The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 755 is different.
Even the most intense and prolonged climax will eventually subside.

How to cope with the emptiness and ordinariness that follows, and how to prepare for the next one, is a challenge that everyone must face.

For Gan Guoyang, the grand comeback press conference was as dazzling as fireworks, and on that day, news media all over the world were reporting on his return to the NBA.

His appearances on television, accompanied by the music of "Sunrise," will be repeated again and again in the future.

His brief and powerful speech at the press conference was a declaration of the king's return to the battlefield, and the ticket price for the Rose Garden soared to an extremely high level.

Even the three major U.S. stock indexes surged that day, and this precious confidence, to some extent, reflected the overall prosperity of the United States in the 90s.

After returning home from the Rose Garden Arena, the first thing Gan Guoyang did was sit down and eat a proper meal.

Gan Youwei prepared a table full of dishes that Gan Guoyang loved to eat, and Gan Guoyang ate more than twenty of the secret-recipe roasted chicken legs in one go.

Gan Youwei quickly reminded his son not to eat so fast, as he hadn't been eating properly lately and his stomach couldn't handle eating so much at once.

Fortunately, Gan Guoyang's stomach and intestines were as strong as steel. Even if he were given ten pounds of iron beans, he could digest them.

After a hearty meal, Gan Guoyang felt satisfied and took his basketball to his glass gym to train and burn off his energy.

For a period of time after announcing his return, Gan Guoyang stayed at home and began to readjust his physical condition.

A false appearance is ultimately just for deceiving people. To return to the top, one still needs extremely rigorous training and a scientific and healthy diet.

More than a year after moving from Portland to San Jose, their house in Portland has not been abandoned; they have hired someone to maintain it.

Everything is the same as before; the Pyramid Glass Golf Course remains as mysterious as ever, making Gan Guoyang feel safe and relaxed playing here.

Every morning after waking up, Gan Guoyang spends the morning in the glass court training, focusing on skills and physical conditioning, under the guidance of a professional team.

In the afternoon, Gan Guoyang will go to the Portland Community College basketball court to train with his old friends and get back into the game.

The training ground remained closed to the public from beginning to end, and Gan Guoyang cut off all contact with the media, sweating profusely on the field.

He is excited to train here again and prepare for the new season.

It was as if everything was really the same as before, and they were on their way to the championship again.

But is everything really the same as before?

There are still many differences. For example, when Gan Guoyang was attending a press conference that day, he looked down at the audience and found that only two people remained who had accompanied him to win the championship in 1993: Terry Porter and PJ Brown.

Since 1986, Porter has been the only coach and player who has remained by Gan Guoyang's side.

Gan Guoyang himself never expected that his friendship with Porter would last for so long.

The two met at the 1984 Olympic training camp, where Porter performed very well and persevered until the very end.

However, he eventually had to leave the training camp due to chickenpox. Gan Guoyang, who was his sparring partner at the time, took care of him, and the two became friends.

Later, they became teammates and won championships starting in the 1985-1986 season, all the way to their seventh title in 1993. Porter was the only person who accompanied Gan Guoyang through all the glory.

After Gan Guoyang retired after a brief stint in 1994, Jerome Kosh was no longer under Gan's protection and was traded midway through the 94-95 season.

Since winning three consecutive championships in 1992 and signing a big contract in the offseason, Jerome Kossie's performance has plummeted, with frequent incidents both on and off the court, making him one of the least cost-effective players in the league.

However, with Forrest Gump protecting him, he stayed with the Trail Blazers for two more seasons. Once Forrest Gump left, he was the first person the management wanted to get rid of.

The practice of "killing the dog after the rabbit is caught" is common in the NBA; most of the time, business is still business.

However, the Trail Blazers have kept Porter, a veteran player with many merits, even though Van Exel has made rapid progress in the past two seasons.

Tang Jianguo knew that as long as Porter was there, the Trail Blazers would still retain the flavor of the old days, and this flavor would inevitably be one of the reasons that attracted Forrest Gump back.

Gan Guoyang admitted that when he saw Porter still in the Trail Blazers' camp, he did feel a sense of emotion and reassurance.

But Gan Guoyang isn't so naive as to think that the Trail Blazers are still the same Trail Blazers and the league is still the same league just because of Porter.

The league has undergone tremendous changes over the years, especially in the year and a half since Gan Guoyang retired, many significant events have occurred.

Three days after the press conference announcing his comeback, public attention on Forrest Gump's return is slowly fading.

Of course, this doesn't mean things have stopped. People are waiting to see how Gan Guoyang will perform at the start of the new season.

In the morning, Gan Guoyang trained with his strength and conditioning coach at the glass arena as usual, as he urgently needed to restore his explosiveness and strength to their previous levels.

However, his strength and conditioning coach, Culp, told him that even with the most advanced and rigorous training methods, it would take a considerable amount of time to return to the level he achieved in 1992 and 1993.

"Does this mean that from now on, my level can only recover to the level of Michael Jordan at best? I used to be a 2 Dan. Even if my explosiveness isn't what it used to be, I should at least recover to the level of 1.5 Dan, right?"

After the 1993 season, Culp went to Miami, but he would return to Portland every summer.

He has always maintained a good personal relationship with Bill Walton and Gan Guoyang, and was invited to help Gan Guoyang with his rehabilitation training.

"Sonny, if you play exactly the way you used to play, I think you might reach Jordan's level. However, if you can change your mindset and develop a playing style that best suits your current physical condition, you might even reach Dan 2's level. Of course, whether Michael Jordan would agree, I don't know."

Karp's words were very inspiring to Gan Guoyang. Gan Guoyang has been training very hard recently, but to be honest, his progress is not fast.

Once you start high-intensity training, your intake will definitely increase, and overeating and drinking will be unavoidable, causing your weight to rebound immediately.

Furthermore, due to changes in his body's metabolism and the slow decline in muscle mass, Gan Guoyang's explosive power and reaction speed will be difficult to return to their peak.

After all, he was 32 years old. Once a man is over 30, his body inevitably declines. He called himself a "cyborg," but he was not a real cyborg after all.

If he insists on relying solely on training to return to his peak, he is likely to achieve little and end up only achieving the same fate as Jordan.

However, if we change our mindset, accept the reality of our decline in certain areas, focus on developing our strengths, and improve our original playing style, we might achieve very good results.

For example, Gan Guoyang's explosiveness and reaction speed will definitely not return to their peak. At his peak, Gan Guoyang's explosiveness was on par with that of a young Hakeem Olajuwon, and his reaction speed was unparalleled in the league.

The TV station has done a related exposé program, which tested Gan Guoyang's reaction speed and found that his reaction speed may be among the fastest in the world, approaching the limits of human ability.

It's no wonder that he could contribute so many blocks despite not being particularly tall, and his invention of the unique "no-look defense" demonstrates his exceptionally sharp sensory abilities.

Humans actually have what is called a "sixth sense". For example, if someone is standing behind you, even if you can't see or hear them, you can still sense that there may be danger behind you through subtle changes in the surrounding environment.

All of these will gradually decline with age, and this decline is irreversible; even Gan Guoyang cannot defy it.

Gan Guoyang often thinks, "If I had known, I shouldn't have played basketball games. I should have played a cultivation game instead."

Explosiveness, speed, and neural reflexes may decline, but some aspects are just reaching their peak in their 30s and are still on the rise.

For example, strength. A man's absolute physical strength is usually at its peak after the age of 35. Gan Guoyang was originally the League's strongest man.

Even after he turns 30, his strength level still has room to increase, and his absolute strength can bring many advantages in tactics and techniques.

Furthermore, his technical skills have improved with time and age, resulting in a better shooting feel – all advantages worth developing. Gan Guoyang trains while reflecting, correcting his mistakes as he goes. Most importantly for him, his focus has returned.

Focus, passion, and a sense of challenge are just as important as strength, speed, and explosiveness.

Sometimes it's even more important.

Halfway through the training session that day, someone came to the training ground; it was Quentin.

He was about to open his mouth when Gan Guoyang stopped him, saying, "Shut up. I'm asking you to answer yes or no."

Lately, because I have so much information to contact and process every day, my bodyguard Quentin filters out most of it first.

He would report important matters to Gan Guoyang, while less important matters could be handled by himself or left to Wang Fuxi for decision-making.

Quentin's role is akin to a skilled eunuch holding the seal of office, combining the duties of a bodyguard and a secretary.

But during this period, Gan Guoyang would panic whenever Quentin came to report news, because this guy's words could kill people.

He was the one who reported Petrovic's death, he was the one who informed his great-uncle of his death, and Quentin also came to inform him of Jordan's father's passing.

They are practically death messengers, and they always catch people off guard.

Has anyone died?

Quentin shook his head.

"Has anyone been hurt?"

Quentin shook his head again.

"Alright, go ahead and tell me what it is."

Quentin then said, "Ah Hui is here. He says he has something important to discuss with you."

"Ahui? This kid's back from China? Tell him to wait for me a bit, we'll be right there."

Upon hearing that it was Gan Guohui, Gan Guoyang temporarily stopped training, went to change his clothes, and returned to his study from the court.

With his older brother's protection, Gan Guohui has done quite well in the sports agent industry over the years.

He teamed up with Larry Fleischer's son, Mark Fleischer, to work as a player agent.

In addition to the North American market, Gan Guohui and Mark also place great emphasis on developing the NBA's overseas markets.

Mark Fleischer focuses on the European region, while Gan Guohui has begun to focus on developing the potential of players in the Asian region in recent years.

Gan Guohui was involved in the process of the Los Angeles Lakers selecting Hu Weidong in the 1995 NBA Draft.

If Hu Weidong comes, Gan Guohui will become his agent.

Gan Guohui accompanied David Stern on his Asian tour, personally promoting Hu Weidong's potential NBA entry.

Upon seeing his older brother, Gan Guohui didn't waste any words and went straight to the point to report the situation.

"Three things. First, we've confirmed that Hu Weidong will be coming to the NBA next season! It's definitely the Lakers, and the number 8 jersey is ready."

Gan Guoyang nodded; this was entirely expected.

Jerry West had been observing Hu Weidong for some time, and his decision to sign him was based on both competitive and commercial considerations.

No matter what, the Lakers are the biggest face of the NBA, and they are located on the West Coast, which is closest to China and has a large Chinese population.

Since they can't bring in Forrest Gump, bringing in a Chinese player would definitely help with ticket sales and the long-term development of the Chinese market.

More than a decade has passed since the 80s, and the development of sports commerce in such a huge market as China remains very low.

It's not that Forrest Gump wasn't capable, but rather that the promotion and in-depth exploration of sports culture and merchandise require the cooperation of the overall economic environment and cultural atmosphere.

After more than two decades of rapid development, China is making every effort to keep up with global trends, and its market value is growing ever larger.

"The second thing is about this year's Olympics... You probably won't be participating, right? They want a definite answer."

The Atlanta Olympics are about to begin. In 1992, China won a silver medal in Barcelona, ​​setting a record in Chinese basketball history.

Four years have passed, and the young generation of China's golden team has made great progress. If they are paired with Gan Guoyang, they may be able to achieve even greater results.

However, Gan Guoyang shook his head this time. There was no time left; he needed a full and extended period of recovery training.

Participating in the Olympics would completely disrupt my recovery training plan, which would be a net loss.

"I won't participate in the 96 Olympics. Let's see if there's a chance in 00."

"Okay, I'll communicate with them over there, but... bro, you need to be prepared for some attacks in the media."

Gan Guoyang smiled and said, "This world will never lack nitpickers. Whether you do it or not, whether you do it well or not, there will always be people who attack you. Don't worry about that; it won't affect me. Besides, I will speak directly with the top leadership to report the situation. Rest assured, I will gain their understanding."

Gan Guohui nodded. He knew that Gan Guoyang's contributions to the country were definitely more than just a silver medal.

"The third thing is the message Mark brought. According to his inside information, the preliminary agreement reached in the labor negotiations has been opposed by some superstars. Jordan, Ewing, and others are going to join forces to dissolve the players' union, just like in 1988, and seek a new labor agreement. Grantham can't take it anymore and is preparing to resign. Everyone is waiting for you to speak up this time."

In 1996, the collective bargaining agreement signed at the 1988 All-Star Game expired, and the players' union and the league negotiated and reached a secret agreement.

The new collective bargaining agreement includes a series of provisions that are unfavorable to players, such as a luxury tax and restrictions on free agent transfers.

With the union leadership agreeing to the agreement, superstars like Jordan led a rebellion, opposing its contents and resorting to their old trick of trying to dissolve the union.

Gan Guoyang has been the vice chairman of the trade union for many years, but he has never been very interested in the negotiations. Instead, he was busy ringing bells and chanting Buddhist prayers in San Jose.

In fact, he did not back down, but was waiting for an opportunity, waiting for the negotiations to break down, when both sides needed his chance.

His decision to announce his comeback in early July was precisely because he intended to get involved in this battle.

Therefore, Gan Guoyang's eyes lit up when he heard the news.

He knew that the opportunity to fulfill Larry Fleischer's original wish had arrived.

But is the NBA at this time the NBA that Fleischer envisioned?
If Larry were still in charge, would he have supported these superstars disbanding their union?

Larry Fleischer has been gone for many years, and the NBA and the world have changed a lot.

Gan Guoyang decided to handle this complex situation according to his own understanding.

First, he must take over the position of union chairman that belongs to him!
(End of this chapter)