The current situation is completely different. Gan Guoyang has come back after retiring for two seasons, and he is regaining his form according to a planned schedule.
Other players are either new high school recruits, recently traded troublemakers, or those who haven’t figured out their game after playing for two seasons.
There’s also someone like Porter, who is without desire or ambition, showing no enthusiasm during the preseason, as if waiting for retirement.
The head coach, Larry Bird, had a great reputation as a player but hasn’t yet proven himself as a coach.
The public is very skeptical about Larry Bird coaching the Trail Blazers. Even though it was pretty lively when he was first appointed, most people were just watching the spectacle, expecting Bird to fail miserably and get fired.
There’s a common belief in the coaching world that former superstars rarely become good coaches, and those who excel as coaches were often bench players in their careers.
In reality, this often holds true. Genius players who become coaches frequently fail to understand the mindsets of ordinary players, asking them to do things they are incapable of.
Most of the team comprises ordinary players, with superstar players being the minority. It’s usually those who stay close to the coach, learning the trade, who glean true insights.
For example, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, and Bobby Berman, were either role players or never even played in the NBA.
On the contrary, someone like Magic Johnson, who sees far beyond average players, struggles to guide them, much like Jerry West, who finds it hard to coexist with regular players, unable to tolerate or comprehend their lack of all-out effort for game victories.
Bird partially agrees with this notion but considers it not absolute, citing examples like Bill Sharman, Bill Russell, Lenny Wilkens, and Don Nelson, who excelled both as players and coaches.
"I’m not any worse than them, whether in playing or coaching."
Bird is quite confident about this. In the preseason, he saw problems but also positives.
Take Little O’Neal for example, his agility in games, his vitality under the basket, bouncing, dribbling, blocking, his rapid transition to offense after securing a rebound, and his mid-to-long-range shooting ability left a deep impression on fans and coaches.
Facing the Suns’ interior, he had some setbacks but also had moments where he either blocked opponents or magnificently secured rebounds using anticipation and jumping ability.
In one particular play, when the opponent missed a shot, Little O’Neal squeezed between three Suns players, leaping quickly, snatching the rebound with both hands amidst the crowd.
As he grabbed the rebound, the Suns’ players hadn’t even jumped. This simple rebound won cheers and applause from the entire audience.
Gan Guoyang stood up smiling and clapping, as spectators kept shouting from the sidelines, "Ah Gan, he’s like you, he’s like you!"
Little O’Neal is not a finished product, merely a semi-finished one. But it is precisely because he’s a semi-finished product that fans are filled with a sense of anticipation.
The current Portland Trail Blazers are the same. In their first preseason game, they eventually lost to the Suns, suffering a comeback defeat.
But the fans didn’t mind because they saw hope, much more than in 1995 and 1996.
After the game, Nash proactively sought out Gan Guoyang, hugged him, and hoped to exchange jerseys.
Gan Guoyang took off his jersey and handed it to Nash, but Nash refused to take off his own, saying, "This is my only road jersey, if I take it off, I won’t be able to play."
Gan Guoyang laughed in exasperation, saying, "You’re just as shameless and thick-skinned as Fitz."
Nash laughed heartily, not caring about Ah Gan’s comments, feeling very happy to get Gan Guoyang’s jersey.
You should know that at Gonzaga, everyone takes pride in owning a jersey worn by Ah Gan. As a result, Gan Guoyang needs to apply for bulk orders of home and away jerseys every season.
Watching Nash leave, satisfied, Gan Guoyang shouted a reminder, "Remember not to wash it! It has my sweat! It’s very precious!"
Having played a preseason game, and lost a home jersey, fortunately, in Portland, he has plenty of jerseys.
Next, the Trail Blazers faced the Kings and Golden State Warriors back-to-back, achieving two consecutive wins. Compared to the first game, their condition improved significantly.
On October 27, as the preseason training camp neared its end, the Trail Blazers went to Los Angeles to play their last two preseason games, facing the Lakers and Clippers.
With the games as references, the Trail Blazers’ training became more targeted.
Bird identified noticeable issues on both the offensive and defensive ends for the Trail Blazers.
The main problem on offense was the lack of chemistry; the once-effective Princeton System had become ineffective.
The team’s half-court set plays were overly simplistic, lacking variety, performing well initially but poorly in follow-ups.
At times, they had to rely on Gan Guoyang to aggressively handle the ball, which was indeed a good strategy, but Bird believed it wasn’t a long-term solution.
For any team to achieve success ultimately, they need to unleash the collective power of the team; relying solely on one person, even if it’s Ah Gan, is not enough.
However, chemistry takes time to develop, requiring game after game of adjustment; haste won’t help.
Bird doesn’t plan to impose any system on the Trail Blazers, delegating most offensive strategies to Rick Carlisle.
Carlisle, like Berman, is a technical talent, holding a playbook in his mind. He excels at organizing various strategies for the players.
Bird believes that as the season progresses, and the players’ coordination improves, their offense will become better.