Chapitre 168: In the Draft, Hummelsap and Big Ben Signed with the Cavaliers..
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Wang Chong has been in the league for three seasons and has had a considerable impact on the league, causing slight changes in the draft picks of each team.
However, the difference between the lottery teams isn't very significant. The worst teams with the lowest records remain quite stable in their performances.
The number one pick was taken by the New York Knicks, who had the second-worst record in the league. Originally, the Knicks should have had the number two pick in history and traded it to the Bulls.
But Wang Chong's appearance changed history. The Knicks still held this draft pick and were fortunate enough to get the first overall pick.
However, there's both good and bad luck for the Knicks.
They used the number one pick to select the popular choice for the top pick and one of the future parallel classic first overall picks, Italian player Andrea Bargnani.
In fact, looking at Bargnani's career, it's hard to justify calling him the number one pick. He averaged 14.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game throughout his career. Although these numbers don't entirely live up to the title of the first pick, compared to some NBA imports who couldn't even match these stats, Bargnani wasn't too bad.
However, comparisons are inevitable, especially with other rookies from 2006. Many players from that class achieved significant success, like LaMarcus Aldridge, selected second overall, who averaged near 20+8 per game over his career, was selected for the All-NBA Team multiple times, and became one of the top power forwards over the next ten years.
There were also players like Brandon Roy, known as the Yellow Mamba, Rudy Gay with explosive athleticism, and Rajon Rondo, a standout among point guards.
Compared to them, Bargnani, the number one pick, was somewhat lacking.
Of course, even if the original historical process had been followed, the Knicks, who have been a struggling franchise for years, had little chance for success because their draft picks in the next two years were sent to the Bulls as trade chips, and the players they got in return weren't very valuable.
Before acquiring Stoudemire and Anthony in the future, the Knicks wouldn't have the opportunity to turn things around.
The Knicks' acquisition of the first pick caused a butterfly effect. The second pick went to the Portland Trail Blazers, who had a dismal 20-60 record in the regular season, the worst in the league.
The Trail Blazers got lucky. In the original timeline, they had the best odds to get the first pick but only ended up with the fourth.
However, the management of the Blazers made some great moves. Through trades, they acquired second-overall pick Aldridge and sixth-overall pick Brandon Roy. These two could be considered the most outstanding players from the 2006 class, complementing each other as if fate had guided the decision.
If the Blazers hadn't picked Oden the following year and missed out on Durant, Wang Chong would have seriously wondered if the Blazers' management had traveled through time just like him.
Although the draft picks changed, the Trail Blazers' choice didn't. They decisively selected power forward Aldridge with the second pick and then used their own players and draft rights to trade with the Timberwolves for the seventh pick, Brandon Roy, securing the two future cornerstones of the team, just like in the original timeline.
The Raptors, who were supposed to be lucky enough to win the first pick with the league's fifth-worst record, ended up with just the third pick. Their choice was power forward Tyrus Thomas, originally selected with the fourth pick, who averaged 7.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in his career. This role player didn't fare much better than selecting Bargnani with the first pick.
The Bulls' first-round pick had already been given away as a trade chip to acquire Wang Chong, and even if it hadn't been traded, the Bulls' actual record was fourth in the league behind the Pistons, Spurs, and Mavericks, reaching the playoffs. Their result of making it to the Eastern Conference Finals meant their first-round pick was late and not worth mentioning.
However, even with that, Wang Chong was still able to make successful moves in the draft thanks to his foresight as a time traveler.
Last year, Wang Chong successfully selected Monta Ellis in the second round, and he has since become the team's starting point guard. This year's second-round pick also features a big name, the well-known second-round steal, Paul Millsap, who plays as a power forward.
Millsap was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 17th pick in the second round of 2006. This selection went unnoticed. The Jazz picked him merely to add depth to their bench behind Boozer.
No one expected Millsap to perform so well later on. At his peak, he averaged 18+8 per game and was selected for the All-Star team four times. While he wasn't named to the All-NBA Team due to the fierce competition at the forward position, he was selected to the All-Defensive Team, and his solid technical skills made him one of the best forwards in the league.
Of course, the most important factor was that Millsap was cheap. He was an unknown second-round pick, making it easier to acquire him.
In terms of personal skills and accomplishments, Millsap isn't as good as Aldridge, but one was the second overall pick in the first round, and the other was the 17th pick in the second round. The return on investment isn't comparable at all, making Millsap a high-value selection.
The Bulls only used a second-round pick and a small amount of cash to negotiate with a team that held a high second-round draft pick, allowing that team to select Millsap and trade him to the Bulls on the spot.
This trade drew no attention. Everyone thought the Bulls were simply making a small, insignificant trade, perhaps to strengthen their interior. After all, last season, Wang Chong had been playing power forward. Though he did well, his true position is small forward, where he'll be more comfortable playing.
However, a trade for an unknown second-round pick wasn't expected to change the team's status. Millsap, like Ellis, was a hidden gem in the second round and would make an impact within just one season.
No one believed the same thing could happen twice, and no one had Wang Chong's foresight to predict the future.
In fact, there was another second-round pick in 2006 who would play well in the future: P.J. Tucker, also a forward.
However, Tucker needed more time to develop. He averaged 7+5 in his rookie season but wasn't taken seriously. By his third season, he averaged over 30 minutes per game and contributed a consistent 13.5 points and 8.6 rebounds. Tucker is a player who requires a longer growth cycle and didn't fit the Bulls' immediate needs as much as Millsap did.
The same goes for Kyle Lowry, selected late in the first round.
As one of the premier point guards in the Eastern Conference after 2014, Lowry is undoubtedly one of the best from the 2006 class. Especially after the Raptors won the championship, Lowry's place in history and accomplishments put him among the top three players from that draft class.
But like Tucker, Lowry wasn't an immediate standout. He didn't truly break out in the league until after 2011, five years later.
That's too far off, and for now, Wang Chong couldn't afford to wait.
So, he decided to wait and consider them a few years down the road. After all, until they prove their worth, both Lowry and Tucker are insignificant players in the league, easily traded for other ordinary, low-cost assets.
As a result, the Bulls only acquired one player in the draft, Paul Millsap, who was picked mid-second round.
After the draft, free agency begins.
In fact, there weren't any big names in free agency in 2006. The only All-Star starter whose contract had expired was Pistons star Ben Wallace.
After the Pistons lost to the Bulls in an upset in the second round, Ben Wallace's relationship with head coach Flip Saunders deteriorated even further, reaching a critical point.
In an interview after the game, Ben Wallace publicly stated that the reason for the team's loss was the poor tactical decisions and leadership from the coach.
Flip Saunders fired back, saying, "Hey, are you trying to blame me?" He also complained to the media that Ben Wallace's poor free-throw shooting cost them a game they could have won.
Both had valid points, but the important part is that both had some truth to their arguments.
The Pistons' loss was partly due to Saunders' poor tactical decisions, but Ben Wallace, who was easily targeted with Hack-a-Ben tactics, also had his share of responsibility.
Their public bickering made it increasingly likely that Ben Wallace would leave the Pistons.
This wasn't surprising. Over the past three years, the Pistons had repeatedly fallen short in the playoffs. Although they had failed, finishing second overall was acceptable to the team's management.
But this season, losing in the second round to a young team like the Bulls was a wake-up call. It raised serious questions about whether the Pistons' lineup and tactics had fatal flaws.
In the NBA, when a team can't succeed, it's crucial to seize the opportunity to make changes and minimize losses.
So, when Ben gave the management an ultimatum, saying it was either him or the coach, the Pistons' management
didn't hesitate to offer him as a trade chip. This decision stunned everyone, especially since Ben was one of the main contributors to the team's championship in 2004.
End of this chapter
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