Tryout Report

"Nima Goodwin, height: 206 cm, weight: 100 kg, 100-meter dash: 12.7 seconds, standing vertical leap: 66 cm, running vertical leap: 81 cm, wingspan: 215 cm.

Ball-handling: below average.

Shooting in practice: incredibly accurate from mid-range and beyond the arc, with a shooting percentage as high as 96%.

Huh?

No... Why would they choose a rookie with such mediocre physical gifts who could only shoot?

This is a strong draft year. They could pick any small forward and get someone better!"

General manager's office:

John Carroll, interim head coach of the Boston Celtics, read Goodwin's tryout report. He couldn't understand why Danny Ainge, the newly appointed general manager, wanted to draft Goodwin.

After several years of disappointing results, the Boston Celtics' front office had made sweeping changes, firing both the previous head coach and general manager.

Danny Ainge's lips curled into a faint smile. Unfazed, he said, "Carroll, you haven't finished reading. Don't rush to judge. Keep going."

John Carroll: ???

Was there really any point in reading the rest of this report?

But seeing how calm Danny Ainge looked, John Carroll continued reading Goodwin's workout report.

"Important note: Goodwin is clutch! Whether on the NCAA Finals stage or during scrimmages, whenever his team is in trouble, he steps up at just the right moment and helps them mount a comeback."

A clutch player?

John Carroll couldn't help thinking of Robert Horry, who currently played for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Robert Horry was a player with ordinary physical gifts and no particularly spectacular skills, but he had one very important ability: shooting three-pointers. Horry was an excellent three-point shooter. Especially in crucial moments, he could always find an open spot and knock down his shots with cool precision.

Robert Horry had won championships with both the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers, playing an important role on each title team. He had hit clutch shots on many occasions to help his teams win, such as the game-winning three against the Orlando Magic in the 1995 NBA Finals and his incredible game-winning three against the Sacramento Kings in the 2002 Western Conference Finals.

Robert Horry was known as "Big Shot Rob," a true clutch performer.

Could Goodwin be the next Robert Horry?

"The NBA isn't the same as the NCAA!" John Carroll tried to argue.

Hearing John Carroll's words, Danny Ainge grew a little displeased and couldn't help grumbling to himself: What a shortsighted fool.

In the end, Danny Ainge had no choice but to play his trump card. "Red Auerbach is very impressed with him. He hopes we'll draft this clutch player for the Boston Celtics."

Checkmate!

John Carroll was instantly speechless. This was Red Auerbach, after all.

The Boston Celtics' rise to greatness had been inseparable from one man: Arnold Auerbach. Even his nickname, "Red Auerbach," sounded imposing. He was arguably the first great architect of Celtics history, having played a major role in building the team's first 16 championships.

Arnold Auerbach's word was law within the Celtics organization.

So how could John Carroll, an interim coach, possibly keep objecting?

"I'm also planning to use a second-round pick on Goodwin." Danny Ainge figured no one else would try to draft him, given the tryout report.

But Danny Ainge had a lot of faith in Goodwin, especially after witnessing his "miracle" in person during the NCAA Finals: Goodwin had hit a game-tying three, then knocked down consecutive threes in overtime to score nine points and single-handedly bring the NCAA championship back to the University of Kansas.

Danny Ainge would go so far as to say that without Goodwin, Syracuse University would have won the NCAA championship that year. After all, Syracuse had NBA-caliber Carmelo Anthony.

Danny Ainge also felt that Goodwin was a lot like him.

As a player, Danny Ainge had been selected by the Boston Celtics with the 31st pick. A white shooter with a polished stroke and impressive defensive skills, he had become one of Larry Bird's most important teammates. He had made two All-Star appearances with the Celtics and even served as an All-Star reserve in the 1987–88 season!

At his peak, Danny Ainge had shot 44.3 percent from three, averaging 1.2 three-pointers per game. He had been an outstanding shooter. In fact, before entering the NBA, Ainge hadn't been a good three-point shooter at all. He had hit only 29.3 percent of his threes during his rookie season. But through constant hard work, he gradually developed into a strong three-point shooter by the 1985–86 season.

Danny Ainge believed that with hard work, Goodwin would become a player like him and one of Paul Pierce's most important teammates.

In recent years, the Boston Celtics hadn't achieved the results they'd hoped for, but they had developed one All-Star player: Paul Pierce.

During the 2002–03 season, Paul Pierce averaged 25.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, leading his team to the playoffs. Unfortunately, they were eliminated in the second round, swept by the New Jersey Nets without putting up any resistance.

That made the Boston Celtics' front office realize that Paul Pierce alone wasn't enough. They needed to find more players like him, so they turned their attention to this year's draft.

The Boston Celtics had plenty of picks in this year's draft: two first-round picks and two second-round picks.

So when John Carroll heard Danny Ainge's plan, he couldn't help feeling relieved. It seemed Danny Ainge wasn't that foolish after all.

At first, John Carroll had thought Danny Ainge wanted to spend a first-round pick on Goodwin. In his opinion, Goodwin wasn't worth a first-round pick. This was a strong draft year, with so many talented players available. Wasting a first-round pick would be a bad deal.

Now that was better. Everyone was happy!

John Carroll nodded with satisfaction.

Seeing John Carroll's expression, Danny Ainge furrowed his brows slightly and thought to himself: Looks like I need to find a permanent head coach soon.

In Danny Ainge's view, John Carroll, a former NCAA head coach, couldn't lead the Boston Celtics through their rebuilding plan.

Time passed, and soon the day of the 2003 NBA Draft arrived.

Madison Square Garden in New York was already packed.

Goodwin arrived alone. Dressed in a black suit with his tie neatly knotted, he stood out among the crowd, drawing everyone's attention.

Goodwin's lips curled into a faint smile. I'm here! Then he strode inside.