"If we could tank, wouldn’t that be great?"
As the most legendary owner in NBA history, Jerry Buss conveyed countless messages to Kupchek with just a short sentence.
Hearing this, Kupchek smiled bitterly, "But Jerry, if we could get a higher draft pick..."
Seeing this, old Buss waved his hand to interrupt Kupchek, "Mickey, I know what you’re saying... but even I, an old man who spends all day frivolously, know Qin Qi is valuable.
So what kind of offer do we need to make to move potential trade partners?"
Old Buss, who has always had a tacit understanding with NBA Commissioner David Stern, knew very well that no matter how miserable the Lakers were this season, the league would never give the Lakers the top draft pick.
Because the current plight of the Lakers...
In the eyes of most people, it’s something they deserve.
Historically, Kobe, who always had a place in MVP competition, might not even receive a single vote next year.
Before Kobe, with his earth-shattering 81-point dragon slaying banquet, could come out of his darkest moment, David Stern would tell the Lakers with his clear stance:
— Since the adult made mistakes, he must bear the corresponding consequences.
However, perhaps seeing Kupchek’s unwillingness, or maybe because Qin Yue truly touched old Buss at a certain moment, after pondering for a while, old Buss said to Kupchek: "I will help you contact Kobe and persuade him to come and see for himself what kind of player Qin really is.
But all I can do... is just that much."
And on the court, after a timeout, Wake Forest and North Carolina fell into a new cycle of missed shots.
In this game, as the referees encouraged physical confrontation more than before, it made it difficult for both sides to maintain stable shooting touch.
But relying on the previously established lead, the Devil’s Deacon Team successfully took control of the game.
During this stalemate period, Qin Yue secured the victory for Wake Forest with rebounds.
During defense, Sean Mei, repeatedly out-rebounded by Qin Yue, said in frustration, "Can you predict the future? Damn ball always bounces to you!"
This night, Qin Yue, who loves to smile, was indeed constantly triggering the badge effect.
However, aside from the badge effect, it was Qin Yue’s jumping speed further developed over the summer that was the key to him consistently gaining the upper hand in rebounding.
With outstanding wingspan, Qin Yue has a standing reach of 9 feet 5 inches (about 2.88 meters).
This incredible static data determined that even if there was an error in anticipating the ball’s bounce path, as long as Sean Mei couldn’t immediately control the drop...
What awaited him was the sight of Qin Yue snatching the rebound from above his head.
After all, even Yao Ming, standing 7 feet 6 inches tall, has a standing reach of only 9 feet 7 inches (about 2.92 meters) due to arm length.
When Qin Yue’s jump speed paired with his standing reach...
In the game, to prevent Qin Yue from dominating offensive rebounds...
Coach Roy could only have two Williams retract on defense, forming a defensive line with Sean Mei to secure their team’s backcourt rebounds.
On the court, Gray seized the opportunity.
With Qin Yue’s assist and ball movement, this Wake Forest deputy commander frequently unleashed shots, scoring 12 out of his total 15 points in the last 10 minutes of the second half.
The Dean Smith Center was utterly in despair by this point.
On this night without Chris Paul, Qin Yue, with his omnipresent influence on both offense and defense, crushed the North Carolina Tar Heels!
The final score was 70 to 58.
Qin Yue scored a total of 28 points, 24 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 blocks, and 2 steals.
After the game, Coach Roy joked, "Tonight, Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman were both wearing Wake Forest’s No. 10 jersey on the court."
As the culprit behind Qin Yue missing a super triple-double this night, Evans, trying to redeem himself in the interview segment, said to local media: "I can’t find the words to express my admiration for Qin... in my heart, he’s the GOAT of college basketball!"
This season, LeBron James, aiming to lead the Cavaliers back to the playoffs, expressly supported Qin Yue in an interview the next day: "I have to tip my hat to my good brother.
You know, he is just that incredible... he’s the King of Winston-Salem, and last night he reigned over the Dean Smith Center."
Since the start of the new season, praise for Qin Yue has never ceased.
Regarding this, although Qin Yue has grown tired of it...
After each game, he would still involuntarily open his computer to search for news reports praising him.
And the next day, which was also when James personally delivered a crown to Qin Yue, the NCAA’s penalty for Paul was officially announced.
As in Qin Yue’s memory, due to the impulsive "Cannon Fist", Paul would be suspended for one game.
However, compared to the "Cannon Fist" in Qin Yue’s previous life that caused Paul to miss critical battles...
With Qin Yue present at Wake Forest in this life, Paul not only did not suffer media condemnation as in Qin Yue’s memory...
Moreover, after understanding the motive behind Paul’s punch, many media outlets even voiced support for Paul.