The arrival of Bernard King has given the Trail Blazers better bench depth.
Of course, this is only on the surface; whether King can truly integrate into the Trail Blazers’ system still needs the test of the game.
Moreover, King did not come to replace Petrović; the two are from completely different eras and styles of players.
Petrović is younger, with a more modern playstyle; his pull-up jump shots, long shots, passing, and driving all fit the current trend.
In the Trail Blazers’ Princeton System, Petrović plays a very crucial role.
He often orchestrates from high post or top of the key, setting screens with Sabonis and Gan to create openings in the opponent’s defense.
With him and Terry Porter in play, the Trail Blazers’ perimeter always has two major shooting threats.
They are like two corners on the court, spreading the Trail Blazers’ lineup space wide.
This season, the Trail Blazers’ offense is smoother and more potent than before.
One reason is that Petrović has reached his peak form.
Before his injury, his average score per game reached 21.5 points, second only to Gan in the team.
In contrast, Bernard King has reached the end of his career, having grown up in the ’60s and ’70s.
Back then, there was no three-point line in the NBA; Bernard King was a typical classical small forward.
No long-distance shots, high dribbling, great at post-ups, strong low-post scoring, and not much on defense.
This type of small forward is slowly disappearing from the NBA, with Dantley and Mark Aguirre also entering the twilight of their careers.
Players who grew in the ’80s and entered the league in the ’90s don’t play this way anymore.
Small forwards in the ’90s, benchmarked on Pippen, have shooting abilities, strong defense, and high overall skill requirements.
Scoring is not a primary obligation, but defense is indispensable, and organizational skills are a bonus.
Post-up offense is a mere embellishment, no longer a primary tool.
Now, Mario Ely, the Trail Blazers’ backup forward, is a typical new-era forward.
He is active in defense, has a decent three-point shot on offense, with average organization and ball-handling skills.
Such a player would not even have made it into the NBA in 1985 because the league didn’t need such players back then.
However, with the times changing, by the ’90s, players like Ely suddenly became valuable.
Older than Gan Guoyang by one year, Ely was re-signed by an NBA team in 1991.
His personal perseverance and refusal to give up are important, but his technical attributes fitting the times are key.
So, one’s destiny certainly relies on personal struggle, but must also account for the course of history.
Because Ely fits the current league trend, after Jerome Kossie missed games for various reasons, Ely occupied an important position in the rotation.
Thus, after signing Bernard King, Bobby Berman was also somewhat troubled.
How should this once All-Star veteran be used?
The Trail Blazers were prepared for Petrović’s absence.
The team had kept Dell Curry as a backup for Porter and Petrović.
On the wing, Ely performed well, not to mention Reggie Lewis is a solid starter.
Lewis is steadily developing into an all-around small forward.
In the Trail Blazers’ plan, Gan is the absolute core, Lewis is the versatile outside player, and Petrović focuses on scoring.
The ’90/’91 Gan Sabonis Twin Towers system has gradually given way to the new Iron Triangle due to Sabonis’ frequent injuries.
With these three as the framework, the Trail Blazers can maintain championship competitiveness for 4 to 5 more seasons.
Even more, considering Jerome Kossie still sits on the bench, drawing a million-dollar salary.
No matter how poor his form, he’s ultimately a veteran of the team, the one most familiar with the Trail Blazers’ system.
It makes no sense to bench Kossie and play the older, defensively weaker King, right?
If King were just an ordinary veteran, like Jones before.
Or Wayne Cooper at the end of the bench, just being the 12th or 13th player, that would be fine.
But King is a prideful star, a former team king.
If you play him less, have him serve others, he’ll feel resentful.
If he mishandles his relationship with teammates, he could easily become a locker room bomb.
Berman of course knows that King and Gan are very good friends.
They have been familiar with each other since their time in San Francisco; Berman also knows King.
At that time, Berman was an obscure high school basketball coach.
King was in his prime, a well-known super scorer in the league, a court star.
Time has passed; Berman is now a renowned champion coach across America.
Whereas King, due to recurring injuries, is on the verge of retirement, nearly forgotten.
His name once shone bright but has been completely overshadowed by other stars of the new era.
At yesterday’s signing ceremony, aside from reporters, not many fans attended.
Bernard King displayed his Trail Blazers No. 30 jersey in the cold rain.
The desolation of a once hero is fully evident.
Berman discussed with Jerry West in training:
"Trading Mark is acceptable; we do have too many front-line players. But with Pete injured, we should sign a guard."
West looked at the training ground, casually saying:
"A guard? Do you think we still need a guard?"
"Of course, now we only have two proper guards in the team, Porter and Curry. Lewis can play guard, but he is now more frequently appearing at small forward."
Bobby Berman prefers West to sign a small guard back.
To ensure during Petrović’s absence, the backcourt has an additional backup.