Chapter 32 - 32 023 Could he be the truth here

Words : 1888 Updated : Sep 16th, 2025

Chapter 32 of "Champion Creed" starts with thrilling twists: 32: 023: Could he be the truth here? 32: 023: Could he be the truth here? The... Continue the story!

32: 023: Could he be the truth here? 32: 023: Could he be the truth here? The Magic management was sure that Shaq must have lost his mind. Alright, Roger may indeed be talented, may indeed have potential. Based on current information, it’s highly unlikely he would drop out of the lottery. But to use a No. 1 pick on a high school guard? And an Asian one at that? Such a thing may be possible in 2003, but in 1993, no one would use a No. 1 pick on an Asian high school guard. Every era has its own set way of thinking. Just like in the future, three-point shooting big men would be highly sought after, but now if a center shoots three-pointers, everyone would think you’re not focusing on the right things. Just like in the future, the darker and uglier the female lead in Western movies, the more politically correct, but now the female leads in Western films not only have to be beautiful but also talented. And in the present time, the thought of using a No. 1 pick on a high school player is just way too radical. Not to mention a high school guard, the examples in NBA history where a guard was chosen with a No. 1 pick are extremely rare. The last time an NBA team chose a guard with a No. 1 pick was back in 1981 with the Mavericks, and the highest honor for the player they chose, Mark Aguirre, was only to be an All-Star substitute. Furthermore, Roger hadn’t been a hotly followed high school player throughout his high school career. It took just one year for him to go from utter obscurity to nationwide fame. Sёarᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This means there are just too many uncertainties surrounding Roger. The Magic’s No. 1 pick was obtained with just a 1.5% chance through a fair, just, and public drawing. This godsend must not be wasted on an unknown quantity; they must choose a player that is solid and dependable. In original history, the reason the Magic were receptive to O’Neal’s suggestion to trade down Webber for Penny Hardaway was because Hardaway had played two years in college and had good results, including making it to the final eight of March Madness in one of those years. Furthermore, Hardaway’s rise to fame was not as sudden as Roger’s—he had been well-known across the nation since his sophomore year in high school. Hardaway was one of the college players who helped defeat the Dream Team in that legendary 1992 game. So, without a doubt, choosing Hardaway was far safer than choosing Roger, and just because the original Magic were willing to accept a trade down for Hardaway, that doesn’t mean they would be willing to use the same method to trade for the more unstable element Roger. Moreover, Roger and Hardaway are two completely different types of players. Even if the Magic were to pick a guard, they would prefer one more in the style of a playmaker, like Hardaway. A scorer? Isn’t Shaq ferocious enough? Because, in this history, Shaq did not recommend Hardaway, so the Magic management’s first choice was still Chris Webber. In this era, no team would ever complain about having too many frontcourt players. In fact, the Magic management had even considered using the No. 1 pick on Shawn Bradley to pair with O’Neal as twin towers. Because Webber’s salary demands were simply too high, with Shaq’s average annual salary being around $3 million, while Webber’s camp sought a contract averaging about $5 million a year. If they couldn’t come to terms, they might actually consider the cheaper option, Bradley. Anyway, even with Shaq already on the team, for the Magic, picking a frontcourt player was the right path. For various reasons, the Magic didn’t make any promises to O’Neal; they didn’t say that they would choose him, nor that they definitely wouldn’t, but only that they would pay special attention to Roger. To get Shaq to accept this outcome, the next day, the Orlando Sentinel conducted a poll: “Should we give up on Webber and use the No. 1 pick on Roger?” Well, that’s a classic Magic tradition. When in doubt, hold a vote first. If we can’t decide, let others help us choose. Unsurprisingly, 97% of the fans chose “cannot give up on Webber”. They would rather see Webber pair up with O’Neal to form twin towers. Although previously they believed that replacing Nick Anderson with Roger would help the team reach the playoffs, when it came to choosing between Roger and Webber, they would not hesitate to pick the latter without any doubt. Shaq was very angry about this and ranted to Roger over the phone: “Brother, they simply don’t understand your talent! The two of us together, with these handsome faces, could fill the Orlando center to capacity every time!” Roger, however, was quite calm: “There are some things we can’t control, but I won’t forget everything you’ve done for me, Shaq.” Roger’s trial journey continued unabated. His tryout performances remained perfect, but his almost nonexistent passing game and immature defense worried some teams, so in the subsequent tryouts, Roger received no commitments from any team. The Washington Bullets, holding the sixth overall pick, told Roger: “You are undoubtedly one of the most talented young people we have ever seen, but we need a player of a different style.” The Timberwolves with the fifth overall pick were very fond of Roger, but the only college player from the Dream Team, Christian Laettner, told management: “I don’t want to play with Roger. I don’t like people who disrupt team chemistry!” Of course, disrupting team chemistry was merely an excuse; Laettner’s dislike of Roger was simple—Roger had once stated that Laettner, upon entering the bigger stage, wouldn’t be compared to Shaq anymore. Even though that was an absolute truth, it still bothered Laettner greatly. Of course, the Timberwolves could ignore Laettner’s feelings and bring Roger to Minneapolis, but if that created a chaotic locker room, it would not be worth it. So they were still indecisive about whether to take Roger with the fifth pick. The Golden State Warriors, holding the third overall draft position, concurrently convened Hardaway and Roger for tryouts. They were already regarded as the two best guards in the draft. This was the first time Roger had seen Hardaway, who at first glance, appeared to be the kind of player destined to be a superstar. Handsome among African Americans, sporting earrings, with a long and well-proportioned body, and speaking eloquently, he fulfilled all of people’s fantasies of a basketball star. In the end, both Roger and Hardaway put on impressive performances in the trials. Hardaway racked up 17 points and 5 assists in the scrimmages. Roger, on a scoring rampage, harvested 25 points but only managed 1 assist. Don Nelson, general manager of the Warriors, found it hard to say whether Roger or Hardaway was better—they both were excellent. Roger possessed unmatched scoring ability, while Hardaway had brilliant point guard skills, a dilemma between a rock and a hard place. Well, in Don Nelson’s opinion, the best pick of the year was Webber. But he didn’t think Webber would fall to the third spot. Although he had been actively trying to trade up in the draft, if he couldn’t make it work, he would have to choose between Roger and Hardaway. At present, it looked like Roger could be picked at a few spots. The highest was the Warriors at No. 3, followed by the Timberwolves at No. 5, then the Nuggets at No. 9, with the worst being the Pistons at No. 10. Although eager to know the outcome, after finishing the final trial, all Roger could do was maintain his training. Then, he waited for the start of the NBA Draft. In the meantime, as Roger had expected, the Chicago Bulls, trailing 0-2, won four consecutive games and overcame the New York Knicks, shattering the great ape’s dream of a championship once again. In the decisive battle, Jordan, shouldering the dual pressures of the Atlantic City gambling scandal and the quest for a third consecutive championship, dropped 54 points in a single game, obliterating the Knicks’ historically strong defense. It was one of the godliest performances ever. So the 1993 Finals was still the very familiar Bulls vs. Suns, Jordan against MVP Charles Barkley. The 1993 Phoenix Suns were undoubtedly a great team; no one in their main rotation was over 208 centimeters tall, and their star point guard, Kevin Johnson, missed 32 games due to injury. But with Barkley’s fierce determination, believing he was the best player on the planet, the Suns achieved their best record in history with 62 wins. Jordan admitted that the ’93 Suns were the strongest Finals opponent he had ever faced. The ’91 Lakers and Magic were already too old. The ’92 Drexler didn’t even qualify as a fighter. Only Barkley in ’93 put real pressure on Jordan. And how did Jordan overcome that pressure? The answer lay in him scoring 40+ points in four consecutive final games and averaging 41 points in the Finals. Since Flying Pig was such an exceptional player, of course, all the tough assignments were mercilessly handed to him. Michael Jordan succeeded, miraculously achieving a third consecutive championship, a feat previously accomplished only by the Lakers and the Celtics. He became the first player to win three consecutive Finals MVPs, cementing his status as the most successful basketball player in the world. He etched his name above an entire era. But after the championship, Michael Jordan was unusually calm, even less excited than after the previous two victories. All he did was take a bottle of wine and a cigar and seclude himself in a quiet room, a stark contrast to the crazy world outside. His reaction was less like that of someone who had completed a dynasty, and more like someone who had finally shrugged off a heavy burden and just wanted to rest. He was indeed exhausted. The tell-all book ‘Jordan Rules’, the Atlantic City gambling scandal, a disintegrating team, the pressure of three straight championships… He loved basketball passionately, but everything off the court had drained him completely. Jordan took a deep puff of his cigar in the room, thinking, “What else is there for me to pursue? Should this great journey come to an end?” He considered retirement as early as 1992, but he persevered. In 1993, Michael Jordan was on the verge of giving up. So, in the summer of June, while the whole world was lavishing praise on Jordan, Bulls’ general manager Jerry Krause received a message from Jordan’s agent, Falk: “Michael just told me that he might retire this summer.” Krause couldn’t believe it was true, but he also had to be prepared for all possibilities. If, if Michael Jordan really decided to retire… Krause reexamined the scouting report he had withdrawn from his desk drawer, a report he didn’t expect to revisit so soon. If Jordan retired, the team’s plan would be completely different. Roger, could he be Chicago’s next truth?

Chapter 32 - 32 023 Could he be the truth here

Comments (0)