As for the third point, it further shows Hardaway’s unreasonable troublemaking. How can such matters be discussed openly?
Moreover, in the context of the first two points being so weak, the third point almost became the sole reason: Coach Hill made me unhappy.
Such blunt and unbecoming words were not only spoken by Hardaway, but after the meeting, he called management manager John Gabriel to inform him of the meeting and its outcome.
At this point, the Magic management showed their weakness and impotence. As a relatively new club, they had just lost O’Neal in the summer and faced a barrage of criticism. At this moment, they dared not go against Anfernee Hardaway’s wishes for fear of losing another superstar.
So, a week later, on February 18th, the same day as the game between the Trail Blazers and the Heat, the Magic announced the dismissal of Coach Hill.
Many things are like this: when you realize you’ve made a major mistake, in order to avoid similar mistakes in the future, you end up making another mistake, which is just as fatal as the first.
After Hill was dismissed, Magic assistant coach Rich Adubato took over as the interim scapegoat for the Magic.
It is foreseeable that, in a short period, Adubato will lead the Magic to achieve slightly better results than before, and player morale will be rallied for a while.
But in the long run, trying to replicate the miracle of Pat Riley’s succession with the third pick is extremely difficult.
In NBA history, the vast majority of instances where a head coach was dismissed mid-season and replaced by an assistant coach often resulted in a mess in the second year.
The team’s morale and cohesion collapse at the slightest touch, and ultimately, the team becomes hard to manage, leading to a lose-lose situation.
Such things happened before Hill was dismissed and will continue to occur in NBA teams because being an NBA head coach is inherently a high-pressure, high-risk job.
However, it is relatively rare in NBA history for someone like Anfernee Hardaway to lead a player rebellion and vote to oust the head coach.
After the incident was exposed, Sports Illustrated published a sharply worded column directly targeting Hardaway, criticizing the Magic’s locker room and management, as well as the current NBA culture. It pointed out that capital and fans have spoiled the stars into a group of immature kids with significant power, and management, in order to please them and the fans’ wallets, has to make some unscrupulous and incomprehensible decisions.
Moreover, the more it goes on, the more teams have to offer these star children big contracts because the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Gan Guoyang also played a role as a model in this; his three-year, one hundred million contract suddenly raised people’s expectations for contract limits.
So-called big contracts, in young players’ eyes, don’t seem impressive when compared to Ah Gan’s deals, so they dare to ask for even more.
But the team’s budget is not unlimited. Once it reaches an unsustainable breaking point, the trust between the labor and management sides will collapse, leading the NBA into a crisis.
It appears that David Stern has noticed this. After the Magic went through a coaching crisis, he came to Orlando on February 20th to watch the game between the Trail Blazers and the Magic live, intending to stabilize the Magic team.
After internal turmoil, the Magic team members’ minds were not on the court.
Facing the Trail Blazers in good form that night, their offense didn’t show much creativity, and they lost the game 93-101.
Gan Guoyang easily secured a triple-double with 35 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists, taking another steady step towards averaging a triple-double for the season.
Hardaway went all out, scoring 31 points and 14 assists, but the team had no heart to fight, and bringing down the head coach didn’t feel as satisfying as it seemed.
After Coach Hill’s departure, everyone realized he was actually a decent guy. The Magic’s rise in these two years was closely related to him, and the accusations against him were unfair.
After the game, David Stern found Ah Gan in the locker room. They had a brief private conversation in the parking lot, which would not be overheard by a third party or any listening devices.
They talked about the agents recently causing a stir and the situation of players from various teams wanting early contract renewals.
According to the patch version of the labor management agreement reached in 1996, the summer of 1997 could very well be the last window for young players to sign super-max contracts.
Once a new labor management agreement is reached and the standard contract and max contract schemes are implemented, those contracts lasting seven to eight years or even over a decade with figures in the hundreds of millions will no longer exist.
"The summer of 1997 is bound to be crazy. As the union president, you must control it and prevent unreasonable super contracts from ruining the market and people’s spirits."
"Please, brother, I’m the Players Union president. How could I stop players from pursuing big contracts? It’s against my stance, and it’s very difficult for me."
"It’s because it’s difficult that we’re asking you to handle it. Otherwise, why would we trust you so much? I know that right now, half the agents in the league are in contact with you, especially Larry’s two sons, who have many young players under them. Find a way. At the root, it’s the bad trend you started."
"What terms can you give me?"
"What terms? How about I just award you the O’Brien Trophy?"
Gan Guoyang waved his hand, already having an idea in his mind, intentionally playing hardball with Stern.
"Alright, I’ll do my best to keep the free market stable, but the league must promise to protect the interests of middle and lower-level players, as well as ensure retirement guarantees for veteran players. Only then will I have enough support and motivation. And... can I use your FBI resources?"
Stern wiped his glasses and said, "Brother, I’m asking you to encourage the young players towards good, not to let them completely lose themselves in the pursuit of money. You want to use the FBI? What do you plan to do? A crackdown?"
"I want them to investigate who exactly was the one who punched me during the Rockets’ game back then."
"F**k You, Gan! Stop joking. I’m heading back to New York. Keep in touch if you need anything, kid. You’re still just a big kid!"