A few days ago, on January 14, 2000, the Mavericks changed hands. The famous internet entrepreneur Mark Cuban purchased the Dallas Mavericks for 285 million US Dollars, becoming the new owner of the team.
This marks a new trend in NBA capital at the end of the 90s—the new money from internet enterprises is gradually replacing the old money from traditional industries, entering the sports money game.
Moreover, Cuban is different from many past NBA owners who stayed behind the scenes; as a new capitalist, he loves to be in the spotlight.
He has no interest in the suit-and-tie image of old money and, like many IT tycoons, prefers wearing simple jeans, T-shirts, and shirts, sitting courtside like an average fan to watch the game rather than hiding in high VIP boxes smoking cigars and drinking red wine.
Tonight, for the game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Cuban sat courtside behind the Dallas Mavericks’ bench to watch the game.
Before the game started, he looked very excited; this was the third game he’d attended in person since buying the Mavericks, and the freshness had not worn off.
This game was also against the current legendary team in the league, the Portland Trail Blazers. Cuban was bouncing around everywhere during the warm-up.
He wanted to get Gan Guoyang’s autograph, but as the opponent team’s owner, he felt a bit embarrassed, so he asked Don Nelson for help.
Nelson had no choice; with time before the game started, he went to get an autograph from Gan Guoyang.
Gan Guoyang smiled, swiftly signed his name on a T-shirt, and asked, "Nellie, was what you said on the phone yesterday true?"
Don Nelson said, "Of course it’s true! Do you think I was joking with you? Dirk is a good kid; he needs some pressure."
"Last season, his pressure should have been considerable. It’s not easy for foreign players to survive in the NBA. Aren’t you worried he might get a psychological shadow?"
Indeed, on the basketball court, there have been players who, after getting badly beaten in a game, ended up with a psychological shadow, which eventually led to them leaving the court.
"If he crumbles so easily, then he’s not the player I want. Don’t be too hard on him; just... give him some inspiration, let him understand how a real game should be played."
Nelson knew that when Gan Guoyang gets brutal, he can be quite savage. This tough medicine should have a preventive dose to prevent Nowitzki from being completely crushed.
During the season, Nelson clearly felt that Nowitzki had made great improvements in both skills and physique, but his spiritual power was somewhat lacking—in simple terms, he lacked competitiveness on the court and leadership qualities in the team.
The recognized leader of the Mavericks both on and off the court was Mike Finley, the locker room leader and core figure established by the coaching staff and the new owner.
But Nelson knew that in terms of ability and potential, Mike Finley could not grow into an MVP-level core; the real future leader would definitely be Nowitzki.
Nowitzki is too young, with a childlike mentality, avoiding confrontation in games, with a general competitive spirit, often retreating when facing tough opponents, always needing Finley to step up.
Off the court, he plays the little brother role, carrying bags, passing water, buying food for veteran players, and is often mocked by teammates who gave him a fake name "Dick Tigler," a fictional porn star name.
His lifestyle is also very un-American. Firstly, he doesn’t have a cellphone; to this day, he doesn’t, making it hard to reach him once he leaves the team.
Secondly, he doesn’t like going to bars or nightclubs with teammates; he enjoys listening to symphonies, going to museums—German hobbies.
In the Mavericks, he lacks good friends and often feels lonely, calling Germany daily to talk to his parents, missing home but having to stay in America to play basketball.
These are issues Nelson can’t help him with; he hopes Ah Gan, as a role model, might offer Nowitzki some spiritual guidance and motivation.
But Nelson can’t ask Ah Gan to mentor Nowitzki—that’s against the rules, so he can only let Gan Guoyang crush him, hoping Ah Gan might give Dirk some pointers.
Of course, Nelson was praying that maybe tonight Nowitzki could be evenly matched with Ah Gan? Maybe he could even dominate Ah Gan, like Allen Iverson scoring over Jordan’s head to become a classic.
This year Nowitzki has made great progress, catching up with the NBA pace; his shooting is proficient, and at seven feet tall, he is quite agile with outstanding footwork.
In the game against the Supersonics against Ewing, Nowitzki made a brilliant display, making Ewing appear like an old gorilla.
Before Cuban bought the Mavericks, their record was terrible, just 9-21. Many thought he would fire Nelson after buying the Mavericks.
But Cuban didn’t do that; he really liked Nowitzki as a player, and he knew that only Nelson knew how to nurture Nowitzki.
As long as Nowitzki is there and performing well, Nelson won’t lose his job for now—one could say Nowitzki kept Nelson employed.
Therefore, Nelson needs to put more effort into developing Nowitzki; an all-star level player is definitely not the ultimate goal.
Before the game started, Nowitzki wasn’t nervous; tonight wasn’t the first time he faced Ah Gan.
During his rookie season, the two teams played against each other; Nowitzki came off the bench then, and the two didn’t match up on the court.