June 26, Madison Square Garden, New York.
The 2003 NBA Draft officially began.
David Stern stood behind that iconic wooden podium, his smile brighter than ever before. In the past week, the buzz surrounding this year's draft had even overshadowed the recently concluded NBA Finals and World Series.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2003 NBA Draft."
Stern's opening remarks were brief and powerful. He opened the first envelope in his hand.
"In the 2003 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected LeBron James, from St. Vincent- Mary High School, with the first overall pick."
The start was predictable. The high school student, dubbed " the Chosen One " by the American media, walked onto the stage wearing a Cavaliers hat and shook hands with Stern.
A new era has officially begun.
But the suspense rises sharply with the second pick that follows.
After Darko Miličić announced his signing with Panathinaikos of Greece, the Detroit Pistons' management, holding the second overall pick, went through a painful 48-hour struggle. Joe Dumars ultimately dared not gamble the team's future on a Europe big man whose heart was elsewhere.
"In the 2003 NBA draft, the Detroit Pistons selected Carmelo Anthony from Syracuse University with the second overall pick."
When the name was announced, the crowd erupted in cheers.
With the top two picks decided, and the Miami Heat's playoff run and subsequent exit from the lottery due to the butterfly effect, the overall lottery pick order shifted dramatically. Coupled with Miličić's dramatic drop in draft position, the subsequent drafts descended into chaotic frenzy.
The Denver Nuggets selected Chris Bosh with the third pick. The Toronto Raptors selected Chris Kaman with the fourth pick.
Teams have been making surprising moves in the face of the disrupted standings.
Lin Qi, living in his suburban Boston home, was staring at the television screen.
" Hinrich is still in! Pick him now!"
Lin Qi picked up his glass of red wine and silently prayed.
After a five-minute draft consideration period, the Boston Celtics submitted their selection to the league with the eighth overall pick, acquired through a multi-team trade.
David Stern returned to the podium.
"In the 2003 NBA draft, the Boston Celtics selected the eighth overall pick..."
Stern glanced down at the name in the envelope, his expression visibly stiffening for a moment. The seasoned CEO even subconsciously leaned closer to the letter, as if to confirm he hadn't misread the spelling.
After a brief pause, Stern looked up, his tone revealing a hint of undisguised astonishment.
"... The Boston Celtics have selected Darko Miličić from Serbia."
"Puff..."
Lin Qi sprayed the mouthful of Burgundy red wine he had just taken a sip directly onto the solid wood desk in front of him.
"What the hell?!"
Lin Qi stared wide-eyed at the television screen.
The broadcast showed a huge uproar at Madison Square Garden, filled with shock and confusion. The camera immediately cut to Pistons president Joe Dumars in the front row, who also looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"Has Boston gone mad?!" Chad Ford exclaimed from the TNT commentary booth. " Darko Miličić just signed a long-term contract with Panathinaikos of Greece two days ago! Boston used their extremely valuable eighth pick to select someone who has absolutely no chance of coming to the NBA?!"
Lin Qi sprang up from the sofa.
He grabbed a tissue from the table and hastily wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth, his mind buzzing.
"What is Margaret doing? Has Rick Carlisle lost his mind?!" Lin Qi began pacing back and forth in the spacious study, his usual composed demeanor completely gone. He couldn't help but burst into a tirade, "I flew to New Orleans specifically to watch Syracuse play Kansas! That was a warning to you! A warning! Hinrich is right there, and you're going to pick someone who might never even make it to the NBA?!"
The draft is still ongoing.
The chaos intensified after Miličić was selected by Boston. In the subsequent drafts, the Washington Wizards picked Kirk Hinrich, Lin Qi's long-desired pick, with the tenth pick. Shortly after, the Memphis Grizzlies selected Nique Collison with the twelfth pick (who was later traded to the Seattle SuperSonics ).
Lin Qi stared at the television screen, feeling his blood pressure skyrocketing. Two of his desired picks had been snatched up by others before the Celtics ' 13th overall pick arrived.
"It's okay, calm down." Lin Qi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his urge to explode. "At least there's still the thirteenth pick. Since Hinrich and Collison are both out, with Rick Carlisle's eye for talent, picking David West would be fine..."
Five minutes later, David Stern returned to the podium and opened the envelope representing Boston's thirteenth pick.
This time, Stern's expression went beyond mere astonishment. He gave a wry, almost grotesque, smile, even shaking his head into the microphone as he read out the name:
"In the 2003 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics selected the 13th overall pick..."
" Michael Pietrus from France."
"What the hell?!"
Lin Qi's furious curses echoed throughout the study.
" Pietrus?! Pietrus again?! That guy's on my Greece team too!" Lin Qi grabbed his hair, unable to believe his eyes.
On television, the TNT commentary booth was completely engulfed in frantic speculation. The commentators couldn't understand why Boston, who had just suffered a defeat in the NBA Finals, would use two precious lottery picks to select two players who had just signed long-term contracts with Europe powerhouses and had no chance of ever coming to the NBA.
Lin Qi slumped back onto the sofa, staring at the chandelier on the ceiling, breathing heavily.
But after the initial anger and loss of composure, Lin Qi's rationality as a top trader began to take over.
He forced himself to calm down and put himself in Margaret's and head coach Rick Carlisle's shoes to review the decision-making logic of this draft night.
Boston's management is definitely not stupid. On draft night without the owner present, this must have been a collective consensus reached after repeated meetings and weighing the pros and cons by the entire think tank.
But why?
Lin Qi closed his eyes, and suddenly the Boston Celtics ' salary structure and roster for next season flashed through his mind.
"Etc..."
Lin Qi suddenly opened his eyes and muttered to himself, "Fourteen... The team has a total of fourteen guaranteed contracts for next season!"
That's the problem!
Boston's roster is simply too deep. If they had truly understood and executed Lin Qi's hints in this draft and selected Kirk Hinrich and Nique Collison, two players who can contribute immediately, then the team's roster would have been overloaded with sixteen men.
What is the optimal strategy for a championship contender with a high draft pick when there is no trade space to make room for a player?
The Answer is obvious: free-range overseas.
By keeping highly talented rookies selected for overseas leagues to develop, NBA teams can avoid taking up salary cap space or roster spots. They can then bring these veterans back to the United States when their contracts expire and roster spots become available.
Following this logic, everything makes sense.
The Celtics' front office saw Miličić and Pietrus plummet in draft position after being signed by Panathinaikos, and in their eyes, this was a golden opportunity to "buy at rock-bottom prices"! These two were originally top-tier talents who were firmly in the top five and top ten!
But since these two have already signed long-term contracts, what about the hefty penalty for breach of contract?
Lin Qi's lips twitched; he finally realized the most fatal flaw: his men had an almost blind worship of him.
Margaret and Ainge were unaware that Lin Qi was the actual controller behind EBA and Panathinaikos. In their minds, their boss, Lin Qi, was someone who could handle Russia oligarchs and even make the European Basketball Association bow down!
"In their view, the release clauses for Europe teams are no big deal at all..." Lin Qi covered his forehead and couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
The management's logic has formed a perfect closed loop: first, use low draft picks to acquire these two top Europe talents, letting them hone their skills for free in the highly competitive EBA League. Then, when Boston needs players in a couple of years, once owner Lin Qi's suspension is over, settling the release clauses for those Europe teams will be a piece of cake.
Flawless.
Even from the perspective of the team's long-term asset management, this was an excellent move.
They made the right decision and protected the interests of the Boston Celtics.
Lin Qi slumped on the sofa, watching the experts on the TV screen still pontificating about the " Boston draft disaster," and suddenly felt a sense of absurdity and absurdity.
He used his own money to buy Europe teams, used his influence to raise the prestige of the EBA, and then signed Europe talents with high salaries, causing the draft picks of these talents to plummet. In the end, his brilliant team of subordinates drafted those two players back into his NBA team.
"Who the hell am I fighting?"
Lin Qi picked up the wine glass on the table and drank the remaining half glass of Burgundy red wine in one gulp.
He couldn't scold Margaret, nor could he blame Rick Carlisle. Because in this game, the only one who got himself into trouble was Lin Qi himself.
Why are you so irritable today?
Lin Qi rubbed his temples, forcing himself to find a way out.
"It must be because of the alcohol... I need to drink less in the future."