Presti looked down at the dense string of data, his fingers pressing on the edge of the folder.
The statistics on paper are cold and hard, but 9.6 assists per turnover is rarer than in any high school league in the United States.
"His jump shot was so bad it was like a shot put; the sound of it hitting the rim could be heard from the stands."
Lin Qi took out a pen and drew a small checkmark next to Rondo's name.
"His hands are about 10 inches wide when they open, bigger than the hands of many power forwards. He holds the ball like it's an orange, and before a free throw, he has a habit of rolling the ball back and forth on his left forearm a couple of times, and when he releases the ball, his fingertips always add an extra bit of sidespin."
"Since University of Kentucky has already made the first move, let him obediently report to Lexington. Tabby Smith is a nationally renowned defensive coach, and the Princeton system enforces strict tactical discipline on point guards. Letting Kentucky temper this kid's rebellious nature suits our purposes perfectly."
Lin Qi slammed his pen on the table. "Send a scout to Kentucky to be stationed there permanently, without alerting Tabby Smith. Create a file in the backup Stephen Curry, let him work on it for a year in college, see if he can improve his shooting form, and then we'll decide when to make our move."
Presti neatly wrote Rondo's name and the University of Kentucky's initials at the bottom corner of the notepad, and breathed a sigh of relief, "Got it, let's keep a long-term view. What about the college rosters? Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon from Connecticut are basically locked into the top five of the Lotto, and there are a few freshmen and sophomores in other divisions. The scouting team just sent back the video and team notes this week."
Presti opened the next thick blue folder and pulled out a few pages of scout notes with match photos pasted on them.
" Duke University's Luol Deng, a freshman small forward, is 6'8" (2.03m) tall, a Sudanese refugee who grew up in London, and Old Coach K's most valued offensive core this year. He has a solid mid-range jump shot and a veteran-like mentality, and is basically guaranteed a top-eight finish in the lottery."
Presti flipped through the pages quickly. " Oklahoma State University senior Tony Allen, 6'4" (1.93m), Eddie Sutton's number one vicious dog, a transfer student from community college, his defense is as fierce as wrestling, but he's a bit old and lacks outside shooting range. University of California, Los Angeles's Trevor Ariza, 6'8" (2.03m), has impressive pre-college test stats, but he has a falling out with Coach Ben Holland, and his offense is inconsistent; he's projected to be selected in the early second round. Overseas, they sent back scouting footage of Barcelona Club power forward Anderson Varejao, 6'10" (2.08m), fierce rebounder, slippery playing style; projected to be picked in the late first round or second round."
Lin Qi reached out and pulled the folder toward himself, flipping to the section on the Pacific Ocean- 10 Conference, his fingertip hovering over a snapshot of the University of Arizona's home court.
" Andrei Iguodala of the University of Arizona, what's the latest assessment from West Coast scouts?" Lin Qi pointed to the average stats below the photo.
"A sophomore swingman, 6'6" (1.98m) tall with a 6'11" (2.11m) wingspan, possessing outstanding jumping ability and lateral quickness." Presti glanced at the memo. "He does the dirty work under Lute Olson, and just last week he shut down the opponent's wing scorer. But most scouts rate his half-court offense poorly; his ball-handling center of gravity is too high, his jump shot from a step beyond the three-point line is stiff, and he habitually shrugs his shoulders when standing at the free-throw line. His scoring mainly relies on fast-break dunks and baseline cuts. Most draft projections suggest his ceiling is at most a backup defensive workhorse like Ruben Patterson, with a draft position likely between tenth and sixteenth."
Lin Qi looked at the broad-shouldered young man in the photo. At that moment, no one could have imagined that this sophomore, who was seen as a rough-around-the-edges sparring player, would one day grow into NBA Finals -caliber point forward and perimeter anchor.
"Take a look at the advanced stats from the Pac-10 conference that Pacific Ocean compiled last week." Lin Qi opened the inner pocket of Iguodala's file and pulled out two printed forms. "Among all sophomore wings in the nation, Iguodala ranks second in live-ball steals and steals per game, second only to guards. More importantly, his assist rate is remarkable. Over 40% of University of Arizona's transition plays this year were initiated by him after grabbing a rebound. His vision for weak-side corner shooters while running at high speed is unlike that of an ordinary blue-collar worker."
Presti leaned over and glanced at the cut conversion rate on the table, nodding slightly. "Indeed, he has big hands. When the opponent jumps with the ball, he cuts down very accurately, rarely incurring a hand foul."
" Tayshaun Prince is too thin and will be at a disadvantage against heavy forwards. Gerald Wallace has a lot of energy, but his passing and reading in half-court sets are a bit lacking. If Ron causes any more trouble in the future, we need a versatile player who can defend the perimeter shooters and also play as a point forward in the second unit."
Lin Qi shoved the two forms back into the compartment, lowering his voice slightly. "Keep a close eye on Iguodala, but keep a low profile. University of Arizona has a 6-foot-11 (2.11m) junior center, Channing Frye, and Lute Olsen is a Hall of Fame-caliber coach. Scouts from all over the league are flocking to the McAle Center in Tucson every day. If they find out that Boston is focusing on a sophomore wing, those general managers holding mid-draft picks will immediately smell the scent and come over to raise their prices."
"So how do we follow up?" Presti asked.
"Don't send your main scouts, and don't apply for individual tryouts or player interviews with the University of Arizona," Lin Qi instructed in detail. "Have the West Coast scouts, when applying for press passes and scout seats, nominally list Channing Frye as the candidate. Every time they go to a game, their reports should focus on the inside players, and incidentally, record Iguodala's off-ball movement, pick-and-roll defense habits, and free-throw shooting form, and send them directly to Frank Vogel. Deliberately sell the scouting reports on Frye and Iguodala, praising Frye more. At the internal exchange meetings where scouts from different teams share information, if anyone asks, tell them the outside story: Iguodala's shooting is too rough and he's not suitable for Rick Carlisle's system."
Presti nodded. "Understood. Use Frye as the screener."
Lin Qi closed the Pacific Ocean Ten Schools Conference booklet, his gaze falling on the last copy of the Atlantic Ocean Coast Conference scouting report on the corner of the table, which was still sealed.
"The materials from Wake Forest University should have arrived by now, right?" Lin Qi asked.