The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 386 A New Track in Life

Losing Kenny Carr in the rotation is undoubtedly a major loss for the Trail Blazers.

Kenny, this veteran, holds a special place in the Trail Blazers' current roster; he's a typical patch-up player.

He is 6 feet 8 inches tall and has a strong physique like a bull. He can hold his own against most centers in the league in the paint. At the same time, he has a beautiful outside shot, as well as good dribbling and penetration skills.

He was a rare all-rounder in an era where players had clearly defined roles. Whether the inside game was lacking or the outside game needed an offensive option, Karl could step up and help the team.

Karl had a brilliant early career, being a nationally renowned college player who represented the United States at the 1976 Helsinki Olympics and won a gold medal in men's basketball.

He didn't become a star player after entering the NBA. He played alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the Lakers and was one of the many power forwards in Abdul-Jabbar's career. Later, he went to the Cavaliers and the Pistons, and finally found his place in Portland, where he settled down.

During Bill Walton's absence due to injury, Kenny Carr became an important backup rotation player in the paint. With Jones getting old, Carr often served as the primary backup in the paint, ready to replace Thompson or Gan Guoyang at any time.

When Gan Guoyang is posting up, Karl can provide some outside firepower to create space for him.

He's not the strongest defensive lockout, but he won't be at a disadvantage no matter which position he's matched up against. He's a free agent on the defensive end, always ready to cover for any gaps in defense.

In daily training and life, Karl is an important glue that holds the team together. He often makes bets with Thompson, provides psychological counseling to the rookies, and cheers everyone up when they lose.

When Gan Guoyang learned that Karl might have to retire and end his professional career due to a herniated lumbar disc, he was extremely saddened.

After training, he drove to Carl's house. Before going, he bought some gifts, thinking about how to comfort Carl, such as giving Carl another championship ring this year no matter what.

During Gan Guoyang's three seasons with the Trail Blazers, Karl was a good friend and senior to him. Karl would always stand up to comfort Gan Guoyang during his rare low moments.

His classic "Ugly Duckling Night" theory deeply influenced Gan Guoyang until the end of his professional career, teaching him how to face failure.

Now it was Gan Guoyang's turn to comfort this wounded tough guy.

When Gan Guoyang arrived at Carl's house, he found Carl entertaining guests. Carl was overjoyed to see Gan Guoyang, and his guests were also flattered, not expecting Gan Guoyang to come.

Gan Guoyang was taken to Karl's house for a meal. He didn't get to say a word of comfort, but he was flattered by these people and ate a lot of food and drank some wine. In the end, they took a bunch of group photos and commemorative pictures.

After everyone had left, Gan Guoyang asked Carl who they were. Carl replied, "They were officials from the Portland Housing Authority and two city councilors. Thank you so much, Sonny. You didn't even tell me you were coming. But you came at the right time; they're all your fans. Look how surprised they were to see you."

Gan Guoyang asked curiously, "Didn't you injure your lumbar spine? How come you're hanging out with people from the Housing Bureau? Shouldn't you see a doctor and a specialist?"

Carl said, "The doctors and specialists have given my career a death sentence. After this season, I probably won't be able to play basketball anymore. But I'm only 31 years old, and I need to find something to do, right? I started a construction company and will be contracting projects in the Portland area, so I'm meeting with people from the housing authority today to get a feel for the construction market."

In fact, before his injury, after the Trail Blazers won the championship in 1986, Kenny Carr and his friends started a construction company, contracting construction projects in Oregon and Washington.

Now that Carl has a lumbar spine injury and his career is coming to an end, he has simply put all his energy into his construction business, paving the way for his new life and new path.

Gan Guoyang suddenly understood that people are different, and Karl did not need his comfort.

Even with a serious injury like a torn ACL, Bernard King still has to return to the NBA after more than a year of arduous rehabilitation.

Because Kim is the kind of player with a strong will and a determination to make a name for himself on the court; basketball is everything in his life.

Karl was different. He was talented and achieved something in basketball, but basketball wasn't everything to him, as can be seen from his career.

Of course, Karl wasn't wrong. Most NBA players are like that; basketball is just a part of their lives, or even just a small part.

For many players, their NBA career is just a small part of their life journey. After leaving the NBA, they still have many things to do.

"After retiring this time, I plan to devote all my energy to the construction industry and go solo. I'm starting a company called 'Carl Construction,' and I've already received over 200 resumes. I've also found a location for the company, although it's just a basement. But a construction company isn't a financial company, so it doesn't need a fancy office. I've contacted the housing bureau; they're planning to put out a tender for the construction of a tram line, and I'm going to assemble a construction team to participate in the bidding… Sonny, are you interested in investing? I can change the company name to 'Gan-Carl Construction,' what do you think?"

Kenny Carr's eyes sparkled when he talked about his career as a builder.

Retirement is not the end for him, but the beginning of a brand new life.

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, "I was going to make all sorts of investments anyway. Karl is a reliable and capable person. Why not invest in him?"

Gan Guoyang readily agreed, stating that after investing, the company should be named "Carl-Gan Construction," and that he would only provide the capital, not manage anything, leaving everything to Carl. The two hit it off immediately, and a week later, "Carl-Gan Construction" was officially established in a basement. The company recruited more than 110 employees and quickly began operations.

From then on, Gan Guoyang also had the identity of a contractor.

Although Karl's career was declared over by the team doctor, and he began his career as a contractor, he did not completely withdraw from the team's system.

He can participate in team training normally, but he cannot engage in high-intensity practice. During games, he sits on the sidelines in casual clothes and watches the game, and he also travels with the team to away games.

In Kenny Carr's words, "I want to stand guard until the very end and witness the team win the championship from the sidelines, so that I can retire in peace."

On January 26, the Trail Blazers traveled to Denver, a high-altitude city, for an away game.

After losing Kenny Carr, the Trail Blazers tried to acquire a reliable backup center through trades and free agency signings.

However, the NBA mid-season trade market was not very active at the time because player contracts were too restrictive, and there were few good players available in the free agent market.

Meanwhile, good news came from Bill Walton: his ankle recovery is progressing well, and he is expected to return after the All-Star Game.

With Gan Guoyang firmly opposing the use of Dell Curry and Hornacek as trade bait, the Trail Blazers management ultimately decided to hold off on any moves.

One of the Blazers' original trade targets was the Denver Nuggets, who wanted to trade Wayne Cooper for Hornacek.

For the Nuggets, the luster of the blockbuster trade in 1984 that sent away Vandeweghe to acquire Knight, Cooper, and Leaf is fading.

Cooper's performance declined rapidly. He went from being an excellent center with 13 points and 8 rebounds to an average center with 8 points and 6 rebounds in just two seasons.

Although he remains a starter for the Nuggets, he only plays 22 minutes per game, making him essentially a pseudo-starter.

Calvin Knight, who made it to the All-Star game, has been plagued by injuries, and his performance has plummeted, from 23 points and 7 rebounds in the 85 season to now sitting on the bench watching games.

He only played one game this season, suffering a severe Achilles tendon rupture in the opening game against the Spurs. He subsequently underwent Achilles tendon repair surgery, ending his season.

In the 80s, Achilles tendon rupture was like cruciate ligament tear; once it occurred, an athletic career would almost inevitably decline precipitously.

The collapse of their interior defense has led to a significant drop in the Denver Nuggets' record this season, turning them from a top team in the Western Conference into a team on the verge of making the playoffs.

Of course, Fat Leaf had a breakout season, averaging 18.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2.5 steals per game for a 6-foot-3 guard, with only 2 turnovers per game and an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4, making him one of the league's top all-around guards.

The game, played in Denver, was extremely intense. The Trail Blazers took an early lead, but the Nuggets relentlessly chased the score, with the two teams repeatedly exchanging the lead and going into overtime.

Both teams played with abandon, unleashing a barrage of attacks on offense. Fatliff recorded a triple-double with 36 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.

For the Trail Blazers, Gan Guoyang scored 40 points, Vandeweghe scored 30 points, and Porter dished out 16 assists; both teams racked up impressive stats.

The coaching staff significantly increased Jerome Kossie's playing time. This young man, whose physique and style are very similar to Kenny Carr, has made a good use of the void left by Carr's departure.

In the crucial moments of overtime, Gan Guoyang first made a hook shot, and then Jerome Kersey switched to defend Fat Lever and successfully blocked his layup, helping the Trail Blazers to a 145-142 victory over the Nuggets in overtime.

In this typical regular season encounter, the Trail Blazers were too lazy to go all out on defense and simply went for the offense, because neither of them could beat the other in a back-and-forth battle, and they ended up winning the game in the final moments.

After the game, the players would finish their interviews, take showers, and as usual, go find a place to eat. Gan Guoyang, on the other hand, would usually stay in the hotel, watch TV, and go to bed early.

Kenny Carr pulled Gan Guoyang aside, saying he wanted to take him to discuss a business deal, as he had another good investment project.

Since the establishment of "Carl-Gan Construction" company, thanks to Gan Guoyang's reputation and Kenny Carl's management, they quickly secured projects and started construction.

Gan Guoyang had no idea what good projects Carl had up his sleeve. Was he planning to build a hydroelectric power station in Denver?
Carl introduced Gan Guoyang to Calvin Knight, who was absent from the game due to injury. The two had been teammates in Portland for two seasons and had a good relationship.

After hearing that Carl had started a construction company, Knight, who had suffered a major career setback, also began to look for a way out, thinking about starting a new career in Denver or Portland.

When Gan Guoyang heard Knight's track selection, he was taken aback and thought to himself, "The track you chose is indeed very unpopular, with not many competitors!"
Knight said he wanted to open a funeral home.

(End of this chapter)