The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 530 Positioning
In the 1989-1990 season, after two consecutive years of expansion, the number of teams in the NBA increased from 23 to 27.

The four cities where the Heat, Hornets, Timberwolves, and Magic are located are all geographically located in the eastern part of the country.

The Hornets, Heat, and Magic are particularly strong on the East Coast, while the Timberwolves are in a slightly better position in the Central region.

It would be inappropriate to immediately assign all these teams to the Eastern Conference based on their geographical location.

The league then decided to rotate the four teams between the four divisions in the East and West.

In the 88-89 season, the Miami Heat, located in the southeastern corner of the United States, were assigned to the Midwest Division of the Western Conference.

They played four games against the Trail Blazers in one season and didn't win a single one, getting thrashed in every game.

Although Drexler received applause and a ring upon returning to his home stadium, he was mentally exhausted after being beaten four times by his former team in one season.

This season, the Heat have finally returned to the Eastern Conference, and it's the Hornets' turn to suffer in the Midwest.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were also assigned to the Western Conference, while the Magic are currently in the Eastern Conference and will be assigned to the Western Conference next season.

David Stern explained that the purpose of this was to allow fans in the cities where the new teams join to have a more comprehensive view of the league's star players at home over the course of two or three seasons.

For example, if the Heat had started in the Eastern Conference, Miami fans would have only been able to watch Gan Guoyang play once at home during the first season.

Moving the Heat to the Western Conference means that Heat fans got to see two games featuring Gan Guoyang and two games featuring the Lakers at home last season, and this season they'll get to see two games featuring Jordan and two games featuring the Celtics at home. This is beneficial for developing the local market.

The downside is that players have to travel long distances to the West Coast for most of the season's games, which is a huge test of their energy.

The Heat's record of over 30 wins, led by Riley and Drexler, is quite remarkable.

Riley's team-building and coaching abilities were recognized by the Heat—of course, this was inseparable from the assistance of the Trail Blazers contingent.

The other three newly joined teams were not so lucky. They lacked Riley's cunning and foresight in team building, as well as the strong support of the Trail Blazers behind them.

The Hornets only managed 20 wins and 62 losses in their first season, and the Timberwolves and Magic this year are unlikely to fare much better, given their poor rosters.

On November 5th, the newly formed Timberwolves will play their second game in franchise history, traveling to Portland to challenge the Trail Blazers.

For the Trail Blazers, this was a game where winning or losing wasn't a concern. Before the game, Bobby Bellman's main focus was on how to fit the rotation, how to coordinate players' playing time, and how to define the roles of the rookies.

To be honest, Bellman had never fought such a well-funded battle before.

In his early years, whether at Beiqiao Middle School or Gonzaga University, the teams he led were always short of players.

He has a King in his hand, along with a bunch of 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, and 7s. He has to do everything he can to make good use of the King, organize his smaller cards, and try to use the King to his advantage to win the game.

Last season, they were missing their second-in-command, and without any veterans to fill the gaps, they couldn't use any of the substitutes.

He now has a lot of new cards in his hand, and Bellman is not entirely sure how strong these cards are at the moment.

Of the Eastern European trio, Sabonis is the most effective player immediately, the most likely to start, and the best complement to the squad.

Although Sabonis suffered repeated Achilles tendon injuries and knee problems in 1989, he was only 25 years old, which is the prime of a player's life.

After a summer of recuperation and proper training, his body has recovered quite well.

The Trail Blazers used the latest electronic devices to help Sabonis treat his knee and Achilles tendon, devices that have been used by stars such as Bernard King and Drexler.

The United States began using various electronic technology devices in the 80s to help athletes with rehabilitation.

By the late 80s, such equipment had become increasingly advanced and multifunctional, something Sabonis could hardly enjoy in Europe.

Based on the first match and daily training, Berman could sense that Sabonis was in very good physical condition.

He can help Gan Guoyang share the defensive and offensive responsibilities in the three-second zone.

He is taller and younger than any center Gan Guoyang has ever played with before.

Players like Walton and Gilmore are too old; they won't last another season or two.

Mitchell Thompson is also getting older, while Sabonis can help Gan Guoyang avoid playing too strenuously in the regular season.

The Trail Blazers failed to advance in the playoffs twice, and Gan Guoyang eventually collapsed from exhaustion due to taking on too much responsibility.

Divac is younger and more slick than Sabonis. According to Bellman's vision, after Thompson retires or steps down, Divac can serve as a versatile glue in the paint.

However, how well he performs remains to be seen, as Divac is only 21 years old and has great potential. The player most unpredictable for Berman is Petrovic.

In Berman's view, Petrovich was too European.

His strengths weren't strong enough in the US, and his physical attributes limited his ability to attack with the ball.

He might be able to score in the regular season, but in the playoffs, in crucial moments and when it comes to clutch plays, he's far from good enough.

His defensive weaknesses are easily magnified in the United States, and European defensive habits and techniques are ineffective in the US.

And his lateral movement is terrible.

You can tell from his physique that he's relatively thin for a shooting guard.

He has good height, but average wingspan and not very big hands. He has great skills, but in the NBA, you can't do without a good physique.

Drexler, Jordan, Richmond, and other new generation shooting guards are all incredibly strong, even more robust than most small forwards.

Without Drexler, the Trail Blazers' guards are now too small and too short.

Hornacek is also a white guard. He is tough enough to go up against any of the top guards in the league, but he still has weaknesses on the defensive end.

This is determined by physical condition and cannot be changed by your will.

Therefore, among the guards, Berman values ​​Mike Sanders more.

This 29-year-old outside player can bring toughness and strength to the Trail Blazers' backcourt.

However, what worries Bellman is that Sanders was not very effective at defending Jordan when he played for the Cavaliers.

Of course, there doesn't seem to be any player in the league who can effectively defend Jordan on the perimeter yet.

Regardless, a veteran like Sanders can be plugged in and used immediately, since he doesn't have much potential left anyway.

Maintaining good form, playing the necessary defense on the perimeter, and doing a good job of supporting the team will satisfy the coach.

Similar to Dell Curry, his role is the clearest—an outside assassin with microwave-like attributes.

In crucial moments and key rounds, pairing him with Gan Guoyang can be incredibly effective, allowing them to hit consecutive three-pointers.

Aside from that, he's rather mediocre in other aspects, but he's very useful as a bench player for a championship-caliber team, and the coach doesn't have any further requirements.

Due to his personality, Dell Curry isn't particularly competitive. He's content with his current role and feels comfortable with his wife and son.

But Petrovic was different. Berman could sense his ambition and desire. He was the same kind of person as Gan Guoyang and Jordan, with a strong desire for success and an extreme love for basketball.

Therefore, Bellman needs more time to observe how he will be developed and nurtured in the future.

Such a player, if developed well, could become a gem; if not, he could become a locker room bomb.

Before the game against the Timberwolves, Bellman and Adelman discussed these issues.

Adelman's ideas were more conservative; he believed Petrovic should transition from a European perimeter ball-handler to a perimeter off-ball player.

“We already have enough ball-handlers: Porter, Agam, Hornacek, and even Korsey, all of whom can attack with the ball. I’ve watched some of Petrovic’s game footage; his ball-handling skills are quite good, but they’re not useful in the NBA—he’s not fast enough. He’ll suffer from that. He needs to develop his catch-and-shoot skills and run more plays around Agam and Sabonis.”

Adelman's idea was correct; Petrovic's transformation will indeed yield some results quickly.

If Bellman gives him 15-20 minutes of playing time per game, he should be able to score around 10 points per game.

“But wouldn’t it be a waste to train him like this? This guy can score 62 points in a game in Europe.”

"Forrest Gump scored 60 points in the playoffs, so what can he do? Is he going to play on the moon?"

Bellman rolled his eyes at Adelman, thinking to himself, "What good are you? You can't come up with any ideas and you're just arguing with me."

Fortunately, Adelman didn't always argue with Biellman; the two reached an agreement on how to develop Divac.

"Let Forrest Gump be our sparring partner, and give him a good workout!"

(End of this chapter)