"Li, are you really going to enter this year's draft?"
Back in the locker room, Jason Kidd asked Li Fei.
"Of course."
Li Fei nodded. "I'll enter the draft with you."
"All right."
Kidd shrugged. "I thought you'd wait at least another year."
Lamond Murray came over, too. "Li, if you enter the draft, our team probably won't be much of a contender next year."
Murray had also played three years in college. He and Kidd had agreed to make the jump to the NBA together in '94.
And by then, UC Berkeley wouldn't have any real stars left.
"Hang in there, Li!"
Just then, Coach Todd walked into the locker room. His gaze settled on Li Fei. "Come see me when you have a moment."
"Sure, Coach." Li Fei followed Todd out of the locker room.
"Li, I shouldn't be influencing your decisions about your basketball career."
"But if you stayed in college for one more year before entering the draft, I believe you'd have even better prospects."
Li Fei knew Coach Todd's advice wasn't motivated by selfish hopes for the team's record next year.
In the '90s, it was genuinely rare for freshmen to enter the NBA.
Even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a college superstar who put up those kinds of numbers, had played three years in college.
Michael Jordan had played three years, too. Flying Pig Barkley and O'Neal had both spent three years in college as well.
Coach Todd meant well.
But—
Li Fei still had no intention of staying much longer.
"Coach, I've made all the preparations I need."
Li Fei spoke earnestly. "But before I enter the NBA, I'll make sure to bring this team a championship."
Seeing that he couldn't talk Li Fei out of it, Todd could only nod in understanding.
Since Li Fei had decided not to stay in college,
they had to make full use of him this season!
News that Li Fei had officially declared for the 1994 NBA draft was repeated across newspapers and television stations.
NBA teams were also paying close attention to Li Fei.
"Mark Eaton has officially confirmed that he won't play in the NBA again."
United States, Utah
The mood at the Utah Jazz management meeting was somewhat somber.
With "Mammoth" Mark Eaton announcing his retirement,
the 224-centimeter-tall, four-time Blocks Champion, who held the record for the highest single-season average with 5.6 blocks per game, had finished his 11-season career with the Utah Jazz. He had worn their colors loyally and retired after a job well done.
"Right now, our S-tier candidate for the center position in Salt Lake City's future is..."
Scott Layden blurted out the name:
"Li Fei!"
United States, Los Angeles
"We don't need to tank outright next season."
At a Lakers team meeting that had just begun, The Logo summarized the team's goals for the coming season.
"But we're not giving up on pursuing Li Fei, either!"
The Lakers didn't have a clear-cut leader right now.
Nick Van Exel sometimes made offensive decisions that made you want to slap him.
And between Vlade Divac and the Four Centers stood Kevin Willis and Dikembe Mutombo. Even second-year Tom Gugliotta could hold his own against him.
But The Logo felt that
the inside-out pairing of Divac and Van Exel wasn't so weak they had to roll over and die.
They'd give it a shot, and if that didn't work, they could talk about tanking.
Besides, this was the Los Angeles Lakers.
They'd never had much of a tradition of drafting and developing their own young players.
If they spotted a player they wanted, they'd grab him. If they wanted Li Fei, they'd just make a trade.
After all, in Los Angeles, they were always the ones who came out ahead.
"Looking at things now, our roster has gotten weaker. Next season will be even tougher!"
United States, Phoenix
At a Suns management meeting,
Flying Pig Barkley voiced his anger to the team's executives.
"A.C. Green, that guy who's never slept with a woman in his life..."
"How are we supposed to fight our way through the Western Conference, packed with giants, with him as my frontcourt partner?"
Barkley's anger wasn't unreasonable.
Last season, the Suns made it to the NBA Finals, only to lose to Michael Jordan, who averaged 41 points per game.
So the Suns' management decided to bring in some new faces to deal with Jordan.
They acquired A.C. Green, a 2.06-meter-tall forward from the Los Angeles Lakers.
A.C. Green played a tough style and was nicknamed Iron Man. He was known for staying healthy and rarely missing games. So far, in eight seasons, he'd missed only three games—and none because of injuries. They'd all been inexplicable DNPs from his coach.
But his most remarkable trait was that he'd never slept with a woman in his life. He was a rare clean-living soul in the NBA.
If Jordan had still been playing, Barkley would have absolutely approved of the trade.
A.C. Green would have been crucial to defending Jordan in the Finals.
But Jordan's sudden retirement had thrown the Suns' plans into disarray.
The Suns didn't have a decent center now.
A.C. Green, at 2.06 meters, was already the tallest player on the team. Can you believe that?
Barkley could even picture it:
at a crucial moment in a game, he'd have to drag his 91-kilo backside over to play center.
Even a donkey on a production team couldn't take that much abuse.
"We can't miss our chance now that MJ is gone. The league is returning to the age of the centers, and size is the key thing we have to improve."
Making the Finals last season had given Flying Pig hope of winning a championship.
Now, his desire for a title had reached the highest point of his career.
However,
the Suns' management sat in silence around the conference table.
Centers were in high demand on the trade market, and finding a capable one would be extremely difficult.
Almost every good center was untouchable. They'd have to give up a huge package to get one.
"I do have someone in mind!"
Seeing everyone sitting there in silence, the general manager spoke up. "Li Fei, from college. He's 2.24 meters tall. He'll be a better rim protector than Bill Walton, and he has room to develop his offense, too."
Li Fei!
Flying Pig nodded.
Of course he'd heard of the Chinese monster who'd recently taken the college basketball world by storm.
But Li Fei was unlikely to fall outside the top five in the draft.
For the Suns to get him, they'd have to get lucky in the draft lottery.
Trading for him would mean giving up a fortune.
"Even if we could get him, we'd have to wait until next year."
Flying Pig thought for a moment before speaking. "A year is a long time, but if he's worth it..."
"We have no choice but to wait."
Time flew by.
The NBA preseason passed in a flash, and the regular season was already underway.
At the start of the new season, teams around the league had very different goals.
Teams like the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs were undoubtedly going after a championship, hoping to seize this golden opportunity while the league had no big boss.
Some weaker teams planned to give it a try. If they didn't seem likely to make the playoffs, they'd give up and dive into the draft.
Because 1994 was unquestionably a loaded draft year.
Glenn Robinson, Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Juwan Howard, Donyell Marshall, Lamond Murray...
And Li Fei!
There's someone for everyone.
Tap to see.
Before you continue