The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 182 - 75 Direction

Gan Guoyang had a pleasant dinner at Wang Fuxi’s home, where he met Wang Fuxi’s mother, Wan Ling, a nurse who worked at the hospital.

When she arrived home, she welcomed Gan Guoyang and then washed her hands for ten minutes, clearly, Wang Fuxi’s cleanliness was undoubtedly inherited from his mother.

Unlike Wang Zhengmin, who was very fond of Gan Guoyang, Wan Ling was not dazzled by the celebrity aura of Gan Guoyang; she was more concerned that her daughter, an ordinary person, being with a star, would suffer incompatibility and hardship in the future.

The attack at the school was an example, and since both of them were so young, it was not yet known whether they could develop a lasting relationship.

Therefore, Wan Ling was just polite to Gan Guoyang, not particularly enthusiastic, and casually asked a lot of questions during dinner.

However, Gan Guoyang was sincere, spoke appropriately, and was polite to his elders, without any hint of a celebrity’s pretense.

He answered all questions clearly without equivocation, and gradually, Wan Ling’s attitude toward Gan Guoyang softened, her words carrying a bit more tenderness.

Upon learning that Gan Guoyang had been without a mother from a young age, Wan Ling’s tone and eyesight completely relaxed, and she kept adding food to Gan Guoyang’s plate, making the meal harmonious and pleasant.

After dinner, Wang Fuxi accompanied Gan Guoyang back to his hotel, and along the way, she asked with some concern, "Ah Gan, did my mom ask too many questions?"

Gan Guoyang said, "It’s nothing, those are normal questions. Which mother wouldn’t ask a little more?"

"My parents are both ordinary people. Although they’ve been in America for many years and haven’t made a fortune, they just run the shop. Um... would you look down on me for that?"

Wang Fuxi voiced her worries.

After the basketball season started, Gan Guoyang was busy with games, flying all over America, and they didn’t spend much time together.

Gan Guoyang’s fame rose day by day, and although Wang Fuxi was happy and proud of Gan Guoyang, she also felt some hidden worries and growing pressure.

Being the partner of a celebrity or a star was indeed not an easy task. As Gan Guoyang had said at the start of their relationship, enjoying fame and fortune inevitably came at the cost of sacrificing privacy and bearing pressure.

Gan Guoyang said, "What’s the matter, are you scared? If you were scared, why did you agree to be with me in the first place?"

Wang Fuxi retorted stubbornly, "I... I’m not scared! What do I have to be scared of, let me tell you, I’ve bought a gun and put it at home. If I see someone sneaking near me in the future, I’ll pull out the gun and shoot them dead!"

"Hey, hey, hey, you don’t need to do that, I will hire security to ensure your safety when the time comes."

"I’m not worried about my own safety, I..."

Seeing Wang Fuxi hesitate to speak further, Gan Guoyang smiled and said, "I understand, you think your parents are too ordinary. Many stars tend to mingle with other stars and the wealthy, it’s about forming powerful alliances, isn’t it? It’s the same with basketball; some people like to join forces with star players. But I’m not that kind of person, I believe in relying on oneself for most things. Besides, I think your parents are quite nice; it’s a very warm family, and I really like it."

For Gan Guoyang, having a complete and warm home was always a missing part of his life.

Seeing Wang Fuxi’s family simple, harmonious, and happy, his heart felt more envy than anything else.

Touched, Wang Fuxi leaned gently against Gan Guoyang’s arm, finding the Los Angeles night beautiful that evening.

-----------------

Gan Guoyang stayed in Los Angeles for two days. After playing against the Clippers on the 8th, he rushed to catch the red-eye flight to San Francisco in the early hours, played against the Warriors then went to Seattle.

Against the Nuggets, Gan Guoyang shocked Colorado with 44 points and 33 rebounds, but with a shortage of players and dampened morale, the Trail Blazers lost two of the next three games, finishing their Western Conference road trip with a two-win, two-loss record.

Before Christmas, the Trail Blazers have two more games to play, both at home.

On December 25th, they will host the Houston Rockets at home, becoming part of the Christmas Day lineup.

After returning to Portland, General Manager Stu-Inman and the coaching staff met to discuss the recent condition of the team.

Compared to the soaring success of November, the winning momentum of the Trail Blazers slowed down considerably in December. Road fatigue, injuries, and being tactically targeted made victories more challenging for the Trail Blazers.

Stu-Inman presented a simple set of statistics, which showed that to date, the Trail Blazers’ average points allowed per game had fallen from 109 points last season to 106, reducing by 3 points.

Their protection of defensive rebounds climbed from the bottom of the league to the top five, and the number of offensive rebounds seized by opponents per game decreased by 3.

An average reduction of 3 points might not seem much, but team scoring was generally higher this season, and since Stern took over the League, the rules became more favorable for offense, especially the leniency towards traveling violations for perimeter players.

In the 50s and 60s, traveling was strictly penalized. Dribbling had to be straight up and down, and any carry of the ball by the hand would result in a violation call.

This made perimeter player breakthroughs extremely difficult, and the awkward dribbling stances affected the aesthetics of the game.

Ramsay complained, "Half of Michael Jordan’s dribbling would be called violations in the 60s; that initial step he takes would be called for carrying."

Stu-Inman said, "This is the trend, Stern hopes to make the game more entertaining, which is a challenge for interior defenders. However, our points allowed per game has already dropped from twelfth in the league to third, while we still remain an offensive team."

Adelman said, "It’s all thanks to Ah Gan, whose impact on defense is immeasurable. I’ve never seen a player work so well on the defensive end. You’ve gotten yourself a great pick, Stu."

Inman was quite proud, feeling fortunate about his correct decision. Gan Guoyang indeed was a player of historical significance, like Johnson, Bird, and Russell, he’d made a tremendous impact on the team right from the start of his time in the league.

Inman said, "Recently, the team’s injuries have been on the rise, we need to learn from this and pay attention to the players’ health, especially Ah Gan’s health, which is of utmost importance."

The lessons of 1978 were too painful for the Trail Blazers, as Walton’s injuries changed the fate of a team and a city’s sports destiny.

Ramsay said, "Don’t worry, this guy is as strong as an ox, I’ve never seen a player with such endless energy. NBA players are all monsters, and he’s a monster among monsters."

Inman said, "By the way, Dr. Jack, you mentioned before about creating a new tactical system around Gan. Do you have any progress in this? I’ve seen some new elements in recent games, but it seems... not very systematic, a bit scattered."

Ramsay said, "I planned to let Ah Gan establish his advantage in the low post and at the top of the arc, to create a playing area for the forwards on the wings, and form a high-low combination with Thompson. But later I realized that fixing him in one position is too wasteful, he has a lot of potential at the 45-degree angle too. Also on the baseline, he can execute the CS strategy, which works very well against heavy centers. Plus..."

Ramsay was about to discuss the three-point shot, but as soon as the word "three-point" crossed his mind, it felt like he had touched on a taboo, and he immediately swallowed his words.

Inman said, "Jack, are you experimenting with Ah Gan?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Ramsay shook his head, "No, I’m just trying to explore his limits."

"But we still need a workable system as soon as possible."

"I’m afraid my system might limit Ah Gan, I want to give him more freedom."

Stu-Inman looked at Ramsay as if he was looking at a different person.

In his memory, Ramsay was obsessed with victory, like an officer in a steel shell wringing out every last drop of potential from his players, unconcerned with anything but reaching the ultimate goal.

He had plenty of energy, was fully committed to basketball, always enthusiastic, and extremely obsessive about winning.

This was a trait common to all successful NBA players and coaches, and it made them difficult to get along with, for they were all eccentric in some way.

For example, the celebrated coach John Wooden, who was almost reverently seen as a kindly father figure, wasn’t as flawless as he was portrayed in the media. As an "observer of Wooden," Inman knew Wooden would stop at nothing for victory, especially when exploiting UCLA’s advantages to recruit players in violation of regulations, making a stark contrast to Bob Knight, who never employed such tactics.

But Knight could be unbearable in other ways. He would often call Inman at three or four in the morning simply because he had some inspiration or idea about basketball that he felt compelled to share.

Ramsay wasn’t much different from them, but from today’s conversation, Stu-Inman felt an extraordinary amount of patience and tolerance emanating from Ramsay. It seemed that Ramsay valued Gan Guoyang’s personal growth more than the team’s performance.

"Jack, the team’s interests must still come before the player’s," said Inman, who as the general manager felt great pressure on his record, especially this year.

He could feel the team owner, Larry Weinberg, growing increasingly impatient with him, which was also why he had fought so hard to get Gan Guoyang.

"Stu, don’t you understand?" Adelman, who was nearby, said, "Ah Gan is the team’s interest, tied to the team’s long-term destiny. Jack is doing the right thing. Besides, our condition isn’t bad—fluctuations around Christmas in December are normal, and we already have a better record than last year. This year we might even be able to challenge the Lakers. You can’t be worried about Ah Gan’s health saying it’s of the highest priority, and at the same time pressure Jack to develop a system to exploit Ah Gan’s potential. He has unlimited possibilities."

Inman had nothing to say, but after thinking for a while, he added, "Then... for the Christmas Day game, at least we have to defeat the Houston team; that is a game in Portland."

Ramsay said, "That’s for sure, even if we don’t want to win, Ah Gan would want to win."

At the meeting, they also discussed the situation with Vandeweghe, Parkson, and Drexler.

Inman felt that Ramsay should take the opportunity of Parkson’s ankle injury to give Drexler more playing time.

"Perhaps it’s time to consider moving Drexler to the starting lineup."

"I’ll think about it and consult Gan’s opinion when the time comes."

"Consult Gan’s opinion? You’re the coach."

"I know, so I said consult, consult!"

"I think the NBA head coach’s job is much easier now.

Look, when I first started coaching in 1968, there were no assistant coaches, not a single one. Now a team’s coaching staff is nearly numerous enough to form a starting lineup. So when I was coaching, I had to rely on some players with leadership abilities to help establish strong discipline and harmony among the team members. They were highly disciplined, very reliable, and staunch warriors. They only needed to be pointed in the right direction and would take care of the rest. Of course, each had different personal styles, but there was one thing they all shared—a passion for victory.

But there was one person who was different; he didn’t even need to be pointed in the right direction because he already had a direction in his heart, sometimes even I needed to follow him. You all know, of course, I’m talking about Gan.]

————Published in 2004, an excerpt from "Dr. Jack’s Leadership Lessons Learned From A Lifetime In Basketball" by Jack Ramsey.