Half an hour before tip-off, the Orlando training camp was already packed with big names. Executives from nearly all 30 NBA teams were present. Some teams that missed the playoffs—or were knocked out early—had even brought both their head coach and general manager. The turnout was far stronger than last week's draft lottery.
The Dallas Mavericks came with their GM, their head coach, and even team owner Mark Cuban.
They didn't have a lottery pick this year, but it was a weak draft class. Even the Chicago Bulls—who held the No. 1 pick—weren't ruling out the possibility of trading down.
Miami also sent a heavyweight trio: team president Pat Riley, head coach Erik Spoelstra, and franchise star Dwyane Wade.
From this lineup alone, it was clear how seriously the league was taking this draft. Since mortgaging the future in 2004 to bring in Shaq and win the 2006 championship, the Heat had steadily declined, sinking toward the bottom of the standings. For someone like Pat Riley, it was time to strike gold in the draft again.
Riley had already floated multiple trade proposals to other lottery teams, but nothing substantial had materialized yet.
So with all these GMs gathered in one place, Riley naturally took the opportunity to explore what deals might be possible.
This year's draft class was filled with centers and power forwards.
For teams in desperate need of interior help, it was a rare opportunity.
While front-office executives stood in clusters discussing prospects, the three player groups began taking the court—wearing red, white, and black training pinnies.
After a brief warm-up, NBA-assigned referees called the three team captains to midcourt for a draw to determine the first matchup.
When Snoopy stepped forward as the red team's representative alongside O.J. Mayo and Michael Beasley, the GMs and reporters in the stands were surprised. Logically, it should've been Derrick Rose.
Rose's agent was stunned as well. He nearly rushed down to protest:
"The star is Derrick—so why is that kid getting the spotlight? Just because he sings well?"
Americans value hierarchy and status even more than Chinese do—especially in situations like this, where the representative symbolizes the entire team. How could someone projected outside the top-20 pick slots take that role?
But within the red team, no one found it strange.
Yes, Derrick Rose was the favorite to go No. 1. But Russell Westbrook wasn't necessarily going to defer to him.
Snoopy was different. He was UCLA's MOP, Serge Ibaka's business partner, and the symbolic leader of all the "role players." He was the team's glue guy—the most natural choice to step up for the draw.
Except—
"Your luck sucks." O.J. Mayo held up a white ball, showing Snoopy the identical white ball in his hand. "The next twenty minutes, you're gonna get exposed as the loser standing next to me."
"You?" Snoopy raised an eyebrow and replied honestly, "Let's be real—you're not good at anything."
Mayo's stare turned sharp and hostile. Snoopy's expression stayed calm—eyes steady, posture relaxed, a hint of disdain beneath the surface.
After so many NCAA battles, he was used to this from trash-talking guards: words, glares, and cheap shots. It could shake players with weak mental toughness, but to Snoopy, it was childish.
Starting Lineups
Red Team:
Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Donte Greene, Kevin Love, Snoopy
White Team:
Jerryd Bayless, O.J. Mayo, Brandon Rush, Anthony Randolph, Brook Lopez
The red team had no official head coach—only a training-camp assistant assigned for fairness.
The white team, however, had something extra. In addition to the assigned assistant, they had brought in USC consultant Tim Floyd—at O.J. Mayo's request.
Floyd, vacationing with his daughter in Orlando, accepted the invitation last night and installed USC's offensive system for this makeshift roster.
This time, Mayo was still the focal point—but the overall lineup was far more impressive.
Their former big man, had been replaced by Brook Lopez.
They had Brandon Rush's elite defense on the wing, plus high-flyer Anthony Randolph and scoring guard Jerryd Bayless.
Tim Floyd believed that if USC had this lineup last season, they would have walked away with the NCAA championship.
At center court, Snoopy faced Anthony Randolph for the tip.
Randolph's athleticism was stunning—borderline Kevin Garnett-like.
But there was a problem.
Since KG entered the league, every forward compared to him had failed to live up to the label. Eddie Griffin died in a car accident. Jonathan Bender faded away on the Pacers. Darius Miles got sucked into Portland's personal chaos and never escaped.
Becoming the second Garnett was not an easy task.
Tweet!
The ref blew the whistle.
Smack!
Before spectators even processed the jump, Snoopy had already tapped the ball to Derrick Rose.
"With Anthony Randolph as the comparison point, Snoopy's jump-speed looks even more incredible," Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak whispered to Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace.
The two didn't bother hiding their connection, despite orchestrating the league-changing Gasol trade months earlier.
Kupchak had acquired Pau Gasol for a package centered around Kwame Brown—turning the Lakers into instant title contenders.
The trade shocked the league.
Some called it outright robbery.
Bulls GM Gar Forman publicly complained that it was a heist.
Back in the 2007 offseason, he had offered a much larger package—Nocioni, Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah, Thabo Sefolosha, plus draft picks—to land Gasol and Hakim Warrick.
Wallace turned it down.
Then months later flipped Gasol to L.A. for pennies.
It ruined Forman's entire plan—he had hoped acquiring Gasol would lure Kobe Bryant to Chicago.
Now Kobe and Gasol were thriving together in L.A.
Every time Forman saw that, he clenched his teeth.
Fortunately, the basketball gods hadn't abandoned him—he landed the No. 1 pick with just a 1.7% chance.
He firmly believed this was the Bulls' turning point.
Boom!
On the court, Derrick Rose sliced into the paint and exploded for a switch-hand dunk.
The crowd gasped.
Rose's style was mesmerizing—a blend of power and grace.
He was one of the few players in camp with true superstar potential.
Yet Forman still hesitated: Rose or Beasley?
Even with Beasley's barefoot height measuring only 6'7", his scoring instincts were irresistible.
He glanced sideways at Pat Riley, sitting five seats over.
With the No. 2 pick, Riley had it easy—whichever of Rose or Beasley the Bulls didn't take, he would gladly select.
The "Godfather" was whispering to Dwyane Wade.
"You see that dunk? Sixty percent of the credit goes to Snoopy. He held off Brook Lopez and gave Rose the clean space he needed. If you two ever play together, your drives will look just as effortless."
Wade nodded—then suddenly stiffened, eyes widening in alarm.
His voice dropped:
"Boss… you're not thinking of taking him with the second pick, are you?"