June 27, 2001, this year's draft, was held as scheduled at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Yao Ming, who was highly touted before the draft, was successfully selected by the Wizards as the first overall pick in the first round!
High school player Tyson Chandler was selected by the Clippers with the second pick in the first round!
Spanish player Pau Gasol was selected by the Hawks with the third pick in the first round!
This draft order did not cause much controversy, as the results basically met pre-draft predictions.
The Bulls chose Eddy Curry with the fourth pick in the first round.
The Warriors chose Jason Richardson with the fifth pick in the first round.
The Grizzlies chose Shane Battier with the sixth pick in the first round.
The Celtics chose Joe Johnson with the tenth pick in the first round.
The Warriors chose Murphy with the fourteenth pick in the first round.
The Trail Blazers chose Randolph with the nineteenth pick in the first round.
The Kings chose Gerald Wallace with the twenty-fifth pick in the first round.
The Spurs chose French player Tony Parker with the twenty-eighth pick in the first round!
...
In the second round, the Bulls chose Trenton Hassell with the first pick.
With the second pick in the second round, the Spurs used the Warriors' original pick to select Arenas!
With the ninth pick in the second round, the Pistons chose Turkish player Okur.
With the twenty-eighth pick in the second round, the Spurs, as requested by the Wizards, chose Chinese player Hu Weidong!
The Spurs signing another Chinese player while already having He Xi Meng sparked considerable controversy in the league. Was it possible that the Spurs, due to their small market status, were planning to aggressively expand into the Chinese market?
The Wizards, having selected Yao Ming as this year's top pick, also garnered significant media attention.
Michael Jordan, seizing the opportunity, announced a trade with the Spurs as soon as the trade window opened!
The Wizards would send this year's No. 1 pick, Yao Ming, to the Spurs in exchange for Brad Miller, Scottie Pippen, Tyronn Lue, and Hu Weidong!
Two Chinese players, in just a few days, underwent a dramatic team swap.
However, thanks to He Xi Meng, the "insider," the two had received advance notice and were mentally prepared. They would not face the awkward situation of publicly pledging loyalty to the team that drafted them on draft day, only to find themselves traded away three days later...
After completing the No. 1 pick, Michael Jordan was not done. He immediately initiated another trade, sending Pippen to the Bucks for Bobby Simmons, this year's second-round pick from the SuperSonics...
Good heavens, it was as if Pippen was practically given away by the Wizards, only netting a second-round pick.
The divine operation made He Xi Meng jump up and down!
"If you didn't want Pippen, you could have just said so! The Spurs have plenty of second-round picks; I could have swapped two with you..."
But now that the trade was done, reversing it was impossible. After circling around, Pippen returned to the Bucks. However, after his stint with the Spurs, Pippen should have gained something. Especially in injury management, having been exposed to Popovich and He Xi Meng, Pippen should no longer be as reckless as in the original timeline?
No matter how Michael Jordan tinkered, He Xi Meng could only sigh from afar.
On the Spurs' side, after He Xi Meng wrapped up the draft, acquiring rookies Yao Ming, Parker, and Arenas, he chose to retire from further involvement in the Spurs' subsequent minor trades. They had to give the Spurs' management some breathing room to assert their presence and value, right?
Brad Miller and Tyronn Lue were both signed-and-traded.
Brad Miller's contract was for six years and $42 million, a mid-level exception, neither too expensive nor too cheap, a win-win situation.
Tyronn Lue's contract was for two years and $5 million, slightly above a veteran minimum, more cost-effective than signing him directly.
Manu Ginobili re-signed for four years and $16 million, and Elliott ultimately chose to retire.
The confirmed roster for the Spurs next season included four starters: David Robinson, Tim Duncan, He Xi Meng, and Bruce Bowen.
With Elliott's retirement and Pippen's trade, the starting shooting guard position was open, with no clear replacement yet.
The confirmed bench players numbered seven: Manu Ginobili, Malik Rose, Yao Ming, Tony Parker, Arenas, and two veteran minimum players, Danny Ferry and Terry Porter.
One of Gregg Popovich's favorite things to do was to develop rookies, and the other was to take in veteran players.
Developing rookies for excess returns.
Taking in veterans to discover their remaining value.
With several core players stable, Popovich, through these two methods, continuously patched up the Spurs, keeping their payroll in check while maintaining their perennial status as a strong playoff team!
Now, with He Xi Meng's assistance, Popovich's skills in selecting and developing rookies were even more potent! As for taking in veterans, He Xi Meng temporarily decided not to get involved.
After leaving the Spurs' facility, He Xi Meng drove to St. Mary's Hospital, planning to visit Tim Duncan, who was recovering from surgery.
He Xi Meng planned to visit Duncan and then leave San Antonio to fly to Los Angeles to see Keira.
The premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean 1" was imminent, and Keira would be flying worldwide for promotions that summer. With He Xi Meng having free time, he planned to tag along with Keira for a paid vacation. After all, He Xi Meng was, in name at least, one of the screenwriters, and participating in the movie's promotion was not unreasonable, was it?
However, He Xi Meng's plan was immediately disrupted by Duncan!
"I'm going to marry Amy!"
On the hospital bed, Duncan calmly delivered the joyous news of his impending marriage to He Xi Meng.
He Xi Meng was taken aback by the news, as Duncan had never mentioned marriage before. He Xi Meng didn't object to Duncan dating Amy; dating was fine as long as they liked each other, and they could break up anytime they didn't.
But marriage was different. Even in a liberal country like America, marriage implied many responsibilities, including the shared ownership of assets.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course!"
"Why get married? You're still so young! As far as I know, many NBA players are bachelors, even having children but refusing to marry. Why don't you learn from them?"
"They are them, and I am me."
"To be honest, I don't think marriage is right for you and Amy."
"I have no other choice. Right now, I want to and only want to marry Amy!"
He Xi Meng took a deep breath. "So, there's no persuading you?"
Duncan remained silent, his expression stubborn.
If the sky wants to rain, and a mother wants to marry off her daughter, and Duncan wants to marry Amy... so be it. Since Duncan was determined to try wearing that cuckold's hat, He Xi Meng had nothing more to say. Anyway, Duncan's agent was John now, and most of his money was deposited into the Simon Brothers Fund, which He Xi Meng had recently established. With Mickey helping manage it, Duncan wouldn't lose face and money.
"When are you planning to hold the wedding?"
"As soon as possible!"
"As soon as possible? Are you in a rush to get married? You can't possibly have the wedding in a wheelchair, can you?" He Xi Meng was bewildered. "Getting married isn't a war; why are you in such a hurry?"