The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 159 - 57 Truck-Gump
New York, the CEOโs office. ๐ป๐๐๐ฆ๐ธ๐๐ท๐โด๐ฃ๐ฆ๐.๐ธโด๐ฎ
David Stern stared at the telephone on his desk, hesitating for a long time.
He picked up the receiver, then put it down, then picked it up again, and put it down again.
After several times back and forth, he finally picked up the receiver and dialed the number he was reluctant to call.
With the "click... click... click..." sound of the dial turning, Stern cleared his throat after dialing and took a deep breath, clearly having made a significant decision.
"Hello?"
"Hi Larry, itโs David, I have something I want to discuss with you."
"I know, about Gan, I was just about to bring it up with you, Iโm prepared..."
"Hold on Larry, just wait a moment, listen to me first, I want to tell you my decision directly..."
"Decision? What decision, arenโt you calling to discuss things with me?"
"No, I just wanted to inform you of the League officeโs decision to punish Gan."
"Then just call the New York Times or some other media and have a press conference, do you think I donโt read the newspapers or watch TV?"
"Larry, Iโm showing you respect, wanting you to know before the official notice of the punishment is made public. I respect you, after all, Gan is your player."
"If you really respected me, you wouldnโt say itโs just a notification rather than a discussion. Youโre in the office right? Iโll be there in fifteen minutes, letโs talk face to face."
"Hey Larry, Larry, Iโm telling you this is the final decision, donโt think... Larry... Larry?"
David Stern listened to the dial tone in the receiver, only to hang up with a snap.
He lay back in his chair and took a deep breath, a feeling of fatigue spreading from the soles of his feet to his scalp, a slight numbing sensation.
In public and in front of others, he never showed signs of weariness, always looking energetic, maintaining a smile on his face, calm and composed.
His energy was immense, capable of working sixteen to eighteen hours a day, but since officially taking over as NBA Commissioner in February 1984, the massive amount of work and countless emergencies had left him feeling physically and mentally exhausted.
"I hope there will be a stable period where we can shift the focus from the image of Sternโs NBA traitors to the games themselves. I see our teams rebounding from the bottom, becoming stronger and stronger. I see the implementation of the salary cap and the income from cable television enriching the teamsโ earnings. I look forward to sharing the profits with the players, who will earn 53% of the total revenue. Ultimately, we will focus on international competition, and we will look at markets all over the world. They are full of interest in professional basketball, in the NBA."
Stern reflected on the response he made half a year ago when he was just appointed and reporters asked what he wanted to accomplish as the League Commissioner.
This was the strategic plan Stern had set for himself, to extricate from the chaos of clownish news and focus public attention on the games, increase revenue, give back to the players, then expand into the overseas market, growing the fan base.
This seemingly simple strategic plan, while appearing calm, revealed a sharp edge, showing his focus on the present and vision for the future, concentrating on "games" and "players," foreshadowing that the Stern era would be a definitive era for players.
This strategy would deeply influence the League for the next thirty years, but at present, less than three hundred days into office, Stern had to take his eyes off the high skies of the future and focus on the mire at his feet.
He still had to tackle the two major problems the League had faced since the 1970s, the quagmires that had sunk the NBA deep: drugs and violence.
The secretary knocked on the door, saying Mr. Larry Fleisher was downstairs, preparing to come up, and Stern quickly got up from his chair, tidying up his appearance.
He groomed his beard in the mirror to make himself look more mature and steadfast. He was 12 years younger than Larry Fleisher, and every conversation with him gave Stern the feeling of being reprimanded by an elder, something Stern did not like.
In the prolonged labor negotiations of several years, Fleisher was always Sternโs biggest opponent, with each representing labor and capital in their confrontation.
The lengthy seesaw battle and repetitive negotiations made their relationship complex, much like the relationship between labor and capital: they despised yet depended on each other.
Stern needed Fleisherโs support because he had the most substantial player resources in his hands; almost all the NBAโs retired and current stars had connections with Fleisher.
Stern had long realized that the NBA should be a player-centric league. Spectators come to the arena and turn on the TV to watch games because they want to see outstanding players perform, not to hear coaches yelling from the sidelines and directing players to execute tactics that fans simply canโt understand.
Therefore, he had to maintain a good relationship with Fleisher, but their respective stands and identities doomed them to a challenging relationship. In some areas, they were sharply at odds with each other.
Even now, Stern vividly remembered that after the salary cap agreement was essentially settled, Fleisher brought his people to the league office for a financial audit to ensure there was no hidden income, and they scrutinized every expenditure, including a roll of toilet paper and a box of condoms.
Fleisher started his career as a tax attorney and was also a certified public accountant, with connections at the IRS, so nothing could escape his scrutiny.
During that time, the entire NBA management and staff felt as though they were stripped bare and laid out to bake in the sun. Stern felt humiliated, but he knew it was the price that had to be paid to push forward the salary cap system.
Afterwards, every time he had to deal with Fleisher, David Stern was always on edge. He hated feeling transparent and disliked how his beard and smile could no longer serve as any disguise.
The office door was thrown open with a bang, and Stern immediately straightened up from his chair, cursing inwardly, "This rude Russian doesnโt even know to knock."
After entering, Larry Fleisher tossed a pile of newspapers onto Sternโs desk, then grabbed a stool and sat down, saying, "David, I highly advise against suspending Gan. Fining him is one thing, but a suspension? I just heard you want to suspend Gan for three games? Three games? What the hell are you thinking?"
David Stern tried to maintain a smile while addressing his old adversary, "Larry, you have always been a man of refinement. Please, watch your language."
Fleisher responded, "Thatโs right, youโre the one who is always yelling, but on this matter, I do not agree with what youโre doing."
"Imposing penalties on players is the leagueโs right and its duty โ a duty to maintain order."
"The leagueโs duty is to maintain order? Bullshit. The leagueโs duty is to bring in more fans to the games! Suspending him will only lead to loss of viewers. Tell me, on November 9th, when Irving choked Bird and gave him two punches, why didnโt you suspend Irving?"
During labor negotiations, Stern was often the one who shouted the most, while Larry Fleisher was always steady and calm, cool as a still lake.
But this time the roles were reversed, with Fleisher banging on Sternโs desk because the league wanted to suspend Gan Guoyang.
The reason was simple: Guoyang had started fights in four games, one resulted in bloodshed, one in a lost tooth, and another with an opponent left dazed and confused.
This mud truck had barreled its way from Portland to the so-called tough-playing Eastern conference, leaving several teams moaning with grievance and causing quite a stir in public opinion.
On November 9th, the Philadelphia 76ers went to Boston to challenge the Celtics, and the meeting of these two rival teams was predictably explosive.
Larry Bird, who scored 42 points throughout the game, kept taunting Doctor J, who scored only 6 points, with, "42 to 6, 42 to 6."
The usually genteel Irving couldnโt hold back any longer, grabbed Bird by the neck and started throwing punches.
The game had significant impact; although there had been no nationwide broadcast, it was shown on local television.
Footage of the two players choking and fighting each other was soon aired on news programs across major television networks. On one hand, it caused some negative repercussions, but on the other hand, it also piqued the interest of many fans to watch NBA live broadcasts.
After all, just playing basketball can sometimes be boring. Too much fighting isnโt good either. A game that is exciting and also has conflicts is what people love to watch.
Considering various factors, the league ultimately did not suspend the instigating Irving, settling for a symbolic warning and a fine.
"Irving and Bird indeed had a scuffle, but it did not create any especially bad impact. Besides, Irving has always been a mild-mannered, friendly gentleman. He was simply provoked because of Birdโs excesses this time, and Bird has also expressed reconciliation with Irving. Thatโs why we didnโt enforce a suspension but chose to issue a warning and fine,"
"Now, look at your Ah Gan. On November 20th against the Nets, during a third-quarter offense, he sent Nets center Mike Gminski flying and knocked out one of his teeth! On November 24th, in an away game against the Philadelphia 76ers, during an offensive layup in the second quarter, he elbowed Moses Malone, opening up his brow and spilling blood everywhere, prompted a clash, and tossed Morris Cheeks, who was trying to break it up, into the scoring table; on November 27th against the Detroit Pistons, in the fourth quarter, he body-slammed Bill Laimbeer, which caused a concussion after Laimbeerโs head hit the ground... This doesnโt even include the earlier game against the Lakers, where he elbowed Kurt Rambis so hard it knocked him out cold, and he had to be carried off on a stretcher."
"Larry, do you know what people are calling Ah Gan now? Truck-Gump! Do you think I should not suspend him?"
Confronted with Sternโs roar, Larry Fleisher fell into silence. He poked the newspapers on the table with his finger and said, "David, itโs best to listen to the voice of the masses before you come to a judgment and decision. Donโt sit alone in your office with a closed mind. Public opinion is important. You should know that the rules of the NBA arenโt laws set by Congress; they can adapt with the situation. Take a look at how people adore him, and their anticipation for upcoming games. I think youโll change your mind, David."
As Stern gazed at the stack of newspapers in front of him and then back at Fleisherโs sly eyes behind his glasses, he hesitated but eventually grabbed the papers and started looking through them.
