Chapter 5

On June 28, 2005, in New York, USA, at Madison Square Garden.

The 2005 NBA Draft was underway, with countless cameras focused on the shrewd Jewish man on stage.

"Chen, don't be nervous. I've already communicated with several teams, and they've also had you try out."

Bill DaFey, who was present, patted the shoulder of the slightly nervous Asian giant beside him and introduced, "There are quite a few offensive power forwards in the league now, and a rebounding specialist like you is what every team wants."

As he spoke, Bill DaFey pointed to a few middle-aged men in suits not far away and continued, "Your senior, Yao, has already spoken with the Rockets. He really hopes to have a power forward like you who can do the dirty work and play alongside him in the frontcourt. Yao is the cornerstone of the Rockets, and his words carry a lot of weight."

"They have the 24th pick in the first round, and the chances of you being selected there are quite high."

DaFey then pointed to the other side and continued, "Look over there, that's the Suns' team. They plan to transform the 2002 Rookie of the Year, Amar'e Stoudemire, into a center. Last year, they got my old client Nash, and they won 62 games, reaching their peak. However, their interior defense has always been a problem. Steven Hunter is too slow, and there's no reliable rebounder on the bench."

"I've also spoken with Nash. He watched your tryout and video footage and was very satisfied with your performance." DaFey smiled his trademark smile and said proudly, "He said that as long as the team selects you, with your speed and explosiveness, you can definitely play the run-and-gun style! Amar'e has a history of injuries, and it's said he has a cartilage contusion and might need to sit out for a while at the start of the season. They need you!"

"They have the 21st pick in the first round and the 27th pick in the second round. I've studied this year's draft list, and no one is more suitable for their style than you!"

Not far away, a man who looked extremely shrewd walked by, greeted DaFey, and went to the Nets' work area.

"That was the Nets' manager, Rod Thorn, an old acquaintance of mine. Last year, their interior pillar, Martin, left, and although they traded for Carter at the end of the season, which improved their performance, they were still eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Heat, who had acquired Shaquille O'Neal. Their perimeter play is excellent, but their interior defense is a big issue, and they desperately need a reliable finisher and defender."

"They have the 15th pick in the first round, and it would be challenging for you to be selected there at this stage. But they also have the 13th pick in the second round, and they are preparing to sign a big man. They were very satisfied with your tryout, and if you fall to the second round, they might... as the Chinese say, 'intercept you,' ha ha!"

After this introduction, Chen Mu couldn't help but admire DaFey's deep understanding of the NBA and his personal connections with various teams. His judgment of each team's needs was very accurate. No wonder he was a veteran agent; he truly had the skills.

In fact, before the draft, Chen Mu had already undergone tryouts for several teams under DaFey's arrangement. Before the tryouts, DaFey had detailed the current situation of each team and the type of player they needed, allowing Chen Mu to showcase his abilities more effectively.

After a period of special training, Chen Mu's offensive skills had improved slightly but were still quite poor. However, his terrifying rebounding ability and solid physical attributes still attracted the interest of many teams.

Among them, the Rockets and the Nets, who were particularly short of power forwards, were the most interested, followed by the Suns, who had an All-Star power forward in Shawn Marion.

Joining any of these three teams would be a good outcome for Chen Mu.

The Nets, without a doubt, had one of the top five point guards in history, Jason Kidd, who, despite his age, still had the ability to turn players into stars. With a weak interior, Chen Mu would likely get a good chance to shine.

The Suns, although he might end up at the end of the bench, would still benefit greatly from playing alongside MVP Steve Nash.

As for the Rockets, as the "home team" for many Chinese fans, even just playing in the preseason would attract a lot of attention and increase his exposure.

"Too bad, if this body could have started developing its offensive skills earlier..."

On stage, NBA Commissioner David Stern had already announced the start of the draft, and everyone's attention was focused on the center of the stage, waiting for the draft list to be announced.

This draft class was hailed by many as the best since 2003. Besides the famous "Four Sons of North Carolina" (McIntyre, Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, Sean May), there were also the Australian center Bogut, the point guard duo of Deron Williams and Chris Paul, David Lee, Ersan Ilyasova, and Marcin Gortat, among others, who were all focal points of attention.

Additionally, this was the last draft where high school players could participate, attracting the elite of American high school basketball, including Bynum, Webster, Gerald Green, Monta Ellis, and Louis Williams. If Chen Mu didn't already know the ultimate destinations of these players, he would have been just as excited about this draft.

And what happened later proved that although this draft didn't produce a flood of true stars, many players became pillars of their teams, contributing to the classic scenes that followed.

Nash's repeated playoff failures, the Spurs' dominance, LeBron's Cavaliers, Wade's Heat, Howard's Magic, the classic Lakers-Celtics rivalry, the Big Three, the Thunder's trio, the Mavericks' miraculous championship, and the rise of the Bulls, Clippers, Hawks, and Warriors...

Thinking about all this, Chen Mu felt an inexplicable excitement, his skin tingling and his heart racing.

But why did Chen Mu know what would happen later...?

"If it weren't for that 2K game, I would probably still be living my mundane life on the original timeline..."

Recalling that day, Chen Mu still found it hard to believe.

Chen Mu remembered that he was playing 2K, and to make his in-game avatar, "MaxChen," a dominant power forward, he downloaded a cheat.

But using the cheat reduced the game's fun, so after searching online, Chen Mu found a unique hack.

This hack, called "Rebound Freak," was uploaded by an unknown ID and claimed to add a feature that showed the landing points of rebounds, helping players in their rebounding.

In the original timeline, Chen Mu was a 1.75-meter-tall ordinary person living an ordinary life. Although he loved basketball, his limited height and physical attributes meant he could only be a decent player on the street, and becoming a professional player was a distant dream.

So, like many basketball fans with NBA dreams, Chen Mu enjoyed playing basketball games in his free time, creating an avatar in the career mode to fulfill his NBA aspirations.

Just as he was about to try the hack, his computer suddenly made a dull "bang" sound, and a beam of white light shot out of the screen, hitting Chen Mu on the head.

Then, Chen Mu fainted.

When he woke up, he found himself in the United States, somehow transported back to 2005, a time of great upheaval in the NBA, with a solid physical build and as a member of the national youth team.

After verifying his situation in this new timeline, Chen Mu found that his parents were still the same, his appearance hadn't changed, and he still had his original timeline's memories. The only difference was that a rebound landing point indicator appeared in his field of vision whenever he played basketball.

But this time, with his exceptional talent, Chen Mu could truly make it in the NBA and fulfill his basketball dream...!

"... With the 30th pick in the first round, the New York Knicks select... David Lee!"

"Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap"

In a daze, the first-round draft list had already been announced, and Chen Mu's name was not called by David Stern. Chen Mu slowly shook his head, knowing that becoming an NBA player wouldn't be that easy.

"Chen, don't lose heart!"

DaFey patted Chen Mu's shoulder and said, "The second round, that's what we need to focus on!"

"Um...!"

Chen Mu nodded slightly, waiting for the second-round results while feeling a bit uneasy.

In fact, besides the rebound landing point hack, Chen Mu, who had been transported to this timeline, had gained another ability, but it hadn't awakened yet. This ability would be the key to his future glorious basketball career.

In the first round, Chen Mu's target teams, the Rockets, Suns, and Nets, selected Luther Head, Nate Robinson, and Antoine Wright, respectively. All three were explosive perimeter players, a choice that left many people puzzled. Clearly, these three teams, which desperately needed interior players, chose perimeter players instead.

The second-round selections made it clear why.

"With the 13th pick in the second round, the New Jersey Nets select... Mirsad Tepsić from Serbia!"

"With the 27th pick in the second round, the Phoenix Suns select... Marcin Gortat from Poland!"

"Wow...!"

When these names were announced, the crowd was in an uproar.

The Rockets, although they didn't have a second-round pick, only needed minor adjustments to maintain their interior strength with Yao Ming, so their need for an interior player wasn't as great.

The Suns and Nets, however, both placed their bets on foreign centers in the second round.

These two centers were both over 2.10 meters tall, and although their footwork and strength were still questionable in the NBA, there was a saying in the NBA:

"Height can't be taught."

To strengthen their interior, both teams chose taller centers without truly addressing their power forward needs.

As a result, Chen Mu was not selected.

"..."

The draft was over, and everyone began to leave. The selected players and their families and teams were elated, looking forward to their future basketball careers.

But the undrafted players, like Chen Mu, were dejected, walking out of the venue with their heads hung low.

"Snap"

Outside Madison Square Garden, Chen Mu was about to return to the hotel to rest and book a flight back to China when he was stopped by his agent, DaFey.

"Chen, don't lose heart."

DaFey's eyes flashed with a passionate look, and he said firmly, "Go back and continue training. Give me five months. In these five months, continue to refine your offensive skills, eat more beef to gain weight, and practice your strength. And I..."

DaFey took a deep breath and continued, "Will definitely bring you to the NBA court...!"