Chapter 21: The third place pick was traded right after being selected. The process was a bit tortuous!
When David Stern took the envelope and opened it, Chen Hao clearly felt that the audience held their breath.

Even his agent Pelinka, who was beside him, looked nervous.

Chen Hao smiled and joked:
"Hey, do you dare to bet with me on who will be the top scorer in the final round?"

Chen Hao's words stunned Pelinka for a moment. He asked with some doubt:

"Are you sure who will be the top scorer in the final round?"

Chen Hao smiled and nodded:

"Yes, who do you think it will be?"

After thinking for a while, Pelinka gave the answer:
“Before March Madness started, I had Greg Oden as the No. 1 pick.

But now I don't think so, because you have overshadowed his brilliance.

This resulted in Kevin Durant's performance being more eye-catching than his.

If it weren't for the fact that you played so few games, you would definitely be the top pick.

But if I had to choose now, I would choose Kevin Durant."

After listening to Pelinka's analysis, Chen Hao nodded and said:
“Then I’m optimistic about Greg Oden!

How about a bet?
If I guess right, your commission will go down by one point, and if I guess wrong, it will go up by one point, how about that? "

Chen Hao’s words shocked Pelinka, because he didn’t expect Chen Hao to play such a big game.

One point of commission is not a small amount!
But when he saw Chen Hao's expression, Pelinka hesitated.

After all, Chen Hao looked very confident, which made Pelinka a little unsure.

But what if I really guessed it right?

That's a point earned for free!

The temptation was really great. Pelinka looked at David Stern, then at Oden, and finally at Durant.

Finally, he couldn't resist the temptation of this point, gritted his teeth, nodded and said:

"Okay, let me make a bet with you!
If I win, the commission will be increased by one point, and if you win, the commission will be reduced by one point! "

"Very good! It's a deal!"

Chen Hao nodded with satisfaction, and then looked towards the podium with a smile on his face.

David Stern has already started reciting his classic lines:

"With the first pick in the 2007 NBA draft, the Portland Trail Blazers selected"

Having said this, he deliberately paused for a moment and looked at all the participating players with a smile on his face.

His pause made the audience very anxious, and they could only applaud him to keep reading.

Especially Oden and Durant, the camera was focused on them, and their expressions became extremely nervous.

After all, they are only eighteen or nineteen years old, and it is inevitable to be nervous at this important moment.

David Stern was very satisfied with the audience's reaction.

Then he read out the name of the champion:

“Greg Oden!

From Ohio State University!"

The No. 1 pick is indeed Oden!
After hearing his name, Oden stood up from his seat with excitement on his face.

He excitedly hugged his relatives and friends one by one, and then took the Trail Blazers baseball cap handed to him by the staff.

He strode towards the podium!

Looking at Oden's high-spirited appearance, Chen Hao was deeply moved.

Perhaps this is the pinnacle of his entire career?
After all, his future in the NBA will not be easy, as his entire career has been almost entirely filled with injuries.

In the end, he retired from the court before he was even 30 years old.

The most classic scene is when Oden, wearing a backpack and headphones, was stopped by an old lady passing by in the crowd and asked:

“Hey, are you a basketball player?”

"It used to be!" "Then I can beat you to pieces!"

The old lady's words made Oden, whose face was already full of vicissitudes, even sadder.

He was speechless, put his headphones back on, and continued walking with his head down.
This is the tragic life of Oden's career, but despite this, there are still many fans who firmly believe that Oden's physical talent is at the historical level.

Even if they had the chance to choose again a hundred times, the Trail Blazers would still choose Oden as the No. 1 pick without hesitation.

These are the words spoken by the general manager of the Trail Blazers many years later, after Durant had become a super scorer in the league.

Obviously, in their view, if Oden is not injured, he can definitely realize his talent.

To a certain extent, Chen Hao agrees with the Trail Blazers general manager's statement.

But the prerequisite is that Oden can realize his talent without getting injured, and the Trail Blazers must train Oden at all costs.

You should know that before Durant became the league's super scorer, the Supersonics spent more than two years letting him fire unlimitedly and miss shots like crazy, and finally trained him into a terrifying all-around scorer.

Can the Trail Blazers do it?
This point needs to be questioned.

And the most fatal point of the Trail Blazers is that their team doctor is really bad, and is even called the Trail Blazers veterinarian.

Besides Oden, wasn't Roy also ruined?
Thinking of this, Chen Hao shook his head, then looked at Pelinka with a smile and said:
“It seems my intuition was correct.

Dinner tonight is on my table!"

Pelinka's expression was very depressed at this time. He really didn't expect that the Trail Blazers would actually choose Oden without hesitation.

You have to know that this guy's statistics cannot be compared with Durant at all, and he has suffered a lot of injuries in college, which is also a potential hidden danger.

Unexpectedly, the Trail Blazers still chose him, which made Pelinka very dissatisfied with the general manager of the Trail Blazers:

"The Trail Blazers' general manager has really bad vision. Greg is a complete failure. They are bound to regret this!"

Although Pelinka's words were a little bit angry, they hit the point.

But Chen Hao would not show mercy to Pelinka because of this. He continued to laugh and tease:
"Since we guessed the top pick wrong, why don't we continue playing the game of guessing the runner-up?

It’s still the same old rule, if you win I’ll increase your commission by two points, and if I win you’ll reduce it by two points?”

After listening to Chen Hao's advice, the corners of Pelinka's mouth twitched wildly.

Chen Hao's suggestion sounds very attractive, but in fact, once he really loses, his commission points may only be 1% in the end.

Then he would really have suffered a huge loss!
Although he was extremely sure at this moment that Durant would definitely be a role model, he did not dare to gamble because he could not afford it!

Chen Hao seemed a little regretful about Pelinka's rejection.

The final result of the second pick was beyond doubt, it was Durant.

When Durant came on stage and shook hands with David Stern, Chen Hao said with a look of relief:

"OMG!
The SuperSonics actually chose Kevin Durant?

I'm glad I didn't bet against you because I thought Al Horford was the No. 2 pick."

Pelinka: “???”

Finally, it was the third pick, and the general manager of the Hawks handed the envelope that had been prepared long ago to the staff.

Chen Hao even noticed a detail. After the general manager of the Hawks handed the envelope to the staff, he actually glanced in Chen Hao's direction.

At the same time, the host on the scene also said curiously:

"Which player will the Hawks select with the No. 3 pick?"

This time, David Stern didn't keep the secret for too long.

After taking a look at the name on the card, he smiled and read out loud:

"In the 2007 NBA draft, the Hawks selected the third pick in the first round."

"Chen Hao!
From Dragon Country!

Graduated from Ohio State University!"

　Please collect, read and vote for me!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)