The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 453 King of Power
When Gilmore received the number one draft pick in San Antonio, he knew he couldn't escape being traded.

The Spurs will definitely draft David Robinson, even if he has to serve two years of military service; the management will not let go of such talent.

In order to build a new team, it is natural to send away old core players like Gilmore.

After communicating with management, Gilmore expressed his desire to return to the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls were the first NBA team he joined after the ABA disbanded, so returning to the Bulls can be seen as a fitting end to his career, a homecoming.

Many star players who switch teams have this habit of returning to their original team to end their basketball careers as they approach the end of their careers.

After all, the feelings for the first team are different. Even if there are many twists and turns in the middle, the wanderer still wants to return to his hometown and be buried in his native soil.

The Spurs had agreed to Gilmore's offer to make a trade with the Bulls during the draft, and Bob Bass had already discussed it with Krause.

George Gervin was previously traded to the Bulls by Bass, and the two teams established a good relationship and partnership. The Bulls were willing to be the Spurs' recycling center.

Then, just before the trade, Stu Inman called the Spurs' office and said that the Portlanders could offer better assets than the Bulls.

Bass then suspended the trade. Since someone wanted to snatch Gilmore, as the Spurs' general manager, he certainly wanted to maximize his own interests.

Krause insisted on only offering a second-round pick from 1988, while the Trail Blazers contacted Buss and were willing to give up a first-round pick from 1988.

For the Trail Blazers, who are aiming for the championship, the first-round picks in the last two years have not been very useful. Finding a suitable backup for Gan Guoyang is the most important thing.

Although the Trail Blazers are the Spurs' divisional rivals, the Spurs have been tanking for the past two years and had no ambition to improve their record before David Robinson arrived.

Bass thought that by the time Robinson played for the Spurs, Gilmore would have retired, and it would be much more beneficial for the Spurs to acquire a first-round pick for their rebuild.

So even though Gilmore personally expressed his desire to return to the Bulls, Bob Buss still traded him to the Trail Blazers, which made Gilmore somewhat dissatisfied.

The feud between him and the Trail Blazers, if not a blood feud, was certainly quite deep.

He was beaten by Maurice Lucas in the ABA, eliminated in the playoffs in the NBA, and even got tackled by Forrest Gump at an advanced age.

Although Gilmore had already come to terms with it and had a good relationship with Forrest Gump, there was still a psychological hurdle to overcome in getting him to play for the Trail Blazers.

To reassure Gilmore about playing for the Trail Blazers, Buckwalt personally called Gilmore and told him:

“You will get a championship ring in Portland, and you will be an important member of the championship team.”

Gilmore's only team honor was the 1975 ABA championship.

However, the ABA has disappeared and is no more; everything about this league, including the championship, is being forgotten.

Dr. J, Kyrie Irving, was a legend in the ABA, winning two championships and practically single-handedly supporting the league.

However, after retiring last season, people remember his great achievements with the Philadelphia 76ers and the 1983 championship.

After arriving in the NBA, Gilmore never even touched the Finals, let alone won a championship.

The closest he came to the NBA Finals was in 1983, when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

He was really disappointed that year. If the Spurs had made it to the Finals and faced the Philadelphia 76ers, it would have been a huge ABA star reunion.

Both teams' key players, Gilmore, George Gervin, Julius Erving, and Moses Malone, are all former ABA stars.

If they succeed, it will be an opportunity for ABA stars to prove themselves; they are truly talented and gifted.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs." Since then, the Spurs and Gilmore have declined together. Now he is 37 years old and will turn 38 next year. His era is coming to an end.

For a veteran, the temptation of winning an NBA championship ring at the end of their career is immense.

However, a promise of just one championship wasn't enough, and Gilmore still had some reservations.

Soon after, Gilmore received another call from Gan Guoyang in New York. Gan Guoyang warmly welcomed Gilmore, saying, "Let's crush Kareem Abdul-Jabbar together in the West!"

That's why Gan Guoyang is considered a psychology master; the allure of the championship is naturally great. But this carrot is somewhat illusory, since winning the championship isn't easy.

The 37-year-old Gilmore knows best how many hardships and obstacles he will face along the way, not to mention that the Trail Blazers are aiming for a three-peat, making it even more difficult.

However, "killing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar" is much more concrete than winning the NBA championship. It's not as far-fetched as the championship and can be achieved during the regular season.

Gilmore thought about how he had always been compared to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar since he entered the league, and how he had always been inferior to him.

Now that both of them are in their twilight years, the feeling of competing against each other in high-level games and advancing by defeating Kareem Abdul-Jabbar seems even more exciting than winning the championship!

Gan Guoyang's words truly persuaded Gilmore, who decided to play for the Portland Trail Blazers, become a part of the team, and contribute to their three-peat.

In mid-July, Gilmore arrived in Portland, where Buckwalt and Larry Weinberg hosted a private signing ceremony and press conference for him.

Gan Guoyang finished his training in New York and returned to Portland to attend the press conference, showing his respect as the team leader for the veteran.

Gan Guoyang's arrival made Gilmore feel respected, and he was also very satisfied with the environment in Portland. The team arranged a villa for him in Oswick Lake Hill Park.

The scenery here is beautiful, the air is fresh, and it's very close to the training facility. Gan Guoyang even provided Gilmore with a Ram scooter, sponsored by a car dealership in Portland. This made Gilmore both grateful and immensely pressured.

After the signing ceremony, he frankly told Gan Guoyang, "Gan, to be honest, I don't have much gas left in my tank."

In the 1986 season, Gilmore had a brief resurgence and was selected as an All-Star, but by the 1987 season, his career had begun to decline across the board.

His scoring average dropped to a career low of 11.4 points, his rebounding average dropped to a career low of 7.1, and other important statistics such as blocks, steals, and playing time also reached career lows.

This indicates that Gilmore has officially entered the twilight of his career. Once professional athletes enter the twilight, their performance declines rapidly, and they may even experience a "sudden death."

Bill Walton, for example, was still in good form in 1986, but by the 1987 season he was past his prime, and it was considered good if he could contribute one or two good plays per game.

Gilmore is older than Walton, and he worries that Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers have too high expectations of him, and he will feel bad if he can't deliver a satisfactory performance.

Gan Guoyang said, "Fate is in your own hands. As long as you are healthy, you can find a better state."

"I'm very healthy, but..."

Gilmore played every game last season, completing all 82 games, which is quite an achievement for a veteran.

"As long as you're healthy, are you interested in doing strength training with me? I'm planning to gain weight this summer and build up my muscles. Fitness can make you look younger; look at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, maybe you should give it a try."

Gilmore gets all excited when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is mentioned.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gained over ten pounds in the summer of '86, which was incredible for a 40-year-old veteran.

Those extra pounds he had weren't fat, but real muscle, earned through countless hours of hard work and sweat in the gym.

Gan Guoyang has always been as strong as a beast in the league, and his strength has amazed even Gilmore, the former King of Strength.

He didn't expect that Gan Guoyang would want to gain weight and further strengthen his power.

"This league is changing very quickly. Everyone is getting stronger and faster. To win the championship, you have to maintain an absolute advantage. Strength is the foundation of my survival and the foundation of my inside game. Of course, I have to keep working hard."

Gilmore was a player from the 70s, an era when players rarely went to the gym for strength training.

Even with training, it's not scientific or systematic enough, and training too much can easily lead to injury.

People like Gilmore are born with superhuman strength, but as they age, their muscles show signs of degeneration and aging, losing the elasticity they had in their youth.

Gan Guoyang shared the importance of scientific strength training with Gilmore, telling him that he had been undergoing systematic strength training since high school, and that his talent had led to his current performance.

Under Gan Guoyang's persuasion and encouragement, Gilmore signed a contract and began rigorous strength training with Gan Guoyang in Portland.

Gan Guoyang specially hired Mike Clark, a strength trainer from the University of Oregon, to be their personal trainer.

Mike Clark is not a professional basketball coach, but rather a member of the University of Oregon football team.

Clark trained Gan Guoyang and Gilmore according to the standards of rugby players.

He didn't limit his training to the gym, but instead set up his training sessions outdoors.

Clark cut out Gan Guoyang's daily morning run, replacing it with a variety of aerobic exercises such as cycling, swimming, and soccer, combined with jogging.

These exercises stimulate Gan Guoyang's muscles and motor nerves more effectively than monotonous running.

In terms of strength training, in addition to basic equipment, Clark also led the two in various forms of exercise such as lifting logs, bouldering, and rock climbing.

The goal is to stimulate more muscle groups and enhance the coordination between them, especially to stimulate some deep muscles and muscles around joints.

Professional coaches like Clark have a deep understanding of human anatomy and employ a variety of training methods, enabling someone like Gan Guoyang, who has already reached the pinnacle of strength, to achieve further improvement.

Gilmore had never received such professional, scientific, and systematic strength training throughout his career.

Although the process was painful, Gilmore felt changes in his body within just one month.

Gan Guoyang will continue this training regimen until the start of the new season, ensuring at least two training sessions per week.

After training with Gan Guoyang, Gilmore realized just how hard-working and dedicated this young man was.

No wonder he achieved such amazing success; besides his talent, his extraordinary hard work was the key to his rise to the top.

On two occasions, Gilmore couldn't take it anymore and asked the coach for leave because the training was too hard and tiring.

Gan Guoyang persevered regardless of the weather, and his training volume was even greater than Gilmore's; after strength training, he would still practice shooting.

Until early August, the day before training, Gan Guoyang said to Gilmore, "Sorry, Addis, I need to take the day off today."

Gilmore said, "Woh! Sonny, you've finally reached your limit and are taking a break, huh?"

Gan Guoyang said, "It's not that I can't handle it, I just need to take leave to go back to San Francisco to get married. You're welcome to come and support Adidas."

(End of this chapter)