"With the fifth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select..."
Stern paused for a heartbeat before reading the name. "Stephen Curry!"
Inside Madison Square Garden, the fans erupted in thunderous boos. Some even began shouting insults. Sitting at his small round table, Steph was stunned. He had made it crystal clear that he had no intention of going to a place as desolate as Minneapolis!
Had the Timberwolves really just ignored his wishes?
At that moment, Donnie Walsh received a text. He glanced at his phone and leaned in to reassure Steph. "Relax, Stephen. The Knicks made a deal! Just go up there and take the photo. The league will announce the trade soon. Trust me, there's a massive surprise coming!"
Hearing this, Steph finally let his heart settle. A smile returned to his face as he kissed Ayesha, hugged his parents, and accepted the Timberwolves hat from a staffer. He walked onto the stage, shook hands with Stern, and listened to a few words of encouragement from the Commissioner.
Inside the Warriors' war room, Don Nelson slammed his fist on the table. "Fuck!"
Larry Riley, however, let out a sigh of relief. Finally, he wouldn't have to follow Nelson down another path of madness.
"Draft Luke Thorne!" Nelson barked.
Riley's heart jumped into his throat again. "A Chinese forward? A perimeter player?" he shouted back.
"Yes! Take him!"
But before Riley could react, Stern returned to the podium for the sixth pick. "With the sixth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select... Luke Thorne!"
Don Nelson went ballistic. How had the Timberwolves hijacked his plan twice in a row?
"FUCK!!!"
"So, Don... who do we take now?" Riley asked, his voice dropping several octaves to avoid the old man's wrath.
On the draft floor, Luke smiled as he accepted his Timberwolves hat and walked onto the stage. Stern looked at Luke with visible satisfaction. To him, Luke was another key to unlocking the massive Chinese market after Yao Ming. Yi Jianlian's performance had been a disappointment to the league; Stern hoped that Luke, with his year of grinding in the NCAA, would truly shine.
As Luke stepped off the stage, news of the blockbuster trade finally broke.
The Knicks received:
Stephen Curry (No. 5 Pick)Luke Thorne (No. 6 Pick)Rodel Carney (7.2 PPG last season)
The Timberwolves received:
Jordan Hill (No. 8 Pick)2010 Unprotected First-Round PickWilson Chandler (14.4 PPG last season)
Luke was ecstatic. He looked at the Timberwolves logo on his hat—the more he looked at it, the more it resembled a silly Husky. This was practically a gift! The Timberwolves' GM was truly... "enlightened."
But then again, this was classic Minnesota management. They held the 5th, 6th, and 18th picks this year. If those picks had been given to Gregg Popovich, he could have built another dynasty. Instead, in Luke's memory of the original timeline, Minnesota used three first-rounders on three point guards: Rubio, Jonny Flynn, and Ty Lawson. One couldn't shoot, and the other two ended up as legends in the Chinese league.
David Kahn was truly a "talent." If Luke remembered correctly, Kahn would go on to pick Wesley Johnson at No. 4 in 2010—passing on Cousins, Hayward, and Paul George. In 2011, he would take Derrick Williams at No. 2—passing on Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, and Jimmy Butler. He single-handedly sabotaged Minnesota's path to a rebuild for years.
The Knicks fans erupted in cheers again. While some questioned taking Luke as high as No. 6, the joy of securing Steph Curry overshadowed everything.
In the interview area, Luke and Steph high-fived repeatedly. Luke reached out and rubbed Steph's head. "Steph, let's go make history in the NBA!"
By now, they had already swapped their hats for Knicks blue and orange, having tossed the Timberwolves hats into some forgotten corner.
As the draft continued, the Warriors—having lost their primary targets—settled for the athletic DeMar DeRozan at No. 7. The Timberwolves used the 8th pick from New York to select the "Spanish Golden Boy," Ricky Rubio.
The rest of the draft followed the history Luke knew: the Bucks took Brandon "I am the master of my fate" Jennings at No. 10, and the 76ers grabbed Jrue Holiday at No. 17. To Luke's surprise, the Knicks also snagged Danny Green at No. 38. It made sense; Green was an NCAA champion and a veteran leader from North Carolina. With Wilson Chandler gone, the Knicks desperately needed an NBA-ready wing who could shoot and defend.
After the dust settled, Luke left Madison Square Garden in Steph's new car.
"Steph, you owe me big time. If I hadn't convinced Donnie Walsh, you'd be heading to Oakland right now!"
In his post-draft interview, Don Nelson had been visibly irritable, admitting that Curry was their real target and DeRozan was the backup. He hadn't given DeRozan any face at all, and Luke could only pray for the young man's career.
"OK, OK!" Steph laughed, knowing Luke's "tactical" contributions. "How do I pay you back? A steak dinner? A new gaming console?"
From the passenger seat, Ayesha turned around. "Luke, how about I introduce you to a girlfriend?"
Ayesha had two motives. One was gratitude. The other was a sense of crisis. The media had recently dug up the story of Luke and Steph's "nightclub scouting trip," portraying them as "kindred spirits." While Steph had already explained everything to her on bended knee, she was still worried. She was heading to L.A. to pursue her acting dreams, while Steph would be in New York. She couldn't watch him 24/7.
The best way to keep Steph in check was to make sure his best friend was tied down!
Luke laughed and declined. He felt a bit guilty; if Steph had gone to the Warriors, he would have been close to Ayesha in L.A. Now, the couple would be living on opposite coasts.
The "Nightclub Prince" and the "Baby-Faced Assassin" were officially New Yorkers.