No team wishes to see their teammates traded after winning a championship. Tim Hardaway is indeed stronger than John Starks, but a sense of distrust is spreading within the Miami Heat.
Riley speaks eloquently about team building in his bestseller, but it’s hard to say if he truly believes in "trust and loyalty" deep inside, or if he merely uses them as tools to win hearts.
When Gan Guoyang returned to Portland, the waves and frenzy he stirred undoubtedly affected the South Coast, affecting many people.
Watching the live TV broadcast, Olajuwon might wonder in his heart whether Ah Gan’s words "loyalty might hurt you" were sincere or the devil’s whisper tempting one to fall.
In any case, after a long revenge and finally achieving certain accomplishments, Riley needs to enter the next phase of his basketball career.
He hopes Ah Gan can come to Miami to help him start a new phase, but he knows deep down that Ah Gan doing so would not be like him.
So Riley still focuses on his team’s resources. If moving John Starks isn’t enough, then trying others might also work.
Deep inside, Riley might believe in loyalty and trust, but he’s left them in Kentucky, in his younger years.
Many management teams hold similar "let’s try" thoughts. After all, thinking doesn’t break the law; what if it succeeds?
During the week when Gan Guoyang hadn’t announced a decision, every team’s general manager’s office in the League called him.
Even the Chicago Bulls’ manager, Jerry Krause, politely called to inquire if Gan Guoyang was willing to cooperate with Jordan.
Gan Guoyang laughed, saying, "I would be willing, as long as your salary cap can sign me at a satisfactory price."
Krause actually calculated a bit; he wanted to try a sign-and-trade, willing to trade anyone except Jordan for Ah Gan.
If Ah Gan agrees to cooperate with Jordan, the Chicago Bulls would become the NBA’s true galaxy battleship, equivalent to Chamberlain + Russell, Bird + Johnson.
But soon, owner Reinsdorf told Krause to give up on this fantasy, "You better think about how to continue strengthening the inside line! That damn thing, coming back again..."
This is a more pragmatic attitude. Ah Gan is not going to another team; focusing on reinforcing the inside line is the urgent task.
Of course, there are even more pragmatic ones, like Xiang Zhuang’s strategy while others are focused on Ah Gan; they target more suitable candidates.
For example, the sly Jerry West.
He stayed in Portland for four years, cooperating with Gan Guoyang for four years, winning the championship every year.
He clearly knows the deep connection between Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers.
One could say he doesn’t belong to the city; rather, the city belongs to him. The more challenging and difficult times the team faces, the less likely Ah Gan is to leave.
So when Jack Nicholson, like a resentful woman, once again told West, "You should get Ah Gan to partner with Jide."
West directly told Nicholson, "It’s impossible. Ah Gan will never come to Los Angeles."
But we will have a more suitable choice.
Jerry West turned his gaze to Florida, to the Shark in Orlando.
In the Eastern Conference dominated by the Heat and Bulls, although the Magic acquired the talented combination of O’Neal + Hardaway, they couldn’t break through in the short term.
In 1995, they were eliminated by the Heat and Olajuwon in the Eastern Conference semifinals; in 1996, they reached the Eastern Conference finals but were slaughtered by Jordan.
In the summer of 1996, O’Neal’s contract had a player option. He could choose to stay with the Magic and sign a super-large contract exceeding 100 million US Dollars.
This is what most NBA stars would do: sign with the home team, get the biggest contract, and lead the team to win the championship.
But when June’s "I’m Back" came along, the Magic management made an incredibly foolish decision to cut costs.
They even held a vote among Orlando fans, asking, "Who deserves a super contract more, Ah Gan or O’Neal?"
The Magic fans genuinely participated in the vote, with most votes going to Gan Guoyang: he is stronger than O’Neal.
Magic fans might seem silly but aren’t; they certainly know Ah Gan is stronger than O’Neal and more deserving of a super contract.
But saying they’re not silly, they really are silly; Ah Gan won’t come, so what good is voting that he’s worth it besides making O’Neal angry?
As a result, O’Neal, in a fit, refused the Magic’s contract offer and started listening to other teams’ offers.
Jerry West seized this opportunity. While other teams were making futile attempts to recruit Ah Gan, he focused most of his energy on O’Neal.
On the day Gan Guoyang announced his return to the NBA, Jerry West was in Los Angeles meeting with O’Neal, offering him a staggering 7-year, 120 million US Dollar contract.
The contract would expire in 2003, with a player option available for O’Neal in 2001.
This is undoubtedly a large contract; in 1996, the NBA was a time when checks were flying, and star players were free to switch teams.
After Charlie Grantham replaced Larry Fleisher as the union president, the situation became somewhat out of control.
Grantham was too accommodating to the players, forgetting the balance, and star players were profiting hugely over the years.
Quite a few players, especially rookie stars, started with contracts worth tens of millions of dollars spanning over a decade.
For example, Chris Weber, Glenn Robinson, Juwan Howard, making the player market quite chaotic.
Star players benefited, and shrewd management teams took advantage of the confusion, but ordinary players, those at the bottom, faced tough times.
West targeted the Shark, knowing the Magic team lacked the wit to recognize the situation.
The Magic could offer more, but O’Neal had grown cold to the Magic management’s series of operations.
O’Neal asked Jerry West one question: "Who is better, me or Ah Gan? Why not choose Ah Gan?"
Jerry West didn’t say Ah Gan was better or that Ah Gan wouldn’t come, so we choose you; he wasn’t a fool.
West replied directly, "You are the better one; Ah Gan is old. The future belongs to you."
West might have lied, but he said the right thing.
O’Neal didn’t need an answer on who was stronger, Ah Gan or himself; that’s what the performance on the court is for.
He needed the team’s attitude, management’s support; big guys don’t like to be underestimated.
From that moment, he had already made his choice internally.
The Lakers had another question: whether Magic Johnson would stay or retire.
On July 1st, two days after "I’m Back" was released, Johnson’s contract expired.
With rumors of Ah Gan’s return and Larry Bird going to coach the Trail Blazers, Johnson considered playing in Portland.
Although Johnson is a Lakers legend and the star player, his mindset is quite abstract.
From his HIV diagnosis, hosting parties at home watching people engage with each other, you can see he’s not an ordinary person, doing unusual things.
During Gan Guoyang’s retirement, Johnson could go on a program and kneel in front of the camera to plead for Gan Guoyang’s comeback.
Regardless of him being a basketball legend, even an ordinary person would find it hard to do such a thing.
We can only say this guy truly is of unusual character, walking paths, eating food, doing things that average people can’t pull off.
However, when discussing collaboration potential with Bird, Bird very rationally advised him not to do it.
"Magic, I think there are more suitable areas off the basketball court for you to develop. The court is a kind of constraint for you. You don’t have to confine yourself here. If you really come to Portland to play, how do you define yourself? How do you face the Los Angeles Lakers? Or, do you really lack a championship?"
Bird’s words were clear, indicating that you are so abstract that the court is no longer suitable for you; there are bigger stages waiting for you.
The Magic truly was no longer suitable for the court; his style and physique could no longer support high-intensity seasons.
As a coach, Magic wouldn’t work either. He’s too flamboyant and has too much talent, unable to guide ordinary players.
Under the persuasion of his friend and the pressure of reality, Magic Johnson officially decided to retire.
This former Magic never appeared on the basketball court again.
The NBA continues as always: some leave, some stay, some rush to the playground, some resign and return home.
The complex summer of 1996 had only just uncovered a corner.