Although Artest, Odom and Davis have not entered the NBA, they have been paying attention to the movements of Jiang Dongbing and the Grizzlies at the University of Pittsburgh.

When they learned that the Grizzlies had won the championship, the three of them were extremely excited and were happy for Jiang Dongbing and veteran captain Jackson.

The Grizzlies have previously announced a trade for David with the Clippers, which means that more than half of the former Pittsburgh Five have now entered the Grizzlies.

Jiang Dongbing used the Grizzlies' highest draft pick to select his former disciple Artest, and Stewart was not surprised at all.

Before the draft started, Stewart had the good sense not to ask Jiang Dongbing about his draft candidates. This would have been unimaginable if it had been left to other teams.

The general manager of the team did not ask about the draft candidates. I am afraid it has never happened in the entire history of the NBA.

Stewart also didn't want the Grizzlies' draft secrets to be known to more people because the news about Big Zhi was leaked before. The so-called secrets naturally mean that the fewer people know about it, the better.

Now only Jiang Dongbing knows the secret of the draft, which is undoubtedly the scene Stewart is most happy to see.

…

After Artest was selected by Jiang Dongbing, in fact, the players from the next pick up to the 24th pick were all marginal players with no sense of existence. The only one with a sense of presence was the one who was selected by the Nuggets with the 18th pick.

James Posey.

This player plays the swingman position and is generally a 3D style player. He has had one or two highlight seasons in his career, averaging 14 points per game with the Nuggets and Grizzlies respectively.

It's just that Posey is not a top 3D player like Christie. His three-pointers are not stable enough, and his defensive efficiency is only above the average level. He cannot be called a top player. Of course, such a 3D player has some value, but it is not considered a top player.

high.

After a long time, Jiang Dongbing and Stewart finally got their second first-round pick from the Grizzlies.

Everyone at the scene looked curiously at Jiang Dongbing's seat, wanting to see which player Jiang Dongbing would choose with the 24th pick.

To be valued and selected by Jiang Dongbing, this player must have two skills, and at the very least he must be of Mobley's level.

You must know that selecting an extremely talented substitute player with the 24th pick is actually very profitable. After all, at least half of the players in the first round are not even qualified substitutes.

"I announce that the Vancouver Grizzlies selected Andrei Kirilenko from Russia with the 24th pick of the first round!" Stern read out the Grizzlies' selection.

Everyone looked stunned. Jiang Dongbing chose an old player? And he was such a young old player.

You must know that foreign players generally enter the NBA at a young age. Foreign players like Kirilenko who have just emerged at the age of 18 are quite rare.

Everyone was talking a lot, is there really something extraordinary about Kirilenko? Can that thin body really withstand the intensity of NBA-level competition?

"Jiang, is Andrei Kirilenko playing the third position?" Stewart asked curiously.

Although he knew Kirilenko as a player, he didn't know much about his style, so he asked.

Jiang Dongbing shook his head, "The fourth position is serious. Of course, the third position is not unplayable."

"By the way, Stuart, if the Russian league doesn't let him go, is there any way we can get them to let him go?"

Kirilenko is currently playing for CSKA Moscow. Under normal circumstances, like Da Zhi, he would only enter the NBA two years later.

It's really interesting to think about these two people. They both played for teams with military backgrounds, both participated in the same draft, and they both delayed entering the NBA for two years.

"I don't know, it also depends on the attitude of the other team and players. We can offer some contract buyout fees, but they won't be very high, roughly around 300,000 US dollars," Stewart replied.

Jiang Dongbing nodded, Kirilenko is still very important to the Grizzlies next season.

The Grizzlies themselves are short of inside players. If Kirilenko is missing, the inside line will be too stretched. Even if Jiang Dongbing tries to find a way to bring in another inside line, it will still not be enough.

Many people say that Kirilenko is the most overrated player, and there is some truth to this. The main reason is that Kirilenko is the kind of player who can do everything, but is not very outstanding in many aspects.

For example, on the offensive end, Kirilenko's offense is definitely not top-notch. In addition, as a fourth-position player, his rebounding is not particularly good. Only on the defensive end, he is definitely top-notch in the league.

But when he plays against those ground-and-cannon-type No. 4 positions, he suffers a lot because of his thin body.

On the contrary, when it comes to defending those pure outside players, he relies on his height and wingspan to achieve extremely good results.

It is true to say that Kirilenko is the only player in NBA history who can defend from position one to position five. However, the situation must be broken down. This does not mean that Kirilenko can handle it easily for any player.

, at least Kirilenko can't defend a fifth-position player like O'Neal.

Of course, Jiang Dongbing definitely doesn't expect to use Kirilenko to defend O'Neal. He mainly expects Kirilenko to check for leaks and fill in the gaps. If there are any defensive holes on the field, he will fill them.

Now that Kirilenko has been selected, it is time for the team to negotiate with CSKA Moscow to see if Kirilenko can be included in the team immediately.

After selecting Artest and Kirilenko, the Grizzlies still have the last draft pick left in their hands. In fact, the executives present are more interested in the Grizzlies' last team with the 45th pick.

Draft picks.

They also don't know what kind of magical player Jiang Dongbing will use this pick to select, and whether he will win the FMVP in his magical rookie season like Brad Miller.

Jiang Dongbing and Stewart waited for a full two hours before it was finally their turn to be the Grizzlies' 45th pick.

When everyone heard that the Grizzlies selected Argentinian guard Manu Ginobili with the 45th pick, they were all speechless. Why do the Grizzlies favor foreign players so much this year?

First, Wang Zhizhi was leaked, and then the Grizzlies selected Russia's Kirilenko and Argentina's Manu Ginobili in the draft.

Even Stewart was shocked. He didn't expect Jiang Dongbing to choose this player because he didn't even know who this player was.

Although he knows something about this year's rookies, he only knows some well-known ones. People like Ginobili are basically unknowns. It's strange that Stewart can know them.

"Jiang, I have a feeling that the players you selected this time will definitely create miracles again." Stewart said in a low voice.

"Yes, this year's three players are really players who can create miracles, especially Manu. Look, he will definitely give you a big surprise." Jiang Dongbing said with a smile.
Chapter completed!