Champion Creed
Chapter 993: 323: In front of me, the King, he is only fit to be a Knight (Vote for the monthly ticket!)_3

Chapter 993: 323: In front of me, the King, he is only fit to be a Knight (Vote for the monthly ticket!)_3

But these aren’t the main reasons Roger is watching the draft. Roger is paying attention to the 2003 NBA draft because of the fourth pick.

This year’s fourth pick has changed, it’s no longer the Toronto Raptors, but the New York Knicks.

Last season, although the Knicks got Yao Ming as their top pick, relying on Yao Ming to transform the team in his rookie year was clearly unrealistic.

In fact, the Knicks’ performance last season was still terrible, the only thing to be thankful for was that Yao Ming showed promising performance after a period of adaptation in the NBA.

This year, the Knicks’ goal is to find a good helper for Yao Ming.

Eventually, the New York Knicks chose Dwyane Wade from Marquette University.

Compared to prodigies like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, Wade was not very dazzling before entering the NBA.

In media predictions, he was likely only to be selected in the latter half of the first round, as he was an aggressive guard but only 6’4″ tall, and his dribbling was insufficient, forcing him to play the second position.

Moreover, the most important thing is, he had serious knee injuries in college.

Even though the scouting report stated: Despite having a meniscus removed, Dwyane’s athletic ability is still outstanding. Having trained in sprinting, his speed and explosiveness are top-notch in the league.

But after all, it’s a meniscus, so the Knicks were still hesitant at first.

Even if Wade’s performance in training was good, the Knicks were still hesitant.

However, two things ultimately made the Knicks decide to take the risk.

The first thing, the Knicks consulted Jordan’s trainer, and the current Knicks trainer, Tim Grover, advised them. Tim Grover told the team: “After watching Dwyane’s workout, I felt his body is just like a shorter Michael Jordan by five centimeters. In the 1984 draft, the Trail Blazers did not choose Michael, but instead chose Sam Bowie, which will be ridiculed as a mistake even 100 years from now. I think we can’t make such a mistake.”

The second thing, the Knicks learned that the Memphis Grizzlies wanted to pick Dwyane Wade at the 13th position, and the Grizzlies’ general manager is the keen-eyed Jerry West. Unless this is Jerry West’s smokescreen, the Knicks are willing to trust Logo Man’s vision.

Just like that, Yao Ming got his first buddy in the NBA, a sporty boy from Marquette University.

Roger doesn’t know what will happen, considering that the Knicks didn’t mindlessly increase Yao Ming’s weight, and considering Wade is the earliest matured rookie in the ’03 class, the Eastern Conference seems more chaotic because of this draft, and the survival environment in the East has become harsher.

LeBron James… wish him all the best.

Oh no, maybe before facing these external pressures, he’s already messed up by internal pressures and doesn’t want to play anymore.

Teaming up with Michael Jordan? What a heavenly blessing.

Roger never teamed up with him; he just played for the same team, and he already had enough of him.

Can’t imagine how happy LeBron’s life will be next season.

Thinking of this, Roger’s motherly instincts surfaced, so he picked up the phone and sent a message to Todd Krinsky: “Tell the publicity department and our media to continue hyping Michael and LeBron, and intensify it! Their buzz can’t go down this whole summer!”

Roger truly has a heart of gold; even though LeBron doesn’t respect him, he still wants to praise him like this. There’s just no better person in the world than Roger.

At this point, there’s nothing more worth watching in the 2003 draft.

Roger also turned off the TV. Beside him, Scarlett Johansson skillfully tied her hair back and bowed her head: “Alright, you little rascal, you’ve kept me waiting long enough, hand it over!”

Roger had a very relaxed offseason afterward; besides participating in commercial activities, there were hardly any important matters.

This summer, Roger didn’t have to worry about his whereabouts, nor did he need to participate much in the team’s roster strengthening.

Because the Warriors’ lineup was already quite mature, just some players’ growth had not met expectations yet. By next season, when Prince and Stoudemire become stronger, and Marcus Camby returns, the Warriors’ lineup won’t have so many gaps.

However, the Warriors still made some reinforcements. Since Dikembe Mutombo was bought out by the New Jersey Nets, the Warriors got him with a mid-level exception to enhance their interior depth.

This signing was rated A+ by the media, and Bill Simmons spoke highly of it: “Thanks to the Warriors’ patience, if they had rushed to get Mutombo through trades last season, they would’ve lost Amar’e and Tayshaun. But now? They got Dikembe with just a mid-level contract! Patience, patience is the key.”

Indeed, the $16 million annual salary for Mutombo was a bad contract, but Mutombo with just a mid-level contract is definitely a bargain.

Many teams offered Mutombo, although he was past his peak, he still had quite good rim protection value.

But it’s funny how the Warriors got the favor of Mount Mutombo.

The reason is simple—everyone knows the best chance to get a ring is by following Roger.

In the current situation, Mutombo, wherever he goes, is unlikely to be a starter. Since he’s going to be a backup, why not be Roger’s backup?