The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 100 Gan's Conditions
Although Jordan understood Knight's expectations of him and knew the principle that "heavy is the head that wears the crown," there is always a gap between understanding and practice.

Therefore, in the days that followed, Jordan would still feel very upset when faced with some unfair criticism or even insults from Knight.

At times like this, he would think, "If Forrest Gump were in this situation, what would he do?"

Thinking about how Forrest Gump always seemed so nonchalant in front of Knight, easily defusing whatever Knight said, Jordan's heart would also calm down.

After the game against the Indiana University veterans, the team packed their bags and headed to Providence, the second stop of their warm-up tournament.

Leaving Bloomington was a relief for the players, who had been stuck there for too long, unable to go out for training every day, which was really stifling.

Upon arriving in Providence, the first thing Jordan did was to take Gan Guoyang, Perkins, and Wood to McDonald's.

Driving for them was Bob Knight's assistant coach, George LaFlin, who could hardly believe that the first thing this car full of future NBA stars, already worth millions, did after leaving training camp was to eat McDonald's.

“I think you guys should go eat steak and have some red wine, instead of eating hamburgers and drinking Coke like high school students.”

Jordan didn't care at all, saying, "I don't care how much money I make, I'm just a McDonald's eater."

Gan Guoyang agreed, saying that they never consider themselves superior or seek special treatment just because they are good at playing basketball or have become basketball stars.

He eats McDonald's, drinks Coke, wears ordinary sneakers and clothes, and his daily expenses are similar to those of ordinary people. He will not start to overspend in revenge just because he is about to make a lot of money.

This is related to their background and personality. Their childhood was relatively comfortable; at least they didn't grow up in slums and had relatively complete paternal or maternal love, so they didn't have such a deep desire for material things.

Of course, they are still young now, and no one knows what the future holds.

Everyone was satisfied after finishing their McDonald's meal. Gan Guoyang returned to the hotel and found Fleischer waiting for him in the lobby.

Where did you go?

"I'm going to eat McDonald's."

"Just going to McDonald's?"

"Yes, Coach Laflin is with us."

Fleischer was worried that Gan Guoyang would run off to play during recess, but he was relieved to hear that Lafferlin was following him.

Then, the two returned to their room, where Fleischer and Gan Guoyang discussed signing with the Trail Blazers.

Because Gan Guoyang has been traveling around with the US national team recently, he hasn't had time to report to Portland after being selected.

Fleischer told Gan Guoyang that there was no need to rush to Portland to report for duty. He suggested that after playing this round of national team vs. All-Star games, he should make a good impression on American fans.

Once the final game in San Diego is over in July, Gan Guoyang will be able to travel directly from California to Portland to attend a press conference and sign a contract.

How big of a contract are you planning to get?

"Can I have as big as I want?" Gan Guoyang asked knowingly.

"Of course not, it has to be within the limits of the salary cap."

"Why isn't there a standard rookie contract, where rookies are paid based on their draft ranking and a percentage of the salary cap?"

Gan Guoyang was referring to a measure introduced by the league many years later to curb the unlimited rookie contracts that came with the inflated salary cap.

Fleischer adjusted his glasses and said, "Your idea is good, but it's not in the current labor agreement. We still need a suitable offer."

Before the salary cap rule was introduced in the 1984-1985 season, player contracts were given arbitrarily, each contract was custom-made, and the amount depended on how you negotiated it and how thick the owner's checkbook was.

The new season is the first year of the salary cap system, and Fleischer, as one of its promoters, is busy handling various details.

The contract amounts for all individuals will be made public, instead of remaining confidential as in the past when individuals could choose to keep them for personal privacy.

In this situation, comparisons between players are inevitable. Everyone will measure ability based on salary, and some people will inevitably feel resentful, thinking, "Why does he earn more than me?"

Gan Guoyang thought for a moment and asked, "How much did the second overall pick last year earn?" Fleischer replied, "Steve Stepanovic, four-year contract, $2.6 million, $400,000 in the first year. How about it, do you want to follow that standard?"

Gan Guoyang said, "Considering inflation and the increase in league revenue, my contract is slightly higher than his, that should be fine, right?"

"No problem, these are the basic rules, it is indeed possible to rise."

“Then increase it by 100%. I want a four million contract, with eight hundred thousand in the first year.”

Fleischer nearly choked on his breath. He pointed at Gan Guoyang several times, still unsure of what to say.

Gan Guoyang said, "Larry, you promised to fight for the best possible contract for me. Eight hundred thousand a year, I don't think that's too much, right? If I get more, you get more too, don't you?"

Fleischer composed himself. Actually, Gan Guoyang wasn't wrong. If a mediocre player like Stepanovic could earn 400,000 a year, what's wrong with Gan Guoyang earning 800,000?
Last year's top draft pick, Ralph Sampson, has a contract worth $130 million this year.

This year's salary cap is $360 million, and Sampson's salary accounts for one-third of the total.

Fleischer calculated the Blazers' current total salary to be around $250 million.

Taking on Gan Guoyang's 800,000 yuan contract is feasible, but if they give Gan Guoyang 800,000 yuan, it means they will have very little room left for other players who have not yet signed contracts.

After a moment's thought, Fleischer concluded that the amount was reasonable, because he knew Gan Guoyang's worth.

"I can negotiate this price, but isn't four years a bit too short?"

In the 80s, many NBA players sought to secure the longest possible contracts for stability.

Magic Johnson's 25-year contract further demonstrates Jerry Buss's great sincerity.

This means that Magic Johnson will definitely dedicate his entire career to the Lakers.

Gan Guoyang said, "The salary cap will increase faster and faster, exceeding the growth rate of my contract amount. If I sign for too long, it will be disadvantageous for me. Of course, I know you are worried about stability, so I have another request."

"any request?"

“The Portland Trail Blazers are changing their medical team, and I don’t want what happened to Bill Walton to happen to me.”

After Gan Guoyang was drafted by the Trail Blazers, someone reminded him of the medical risks in Portland—and it wasn't just one person; the senior coaches at the training camp knew a lot about the place.

After Bill Walton was injured in 1978, the Trail Blazers' medical team not only failed to provide proper diagnosis and treatment, but instead injected Walton with painkillers—silocaine and macaine—as well as anti-inflammatory drugs in an effort to improve the team's performance. These drugs could only temporarily relieve the pain symptoms and did nothing to help Walton's injury; they only made things worse.

This resulted in Walton suffering two fractures during the game – the first was due to a painkiller injection he received at halftime, which resulted in a broken leg in the second half.

The second injection was given before the game. At that time, his leg was in so much pain that he couldn't walk. The team doctor's treatment plan was to inject painkillers. He forced himself to play and fractured his leg again.

Walton's career was ruined as a result. He underwent numerous painful surgeries, left the Trail Blazers, and sued the team and its doctors. It was undoubtedly a basketball tragedy.

"I'm not one to be blind to what's going on. My girlfriend studies at the University of Portland, and I've been to Portland a few times, so I know what it's like there. It's a city that loves basketball, with extremely high attendance and packed houses. But the Trail Blazers seem to have been blinded by this enthusiasm, even at the expense of the players' health in order to satisfy the fans. I think from the perspective of the players and basketball, this is very short-sighted and intolerable. Their neglect of the players' health is, in fact, a harm to the fans' passion for basketball, and it's unsustainable."

Gan Guoyang had a serious discussion with Fleischer, who, as a union leader who had long advocated for the interests of players, strongly agreed with Gan Guoyang's views.

"However, it's probably not realistic to expect a team to fire its entire medical team for a rookie."

"Then I'll fire the entire Portland Trail Blazers and go play somewhere else."

"Don't be so radical, there will be a solution. I will negotiate with the Trail Blazers to try and get them to add a new medical team for you. Or, I can reimburse all your medical expenses and I can connect you with good medical resources in Oregon."

"Larry, no matter how you handle this, I will not back down on this matter. The Trail Blazers must recognize the mistakes they have made and sincerely correct them. Only then will they be a team for which players are willing to give everything, and only then can I dedicate my talent to them without reservation. Team-player is a two-way selection process, so please make sure you explain this clearly to them."

Fleischer took a deep breath, thinking to himself that he had really gotten himself into big trouble; the kid was frighteningly clear-headed.

But Fleischer also felt that Gan Guoyang was right; the league teams' bad habit of letting players play while injured needs to be changed.

He thought this might be a good opportunity to push NBA teams to improve their player injury management.
(End of this chapter)