Jordan's retirement and a sharp increase in fat people have led to a decline in the league's average athletic ability. The game is not as good as before, and the ratings have dropped significantly. The suspension season is a season when the NBA fell to the bottom.

The Knicks were the biggest surprise of this season. They passed the hurdles and darkened the East, and finally arrived in the finals to face the Spurs with double towers.

The Spurs proved with a 4-1 result that the Knicks can play like this, with factors such as strength and the East lacks a final star.

When they came to the finals, they met Duncan who was in full swing and the Admiral who still had the power. Their passion, enthusiasm and fighting spirit turned into powder. They lost the finals and ended their second best season since the 1970s (second only to the 9495 season).

As soon as the season ended, the teams focused on the draft.

The lottery order has been released, and popular rookies have also participated in the trial training of each team.

In contrast, Indiana was a little calm. They did their homework and wanted to make a big splash in this draft, but the controversy within the team was still quite large.

What is placed before Larry Bird is a repeatedly revised scout report.

Scout Observation Report: "Arthur" Xie Hou, the biggest X factor in this draft, may be the No. 1 high school pick or the mysterious guest outside the lottery zone. As a rookie in the European League, Arthur broke many records in the Russian Premier League and even the Champions League in his first season. During the playoffs, Arthur played an indispensable role in the CSKA. No matter what choice the team made in the end, he would not disappoint the team.

Arthur is a talented player with a prospect of having a high upper limit and a high upper limit. He has a keen sense of offense and will appear in the appropriate position when fighting against defense. He has excellent passing and defense prediction. In counterattacks with more and less, he can lead the team like a magician. He can play the role of a position sweeper on the defensive end and has the potential to be the core of defense.

The weakness is that it is not strong enough, lacks concentration in single defense, passes with creativity but too casual, and shooting ability outside the free throw line.

This is about Xie Hou’s 1999 draft report.

As he came to various teams in the United States to try out, his draft market rose sharply and is now firmly ranked in the lottery zone. If it weren't for the Americans' bias against non-local players, he would have at least the top five picks.

However, there are still teams who gave him a draft promise.

Moreover, after Xie Hou arrived in the United States, he also said something uneasy to the walkers.

Those words made the Pacers no longer determined to choose him.

The Pacers are also quarrel about this. Bird is now about to organize the information and attend a roundtable meeting that will determine which picks who they choose in the draft three days later.

He vaguely felt that this draft will completely rewrite the Pacers' history.

The internal roundtable meeting of the Pacers gathered President and General Manager Donnie Walsh, head coach Bird, chief assistant coach, executive officer, scout team leader and.

These guys will decide who they will bring back to Indiana in the draft in a few days.

Walsh spoke first, beginning the high-level meeting that was destined to be debated: "Tell me about my progress here first."

When he spoke, Walsh's eyes swept across everyone's face. This old man, who was nearly 60 years old, surpassed the crowd and dominated the Pacers' most important draft after entering the NBA more than a decade ago - he chose Reggie Miller, who was stared by scouts, at that draft.

He has extensive management experience and outstanding vision, but he also hopes to learn from the public.

"We have negotiated with Toronto, with Antonio Davis as the main body, to exchange for the No. 5 sign in their hands," Walsh said. "The oral agreement has been reached. So, from now on, we can see this - we have a precious No. 5 sign in hand, so which talented young man should we bring home?"

Scouting team leader Tokumbus smiled and said, "There are many rookies with bright prospects this year. As long as we don't blindly look at overseas players, there will definitely be good results."

Bird's eyes were sharply locked in Tokumbus.

Who is targeting this sentence at a glance? There are always differences between the scouting team and the head coach.

But the Pacers' scout team has always had a high reputation, and their suggestions play a key role in this meeting.

Walsh nodded softly and asked, "**, tell me who you like."

"After Antonio leaves, the team's inside line will be very empty. We must add a talented young inside line - Jonathan Bend, which is very suitable." Tokumbus said lightly, "I think he is one of the players to not miss. Although he is just a high school student, he is mature in mind, comprehensive in technology, and has a strong physical fitness. As long as he stays healthy, he will be the second Kevin Garnett!"

"Just stay healthy?" Bird picked up the sentence sarcastically and asked.

When we draw unrealistic and wonderful blueprints, we always use if, but, as long as these words are easily misleading.

To complete these "if", "but" and "as long as" one by one, we will never be able to do it with just effort.

"Larry, I know you like Arthur, but I must say that he is not a magician. He is not even a major ball holder in the CSKA. I don't deny that he has the potential to be a ball holder, but there is only one magician. After so many years, there is only one magician." Tokumbus moved him to his senses. "There will never be the next Larry Bird." When Bird retired, the magician said this on the scene.

Tokumbus smiled and said, "There will never be another magician, forever, never again."

"And, unlike Reggie, he has risks in choosing him," said Chief Assistant Bain Ruth. "He directly rejected our invitation to tryout, and he clearly told the media that he didn't like small cities."

"He likes Charlotte, Chicago, Los Angeles, and he longs to go to big cities."

"He doesn't have the tenacious personality of Reggie. Even if he can become a talent in the future, can we keep him?" Ruth's words hit everyone's weakness. "In contrast, Jonathan's neither humble nor arrogant personality is more in line with the culture of our team."

Apart from the executive who did not speak silently, the roundtable almost fell to support Tokumbus.

Just set the tone? Walsh didn't believe Bird would surrender.

"In the next few years, we will be teams that are determined to win the championship." Bird said slowly, "I don't think we have enough soil for Jonathan to grow."

Similarly, there is no soil for Arthur to grow.

"Jonathan may have many good things, but his injury risks are also clear. He was seriously injured without even experiencing the training of the NCAA. Who can guarantee that his body can withstand NBA-level collisions?" Bird's eyes glanced at everyone.

His words are not so convincing, but the aura he cultivates as a winner forces people to not respond.

"To be honest, these are not the reasons why I chose Arthur and gave up Jonathan. If it weren't for Arthur, I would agree with you, and I also support choosing Jonathan." Bird relaxed his tone and retreated. "I have watched Jonathan's game on site. He is very talented and a player with unlimited potential, but I can't see his future. His future is as unpredictable as his injury risks."

"You like Jonathan because he is an American and grew up in your sight, so you think he is more reliable." Bird paused, "However, I only watched Arthur's game in Moscow, and I decided that he was the player we need. His leadership temperament, his comprehensive skills, his talent, and his leadership skills. You don't feel like a magician, but in my opinion, that's what the magician looked like. I think I, who have been fighting with the magician for half a lifetime, should be more qualified to say this than you guys."

The conference room was silent.

"A true genius can tell the clues in just one game." Bird didn't know why Xie Hou was so different from what he saw in these people.

"We don't need a second Bill Walton." Although Bird and Walton are good friends, now he has taken the initiative to set up a trap in the name of his friends.

Sure enough, Tokumbus, unwilling to give in, struggled and said: "No matter how much Bill was injured, he was also an MVP player. He also brought a championship to Portland."

"Oh?" Big Bird's nature was revealed, and her face was as sour and sour as she squirted about trash on the court back then. "The Magician brought five championships to the Lakers."

As for things like MVP, well, three or four?

He concluded by saying, “I hope we don’t make the second-wrong draft decision in Pacers’ history.”

Walsh asked with a smile: "Larry, I want to know what the first wrong draft decision is?"

"When I participated in the draft in 1978, which team got the first pick?" Bird asked about a past that had been a while.

Although fans could only find out that the team that held the first pick that year was the Trail Blazers, the draft pick was originally in the hands of the Pacers. When Bird saw that it was all bad and frustrated, and he had not graduated from college, he simply said, "I may not play in the future." So the Pacers traded the draft picks, and the teams in the top five were all confused, and eventually made the Celtics get a bargain.

Even people like Bird would be frivolous before the draft, looking down on small cities and yearning for big cities, let alone the young Arthur?

Everyone here knows this past event. Bird chose to look back at this time to make this debate unsurprising.
Chapter completed!