The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 105 Pressure
After the Providence tournament, Gan Guoyang traveled to Minnesota with the U.S. Olympic team.

For the American Olympic team, dealing with Gan Guoyang was a tough time. Being intercepted and eliminated in the final moments, having a big shot on their head, how could they not feel bad?
However, as a qualified sparring partner, Gan Guoyang was very dedicated. After the competition, he carefully summarized some of the current problems of the Olympic team.

For example, Alford, as a shooting guard, should reduce his ball handling, shoot more, dribble less, and make the most of his shooting skills.

Ewing faces challenges on defense. In the NCAA, he was used to guarding the paint, but in FIBA ​​games, there are more outside shots, the courts are wider, and the ball moves faster.

Therefore, Ewing must extend his defense further and demonstrate his defensive prowess; he can no longer stay under the basket and fail to play his due role.

The team also needs to stick to playing fast. Speed ​​is the biggest advantage of the US Olympic team, and they must give it their all, attacking when the team is not yet settled and launching fast counterattacks.

When talking about Jordan, Gan Guoyang patted Jordan on the shoulder and said, "You played very well, Mike. Just keep improving your shooting. Anyway, I'm not on the Chinese team for the Olympics, so you don't need to worry too much."

Jordan was extremely unhappy, but there was nothing he could do; a loss was a loss. Gan Guoyang was the only player who could put immense pressure on him during the game—and of course, the same was true for Gan Guoyang.

That evening, the two played cards together at the hotel, and Jordan won more than a hundred dollars from Gan Guoyang, but this was just a drop in the ocean compared to Gan Guoyang's current endorsement fees.

The two are different in this respect. Gan Guoyang only cares about the outcome of basketball games. He doesn't care about anything else. Playing cards is just a pastime. He values ​​participation and doesn't care about winning or losing.

Jordan cared deeply about winning and losing in everything, from basketball games to card games and betting. Even after arriving in Minnesota, he wanted to have a room number that was better than Gan Guoyang's and stay upstairs from him.

Gan Guoyang had only one opinion about Jordan's abnormal competitive spirit: boring and childish.

After arriving in Minnesota, on July 1st, the U.S. Olympic team and the NBA All-Star team began their second match at the Hubert H. Humphrey Dome in Minneapolis.

The NBA All-Star lineup for this game is significantly bigger than the last one, led by Magic Johnson, and includes Isaiah Thomas, Mark Aguirre, Kevin McHale, Randy Brewer, Chris Engler, Trent Tucker, Dan Rodfield, and others.

For Gan Guoyang, the biggest advantage of playing in these games is that he can get in touch with some of the best players in the league early on.

Whether as an opponent or a teammate, Gan Guoyang realized after playing against or cooperating with them: NBA players are just like that, and I have no problem playing in the NBA.

From high school to college, and then to the NBA, Gan Guoyang gradually realized that his talent, combined with his hard work, was enough to make him stronger than most players, and that he could become even stronger.

But tonight, Gan Guoyang was contained by one person, not an Olympic team player, nor Bob Knight's defensive system, but All-Star coach Rauchri.

The coach, who appears to be somewhat demented, seems to have developed dementia as well when rotating players.

In the third minute of the first half, Raohri brought Gan Guoyang on. After playing for three minutes and scoring two fast breaks, Raohri substituted Gan Guoyang off and did not bring him back on for another minute in the first half.

Gan Guoyang patiently waited until the second half. During halftime, he talked with Lauchri and said that if he played, the team would definitely win.

Rauchri just smiled and said, "Winning is not our ultimate goal," and then only gave Gan Guoyang five minutes of playing time in the second half.

Then Gan Guoyang was benched until the end of the game, and the NBA All-Stars lost to the US Olympic team by a narrow margin of 3 points, 93-96.

If Gan Guoyang could play a little longer in this match, the All-Star team would likely defeat the Olympic team, given that the All-Star team has a very strong lineup.

Magic Johnson and Isaiah Thomas both wanted to win and gave it their all in the game. After the game, Johnson complained to Lauchry about why he didn't play Gan.

“Gan and I have a good working relationship. I pass the ball to him very easily. His defense is also very good. He knows the weaknesses of the Olympic team, so he should play more.”

In the few minutes Gan Guoyang was on the court, he made several fast breaks, receiving passes from Magic Johnson and attacking the basket directly with lightning speed and clean, decisive moves.

The two had never trained together, but Gan Guoyang and Johnson were of one mind; a single glance or gesture was enough for them to understand each other perfectly.

One dribbled the ball, the other charged forward headfirst; with a quick, decisive pass, the ball was threaded through the three-second zone, where Gan Guoyang caught it steadily and attacked the basket.

One of the plays was particularly beautiful. The Magician made a long bounce pass, and Gan Guoyang caught the ball with his left hand, jumped up and slammed it home without dribbling.

This shot sent the entire arena into a frenzy of shouts and cheers. Magic Johnson excitedly gave Gan Guoyang a high-five, but after that shot, Lauhrion substituted Gan Guoyang out, and he never played again.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Rauchri specifically told Gan Guoyang after the match, "Your performance was excellent, but everyone should share playing time, after all, this is an exhibition match."

Gan Guoyang remained calm and asked Rauch, "Did Bob tell you to reduce my playing time? It's okay, I don't care."

Gan Guoyang didn't care, but Magic Johnson did. He felt indignant on Gan Guoyang's behalf, as he admired Gan Guoyang's keen offensive instincts on the court.

That night, he knocked on Gan Guoyang's door and asked him if he wanted to go out and have some fun with some girls, having heard that the girls in Minnesota have particularly fair skin and warm bodies.

Gan Guoyang politely declined Johnson's offer. He had long heard that Magic Johnson was a womanizer, and that the mailbox outside the locker room was always full of girls' contact information slips after the game.

Johnson would grab a handful of food, give some to his teammates, and then call one or two of them to ask them to wait at the hotel for a night of passion.

Despite this, Johnson continued to deliver high-quality performances every night, a testament to his exceptional physical condition. However, Gan Guoyang wanted to remind Johnson to take it easy, recalling Raymond's death three years prior, when HIV first emerged in San Francisco and subsequently spread rapidly across the United States.

If Johnson continues to play like this without restraint, he will eventually fall into a trap, but Gan Guoyang doesn't know how to remind him, as it seems that no matter what he says, it's wrong.

Fortunately, the phone rang in the room at that moment. Gan Guoyang made an excuse to answer the phone, so Johnson had no choice but to leave and go have some fun with others.

The call was from Fleischer. He hadn't come to Minnesota with the players; instead, he had gone to Portland to discuss a contract for Gan Guoyang.

Fleischer brought two pieces of news: First, after repeated consultations, the Trail Blazers are willing to improve their medical team, allocate more medical resources, and ensure the health of their players.

Secondly, the Trail Blazers cannot accept Gan Guoyang's proposed four million rookie contract and hope that Gan Guoyang will reconsider.

"They said they could offer you a five-year, three-million-dollar contract, with a starting salary of five hundred thousand. What do you think of this contract?"

From the team's perspective, a five-year, three-million-dollar contract is a significant concession, while a rookie's salary of five hundred thousand dollars is quite high.

Last year's rookie Drexler earned only $170,000 a year, far less than the offer the Trail Blazers made to Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang asked, "They say they want to improve the medical team and ensure the players' health. How will they guarantee that? What specific measures or promises are there? I hope they can publish a statement in the newspaper or hold a press conference to make a commitment to the public. I want to see their determination to change. As for the contract, Larry, do you think I should insist, or just give in?"

Fleischer said, "Based on your performance in Providence, I think you can hold on a little longer. But that damn Rauchy, he didn't let you play tonight! It must be Knight's doing!"

"I know that guy can't accept defeat. Anyway, my goal is to improve myself, I don't care about winning or losing."

"Next game is in Iowa, that's your home court, you fucking have to play! I'm calling Nelson, he won't be controlled by Knight. As for the medical team, I'm on your side, they have to show enough sincerity, I think the Trail Blazers are definitely feeling the pressure."

The Trail Blazers are definitely feeling the pressure; if they don't make improvements in their medical capabilities, even top rookies won't want to come.

The Trail Blazers had two number one draft picks who were both wasted: Bill Walton and Laru Martin, the number one pick in 1972.

This 6-foot-11 center disappeared from the league after playing for the Trail Blazers for four years. When he left, he said his body couldn't take it anymore, implying that the Trail Blazers' medical team had problems.

After Walton and the Trail Blazers fell out, many rookies were unwilling to go to Portland for tryouts. They had won the number one pick in 1978 and wanted to persuade Bird to end his college career early and come to Portland to play.

Bird replied, "Leave me alone. The doctor said I was born with a spinal defect."

He clearly distrusted the Trail Blazers' medical team, which caused the Trail Blazers to miss out on this Indiana talent, allowing the Celtics to snatch him up.

Later, they wanted to draft Mitchell Thompson, but Thompson repeatedly refused the Trail Blazers' invitations to try out, making it clear that he did not trust the Trail Blazers' medical team.

In the end, the Trail Blazers forced their way in and drafted Thompson. Thompson couldn't fight back against the Blazers, so he had no choice but to report to the team.

Now, Gan Guoyang is facing the same trust issue. But Gan Guoyang is different; he's not just an arm, but a rising star among Chinese Americans.

Stu Inman believes that if Gan Guoyang were to say he doesn't want to play for the Trail Blazers right now, the remaining twenty-odd teams in the league would immediately bombard his office with calls seeking a trade.

The problem is that after training camp, Stu Inman only wants Gan Guoyang, and he's not willing to trade him for Olajuwon.

He had experienced the sun's heat up close, which is why he made concessions during negotiations with Fleischer.

But Fleischer was not satisfied. During the second round of negotiations on July 3, he continued to put pressure on the Trail Blazers.

Fleischer stated that several teams, including the Golden State Warriors, the Boston Celtics, and the New York Knicks, have contacted him in hopes of acquiring Gan Guoyang in a trade.

Inman knew Fleischer's influence, and after another day of haggling, the Trail Blazers finally agreed to give Gan Guoyang a four-year, $4 million contract.

However, in order to keep the salary cap in place, the first year's salary is expected to be reduced to 60, with the contract amount increasing thereafter, but the total amount remaining at 400 million.

Fleischer was satisfied with the proposal and indicated that Gan Guoyang would definitely accept the contract.

However, Inman believes that the decision regarding the medical team should be made by owner Weinberg, as it involves the Trail Blazers' reputation.

Fleischer laughed and said, "This is your chance to redeem your reputation as the Trail Blazers and prove with concrete actions that you care about the players' health. Stu, I can offer you a solution."

Stu-Inman saw the sly glint behind Fleischer's glasses and knew he was being manipulated, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Fleischer is a big shot who gives headaches to all the league's owners and managers. Offending him means offending the players' union and all the NBA players.

In order to get Gan Guoyang, Stu-Inman had no choice but to grit his teeth and say, "Alright, Larry, tell us what you think is acceptable. If you can accept it, we will definitely do it."

(End of this chapter)