The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 1488 - 5: The Old Man (4)

Gan Guoyang certainly wouldn’t do that, but the problem was, Brellock actually believed it.

Perhaps he didn’t believe Ah Gan would beat him half-paralyzed, but he believed that if Ah Gan knew he violated the rules, he would definitely find ways to deal with him.

This guy had suffered Ah Gan’s mental torment while playing for the Nets and the Hawks.

"I... I didn’t mean to, but the addiction is really... sometimes hard to control," Brellock defended himself.

In 1995, while playing for the Eagles Team, Brellock was arrested in Atlanta for DUI and possession of weed, but the Eagles pulled him out later.

Brellock trained and played very diligently on the court, but off the court, coaches and the team could only discipline him but couldn’t truly manage him.

"Play well with Ah Gan; victory and championships can cure all emptiness and loneliness-triggered addictions," Buckwalter advised Brellock.

Brellock nodded, working even harder in training, hoping to reach that state, which was why he joined the Trail Blazers.

For NBA players, mental emptiness and loneliness, combined with the frustration of constant failure, can indeed eat away at a healthy mind.

Especially for those who had grand ambitions entering the league, who wanted to make a name for themselves and did make a name, but couldn’t achieve ultimate victory.

When the championship always seems out of reach, as days and years pass by, as their prime years quickly slip away, as peak condition fades away, feelings of anxiety, unwillingness, and regret can easily lead one to make irrational choices.

The time was October 25th, the preseason was underway, and the new season was approaching.

On the South Coast, in Miami, Charles Barkley stayed with the Heat, starting his 14th career season.

He knew his chances were dwindling, he knew the 1998 Heat were likely not going to make it.

Although the team poached PJ Brown from the Trail Blazers, the problem was that the Heat lost Olajuwon.

After a decision, Olajuwon headed to New Jersey to join the Nets.

The Nets were not a championship-contending team, just backed by a big city; that summer, the Nets were bought by big boss Paul Allen with a hefty sum.

In 1988, after failing to buy the Trail Blazers, Allen had been wanting to buy an NBA team, and after waiting almost 10 years, he finally got a chance to enter the game.

Signing Olajuwon was just a part of Allen’s NBA plan, a small step, as this Microsoft tycoon eagerly wanted to create a new storm in the NBA.

Without Olajuwon, the heavy burden of supporting the team’s interior fell suddenly on Barkley’s shoulders, and he originally came to lean on a big shot!

Now it’s like this: Olajuwon is gone, Drexler hasn’t retired but might as well have, as he has no desires left.

What’s left is just Tim Hardaway; can he really stir any waves in the Eastern Conference, against the Chicago Bulls or the Trail Blazers?

Barkley felt very irritated and extremely anxious, as coming to Miami put tension back into his relationship with his wife because Maureen didn’t like Miami and thought his running around wasn’t good for the children’s upbringing.

As the new season approached, Maureen took their daughter back to Phoenix, leaving Barkley alone.

Just like the 1992 Olympics, where everyone brought their families but Barkley was alone.

Alone is alone, carefree and easy, Barkley and his teammates lingered in bars.

On the 25th, the Heat had an away game in Orlando; after the game, Barkley and Drexler went to a bar and found some girls to drink with.

They ended up having a conflict with some local youngsters. Barkley originally didn’t intend to do anything, but couldn’t resist the two women beside him instigating.

"Aren’t you going to do something? Just let them go like this?"

"Why don’t you do something; if you don’t make a move, I will!"

Barkley was already in a bad mood, and with the women pushing him, he finally lost control.

He picked up a youngster named Lugo and threw him against a glass window.

The glass window shattered, and the young man named Lugo had his arm artery cut, with blood everywhere.

Fortunately, a police officer rushed up and held the wound; otherwise, Barkley could have been charged with causing death by injury.

Championship? He’d spend the next ten years in prison.

Eventually, with money and a lawyer’s help, Barkley was spared prosecution.

He privately signed an agreement with Lugo, compensating 75,000 US Dollars to settle the matter.

On October 31st, the 1997-1998 season opener, the Trail Blazers hosted the Miami Heat.

In the past, Barkley always visited Gan Guoyang’s house for a feast before the game, but this time he didn’t dare.

He was afraid to face Ah Gan because of his ridiculous actions, and also because his weight had increased to almost 300 pounds.

However, it was Gan Guoyang who called Barkley, first scolding him a bit, then said, "You should hire a bodyguard for yourself, trust me, you won’t feel good for a while. Also, protect your wife and daughter, don’t let others attack them. Quentin knows people, he can recommend someone to you."

All Barkley received from this incident were negative reviews; even good friends couldn’t help but remind him to hire a bodyguard to protect himself and his family.

Barkley didn’t know what to say, and Gan Guoyang didn’t give him a chance to say thank you, hanging up quickly.

Listening to the beeping on the phone, Barkley sighed, thinking he really needed to grow up some more.

Although he’d already thought this countless times in the past, made numerous efforts, and achieved some results, when will he truly mature?

If he doesn’t grow up soon, he’ll truly be old.