The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 121 - 24 Itchy Flesh

[Stu: In Bruce’s assessment process, there are 13 dimensions to the inner core of a champion, and almost no one has all of these dimensions. Except for Ah Gan.]

———— Excerpt from an interview with Stu-Inman in Clyde Drexler’s autobiography "Clyde The Glide," published in 2004.

Dr. Ogilvy handed the report to Ramsay and Yin Man for review; before even looking at it, Ramsay said with an incredulous tone, "What are you talking about, perfect? The greatest perfection in this world is imperfection!"

"Gan is certainly not perfect, but as far as this report is concerned, he is perfect. You know this test is designed to evaluate a player’s true condition, aimed at measuring whether he is a person with an inner champion. It involves a person’s malleability, curiosity, perseverance in achieving goals, resilience in the face of hardship, his personality, and so on—many, many aspects. Summarized into 13 dimensions, no one in the past has been able to simultaneously possess these dimensions, unable to score high on each one. My test is quite precise, even if some people think they can elevate their scores by guiding it, it’s impossible. Roger Staubach was previously the highest scorer I tested, Drexler was the second highest. Now, the highest is Gan, who has high scores on all 13 dimensions. He is someone with the heart of a champion."

Ogilvy’s tone was excited; he had not expected Gan Guoyang’s scores to be so high.

He had always wanted Walton to take this test, believing Walton would certainly score the highest.

But even he didn’t think Walton could fully possess all 13 dimensions, his obstinate nature meant he was bound to have flaws in certain areas.

Yet Gan Guoyang had done it, surpassing Roger Staubach in test scores—the superstar of the 70s NFL Dallas Cowboys, the Player of the Year, and Super Bowl MVP.

After reading the report, Ramsay’s eyes filled with distrust, saying, "Ever since your test allowed Drexler to get the second-highest score, I’ve been doubting its reliability. Now, I’m even more certain!"

Ramsay seemed somewhat vexed not to get the test results he wanted; he had hoped the damned test would prove that Gan Guoyang might not be a champion player.

After watching Gan Guoyang’s game tapes, Ramsay acknowledged his talent but, whether it was bias or stereotyping, he always felt averse to the increasingly "unrestrained" play of the post-60s in the 80s.

Especially Gan Guoyang’s love of long shots, which Ramsay absolutely detested. In 1979, when the NBA introduced the three-point line, Ramsay, like most traditional coaches, was opposed.

He considered the three-pointer merely a gimmick; Suns Coach McLeod described it as a boring way of playing, Bullets Coach Dick Motta claimed the League hadn’t sought the coaches’ opinions, and he refused to let players practice threes during training.

The Portland Trail Blazers have been one of the teams shooting the fewest three-pointers since the 1979-1980 season, never averaging more than two per game.

Unlike Ramsay, Stu-Inman seemed to treasure the report, poring over it repeatedly, saying, "Bruce, is he... is he really that perfect? During the test, are you sure he didn’t... intentionally guide you, or lie?"

Asked in this way, the Doctor hesitated, saying, "Actually, I’m not entirely sure, because I feel that by the end of the test, I had lost control of the situation. I don’t mean we had an argument or that it was unpleasant. On the contrary, we had a great chat, but that was wrong, I talked too much, and he was carefully listening."

Ramsay said, "You haven’t been manipulated by this kid, have you? Instead of you testing him, did he test you?"

Ogilvy shrugged, saying, "If he has such ability, then he’s even more perfect than perfect."

Whatever their opinions were, the results of the test were as such.

Of course, this didn’t prove anything, as the Trail Blazers would never determine a player’s ability based on this test.

Stu-Inman was still very rational; he knew that basketball primarily depended on the body and talent, psychology determined the height, but it had to be built on a solid and reliable foundation.

A person with a handicapped body and weathered by life may have the mind of a champion, but they will never be able to stand on the NBA court as a champion player.

Yin Man decided to temporarily seal the report, not to make it public, nor to let anyone else on the team know about it.

He explained, "A test result that is too perfect brings not support and cohesion, but doubt. If other players or the media were to know, trumpeting it would only bring bigger public opinion trouble. His current public image in Portland isn’t too good. We’ll leave it for later."

Stu-Inman might say this, but media leaks and releases were all approved by you.

Ramsay said, "You managers like to play these kinds of tricks. Ah Gan is my player. If I think he’s not good enough, I will try my best to coach him and make him a better player. Yet, you always indulge them, letting them think they have it all, only to strip everything away from them in the end—just like Bill!"

Stu-Inman spread his hands and said, "Jack, that’s because we have different positions, positions..."

Ramsay didn’t listen to Yin Man’s explanation and had already left the office. Yin Man sighed, leaned his forehead on his hand, and sat down in the chair.

Dr. Ogilvy watched the two arguing, thinking about what Gan Guoyang had said during yesterday’s test discussion.

When asked to evaluate Yin Man and Ramsay, Dr. Ogilvy thought he would like Yin Man and dislike Ramsay.

Yet Gan Guoyang said indifferently, "The people who support you won’t necessarily do you good, because they just want to get something from you; and some of those who oppose and dislike you might actually be urging you to improve. They keep an eye on your flaws and problems because they hope you will get better."

Dr. Ogilvy asked Yin Man, "Stu, where has Ah Gan gone? Is he still in Portland?"

Yin Man replied, "He went to Beaverton; his shoe sponsor, Avia, invited him to visit and participate in an event. You know, in one month, Avia sold 15 million US dollars’ worth of merchandise, all thanks to this kid. He’s really a money-printing guy."

"So, will he stay in Portland? I’d like to see him this afternoon."

"He has already done the tests. Do you still need to see your perfect tester?"

"My friend from San Francisco called me yesterday, asking me to give him some pointers if I get the chance."

"Give it a rest, Doctor. With the way things are now, it’s hard to say who should be giving advice to whom."

That afternoon, Dr. Ogilvy still met Gan Guoyang, who had returned from Beaverton.

He told Gan Guoyang the results of the tests, and Gan Guoyang remained very calm, saying, "I told you, sometimes tests are quite absurd."

Dr. Ogilvy did not dwell on the test results, but instead asked Gan Guoyang, "Ah Gan, do you know what ’visualization training’ is?"

Gan Guoyang said, "I know! Our high school and college coaches used it. Now that I remember, they said Coach Ramsay used this method of training. Bernard King also used this training for practicing his turnaround jump shot."

"Your coach was Beelman, right? He did consult me. So, what do you think of the effects?"

"Not much, it seemed there was no substantial improvement."

"That’s because you haven’t hit a physical limit yet. When physical training reaches its limit, the power of visualization is key to making a breakthrough."

"Then I probably really haven’t reached a physical limit yet. I never feel tired, never feel like I’ve practiced enough, or that I’m not in the right state."

Dr. Ogilvy marveled at Gan Guoyang’s excellent physique and said, "Gan, I want to create a very long-term psychological and physiological training plan for you, spanning five or even ten years. This is both for your improvement and my research project. My visualization training isn’t just about improving free-throw percentages. It has many uses. It can enhance your technical movements, producing twice the results with half the effort."

After hearing Dr. Ogilvy talk like this, Gan Guoyang was very tempted. In the eight NBA All-Star vs Olympic Team games, he had the opportunity to learn from various masters, and the range of signature basketball moves was dazzling.

Gan Guoyang had sneakily learned a trick or two and had asked for their advice. Sadly, due to a lack of focused training, these moves were okay for show but very difficult to use in actual games.

For example, Bird’s turnaround jump shot from mid to long distance on a single leg support was a move Gan Guoyang couldn’t master well. He managed to learn its form but not its essence.

There was also his own Move hook; after a year of practice, he could only say it was under control, not at his beck and call. He rarely used it in games against the Olympic Team.

It was too easy for the ball to be stolen, or to make mistakes after being double-teamed. He had to focus a lot of energy on ball protection, and since the defense in the NBA was more intense than in college, he had to strengthen it.

"Are you serious? You can’t fool me. If we’re going to train, I’ll start tomorrow."

"Don’t be in a rush. I will prepare everything by the start of the summer training camp."

"It’s a deal then. Don’t wait for the summer training. I’ll come back to Portland to find you after the Olympics."

The heart of a champion, the dimension of a champion, Gan Guoyang had no interest in that. Championships were not his decoration; they were just a harvest on his journey forward.

Solid basketball training and technical improvement, however, were the itch he was eager to scratch.