score maniac

Chapter 9: The Lowest-Drafted Bust

“Wh-what……?!!” As David Stern announced Gu Yu’s name, the close-up revealed a look of sheer disbelief on the face of the man who had led the NBA toward its new-century glory. Gu Yu… was drafted?! You’ve got to be kidding me! No, the question is… Who is Gu Yu??? “That can’t be right…!” The first to start making a fuss were the people at the draft venue—the audience was made up entirely of industry insiders, not a single layman among them. They knew the ins and outs of the draft all too well. Although every year, there are always teams that go and do something reckless—making unexpected picks and forcing young players who clearly lack the talent to be selected at a certain draft position onto the board at that exact spot, leaving everyone speechless. But these so-called “missteps”—the draft blunders—usually occur in the top half of the first round. The reason is simple: players in the lower half of the first round—and even second-round picks—are generally of mediocre ability to begin with. Whether they’re selected 40th or 50th makes little difference. After all, they’re all rookies with low expectations—the players are praying, while the teams are just browsing the bargain bin. With low prices and low draft positions, they can just pick whoever catches their eye; if the player pan out, it’s a win; if not, they don’t lose much. But this time, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ choice was truly baffling. “Gu? Which Gu? How many Chinese players are even on the rookie list??” A professional agent in the audience immediately lost his composure, asking left and right to confirm, afraid he’d misheard and made a fool of himself. “Who knows! There’s no ‘Gu from China’ in the top 100 prospects—no… wait, aren’t there even any Chinese players in this draft at all?!” Another agent lowered his head and began frantically flipping through the thick stack of prospect files in his hands, but even after his eyes grew blurry, he couldn’t spot a single Chinese player. “That’s strange. What’s the Timberwolves up to? Can you even draft a player who doesn’t exist??” A flurry of murmurs immediately filled the room, and no one paid any attention to the names David Stern announced afterward. The media center was even more chaotic than the arena itself. “Gu? Gu from China? Is there even such a person?? Does anyone have the full list of draft-eligible players? Quick, pull it out and take a look!” Just seconds earlier, the reporters—who had been dozing off during this otherwise uneventful draft—suddenly perked up. One by one, they began rummaging through their bags and laptops, hoping to find a complete list of all the draft-eligible players. “Who would keep that kind of information?” One reporter frowned and complained, “Usually, having a list of the top 100 prospects is considered pretty thorough, okay? Anyone outside the top 100 is just there to pad the numbers—who cares about them?” The reporter was right. An NBA draft typically features over a hundred prospects, but only sixty players are ultimately selected across two rounds. Fans who can name the top ten picks are considered die-hard fans. Reporters who can give the top 100 list a quick scan are already considered pros in the industry. Even team scouts generally focus on a very small portion of players—selecting, evaluating, and holding tryouts for those based on their team’s draft picks—and it’s impossible for them to thoroughly analyze the entire draft list. Therefore, the only people who truly know the specific details of all the eligible players before the draft are the relevant NBA officials. So when David Stern suddenly announced a name that no one was familiar with, it’s no wonder everyone was taken aback and confused. “Wait a minute…!” The commotion in the media center lasted for about a minute, until finally a reporter slammed his fist on the table, pointed at his laptop screen, and shouted, “I found him! I found this player!” “Oh, really? Who is it? The other reporters swarmed over, crowding around that reporter’s laptop screen and squinting intently. Sure enough, they found Gu Yu’s name and basic profile. But as they read through this information, the reporters grew increasingly frustrated. How could such an unremarkable Asian shooter possibly make it into the NBA?? His ball-handling was poor, he couldn’t hold his own in physical play, his explosiveness was terrible, and he had no professional league experience. Even if drafted this low in the draft, he was still as much of a bust as they come. Generally speaking, with such a low draft pick, expectations are already minimal. Even if the selected player never plays a single game and spends half a year just waving a towel before getting the boot, no one would really hold it against the team. But this Gu Yu—no matter how you look at it—simply doesn’t have the skills for the professional league. The Timberwolves would have been better off giving up that draft pick, trading it away, or just stomping it into the ground than selecting him! What on earth did this guy do to catch the Timberwolves’ eye? He’s got to be the biggest bust ever picked at such a low draft position! And… “Holy crap, this guy actually signed up for the draft himself!” A reporter pointed to an entry in the records, saying with a mix of laughter and exasperation, “This… this… this has to be the weirdest thing ever, right? How brazen! If someone like this can enter the draft, then I could get drafted too, for crying out loud!” No agent, no current team—he didn’t even register as a professional player with the Chinese Basketball Association until right before the draft registration deadline. A total trash player like this actually has the nerve to sign up for the draft on his own? This has to be a joke! It wasn’t until reporters saw Gu Yu’s registration photo that many of them immediately caught on. In the photo, a guy with slicked-back hair and a menacing expression looked as if the whole world owed him a bag of rice. His eyes were fixed intently on the camera—the kind of troublemaker whose very appearance screams “a threat to social harmony.” Greasy hair, menacing look, perimeter shooter… “This guy is… the slick-haired guy who hit the game-winner at the Basketball Summit!” “Who are you calling ‘greasy-haired’?!!” A reporter shouted out, and before the crowd had a chance to start making fun of him, a voice rang out from the corner of the floor-to-ceiling window. The tone was that of a thug, and even from a distance, you could hear the thick-skinned arrogance: “Who are you calling ‘slick-haired’?! This is a slicked-back hairstyle!!!” “You’re… Gu Yu!” Well, well—the entire room only just realized the man himself was right there among them. So… The reporters exchanged glances, then simultaneously reached for the recording equipment at their sides. Let’s go! Let’s interview him first! “How does it feel to be drafted?? Do you really think you have what it takes to play in the NBA??” “When did you sign up? How long do you think you’ll last in the league??” “Will you play in the Summer League? What are you going to do if you get dominated by other players? Go back to China??” The reporters looked down on Gu Yu so much—their questions got sharper and sharper, stopping just short of asking, “Do you have some shady deal with the Timberwolves?” “Damn it…” “Um, sorry about that, seniors~” Just as Gu Yu’s short temper was about to boil over, Yu Chenyi’s sweet voice rang out. She took a step toward him with her long legs, slung her arm around his shoulder, batted her eyelashes, and smiled, “Gu and I have already signed an exclusive agreement—his ‘first time’ has to be saved for me~!” A new week has begun—voting and clicking make for a healthier experience! Feel free to drop by the group chat whenever you have a moment!