The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 524 The final puzzle
June 1989

Oakland, California.

I had two terrible seasons in Oakland, and after the regular season ended in April 1989, I had a feeling that my time here wouldn't be long.

I've given a lot as head coach, and my family has made great sacrifices. The Golden State Warriors are a team full of talent and skill. I get along well with players like Mullin and Richmond. They like my coaching style, that light, fast-paced style of play, and we've reached a consensus.

However, the Warriors' record was not satisfactory. In the 1989 season, we failed to make the playoffs. Our defense was always a problem. We lacked interior support and could only play nice games by relying on the offensive energy of our perimeter players, but we could not win games.

The Warriors' new owners seemed to lack patience, and in the summer of 1987, they ended their partnership with George Karl after negotiations stalled.

Actually, Karl led the team quite well in the 1987 season; they made it to the playoffs and had a very intense series against the Trail Blazers.

The series against the Trail Blazers may have spurred Jim Fitzgerald, who, having just come from the Bucks to take charge of the Warriors, was eager to achieve impressive results.

They found me shortly afterward. I was hesitant, but Ramsey and Bobby Bellman both encouraged me to give it a try.

Although the NBA is highly competitive, coaches help each other off the court. People like Dick Motta, Phil Johnson, Roland Todd, Scott Robertson, and Alex Hannum all provided me with knowledge and support on my path to becoming a coach, and I am always grateful to them.

After discussing it with my family, I accepted the Warriors' offer, and I look forward to taking on some challenges as head coach.

This decision proved to be somewhat hasty. I failed to achieve my coaching goals with the Warriors. We lacked a big man with sufficient influence, which often made it difficult for us in games.

Especially when you get used to having a player like Forrest Gump on your team, you'll go crazy coaching a team without him.

During my three seasons in Portland, I witnessed Forrest Gump's impact and transformation on the entire team. It wasn't until I left, without him, that I realized how excellent and important he was.

His influence is all-encompassing, both on and off the court. In some games in Portland, you don't even need to coach; he'll handle most of the problems.

It's different with the Warriors; many issues need to be raised repeatedly, and then the issues keep recurring.

Joe Barry Carroll is very talented and has put on some amazing performances in some games, but these are happening less and less often, and he needs motivation.

When Ralph Sampson joined the Warriors, he was no longer the best player in the nation. Knee injuries had ruined him, and it was already remarkable that he could even stand on the court.

My tactical approach also had some problems. The players tried their best to execute it, and we were able to launch some beautiful attacks, but we couldn't win because we lacked defense.

After the regular season ended, I had a new round of contract negotiations with the Warriors. We had previously signed a three-year contract, and the Warriors could decide whether to terminate the contract in the third year based on the actual situation.

Fitzgerald called me into his office and told me that the team had decided not to exercise the final year of my contract. He thanked me for my two seasons with the Warriors.

George Karl's fate has been repeated in my own life, and I imagine he must be smirking in Real Madrid when he finds out.

However, the difference between him and me is that after losing his job, George Karl could only temporarily go to the CBA (Continental Basketball Association) to coach in the Spanish league.

But I know that Portland is still my home, and I can go home.

—Excerpt from Adelman's "The Long Hot Winter," published in 1991.

Jerry West considered many candidates when selecting assistant coaches. He has extensive connections in the league and has worked with many players and coaches.

But finding a coach who works well with Bobby Bellman is not easy.

After arriving in Portland, Petrovic and Divac were settled in the rookie's detached apartment.

West lives in the Oswick Lake Hill Park community—where Kiki van der Werner and Drexler once lived.

Bobby Bellman also lives there; he bought a house and lives alone, not far from where West lives.

Every morning, Bobby Bellman would start his triathlon training, which included swimming, cycling, and running, until noon.

This was a habit that Bellman developed while working with Coach Jack Ramsey, which West greatly admired. He knew that an NBA head coach must have a body of steel to withstand the immense pressure of the job.

During the 1988-1989 season, Bobby Bellman almost single-handedly took on all the coaching duties.

As he himself said, he has dedicated everything to basketball, married basketball, and there is nothing else in his life.

West will chat with Bellman in the afternoon, watch game footage, and exchange ideas about basketball.

By the way, Bellman would show West around Portland, and sometimes they would bring Petrovic and Divac along.

Through repeated interactions, West discovered that Bellman was a very unique coach whose coaching philosophy was completely different from most NBA coaches.

Bellman highly values ​​data, efficiency, and the results of long-term data statistics.

He wasn't particularly interested in specific tactical routines, believing that these were things a professional player should master during their college years.

In professional leagues, coaches should build a team from a higher perspective, rather than wasting time on refining tactics.

"But strategies and pre-match preparation are essential, and you must have learned a lot about that from Dr. Jack," West said.

Jack Ramsey has always been one of the most tactically prepared and detailed coaches in the league.

Bellman nodded and said, "Yes, I don't have Dr. Jack's extensive knowledge and on-the-spot command ability, otherwise we wouldn't have lost the Western Conference Finals."

Last season, even without Drexler, the Trail Blazers didn't decline much and remained very competitive.

Berman's overall planning was absolutely crucial, but his data-driven style made it difficult for many coaches to understand his thinking, and naturally, they couldn't work with him effectively.

West had considered that if he couldn't find a suitable assistant coach, he would step in himself and help Bellman, just like he did with Riley in 1982.

However, after communicating for a while, West realized he couldn't do it; it was his first time encountering a style like Bellman's.

West asked Bellman why he, a graduate of a traditional university and a protégé of Coach Teague Phelps, had gone down a "wrong path".

Bellman smiled and said there were two reasons. One was that he realized the power of data through gambling; as long as the sample size is large enough, high-probability events will eventually pay off.

One reason is because of Forrest Gump.

"If you've ever coached Forrest Gump, you'll know that he can help you solve most of the minor issues, allowing you to think about higher things. Or rather, he forces you to do what the brain should do, to do strategic planning, because he has solved the problems below. Of course, you can do nothing and he can still lead the team to victory."

This wasn't the first time West had heard this argument; similar views had been expressed by Buckwalt and Glickman before.

West's curiosity grew even stronger. What kind of player was Forrest Gump? Could it be that his four years of studying him had only revealed the tip of the iceberg, with a much larger part hidden beneath the surface?

West wasn't entirely convinced, as he himself was a former player and a historically great superstar with exceptional talent.

He understands the importance of coaches to players. Both on and off the field, even the best players cannot do without the guidance of coaches; this is an individual limitation.

There will always be things you can't see yourself and need others to point them out.

Furthermore, a player's form is not constant and can fluctuate throughout a long season due to many factors.

Without external supervision and guidance, a player might be like someone walking blindfolded, thinking they are walking in a straight line. But once the blindfold is removed, they will find that they have long since gone astray and may even end up back where they started.

Seeing West's disbelieving look, Berman just smiled and said, "Sonny himself often says that the team owes him an assistant coach's salary. There are many jobs he can do for extra money, including head coach and general manager. The only one in the league who can rival him in this respect is Larry Bird. But Bird's physique is far less robust than Forrest Gump's, which is Forrest Gump's biggest advantage."

After much discussion, West realized that it was indeed difficult to find a suitable assistant coach for Berman, and Berman himself had no intention of developing an assistant coach. He was used to doing many things himself, and he was a workaholic anyway.

West had considered bringing Dr. Jack back as an advisor, as no one could match his work in tactical preparation and detail.

Unfortunately, Ramsey has been hired by the South Florida Sunshine Sports Network TV platform to do sports commentary, mainly for the Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers game.

The Heat seem determined to hollow out the Trail Blazers, poaching the manager, the operations manager, the second-best player, and now the coach.

Riley seems determined to replicate the Trail Blazers' success in Florida and then seek revenge against them.

With Jack Ramsey unavailable, West turned his attention to college, but still struggled to find an assistant coach who matched the team's needs.

When West learned that Rick Adelman had terminated his contract with the Golden State Warriors, he immediately thought that perhaps Adelman could return to serve as Bellman's assistant coach.

But when West told Bellman this, Bellman was stumped.

Back when he was with the Trail Blazers, Adelman was the first assistant coach and Berman was the second assistant coach.

Now, it's unlikely that Adelman would agree to step down as head coach and assist Berman.

So people strive for higher positions, and water flows downhill. Adelman has already tasted the power of a head coach, so how could he possibly be willing to become an assistant coach, especially the assistant to his former underling?

West said it didn't matter, as Phil Johnson had just re-signed with the Utah Jazz a few days ago.

He worked as an assistant coach for the Jazz in his early years, then served as head coach for the Kings for a few years, and is now back with the Jazz as an assistant coach.

Moreover, the Jazz's head coach is no longer the highly respected Frank Lyden, but has become the rookie coach Jerry Sloan.

Phil Johnson was still willing to set aside his pride and be Sloan's assistant.

At West's urging, Bellman said he could resume working with Adelman if he was willing.

West immediately called Adelman to ask if he was interested in returning to Portland to coach.

Adelman sounded hesitant on the phone, knowing that Bellman's position with the Trail Blazers was very secure.

He still hopes to get a head coach job to prove himself.

However, the temptation to return to Portland is indeed great; his family still lives there, as it is his home.

Afterwards, West brought in Buckwalt and Glickman to persuade Adelman.

Finally, Bellman called Adelman and said, "Portland needs you. We have a lot of new players joining us, and they are all very talented. They need your guidance and leadership. Rick, we are a good team, aren't we?"

Bellman's phone call finally persuaded Adelman, who said on the phone, "I miss Portland, I miss Memorial Stadium, I miss Forrest Gump."

Therefore, Adelman decided to return to Portland and contribute to the Trail Blazers' resurgence.
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On July 6, the Portland Trail Blazers officially announced that Rick Adelman has returned to the team as an assistant coach.

Tang Jianguo specially held a signing ceremony and welcome event for Adelman, while the signing ceremonies for Petrovic, Divac, Clive Robinson, and Mike Sanders also took place at the same event.

Reporters asked General Manager West curiously, "Why hasn't Sabonis come to the United States to sign the contract? Is it because Forrest Gump is wearing his favorite number 11 jersey, so he doesn't want to come?"

The reporters at the scene burst into laughter, but this was a serious issue.

Larry Fleischer resolved all of Sabonis's contractual and procedural issues before his death.

The only difficulty now lies not in his former team, nor in the Cold War barrier between the US and the Soviet Union, but in Sabonis's personal wishes.

He won a gold medal at the 1988 Olympics, but that was while injured, and his injury may be more serious now.

West contacted Sabonis, whose English wasn't very good, making communication on the phone somewhat difficult. West tried his best to convey the Trail Blazers' expectations for him, hoping he could come to the United States to play this year and team up with Forrest Gump.

However, Sabonis mentioned, "You guys have Divac."

Clearly, the Trail Blazers' selection of Divac caused Sabonis some misunderstanding.

He certainly knew Divac; they had faced each other many times in Europe and competed for gold medals at the Olympics.

The Trail Blazers not only drafted Divac, but also added his Yugoslavian teammate Petrovic to the roster.

This made Sabonis hesitate, wondering whether he should go to Portland and whether the team environment was still suitable for him.

He has received a contract offer from Valladolid, a Spanish club, to play in the Spanish league.

West really wanted to tell Sabonis that he had drafted Divac with the intention of making a trade, but the trade didn't go through.

But these things are hard to explain. Divac has already signed a contract to stay in Portland, and that's an unchangeable fact.

West thought to himself that if he had become the Trail Blazers' general manager earlier, he should have secured Sabonis' contract first.

Back then, communication was not advanced enough, and it was not easy to contact someone across the ocean. This was due to limitations not only in communication tools but also in language.

West pleaded with Sabonis over the phone, hoping he would reconsider and not sign with another club. He said the Trail Blazers would send someone to Lithuania to explain the situation to Sabonis in person.

Sabonis agreed, putting Baladod's contract on hold while awaiting news from the Trail Blazers.

Sabonis was actually very worried about his Achilles tendon and whether he could make a name for himself in the NBA. If he couldn't, he didn't want to go to the United States and be humiliated.

Sabonis's encounter with Gan Guoyang at the 1988 Seoul Olympics had both positive and negative effects on him.

On the positive side, it would be wonderful to be teammates with such excellent and interesting players.

Sabonis has watched Gan Guoyang's game videos and also watched Gan Guoyang play in person.

His stunning playing style amazed Sabonis, and the two complemented each other very well.

High-low post, double low post, double high post – any tactical combination can be executed by either player, and either player can be in the high post or the low post.

With such a perfect combination, how could Sabonis not be tempted? Moreover, as a Chinese man, Forrest Gump's legendary experience inspires every overseas player who dreams of playing in the NBA, providing them with endless motivation.

On the negative side, he discovered in a real one-on-one fight that he couldn't beat Forrest Gump.

Not only can they not beat them, but there is also a huge gap in the details, which cannot be seen just by watching the game.

Sabonis understood that this man was two to three levels above him in terms of strength, skill, and touch.

This is unimaginable for Sabonis, who has been a prodigy since he first started playing basketball.

Even though he was outmatched by David Robinson in the 1988 Olympic final, he knew that Robinson was simply better physically than him.

In terms of basketball IQ and control of the game, Sabonis was confident that he was superior to Robinson, and in the end, they defeated the invincible American team.

But Sabonis lacked that confidence when facing Forrest Gump.

This guy is only 6 feet 10 inches tall, a rather short center.

But he possesses astonishing strength, an incredible array of skills, and mastery of every detail in both offense and defense.

Although they only had some one-on-one duels, based on the match footage, Sabonis knew that there was a big gap between him and Sabonis.

This is why, in the season following the Olympics, as Sabonis' injury worsened, his body struggled to return to its peak condition before the Achilles tendon rupture.

Sabonis began to hesitate.

His hesitation may have caused him to miss the opportunity to play in the United States, and this is not the first time he has missed it.

In 1985, the Hawks drafted Sabonis, but the draft was canceled due to Sabonis' age.

In 1986, Dale Brown, the eccentric coach of Louisiana State University, wrote a letter to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, hoping that the leader would come to the United States for a basketball visit so that he would bring Sabonis with him.

Then they tried to keep Sabonis in the US to play for Louisiana State University to make up for the team's sudden loss of their sophomore center, John Williams.

At the time, most college players played until their senior year, and John Williams' sudden entry into the draft caused the school to miss the opportunity to recruit new students. Dale Brown had to find another way to recruit Sabonis.

He wrote to Gorbachev and Reagan, and finally he found a wealthy American businessman named Hammer who had been doing business in the Soviet Union for a long time, hoping that he could lobby the Soviets to agree to let Sabonis play in the United States.

As a result, before the plan could be carried out, 88-year-old Hammer fell ill and was unable to go, so the trip had to be cancelled.

But Brown was a stubborn coach, and he managed to contact a Lithuanian-American journalist who had met Sabonis at a charity match in 82.

She was persuaded by Brown to go to Spain, find the Soviet national team, and try to get in touch with Sabonis to ask him if he would be willing to play in the United States.

Because of the lack of information, Sabonis had no idea that he had been selected and then dropped in the United States, and that a coach was trying to get him to play.

Sabonis said he wanted to leave, but he couldn't just leave; he was a player nurtured by the nation.

The reporter even suggested that Sabonis defect, but Sabonis, of course, refused; he would never defect.

If he wants to play basketball in the United States, he must stay in the United States openly and legally to play basketball.

After that, the reporter and Brown lost contact with Sabonis.

Undeterred by this situation, Brown tried every means to organize an international youth basketball exchange event for the Reagan administration, hoping to meet with Soviet officials and then ask them for help, hoping to meet with Sabonis and invite him to play in the United States.

This was Brown's last effort, and the Soviet men's basketball team ultimately stated that Sabonis needed to prepare for the 88 Seoul Olympics and would not leave the national team to play in the United States.

The two incomplete Olympic Games in 80 and 84 meant that the United States was absent from the world's highest basketball stage once, and the Soviet Union was absent the other time.

In 88, both the United States and the Soviet Union would be competing, making the basketball tournament of this Olympics extremely prestigious. The Soviet Union was absolutely unwilling to release its players.

Given Sabonis' Achilles tendon injury, he will definitely not be allowed to compete in the United States to prevent the injury from worsening.

Finally, with the intervention of both governments, Dale Brown was asked to stop its endless recruitment activities.

Brown, who had been on a rampage, backed down, but he didn't expect the Trail Blazers to so casually pick Sabonis in the draft.

The Trail Blazers can then leverage the NBA's enormous global influence to entice Sabonis to come to the United States to play.

That's the power of the NBA draft. It doesn't persuade you to come play here; it attracts you so that you want to come play here yourself.

Despite his hesitation, Sabonis still longed to come to Portland, especially after meeting Gan Guoyang at the 1988 Olympics, which was like a thorn stuck in his heart, keeping him tossing and turning at night.

He knew that if he didn't go to Portland and work well with Forrest Gump for a season, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers weren't idle; they were simply waiting for Sabonis to come to Portland after he had thought things through and called to say he wanted to come.

As Tang Jianguo said, there are some people you don't need to persuade, they will make their own choices, but you need to help them see the environment and situation clearly.

Tang Jianguo knew the significance of Sabonis coming to the United States to play. He didn't care about the "socialist army" thing; what he wanted was attention and public opinion.

Coincidentally, Tang Jianguo had a deep connection with the Soviet Union. Brown shouldn't have gone to Hammer; he should have sought Tang Jianguo's help instead.

In 1986, Tang Jianguo had a cordial meeting with the Soviet ambassador to the United States in the building named after himself, and they had breakfast together.

In 1987, Moscow specially invited Tang Jianguo to visit the Soviet Union. He went there in July to conduct a thorough inspection and planned to build a hotel in Moscow.

This public travel itinerary led to Tang Jianguo being suspected of being a KGB spy many years later.

Based on his familiarity with the Soviet Union, and on West's advice, Tang Jianguo specially assembled a lobbying team.

Led by Tang Jianguo himself, a team including Buckwalt, Bill Walton, Bellman, and Adelman went to the Soviet Union to conduct youth basketball coaching activities.

They set up a week-long training camp, teaching American basketball training methods while also taking time to meet with Sabonis.

The task of meeting with Sabonis was assigned to Bill Walton.

Walton had met Sabonis in the early 80s and was amazed by his talent at the European Championship.

Walton later recalled that Sabonis had a quadruple-double in the first half, and in the second half the coach simply didn't let him start, and he rested on the bench.

Sabonis was only 19 years old that year, and Gan Guoyang was serving as a substitute player at Gonzaga University.

Walton successfully met with Sabonis, and after exchanging pleasantries, Walton did not launch into a lengthy attempt to persuade Sabonis.

He took out a videotape, found a VCR, and invited Sabonis to sit down and watch it together.

The videotape turned out to be a training video recorded by Gan Guoyang.

In the video, Gan Guoyang, with Walton's assistance, explained in detail the Trail Blazers' half-court offense strategies and characteristics.

They recreated those exquisite high-low post plays from the 1986 season, which are all things Sabonis excels at.

At the end of the video, Gan Guoyang said to the camera, "We have the potential to build the greatest and most unique team in NBA history. Don't you want to be a part of it, Arvidas?"

Bill Walton's arrival, along with Gan Guoyang's video, made Sabonis feel the sincerity.

At that moment, he knew he could no longer hesitate; he had to accept the challenge like a warrior.

On July 15, 1989, Sabonis arrived in Portland and officially signed with the Trail Blazers.

Since Gan Guoyang had already taken the number 11 jersey for the Trail Blazers, Sabonis chose the number 15 jersey.

After the signing ceremony, Jerry West breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally completed the Trail Blazers' new season roster in the shortest possible time, and the last piece of the puzzle was finally in place.

Tang Jianguo was beaming with pride. He was very satisfied with the Trail Blazers' recent additions of strong reinforcements and was full of confidence for the new season.

He couldn't wait to shout "Trail Blazers are the champions!"

However, after conducting physical examinations on players such as Sabonis and Petrovic, the team doctor's health report indicated that the overseas players needed to resolve their health issues before they could truly perform at their best.

Jerry West's relaxed brows furrowed again.

(End of this chapter)