Chapter 597: 431 Chapter 597: 431 (PS: The Supersonics’ first-round pick should have been the 28th, I wrote it wrong yesterday.)
The 2008 first-round pick was the only chance the Supersonics had to add depth to their frontcourt through the draft before 2010.

That’s because when Yu Fei transferred from the Bucks to the Supersonics, it was through a sign-and-trade deal.

To give some compensation to the Bucks, as part of the trade the Supersonics gave up their first-round picks in 2009 and the right to swap first-round picks in 2010 and 2012.

DeAndre Jordan might have been the best choice for that position.

Although Presti, like everyone else, had his doubts, now that the choice had been made, there was no use thinking about what-ifs.

Later, at the 58th pick in the second round, Presti used it to select Anthony Morrow, a senior guard from Georgia Institute of Technology.

This guy was a full-sized shooting guard with an exceptional shooting touch.

With that, the draft was over, and the Supersonics had selected the players they wanted.

DeAndre Jordan and Morrow were both satisfied with their new team and expressed their eagerness to be part of the defending champions.

However, the defending champions did not expect the rookies to immediately contribute.

Presti’s expectation for them was that DeAndre Jordan could play 5-10 minutes per game to give Kwame Brown a breather. As for Morrow, his playing time in the new season would depend on whether Childress would stay.

Then came Seattle’s time to celebrate.

The championship celebration took place at noon, two days after the draft had ended.

Over 250,000 people crammed every corner of downtown Seattle, eager to see their newly crowned champions. Under the overcast sky, the players, coaching staff, and owner Clay Bennett, even including the mayor of Seattle, were on their way to the university square.

There, Yu Fei accepted the keys to the city from Mayor Greg Nickels on behalf of the team and raised the trophy.

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In front of hundreds of thousands of spectators, Yu Fei said into the microphone, “This is for you, Seattle. We’re going to win another one next year!”

Finally, as the team owner, Clay Bennett boldly declared, “I believe this is the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen, and this is the largest celebration in Seattle since the end of World War II. I’ve said it many times these days, and I’ll say it again today– I will always be grateful to you all. You are undoubtedly the greatest sports fans in America. God bless you all!”

If Yu Fei’s return was the opening move of the Supersonics’ 2007-08 season, today’s championship celebration was the closing chapter.

After today, everything about last season will become history.

Sam Presti knows better than anyone that to keep this fairy tale going, the Supersonics need to continue winning.

And that was his job.

After the celebration, Yu Fei and Kwame Brown were ready to head to Las Vegas to join Team USA’s training camp.

This summer, the Dream Team had only one mission: to restore the glory of American basketball at the Olympic Games.

They were dubbed the “Redeem Team,” and the core of the team had already been built last year.

However, after the NBA season ended, Michael Redd announced his withdrawal from the Dream Team.

The reason was that he wanted to focus on preparing for the new season.

But it was clear to anyone with eyes that there were issues between him and Yu Fei.

During the finals, the conflicts between Yu Fei and Redd were captured by the television networks more than once.

When competition turned into personal vendettas, it became difficult to move forward together.

Redd’s departure brought a bit of trouble to the Dream Team.

One of the main reasons Team USA had failed in past FIBA competitions was their inability to make three-pointers. Thus, even though Redd was not the core of the team, his role as a three-point specialist was irreplaceable.

If Redd was out, who would replace him?

The first person Coach K thought of was Richard Hamilton.

Unfortunately, this was another person who had a grudge with Yu Fei.

When Coach K shared his thoughts with Jerry Colangelo, the team director of USA Basketball, Colangelo said, “Everything else is negotiable, but I think RIP might die in China.”

Coach K was puzzled, “Does he have any enemies in China?”

Colangelo replied, “Big Fei would butcher him.”

So they turned to another of Yu Fei’s ex-teammates–Ray Allen.

After being traded by the Bucks, Ray Allen, one of history’s greatest shooters, had gone quiet.

The King team wanted to rebuild, but Ray Allen did not want to rebuild. So when they tried to trade him, there were no suitable offers.

Now, as Ray Allen was about to enter the year of his contract, he was more concerned about his future than playing for his country.

So he refused.

Then, Coach K thought of Yu Fei’s current teammate, Brandon Roy, but he was not a shooter.

Besides, with Yu Fei and Brown already on the Dream Team, adding Roy would surely form a Seattle-centric clique, which wasn’t good for team dynamics.

Coach K started to get a headache. He looked at the list of eligible players and asked the coaching staff, “What about Tayshaun Prince?”

As a consultant to the Dream Team, George Karl asked with a smile, “Mike, do you know about ‘The Palace of Auburn Hills brawl’?”

Coach K answered, “This is common knowledge.”

“It was Tayshaun who got into it with Big Fei at The Palace of Auburn Hills,” Karl interrupted Coach K’s thoughts with a single sentence.

Following that, the Bucks’ dynamic duo became potential selections.

Kevin Martin and Danny Granger were both sharpshooters and had played with Yu Fei before, forming a good understanding.

Unfortunately, neither of them could join Team USA.

Martin was scheduled for surgery on his right foot during the summer, and Granger, about to enter the last year of his rookie contract, wanted to use this summer to train fiercely.

For a while, finding Redd’s successor actually became the biggest conundrum.

Hearing that Coach K was troubled by this, Yu Fei, who was training in Las Vegas by day and mingling with the likes of Anthony and Chris Bosh at nightclubs after dark, made an immature suggestion: “The world’s best shooter isn’t in the NBA.”

“Where then?”

“At Davidson College,” said Yu Fei. “His name is Stephen Curry, and he has the best shooting I’ve ever seen.”

Since the formation of Dream Team I, each Olympic year, the Dream Team would take a young prospect to compete.

But the 2008 Olympics were too significant, too critical for errors, thus there were no plans to recruit a rookie.

If Yu Fei had mentioned Curry from the start, no one would have cared.

Despite Curry being a celebrity in the basketball world, there were plenty of celebrities in the sport, and Team USA wasn’t yet desperate enough to need a semi-professional college player to solve its problems.

But now, finding Redd’s replacement had become a vexing issue – if one didn’t have matters to attend to, they were at odds with Yu Fei.

Coach K was also aware of Curry, the young man who had made a deep impression on everyone during this year’s March Madness. Yet, he seemed too frail, and whether he could perform consistently at the professional level was in question.

But now they had to resort to desperate measures.

Coach K had decided that if Curry wasn’t suitable, he would just randomly pick a shooter from the NBA with a three-point percentage over 40% who also had no grudges with Yu Fei or others.

Team USA operated on an invitation system.

While you invite me, whether I come is my business.

However, for those looking to play in the NBA, being invited by the national team was not only an honor but also an opportunity for publicity and hype.

Curry arrived in Las Vegas for the training camp without delay.

Even in the star-studded Dream Team camp, Curry was a celebrity, as he had recently led the underdog Davidson College in a heartbreaking, down-to-the-last-second battle against the eventual champions, the University of Kansas, in the NCAA championship.

In recent years, the carnival basketball of the Bucks had changed the league’s perception of outside shooting, making guards and wings capable of on-the-dribble three-point shooting from the perimeter the answer to the meta.

As a result, Curry became a potential lottery pick for the 2009 draft.

The main concern scouts had about him was his lack of height for the NBA, where he would have to play point guard, even though he primarily played shooting guard at Davidson College.

However, this issue wasn’t really an issue for Team USA.

The team needed a shooting guard who could shoot and score – size didn’t matter.

During the first week at the training camp, Curry won over the coaching staff with his performance.

Just as Yu Fei had said, his shooting – its form, release speed, and accuracy – were top-notch, even by NBA standards.

Surprisingly, Curry’s off-ball movement was outstanding, and his pick-and-roll cooperation with players like Yu Fei, Kobe, and Wade was incredibly smooth.

Especially when Yu Fei and Curry ran the pick-and-roll, no matter who had the ball, it was devastating for the defense.

Curry scored 21 points in the last scrimmage, helping Yu Fei’s team defeat Kobe’s team by a large margin.

Yu Fei tossed the ball high into the air, as proud as if his own child had achieved top marks nationwide, “I told you guys, this kid was going to be special!”

“You’re only six years older than him, are you sure you want to call him a kid?” Kidd asked, not amused.

Yu Fei looked at Curry, “Stephen, do you mind?”

Curry beamed a smile, his charmingly gapped teeth nearly infectious, “It’s my honor.”

“See, he agrees!” Yu Fei laughed, “Kid, you’re definitely going to make the Dream Team!”

Yu Fei exuded an unexpectedly kind and elder-like aura.

If it weren’t for the recently ended NBA season, if it weren’t for the image of Pierce wetting himself still lingering in people’s minds, perhaps someone would truly believe Yu Fei was a kind and gentle veteran.

“It’s my honor!” Curry repeated.

“Don’t be too honored, do you even know what honor is?” Anthony joined Yu Fei, Bosh, and Brown, “You should join our Night High Alliance! We aim to conquer not just basketball around the world but also all the nightclubs!”

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Although 20 years old but looking underage, Curry asked, “Is this alliance for real?”

“Kid, are you kidding me?” Yu Fei asked. “Do we look unserious to you?”

Even though Curry always felt there was something off about the alliance, the terrifying combined forces of Yu Fei and Anthony were too much for him. Considering carefully with the argument that “joining them might give me a better chance to stay on Team USA,” he convinced himself.

“I’m in.”

“Beautiful!” Anthony exclaimed. “Big Fei is hosting tonight. We’re going to conquer paradise!”