Beelman is the head coach of the Dream Team, and he has a relationship with Bird.
With a try-it-and-see mentality, Bird called Beelman the day before the camp started.
He asked Beelman a soul-searching question: "Is the success of the Trail Blazers dependent on the system or on Ah Gan?"
Beelman replied over the phone: "Larry, why would you ask such a stupid question? Did your brain get blocked by something after becoming a coach? And why would you ask me? Just look at my situation these past two years, isn’t the answer obvious? I think you were dumb to go to Portland, how about we switch?"
With Beelman saying this, Bird immediately understood his meaning.
Since Beelman followed Jerry West to Los Angeles, the Lakers have achieved nothing over these years—the biggest gain was a second overall pick.
It’s not that Beelman coached poorly, but it’s hard to cook without rice; Beelman’s efficiency approach doesn’t work at all when lacking players.
Moreover, Beelman always had problems managing the locker room. Without a leader like Ah Gan to keep things under control, he had to spend a substantial amount of energy dealing with players.
This is not his forte; he is more accustomed to being a technical coach rather than a managerial coach.
The 1996-1997 season was even more stressful for Beelman because the team had the great Shark O’Neal, and he would be partnering with Jason Kidd.
Kidd on the court eases the coach’s mind, but off the court, Kidd is trouble; he’s caused quite a few issues in Los Angeles over two seasons.
O’Neal is also a hot-tempered player who needs to be coaxed, and whether he can get along with Kidd undoubtedly tests the head coach’s management skills.
This was precisely Beelman’s biggest headache. Coaching Ah Gan didn’t require worrying about these things; you could just let him manage. No need to oversee everything.
"The only thing you need to worry about now is Ah Gan’s condition. If he’s still at his peak, you can focus on building the system you want, provided that you make Ah Gan the core. Of course, you’re not silly enough not to. If Ah Gan is not at his peak, think more about how to better tap other people’s potential and then focus on building your desired system, that’s all. Many other things you don’t need to worry about, Ah Gan’s control over the team is absolutely stronger than yours."
Beelman sincerely gave Bird some advice, but Bird didn’t quite believe it.
He believes Gan Guoyang is still in excellent form, evident from the rookie training camp where his abilities still shine.
But he doesn’t believe Ah Gan can have such strong control over the team, stronger than the coach?
However, upon careful thinking, this guy seems to really understand each teammate—their personalities, tempers, playstyles, even daily preferences.
He has woven an invisible net, controlling every individual within the team, making everyone willingly strive for victory.
"Everyone is in his net, including you, Larry." Beelman said in his last words before hanging up.
The next day, mid-October, Bird started the preseason training camp with three parts doubt, three parts confidence, and four parts passion and curiosity for the coaching job.
The preseason training camp is definitely different from the rookie training camp; rookie camp focuses on selection, also serving as a preview for the coaching job.
The preseason training camp signifies the start of the season; the coach needs to understand every player, formulate the team’s tactics, organize training, and oversee all sorts of tasks big and small.
No matter whether you’ve coached before, today you’re thrust into action. Bird arrived at Willamette University gymnasium early, at seven o’clock.
Last night he called all the players, requiring them to arrive at the gymnasium by seven-thirty, with no one allowed to be late.
Of course, Bird knew well in his heart that someone would inevitably be late. It’s a phenomenon sure to happen at every team.
During his player days, Larry Bird was almost never late; he was always one of the first few to reach the gym, with only rare exceptions due to unexpected delays.
So Bird really hated those who arrived late; even those arriving just on time irritated him.
For example, Kevin McHale always arrived just on the dot, reaching a few seconds after the required time.
Sometimes McHale did it on purpose, arriving a bit early and then waiting by the doorway, rushing into the gym or bus with 10 or 15 seconds to spare.
This behavior of McHale really frustrated Bird, also reflecting one of their off-court personality conflicts.
On the first day of training camp, Bird decided to use lateness to knock the Trail Blazers players down a peg.
It would be best if someone daringly showed up late so Bird could teach them a lesson, set the rules, and use one as an example for others.
He had already discussed with assistant coaches Carl and Dick Hart: one late arrival would lead to a 1000 US Dollar fine, two times late would incur a 300 US Dollar fine, and being late three times would result in a one-game suspension.
Arriving at the gym, Bird began doing preparations while waiting. By that time, Gan Guoyang, Little O’Neal, Kobe, and others were already at the gym before seven, having had a good practice session and were drenched in sweat.
These people were certainly not a concern; they were sure to be among the first to arrive at practice and the last to leave the gym.
Although Bird had never been a head coach, he played ball for over a decade and, as a superstar, had his own ideas about team management.