Due to Wang Fuxi's busy work schedule, Gan Guoyang began to spend more time with his daughter.
His third-grade daughter was growing up quickly, and almost every time Gan Guoyang saw her, he felt she had changed somehow.
She grew a bit taller, a bit stronger, sometimes looking more like her mom, other times more like her dad.
Her girlish temperament was increasing, while the childlike feeling was decreasing. In the early-maturing American society, Gan Guoyang had already begun to worry about her safety.
To spend more time with and ensure his daughter's safety, on game days, Gan Guoyang would have a bodyguard pick her up from school and bring her to the MGM Center Arena every day.
This was treatment even Gan Wenshan did not receive; back in Portland, whether she came to watch depended on her mom's mood and how busy the family was.
After coming to Las Vegas, Gan Guoyang hoped his daughter could attend every game, feeling more at ease having her there.
Gan Youwei would accompany his granddaughter on the sidelines, still holding his notebook, recording every game's pre-game, in-game, and post-game moments.
After coming to Las Vegas, gambling was more convenient for him; there was no need to be sneaky as in Portland.
He was quite supportive of his son's formation of a team and playing in Las Vegas, but truthfully, it cost him a lot of money.
Before the game began, Gan Wenyi would ask her grandpa: "Grandpa, can Dad win today's game?"
Gan Youwei would adjust his glasses, think for a moment, and reply sternly, "It's hard to say."
"Why is it hard to say?"
"Well~ your dad became a 'vegetable'."
"What do you mean by 'became a vegetable'?"
"It means he's not as good as he used to be. He's getting old."
"How old can he be, older than you, Grandpa?"
"In terms of a basketball player's lifespan, he's considered older than Grandpa."
"How much of a 'vegetable' is he?"
"In one game, he often scores only twenty-plus points, barely over ten rebounds, which isn't much use. His teammates are a bunch of 'rookies' and 'old-timers', can't shoot accurately, can't run fast, just playing blindly! But in the past, when teammates were playing blindly, your dad could score 40 points and grab 20 rebounds, turning a hopeless situation around. Now it's truly hopeless."
In November, the record for the Las Vegas Radiance wasn't looking good.
Just like at the start of the season, they would win one game and then lose the next, win another, and then lose again.
Against some weaker teams, they could win relatively easily, but it was tough facing upper-tier teams with strong offenses.
At the start of the season, Gan Guoyang could single-handedly win some important games, but he couldn't play like that every game.
Moreover, with the NBA's expansion teams gradually maturing, increased exposure, and high salaries, talent from all over the world was being amassed in the NBA. It's no longer like it was in the early to mid-90s when talent was diluted and weak teams were everywhere.
Especially in the Western Conference, strong teams are everywhere, and the league is entering a state with no weak teams, where anyone could stumble unexpectedly.
Being the latest expansion team in the NBA, if you had to point to a weak team, Las Vegas Radiance themselves would be the first, the biggest stumbling block.
Fortunately, with Gan Guoyang's return, they could at least maintain a 50% win rate; otherwise, even a single victory might have been hard to come by.
However, Gan Guoyang was no longer at his peak; he's declined to the level of Larry Bird. Even if Bird were here, this lineup still wouldn't be of much use.
Gan Guoyang was quite patient, not anxious about the ups and downs, keeping a very good attitude.
However, many American media couldn't resist making sarcastic comments, saying that Gan Guoyang was bringing a bunch of 'stinky fish and shrimps', risking his reputation at the end of his career.
This put quite a bit of pressure on the other players in Vegas.
Young players like Gerald Wallace, Arenas, and Bell were constantly criticized by commentators.
They said Wallace was reckless, Arenas was selfish, Bell was reserved; for a team in the spotlight, both strengths and weaknesses were magnified.
Fans across the ocean in China were even harsher, never stopping their criticism, hoping that Ah Gan would have mature star players by his side.
Although Gan Guoyang invested and built a team in Vegas, he didn't buy the Las Vegas media.
Moreover, even the American president gets criticized and scolded daily in America. In the NBA, no matter your history, if you lose a game, you still get the same treatment.
Upon hearing what her grandpa said, Gan Wenyi ran to the Glory Team locker room, which was a restricted area for others but a little playground for her.
At the door, she would politely knock, saying, "I'm coming in, everyone, please put on your clothes."
"Come in, we're all dressed!" came the response from inside.
Over time, Gan Wenyi had been in and out of the locker room, so everyone was very conscious not to go shirtless.
Entering the locker room, Gan Guoyang was preparing for the game, wrapping bandages on his feet.
She ran to her dad and said, "Dad, Grandpa says you're a 'vegetable'."
"Grandpa's memory is failing; I'm not a 'vegetable', my opponents are."
"Grandpa also said you 'killed' the 'horse' with your treatments."
"Really? Daddy is a basketball player, not a veterinarian."
Gan Guoyang rolled his eyes, his dad must have been watching a lot of ESPN or TNT commentary lately.
Especially that loudmouth Barkley, surely taking advantage of the Radiance's unstable performance to spout nonsense.
That fat guy just loves using his public platform for personal vendettas, seeing his old friends Gan Guoyang and Jordan return, he often makes sarcastic remarks about the two veterans on television.
Of course, Gan Guoyang knows this is for the sake of topics and traffic; in private, Barkley had also given him a heads-up.