant’s value surpassed Oden’s in the eyes of some teams. But the teams willing to use the first overall pick on Durant wouldn’t exceed thirty percent. The Supersonics just happened to be one of them.

Greg Oden was the recognized number one pick; some teams thought only Yu Fei and James could be traded for him.

Now, the Celtics were actually planning to trade their number two pick?

Some people were speculating if something bad had happened during the tryout, but even more people fell into frenzy as the phone in the Celtics’ draft war room kept ringing.

Minutes later, Stern announced news that the outside world had already known.

The Seattle SuperSonics selected Kevin Durant with the first overall pick of the first round.

A few Sonics fans at the venue shouted, “Save our SuperSonics!”

Durant didn’t know what lay ahead, but being drafted as the number one pick was something he wouldn’t have dared to dream before entering college.

Because, the number one pick of his class had been locked in since Greg Oden was 15 years old.

Unexpectedly, he ended up being the number one pick.

The dream-come-true Durant couldn’t help but think, if such dreams could come true, then even crazier dreams weren’t impossible.

Could he, like Frye, taste the footbath water of the muse?

Then, just as fans were waiting for the Celtics to use the second pick to select Oden, ESPN’s draft expert Andy Katz suddenly broke the news: “The Celtics plan to send the second pick to Minnesota in exchange for Kevin Garnett.”

Almost at the same time, ESPN officially confirmed the trade was complete.

Celtics fans experienced a rollercoaster of emotions in an instant.

Acquiring Garnett meant they were winning now, but was it really feasible to give up a 19-year-old superstar for an aging star over 30?

This trade was bound to be highly controversial.

But the background of the trade was far more complex than what people saw.

Ainge had always quoted a superstar for the number two pick, and his actual targets were only the two superstars who were requesting trades—Kobe and Garnett.

But the Lakers already had Bynum, and their desire for Oden was the least among all teams, so they raised the price with an offer of Oden + Al Jefferson + cap space + future draft rights.

Ainge pondered, you could’ve just said you didn’t want to make the trade; there was no need to be like this.

On the other hand, Ainge’s former teammate, Kevin McHale in faraway Minnesota, was easy to talk to. Ever since last year when the outside world revealed the Timberwolves’ secret plans to trade Garnett, Garnett’s heart had died. He then understood what Yu Fei meant by “Don’t let loyalty hurt you.”

McHale’s relationship with the Celtics undeniably gave Boston many advantages in this transaction.

As far as the chips the Celtics sent out were concerned, it was basically an equivalent exchange for Oden and Garnett, with the rest just filler to match Garnett’s contract.

In this deal, the Celtics sent Wally Szczerbiak home and brought on the long-absent Vin Baker among others, gathering the chips needed for the trade, and brought the underachieving “ticket” back to Boston.

Yet, the Celtics’ maneuvers were far from over.

No sooner had the news about Garnett been revealed than it was followed by reports that Ainge was trading the highly-regarded prospect, Al Jefferson, to the Memphis Grizzlies for the sixth pick.

Then, ESPN’s lead reporter Marc Stein confirmed the authenticity of the trade—the info from the deal also suggested that the Grizzlies had decided to rebuild around the youth, making it highly likely that Pau Gasol would be traded.

However, Ainge, who had turned the trade market on its head, was not yet satisfied.

He didn’t acquire the sixth pick from the Grizzlies with the intent of selecting a younger player he favored more, but rather to trade with the New York Knicks, who were seeking to mend their deteriorating relationship with Isiah Thomas.

Isaiah Thomas, beyond just wanting the sixth pick, also wanted cap space, and the Celtics could satisfy their needs, given that they had Theo Ratliff’s expiring ten-million-level contract.

Next, Ainge set his sights on David Lee, a quality young power forward rising within the Knicks.

After negotiations, the two sides struck a deal with the Celtics sending out the sixth pick, Ratliff, and their 2008 first-round pick in exchange for Michael Redd and David Lee from New York.@@novelbin@@

Ainge’s series of moves had thrown the trade market into chaos.

Having acquired Al Jefferson, the Memphis Grizzlies decided to sell Pau Gasol.

The Bucks, who had just completed back-to-back championships, were quick to bite, regardless of whether Yu Fei stayed.

The Bucks still had quality trade chips, a healthy cap space, and the bonus contracts of Granger and Aldridge.

After selecting Joakim Noah, the Bucks packaged P.J. Tucker, Sprewell, and their 2009 first-round pick to get Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies.

However, since the trade required the Bucks to continue executing Sprewell’s contract to be effective, the two sides only completed a verbal agreement on the day of the draft; yet, the deal was set, and the Bucks opened the first chapter of the post-Fei era.

After the draft, the Bucks held a championship celebration in downtown Milwaukee.

Yu Fei gave a nearly 10-minute speech, reflecting on his past five years in Milwaukee; those voices hoping he would stay had grown faint because everyone heard what Yu Fei said.

He thanked the past, the present, the support of the staff, teammates, and fans, but what about the future?

Nothing, he simply said, “Good luck to us.”

Some things are destined to happen.

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