The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 347 Enjoyment
The Trail Blazers' players, coaches, and management gathered in Washington, D.C. at the end of August to visit the White House as NBA champions and were received by Ronald Reagan.

This was Gan Guoyang's second visit to the White House since 1984, and also his second time meeting Reagan. During the meeting, Gan Guoyang said to Reagan, "I hope to see you again next year."

Reagan laughed heartily, expressing his admiration for Gan Guoyang's confidence and his hope to see Gan Guoyang and the Portland Trail Blazers again at the White House next year.

As they left the White House, Buckwalt and Gan Guoyang said, "That's great. Even the president knows you boasted that you would defend your championship title. Everyone's under a lot of pressure this year."

Gan Guoyang said, "What, if I don't say anything, you guys won't even think about winning the championship? It's a good thing to put some pressure on you guys, don't just do nothing all day long."

Buckwolt protested on behalf of management, saying, "How can you say we didn't do anything? You wouldn't let us do anything. I wanted to trade Kiki, but you said you wanted to keep him."

Gan Guoyang said, "Who do you want to trade for? Who can replace Beal? You can't find a replacement for Beal, and trading away Kiki will only weaken our frontcourt firepower. Kiki did not perform well in the playoffs, but he is still very important in the regular season. Are you going to put all the scoring pressure on my shoulders? Or are you planning to let Korsey or Clyde take over? Are their shots any good?"

Gan Guoyang's words made sense, and Buckwalt could only nod in agreement.

Since winning the championship, Gan Guoyang's influence within the team has further increased.

Now, the team has to consult Gan Guoyang before making any trades, signings, or draft decisions.

However, Gan Guoyang is a very opinionated and thoughtful person, which is different from Jordan.

Jordan and Krause often clashed over player selection during their time with the Bulls because Jordan's criteria were simple: 1. Players from North Carolina; 2. Players he had a good relationship with.

Jerry Krause is a very strong-willed person, and he would not compromise with Jordan for these two reasons, so their relationship deteriorated.

Gan Guoyang is different; he always analyzes things rationally, explaining his reasons from multiple perspectives and angles, and his reasons are often very sufficient.

Buckwalt, a former scout, lacked Inman's tactical acumen and extensive network, and his approach to things was simple and direct.

He'll listen to what Gan Guoyang says if it makes sense, and if he thinks it doesn't... he'll still take it into consideration.

"If we don't move Kiki, how about we trade Curry and Hornacek? They are rookies with similar roles, and we don't know when they will be able to reach their full potential. Why not trade them for immediate contributors? How about we bring Wayne Cooper back? He knows Ramsey's system very well."

Buckwalt offered an enticing idea: trade a small player like Hornacek or Curry, who lacks immediate impact and obvious talent, for an experienced, plug-and-play center.

Wayne Cooper was traded to the Nuggets in the previous Vandeweghe trade and has performed very well in Denver for two consecutive years.

Gan Guoyang looked at Buckwalt with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot and said, "You're willing to trade, but do you think the Nuggets are? Are you going to add more assets just to bring back the players you traded in before? Are you out of your mind? Besides, Cooper has already proven himself with the Nuggets. He's the starting center there. Why should he come here to be a backup? He's similar to Thompson in terms of function. We already have a great power forward like Thompson. What are you thinking?"

Buckwalt said, "I'm just giving you an example. You can trade for someone else, as long as they're an inside player, someone who can contribute immediately and help you next season."

"Can't you be a little more patient and properly develop these two guards? I've played with Curry before, and he's a very good player. If it weren't for Bob Knight's favoritism, he should have gone to the Los Angeles Olympics."

"What about Hornacek? He got in through connections. Anyway, he's already in the NBA, so what difference does it make where he plays?"

“I admire Hornacek.”

"why?"

"His name sounds nice!"

The two talked a lot along the way. Gan Guoyang disagreed with Buckwalt's decision to trade away the two young guards for a center. He said he was patient enough to wait for them to develop, just like he waited for Terry Porter. He didn't want to trade draft picks and rookies for players who could compete for championships immediately.

"I'm still a rookie myself, why don't you trade me?" Gan Guoyang asked Buckwalt, posing a probing question.

Buckwalt was speechless, thinking to himself, "Who do you think you are, a rookie? You're everyone's daddy."

Thus, thanks to Gan Guoyang's insistence, both Dell Curry and Jeff Hornacek stayed with the Trail Blazers to prepare for the Trail Blazers' rookie training camp in September.

With no trade decision in mind, Buckwalt had some free time and turned his attention from players to coaches.

Upon returning to Portland, the first thing he did was interview the defensive assistant coach, Bobby Bellman, Gan Guoyang's former mentor.

When Gan Guoyang first arrived in the United States, his mind was still filled with the impressions he had of America from reading magazines like "Yilin" and "Reader" when he was a teenager.

They believe this is a fair, just, and impartial society where everyone is impartial and equal.

He soon discovered that America is a society where personal connections are paramount, especially evident in the basketball world.

It's important to understand that in a competitive sport like basketball, there are basic requirements for skill level to compete against opponents.

Under these circumstances, the basketball circle is still rife with interpersonal relationships, such as introductions through acquaintances, finding people through connections, and opening doors for the second and third generations of the family to make things easy.

Hornacek, for example, got into the league through connections, but of course he has the ability and has been recognized by the team.

Gan Guoyang's strength is undeniable, but he has relied heavily on connections along the way, with Garp providing him with tremendous help.

If this is the case for players, it is even more serious for coaches, a position where things can be manipulated. If you don't have a mentor, no one to introduce you, and no parents, siblings or relatives working in the NBA, it is extremely difficult to get into an NBA team as a coach.

Bellman has already made a name for himself coaching in the NCAA, but he still needs Gan Guoyang to introduce him to someone, and he didn't even pass his first interview.

It was already midway through the season, and the team couldn't let him join temporarily. Besides, Ramsey wasn't interested in Berman's data analysis approach.

This time, Bellman came prepared. In four years, he has won an NCAA championship and two NCAA national championships, making his resume very impressive.

Fitz knew that Berman's ambition was in the NBA, so he stopped trying to dissuade him and instead wished Berman success in getting on Forrest Gump's good side in the NBA.

Having made thorough preparations, Bellman first passed Buckwalt's interview, during which Buckwalt briefly learned about Bellman's background.

His coaching experience, coaching philosophy, and some basic coaching qualities are all a piece of cake for Berman.

The main focus was the coaching staff interview with Jack Ramsey and Rick Adelman the following day. Passing this interview would allow Bobby Bellman to officially become an NBA coach. The interview was held at the Portland Community College training center. Bobby Bellman arrived at the training facility early in the morning, dressed neatly and carrying a briefcase full of his tactical notes and insights.

Since it's an interview for an assistant coach, which is essentially finding an assistant for Ramsey, Dr. Jack's personal opinion is very important.

Bellman had wanted Gan Guoyang to put in a good word for Dr. Jack, or to come to the interview with him today, but Gan Guoyang refused, saying that he absolutely could not come.

Behrman wondered, "Forrest mentioned having some disagreements with Ramsey at Stockton's wedding. Why haven't those disagreements been resolved yet? What's going on?"

Bellman then recalled the time Dr. Jack called him to ask for a user guide for Forrest Gump, and he replied, "Ask him how he uses me!"

I regret it so much! I shouldn't have been so arrogant. Although I didn't lie, saying it like that still seemed disrespectful to Dr. Jack. No wonder he didn't like me later.

After years of trials and tribulations, Behrman has gradually become more peaceful and tactful, though his repertoire of profanities remains enormous.

While Bellman pondered how to pass the interview, Jack Ramsey and Adelman arrived at the training center around 9 a.m. and informed Bellman that the Portland Community College basketball team would be playing a warm-up game against the University of Portland basketball team there at 10 a.m. that day.

“We’re spectators today, so we’ll chat while we watch the game,” Ramsey said.

Berman understood that today's interview was definitely related to the game, and Ramsey wanted to test his on-the-spot analytical skills.

Sure enough, around 10 a.m., the two university teams arrived at the stadium for a warm-up game, and Adelman asked Bellman questions about the situation on the court from time to time.

Having coached college teams for four years with great success, these questions posed no challenge to him, and he answered them quite well.

Ramsey sat silently to the side, listening quietly, until halftime, when he finally asked his first question:
"What do you think of the recent NBA games where centers are increasingly being pulled out to shoot three-pointers?"

Bellman thought to himself, "A center pulling out to shoot a three-pointer, isn't that like Forrest Gump?"
This guy hit six three-pointers against the Lakers, killing them in what was a classic NBA game.

Moreover, last season, Ramsey had already begun designing key three-point shooting tactics.

Hearing that he's becoming more open-minded, Bellman is thinking of making the most of the three-point trend.

But the words caught in his throat. He thought to himself, "Does Dr. Jack really like three-pointers?"

Or was it a last resort? What was the purpose of asking himself this question? Why emphasize the center forward position?

Considering previous events and Gan Guoyang's refusal to come, Bellman made a bold decision.

He replied, "For a center to pull out and shoot threes is completely heretical and ridiculous! It's a sign that players are controlling the NBA and challenging the authority of coaches, which is a bad phenomenon!"

Ramsey, who had been sitting still, suddenly stirred. He turned to look at Bellman, seemingly not believing that Bellman had said it.

"Do you also have opinions on the idea that players control the NBA?"

"Of course I have opinions. The league is about to become the domain of star players, with more and more one-on-one tactics. Where is the traditional basketball anymore?"

“But I’ve watched your coaching videos from high school and college, and you relied heavily on Forrest Gump.”

"Forrest Gump was a ball hog; if you didn't give him the ball, he'd hit you, and he could actually solve problems."

Hearing what Bellman said, Ramsey seemed very happy and asked, "Forrest Gump is a ball hog? This is the first time I've heard that. You always praised him before."

"I'm praising him, but we have to be realistic," Billman said. "Forrest Gump likes to grab his own rebounds and not pass the ball to his teammates. I think he needs to work on that bad habit of his in the new season."

The two started talking more and more, and the interview turned into a chat and a rant, especially about Gan Guoyang. It was clear that Dr. Jack had a lot of complaints on his mind and wanted to get them off his chest today.

"That son of a bitch actually used their country's prayer slogans as our team's cheering slogan for the entire season!" Ramsey is still furious about it. He thought everyone was praying to God before each game, but it turns out that's not the case.

Bellman thought to himself: Let me tell you whether it's useful or not!

He verbally agreed, describing Gan Guoyang as unreliable and mischievous at school.

The entire second half turned into a roast session. In the end, Ramsey felt relieved, patted Bellman on the shoulder, and said, "Get ready to work for the Trail Blazers next season."

Behrman was so excited he could hardly contain himself, but he managed to keep his composure. As he shook hands with Ramsey and Adelman, he thought to himself, "Sorry, Forrest Gump, I'm sorry to have to sacrifice you."

Afterwards, Adelman asked Ramsey, "Jack, were you serious about what you said? Was Forrest Gump really that bad?"

Ramsey shook his head and said, "Forrest Gump was the greatest athlete, and Bellman knew that too."

"Then why..."

Don't you want to yell at him?

"Hmm...I want to."

"Was that fun?"

"Enjoyed!"

"That's fine then. Let Bellman lead the rookie training camp. We need some new ideas and challenges for the new season. To be honest, I'm getting old. The team will belong to you young guys from now on."

The 1986 season had taken a toll on Ramsey's energy, and before the new season even started, he appeared somewhat tired, far less energetic and spirited than at the beginning of the previous season.

Therefore, he needs a newcomer like Berman to inject vitality into the coaching staff. It would be even better if this person were Gan Guoyang's mentor and college coach.

(End of this chapter)