The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 116 - 20 Exile_2
For example, stalling on signing a contract, demanding an unreasonably high salary, expressing dissatisfaction with the team’s medical treatment, or meddling in management affairs before even joining the team, etc. These actions would undoubtedly leave a bad first impression on the fans.
Gan Guoyang had heard some rumors from Fleisher and he said he didn’t care, "Sports media are all flexible dancers. When you keep winning games, they will turn 360 degrees to get close to you and defend you."
Fleisher greatly appreciated Gan Guoyang’s confidence and broad-mindedness. For most players, it’s easy to be sensitive to public opinion, tiptoeing around trying to please the media and fans, yet they forget that in the world of sports, winning is the ultimate truth.
On July 8th, at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, The State of Iowa, the NBA All-Star Team and the U.S. Olympic Team played their third match.
The game was sold out as usual, with tickets hard to come by. This was both a promotion for the national team and the Olympics, and an advertisement for the NBA.
Tonight’s coach for the NBA All-Star Team was Don Nelson. Bob Knight greeted him before the game, but how could Nelson possibly listen to Knight.
He waved his hand grandly and made Gan Guoyang a starter for the All-Star Team!
This time, the All-Star Team included Bill Walton, Danny Ainge, Clyde Drexler, Bob Hanson, Derek Harper, Buck Williams, and others.
Walton was a former Trail Blazers player, while Drexler was a current one.
Before the game, in the locker room, Walton, with his head full of curly hair, grabbed Gan Guoyang’s hand.
"Gan, you’re fucking talented, you’re incredible! I’m your fan from now on, even if you are a Trail Blazers player! I’m happy to let you have the starting spot tonight."
This once injury-plagued and thus morose center was now revealing his lively and crazy nature, all because Gan Guoyang’s steadfast stance on the Trail Blazers’ medical issues had allowed Walton a chance to vent.
Just a few days prior, the Trail Blazers not only announced their medical reform plan to show sincerity and carve a good public image but also made a special apology to Walton in the newspapers, hoping to clear up misunderstandings one day.
Although Walton did not respond, he was still inwardly pleased to see such a stance from the Trail Blazers. Being sensitive by nature, he cared a lot about these past conflicts and heartaches.
On the other hand, another Trail Blazers player, who was about to become Gan Guoyang’s teammate, Clyde Drexler, was very cold towards Gan Guoyang. He sat at the other end of the locker room, quietly tying his shoes, without any interaction with Gan Guoyang.
The reasons were simple. First, Gan Guoyang defeated Drexler’s alma mater, the University of Houston, in the NCAA finals, shattering their championship dreams. And secondly, Gan Guoyang’s rookie contract was exposed: four years at four million, six hundred thousand in the first year.
On the contrary, Drexler’s rookie contract signed last year only fetched him one hundred and sixty-five thousand US Dollar for the first year, one hundred and seventy-five thousand for the second, and two hundred thousand for the third year, in total less than what Gan Guoyang would make in his first year.
What upset Drexler was not the amount of the contract – after all, there was indeed a difference in their draft pick order, and his good friend Hakeem Olajuwon, as the number one pick, got even more in his first year.
Drexler was saddened by the fact that when he negotiated with the Trail Blazers, due to his lack of experience and not choosing a competent agent, he faced all sorts of difficulties and delays from the team.
All of July passed without a finalized contract. Drexler played for the team in the summer league, went back to Houston for three months, and the deal dragged on until October 21st, just one week before the start of the NBA season, before both sides reached an agreement and signed a three-year contract.
This matter had long troubled Drexler. In 1983, he had hoped the Houston Rockets would draft him, so that this year he could be playing with Olajuwon.
But the Rockets passed him over, and he was unexpectedly picked by the Trail Blazers, and then messed around with the contract for four months. He heard that Olajuwon was also having problems negotiating with the Rockets.
Back then, teams were quite dominant, exploiting rookie players, and clueless newcomers were inevitably suppressed.
But Gan Guoyang had it good—with the help of powerful agent Fleisher, he threw a combination of punches at the Trail Blazers.
"Don’t sign and see if you dare trade me," "No medical reform and I won’t join," "You even have to make a statement in the newspaper, or else I won’t believe."
Drexler watched the series of moves in amazement, thinking everyone’s a rookie, so why the big difference?
Of course, Drexler had no malice towards Gan Guoyang. He was just unable to accept the differences and the matters that irked him for a moment, being a proud and young man himself.
Once in the game, watching Gan Guoyang’s performance, Drexler couldn’t help but admire him—this guy was terrifyingly strong.
The starting Gan Guoyang was bursting with energy from the start, targeting the Olympic Team with blocks, steals, and fast breaks to control the game.
Drexler had never seen a center play with such vibrancy, omnipresent on the court. Even Hakeem didn’t have such a wide defensive range.
"This guy, he’s extending his defense almost to the three-point line, and the key is he can get back... His lateral footwork is so smooth, his stamina so good."
Gan Guoyang’s performance on the defensive end was almost setting a benchmark for future posts, as his way of defense was the most effective against Team USA.
