The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 796 The Child Who Never Grows Up
The absence of Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley resulted in a lackluster and predictable game between the Trail Blazers and the Heat.

Gan Guoyang is in red-hot form after the All-Star game. Without the two core players, no one in the Heat's interior can stop him from wreaking havoc in the low post.

The Trail Blazers defeated the Heat 98-91 on the road, handing the Heat their second consecutive loss and giving themselves a good start to their Eastern Conference journey.

Kobe, who started the game, scored 17 points, shooting 6-for-10 from the field and 2-for-3 from three-point range, showing excellent form.

Although Drexler also scored 24 points, he seemed listless throughout the game, and even when Kobe dunked over him, Drexler didn't respond much.

He just smiled, received the serve, and continued to participate in the offense as usual, ignoring Kobe's smugness—he really looked like he deserved a beating.

After the match, Drexler and Gan Guoyang hugged, showing they remain good friends, and Gan is still Drexler's daughter's godfather.

More importantly, Drexler wore Avia's shoes and even needed Forrest Gump to speak on his behalf when negotiating a new contract.

Drexler achieved considerable success and fame as a player, but his contracts were always relatively small.

Whether with the Trail Blazers or the Heat, Drexler was never the highest-paid player, and often didn't even rank second.

This summer, Drexler signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Heat, with the final year being a player option.

At this stage, many rookies can't compete with this salary level. A veteran with four rings, who was once the core of the team and the face of the Heat, can't even get a multi-year, high-value contract.

By the end of the 1997-1998 season, Drexler was 35 years old. He wasn't completely unable to play, but Riley was unwilling to sign Drexler to a longer and bigger contract.

From luring Drexler away from Portland in 1988 to re-signing him until the 1997-1998 season, Drexler will spend 10 years in Miami.

Drexler was determined to become the Sun of Miami, and he eventually won a new championship ring. However, everything was very different from the future he had envisioned, and he was far from becoming a star.

Overall, he was satisfied with the past 10 years. So, unlike Hakeem Olajuwon, Drexler chose to let things slide in the face of Riley's stinginess and cold-bloodedness. Two years is fine, he thought.

He doesn't have a strong desire for money. Anyway, the money he earns in his career is enough for a lifetime. He can sign a lifetime contract with Avia, and the NBA will give him a pension after he turns 45. After retiring, he can find a job as a commentator, coach, or some kind of management position. As long as he doesn't make reckless investments or have a bunch of illegitimate children, he won't have to worry about money.

After signing the contract, he frankly told reporters he was on good terms with that there was a 99% chance he would choose to retire after the 1997-1998 season, ending his athletic career and starting a new life.

He doesn't have much left to pursue in basketball.

The obsession that once propelled him forward no longer exists.

He knew he could never be a player like Forrest Gump; there was an insurmountable barrier between them.

This barrier lies not so much in talent and ability, but in character and one's view of life and fate.

No matter how much Forrest Gump influenced him, Drexler was still that somewhat lazy, cheerful big boy.

This is why Drexler and Charles Barkley didn't have a very good relationship.

Gan Guoyang noticed that after the game, Barkley didn't greet Drexler; the two brushed past each other and left the stadium in different directions.

It's quite normal, since the two of them didn't really like each other.

In the 1995-1996 season, the Heat were aiming to defend their title when Barkley collided with Drexler from behind during a game against the Suns, injuring Drexler's leg. This caused Drexler to miss many games and ultimately fall behind in the playoffs.

When Barkley joined the Heat this season, the Heat formed a Big Four, and Barkley was determined to win a championship.

He discovered that Drexler often went through the motions in matches, showing no real effort and having an indifferent attitude towards winning or losing.

Back in 1992, during the Barcelona Dream Team era, Barkley heard Jordan and Pippen complain that Drexler wasn't serious enough about the game and basketball.

Now playing on the same team, Barkley, who is striving for the championship, naturally cannot accept Drexler's attitude, and the two began to argue during training and games.

Drexler was also annoyed. You're someone who can't control your weight and eats McDonald's while riding a bicycle, and you still have the nerve to say that my attitude is bad?

Hakeem Olajuwon could have served as a mediator between Charles Barkley and Clyde Drexler, but Olajuwon's mind wasn't on basketball either, and he had disagreements with Pat Riley and Tim Hardaway.

Now that's a problem. There are four people, two pairs who don't like each other, and all four of them dislike the head coach. How are they going to compete for the championship?
The Heat are still able to maintain their position in the top three in the Eastern Conference entirely due to their talent and Riley's authoritarian control over the team, which allows the team to remain united during games.

If the Heat fail to achieve their goal of winning the championship in this season's playoffs, the breakup of the "Big Four" is foreseeable.

At the end of the game, Gan Guoyang also saw Pat Riley and PJ Brown shake hands and whisper to each other on the sidelines.

Riley has really stopped acting; he's probably plotting to poach players from the Trail Blazers and recruit them from Forrest Gump's side.

Back in the locker room, Gan Guoyang asked PJ, "What did that bastard Riley say to you? He wants you to come to Miami this summer?"

PJ Brown looked a little embarrassed and said, "Uh... no, Sonny, he just said hello to me."

Gan Guoyang said, "This guy definitely has an ulterior motive. But to be honest, if he's willing to give you a big contract, you should definitely rip him off and not be soft-hearted."

PJ said, "I'd rather stay with the Trail Blazers."

"I want you to stay, but money is more important, you fool, don't be stupid."

“Sonny…”

"Stop talking and focus on the game. At least for now, you're still a Trail Blazers player."

PJ Brown nodded vigorously; as a professional player, he still possessed basic professionalism.

However, Gan Guoyang also knew that Brown would not be able to play his best in the game before a new contract was signed.

Inside players are already at a higher risk of injury, and if they suffer a devastating injury during a physical confrontation, their future in the final year of their contract is completely over.

The highly anticipated showdown between the Big Four and Forrest Gump turned into a drama that ended before it even began due to injuries and other factors.

After their game against the Heat, the Trail Blazers traveled to Orlando, Charlotte, and Atlanta to complete their Eastern Conference tour.

The Trail Blazers took a bus directly to Orlando.

After losing Shaquille O'Neal, the Magic plummeted. By the 1995-1996 season, the Magic were already a top team in the league with 60 wins, and all they needed to contend for the championship was time, experience, and a bit of luck.

If the Magic can retain Shaquille O'Neal, and build around him and Anfernee Hardaway as their core, with one inside and one outside, and if they remain injury-free, they will be contenders for the championship for the next three to five years.

As a result, the Magic's foolish management and the inexplicable Orlando fans drove O'Neal away. Shaq left for Los Angeles, and the Magic quickly became a playoff-bound team that could only manage around 40 wins.

Anfernee Hardaway is still an All-Star caliber player, but without Shaquille O'Neal, he can't carry the team alone.

As a guard, Hardaway doesn't have the superhuman physique of Michael Jordan.

Whether it's scoring output, defensive contribution, or attendance rate, he is far inferior to Jordan at the same age.

Most critically, Hardaway has begun to suffer from injuries. Having missed only 5 games in the previous three seasons, Hardaway has already missed more than 20 games this season, which is a bad sign.

O'Neal's departure triggered a series of chain reactions. The team's performance declined, and Hardaway had to play more minutes and bear more pressure, which led to physical problems.

His absence due to injury caused the team's performance to decline further, leading to instability within the team and the emergence of discordant voices.

At this time, some events occurred within the Magic, fully illustrating the changing times and the evolving relationship between coaches and players. In the 80s, superstar players emerged, and some of the bigger names began to challenge the coach's authority.

For example, Mark Aguirre argued with Dick Motta almost every day during his time with the Mavericks.

Ultimately, Aguirre admitted that Motta was a good coach, and despite their arguments, they had worked together for many years.

Back then, players like Gan Guoyang, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan all had the ability to fire their coaches if they were unhappy.

However, they would all choose to communicate with management and bosses, express their dissatisfaction, and exert pressure on their superiors in order to achieve their own goals.

By the late 90s, the situation had changed again, with players beginning to have greater autonomy and self-awareness.

As the Magic's record deteriorated and the team atmosphere worsened, the Magic players held a private meeting behind closed doors.

Just days after the All-Star Game, the Magic lost to the Timberwolves on the road. After the game, the 13 Magic players held a meeting in Hardaway's hotel suite and gave their opinions on Hill one by one.

They fully upheld the spirit of democracy, conducted a formal vote through parliamentary procedures, and with 12 votes in favor and 1 vote against, unanimously decided that the head coach must be dismissed.

The only player to vote against it was veteran Horace Grant. In Grant's view, even if head coach Hill was a poor coach, the players should not rebel against him in this way. Instead, the management should decide on the coach's future during the offseason.

But the remaining players, led by Anfernee Hardaway, listed Hill's three major sins:

1. Failed to prevent O'Neal from leaving the Magic.

2. Failed to build an imaginative and creative offensive system.

3. He made me, Anfernee Hardaway, a superstar, unhappy.

To be honest, these three charges are somewhat unbelievable.

O'Neal's departure was not something Hill could decide; it was caused by the stupidity and mistakes of the management and the entire city's fans.

Besides, everyone has their own ambitions. If O'Neal is determined to leave, no one can stop him. If anyone wants to stop him, you, as O'Neal's good partner, should be the first to stop him.

The second point is also ridiculous. In the league environment of 1997, it was almost impossible to have an imaginative offensive system.

The league's overall preference for a defensive and confrontational style means that imagination has very little room to survive; defense is fundamental.

As for the third point, it further demonstrates Hardaway's unreasonable behavior. How can such a thing be brought up in public?
Moreover, given the lack of effectiveness of the first two points, the third point became almost the only reason: Hill made me unhappy.

Hardaway not only said such blunt and inappropriate things, but after the meeting, he called John Gabriel, the management manager, to inform him of the meeting and its outcome.

At this point, the Magic's management showed their weakness. As a relatively new club, they had already lost Shaquille O'Neal in the summer and were subjected to a barrage of criticism. At this moment, they dared not go against Anfernee Hardaway's wishes, for fear of losing this superstar as well.

So, a week later, on February 18th, the day the Trail Blazers played the Heat, the Magic announced the firing of Coach Hill.

That's how many things are. When you realize you've made a big mistake, you make another mistake in order to avoid a similar situation later on. This mistake is just as fatal as the first one.

After Hill was fired, Magic assistant coach Rich Adubatu took over as the team's temporary scapegoat.

It is foreseeable that Adubatu will lead the Magic to achieve better results than before in the short term, and the players' morale will be boosted for a period of time.

However, in the long run, it is extremely difficult to replicate the miracle of Pat Riley being the third pick in the draft.

In NBA history, the vast majority of head coaches who are fired mid-season and replaced by assistant coaches often end up in a mess the following year.

The team's morale and cohesion crumbled at the slightest provocation, and ultimately, with morale shattered, the team became difficult to manage, resulting in a lose-lose situation.

This kind of thing happened before Hill was fired, and it will continue to happen in NBA teams after Hill is fired, because being an NBA head coach is inherently a high-pressure and high-risk job.

However, it is quite rare in NBA history for someone like Anfernee Hardaway to lead a team rebellion and vote out the head coach.

After the whole story came to light, Sports Illustrated published a very scathing commentary, directly targeting Hardaway and criticizing the Magic's locker room and management, as well as the current NBA atmosphere. It pointed out that capital and fans have spoiled star players into a group of immature children who do whatever they want in the team. Despite their immaturity, they wield a lot of power, and the management has to make some insincere and incomprehensible decisions in order to please them and the fans' wallets.

And the more this happens, the more teams will offer these young star players big contracts, because the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Gan Guoyang also served as an example, and his three-year, 3 million yuan contract raised people's expectations for contracts to a new level.

Their so-called big contracts seem insignificant compared to Forrest Gump's, so the younger players are more willing to ask for higher prices.

Team funds are not unlimited. Once they reach an unbearable point of collapse, the trust between labor and management will break down, and the NBA will fall into a crisis.

David Stern seemed to have seen this, and after the Magic went through a coaching crisis, he came to Orlando on February 20th to watch the Trail Blazers play the Magic, hoping to give the Magic some encouragement.

After experiencing internal turmoil, the Magic's players and staff are not focused on the game.

In the evening, facing a strong Portland Trail Blazers at home, their offense failed to display any imagination, and they lost the game 93-101.

Gan Guoyang easily racked up a triple-double with 35 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists, taking another step closer to averaging a triple-double for the season.

Hardaway gave it his all, scoring 31 points and dishing out 14 assists, but the team seemed to have no will to fight, and defeating the head coach didn't seem so satisfying or pleasant.

After Coach Hill left, everyone realized that he was actually a good guy, and the Magic's rise in the past two years was closely related to him. The accusations against him are unfair.

After the game, David Stern found Forrest Gump in the locker room, and the two had a brief private talk in the parking lot, a place where no one could hear them and there were no listening devices.

They discussed the recent activity of player agents and the situation regarding players seeking early contract extensions.

Based on the revised version of the collective bargaining agreement reached in 1996, the summer of 1997 was likely the last window for young players to sign super-sized contracts.

Once a new labor agreement is reached and standard contracts and maximum wage contracts are implemented, those contracts that are often seven or eight years or even more than ten years long and worth hundreds of millions of dollars will no longer exist.

"The summer of 1997 is going to be crazy. As the union chairman, you must keep things under control and prevent unreasonable super contracts from damaging the market and people's morale."

"Come on, bro, I'm the president of the players' union. How could I possibly stop players from chasing big contracts? That goes against my principles, and it's a difficult thing for me to do."

"We only approached you because it was difficult; otherwise, why would we trust you so much? I know that half the agents in the league are in contact with you now, especially Larry's two sons, who have many young players under their wing. You need to figure things out. And ultimately, this trend was corrupted by you."

What terms can you offer me?

"What are your conditions? How about I just send you the Larry O'Brien Trophy?"

Gan Guoyang waved his hand, but he already knew what was going on. He was just deliberately playing hard to get with Stern.

"Okay, I'll do my best to keep the free agency market stable, but the league needs to commit to protecting the interests of mid-to-lower-level players, as well as providing retirement security for veteran players, so I can have enough support and motivation. And... can I borrow your FBI resources?"

Stern wiped his glasses and said, "Brother, I asked you to persuade young people to be good and not get completely obsessed with money. You're using the FBI? What are you planning to do? Are you going to crack down on organized crime?"

"I want them to investigate who punched me during a Rockets game back then."

"Fuck you! Stop messing around, I'm going back to New York. Keep in touch if anything comes up, you brat, you're still a child at heart!"

(End of this chapter)