So, in Chen Yu’s view, Durant was a perfect fit for the University of Arizona.
During the filming of the show, Durant’s meteoric rise hadn’t been on the back of his defense.
His slender frame simply wasn’t suited for him to become a top-tier defender.
His weapon was his offense.
The ultimate offense!
It was a God-given talent.
In that case, he should hone his offense to its absolute peak and become the sharpest weapon in the arsenal.
And for that, the University of Arizona was the right place.
"Luke told me that if you go to the Wildcats, he’ll build the team around you. He’ll let you play to your strengths—shoot, score, and win games. It’s that simple!"
Seeing Durant was still a bit dazed, Chen Yu patted his arm and smiled. "Don’t be nervous, and don’t feel too much pressure. I’m just giving you a suggestion. When it comes to the final decision, follow your heart. Talk it over with your parents and listen to what they have to say."
"And I believe that no matter which university you choose in the end, you have a very bright future ahead of you."
Durant nodded blankly and opened his mouth to say something, but Chen Yu had already turned and walked away with a smile.
He walked up into the stands.
At once, a crowd of people rose to their feet, their eyes on Chen Yu.
"Looks like everyone’s here!"
Chen Yu greeted the crowd with a cheerful smile.
He couldn’t say he knew them all, but while he could only name about a third of them, the other two-thirds were all familiar faces.
’They’re the scouts from all the NBA teams, after all.’
Twenty or thirty of them, and it looked like almost everyone had shown up.
The McDonald’s All-American Game was the biggest stage for high school phenoms, so it was only natural for NBA scouts to be here.
"Chad, what are you doing here?"
As he made his rounds, Chen Yu stopped in front of a balding, middle-aged man.
Chad Bahana, the head of college scouting for the Pioneer.
He looked too nervous to speak.
In the grand scheme of the league, he was just a scout.
Chen Yu led him a couple of steps away, then glanced back at the other scouts.
The whole group immediately looked away and tactfully sat back down.
"Who’ve you guys got your eye on?" Chen Yu asked curiously.
Chad Bahana opened and closed his mouth, unsure how to answer.
"Then I’ll just ask John directly," Chen Yu said with a smile.
’If you won’t tell me, I’ll just ask the man in charge.’
’John Nash would know better than you anyway.’
Chad Bahana seemed intimidated by Chen Yu’s bluff. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sir, I’m here to watch Oden today."
For some reason, Chen Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
Initially, Chen Yu had wanted Oden too, of course.
But on second thought, acquiring Oden would be far more difficult than acquiring Durant.
So it was better to settle for the next best option and try to get Durant instead.
That was purely in terms of acquisition difficulty.
But deep down, Chen Yu actually preferred Durant anyway.
It seemed that every team in the league had the same target: they all wanted Oden more.
The philosophy that a center is the cornerstone of a franchise wasn’t likely to change anytime soon.
Even if Durant was slightly more talented, Oden’s talent was hardly lacking.
The only difference was that Oden was a center.
"Good."
Chen Yu clapped Chad Bahana on the shoulder and didn’t press the issue.
’It was perfectly normal for the Pioneer to be thinking this way.’
’When you have a chance to get a player like Oden, who would pass it up?’
’More importantly, the Pioneer actually had a shot.’
They had a wealth of assets.
’A bunch of high-potential players, all of them studs from the lottery, plus a stockpile of draft picks... If they really offered up a few of those prospects in a trade, how could you not be tempted?’
As for why they’d be interested in Oden, that was also understandable.
The Pioneer had already become a strong team in the West, but they were still missing a piece to be a true championship contender.
What were they missing? Their frontcourt, obviously.
Randolph’s offense was decent, but he was too short and too slow.
He had to play his heart out just to keep up with D’Antoni’s run-and-gun system.
Milicic could keep up, but his playstyle was geared toward creating mismatches and punishing opponents from the perimeter.
The answer for the Pioneer at the five-spot was a player who could run the fast break, had speed, was a great finisher at the rim, was tough enough, and could hold his own against opposing centers in crucial moments.
O’Ku wasn’t the right fit, and Salemport wasn’t capable.
And a player like that did exist in the league.
Stoudemire of the Nicks.
The fans in New York now call him the ’Little Overlord,’ which says everything about how aggressive his playstyle is.
And his face-up game and incredible speed were a perfect match for the Pioneer’s system.
By that standard, Oden was also a perfect fit.
He was often described as running like an eighteen-wheeler barreling down the court, and he truly did possess guard-like speed.
He also had a quick spin move, and if developed according to the team’s needs, he could be molded to fit the current Pioneer team.
A player’s talent is the foundation, but their ultimate performance and playstyle depend on how the team develops them.
With the Lakers, O’Neal was a dominant force in the low post, capable of dunking over multiple defenders.
But go back a few years to when he first entered the league, and he ran like a guard, taking the ball coast-to-coast and pulling off turnaround jumpers with ease.
It was only because the team needed him to punish opponents in the low post that he started bulking up.
So it was completely understandable why the Pioneer had their sights set on Oden.
Oden and Milicic in the frontcourt with Nash pulling the strings from the perimeter... that lineup was probably John Nash’s ultimate dream.
At that thought, Chen Yu stopped dwelling on it.
’It’s every team for themselves, then.’
’You have a pile of promising rookies and all sorts of draft picks, but we have Nowitzki.’
’If we really put Nowitzki on the trading block, who couldn’t we get in return?’
The game began.
Oden and Durant immediately took center stage.
Their skill level was a cut above everyone else’s.
Oden got the ball in the low post, backed down Lopez, bumped him out of the way, and rose up for a thunderous dunk.
Now that the issue with his leg-length discrepancy was resolved, his power generation was more balanced. This made him stronger and gave him a more stable base.
He was already showing some of O’Neal’s unstoppable, brute force under the basket.
It was no wonder every team in the league was eyeing him, genuinely hoping he would become the next O’Neal.
It was the same story with Durant.
In the time that had passed, he had grown even taller, looking like he was already around 6’10".
That was his height in shoes, of course.
But that was still the height of a standard power forward, or even an undersized center.
And yet, facing the 6’8" Thaddeus Young, he was somehow even more agile.
And with that ridiculous wingspan, a simple crossover into a pull-up jumper... his release point was high enough to make most defenders despair.
And what’s more, he was accurate.
During the show, he had practiced his shot relentlessly, and Chen Yu’s team had been helping him fine-tune his shooting form.
His incredible rise was fueled by his unguardable mid-range jumper.
Now, he was even more unguardable. He was even shooting threes with more confidence and consistency.
As soon as he got the ball, he went into a simple isolation play. The West team kept switching defenders on him, but no one could stop him.
Chen Yu couldn’t help but think of Curry.
’Recruiting Durant to the University of Arizona was partly an emotional play, a way to strengthen his connection to the Phoenix Suns.’
’But another part of it was for Curry’s sake.’
Chen Yu had a real soft spot for Curry; he’d practically watched the kid grow up.
’Being teammates with Durant would be good for Curry.’
’If the Suns really did get Durant in the future, it would be easier for Curry to find his place on the team, right?’

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