"Did he really say that?"
In the hallway, Chen Yu asked with a strange expression as he and Nelson walked toward the parking lot.
Nelson nodded with a half-smile and asked if Chen Yu felt awkward about it.
As an opponent, he beat you and then thanked you for it. If Nelson didn’t know what kind of person Duncan was, he would’ve suspected Duncan was being deliberately sarcastic.
"What’s there to feel awkward about? This is great," Chen Yu said, shaking his head nonchalantly.
This just went to show Duncan’s true strength.
At the peak of his skills and in perfect health, he was capable of such a dominant performance.
Just then, Chen Yu faintly heard a sound.
"Is someone still here?"
Chen Yu glanced at Nelson and walked toward the other end of the hallway.
Ahead was the training court.
Under the lights, two figures were facing off against each other.
It was Jon Hamm and McDyess.
Jon Hamm was on offense with the ball, while McDyess was defending with all his might.
Chen Yu glanced at his watch. It was already past ten at night.
Stopping Nelson, who was about to head over, Chen Yu said, "Let them practice on their own."
He figured McDyess had stayed late for extra practice because he’d failed to stop Duncan, who ended up scoring 55 points.
He had a quiet personality but was always diligent and hardworking.
As they continued toward the parking lot, Chen Yu suddenly felt a wave of emotion.
The media always said the Phoenix Suns attracted veterans to team up, making them so powerful they were disrupting the league’s balance.
But they seemed to have forgotten the effort the entire Phoenix Suns team put in beneath the surface.
For those veterans, often over thirty-five and on the verge of retirement, was staying healthy enough to finish a long season really as easy as just talking about it?
Take the healthy meal plan, for example.
From the start of the season, Chen Yu had created a nutritional meal plan for everyone.
With the exception of O’Neal, who was in a class of his own, everyone was required to follow it strictly.
This was especially true for the older players. With the starters healthy, they didn’t get much playing time. Take Mookie Blaylock—he only played in 12 games the entire season, sometimes for just a few minutes.
But just for those few minutes, the 35-year-old strictly followed Chen Yu’s diet plan without the slightest deviation.
They had played in the league for over a decade, were covered in honors, and had once been their teams’ core players. Since they weren’t getting playing time anyway and were on veteran minimum contracts, who could blame them if they just slacked off?
But they didn’t.
For those few precious minutes of playing time, they worked hard and persevered for an entire season.
And wasn’t it all for the pursuit of a championship?
Chen Yu could say with confidence that even if the Phoenix Suns had attracted a bunch of veterans, their path to the championship was built one step at a time—no shortcuts, just pure sweat.
If people simply dismissed the efforts of these veterans just because they thought the Phoenix Suns were too strong, then Chen Yu had to speak up for them and call it an injustice.
"I’m heading out."
Arriving at the parking lot, Chen Yu waved goodbye, got in his car, and drove away.
Losing a game was actually a good thing in Chen Yu’s eyes.
During the recovery training the next day, the entire Phoenix Suns team was noticeably more focused.
Even though these veterans had calm and stable mindsets, the continuous victories and the championship being within arm’s reach could make them subconsciously feel they could win it all without trying too hard.
A loss served as a splash of cold water to wake them up, reminding them that the Spurs weren’t some pushover team they could easily crush. If they weren’t careful, they could lose.
Besides, even if they got past the Spurs, there was still the East.
The Magic, led by Hill and Tracy McGrady, were still highly competitive.
The Pistons, who were vying with them for the Eastern Conference title, had quietly risen in the East this season by bringing in Billups and Hamilton and relying on their defense.
The media was calling the Eastern Conference Finals the ultimate showdown between spear and shield.
The first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals were over, and the series was tied 1-1, which was enough to prove the Pistons were no slouches.
「The 23rd.」
At five in the afternoon, the Phoenix Suns’ front office staff gathered in the conference room to watch that day’s draft lottery.
In the spacious conference room, Chen Yu and Brian sat in a corner.
"Did you see the news on Yahoo? They said Nike already signed James to a 7-year, 90-million-dollar shoe deal. That’s insane," Brian ranted.
Ninety million over seven years, nearly a hundred million, and just for a shoe deal. That meant James was already in the max contract bracket before even playing a single game in the NBA.
And he’s only 18!
’When I was 18, I was still messing around in high school.’
Chen Yu glanced at Brian with amusement. His face was contorted with envy.
After a moment of thought, Chen Yu said, "It just goes to show how fast money is devaluing. A few years ago, who would have dared to imagine a contract worth over twenty million?"
Brian nodded in agreement. "I had my eye on a villa in Hawaii. Before the new year, it was just over 3 million. Now it’s already up to almost 4 million. It’s completely nuts."
"It really is nuts."
’He couldn’t agree more. With his increased income, Chen Yu had also been thinking about getting a new house, but the prices were changing every month. It made him hesitant to buy, as he was worried the crazy surge would be followed by a crash.’
After some more small talk, the lottery ceremony began.
Ross Granik was hosting.
The camera panned across the live audience.
Chen Yu immediately spotted the Cavaliers’ owner, Gand, the same guy who had recently accused the Phoenix Suns of stealing their number one pick.
"Chen, if the Cavaliers don’t get the first pick, do you think Gand will drop dead from anger on the spot?" Nelson joked from the other side of the table, where he was leaning over to watch the TV.
If he missed out on the number one pick two years in a row, Gand might just storm the New York Headquarters and start a brawl with Stern.
"Probably not," Chen Yu said. He was hoping for that outcome too, but the odds were slim.
With the worst record in the league, they had nearly a one-in-four chance. It would be hard *not* to get it.
Brian pointed at the television. "I bet West is the most nervous one right now."
The Grizzlies’ GM, Jerry West, was also there. On camera, his face was tense, his expression unnatural.
With the sixth-worst record, it would be a huge loss for them if their pick moved up in the draft order.
Their only hope was to land the number one pick.
The first-round pick they had traded was top-one protected. If they drew the number one pick, they could keep it and wouldn’t have to send it to the Pistons—a massive win.
The lottery ceremony began quickly.
The Phoenix Suns had the 28th pick, so there was nothing to get excited about.
As the picks were announced one by one, Brian started to sit up straight. He was most concerned about the Rockets’ first-round pick.
"Oh my god, it actually moved up," Brian whispered, clenching his fists.
The ninth pick belonged to the Knicks.
Immediately after, the Hawks confirmed the eighth pick, but they had already traded it to the Bucks.
"Seventh!"
Brian’s expression was a mix of pleasant surprise and regret. He had been afraid the pick would be too low, but now he was afraid this pick position was too high, making the Grizzlies unwilling to trade.
So, as for this seventh pick, you couldn’t say it was good, but you couldn’t say it was bad either.
Chen Yu asked curiously, "Brian, what assets are you actually planning to offer the Grizzlies?"
It seemed like Brian was very confident he could pull off a trade for their first-round pick.
"That’s a secret," Brian said with a grin you’d want to punch.
The Clippers landed at sixth.
West’s expression started to look unnatural.
And as Granik announced the next pick, "unnatural" was no longer enough to describe West’s expression. It had turned ugly.
The Heat were fifth, the Raptors fourth.
Although they had traded for a cornerstone player in J Kidd, the Nuggets were determined to tank, and their record was atrocious.
The last time he saw J Kidd, he had even complained to him about it.
It was a good thing he already had a championship under his belt, or he really would have looked down on what the Nuggets were doing.
The Nuggets jumped from the fifth-worst record all the way up to the third pick.
The camera cut to Gand and West.
West’s face turned green.
It was heaven or hell for him now.
If they got the number one pick, not only would they keep their first-rounder, but they’d also get James and rise to prominence.
If they didn’t get the number one pick, not only would they miss out on James, but they’d also have to give the number two pick to the Pistons. He probably felt like dying.
As for Gand, he was just as tense, his eyebrows twitching.
Granik didn’t drag out the suspense for too long. After a brief pause, he announced the owner of the second pick.
The Grizzlies!
The camera immediately cut to West.
He sat there, expressionless, but the unnatural twitching at the corner of his mouth betrayed his inner turmoil.
In stark contrast was Gand, not far away.
The grin on his face was impossible to hold back.
The camera also cut to the scene outside the venue.
A large number of Cavaliers fans who had come to show their support were celebrating wildly.
Beside him, Brian let out a long sigh and said mournfully, "If I’d known, I would have asked for their ’03 first-round pick back then."
If he had asked for the ’03 first-round pick during the Robinson trade, he would be the one with the biggest smile right now.
"Oh, come on," Chen Yu said, utterly speechless.
Without last year’s number one pick, how would you have traded for O’Neal?
On the TV, the host quickly began to interview Gand.
"Actually, we haven’t decided who we’re going to pick yet," Gand said with false modesty, before sticking his tongue out and bursting into a wild, smug laugh.
All one could say was that his smug face was incredibly punchable.
"Time to work."
Beside them, Skiles stood up and motioned for Boylan and the others to leave. They had a game soon.
Just then, on television, Gand actually gave a shout-out to Chen Yu in front of thousands of fans.
He pointed at the camera and said, "I want to thank Chen. He solidified my determination to pick James. By the way, Chen, we’re about to have James. Since you think so highly of him, why don’t you come join us in Cleveland? I’ve already got a check ready for you."
Chen Yu froze. Nelson’s jaw dropped.
As for Brian, he instantly shot up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, slamming his hands on the conference table and roaring, "How dare that bastard! Does he have no shame?!"
More than the fate of the number one pick, Chen Yu was Brian’s red line. With Gand recruiting Chen Yu in such a public setting, what would the fans think? What would other teams think? Would they immediately follow suit?
The thought of losing Chen Yu made Brian’s heart ache.
"Chen?"
After his outburst, Brian immediately looked toward Chen Yu.
Chen Yu didn’t look at Brian. He called out to Nelson and turned to walk out of the conference room.
In the hallway on the way to the court, Nelson suddenly asked in a low voice, "Chen, you’re not really going to leave the Phoenix Suns, are you?"
This recent, unhealthy trend had started to make even Nelson panic.
In the past two years working under Chen Yu, not only had he learned a lot, but more importantly, the work was pleasant.
Having such a capable leader was incredibly comfortable.
Most importantly, Chen Yu hadn’t forgotten to bring him along to make money too.
Chen Yu glanced at Nelson and asked, "Let’s say one day I really do leave. Would you come with me?"
Nelson’s heart pounded wildly, and for a moment, he didn’t know how to answer.
"Look how scared you are. I was just asking. Don’t worry, I have no plans to leave Phoenix anytime soon," Chen Yu said, patting him on the shoulder.
’In truth, if he really were to leave one day to start a new venture, Chen Yu would definitely find a way to poach Nelson.’

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