Chapter 8: The Rookies of 08 (Part 1)
When talking about these surprising players and the enviable blood exchanges of the Kings, we have to mention the draft that has ended for a long time! In fact, this year's draft has many highlights, and many players also rushed into the NBA with the 2008 draft, becoming a member of the army trying to prove themselves!
Zhang Weifeng naturally witnessed the whole process of the 2008 draft! In fact, he and Petri had made this year's draft decision in advance! At that time, in order to win a first-round pick, Zhang Weifeng and Petri had a lot of arguments, but in the end, Zhang Weifeng failed, and Petri only gave him two round picks to control! However, in Zhang Weifeng's opinion, this is enough. He can use these second-round picks to play the abilities of his rebirth for the first time and use his rebirth advantage to win a good player in the draft! After all, that can increase his weight to achieve the highest honor in the new season!
The 2008 draft was held at the Madison Garden Plaza Theater in New York City on June 27, 2008 Beijing time. The draft was broadcast live to 203 countries and regions around the world through the espn TV station in the United States. Because after one Olympics, basketball has received more and more attention, and the ratings are very high, so this draft is also quite eye-catching! Although no one calls this draft a draft year! However, Zhang Weifeng knew that the overall quality of this rookie can definitely surpass the 2003 Platinum generation. In fact, compared with 2008, the only ones are the superstars! In Zhang Weifeng's memory, there are only Westbrook and Love! And the two have not been able to reach that level from beginning to end!
This year, the Kings have a total of 6 draft picks! Although the best of these draft picks is only the 24th pick. The remaining five are in the second round. However, Zhang Weifeng also regarded these draft picks as a treasure! It is indeed a pity that he did not give the 24th pick to the right to dominate these second round picks! However, Petri was able to allow him to dominate these second round picks at will, which is enough to show how the Kings attach importance to Zhang Weifeng now! After all, he can lead the rookie season
The player who led the Kings back to the playoffs and achieved a staggering 55 wins, and the Dream Team, which was able to make the lineup extremely evil in the Olympics, once again hated the players in the Olympic arena. Such players can no longer be measured with some money. As the general manager, he must do his best to completely win over the player's heart in the Kings! For this reason, Petri is naturally willing to give these irrelevant second-round draft picks!
Zhang Weifeng and Petrie also argued about who to choose the 24th pick. After all, the players chosen were to play with Zhang Weifeng. So Petrie also chose to win Zhang Weifeng's opinion. After the two had a long talk, the final decision was to win Batum! In fact, it was indeed an accident to get Batum at the 24th pick. At that time, Zhang Weifeng and Petrie planned to be the big pitcher Ryan Anderson, but the development of the draft was a bit dramatic! So,
The Kings had to choose Batum at the 24th pick! Zhang Weifeng knew that it was very difficult to have Batum perform well in the first two years. After all, this French young man would take some time to adapt to the rhythm of the NBA! Of course, Zhang Weifeng chose Batum according to his own plans. After all, if you want a big deal in the future, what you need is chips! And now, Zhang Weifeng is using these draft picks to create a weight that can form a dynasty lineup in the future!
In the 2008 draft, Derek Ross was still the No. 1 pick. This year, he became the only No. 1 pick! Although Noah left, Brad Miller returned to the Bulls, and in this transaction, the Bulls also got a 12-pick draft pick from the Kings! Speaking of this draft pick, it was actually related to the deal between the Kings and the Raptors! At that time, Spencer Hoyce and Yuduri were sent to the Raptors, and the Raptors had a first-round pick that was not protected in 2008! It was also the Kings' luck. In the 2007-08 season, several generals of the Raptors suffered injuries one after another. In desperation, the Raptors management announced that the season was bad, and the result was cheaper for the Kings! And this first-round pick was also very lucky to have a lottery 12
Pick! Zhang Weifeng and Pitrie think that this draft pick is not of any particular purpose. After all, choosing another rookie training requires time. For this reason, Zhang Weifeng aimed at the rookie Jokin Noah of the same level who played for the Bulls! Noah played pretty well with the Bulls! But the Bulls are still at the bottom of the East, and the management believes that to reappear the Bulls dynasty, what they need is a bold trade! When they saw the trading weights proposed by the Kings, the final deal was promoted! The Bulls gained a lot of experience and the two-time All-Star Brad Miller, and the Kings also got a 12-pick pick in the first round. In the Bulls' eyes, the deal was pretty good! So they were willing to give Jokin Noah!
After winning Derek Ross with the No. 1 pick, the Bulls management signed another inside player with 12 picks, which was Roy Hibert, who could reach 218cm in height! This result surprised Zhang Weifeng. Although Hibert does not have the strength of an All-Star, he is indeed a player suitable for the Bulls! After Noah left, this is indeed a good addition! In this way, the Bulls have two rookies in the lottery in the new season! In fact, Zhang Weifeng always felt that if Brooke Lopez had not been selected by the Nets, the Bulls would be very likely to choose this big man with strong offensive ability!
In fact, the real change in ranking started after the Lotto draft! The first is the 17th pick in the first round! This pick is actually the Kings' pick! The Kings exchanged the 24th pick and 32nd pick in the Supersonics! In this way, the Supersonics team holding the 17th pick will naturally consider it carefully! The Supersonics' draft feature has always been what they need to strengthen! Therefore, they aimed at the big men who did not choose! And they might have intended to be taller.
Chapter completed!