The training camp took place at the Willamette University gym. It was the first time the Trail Blazers players regrouped for training after the third game of the finals.
The past was vivid, but at this moment, Gan Guoyang and the remaining Porter and Kossie could already face this reality calmly.
The three of them were the longest-serving players left on the Trail Blazers, the team’s last iron triangle, remnants of the seven-time champion’s grand legacy.
At the rookie training camp, Gan Guoyang met PJ Carlesimo for the first time. In his first training session, Carlesimo surprisingly tried to take control and have Ah Gan follow his commands.
The next day, Carlesimo received a warning from management not to interfere with Ah Gan’s ideas and training methods, or he would immediately leave the Trail Blazers.
Carlesimo had no choice but to retract his ambitions, which did not match his abilities, and he quickly discovered that many of his concepts could not be implemented with the Trail Blazers.
He attempted to build a new offensive system around Ah Gan to maximize his abilities, which was also a gesture to win over Ah Gan.
However, Gan Guoyang wasn’t buying it. He thought that if an offensive system was to be built, the former Princeton system was the best, as it was deeply ingrained in people.
The Trail Blazers could completely develop a suitable passing and cutting coordination system on the basis of Princeton, allowing new members to join in.
Moreover, Gan Guoyang was dissatisfied with Carlesimo’s lack of strength on defense, especially when compared to Bobby Berman’s detail-oriented defensive strategy, and Carlesimo lacked defensive talent.
Many times, Gan Guoyang had to act like a defensive assistant coach to integrate the entire team and direct the defense—the problem was that this season, Gan Guoyang was destined to be unable to devote all his energy to the court.
After the rookie training camp ended, Gan Guoyang felt disappointed with the team’s situation, but it was all expected. This batch of rookies was also the "worst batch" he expected.
The thing that made him happiest was AC Green’s arrival. The two quickly became inseparable, training together and taking their families to explore near Portland.
Gan Guoyang started spending more time with his family. In the past, he invested all his time on the training ground. For the first time, he felt relaxed, yet somewhat empty.
When the preseason training camp started, some of the Trail Blazers’ issues were resolved. Carlesimo tried to understand Princeton and revolved his tactics around it.
On the defensive end, Carlesimo could only give strong support in terms of attitude; he really couldn’t offer much in technical and tactical aspects. The Trail Blazers relied on Ah Gan to consolidate their defensive strength.
In November 1993, the new NBA season officially kicked off. Carlesimo only finalized the starting lineup the day before the regular season began.
Throughout the entire season that followed, Carlesimo experimented with the lineup frequently to find what he thought was the best starting five.
However, veteran players weren’t keen on Carlesimo’s frequent lineup changes, feeling it was completely unnecessary; the Trail Blazers needed stability.
Less than halfway through the season, Gan Guoyang complained to management, "If you guys can’t find a coach, I suggest sending this guy who’s here for practice back to high school early."
"Also, if players being coaches was allowed now, you might as well let me take over the coaching position! I should have been getting double pay a long time ago."
Buckwalter could only comfort Gan Guoyang helplessly: "Sorry Sonny, our abilities are indeed limited..."
Buckwalter wasn’t just saying empty words; he was speaking the truth. For the Trail Blazers, player losses were visible, while losses in the coaching staff and management were invisible.
The visible losses could slowly be compensated by signing players, drafting, and Ah Gan’s return.
The lack of a coaching staff, especially in management and logistics, was difficult to make up for in a short time.
Not only did Berman, Shalov, and others follow Jerry West to the Lakers, but a cohort from management and logistics also went to Los Angeles.
Furthermore, the Heat had been persistently poaching from the Trail Blazers for years, and Calvin, Spo, Yin Man, and others went to Miami, leaving the Trail Blazers truly hollowed out.
Soon after the new season began, Gan Guoyang felt out of place everywhere. In training, the trainers lacked professionalism, and on road games, there were often issues with luggage.
These all increased the difficulty of the season.
Additionally, Porter and Kossie both declined significantly.
Porter regressed from a near-All-Star level guard to an ordinary starting point guard.
Kossie’s average scoring dropped to single digits, and he quickly fell out of Carlesimo’s starting lineup.
Mario Ely secured the starting small forward position.
In the first 10 games of the season, the Trail Blazers won only 4 games and lost 6.
This was the worst start for Gan Guoyang since he joined the Trail Blazers, surpassing the struggles of the 1988-1989 season when the team suddenly lost Drexler and Jack Ramsey.
Most frustratingly, Gan Guoyang noticed that due to his inability to focus all his energy on the court, his performance was declining.
After completing the games of 1993, and losing enough matches, Gan Guoyang had to admit, "I’ve slipped to becoming Jordan."
This statement would surely upset Jordan, as the Chicago Bulls were on the brink of an unprecedented peak.
With Dennis Rodman and Toni Kukoc now in their lineup, they achieved a 14-1 record in their first 15 games of the season.
Entering 1994, they were utterly dominant and unmatched, and Jordan experienced the best season of his career.