Bird also carried out an important task, which was to use the collective bargaining agreement to renew the contracts of three young players early—Kobe, Little O’Neal, and Ben Wallace—to ensure the long-term development of the Trail Blazers.
Among them, Bird gave Kobe a five-year contract, intending to lock in this potential star for a longer period at a relatively low price before Kobe had fully proven his worth.
Little O’Neal and Ben Wallace also received four-year contracts, ensuring that by the 2003 season, the Trail Blazers would have a relatively stable core lineup to usher in the post-Gan era.
Of course, Bird didn’t know whether Gan would retire by the 2003 season, but if he didn’t, the NBA might as well belong to the Portland people for many years to come.
This worried Bird a bit. While he wasn’t concerned about Gan’s health nor doubted his own judgment, he was worried about whether the League would allow a team like the Trail Blazers to grow so big?
The Celtics of the 60s could be considered a precedent. After David Stern came to power, he immediately focused on curbing the Celtics faction, supporting multiple forces to prevent the Celtics’ monopoly.
Among these, the Portland Trail Blazers were the biggest beneficiaries of the Stern era rules. They got a good draft pick and made a fortune in overseas drafts, laying a solid foundation and easily winning championships.
Gan Guoyang, the Trail Blazers, the Bulls, Jordan, and the golden generation together helped David Stern elevate the NBA to the pinnacle, making it the world’s most influential basketball league.
However, all good things must come to an end. With Michael Jordan’s retirement, the bell for the gradual exit of the 1984 golden generation from the league stage has essentially been rung.
In September, at the Trail Blazers’ customary rookie camp, Rick Carlisle, as the executive coach, led the camp’s training and selection work.
Nevertheless, Larry Bird was observing from the sidelines the whole time. He asked Gan Guoyang to sit with him and chat, "Sonny! Why didn’t you hand out your ’Gan Recipe’ to everyone this year? I heard it’s a tradition."
Gan Guoyang wiped his sweat and said, "Nowadays, the young players prefer strip club maps. I have to get that from Clyde. As for the recipe, it’s becoming increasingly popularized. You know, the content is written by people hired by publishers, more for ordinary people rather than suitable for professional athletes anymore. There’s no need to give it to the players."
"The world is constantly changing."
"Indeed, it keeps changing. It feels like time is moving faster and faster."
Bird agreed.
Since turning 30, Gan Guoyang felt that time was accelerating. Each day was no longer as rich and colorful as when he was young; a few routine things done and the day slipped away.
Even as a superstar, able to participate in many events and meet many people, this feeling was still pronounced.
"What plans do you have for the future?" Bird asked.
"Plans? Of course, continue playing basketball. I once told Jack that I would play until I was 50."
"Fifty, then you’re just halfway through your career. You plan to play until 2014, a 30-year career?"
"That’s right, what do you think? Finish with David Stern!"
Bird laughed and shook his head, "I don’t think David will retire with you. The coming years will definitely belong to the young, especially entering the millennium. Just like entering the 1990s, which became your era, we’ll have to retire."
"That’s nonsense. I dominated the league since 1986."
"That was just you. Do you want all you old guys to retire and have the league still be controlled by an old thing like you? In the past, you were the new force; everyone supported you and wanted to see you succeed. Now? Now maybe more people want to see you fail, to see you become a stepping stone for newcomers."
"Let them come then. Is it because they want to beat me that I should proactively withdraw? If they can indeed do it, I’m not afraid of failure."
"Your confidence is enviable, Sonny, and I do hope the dominance can continue, but I fear..."
Gan Guoyang heard the concern in Bird’s voice. Bird was a very intelligent and forward-thinking person, though different from the meticulous Jerry West, Bird was the typical intuition type.
When he had a bad feeling, he would say it out loud and discuss with everyone to find a solution.
Gan Guoyang understood Bird’s meaning, the notion of ’what goes up must come down’—a team at its peak invariably hints at the beginning of a decline.
Last year, the Trail Blazers had a smooth path, thanks to the efforts of the players, management, and coaching staff, and also due to the League’s protection.
Needless to say, without the League’s permission, Sabonis wouldn’t have been able to sign with the Trail Blazers, and without Sabonis, the Trail Blazers certainly couldn’t have reached last season’s achievements.
Moreover, regarding referee issues, although the Trail Blazers didn’t exactly favor calls, they certainly didn’t suffer any losses in the fouls department.
The most typical case was in the Finals referee arrangement, where Jack O’Donnell, who had a conflict with the Trail Blazers, was excluded.
If the referees had slightly controlled the game, shifted the situation in Chicago,Chicago might have won one or two games.
As a result, the Trail Blazers swept their way through, creating an unparalleled, unprecedented postseason victory, achieving fofofofo.
Such a miraculous season, even someone as confident as Gan Guoyang knew it was impossible to replicate.