Olajuwon’s trade once again changed the League’s landscape.
The East Bulls gained a strong competitor, while the Western Rockets exited the championship stage.
This might be a good thing for the Trail Blazers, as the path to a four-peat has one less potential threat.
However, everyone within the Trail Blazers knows that the only true obstacle in front of them is themselves.
Aging, injuries, internal instability, player turnover, etc., are the real big concerns for the Trail Blazers.
In the free market, the Trail Blazers lost Cliff-Robinson, one reason being their need to renew veteran Jerome Kossie’s contract.
As a Portland veteran and Gan Guoyang’s close guard entering the League, Kossie has been diligent all these years, dedicating himself completely to the six-championship mission.
Because he was a second-round pick, Kossie has always been on a low contract, and as the team’s main small forward, his salary last season was only 560,000 US Dollars; in the Trail Blazers’ first championship season in 1985-1986, Kossie earned only 100,000 US Dollars a year.
In comparison, Reggie Lewis, who signed a contract in the summer of ’90, could earn 3.3 million US Dollars a year, while Kossie’s total earnings throughout his years with the Trail Blazers were only equivalent to Lewis’s one-year salary.
So this summer, with Kossie’s contract expiring, the Trail Blazers management had to offer him a sufficiently lucrative contract, in part to keep Kossie to maintain competitiveness, and in part as a reward for his contributions over the years.
Kossie received a three-year contract worth a total of 9.2 million US Dollars, with the first year’s salary at 2.65 million US Dollars and the last year at 3.6 million US Dollars. Kossie deserves this kind of contract.
However, choosing Kossie meant the Trail Blazers could not afford to keep Cliff-Robinson with another 9 million US Dollar contract.
Jerry West was somewhat regretful for not signing a longer contract with Cliff-Robinson when he was picked in 1990.
No way around it, Robinson was a second-round pick, and West didn’t foresee his excellent development prospects and court potential.
At that time, the NBA didn’t have standard rookie contracts. Although there were some constraints on expired contracts for rookie players, the labor agreement’s provisions were weak.
Moreover, for Robinson, he had already won enough championships, with two rings in hand. It was time to chase the money, as a player’s youth is precious.
Besides, Miami, known as ’Little Portland’ in the NBA, is said to offer a similar experience to playing for the Trail Blazers, just with less rain and more sunshine.
In the free market, Jerry West strived to find an experienced, valuable, affordable big man eager to win a championship, akin to veterans like Bill Walton, Caldwell Jones, Mychal Thompson, and Gilmore.
West was certain the new season would bring even greater challenges for the Trail Blazers’ interior, necessitating sufficient rest and protection for Ah Gan.
A four-peat, truly an unbelievable achievement, could it really succeed? West’s heart was pounding, and he didn’t know.
In fact, the entire Trail Blazers had that doubt—is it necessary? For the fourth consecutive championship, what else do we have to sacrifice?
Nobody knows. This road is very lonely, so lonely that everyone starts questioning the necessity of continuing down it.
The Celtics once achieved an eight-peat, but that was in the 60s, a League with only teams, and the NBA could hardly be called a national professional league—it was more accurately called the "Northeast Regionally United California League."
Now, the NBA has 27 teams spread across over 20 states nationwide, from east to west, south to north, with all of America under these teams’ influence.
Its influence has even reached worldwide, attracting global basketball talents to this highest-level League, so the championship’s gold content is imaginable.
This is a completely different game now, and even without winning championships, players can live well, even remarkably well.
Most players no longer rely on playoff bonuses for their living, especially stars whose endorsement and advertisement incomes are shockingly high.
Like this year’s No. 1 draft pick Shaquille O’Neal, whose first-year contract has a salary of 3 million US Dollars, but he also signed a 13 million US Dollars advertising endorsement deal with Pepsi-Cola, a 15 million US Dollars shoe deal with Reebok, and other sports brand deals such as Kenna and Spalding, totaling over 20 million US Dollars.
O’Neal hasn’t played a single NBA game yet, and his total income has already surpassed many of his predecessors’ entire career salaries.
This reflects the 90s’ immense enhancement of the overall NBA commercial value, especially highlighted by the 1992 Olympic Dream Team’s appearance showcasing this commercial value vividly.
Sponsors flock to the NBA, waving checks to offer stars endorsements and advertising contracts, using their influence to expand their businesses.
Even ordinary players, as long as they are famous locally and welcomed by local fans, can earn significant profits through some commercial activities and small brand endorsements.
After winning the second three-peat, the Trail Blazers’ crew, like Antonio Davis and Mark Bryant, appeared on promotional posters in local restaurants and sporting goods stores, becoming the store’s business draw.
Of course, the Trail Blazers’ players were still full of desire for the championship because winning championships is an addictive thing.