But Bird would no longer be involved; he chose to leave for the West Coast, where he discovered that the best thing about the Trail Blazers compared to the Celtics was that their power was very centralized.
They also have quite a long history and have been the hottest team in the league in recent years.
However, when it comes to basketball matters, there are only a few who can really speak up; the owner doesn’t meddle in basketball affairs, and other non-basketball departments each perform their duties.
Buckwalter is an experienced and well-renowned scout and manager in the basketball circle, and those who work under him are just a few individuals, often with unified opinions.
The Trail Blazers experienced an expansion due to championships in the late ’80s and early ’90s, transforming from a small workshop into a well-known big company, while the family-like atmosphere gradually disappeared.
Tang Jianguo focused on turning the Trail Blazers into a famous basketball brand, making it his money-making machine; the Trail Blazers were no longer the small team of the ’70s.
Yet, Old Tang is very wise in that no matter how much the Trail Blazers as a company expanded, their core basketball decision-making department remained small and elite.
This is their heart, the core of their competitiveness; other departments, no matter how powerful, no matter how many resources they control, are not allowed to interfere in the basketball department’s affairs.
At the same time, Old Tang highly values the opinions of the team core, the only real deity in the NBA, Gan Guoyang, with all aspects revolving around him.
This attitude towards talent makes Bird envious; he didn’t receive such treatment with the Celtics.
Gan Guoyang indeed has enormous power; midway through a practice match, he told Bird, "Ben Wallace should stay, he’s a player with potential."
Bird only half agreed with Gan Guoyang; he agreed that Wallace indeed had potential, as there’s a drive in him, but Wallace didn’t quite fit the Trail Blazers’ tactical system.
Bird prepared to build a primarily defensive lineup with enough height inside, but Ben Wallace’s height of a little over 2 meters was indeed lacking.
Gan Guoyang immediately retorted, "He’s just a substitute. If he were 6’10", do you think you would see him in the rookie training camp? He would have been picked by another team long ago!"
Bird put down his whistle and said, "Sonny, why are you always so confident? You say he has potential, so he has potential? Do you understand that I’m the head coach?"
Gan Guoyang said, "I understand, and I listen to you most of the time, but I think when it comes to spotting talent, I’m still quite good, a bit better than you."
Gan Guoyang’s words triggered Bird’s competitiveness; while working with the Celtics, he had always been overlooked because people generally thought that someone who played well couldn’t possibly be good at spotting talent too.
Look at Bill Russell; he won so many championships with the Celtics, but once he left the Celtics, he did a terrible job in coaching and management.
And then there’s Magic Johnson next door; he coached for a year, and it turned out that a genius like him couldn’t look at issues from an ordinary player’s perspective, ending up with nothing.
The Celtics’ owner thought the same of Bird; staying with the Celtics as a mascot would be enough, just like Cousy and Havlicek, with enough glory in their playing days, so why desire more? Why insist on proving oneself as an all-rounder coach and general manager?
With the thought to prove himself and dissatisfaction with leading an idle life, Bird left the Celtics and came to the Trail Blazers.
Everything was quite smooth with the Trail Blazers; the owner, management, and players were all good, but the biggest eyesore, the one you love and hate, was Ah Gan.
Bird considered himself already arrogant enough on the basketball court, but Ah Gan was definitely a more arrogant presence.
The seat of the greatest NBA player in history was his; he won 7 championships for you, and any showmanship on the court was his.
Now, fine, you come out of retirement, and we’re teaming up for another championship, yet I’m coaching, and you’re the one selecting people.
Bird thought back to those days in Naples, where Tang Jia Country said, "With Ah Gan as the core, revolving tightly around him," thinking it was just on the court, but it turned out everything off the court also had to listen to Ah Gan.
Kobe and Little O’Neal were your picks; Ben Wallace you think is good and want to keep. So, where does my opinion as head coach stand?
Oh right, it’s very likely you picked me as head coach too, as part of your comeback plan.
No wonder the league back then rumored that Bobby Berman was just an accessory on Ah Gan’s thigh, and it seems these rumors weren’t baseless.
Look at Berman’s performance after going to the Lakers; it was just okay, but compared to the glory of the Trail Blazers, it really pales in comparison.
Bird is also someone proud and ambitious, so he put down his whistle and began arguing with Gan Guoyang.
The two frequently trashed talked each other during their playing days, and now as they argued, they gradually began to do so again out of habit.
The players on the court were still playing enthusiastically, then noticed that the game was so smooth after a few rounds.
The whistle hadn’t moved; they played however they wanted, what was happening?
Looking over, the two referees were arguing!
"Sonny, you can’t surpass me in spotting talent; I’m confident enough. I might not be able to beat you, but my understanding of basketball far exceeds yours. I’m confident in this. My knowledge surpasses yours just like Barkley’s appetite surpasses Spud Webb’s; there’s no suspense there!"
"I think you lack a profound understanding of yourself; your understanding of me is less than 5 percent. Look at the ring comparison, 7:2, 7:2, do you understand how big that gap is?"