score maniac

Chapter 8: Holy crap, he got picked!

“With the nineteenth pick in the first round, the Boston Celtics select—Avery Bradley from the University of Texas!” Inside the venue, the draft was still in full swing. The media center was a hive of activity. Reporters from all over the world were busy making calls, taking notes, writing articles on the spot, and searching for information—they were swamped. “There are a lot of perimeter players being picked in the latter half of the draft…!” Several reporters looked through a huge floor-to-ceiling window toward the distant stage, where David Stern was continuing to announce the list of selected players. “That’s just how it is in a ‘down year’ for the draft—nothing we can do about it.” One reporter shrugged and said, “In a strong draft year, there are usually more big men; in a weak one, there are relatively more perimeter players. Of course, there are also exceptional draft years where there are gems among both big men and perimeter players—that’s a different story.” This reporter, with many years of experience, was spot on. In American basketball, what type of player is never in short supply? The answer is obvious: players with off-the-charts athleticism who can fly through the air. Jumpers are easy to come by, but true giants are hard to find. Almost every “big year” for the draft features an astonishing pool of quality big men, while every “quiet year” is filled with all kinds of perimeter jumpers who can fly and soar in the middle to late rounds. The reason is actually quite simple: if a given draft class is overflowing with promising big men, most teams will choose to invest in them for the future—especially in the middle and later rounds. After all, the odds of drafting a star with a low pick are slim, so why not take a chance on a big man? But if there aren’t many top-tier big men in a given draft class, then by the time they reach the middle to late rounds, teams are forced to “pick the best of a poor lot” from a pool of jumpers—selecting whoever they can and hoping for the best. The 2010 draft was widely regarded at the time as a “weak year.” Although it was expected to be slightly better than disastrous drafts like the one in 2000, there were only a handful of players who showed star potential—at most, Wall, Turner, Favors, and a few others—all of whom were lottery picks. “With the 28th pick in the first round, the Memphis Grizzlies select—from the University of Maryland—Graves Vasquez!” “Look, another guard.” As the draft progressed, the reporters’ interest waned. In this lackluster draft, there was little suspense regarding who would be the No. 1 pick or who would land in the lottery. Aside from a few standout prospects, the rest of the players didn’t inspire much confidence, and the chances of an upset or a major surprise were extremely low. “Yu, who’s this…?” Inside the room, reporters were making casual comments about the draft as it unfolded; outside, Gu Yu—who had accompanied the female reporter to the venue—was once again stopped by security. “This is the person I’m interviewing—could you cut him some slack?” The female reporter winked at the security guard, then pulled a fifty-dollar bill from her pocket, crumpled it into a small wad, and smiled as she slipped it into his hand. “Ahem… Just this once!” The security guard got the hint, looked up at the sky, pretended not to see Gu Yu, and muttered under his breath. “You’re such a sweetheart, Gray~” The female reporter smiled in response, then stepped forward, swiped her press pass, and walked through the door. After taking just a couple of steps, she turned back and waved at Gu Yu, saying, “Come on, hurry up~” “Mm-hmm, no problem. You go ahead—I’ll just tie my shoelace and catch up right away.” Gu Yu nodded, crouched down, and deliberately untied his shoelaces—which had been perfectly tied—then lowered his head as close to the ground as possible, opened his mouth into a tiny “O,” and tilted his head back. Holy crap, those legs are absolutely stunning! Watching the female reporter glide gracefully into the building, her long legs and curvaceous figure on full display, Gu Yu found himself drooling. When they first met, he’d only noticed her striking features, smooth skin, and beautiful legs. But now, following her from behind, my goodness—that figure was downright criminal! As they chatted casually along the way, Gu Yu—though he’d been using his height advantage to sneak peeks at the girl’s cleavage—also managed to learn a bit about her. Her name was Yu Chenyi, an Asian American who had immigrated to the U. S. with her parents at a very young age. She was 20 years old and still in college, but thanks to her excellent grades, she was already working as an on-camera reporter for a sports media outlet. “Just call me Xiao Yu~” That’s how she introduced herself to Gu Yu. “Damn it, we’re the same age, okay? Don’t think I’m old just because I’ve got my hair slicked back, all right??” Gu Yu’s response was quite outlandish. As they chatted along the way, Gu Yu could clearly sense that although Xiao Yu wasn’t very old, she was quite mature for her age and very skilled at interacting with people. Add to that her innocent, innocent face, her flawless figure, and the way her big eyes would blink and the corners of her mouth would curve—any man would find himself unable to look away. Compared to Gu Yu’s blunt and unfiltered nature, Xiao Yu was actually a bit more composed. Dressed in a business suit with a figure-hugging skirt, she led Gu Yu—who was wearing a tracksuit—around, looking just like an older sister taking her younger brother out. “Today I’m taking you to the media center to watch the talent show live. If you ever become famous, you’ve got to let me be the first to get an exclusive interview with you~!” Xiao Yu explained why she was helping Gu Yu. Gu Yu’s reasoning was simple. Who wouldn’t want to admire a beauty up close? Black stockings are Gu Yu’s absolute weakness, after all! So, every time Xiao Yu took a few steps into the room, Gu Yu would crouch down and shuffle forward a few steps, muttering, “Hey, now my shoelace’s acting up on me,” moving like a crab. Just a little bit more. Xiao Yu finally stopped walking, and Gu Yu shuffled forward a few more steps, rolling his eyes upward as far as they’d go. Just a little bit more and he’d be able to see… “How long are you going to keep pretending to tie your shoelaces? The talent show’s already in the second round, you know!” It wasn’t until they reached the floor-to-ceiling windows that Xiao Yu could hold back her laughter any longer. She turned around, bent over, and teased Gu Yu. “Uh, cough cough cough cough, this shoelace is killing me…!!” Gu Yu’s head shot down, and he frantically tied a tight knot in his shoelace. “Your face is so red it’s reaching your greasy hair~” Xiao Yu was amused by Gu Yu’s expression and laughed openly. “I’ll say it again—this is a slicked-back hairstyle, not a greasy one!” Gu Yu stood up, his face flushed, and looked out at the arena with an embarrassed expression. “With the 55th overall pick in the second round, the Utah Jazz select—Jeremy Evans from Western Kentucky University!” The draft was drawing to a close, and to be honest, Gu Yu hadn’t expected to be selected at all. As someone who, before his time travel, had only played pickup games and was known as the owner of a blacksmith’s shop, Gu Yu was already more than satisfied to be playing in a Nike Basketball Summit game and even to be included on the draft list. After the Summit Tournament ended, Gu Yu realized quite clearly that he had traveled through time. But after doing a little research and making a few phone calls, he discovered that his parents were the same, his family was the same, his height had increased to around 193, and his appearance hadn’t changed much either. The only difference was that, on his original timeline, after graduating from elementary school, Gu Yu had the opportunity to join a sports training team to practice basketball. However, due to a severe wrist injury, he completely lost his natural shooting touch and was forced to give up his lifelong dream of playing basketball. On this timeline, however, that injury never happened. Gu Yu continued to play basketball at a semi-professional level, gradually rising to the level he’s at today. As a former “insider,” Gu Yu knows all too well the cruelty of competitive sports. Even if he can’t make it to the NBA now, with his experience from the Summit Tournament, returning to China to play in the CBA shouldn’t be a problem. Even if he can’t become an international superstar like Captain Chen Mu, just coasting along in the domestic league doesn’t sound so bad either, hehehe… “With the 56th overall pick in the second round, the Minnesota Timberwolves select—from China—Gu Yu!” If he ever becomes a superstar in the CBA, he could buy a car, pick up a young model, drive to a quiet spot, and switch it to vibrate mode… Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm?!!! “…What?!!” Sitting in an inconspicuous corner of the media center, Gu Yu heard his name called out by the silver-haired old man. —from the draft venue to the media center to every screen around the world tuned in to the live broadcast—the entire place erupted in a frenzy!