And KC Jones would always shout before each game ended or before training began, "Wash your butts, boys, and get ready to go home/start today’s training!"
Whenever KC Jones said that, everyone would laugh, and Bird would say, we’re not kids anymore, we take showers, not wash butts.
But on the first day of rookie training camp, Bird blurted out the same words as KC Jones, telling everyone to wash their butts and get ready for the tough practice.
The power of habit is truly terrifying; those imprints left by time affect you more deeply than you think.
The rookie training camp progressed quite smoothly, the schedule packed tightly for a week.
Everyone had something different to focus on: those under contract concentrated on improvement, those without a contract strived to perform hoping to stay, and those without hope of staying aimed to earn recognition for trying their luck with another team.
The entire Trail Blazers organization undoubtedly poured a lot of attention and energy into Kobe and Little O’Neal. They were the focus, even to some extent surpassing Ah Gan.
Gan Guoyang tirelessly spent time training with them, watching footage, guiding Kobe’s techniques, and solving Little O’Neal’s life problems — his two brothers had moved to Portland.
Gan Guoyang admired their talent on one hand. On the other hand, playing with these two young players often reminded him of Petrović and Reggie Lewis.
Just over three months ago, during the June finals, before Gan Guoyang decided to come back, he routinely visited the graves of the two in Croatia and Maryland.
The world has gradually forgotten them, returning to a normal life, but only the relatives still pass each day in painful mediocrity and helplessness.
Petrović’s mother has never been able to let go; she cannot forgive Petrović’s girlfriend who was driving during the accident, and since it happened, she has refused to see or speak a word with her.
Meanwhile, Lewis’s wife Donna, carrying two children, runs the Reggie Lewis Foundation while suing the Trail Blazers and the hospital that attempted to save Lewis.
She believes the Trail Blazers’ medical team didn’t recognize the seriousness of Lewis’s heart problems early enough, and the hospital used wrong methods during resuscitation, leading to Lewis’s death.
In America, such lawsuits are long-lasting, requiring loads of evidence, witnesses, testimonies, going through extensive legal procedures, and are measured in years.
Due to the lawsuits, Donna has now severed ties with almost everyone in the Portland Trail Blazers, leaving the sad place, moving back to Maryland.
The only Trail Blazers player Donna still keeps in contact with is Gan Guoyang, as she knows Gan Guoyang helped them a lot, being the first to realize Lewis’s heart was in trouble that day.
Donna has always been grateful to Ah Gan, having made him the godfather of her two children.
While Gan Guoyang cherishes the memory of his late friends, he strives to build and cultivate new partnerships.
Under Gan Guoyang’s careful guidance, Kobe and Little O’Neal had a very fulfilling rookie training camp.
Life was filled with basketball, and there was someone to answer any issues that arose upon joining a professional team.
Challenges still have to be overcome by oneself, but having someone to guide you feels entirely different from struggling through alone.
On the last day of rookie training camp, Bird picked up the whistle and organized a match among the rookies.
Gan Guoyang was prohibited from participating and stood on the sidelines with a whistle, assisting Bird with officiating.
Kobe and Little O’Neal were placed on different teams, quickly becoming the core figures of their respective teams in the game.
Kobe attempted to dunk over Little O’Neal, while Little O’Neal was willing to foul rather than let Kobe dunk over him.
Gan Guoyang taught Little O’Neal many defensive techniques, like controlling the Three Second Zone and using good positioning to win without a fight.
However, Little O’Neal apparently hadn’t yet learned the essence and started getting competitive with Kobe, causing chaos on the court.
Conversely, the seemingly unremarkable Ben Wallace had several impressive defensive moments, using positioning to control the Three Second Zone and showing strong rebounding control.
Bird, blowing his whistle, was observing these young people, saying to Gan Guoyang, "That Ben is really good, just a bit short. We need height."
Gan Guoyang replied, "Wasn’t Ben recruited by you? If you think he’s short, why invite him over?"
Bird replied, "He was recommended by Charles Oakley. He trained at Oakley’s camp, and Oakley said he was good. Also, the players the Celtics don’t want, I think are all worth trying."
Bird’s words contained a hint of resentment towards the Celtics.
Because when he was an advisor for the Celtics, the management’s philosophy on player selection always differed from Bird’s.
The players Bird wanted weren’t approved by the Celtics’ management, while the players signed by the Celtics were ones Bird didn’t favor.
Such differences in perspective made Bird very frustrated, as he had no power, and even a random department could easily veto his recommendations.
The results often proved Bird right and ML Carr or others wrong, but unfortunately, the situation wouldn’t change.
The current Boston Celtics have been rigid and degenerate for a long time; they need reform and a complete overhaul.