Tomjanovich hoped that while young players received attention from the team, they wouldn't take starting positions and playing time for granted, but instead earn it through their performance.
Gan Guoyang had no objections to Coach Tom's arrangement, believing it to be correct.
Currently, the entire Glory Team only faces pressure on performance, not much on records.
The primary goal is to sell tickets, while performance comes second. Key to selling tickets isn't winning, but first, Ah Gan needs to be able to play, so Coach Tom aims to further protect Ah Gan from injuries.
Secondly, young players need to grow and be able to play beautiful games.
In the first two games, Gerald Wallace's impressive dunks and impactful style have gradually attracted fans' attention, while Arenas still needs time.
Compared to the Glory Team, this season's San Antonio Spurs also have young talents joining, including two international players.
One is the guard Manu Ginobili from Argentina.
In the 1999 draft, the Spurs picked the South American player in the second round, while many teams didn't even know him, but the Spurs had targeted him early.
Having missed Tim Duncan in the 1997 draft, the Spurs lost their good fortune.
The management increased its efforts in scouting overseas players to make up for the lack of competitiveness in the local market.
Being a small market, lacking attraction for superstars, the Spurs had to focus on the draft.
After being selected, Ginobili didn't immediately come to America to play as he still had contractual obligations with his team.
After finishing the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 seasons, Ginobili originally wanted to continue playing for the Italian club for another year, striving to defend the European championship.
However, the Spurs desperately persuaded him to come to America early to showcase his abilities on a larger stage.
Ginobili hesitated for a long time, but ultimately, after the 9/11 incident and Gan Guoyang's decision to come out of retirement, he decided to leave Italy for the NBA.
Because he didn't know how long Ah Gan would stay in the league, he didn't want to miss the chance to compete against the greatest player in history.
Thus, Ginobili decided to join the Spurs, becoming a member of the Black and White Army.
At 24, his rich game experience quickly made him Popovich's starting shooting guard.
Another young player was the big man the Spurs picked with the fourth pick in this year's draft, a young man from Spain named Pau Gasol.
This handsome 7-footer from the Barcelona Club seemed born for basketball.
His height is genuine, a solid 7 feet, with excellent wingspan, agility, and a great shooting touch.
As for shortcomings, like many European big men, he appears less competitive upon arriving in America, but this can be improved.
The Spurs needed such an inside presence. Without Duncan, they set their sights on Gasol.
Throughout the 2000-2001 season, the Spurs tanked again, and this time they didn't need the first pick, as a fourth pick was enough.
With Ginobili, Billups, Pau Gasol, and the not-yet-retired David Robinson, the Spurs quietly rose again.
Before the game started, Gan Guoyang said to Tomjanovich, "Let me play center tonight."
Tomjanovich replied, "Don't overexert yourself, the season has just started."
"I'm not overexerting myself; after all, they have the Twin Towers."