The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 390 - 10 The Greatest Player

Stu Inman was in Portland, his home was also in Portland, and he spent most of the offseason here, living quite leisurely.

Although he was the personnel director for the Milwaukee Bucks, there wasn’t much he could do for the Bucks, as his main task was to help the new owner complete the transition.

At the 1986 draft, the Bucks, holding the 22nd pick in the first round, picked Scott Skiles, a seemingly ordinary White guard.

At only 6 feet 1 inch tall with mediocre physical attributes, he gave off the impression that "this guy won’t last more than two years in the NBA."

After Len Bias died from cocaine, it was revealed that Skiles had been arrested for possessing marijuana and cocaine illegally during his senior year and had served time in jail.

This led to quite a bit of dissatisfaction among Milwaukee Bucks fans regarding the draft, and as the personnel director, Inman couldn’t escape the blame, facing attacks from the Milwaukee media.

Inman knew that drafting Skiles was Don Nelson’s idea, as Nelson had the final say in the Bucks, and he was quite obsessed with guards. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Moreover, Skiles’s performance in his senior season was indeed very impressive, averaging 27 points and 6.5 assists per game; Nelson believed his precise shooting would further strengthen the Bucks’ backcourt.

Many coaches were beginning to realize the importance of long-range shooting; in the past, having one accurate shooter on the team was enough, now they needed two, and in the future, three or even more.

The Portland Trail Blazers’ draft choice aligned with Inman’s thinking, already having a decent frontcourt and interior, they began to look for quality shooting guards.

Among them, Jeff Hornacek was precisely whom Inman recommended to Buckwalter, and then, after gaining Gan Guoyang’s approval, they conducted a pre-draft workout for the unknown white guard and then picked him in the second round.

Inman recommended Hornacek not because he thought Hornacek was particularly outstanding, but because of Hornacek’s father, John Hornacek—a well-known basketball referee.

Before the draft, no team had contacted Jeff Hornacek, and as a father anxious for his son’s basketball dream, he reached out to an acquaintance, the renowned coach Bob Knight.

Knight, being a kind-hearted person, assessed Jeff Hornacek and deemed the young man NBA material. He then contacted the Suns’ general manager and also called Stu Inman to see if the Bucks were interested.

Stu Inman said he didn’t have much say in the Bucks, and a player like Hornacek, who had an unremarkable college career (averaging 13 points), might not catch Nelson’s attention.

However, Inman immediately thought of the Trail Blazers, he contacted Buckwalter, who was initially not very interested in such white guards, but after consulting Gan Guoyang, they decided to work out this player and picked Hornacek before the Suns using their second-round draft pick.

Afterwards, Bob Knight asked Inman, considering he was no longer with the Trail Blazers and had even been sacrificed by the Trail Blazers before the championship season to pave the way for Walton’s return, why he would still recommend a player to the Trail Blazers.

Inman didn’t give a straightforward answer, only saying, "It’s just a second-round pick, no big deal."

But Inman surely didn’t think so; he had a close relationship with Pete Newell (Knight and Newell were like father and son), and after learning that Gan Guoyang participated in the Big Man Camp, he specifically called Newell to ask him to give Gan Guoyang extra attention, teach him strategy theory, and cultivate his tactical and strategic perspectives.

Inman knew that simply from a skills standpoint, there wasn’t much Gan Guoyang could learn in the camp; with his strong learning ability, he grasped many things quite quickly.

This guy had astounding physical traits, and now that he had won the championship, to further improve and become a great player, enhancing his knowledge and tactical skills was equally important.

Inman had once again quietly lent a hand to Gan Guoyang, but it seemed he didn’t want Gan Guoyang to know about it.

After the Big Man Camp was over, the entire Trail Blazers team went to Washington to be received by President Reagan in the Rose Garden.

The players flew directly from various locations to Washington, where they assembled before heading to the White House.

The team’s President of Operations, Spoelstra, sought out Yin Man before they left, asking if he wanted to come along.

"Larry said you can go with us, you’re part of the Trail Blazers too."

Larry Weinberg wanted to bring Yin Man along, after all, he was a veteran of the team.

The series of foolish mistakes in management decisions weren’t entirely Yin Man’s fault.

But when it was time for someone to take the blame, Yin Man had to stand up and be sacrificed; it couldn’t very well be the boss who was kicked out, right?

Yin Man played a significant role in the 1986 championship, and now Weinberg couldn’t bear to leave him out in the cold.

However, after some hesitation, Yin Man declined the invitation, even though he really wanted to go to the White House. Back in 1977, due to Walton’s political stance, the Trail Blazers did not receive an invitation to visit the White House.

Clearly, the President didn’t want to invite Walton, that ticking time bomb, to the White House, never knowing what outrageous thing the political radical might do or say in Washington.

Now Walton had cut his long hair, moderated his political stance, and having just had ankle surgery, was bedridden and unable to go, so there was no worry about him causing a fuss. Therefore, Reagan invited the Trail Blazers to the White House, their first visit in history.

"I’m no longer part of the Trail Blazers. It would be odd and awkward for me to go."

"But everyone still sees you as part of the Trail Blazers, and I know you’ve been helping behind the scenes. Your home is still here."

Still, Yin Man shook his head, refusing. He said, "When I left the Trail Blazers, I felt I became purer. In fact, it’s been a long time since I genuinely enjoyed a basketball game. I always think too much, about many things unrelated to basketball. I’ve liberated myself from certain things, now I only need to focus on the players, to see their talent, their potential, who’s right for the team, who isn’t. I like it this way, it’s fun. I don’t have to be in charge of everything anymore, pondering the influence of public opinion, calculating salaries, and all those miscellaneous things that tainted me."

"Sonny is the most beautiful draft pick I’ve made, and the player with the most potential I’ve ever encountered. I believe if his full potential is unleashed, one day he could surpass Bill Russell. When we first got him, I only saw him as a life preserver, to improve my record as general manager, to make up for my mistakes. Now I don’t have to worry about that. I just hope he becomes the greatest player. I’m doing well this way, there’s no need for me to go back."

Spoelstra nodded, acknowledging Yin Man’s perspective, "Sonny indeed is an incredible player, and I understand how you feel. I used to love basketball, but after getting into the business side of it, I ended up watching fewer games. I’ve always been busy with promotions, figuring out ways to make money for the team. My son beats me there; he’s crazy about basketball, he loves Ah Gan."

"By the way, Stu, I heard a rumor that the League is considering expanding, looking to add a new franchise in Florida, and establish a new team. Have you heard about it?"

Yin Man nodded, "I’ve heard about it. Expanding the League is the top priority this summer. It’s going to bring a lot of interesting things to the NBA."

"Are you interested in getting involved? I don’t imagine you’d want to stay in Milwaukee forever, right?"

"That’s not for me to decide, but... what, you don’t want to stay in Portland anymore?"

"That’s not the case. The team is in a good state right now, but who doesn’t plan for the future?"

The departure of Stu-Inman indirectly brought a championship trophy to the Portland Trail Blazers.

But from another perspective, the departure of this veteran also meant that Oregon’s lone, small, yet nice gem was sacrificing something in the process of growing into a towering tree, as its original structure was gradually dismantled.

Apart from the Trail Blazers, other teams accelerated the pace of cleaning house, with small owners being replaced by capital behemoths.

The 1986 championship delayed the Trail Blazers’ inevitable changes, but once change begins, it is always irreversible.

Whether it turns out for the better, growing stronger, or worse, collapsing in an instant, the players’ performance on the court often plays a decisive role.