The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 238 Return
As the sun's power gradually diminishes and time slowly moves from summer into autumn, the long off-season is about to end.

For players who don't make the playoffs, they have almost six months from April to October to rest, adjust their physical condition, and prepare for the demanding NBA season.

Of course, not everyone can stay in the NBA and continue to fight. Every year, old players leave and new players join. Some players change their jerseys, and some teams change their faces.

Dan Issel of the Denver Nuggets and Jazz's Boults retired from the league. Both were ABA All-Stars, and they still shone brightly in the NBA after coming to the league.

As a key reserve for the Nuggets, Isaiah helped Doug Mo achieve the best result in Nuggets history, but unfortunately they were defeated by the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference semifinals and failed to go further.

Bowers, a seasoned veteran, has played an important role in every team he joins. In the first round of the Jazz's game against the Rockets this year, with Mark Eaton injured in the crucial fifth game, Bowers stepped up and performed his defensive duties admirably.

He used various defensive techniques and experience to drive the young Olajuwon crazy. Olajuwon punched Boults, and although he dodged the referee's eye, he was fined $5000 after the fight.

Hakeem Olajuwon's poor mentality foreshadowed the collapse of the entire Rockets team. Despite leading 67-76 at the start of the fourth quarter, they suffered a dramatic comeback by the Jazz and were eliminated from the competition.

Bowers took that punch for good reason, and then he decided to retire that summer. Perhaps that punch made him realize that he couldn't stay in this league any longer, especially since he was in the Western Conference.

The Rockets and the Trail Blazers meet ten times a season. If they keep playing like this, they'll be beaten to a pulp, let alone play basketball.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was widely considered to be retiring, has been revitalized by his Finals MVP award and has signed a new contract with the Lakers to continue his career.

Besides retired veterans, there is also a group of NBA fringe players who lose their jobs and go overseas to make a living. Their jobs will be filled by rookies who have just entered the league.

In the 1985 NBA draft, Ewing's fate was no surprise. The Pacers selected Weyman Tisdale, a member of the 84 U.S. Olympic team, hoping he could become the team's savior.

The Clippers selected Benoit Benjamin—it looks like they're going to waste another high pick. Although he looks incredibly talented, standing at 7 feet 250 pounds with long arms and broad shoulders, his attitude on the court has always been questioned.

The SuperSonics selected Xavier McDaniel, the Golden State Warriors picked Chris Mullin with the seventh pick, and the Hawks and Kings ahead of them are probably thinking something.

They still blindly followed height, choosing 7-foot Jon Concaco and 6-foot-11 Joe Klein—height and the 1984 Olympics led many managers to decide to close their eyes and not use their brains when selecting players, believing in the role of height and Bob Knight's vision.

But the international arena is completely different from the NBA.

The Mavericks selected Schrempf, while the Cleveland team acquired Charles Oakley but quickly traded him to Chicago.

The Utah Jazz selected Karl Malone with the 13th pick. The burly forward from Louisiana was completely stunned and called his mother crying on the phone after the draft.

He was lucky to be on the same team as Stockton, but unfortunately Stockton's best friend was Forrest Gump, which meant that Gan Guoyang knew almost all of Malone's embarrassing moments.

This was the beginning of his 20-year nightmare.

The Detroit Pistons acquired Joe Dumars, an unassuming guard from a small school, who became an important part of Chuck Daly's rebuilding of the Pistons' system.

The Los Angeles Lakers selected AC Green, further strengthening their power forward position to counter the significant threat from the Northwest.

There were also some highlights in the second, third, and even fourth rounds of the show.

The Washington Bullets selected Manute Ball, their tallest player, in the second round to compensate for Charles Barkley's lack of height.

The Hawks selected Sabonis in the third round, but the selection was subsequently ruled invalid because Sabonis was not old enough to be considered an international player.

The Pistons selected Webber, nicknamed "Spud," who is only 170cm tall, in the fourth round. The Pistons quickly gave up on him, and Webber was signed by the Hawks after a tryout in September.

The Portland Trail Blazers had the last pick of the first round, the 24th, and Stu Inman selected Terry Porter, a guard Inman had been eyeing for a long time.

In the second round of the draft, Inman selected Canadian center Mike Smreek, and then traded him to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for two supporting players, Ben Coleman and Ken Johnson.

The Trail Blazers achieved unprecedented success in the 84-85 season, mainly thanks to Gan Guoyang's outstanding performance, while Inman actually hindered things to some extent.

His trade of three starters for Vandeweghe weakened the Trail Blazers, and Larry Weinberg was actually unhappy with him because if Leaf and others hadn't left, they might have been able to beat the Lakers. Mid-season, he wanted to trade Kiki, but Gan Guoyang stopped him. In short, he felt caught in the middle, but he still has a good eye for finding bargains.

After acquiring Porter, who was not favored by other teams, Inman made a small trade, sending Bernard Thompson, Drexler's "backup," to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for a second-round draft pick in 87.

Drexler's performance last season proved that he doesn't need any backups; he will be the answer in the Trail Blazers' backcourt.

The 12th man, Tom Schaeffler, was cut. Last season, the Trail Blazers never had a good backup center, which was also the most criticized aspect of Inman's game.

Gan Guoyang has played too many games for too long, and although he doesn't mind, Larry Weinberg believes that he is depleting his most valuable asset.

So Inman worked hard to find a trade, and after searching around, he signed free agent Caldeville Jones, sending the Mavericks' 87 second-round pick to the Bulls as compensation. (At the time, NBA rules stipulated that free agents signing with other teams had to provide compensation, which could be draft picks, cash, or other players; in short, players couldn't leave with nothing.)
Jones' arrival did not satisfy the owner and Portland fans. At best, Jones could only serve as the second or third backup center. He was completely outplayed by Gan Guoyang when he was with the Bulls.

Although he was once a first-team defensive player, he is now too thin and too old. How can he, who will soon turn 35, support the three-second zone when Gan Guoyang is not around?
The Los Angeles Lakers next door selected AC Green and acquired former Trail Blazers player and championship contributor Maurice Lucas in a trade.

This is the Lakers' usual tactic: using championships and California sunshine as bait to lure past stars and veterans to join, further enriching the already overflowing talent pool of the Great Western Forum.

Jerry West also waived Jamal Wilkes, a former key player. The silk is no longer smooth, and the Lakers now have a more mature cobra.

In comparison, the Trail Blazers are really not very attractive. Even though Forrest Gump has achieved great success, who can guarantee that they can continue to make progress next season?
There are countless fleeting stars in NBA history, and the Trail Blazers themselves are one of them.

Finally, in September, Inman made one last assist to the Portland Trail Blazers' rise: he sacrificed himself to facilitate Bill Walton's return.

He was fired by Larry Weinberger, leaving his position as general manager of the Trail Blazers and Portland, clearing the final obstacle for Walton's return.

After all, Inman bears direct responsibility for the series of foolish decisions made by Walton, and he has no choice but to take the blame.

In return, Walton gave up most of the salary owed to him by the Clippers, and the Trail Blazers sent Valentine to Los Angeles in exchange.

This was a risky decision, and Valentine's poor performance against Magic Johnson in the Western Conference Finals was the direct reason why the Trail Blazers gave up on him.

Steve Cortés' outstanding performance and the trust placed in Terry Porter allowed the Trail Blazers to keep only two young point guards.

In Jack Ramsey's system, point guards are always young and willing to play, not necessarily seasoned veterans.

Walton's return shook the NBA and reignited the passion of Portlanders. When the plane carrying Walton arrived in Portland, thousands of fans came to the airport to welcome the former city basketball hero.

Before boarding the plane, Walton was so nervous he almost gave up on the spot, but Wooden's comfort calmed him down. Wooden told Walton to take any praise or criticism in stride.

The line between angel and devil is thin. This is a journey home that is both heartwarming and perilous. He must be fully prepared. The outcome may be worse than before, or it may be perfect.

When he finally returned, Walton was so moved that he burst into tears. He and the team trainer, Kapoor, who came to the airport to greet him, embraced and cried. The two had been the closest of friends, but had ended up in court over injury issues.

Bill Seanley, the new manager Buckwalt, vice president Harry Glickman, Spoelstra, owner Larry Weinberg, and others were all at the airport to greet him.

The absent individuals were former team doctor Cook, who had been released by the Trail Blazers, and Stu Inman, who had stepped down from his position. Weinberg wrote him a letter of recommendation, allowing him to work for any other NBA team.

Jack Ramsey and his young players waited for Walton at the Portland Community College gymnasium, but the first thing Walton did after landing was to go to the hospital for a check-up to see if he met the health standards for signing.

Then the doctor's examination results were not optimistic. The X-ray showed that Walton should perhaps be given a disability certificate instead of being offered an NBA contract.

However, Ramsey quickly arrived at the medical center, pulled Walton out of the examination room, and said, "Now that he's back in Portland, he can play basketball. It's not something that can be decided by a few X-rays!"

Bill Walton then signed a contract with the Trail Blazers, returning to the team and becoming a member of the 1985-1986 roster.

(End of this chapter)