The moment the Bucks got the No. 1 pick, Mike Dunleavy's inbox exploded.
Trade offers came pouring in from teams all over the league, including the Bulls, Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and Utah Jazz...
"Let's not rush."
Mike Dunleavy looked at the messages in his inbox without the slightest trace of panic.
Instead, he followed Red Auerbach's example and lit himself a victory cigar.
"Let's keep them waiting a little. Give them some time to sweeten the pot."
The No. 1 pick gave the Bucks plenty of options.
They could take Li Fei, then find the players they wanted on the trade market.
If all else failed,
they could even take Big Dog Robinson outright and solve their problems with perimeter scoring.
"There's still a while before the draft starts. Let them raise their offers a little more. Right now, I'm focused on the Jazz. I want to see how John's played in the playoffs."
Dunleavy had now turned all his attention to John Stockton. Stockton had been outstanding in the first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs, averaging a double-double once again and proving that he was a player who rose to the occasion in the playoffs.
Dunleavy now looked at Stockton the way Striped Guy looked at a pretty car-show model. In Dunleavy's mind, Stockton was the whole package.
But Stockton's playoff performance didn't last much longer.
In the second round, the Jazz faced the Denver Nuggets in a series that went to Game 7. Salt Lake City barely managed to get past Mount Mutombo, but then the Jazz lost 4–1 to the mighty Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals.
The Rockets stormed into the NBA Finals, where they faced the Knicks, led by The Gorilla, Patrick Ewing.
In the Finals, The Dream and The Gorilla put on