The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 583 - 6: Socialist Basketball_2

And Vandeweghe’s previously signed contract included complex clauses regarding trades, one of which stipulated that if he were traded to a non-designated team, the Trail Blazers had to pay him a compensation of half a million US dollars—this was perhaps the key reason why Tang Jianguo didn’t want to trade him, rather than any so-called loyalty to his players. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

After West arrived, he believed he could design a rather complex, multi-party trade to solve Vandeweghe’s contract issue while acquiring Cavaliers’ guard Sanders.

Sanders became a complete free agent this summer; he met the requirement of having seven years of experience in the league and having signed with two or more teams, allowing him to leave the Cavaliers without any restrictions.

But by involving the Cavaliers in the trade, they could get something in return instead of losing a player for nothing.

Buckwalter, after arriving in New York, worked tirelessly, making calls to solve the defensive issues on the guard lines during the draft.

On the evening of the 27th, the draft took place at Madison’s Felt Forum, and Buckwalter and his assistants quietly waited backstage, constantly tapping his foot to alleviate his anxiety.

He recalled the moment in 1974 when he signed Moses Malone; that contract was also very complex, covering numerous clauses including giving his mother spending money.

Before the contract was completed and announced, Buckwalter was quite anxious, because Moses Malone would become the first high school player to be signed by a professional team, which was bound to cause considerable controversy.

Luckily, Moses Malone proved himself and became a league superstar; although later the Trail Blazers missed out on him, which was very regrettable and foolish, but the 1974 signing was ultimately correct and would be remembered in the history of American professional basketball.

Fifteen years had passed, and Buckwalter realized that tonight’s choice would likewise be recorded in history.

The drafting process had already begun, with teams handing envelopes containing the names of their desired players to David Stern, who then announced the results on stage.

For teams with later draft picks, such waiting was torture.

You never knew if your desired player would be picked by the time it was your turn.

Now Buckwalter was planning to swoop in on someone, giving the Lakers a hard time.

Moreover, Buckwalter wondered if some team might snatch up Divac before them?

If that were the case, they would have to initiate Plan D.

The Sacramento Kings selected University of Louisville’s Pervis Ellison with the first pick.

Ellison, nicknamed "Never Nervous Pervis," always remained calm on the court and had an outstanding wingspan and shoulder width, averaging 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks in his final college year.

His defensive abilities made the Kings take notice, and his height, wingspan, and calm mentality made him somewhat reminiscent of Ah Gan.

Thus, with the No. 1 pick, the Kings chose him, eager for an Ah Gan to rescue the lackluster performance of the team.

Bill Russell had to leave after a very unsuccessful season, and the Kings didn’t improve much after a coaching change, or else they wouldn’t have obtained the No. 1 pick.

With the second pick, the Miami Heat, under Pat Riley’s management, had already snatched Drexler in their first season and performed impressively.

They were also quite lucky to secure the No. 2 pick despite not having a dismal record.

According to the draft lottery rules of the time, teams that didn’t make the playoffs had an equal chance of acquiring the top three picks.

Nine envelopes representing the nine non-playoff teams were placed in a transparent sphere and mixed; Stern would draw three out of it, which would become the top three picks in order.

In 1987, the league modified the lottery rules for fairness: only the top three picks would be drawn, and the rest would be ranked according to their records.

By 1989, with further expansion of the league, this mechanism of equal opportunity for non-playoff teams to obtain the top three picks seemed unfair.

Teams like the Boston Celtics, on the edge of the playoffs, could potentially get the No. 1 pick, with the same chance as the league’s worst team.

Hence, starting the next season, the league would revise the lottery drawing rules by introducing a weighted system, increasing the odds for worse-performing teams to obtain high picks, while reducing the chances for better-performing teams.

With the second pick, the Heat chose University of Michigan’s forward Glen Rice, forming a forward-guard duo with Drexler.

In the 1989 NCAA National Tournament, Glen Rice led his team to the national championship and was honored as the Most Outstanding Player.

Coach Riley was quite happy the Kings didn’t choose Rice with the first pick; with the acquisition of Rice, the Heat already had their core structure. If they could manage to get an outstanding center, the Heat would quickly be capable of contending for the playoffs.

Under the operations of talented individuals such as Riley, Yin Man, Spoelstra, and Cunningham, the Heat rose quite swiftly.

The Spurs, with the third pick, selected University of Arizona’s forward Shawn Elliott.

He was a recipient of the John Wooden Award, averaging 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in his senior year, a very versatile forward.

Overall, the talent in the 1989 draft was average; it was not like the 1984 draft, with extraordinary geniuses who immediately became top stars upon entering the League.

Nor was it like 1985 or 1987, which had guaranteed No. 1 picks and superstars like Ewing and Robinson.