The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 499 - 2 Forever Trail Blazers

In the summer of 1987, many things happened in the world.

Ronald Reagan visited Germany in June and, during his speech in Berlin, he called on the Soviet leader Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall.

In China, the visit of the Yugoslavian leader in June further underscored the correctness and necessity of reforms and opening up, with the emphasis on accelerating the pace of these reforms.

In July, Taiwan lifted the martial law that had been in place for 38 years, abolishing the martial law regulations and restoring normal societal conditions.

Signs of thawing began to appear in the barriers of the Cold War, and the economic development brought about by the new technological revolution relaxed the political atmosphere in many countries and regions.

Yet, in the Middle East, the Iran-Iraq War raged on with vigor.

Although the United Nations intervened and called for an immediate ceasefire, after seven years of fighting, neither Iraq nor Iran, deep in their enmity, were willing to give ground.

The war progressed towards an increasingly cruel and irrational state.

Attacks on ships no longer satisfied the thirst for vengeance on either side, and the imminent missile attacks on cities were about to come.

The summer of 1987 brought significant changes to the NBA as well, with every offseason being the birthplace of hope.

After the Finals, the NBA Draft was held in New York, and the San Antonio Spurs, with the first overall pick, didn’t hesitate to choose David Robinson, the superstar center from the Naval Academy.

Because he graduated from the Naval Academy, Robinson had to serve two years in the Navy first and couldn’t report to the Spurs immediately; nevertheless, the Spurs still chose him, as his talent was simply too great, and they were willing to wait.

With the second pick, the Suns plucked Armen Gilliam, the Nets with the third pick chose Dennis Hopson, and the Clippers with the fourth pick selected Reggie Williams.

Unlike the previous year, where high picks were mindlessly spent on white big men, teams had learned their lesson and began picking physically gifted black forwards and guards.

There was only one Bill Walton, and the clumsy white centers were no longer favored; none of them managed to make their mark, and instead, they appeared as mere stakes compared to the flexibility and power of new-style centers like Gan Guoyang and Olajuwon.

With the fifth pick, the Seattle SuperSonics, using a New York pick, drafted Scottie Pippen, a little-known small forward from the University of Arkansas.

However, since Seattle already had McDaniel at the same position, selecting Pippen was mainly to finalize a trade with the Bulls.

After selecting Pippen, the SuperSonics immediately traded him to the Chicago Bulls for Olden Polynice, the center chosen by the Bulls with the eighth pick, a 7-foot tall Haitian center.

Western Conference teams all suffered at the hands of Gan Guoyang, and in the face of ineffective white soft centers, it was perhaps a good choice to draft black centers who were both black and hard.

This year’s draft also included two of Gan Guoyang’s defeated rivals from California who entered the draft and were selected—one was Kevin Johnson from Sacramento, the other was Reggie Miller from Los Angeles.

The Sacramento Kings, who had the sixth pick, did not choose their local basketball hero but selected Kenny Smith, a guard from North Carolina.

Kevin Johnson was taken seventh by the Cleveland Cavaliers and had to leave the beautiful, warm California to play in Ohio, as a backup to Mark Price.

Reggie Miller, who also hailed from California, was confused when he was picked eleventh by the Indiana Pacers; putting on the Pacers hat, he was clueless as to where exactly Indiana was, knowing only that it was in the middle of the country, surrounded by cornfields.

And the Pacers’ die-hard fans were equally dissatisfied with this pick, hoping the team would choose the local Indiana star Steve Alford (who replaced Stockton in the 1984 Olympics), but Donnie Walsh picked a skinny monkey from UCLA instead.

With the tenth pick, that came before Reggie Miller, the Bulls selected Horace Grant.

Pippen and Grant were not the types of players Jordan preferred.

He couldn’t understand why Krause would not select players who graduated from famous schools and achieved success in the NCAA, instead opting for those who toiled in the low-tier NAIA leagues like country bumpkins.

With Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers’ championship victory in 1987, Jordan’s anxiety over the team’s performance grew more severe, and all this was to be vented during the Bulls’ training camp.

Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant were certainly in for a tough time; Jordan had become an absolute tyrant with the Chicago Bulls.

The defending champions, Portland Trail Blazers, had the 21st pick, leaving them with limited options, but Buckwalter set his sights on shoring up the front line.

In the 1987 season, the Trail Blazers were essentially dependent on Gan Guoyang alone in the frontcourt, with Walton injured for most of the season and both Jones and Thompson aging.

Portland needed to inject new blood in the power forward and center positions, so they eventually chose Greg Anderson from the University of Houston, a teammate of Drexler and Olajuwon, nicknamed "Cadillac."

He was given this nickname because during his time at the University of Houston, the 6-foot-10-inch tall Anderson was often seen riding a speed bicycle, which contrasted sharply with his large frame, making people worry that the bike might break under his weight.

A friend joked that this bicycle was Greg’s Cadillac, and the nickname stuck.

Drexler was the happiest about Anderson’s arrival- Anderson was a member of the University of Houston’s fraternity and got along well with Olajuwon.

In the 1984 NCAA Championship, he faced off against Gan Guoyang in the frontcourt, albeit being thoroughly beaten.

Although Anderson and Drexler had never been teammates, with Drexler having entered the NBA draft upon Anderson’s arrival at school, as brothers in the fraternity, Drexler was very welcoming of him.

The second and third rounds didn’t have much high-caliber talent left, so the Trail Blazers picked a few to join the training camp.

Trying to accommodate Gan Guoyang, the Trail Blazers selected Song Tao from China with the 63rd overall pick in the third round.

Given Song Tao’s abilities, whether he could stick with the championship-level Trail Blazers was a big question mark.

However, reserving a spot for Song Tao as a water cooler attendant to diligently improve his skills in the NBA wouldn’t be a problem.

As some arrive, others leave; not long after the draft ended, at the end of June, Bill Walton officially announced his retirement.

He held a retirement press conference at the Memorial Coliseum, and even though he was in good spirits and possessed three championship rings, when he officially declared his departure from the basketball court, Walton couldn’t hold back his tears and wept openly.

Walton said, "I have no regrets about my professional career. I’ve been through a great many hardships. Countless times, I wanted to give up, but I persisted because I wanted to stay on the court. I love playing basketball. My persistence has been rewarded, I have gained all that I could, and I am satisfied. I will continue to love basketball, but I truly can no longer contribute to my team on the court. However, I will forever be a Trail Blazer."

Saying this, Walton shed tears once more.

His career as a professional basketball player had ended.

The cycle of renewal in this world was constantly unfolding, never halting.

Walton retired gloriously while the Trail Blazers added two rookies to their frontcourt.

For a team aiming to take the championship, it definitely wasn’t enough.

As the team strived for a great three-peat, the management wracked their brains, seeking a capable replacement for Walton.

But just as Buckwalter was calling around various teams looking for opportunities, he suddenly received news that Vice President Spoelstra had resigned.

He immediately drove to Spoelstra’s house to confirm whether the news was true, and Spoelstra nodded, affirming it was genuinely the case.

"You have a better opportunity lined up?" Buckwalter asked.

"Not exactly a better opportunity, I just want a change of scenery. Portland is not right for me anymore."

"Why do you say that? We are champions! Is it Stu who poached you?"

Buckwalter could tell from Spoelstra’s expression that he had his answer and cursed silently. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Are you headed to Milwaukee?"

"No, Stu isn’t staying in Milwaukee either. We’re planning to head to the South Coast together, to Florida. There, we’ll create a new basketball world."

Ever since his last conversation with Stu Inman, Spoelstra had been hesitant about leaving Portland. After all, he had been very comfortable here.

But it was too comfortable, becoming less challenging. No teams in the Oregon area could threaten the Trail Blazers.

Having followed the team to two championships, Spoelstra felt he needed a new challenge in his life.

Especially after learning from Stu Inman that Pat Riley would also be headed to Miami, he made up his mind.

Spoelstra knew Jack Ramsey didn’t like him, and he admired Riley’s successful persona even more.

Both would surely work well together in Miami.

Buckwalter knew he couldn’t retain him and could only sigh deeply.

The team was continuously growing successful, yet those who had started the venture together were all leaving.

And how much longer could he himself stay in Portland?

So, when Buckwalter learned that Rick Adelman was also resigning to go coach the Warriors, he wasn’t that surprised.

It’s common for people to come and go in a commercial league; now, having satisfied their championship cravings and increased their value, everyone naturally sought new horizons to explore.

In early July, Buckwalter suddenly received a call from Stu Inman, who said over the phone, "Bucky, the team needs to strengthen its frontcourt, right? I’ve got a good candidate for you, make a call immediately."

"What?"

"The San Antonio Spurs, call Bob Bass, I’ve got it arranged for you."

Buckwalter immediately realized who Bass was referring to.

"Why are you still helping us?"

"Bucky, I will always be a Trail Blazer, always."