After putting Tony Allen's file into his bag, Presti picked up the remote and turned on the television in the middle.
"Boss, the West Coast has been quite lively these past few days."
On the central screen, a video recording of a game from the Pacific Ocean Ten Conference was being played.
Andrei Iguodala, wearing the number 9 jersey for the University of Arizona Wildcats, grabbed a rebound from the backcourt and dribbled the ball up the court. He blew past the guard blocking him at the midcourt line, took a step inside the free-throw line, jumped on one foot, stretched out his body in the air, and slammed the ball into the basket with one hand.
After landing, Iguodala turned and ran back to the backcourt, and while on defense in the half-court, he also stole the ball from the opposing point guard.
" Arizona lost a bunch of junior and senior players this year, and the whole team is relying on Iguodala to carry the team."
Presti pulled a Pacific Ocean report from the table, "This season he's averaging 12.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, nearly 5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He's the team's leading rebounder and assist provider, and he's also recorded three triple-doubles this season. In the entire history of the Pacific Ocean- 10 Conference, only Jason Kidd had previously put up such numbers as a sophomore. But the day before yesterday, they were eliminated by the University of Washington in the tournament. Iguodala took eight jump shots in half-court sets, making only one."
Lin Qi took the briefing and flipped through the anonymous evaluations from the team executives attached to the back.
In contrast to the dismissive attitude towards Tony Allen, the scouting community's opinion on Iguodala is a completely different kind of conflict.
This kid also comes from Illinois. When he attended Phil High School in Phil, the state capital, he was a well-known top student and received a medal from the National High School Honor Association. Before his sophomore year, he was just a 1.85-meter-tall backup point guard who trained in the high jump for the school's track and field team and won the state's runner-up title. But in the summer of his junior year, he suddenly grew more than ten centimeters, growing into a 1.98-meter-tall swingman with a wingspan of 2.11 meters.
At the time, Nolan Richardson, the head coach of the University of Arkansas, had already received a letter of intent to join him, but Richardson was fired after arguing with the school's administration. It was then that Lute Olsen, the renowned coach of Arizona, stepped in and snatched him away to Tucson.
After arriving in Arizona, Coach Olson, with his full head of white hair, saw that Iguodala had good ball-handling skills and excellent passing vision, so he simply put him in the point forward position to hone his skills. This caused Iguodala to develop the habit of always checking his teammates' positions first and passing the ball first. Despite having top-class jumping ability and explosiveness in the country, he rarely attacked himself in half-court sets, his outside jump shot was inconsistent, and his free throw percentage dropped below 70%.
Just last month at All-Star Weekend, Pacers backup guard Fred Jones won the Slam Dunk Contest, but once back in the regular season, he sat on the bench and couldn't even dribble properly. Now, many general managers holding top ten lottery picks are privately wondering if Iguodala will also be like Fred Jones or Corey Maggette, all muscle and no shooting touch.
" Golden State Warriors ' Chris Mullin and Toronto Raptors' prospective new general manager Rob Babcock both visited Arizona's team practice in Tucson a couple of days ago."
Presti's tone held a hint of amusement. "As a result, Coach Lute Olson dutifully let them watch half-court spot-up shooting for an hour. Iguodala went 6-for-20 from beyond the arc, with several shots hitting the rim directly. Babcock's brow furrowed immediately, and as he left the arena, he grumbled to his entourage, saying that if they drafted a small forward who couldn't shoot with the top eight pick, Toronto fans would tear him apart. He also had his eye on Brigham Young's 2.11-meter white center, Rafael Araujo, thinking that a large, white center was more reliable."
Lin Qi couldn't help but laugh out loud after hearing this.
Instead of letting go of Iguodala, who has top-notch physical attributes and can both defend and pass, they went after Araujo, a 24-year-old center whose feet seem to be filled with lead and who relied on bullying shorter players to pad his stats in college. Toronto's draft picks have been consistently terrible for the past decade.
This is the stark difference between how mediocre teams and championship teams judge players.
Teams like the Raptors, Warriors, and Clippers, which consistently miss the playoffs, have general managers who are always looking for a savior when drafting players. They insist on picking players who can average 25 points per game, even if the opponent's defense is a sieve and they don't pass the ball on the court.
But in Lin Qi's eyes, Boston already had Pierce, Wade, and Garnett to handle the scoring. What the team needed most was a versatile forward like Iguodala who could defend positions one through three, grab defensive rebounds to push the fast break, facilitate from the weak side, and not compete with the starters for shot attempts.
Moreover, Iguodala is extremely intelligent. His straight-A high school grades allow him to understand complex defensive rotations much faster than the average player. With him rotating on the wing with Artest and Prince, Boston's perimeter defense and fast break speed can wear down any opponent in the league.
" Babcock and Mullin's disdain for him actually did us a huge favor."
Lin Qi put down the briefing and tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice. "However, the players trained by Lute Olsen have an excellent reputation for fundamentals. Even if Iguodala's jump shot is inconsistent, once his 2.11-meter wingspan and standing jump height are revealed at the Chicago Combine in May, any savvy general manager will still be tempted. His market value will most likely stabilize in the mid-to-late lottery range."
"That's right, all the teams ranked seventh through twelfth are likely to make a move." Presti walked to the whiteboard on the wall and pointed to the current standings of each team. "The teams currently stuck in this position are mainly the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, and New York Knicks."
Lin Qi leaned back in his chair, mentally reviewing the details of Xia Tian's transactions.
During All-Star Weekend at the Four Seasons Hotel, he had already pointed Michael in the right direction. Over the past two weeks, Jordan has been actively negotiating with the Suns, Trail Blazers, and Knicks, leveraging his privilege of expanding the draft and waiving players without affecting the salary cap.
Those teams eager to get rid of bad contracts and avoid the luxury tax are lining up to stuff their first-round picks into Charlotte's pocket. By the time the lottery draw is held in mid-May, Jordan will have at least two or three mid-to-late lottery first-round picks.
All the general managers in the league thought this year was a weak draft year, with the mid-to-late lottery picks consisting mainly of a few underdeveloped Europe big men and high school students with uneven skills. They treated draft picks as freebies to get rid of burdens.
"Bring the scouts from Arizona back as well."
Lin Qi stood up, reached out and turned off the television in front of him that was playing a recording, darkening half of the room. "From today until the draft in June, we don't need to pay attention to any players anymore. Let's not alert them."
Presti reached out and stuffed the two manila documents back into the filing cabinet, the lock clicking shut.
Lin Qi opened the door to the video room and walked out. The bright light from the overhead lights in the corridor shone on his face, and the faint thumping sounds of players dribbling during pre-game warm-ups could be heard from the floor of the stadium upstairs.