The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 586 - 7 A True Gentleman Should Be Thus

Gan Guoyang was now being overwhelmed by his son.

Although only one more person had been added to the family, the spacious villa soon went from a quiet and cozy world for two, to a chaotic one fraught with hustle and bustle.

One of the reasons Gan Guoyang stayed put in China, instead of returning to Portland, was his desire to have some peace and quiet for himself.

Although the arrival of a new life brought wonderful feelings and experiences, the commotion was truly incessant, with a new "little sun" around whom your life must rotate.

The family had hired a domestic helper to care for the child, but after a trial period, Wang Fuxi was quite dissatisfied and decided to take on the childcare herself.

After the birth of the child, Gan Youwei was unable to help out much, and with San Francisco pressing him to return, the restaurant’s kitchen would have collapsed without him, so Gan Youwei went back to San Francisco once the confinement period was over.

Gan Guoyang had hoped that his father would stay in Portland and open a restaurant there, but Gan Youwei said he was accustomed to life in San Francisco and did not want to leave.

To him, Portland had too much rain, and the autumn and winter seasons were too cold and uncomfortable.

California’s warm and dry climate was more suitable for him, and besides, he couldn’t let go of his restaurant business in Chinatown, where he had made many friends.

His mother-in-law, Wan Ling, stayed behind. As a nurse by training, she had experience in caregiving; she kept the vast villa spotlessly clean, even if it was always pervaded by the smell of disinfectant.

Gan Guoyang was very busy with basketball; training, games, travel, he was absent from home most of the time.

Every time he came home, he made sure to give his child a good embrace, which felt strange; despite his own strength, he found this to be the first time there was no outlet for it.

Taking care of a child was extremely tough; with jaundice, projectile vomiting, and fevers, these problems arose in succession, keeping the family on their toes and preventing them from getting a full night’s sleep.

As a mother, Wang Fuxi displayed striking calmness and resilience, assuming most of the child-care responsibilities. On nights when Gan Guoyang was out playing games, she took care of the child while managing many household affairs.

When Larry Flesher died unexpectedly, Gan Guoyang was in the middle of the playoffs, and the baby had just been born not long ago. While she cared for the child, she also helped coordinate some agent-related issues and provided comfort to her husband, helping him to plan and deal with various matters.

After the playoffs, when Gan Guoyang said he wanted to go to China for a while, Wang Fuxi agreed and told him not to worry about home.

She knew how the death of Flesher and the failure of the season had hit her husband hard; he needed time alone, rather than be crushed by tedious domestic affairs.

Now that he had returned, at their reunion, Wang Fuxi could see that Gan Guoyang had not only come back in person, but his spirit had also been fully revived.

On June 27th, the day of the draft, Gan Guoyang watched the live broadcast on TV while holding his son Gan Wenshan.

Gan Wenshan, having not been held by his father in a long while, felt unfamiliar with the embrace; he kicked furiously, landing his feet on Gan Guoyang’s face, contorting it as he tried to return to his mother’s arms.

Gan Guoyang, however, did not let go, thinking to himself that he, a man who could stand his ground against the sturdy men of the NBA, would not be pushed away by a little thing like his son kicking his face?

The two stubbornly opposed each other in the living room, while the TV broadcast the draft.

The camera kept showing the selected young players on TV; they all looked green, and their youth was not yet cast off.

To Gan Guoyang, not attending the 1984 draft in person was a small regret in his basketball career.

Of course, years later, this was no longer his regret, but the NBA’s, for not capturing the moment when Gan Guoyang shook hands with David Stern.

When it came to the 24th pick by the Trail Blazers, Gan Guoyang shifted his attention from his son’s feet to the TV.

Gan Wenshan seemed to sense his father’s change in focus, lessening the force in his kicks and turning his head towards the TV as well.

As expected, at the 24th pick, the Trail Blazers chose Vlade Divac from Yugoslavia, who approached the stage to embrace his family in preparation to step up.

He smiled, clothed in an ill-fitting suit he had borrowed, with a hint of bewilderment in his eyes, for the Trail Blazers had not been in contact with him before; it was the Los Angeles Lakers who had.

Divac still went up on stage, donning the red, white, and black cap of the Portland Trail Blazers, shaking hands and posing for photos with David Stern.

But after the handshake and photo op, Buckwalter was slow to come over and communicate with Divac, as the Trail Blazers were in the midst of trade negotiations with the Lakers.

It wasn’t until Buckwalter reported to Jerry West and confirmed the plan to secure Divac first that he found Divac and honestly told him, "We were planning to draft you and then trade with the Lakers, but it seems the Lakers are not interested in the trade. Would you like to play for Portland?"

Divac was hesitant, as theoretically, he could choose not to sign with the Trail Blazers.

If he delayed for too long, the Trail Blazers would be forced to offload him to the Lakers at a low price; that was the satisfying outcome Don Nelson had hoped for.

Divac did not have an agent; he came to America with his parents and wife, hardly speaking any English; he needed a translator.

He told the translator that he might need some time to think it over, as things did not quite match up with what he had anticipated.

Buckwalter told him, "This isn’t exactly what we envisioned either, but you can play alongside your teammate Dražen Petrović."