"We're going to have a tough time getting the first pick this year."
Meanwhile, in Milwaukee.
Inside the Bucks' front office, general manager Mike Dunleavy narrowed his eyes and ran the numbers. "I hear Scott Layden's unhappy. Dallas is planning to lose every game for the rest of the regular season."
This year, the Bucks and Mavericks were the league's two kings of tanking. The Bucks had won just 17 games, which was already pretty incredible.
But the Mavericks next door were even worse. They were just a hair away from dropping below ten wins.
"Mr. General Manager, even if we don't get the first pick this year, we'll still be fine. At the very least, we can get either Li Fei or Jason Kidd."
The Bucks were planning to lose every game for the rest of the regular season, too.
Based on the current standings, they had a small chance of getting the first pick and a much better chance of getting the second.
They'd have to be incredibly unlucky to end up with a lower pick.
So at this year's draft, the Bucks were all but guaranteed to get either Kidd or Li Fei.
Mike Dunleavy shook his head.
"I think, if we have to choose, Glenn Robinson is the right pick."
"Glenn Robinson?"
The assistant general manager looked astonished. "Mr. General Manager, did I hear that right? He didn't even make the Sweet Sixteen."
"One game can't tell you everything. What matters to me is that he's been putting up a steady 32 points per game. He won't average fewer than 15 points in his rookie season."
"And his potential is enormous. Calling him the next Michael Jordan might be a stretch, but even if he turns out to be the next Drexler, we'll have made out like bandits."
The assistant general manager had a different opinion, but understood the reasoning.
The Bucks already had plenty of depth at center.
They had the 6'10", 242-pound power forward Frank Brickowski, who averaged 15 points and seven rebounds per game. The European big man had a well-rounded skill set and was a good passer.
At center, they also had the rising young star Vin Baker!
Last season had been Baker's rookie year, but he'd already averaged 15 points and eight rebounds per game. He was immensely talented and well-rounded, and wasn't far behind Chris Webber.
So they didn't really need to develop another center who came with injury concerns.
What they lacked were perimeter scorers and playmakers.
Kidd had been under consideration, too, but his ability to score for himself was limited.
Glenn Robinson, on the other hand, could solve the Bucks' perimeter scoring problem right away.
Unfortunately, neither of them was a perfect fit for Milwaukee.
One could run the offense but couldn't score. The other could score but couldn't run the offense.
As for a player who could do both...
"Grant Hill?" the assistant general manager said, suddenly understanding.
But Mike Dunleavy shook his head. "I'd rather take Big Dog, who can at least score."
"Players who can do everything are rare. And there's a very real chance he'll just develop into a well-rounded role player."
"That makes it tough, Mr. General Manager." The assistant general manager shook his head. "The only player in this draft who can both score and run the offense is Grant Hill."
"Who says it has to be a young player in the draft?"
Mike Dunleavy took a puff of his cigar. "As far as I know, the Jazz are very interested in Li Fei. Karl Malone has even praised him publicly."
"If we can use Li Fei to get John Stockton, we'll solve all of the team's problems at once."
???!!!
What?!
John Stockton!
"That's crazy, Mr. General Manager!"
"If I remember correctly, John has won the assist title six years in a row, and he's got a good chance of winning it again this year!"
"He's also one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA!"
"And people seriously underrate his scoring!"
There was no need to explain what kind of player John Stockton was.
Six straight assist titles left no room for doubt about his ability to run an offense and control the game.
He'd made the All-Defensive First Team five times, making him the best defensive point guard on the planet.
His scoring was seriously underrated, too.
His averages this season were only 15 points and 13 assists per game, but that was because the team had scorers like Karl Malone and Hornacek, which cut into Stockton's share of the points.
But a look at Stockton's playoff record showed that he could certainly score.
He averaged far more points in the playoffs than in the regular season. In the 1989–90 playoffs, he averaged 27 points and 13.7 assists per game.
He was the kind of player who rose to the occasion in the playoffs and could deliver in big games.
"John would be a perfect fit for us, but the question is...would the Jazz let him go?"
"How will we know if we don't try?"
Mike Dunleavy became a mad scientist, eager to see what would happen. "If we can get Li Fei, we should offer him to the Jazz in exchange for John."
"I think the Jazz would find it hard to resist the idea of pairing Karl Malone with Li Fei in the frontcourt."
Li Fei hadn't even entered the NBA yet.
But talk of drafting and trading for him was already spreading through NBA front offices like ink in water.
Back in China.
With newspapers, magazines, and Sports News constantly buzzing about him, Li Fei's fame soared as March Madness went on.
However.
Chinese fans and experts could learn about Li Fei only through game footage, magazines, and newspapers.
Their knowledge was still quite limited.
But televising NCAA games in 1990 seemed like an impossibility.
Given that this Chinese prospect had a very real chance of making the NBA—and even becoming the first pick in the draft—
CCTV-5 had already held a meeting. After a heated discussion, they came to a startling consensus.
"If Li Fei really becomes the first pick and makes waves in the NBA..."
"He could become the next Bruce Lee."
And for such a major international sports figure,
they decided to send commentator Sun Zhengping, analyst Xu Jicheng, and reporter Su Qun.
These three of the most knowledgeable basketball professionals in China in 1994 would form the Basketball Trio and head to Los Angeles to interview Li Fei in person.
They had to bring back the most direct and accurate coverage of Li Fei.
As a Boeing 747 took off,
the Basketball Trio, carrying several stacks of prepared notes and the hopes of Chinese basketball fans, set out for Los Angeles.
Looking through the plane window at old Beijing's bustling streets and glowing lights,
the three felt as if they were reliving Li Hongzhang's visit to America years ago.
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