By the time they arrived in Atlantic City, it was already late at night, but the nightlife here was just getting started.
Atlantic City is a two-hour drive from New York, located on the Atlantic coast of South New Jersey, close to Philadelphia, and near major Eastern cities like Baltimore and Washington. It’s the Las Vegas of the East, a famous gambling and tourist destination.
Yao Ming sat in the back seat of the car, feeling both excited and bewildered that he had become an NBA player, and a member of the Las Vegas Radiance, playing alongside Ah Gan.
Everything seemed dreamlike, not quite real.
Although Gan Guoyang hadn’t revealed any trade details to Yao Ming before the draft, Yao knew he would most likely be traded to the Radiance, but he didn’t know what the trade pieces were.
Upon learning that the trade for him involved Brad Miller and Arenas, Yao Ming felt quite a bit of pressure.
He knew that both performed well for the Radiance last season, especially Arenas, who had tremendous potential.
This was the reason the Cavaliers insisted on acquiring Arenas. Originally, An Ji’s idea was to trade Raja Bell, but Bell’s potential was far inferior to Arenas’.
The Radiance considered Van Exel’s presence and their team-building plans for the new season that didn’t favor Arenas’ development, so they went ahead and did a favor by letting him go to the Cavaliers.
Jim Paxson agreed to the transaction of this top pick, Gan Guoyang couldn’t just reap the benefits indefinitely, he had to give Paxson something good in return.
The Cavaliers’ plan for the next season was still to tank, which would be perfect for Arenas to develop, and he might even become the leader of the Cavaliers.
That’s how NBA trades work: if you always take advantage without end, the favor is spent with a single use, and others won’t trade with you next time.
Conversely, if you try to make it a win-win situation, or even a multi-win situation, when you use a favor, everyone will want to trade with you in the future.
Often, excellent players, especially young, potential players, are more than you can chew. If you hoard too many, not only do you cultivate them poorly, but you also hinder their development and future.
To let resources flow reasonably and effectively, taking your share, tests the vision and scope of the trader.
The darkness along the highway slowly faded away, and the lights grew brighter, with Atlantic City shining brightly at night.
This is the largest hub for casinos in the East, a place where fortunes and gangster legends are born, and Yao Ming felt unfamiliar with everything here.
"How do you feel?" Gan Guoyang asked Yao Ming about his feelings on arriving at the legendary Atlantic City.
"Hmm... It seems a bit shabby, a bit old."
"Haha, you’re right, Atlantic City is indeed a bit shabby, a bit old. The boardwalk here is over a hundred years old, and many casinos have decades-long histories. In terms of splendor and spectacle, it’s far less than Las Vegas, and in the future, it won’t be as good as our Chinese megacities either."
Yao Ming had been to many places and was well-read, and this was no longer the 70s or 80s.
At that time, if Chinese people came to America, and to Atlantic City, they would certainly feel like they had arrived in another world, in heaven.
It’s too spectacular, too beautiful, too brilliant.
Now is the 21st century, China is changing with each passing day, while Atlantic City has passed its most glorious period and is entering a decline.
Hotels and properties have lost their expansiveness, with no new hotel casinos being built, relying only on past resources.
Many gamblers and tourists prefer going to Las Vegas, especially with the establishment of the Radiance team, the suction effect on tourists is terrifying.
The entire East Coast is in decline, and the 9/11 incident accelerated this process, with Atlantic City, the former gambling capital, showing signs of decay.
Gan Guoyang brought Yao Ming here not for gambling; the car parked in the huge parking lot of the largest casino, "Taj Mahal," and soon a team of security personnel came to pick up the car.
All these security personnel were big guys, but once Yao Ming got out of the car, they all became dwarves.
At 2.26 meters tall, he was just too tall, and Yao Ming might still be growing and could gain a few centimeters after entering the league.
Wearing a brown suit, Yao Ming appeared quite youthful, entering the luxurious Taj Mahal casino under everyone’s protection.
This was the most luxurious and largest hotel casino in all of Atlantic City, whose former owner was Tang Jianguo.
But due to poor management, he nearly went bankrupt because of this casino, fortunately getting some lifeline from the Portland Trail Blazers to pull through.
Nowadays, the shareholders of this casino have changed hands, with a complex equity structure. Old Tang once encouraged Gan Guoyang to invest, but Gan Guoyang had no interest in touching the gambling industry.
Even though the team was built in Las Vegas, with the team’s home next to a casino, Gan Guoyang still avoided America’s gambling industry, preferring to have related ventures in Macau instead.
Riding the elevator all the way up to the 50th floor, one could see that the decorations here were once lavish and splendid, but nothing is dazzling anymore, even appearing a bit old-fashioned.
The 50th floor had a dedicated VIP room, where Gan Guoyang led Yao Ming to one, guarded at the door.
The eye contact confirmed it; it was Ah Gan, no need for frisking, just go in already.
Thus, the two entered, and Yao Ming saw at a large table several black and white people gambling.
At the head was the legendary Bulls player, Michael Jordan, nearby were Patrick Ewing, draft commentator Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Gary Payton, Scottie Pippen, Jordan’s early friend Charles Oakley, along with numerous entourage and agents.
They were all old fellows.