The meetings with the Lakers, Spurs, and Celtics ended quickly. None of the three teams made a clear draft commitment; they only expressed willingness to cover Snoopy's airfare and accommodation if he visited their cities for workouts.
Right after, Mike Dunleavy of the L.A. Clippers walked over with a smile.
"If you're heading back to Los Angeles, you're welcome to come to the Clippers' facility for a workout."
Snoopy kept a polite smile.
Recently, he'd seen multiple media reports about the Clipper's owner, many describing his miserly habits. Now, hearing Dunleavy's wording, that frugality was obvious.
That stinginess made Snoopy feel undervalued. So he was almost certain he wouldn't go to the Clipper's training facility.
After finishing conversations with the four teams, Snoopy walked back onto the court to practice free throws on his own.
At this moment, most of the other players were surrounded by general managers or senior scouts , even Serge Ibaka had a crowd constantly around him.
In contrast, the MVP of the past two scrimmages, Snoopy, looked strangely solitary and overlooked.
But Snoopy wasn't anxious at all. He calmly continued practicing his free throws, steady and focused. His shooting percentage hovered around 80%.
His poise did not go unnoticed, and drew even more appreciation from the observant ones.
What Snoopy showed tonight was already enough for people to dream. Yes, his weaknesses were still obvious, Pat Riley and Donnie Nelson weren't wrong when they told Kiki Vandeweghe that at the moment Snoopy could neither dominate inside nor outside.
But his potential was plainly visible. He had the makings of a player who could eventually excel both inside and outside. And as the league's pace kept increasing, the height barrier would gradually shrink. By then… if Snoopy truly became a point guard, any team that drafted him would strike gold.
Most importantly, he had the mindset of a successful player. Unlike other rookies who wore their emotions on their sleeves, he rarely showed exaggerated expressions. But when it mattered, he always stabilized the situation. When the Red Team was in trouble earlier, he was the one who stood up to lead, even the two best point guards in the NCAA became sharp weapons in his hands.
It was a difficult-to-describe leadership quality.
Every team needed someone like that in the locker room. Even if he wasn't the tactical core, or even a starter.
Compared to these seasoned NBA veterans, the young players in the combine were far more naïve. They didn't understand the principle of "unusual situations always have hidden reasons." They only saw that after Snoopy performed brilliantly in two games, the NBA still seemed to ignore him.
So when the GMs left one after another, some players couldn't resist showing off, loudly throwing out snide remarks.
"The NBA isn't the NCAA. They want potential, height, and skill. How could a guy under 6'3" playing center win their favor?"
"What's strength good for?"
"Blocks don't prove anything."
"A guy who can't even shoot jumpers wants to make the NBA?"
…
Snoopy never expected meaningful comments from a bunch of guys who struggled even to get into college without tricks.
So he didn't care at all. He didn't stoop to argue with them.
He simply glanced over calmly at Anthony Randolph, JaVale McGee, O.J. Mayo, Joey Dorsey, Robin Lopez , memorizing each smug face.
"Boss. The Seattle SuperSonics gave me a draft commitment."
Ibaka walked over and told Snoopy, "It's a late first-round pick."
Snoopy smiled and congratulated him.
Ibaka was happy, but also a little worried.
"Boss, did the Lakers give you a draft commitment?"
Snoopy answered honestly, "No."
Ibaka frowned regretfully.
"You were clearly the best player today. How can those NBA GMs not see it?"
Snoopy stayed silent.
He had wondered earlier, until Dwyane Wade, before leaving the arena, threw him that meaningful look. At that moment, Snoopy understood.
This wasn't a bad thing.
He realized the "cold shoulder" was arranged on purpose, likely to lower the cost of trading up for a draft pick.
It was foreseeable that from now until draft night, the sports media would be full of "negative news" about him.
"Snoopy, why didn't you dunk today?"
Russell Westbrook walked over, visibly annoyed.
"You can absolutely take off on a drive and hammer it down now! Why didn't you show it? You basically handed the opportunity to those idiots! I swear, if you'd thrown down two dunks, at least one lottery team would've invited you for a workout."
"Yeah, Snoopy. You're way too unselfish. That's a really bad habit."
Kevin Love looked genuinely worried. "Once you get to the NBA, remember, never give up rebounds, and always take the shot if you have the chance. My agent told me: stats are money. Stats are everything."
Both treated Snoopy like a brother , they couldn't stand the mockery from the other players.
In their eyes, Snoopy was at least a high first-rounder, maybe even lottery.
Snoopy patted their shoulders in thanks and laughed.
"Alright, alright. I'll learn from you two, I'll start padding my stats."
…
In the evening, after showering in the arena locker room, Snoopy stepped out and found Derrick Rose waiting for him. He was surprised.
"I want to tell you, don't worry. Don't stress. Don't let those cold remarks shake you."
Rose told him, "I've already recommended you to my team. They agreed to take you in the mid-first round. After today's two games, I think our playstyles fit perfectly. My intuition says we'll become a golden duo."
Rose's words stunned Snoopy. Logically, Rose should've joined O.J. Mayo's group instead , after all, Snoopy had personally crushed his NCAA championship hopes.
But now, Rose was helping him.
Snoopy was still frozen when Rose patted his shoulder.
"Welcome to the Chicago Bulls."
Then he walked out of the locker room.
The information was overwhelming. So the No. 1 pick had already been decided.
Snoopy raised an eyebrow. Then what about Miami? Were they going to pick Michael Beasley?
If so, they'd have a surplus of forwards. Would they still pick him afterward?
As Snoopy exited the locker room, his phone rang. It was Edward.
Excitedly, Edward told him:
"The Dallas Mavericks have made their decision. They'll go all out on draft night to trade up into the top ten so they can select you. But, they want you to avoid attending any team workouts for now."