The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 570 - 1 1988-1989_2

Tang Jianguo said at the ceremony, "I’m a true fan, and I will make the Portland Trail Blazers even greater!"

The Trail Blazers had become the most successful, greatest professional team of the 80s after they clinched three consecutive championships.

In the summer, books, reports, and documentaries about the Trail Blazers sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain.

There were many during the first two championships, but nothing compared to the frenzy after the third consecutive win, which flooded every street like a tide.

From top to bottom, from coaches to starting players to benchwarmers to water coolers, even the team’s janitorial staff were studied and reported on.

The players not only secured endorsements, they also participated in interviews, recorded shows, attended radio broadcasts.

People always want to derive some patterns of success from the victors to guide their careers and lives.

Not to mention the new owner, Tang Jianguo, whose unparalleled packaging and promotional abilities made the already brilliant three consecutive championships seem even more glorious.

He used every means possible to promote the Trail Blazers, to extoll the greatness of the team, and he incorporated elements of the Portland Trail Blazers into his various businesses, hotels, and stores.

He tirelessly flew back and forth between New York and Portland, participating in all sorts of business and community activities without a sign of weariness.

He hadn’t lifted a finger towards building the team and its championships, yet he basked in the glory of the dynasty, one of the differences between him and Larry Weinberg.

While Tang Jianguo noisily constructed the façade of a dynasty, the Portland Trail Blazers were actually crumbling.

The day after the finals, Jack Ramsay officially announced his retirement, leaving the position he had held for over a decade.

Many players and fans tried to retain him, but Jack Ramsay’s mind was made up; the pressure on him had been too great.

An owner like Tang Jianguo only strengthened his resolve to leave; they simply couldn’t see eye to eye.

Compared to Tang Jianguo, the marketing tactics and behaviors of Spoelstra seemed like child’s play.

Following on, Train Gilmore, who had no regrets after receiving his championship ring, also declared his retirement, leaving the Trail Blazers to look for a replacement for Gan Guoyang once again in the summer.

The general manager, Buckwalter, did stay, but almost all of his staff were cleared out by Tang Jianguo.

The reason was simple: these people had too deep connections with Riley, Yin Man, and the others; the Heat were now the enemies of the Trail Blazers.

On June 25, 1988, just four days after the finals, the 1988 Draft opened.

With the arrival of two new teams in the league next season, the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets, the League was set to undergo an expansion draft.

Each team had an 8-player protection list, and aside from those listed, the other players were open for selection by the two new teams.

Of course, teams could privately agree with the Heat and Hornets not to pick certain players not on the list, in exchange for draft picks or cash.

For instance, the Lakers, to protect a younger player, did not include Jabbar in their protection list; West made a private agreement with both teams not to choose Jabbar.

Similarly, the Heat selected Dennis Johnson in the expansion draft, and then the Boston Celtics traded a draft pick to get him back.

Most teams were unwilling to let their quality assets go to the Heat and Hornets unless the players themselves wanted to go, in which case their previous teams could only comply.

During the draft on June 25, the Portland Trail Blazers did not put Clyde Drexler on their protection list.

Then, with the first pick of the expansion draft, the Heat, without hesitation, took Drexler, shocking the entire League.

How could a second-in-command of a three-time championship team, still in his prime years, be taken away in an expansion draft?

General manager Buckwalter claimed in an interview, "Being selected by the Heat was Drexler’s personal choice. We respect his wishes and wish him the best in creating his own world in a new city."

However, the owner, Tang Jianguo, was furious. He bluntly said on a talk show, "This is a conspiracy by the Heat and Riley! They’ve been digging away at the cornerstones of the Trail Blazers in secret; nearly half of their management is from the Trail Blazers’ past! They’re trying to subvert the Trail Blazers, to make us fail in the playoffs, so they can snatch Ah Gan or Clyde. Now, they’ve succeeded!"

Tang Jianguo was not wrong; the Heat team, led by Pat Riley, Cunningham, and Yin Man, had long had their eyes on two expiring contracts from Portland.

Riley’s primary target was Gan Guoyang, and though the chances were slim, if the Heat could acquire Ah Gan, they would instantly complete building a strong team.

In reality, Riley did not get his wish, as Gan Guoyang, after securing his third championship trophy, immediately re-signed with the Trail Blazers.

He signed a super contract of 4 years at 20 million US dollars, with an annual salary reaching a record-breaking 5 million US dollars.

However, to make room for signing other players, Gan Guoyang’s first-year salary was set at 3 million, with a gradual increase in the following years.

It turned out that the space Gan Guoyang reserved for Drexler was in vain, as Drexler, prompted by Riley, chose to leave and head to the South Coast to carve out his own career.

Gan Guoyang generously sent his blessings and stated, "See you on the court."

Besides Drexler, the Trail Blazers also lost Greg Anderson in the draft, as he was taken by the Hornets team.

The strength of the Trail Blazers was further weakened, going into the new season facing a void on both the inside and the outside.