The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 494 Patch
The labor negotiations progressed quite smoothly, and a result was reached before the playoffs began.

Both sides wanted to avoid disrupting the normal operation of the NBA playoffs and reach an agreement as soon as possible so that the players could focus on playing well.

Many players whose contracts are expiring rely on outstanding performances in the playoffs to raise the value of their new contracts.

If the collective bargaining agreement remains uncertain, the players will be on edge.

Now things are much better; not only has a new agreement been reached, but transfer restrictions have also been lifted.

Once their contracts expire, players are free to transfer without being held back by their parent club and unable to accept offers from other teams.

This gave many people a huge incentive to perform well in the playoffs.

This also gave the team a strong sense of crisis, making it even more difficult to retain their star players.

After the new agreement was reached, the Trail Blazers' management was anxious to start contract extension negotiations with Gan Guoyang and Drexler, hoping to extend their contracts before the playoffs begin and reassure Portland fans.

However, both Gan Guoyang and Drexler rejected the management's contract renewal offer, stating that they would discuss contract matters during the offseason after this season.

The fact that neither of the team's two key players is willing to extend their contracts early has left Portland fans feeling uneasy. Will they lose their two core players after the new collective bargaining agreement is signed?

If that were really the case, it would be ridiculous. So in March and April, fans kept writing to Gan Guoyang, hoping that he could stay in Portland.

Gan Guoyang had no idea what Drexler was thinking. After Drexler got a new girlfriend, he was busy dating and dealing with his daughter's lawsuit, and the two rarely communicated in private.

Gan Guoyang did not renew his contract early because he was waiting for Larry Fleischer to officially retire, not because he did not want to stay in Portland.

After reaching an agreement, Fleischer announced his retirement to the media, stating that he would retire in June, at the end of the 1988 season.

Before that, Fleischer had to do his last job, find a successor, and arrange all the union's affairs before he could free up his hands to seek the most suitable contract for Gan Guoyang in accordance with the new labor agreement.

Fleischer's decision to leave the union caused quite a stir in the American sports world.

This man, who made significant contributions to the professionalization of American sports, relinquished his power at the height of his career to dedicate himself to being an agent, which is truly admirable.

While we admire him, his departure undoubtedly casts an unknown shadow over the future development of the union.

First, Fleischer and the unions ran into trouble over the issue of succession.

Since 1968, the union has adopted a dual-headed system, with one union president among the players and one person in charge on the union board of directors, who can be called an advisor or president.

The union chairman represents the collective will of the players, while the person in charge is responsible for controlling the overall direction, solving various professional problems, and making the final decision.

The union president can be elected from among the players; he is the representative of the people and the face of the players, and in reality, he doesn't need to make too many decisions.

The person in charge is different; they need to communicate and dialogue directly with investors, and they are the real minds.

At present, it seems that no one is capable of doing Fleischer's job.

Shortly after the agreement was reached, union legal counsel Jim Quinn stormed into Fleischer's office and said angrily, "Larry, you've been secretly interviewing candidates since January, haven't you?"

Fleischer was reviewing the regular season game summary. The Trail Blazers had just defeated the Boston Celtics, achieving a 10-game winning streak. However, the newspaper still pointed out that the delay in renewing contracts between Forrest Gump and Drexler was causing anxiety among Portland fans.

Putting down the newspaper, Fleischer took off his glasses and wiped them, saying, "Yes, I started preparing last year to retire from the union and focus on my work as a broker."

"If you made the decision so early, you should have told me instead of launching a surprise attack at the All-Star game meeting. You said back then that it might last two, three, or five years, and now you're saying in the media that you'll retire in June. And now I know that you were already considering retiring in January!"

Quinn and Fleischer were longtime colleagues and close friends, and Quinn was furious that Fleischer had started preparing for such a significant decision long ago without consulting him. "Relax," Quinn said, "I don't want to disrupt your work. Besides, the agreement is already reached; what's the point of me clinging to the CEO position?"

"An agreement has been reached, but a lot of work has only just begun. You started looking for a successor in January, have you made any progress yet?"

Fleischer shook his head and said, "No, I've interviewed a lot of people. I really want to find a Black person to be the next union leader. Right now, the NBA is dominated by Black players. If there is a Black leader, he will know better how to communicate with the players and understand their needs."

"Larry, you're being too idealistic. You can't just suddenly promote a Black person to head the union. Let me tell you, after you retire, the position of union head will most likely go to Grantham! And he happens to be Black. But do you think Grantham is up to the task?"

Charlie Grantham, the union's executive vice president, is nominally the union's second-in-command after Fleischer, and he also played an important role in the negotiations, serving as a key figure in liaising with the players.

Grantham previously served as the director of admissions at Wharton School of Business. He began working part-time in the union in the late 70s and later joined the union full-time as the director of administration and marketing.

Grantham is ambitious, intelligent, and his skin color makes it easier for him to interact with Black players.

As the union's number two, he had always wanted to replace Fleischer.

"Grantham has wanted to replace you for a long time, but look at his job. He spends most of his time trying to please the players and socializing with them. He is eloquent and a good speaker, but he has always lacked profound insight into complex and serious legal issues. He cannot make accurate judgments, and he lacks a firm will, which is the most crucial point."

Quinn did not trust Grantham, but his assessment of Grantham was accurate and incisive.

Fleischer put on his glasses and said, “You’re right, Jim. I was careless about this. I thought I could find a suitable replacement, but I underestimated Grantham’s qualifications and his prestige among the players. Even if I had chosen a successor who met all the requirements, Grantham wouldn’t have let him take the position of union leader.”

Fleischer was indeed careless. Although he and Quinn thought Grantham was not suitable for the position of union leader, Grantham himself did not think so, nor did the players who supported him.

He had cultivated relationships with the union for many years, had extensive connections, and had a very good relationship with the players.

After Fleischer's retirement, the union leaders held an election, and Grantham was determined to win. No matter what candidate Fleischer fielded, they would not be able to defeat Grantham.

In this respect, Fleischer is not as good as his old rival David Stern.

If David Stern were to step down, he would make clear arrangements for his successor and start grooming him early on, rather than letting the second-in-command rise to power based on prestige.

Fleischer starting to look for and interview successors in January was far too late.

Quinn hurriedly said, "In that case, why don't you just not retire? Wait another two years until you've trained a new candidate before you retire."

Fleischer waved his hand and said, "How can you take back what you've said? What kind of person would that be? A power-hungry opportunist?"

"If Grantham is in charge, the NBA will definitely run into big trouble in the future."

“I know, that’s why I told you before. I’ve left you a successor to the union chairmanship with an iron will. If there are problems in the union negotiations, you should put him in charge and let him take control of the negotiations and the discourse. At that time, it doesn’t matter whether it’s Grantham or you who are in charge.”

Upon hearing Fleischer's words, Quinn realized that Fleischer had been patching the problem long ago.

He promoted Gan Guoyang to the position of vice chairman of the union so that one day Gan could engage in a tough dialogue with the alliance as the union chairman.

He had already made arrangements.

After saying this, Fleischer stretched and said, "I can't wait for June to come so I can step down from my position as manager and start my full-time agent career. I'm going to Eastern Europe, to the other side of the Iron Curtain, to bring outstanding players like Sabonis and Petrovic to the United States! To make the NBA a truly global league!"

"Also, while Grantham may lack insight into negotiation, he is an excellent communicator. You can't just focus on negotiation and legal issues; you need to broaden your horizons, Jim."

"Okay, I understand, Larry."

(End of this chapter)