"It’s just one preseason game. What did you expect from him, a 30-point performance?"
Chen Yu retorted without even looking up.
Chen Yu had watched the tape of that game.
’He was the number one draft pick, after all, so of course I’d pay attention.’
After watching the game, Chen Yu’s assessment was that it was just okay; both James’s strengths and weaknesses were on full display.
His strengths were his powerful physique, his fearlessness of contact, and his willingness to drive to the basket and create contact. His finishing just needed some work. Otherwise, his field goal percentage wouldn’t have been so low.p>
Moreover, his decent playmaking ability and excellent court vision were also evident, or else he wouldn’t have gotten 7 assists.
As for his main weakness, it was definitely his shooting.
During training camp, Chen Yu had already noticed his shot was a complete mess. His touch was too hard, and it would take some serious work to improve it.
Now, having been thrust into the NBA—the highest level of competition—and facing a sudden spike in intensity, his poor shooting was even more glaringly obvious.
’Even a scoreless game would have been acceptable, let alone the 8 points he managed to put up.’
"See? With his physical tools, there’s no way he’ll be a bust."
The Knight were building around James as their core, giving him plenty of playing time and possessions. It would be hard for him not to develop under those conditions.
"Milicic, on the other hand... his performance yesterday was pretty inexcusable. I always thought the Pistons had gotten a real steal. I can’t believe he played so poorly."
Yesterday, the number two pick’s performance was even worse than James’s. In about the same amount of playing time, he went 2-for-8 from the field and 1-for-4 from the free-throw line, finishing with only 5 points and 5 rebounds.
Milicic hadn’t attended Chen Yu’s potential training camp, so Chen Yu only knew about his situation from reading scouting reports and watching tapes.
’His talent is truly top-tier, that’s for sure.’
Height, wingspan, immense strength, and an agility and nimbleness that belied his size.
And coming from Europe, he had the excellent fundamentals and offensive skills of a European player.
’He’s definitely not lacking in talent.’
According to media reports, Old Nelson had also scouted this European phenom last year, even making a special trip to Europe to watch him play. Afterward, he claimed to have seen shades of Garnett and Duncan in him.
He had the potential to develop into a top-tier big man.
But watching him for the whole game, it was clear he was struggling to adapt.
Most importantly, there was no chemistry with his teammates, and the team hadn’t designed any plays for him. It was as if they just threw him onto the court. With the language barrier and his unfamiliarity with his teammates, he struggled. He took eight shots, but Chen Yu counted at least three of them being forced, rushed attempts in bad positions after a teammate had dumped the ball on him.
’It just feels like the Pistons aren’t putting enough effort into developing him.’
’This is the number two pick, for crying out loud. They should have designed some specific plays for him based on the current situation. The goal shouldn’t be how many points he scores, but rather helping him adapt, play efficiently, and build his confidence.’
Look at how the Lakers were developing Yao Ming.
His tactical importance, his training regimen—they maxed everything out, sparing no effort.
Milicic’s talent truly deserved that kind of developmental focus.
Brian thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I think he would have been better off on a weaker team, instead of being drafted by the Pistons."
The Pistons had a solid record in the East.
Especially after acquiring Hamilton and Billups, they had risen quickly to become a powerhouse in the East.
Last season, they had already made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, and it went to a Game 7.
So the Pistons were in championship-contention mode; they simply didn’t have the energy to develop a rookie.
"You’re right about that," Chen Yu said, nodding in agreement.
’Milicic is so young, only 18. A player in his situation needs to be on a weaker team where he can be properly developed.’
But as it turned out, how did the Pistons get that number two pick? It was all due to the Grizzlies’ terrible luck, a gift to the Pistons.
"Why don’t you ask Dumars and see if we can trade for him?" Chen Yu said.
’With proper development, a talent like that could really become the next Garnett.’
Brian’s eyes shifted as he considered it, then he shook his head. "Difficult. Mainly because our current roster is very good. I don’t want to make any major changes in the short term."
Trading for Milicic would be all too easy for the Phoenix Suns.
They could offer up practically any player and it would be enough to make the Pistons drool.
But the Phoenix Suns were in the same situation as the Pistons: they were gunning for a three-peat and had no reason to change their roster.
Chen Yu nodded and didn’t say any more.
The Phoenix Suns shouldn’t be thinking about anything else right now. They had one goal: go for their three-peat and become the first dynasty of the new millennium with three consecutive titles.
The game on the court had already begun.
This game between the Phoenix Suns and the Nuggets had a few interesting angles.
It was the debut of the number three pick, Carmelo Anthony, and J Kidd’s return to Phoenix.
However, from the very beginning, the game was completely one-sided.
The Nuggets had talent, but that’s all they had.
Their roster strength and depth were nowhere near the Phoenix Suns’.
O’Neal and the rest of the starters played just one quarter before Skiles benched them.
The Phoenix Suns didn’t need to spend too much time building chemistry with their starting lineup.
It was still the same group of guys, and Miller was experienced and a plug-and-play type of player, so there was no need to worry too much about chemistry issues.
Skiles was more worried about the Phoenix Suns’ bench.
The bench, led by Ma Long and Payton, would be a crucial part of the Phoenix Suns’ quest for a three-peat.
Dressed impeccably in a suit, the Nuggets’ refined-looking head coach, Jeff Bzdelik, stood on the sideline, glanced at the score, and his face filled with resignation.
Sabonis, Ma Long, Rogers, Poseidon, Payton.
’Just looking at that lineup, anyone who didn’t know better would think they were up against a playoff-caliber team.’
’And yet, this is the Suns’ bench.’
During the Summer, Bzdelik had publicly called out the Phoenix Suns, telling reporters that the league needed to place limits on them.
’But looking at it now, my calls weren’t nearly loud enough.’
After defending their title, the Phoenix Suns had gone and assembled another superteam.
’With a roster like this, how is any other team supposed to compete?’
’At least we got lucky this year and drafted a super rookie in Carmelo Anthony.’
On the court, the Nuggets pushed a fast break. J Kidd, like the tip of a spear, ignored the defending Payton and cleverly flicked the ball behind him.
Anthony rushed in, leaped up, fully extended his body in mid-air, and finished a layup over Poseidon.
Bzdelik’s eyes couldn’t help but light up.
’That offensive arsenal, that stability... it’s not what you’d expect from a young rookie at all.’
’And he’s a great match with J Kidd.’
An Anthony who needed teammates to create opportunities for him was a perfect fit for a traditional point guard like J Kidd, who was dedicated to playmaking and didn’t care much for scoring himself.
With the roster also being young, under J Kidd’s leadership, the Nuggets were also executing their desired transition offense and interior-exterior defensive scheme.
They relied on J Kidd on the perimeter and Camby in the paint.
Camby, who had been "sent back to the factory" last season for hip and knee injuries and "rebuilt" by Chen Yu, didn’t have any major flaws aside from a tendency to stat-pad. It felt like he could still anchor the Nuggets’ interior defense.
That’s why Bzdelik considered the Nuggets to be quite strong.
Unfortunately, they had run into the ridiculously overpowered Phoenix Suns.
At the end of three quarters, the Phoenix Suns had extended their lead to 19 points.
Then, all the rookies were sent in.
Bzdelik had thought the game would look a little better for his team, but unexpectedly, the point differential only grew larger.p>
A group of young, energetic rookies, led by the wily old veteran Stockton—the man with the most assist titles in history—were somehow running a vibrant and effective offense.
In the suite, Brian’s eyes crinkled with a smile. "Chen," he said, "you’ve really got a great eye for talent."
The Phoenix Suns had brought in four rookies at once this year.
But in just one short quarter, the unique traits of all four rookies were on display.
Perkins was physically strong, could hold his own in the paint, and was a diligent, aggressive defender.
West, just as Chen Yu had said, had a precise mid-range jumper and a steady, solid game.
Daniels was aggressive in his drives to the basket, with explosive athleticism.
As for Kovol, he also provided stable outside shooting, hitting a 3-pointer.
The things the Phoenix Suns valued in them were, for the most part, all on display.
Unable to resist a little pride in the face of the compliment, Chen Yu laughed, "The data doesn’t lie."
In the end, the Phoenix Suns won by a commanding 26 points, concluding this preseason tune-up game.
No longer serving as the Suns’ team doctor this season, Chen Yu’s burden was much lighter, but he was still very busy.
On the eve of the opening game, Chen Yu arrived in Portland.
Paul Allen had sent his private jet to pick Chen Yu up.
After learning that Chen Yu had started a consulting firm, Paul Allen had been the most enthusiastic, repeatedly inviting Chen Yu to Portland to help the Pioneer improve.
So, after getting things started with the Lakers, Chen Yu came to Portland.
"Paul, you know deep down what the most logical choice for the Pioneer is right now. It’s to rebuild. You just can’t bring yourself to accept it."
Inside his luxurious Rolls-Royce, Chen Yu listened to Paul Allen ramble on about the Pioneer’s current predicament before finally responding with a serious expression.
The Pioneer’s peak was probably in 2000, when they battled the Lakers for seven games in the Western Conference Finals. As the media put it, if the Pioneer had gotten past the Lakers that year, they would have certainly won the championship.
After that, they began a gradual decline, becoming a team on the fringes of the playoffs.
In reality, many teams in the league were like this: on the edge of the playoffs, stuck in mediocrity.
But many owners simply treated their team as an investment and didn’t have such high expectations for their record.
But Paul Allen was different. He genuinely loved basketball and wanted to win a championship.
"The Pioneer are riddled with problems right now."
Changing the head coach in the Summer, and even the general manager, showed that Paul was still trying hard to change the team.
But the players hadn’t been changed.
The issues with the players were the Pioneer’s biggest problem.
Teammates fighting each other, conflicts with the coach, Rashid and Stoudemire getting busted for smoking weed.
The "Jail Team" nickname wasn’t for nothing.
The off-court issues were doing immense damage to the team.
Chen Yu continued, "And given the current state of the league, there’s no way you guys can win a championship in the short term."
’The Phoenix Suns are still dominating the league.’
’Even if the Phoenix Suns were to break up in the future, there are still the Spurs, Lakers, and Magic. It wouldn’t be the Pioneer’s turn to win a championship anyway.’
"Paul, I know you’re rich and don’t mind spending, but you should at least spend your money in a way that gets some value. The league is officially implementing the luxury tax this season. Are you really willing to pay tens of millions in luxury tax?"
Last year’s hundred-million-dollar-plus roster getting swept out of the playoffs had become the laughingstock of the entire league.
"Camp’s burdensome contract is expiring this year. This is the perfect opportunity for you to rebuild. Trade for some promising rookies and draft picks, reduce team expenses, and gamble on the future. When the championship teams start to decline, that will be your time to rise."
The magnate Paul Allen never hesitated to spend money, always offering huge contracts. Even so, he was still saddled with Camp’s fifteen-million-dollar contract.
Paul Allen heaved a long sigh and fell deep into thought.

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