When gathered, from the 13-man roster, only 9 could actually stand on the court for training, not enough for a full confrontation drill.
After undergoing systematic recovery training and examinations at the rookie training camp, the team doctor recommended Sabonis to undergo ankle bone spur removal surgery.
If he did so, Sabonis would miss more than half of the games, but he refused and decided on conservative treatment.
For the past two seasons, he has been troubled by injuries, with small injuries occurring intermittently, greatly affecting his condition.
The full effort at the Olympics increased his physical burden, but to win the fourth consecutive championship, he decided to drag through the season.
The cost of conservative treatment is that his training volume needs to be controlled, and his playing time must be reduced at the start of the season.
After each training session and game, he spends a lot of time on physical therapy to cool down and reduce inflammation in his ankles and knees.
In addition, those on leave due to injuries, unable to participate in training, include Terry Porter, Jerome Kossie, and Reggie Lewis.
Porter is sidelined due to a hand injury; years of battling have taken a large toll on his body.
He joined the league in 1985, and in the first 7 seasons, he almost played full-time, missing only 5 games.
He is the number one iron man for the Trail Blazers aside from Gan Guoyang, the most reliable ball-handler by Gan Guoyang’s side.
Entering the eighth year, his body is also starting to struggle; he had elbow ligament surgery in the summer and needs some time to rest.
Kossie, after signing a new contract, perhaps due to complete mental relaxation, developed patellar tendinitis in his left knee.
The doctor’s advice is to rest, and inject drugs into the inflamed area weekly to assist recovery; during this period, only simple physical exercises are allowed.
Lewis’s knee, joints, and ligaments are fine, but he often feels uncomfortable in his heart during training, and his back pain is worsening.
In the summer, doctors conducted a detailed examination of him and discovered a heart problem that could potentially be life-threatening if not handled properly.
Although Lewis insists he is fine and can participate in training normally, the team doctor, out of caution, still advises him to take a good rest.
As a result, Lewis can only sit on the bench, holding the ball, watching his teammates train on the court, doing some dribbling exercises himself.
Lewis jokes, "With the amount of exercise I’m getting, it feels like living in a nursing home."
Gan Guoyang responded, "A nursing home is better than a funeral home, get well soon, Reggie."
Those resting off the court, those training on the court do not mean they are completely healthy.
Petrović, like Sabonis, gave his all in the Olympics, leading to significant physical exhaustion.
After going through recovery at the rookie training camp and examinations, the team doctor also advised him to ease up a bit.
"This guy trains too fiercely; remember, not everyone is Ah Gan," the team doctor said.
He has minor injuries in his calves, wrists, back, and knees, accumulated from years of fatigue.
"If you continue with such intense training, you might face a major injury, Pete," is the team doctor’s warning to Petrović.
Petrović is indeed a player with extremely high training intensity; championships do not satisfy him, he has higher demands for himself.
In several preseason games, as key players like Kossie, Lewis, and Porter were absent, Petrović became the team’s starting point guard.
He scored 40 points in two consecutive games, which, even though they were just preseason, show that he is in good form and playing vigorously.
In the preseason finale against the Lakers, Petrović achieved a triple-double with 28 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds.
After the game, Petrović said to Gan Guoyang in the locker room, "Sonny, I’m thinking, when will I get a regular season MVP."
Gan Guoyang seemed to have long anticipated Petrović saying such words; since joining the Trail Blazers in 1989, this guy has always been ’rebellious.’
He has a leader’s heart, a strong ambition for basketball, and a big ambition for honors, qualities that Gan Guoyang appreciates.
Seeing Gan Guoyang didn’t speak, Petrović added, "I don’t want to be the team leader; I know I can’t surpass you, but... I don’t know if I can become the best player in this league, that’s always my goal."
Gan Guoyang wiped his sweat and said, "So, what do you think you should do, should I hand the MVP to you?"
Petrović shook his head, saying, "Of course not! MVP is never given, it’s earned."
"You want to compete with me?"
Gan Guoyang said, turning his head to look at Petrović.
His eyes had no disdain, but also no seriousness.
More of it was mercy...he looked at Petrović like watching a child, seemed helpless with Petrović’s ’naughtiness.’
Even though they are peers.
This expression made Petrović angry, he said bluntly, "That’s right, I want to compete with you."
Gan Guoyang laughed, saying, "Can you surpass Michael?"
"No."
"I’ve told you long ago, surpass Michael first before anything else."
"I know, so from now on, now I want to surpass Michael. I will strive to make an All-NBA Team first, then the MVP."
Petrović’s tone is firm; he knows he can’t surpass Ah Gan, but he can surpass himself, beyond what people believe is his limit, to reach higher grounds.
This year, because of injuries, Petrović is sure to get more playing time with the Trail Blazers, and he indeed has hope to progress further.