My absurd experiences in North America over the years

The 2011 NBA Draft is destined to leave a significant mark on NBA history, with players like Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, and Isaiah Thomas all coming from this draft class.

For the Golden State Warriors, this is also the moment when the gears of their destiny begin to turn wildly.

Before the draft, when the Warriors, with Wright as the main player, proposed to the Chicago Bulls to trade for the 28th and 30th draft picks, the Bulls agreed without hesitation.

Before the draft, this trade seemed like a blatant "half-robbery".

It's important to know that Wright is no ordinary player. He not only possesses outstanding defensive abilities but also unleashes his full offensive firepower, leading the league in three-pointers made last season.

Such an outstanding player on both offense and defense, who could contribute immediately, was traded for only two draft picks that were almost equivalent to second-round picks. This outrageous move left many team executives baffled.

Some even suspect that the Warriors' owner has something on the Bulls that he's doing to help them win the championship.

Of course, the fans were also completely bewildered. When the news of the trade was released, there were scenes of fans protesting with banners in front of Oracle Arena in Oakland, and some even cursed Li Fu to get out of the Warriors.

Li Fu didn't care at all and took it in stride.

The dramatic twists and turns of the talent show night are far more interesting than what outsiders see.

The San Antonio Spurs have been trying to trade for George Hill, with Klay Thompson being their primary target.

Unfortunately, the teams that hold lottery picks are mostly rebuilding teams. They don't need players who can contribute immediately; what they need are young players with cornerstone talent or star players who can sell tickets.

George Hill is clearly not one of them.

The Pacers, who originally had Granger and George, needed a solid backcourt player and agreed to the trade.

After Klay Thompson was drafted by the Warriors, the Spurs eventually acquired Kawhi Leonard.

However, by this time, the Pacers' George had already been traded away the previous season, and with their core player Danny Granger injured, the team's record had plummeted.

They desperately need to add promising young players to their wing through high draft picks, rather than trading for an immediate impact guard.

The Pacers might even choose Leonard to fill the void left by George, which could be the most regrettable moment before the Spurs' GDP era comes to an end.

After the draft began, the Cleveland Cavaliers unsurprisingly used their first overall pick to select point guard Kyrie Irving from Duke University...

At this moment, Li Fu sat calmly at the talent show.

He wasn't worried about anything because he had a crystal-clear blueprint in his mind.

According to his plan, as long as he can get Klay Thompson with the 12th pick, there will be no surprises in today's draft.

Because he skipped draft picks for Butler, Parsons, and Thomas, no one was competing with him for those players.

If he can't get Klay, he has an alternative plan: he can directly draft Leonard, and perhaps the Warriors will become even stronger in the future.

However, no surprises occurred. The Utah Jazz drafted the 11th pick with almost no hesitation. Although they saw Thompson's shooting talent, they ultimately chose Alec Burks due to concerns about the young player's off-court factors.

The Golden State Warriors have officially acquired Klay Thompson with the 12th overall pick.

And this is just the beginning.

In the subsequent draft, Li Fu continued his "treasure hunt," selecting Jimmy Butler with the 28th pick in the first round and Chandler Parsons with the 30th pick...

Finally, they selected Isaiah Thomas in the second round with the 45th pick.

Looking at it from a future perspective, this draft was simply perfect. Every single person selected was more than just an excellent rotation player; they were all big names in the league.

However, in today's context, apart from Klay Thompson, the other three were almost not considered promising by mainstream scouting reports and industry evaluations at the time.

Isaiah Thomas, who is only 1.75 meters tall, was once thought to be destined to be left out of the draft.

Despite his impressive college stats, Parsons was considered to have mediocre athleticism and was at best a second-round pick.

Butler was overlooked by many teams because of his lack of independent scoring ability on offense, and was unanimously considered a late first-round or second-round pick.

When the draft ended, a tsunami of criticism swept in.

The Warriors traded Dorell Wright, a forward who averages nearly 16 points per game and leads the league in three-point shooting, for only Butler and Parsons. That's outrageous.

Columnists from major sports media outlets have written articles mocking the Warriors' management for "making a fool of themselves."

Some even predicted that Li Fu's actions would push the Warriors into the abyss within the next three years.

Fans gathered again near the home team's stadium to protest Li Fu's "crazy behavior," demanding that he delegate team management to the management team and stop meddling in areas he is not good at.

Faced with overwhelming criticism, Li Fu remained completely unconcerned; the fans' attitudes are the easiest to change.

Once the team wins the championship, some crazy fans might kneel down and call them "daddy," or even go so far as to "sacrifice" their wives...

There's absolutely no need to argue with them.

Li Fu quickly shifted his focus to the team's future development.

After the draft, he decisively instructed General Manager Riley and the coaching staff to begin preparing training camps for rookies and veterans, and to develop detailed training plans.

Because he knew better than anyone that the upcoming collective bargaining negotiations between the representatives of the major teams and the players' union were destined to break down.

A long and painful lockout is about to sweep across the entire league.

During this long offseason, the team that has the most reliable training, the best tactical cohesion, and the most players with the best mentality will gain an advantage when the new season starts.

Riley was puzzled, and Nelson simply handed the matter over to the assistant coach.

They all felt that the boss was acting strangely.

Who prepares for training camp after the draft?

However, shortly afterward, news broke that labor negotiations had completely broken down, and the NBA officially announced a temporary suspension, with the resumption of the season indefinitely postponed.

While players on other teams are complaining about not having a team to play for, or even going to overseas leagues or playing pickup games to kill time, Warriors players have complete training facilities and courts.

There are even corresponding training plans and tactical drills.

The team rented a top-notch training facility and hired professional trainers and strength and conditioning coaches to provide round-the-clock support for rookies such as Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler, Chandler Parsons, and Isaiah Thomas, as well as veterans like Stephen Curry.

However, to avoid any appearance of impropriety, the team's management and coaching staff cannot participate; the players must organize their own trip.

This was a project that the team had already allocated funds for before the labor negotiations, so other team owners couldn't find any grounds for protest and could only voice their objections verbally.

Of course, that's all Li Fu could offer.

His role is that of the boss, representing the investors, and he cannot possibly be on the same side as the players in this negotiation.

Besides, he has to manage more than just the team.

As time goes by, the pre-release publicity for 007: Skyfall is about to begin.

In addition to MGM's own channels, he also needs to coordinate with Tribune to conduct multi-channel promotion.

Meanwhile, Hacksaw Ridge will be released nationwide in China on August 15th. Although MGM has already sold the domestic distribution rights, related reports cannot be omitted.

In short, MGM is about to face a major test.

Whether Li Fu can truly establish himself in the entertainment industry may depend on the next few months.