David Stern Caught Between Men!

Li Fei and Jason Kidd: one is the wind, the other is the sand.

Only when the wind and sand combine do you get a sandstorm.

To be fair, Jason Kidd really maxed out his eloquence this time around.

Of course.

Jason Kidd's remarks also signaled something.

For the 1994 NBA Draft, he was willingly conceding the higher draft position to Li Fei.

Naturally, this wasn't a voluntary concession by Kidd; it was something Li Fei had earned with his own two hands and his own strength.

Right after Kidd finished saying these things in his interview, both NBC and TNT released their respective expert panel draft projections that same night.

This time, TNT and NBC had surprisingly reached a consensus.

Number one overall pick: Li Fei.

Number two overall pick: Jason Kidd.

Number three overall pick: Glenn Robinson.

Both major news outlets had pegged Li Fei as the projected first overall pick.

As for Kidd's stock, his increasingly stable and efficient performance during March Madness had completely won over the experts at TNT and NBC, landing him in the second spot.

Big Dog Robinson was trembling with rage when he saw the NCAA news draft projections.

"Damn it, why? Why the hell am I the third pick? In what way am I not better than Jason Kidd, or Li Fei?"

"Take it easy, Glenn. If you hadn't scored zero points in that exhibition game, I doubt you'd be..."

"What the f*ck?!"

Before his teammate could finish, Big Dog Robinson lunged like an exploding beer barrel, grabbing the other man by the collar. He didn't care about the teammate dynamic; after this summer, he was going to the NBA anyway.

"What the hell did you say? What do you mean 'zero points'? That was an exhibition game—does that even have any weight? Besides, I didn't know anything about Li Fei back then. You ask him if he dares to touch a hair on my head in March Madness now!"

Good grief.

Anyone who didn't know better would think Big Dog Robinson had led his team to a championship.

But in reality, Big Dog hadn't even made it past the first round of March Madness.

His teammate was speechless. Everything he said was the absolute truth, and he had even been holding back.

He even suspected that if Big Dog actually ran into Li Fei during March Madness, he might not even hold onto a top-five spot; falling out of the top ten wasn't entirely impossible.

On the other side.

New York, USA.

Inside the NBA league headquarters office.

David Stern sat in front of his desktop computer with an Intel Pentium processor and had his assistant pour him a cappuccino.

"Li Fei's stock as the number one pick has hit the ceiling, and the news from China has already been released. I think the timing is just about right."

Back in '87, David Stern had personally traveled to China, waiting for several hours in the freezing cold of Beijing to hand over several stacks of NBA highlight tapes to CCTV, prying open a crack in the Chinese market.

To be fair, Stern's vision was truly unique. You have to realize that back then, the entire GDP of China wasn't even as much as a single state in the US, yet he still went through all that trouble to try and connect the NBA with China...

However, David Stern hadn't formally invested in developing the Chinese market after that. After all, the NBA was red-hot in the US at the time, with the Finals featuring the Magic-Bird rivalry, followed by the start of Michael Jordan's three-peat dynasty. He really didn't have the bandwidth to look after the Chinese market.

But now, with Jordan's retirement, the NBA's ratings had plummeted by 24% this season, and David Stern felt like his head was about to explode.

Fortunately, the Chinese market he had been cultivating for years was finally coming in handy.

According to valid data, interest in the NBA in China had skyrocketed. Sales of NBA posters, magazines, and newspapers had increased more than tenfold, and even the ratings for NBA replays on CCTV had surged dramatically.

Chinese fans didn't care whether Michael Jordan had retired or not.

They only knew that a player from China was about to enter the NBA, and he was projected to be the number one overall pick.

The growth of the Chinese market had indeed offset a small portion of the negative impact caused by Michael Jordan's retirement.

"Dallas is currently in last place in the regular season standings, right?"

David Stern took a sip of his cappuccino and asked his assistant.

"Yes, Mr. Stern. The Dallas Mavericks are currently last in the league with a record of 10 wins and 56 losses."

"Damn, only 10 wins..." Stern was a bit surprised. "These guys in Dallas have completely abandoned all shame just to get the first pick..."

Afterward, David Stern used his computer to check the Mavericks' roster.

He couldn't help but furrow his brows.

"Backcourt: Jim Jackson, Jamal Mashburn..."

"Frontcourt: Roy Tarpley, Luc Longley..."

"Looking at the Mavericks' current roster, it's practically written on their faces that they are missing a Jason Kidd."

Although Li Fei was the projected number one pick by TNT and NBC, that ranking was based on player talent.

The draft is full of uncertainties. In a situation like this, if the Mavericks get the first pick, would they actually choose Li Fei?

That really is a question mark.

Power forward Roy Tarpley is 2.10 meters tall, and Luc Longley is 2.16 meters; their interior depth is already perfectly sufficient, so there is no need to draft another big man.

Furthermore, Jim Jackson and Jamal Mashburn in the backcourt are both offensive-minded players, and neither possesses the ability to organize or pass the ball; Jason Kidd would be a perfect fit for this team.

David Stern's plan is for Li Fei to ideally be taken as the number one overall pick.

This would allow the Chinese market to be developed to its maximum potential.

"Could it be that I need to pull some strings during the draft lottery?"

David Stern stroked his small mustache.

Do not think that the NBA draft lottery is an absolutely fair scratch-off ticket.

If there were no shady dealings, it wouldn't be a commercial league.

Of course, if one looks at it from another angle.

If all the pre-draft hype is maxed out, and the projected number one pick who has been hyped for months ends up being the second or third pick, wouldn't that create an even more explosive topic of conversation over in China?

The shrewd little Jewish man stroked his beard.

He was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Fortunately, there are still several months until the draft lottery and the draft itself.

That is enough time for him to think this problem over carefully.

Meanwhile.

In Dallas.

Mavericks general manager Norm Sonju received numerous phone calls tonight, all from the management of other NBA teams.

When things are abnormal, there must be a demon at play.

Why would they call for no reason, pretending to be close friends?

Although Norm Sonju is not a famous NBA general manager, he is well-versed in the ways of the job.

There are no permanent friendships, only permanent interests.

For these general managers to come and try to build rapport at a time like this.

They are definitely eyeing his number one overall pick!