After the dust settled on the labor negotiation, the summer of 1998 was coming to an end.
The management of various teams was digesting the content of the new labor agreement, signing new contracts, and making trades in accordance with the needs of the new season.
The Nets formed a roster with impressive paper strength of four major stars. Paul Allen held a grand unveiling ceremony at the New Jersey Continental Airlines Arena, causing massive excitement among local fans.
With the Hudson River separating New Jersey and New York, historically, the Nets had always been suppressed by the Knicks. When the Nets left the ABA to join the NBA in 1976, they had to pay the Knicks $4.5 million as an "invasion fee."
For this $4.5 million, the Nets had to sell their marquee player and biggest box office draw, Dr. J, to the Philadelphia 76ers. This wrong decision led to the Nets’ future development being unsatisfactory.
Just a year later, the Nets moved from Long Island to New Jersey because they couldn’t compete with the Knicks and could only choose to live next to them.
Since its founding, the Nets have had many stars come and go, achieved some results, but have always been a fringe team in the league, never truly standing at the center stage.
Now they finally stand at the center stage. Regardless of the results, the paper lineup of the four major stars is absolutely sufficient.
After Barkley signed with the Nets, this season’s Nets season tickets have already sold out. The Nets’ financial books are definitely not losing money.
Fans in New Jersey are full of confidence in this "Galactic Battleship," with the only concern perhaps being that the head coach is a rookie.
Doug Rivers has no coaching experience and suddenly has to lead a team built with such a group of superstars. His leadership ability is worrisome.
However, those familiar with Rivers are not too worried, because during his playing days, Rivers was well-respected by his peers and had great popularity in the circle.
Moreover, Rivers has great confidence in his coaching career, which is the first step in achieving results. If one can’t believe in oneself, how can success be possible?
Seeing the Nets form a big three across the river, New York was not to be outdone and also strengthened their team. They traded away Glen Rice and Chris Mills and acquired a younger, more ball-dominant Larry Sprewell from the Golden State Warriors.
Although Rice had exquisite shooting skills, he and Alan Houston had conflicts in position and function, and the Knicks’ perimeter always lacked an aggressive player who could handle tough situations.
This led to the Knicks repeatedly losing to the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs over the years. Sprewell’s arrival can bring the Knicks what they need.
At the power forward position, Shawn Kemp’s defense has always been less than satisfactory. Therefore, the Knicks signed the young free agent Kurt Thomas to enhance the depth at the four position.
In terms of roster, the Knicks aren’t as luxurious as the Nets, but their main players are all in their prime. Alonzo Mourning, Shawn Kemp, Houston, and Sprewell are all under 30.
If only talking about combat power, the Knicks are absolutely on par with the Nets, it’s just that their paper lineup isn’t as fearsome-looking. At almost every position, both sides can counter each other.
As the largest market area in America, the battle between the Knicks and the Nets in New York upgrades, adding new attractions to the 1998-1999 NBA season, filling the vacuum left by Jordan’s retirement to some extent.
The king of the East is gone, and the heroes of the East rise with the chaos, vying for a new chance to enter the NBA Finals. The Bulls previously monopolized the Eastern Conference title for four consecutive years; the East had long suffered under the Bulls.
However, compared to the West, the situation in the East is better, at least with a glimpse of hope, because the West is still visibly overshadowed by the Portland Trail Blazers.
Unlike the heated activity in the free and trade markets in the East, the Western Conference teams made no significant moves, all tacitly laying low, only investing in rookies at the draft, evidently preparing for the future.
Even the Los Angeles Lakers, who have the hope to challenge for supremacy, maintained a low profile, focusing on developing their rookies and patiently waiting for the aging and decline of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Others, like the Utah Jazz, Seattle SuperSonics, and San Antonio Spurs, either retained their old rosters for another year or set their sights further ahead.
In short, all Western teams reached a consensus; the current Portland Trail Blazers are difficult to challenge, so it’s better to avoid their edge, quietly wait for changes in the world, seize good opportunities, and then fight vigorously.
Like the Seattle SuperSonics, who, after the great disaster in Portland in 1993, seized the opportunity to trade for Patrick Ewing, thus entering the finals twice and coming close to the O’Brien Trophy.
As the defending champions, the Trail Blazers naturally want to maintain their status. General Manager Buckwalter honorably retired, handing the general manager position to Larry Bird.
Newly appointed Bird adopted a very steady management policy, and the contract renewal negotiations with Ah Gan were going very smoothly. Knowing well that Gan Guoyang gave a very favorable offer, Bird tried his best to compensate Gan Guoyang in other areas.
For example, complimentary tickets to the Rose Garden, family aircraft tickets, and various other benefits, although not very important to Gan Guoyang, all these reflect the Trail Blazers’ management’s respect for him, which he deserves.