The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 989 Two Chairpersons
Before the league officially issued its decision, the NBA office consulted with the Glory's management to discuss whether to agree to them becoming an Eastern Conference team for the next season.

Wang Fuxi convened an internal meeting of senior executives and immediately notified Gan Guoyang, asking him to make a decision.

In fact, Gan Guoyang had considered that such a situation might occur as early as when Guanghui was first established.

After all, there were precedents like the Heat and Timberwolves in the 80s. However, the reason for doing so back then was to expand the NBA's appeal in new markets, to get popular teams like the Bulls, Lakers, and Trail Blazers to play in Miami and Minnesota, and to encourage local audiences to buy tickets to watch the games in the arena.

The reason for doing this is not to expand the basketball market in Las Vegas, but to hope that when Glorious goes to the East, it will drive up the sluggish and uncompetitive state of the entire East region.

Although the Boston Celtics won the championship last season, apart from the Celtics, there was no other team in the entire Eastern Conference that could be considered a strong contender.

The Celtics practically swept their way into the Finals. From the regular season to the playoffs, the Eastern Conference games lacked excitement, with attendance and viewership far worse than the Western Conference.

The Hornets' home games during the playoffs saw attendance rates below 50%, setting a new record for the worst attendance in recent NBA playoff history and causing great concern for the league.

The Hornets were originally a promising and competitive team, very popular with fans in Charlotte.

However, their owner, George Sheehan, was involved in a rape case in 1997, which severely damaged the team's reputation in the city. Coupled with a series of poor management decisions, the team's popularity plummeted, making it unable to compete with local college basketball teams.

In the 2001 season, Sheen requested to move the Hornets to Memphis, but lost the competition to the Vancouver Grizzlies.

After the season ended, Sheehan applied to bring the team to Louisville, but Rick Pitino, the head coach of the NCAA's University of Louisville and a local basketball power, publicly opposed bringing professional basketball to Louisville.

Pitino's failed experience in the NBA led to his hostility towards the league, and the Hornets' plans to relocate to Louisville fell through.

Ultimately, the Hornets chose New Orleans, a city that had an NBA team nearly 30 years ago, the New Orleans Jazz, which moved to Salt Lake City in 1974.

As part of the relocation plan, David Stern proposed that the Las Vegas Glory move to the Eastern Conference next season to alleviate the stagnant situation in the East.

Glory's immense popularity and strong earning power made David Stern highly value this Las Vegas team.

The NBA has been expanding continuously over the years, growing from 23 teams in the 1987-1988 season to 30 teams in just over a decade. While it appears glamorous on the surface, it has actually been experiencing some indigestion.

Several teams have considered moving, with the Grizzlies and Hornets already having done so. In 1994, the Timberwolves almost moved to New Orleans due to a financial crisis, at which point fans would have seen a rather strange combination of team names like New Orleans Timberwolves.

Currently, the Seattle SuperSonics are also in a difficult situation. There are always major disagreements between the local government and the team on issues such as venues and public spending. As the NBA's requirements for venues are getting higher and higher, many places are unwilling to allocate public funds to support venue construction, which affects the team's operations.

In short, David Stern could see that the NBA's expansion would bring many problems, especially financial ones, which would plague smaller teams.

One of the reasons we initially agreed to let Glorious move to Las Vegas was that we hoped it could act as a blood bank to support the teams. Now we're sending you directly to the East, so you can play more games in the East and bring in more ticket sales for the Eastern teams.

For Gan Guoyang, playing in the East or West will not affect their goal of winning the championship. In fact, going to the East is more advantageous, as the Celtics are the only opponent they should take seriously.

The main problem lies in the travel arrangements. Las Vegas is in Nevada, and if most of the games are in the East, it means the team's away travel will be much longer.

This isn't very friendly to teams that are generally older, but otherwise, it's not a big deal.

Moreover, from a business perspective, playing more games in the Eastern Conference can further enhance the Glorious's influence across the United States, expand the Eastern market, and be especially beneficial to the tourism industry in Las Vegas.

Therefore, after discussion, the management quickly agreed to the league's arrangement, and Glorious was willing to become a member of the Eastern Conference next season, replacing the Charlotte Hornets.

When this news came out, it wasn't just O'Neal who was upset; the entire Eastern Conference was in mourning.

When Glorious came to the East, not only Forrest Gump, but Jordan also came!
The departure of two former top players to the East has put the previously lifeless Eastern Conference teams on edge.

Teams like the Celtics and Heat have issued statements strongly opposing the Las Vegas Glory becoming a member of the Eastern Conference.

However, the management's ideas do not represent the players' and fans' ideas, much less the city's ideas.

Fans from all teams expressed their welcome for Glorious to come to the East and stir things up, giving the Boston Celtics a boost.

Local governments also hope that Guanghui will come to the east and play more games with local teams to boost the local football market and consumption.

After Jordan, Ewing, and Yao Ming joined the Glorious, their jerseys sold very well across the United States, and in many places they were sold out.

Public opinion cannot be ignored. The management of each team made a couple of calls, but seeing no one respond and being ridiculed by many for the lack of ambition and poor team management in the Eastern Conference, they had no choice but to shut up.

It's only one season anyway, so just bear with it. Those two old guys, Forrest Gump and Jordan, won't be around for much longer.

As for O'Neal, Jerry West said, "The future is yours, just keep waiting."

The Lakers had no choice but to trade O'Neal; he was determined to leave, and they had to choose between Shaq and McGrady.

The Lakers are unwilling to give up McGrady's market value; even if they don't win the championship, they can still sell tickets, right?

Moreover, the Heat's offer is indeed quite good: Rasheed Wallace and Jim Jackson, which can bring more variety to the Lakers. Wang Zhizhi will become the second Chinese player to play for the Lakers.

The Lakers were ecstatic when news broke that Glorious would be heading to the Eastern Conference next season.

In fact, not only the Lakers, but all the powerhouses in the Western Conference breathed a huge sigh of relief. These two "fathers" are finally gone. If they had joined forces in the West, the competition in the West next season would have been so fierce that it would have been unbearable to watch. It would be good for them to go to the East to increase the intensity.

Once this matter is settled, Guanghui doesn't need to make any adjustments, and they don't need to move.

Just wait for the official NBA schedule and make your flight plans accordingly.

Yao Ming's time in Las Vegas was fulfilling and peaceful. He strictly followed the team's training plan to complete his daily tasks.

His parents, who live far away in China, call him every day to check on his situation.

Yao Ming was a player cultivated within the system. Like Wang Zhizhi, he was managed by his unit in every aspect in the past, and he only needed to focus on training and did not have to worry about anything else.

After arriving in the United States, although the Glorious team took great care of Yao Ming's life and arranged everything very well, it was ultimately not as comprehensive as in China, and Yao Ming had to handle many things on his own.

Especially in terms of socializing and training, you need to arrange your own time.

Gan Guoyang is a good role model, a training fanatic, but he doesn't force Yao Ming to train with him every day.

Moreover, Gan Guoyang and Jordan are players in the late stages of their careers, and their training focus is very different from that of newcomers like Yao Ming, so they can't train together.

Without a team to manage him, without his parents to manage him, and without any older brothers to manage him, Yao Ming gained unprecedented freedom. He did not let this freedom become empty, but instead continued to enrich himself.

By mid-August, the Chinese national team arrived in Las Vegas for training. Yao Ming joined the national team, and men's basketball head coach Wang Fei was surprised to find that Yao Ming's condition in all aspects had significantly improved compared to a little over a month ago.

First, regarding shooting, he adjusted his posture, making his hand shape softer and increasing the degree of forearm flexion to make the ball's arc higher, thus improving his mid-range and long-range shooting accuracy.

Secondly, my weight didn't increase, but my body fat percentage was lower and my muscle definition was more pronounced.

Some of their basic skills have become more standardized, they feel great on the field, and their overall competitive state is excellent.

Wang Zhizhi, who has more NBA experience and was recently traded to the Lakers, was surprised during training and asked Yao Ming, "You've improved quite quickly. You've been training very well lately."

Yao Ming joked, "Training here is like being bathed in divine energy; it really helps me improve quickly."

The men's basketball team received excellent hospitality in Las Vegas, with preferential treatment in training facilities and accommodations. After the start of the Las Vegas Summer League, they will have the opportunity to play against various NBA prospective teams and refine their team tactics.

Gan Guoyang and Jordan watched two of the games. As the biggest names in the audience, their presence made the games themselves much more attractive.

Attentive reporters noticed that both players' physiques and appearances had changed compared to last season.

Gan Guoyang is stronger than last season, when he was back to his rookie days and was rather thin.

This summer, Gan Guoyang gained weight and gradually rose back to around 260 pounds.

Gan Guoyang's plan is that if he wants to continue working in the league until he's over 40, as long as his knees can handle it, he will gradually increase his weight and return to being a power player. Because after 40, he will completely lose his explosiveness and speed, becoming a mediocre player in terms of speed, and the perimeter style of play will no longer suit him; at that point, strength will become paramount.

Throughout his career, Gan Guoyang has adjusted his weight and muscle mass every season to reach his ideal state and adapt to the current league environment.

Jordan, on the other hand, has lost some weight. Last season, Jordan was noticeably overweight. As a shooting guard, he was too bulky and had too high a body fat percentage.

No matter how stubborn Jordan is, he was just too heavy last season. At the beginning of the season, he even reached 240 pounds, only slightly lighter than Gan Guoyang. During the season, he gradually dropped to around 230 pounds.

He's a 198cm shooting guard, not Charles Barkley.

Even so, Jordan still averaged 22 points per game with the SuperSonics, had games with 50+ points, and made it to the playoffs, demonstrating his skill and scoring ability.

This time, under Gan Guoyang's advice and pressure, Jordan reduced his weight to reduce the pressure on his knees. His goal was to return to his 1998 physique and keep his weight around 220 pounds by the start of the season.

The two supervised each other and trained together, and the results were quite good.

At their age, it's difficult for others to motivate them; only people of the same level have the ability and the desired effect.

While watching the Chinese national team train, Jordan exclaimed, "I can't believe how you led this team to an Olympic gold medal."

Clearly, in Jordan's view, the level of the Chinese men's basketball team is still too average.

In the Summer League, they did not show a clear advantage against teams composed of NBA fringe players.

"That's the difference between you and me, Michael. You'll feel it even more when the season starts."

"Really? I can't wait! Look how cocky you are. You even lost to me in a one-on-one match yesterday."

"Bullshit, I was letting you win, to give you confidence, and you cheated, you said you wouldn't shoot threes."

"God, do I need you to give me confidence? That wasn't a three-pointer, it was just a long two-pointer. Couldn't I just stand outside the three-point line and shoot a long two-pointer?"

"But I thought you wouldn't shoot from beyond the three-point line!"

"That's your problem; your comprehension is lacking."

The two were somewhat incompatible, perhaps because they had been rivals their whole lives, and they found it difficult to adapt to being teammates, continuing to argue constantly.

But during the argument, their relationship improved.

They were both determined to teach the entire league a lesson, but at the same time, they couldn't afford to lose to each other in their internal team competition.

The two agreed that once the new season starts, whoever scores the most points will be the team leader, and the other will have to follow orders.

Having two people in charge can be considered a healthy form of competition.

For the other players on the Glory team, it's hard to say whether the dual-leadership model will be a blessing or a curse.

Whether the pressure will double or cancel each other out will likely depend on head coach Tomjanovich's ability to mediate.

The Chinese team stayed in Las Vegas for two weeks. At the end of August, Yao Ming followed the men's basketball team to Indianapolis to participate in the 2002 Men's Basketball World Championship.

The World Championships are divided into three stages: group stage, quarterfinals, and knockout stage.

The Chinese team was drawn into a group with the United States, Germany, and Algeria in the group stage.

The US team lost the gold medal at the 2000 Olympics, but still doesn't take this World Championship seriously enough.

More importantly, star players are unwilling to join the national team; they prefer to take a vacation and prepare for the new season.

Security concerns stemming from the 9/11 attacks further deterred many celebrities from fighting for their country.

Therefore, the core of this US men's basketball team is Jermaine O'Neal in the paint and Mike Finley and Baron Davis on the perimeter, which is obviously not of high quality.

Of course, in terms of individual player ability, the United States is still the strongest.

The problem is that they lack integration and excellent coaching, have insufficient training time, and lack chemistry among the players.

The head coach of this year's US team is the madman George Karl. What kind of performance can they possibly achieve?

In the group stage, the Chinese team, without Gan Guoyang, was no match for the American team.

But after the game, Yao Ming called Gan Guoyang and said, "The American team definitely won't win the championship this year. They can only play against us on equal terms, how can they win the championship?"

Gan Guoyang told Yao Ming not to underestimate himself, as the Chinese team is very strong now.

Indeed, the Chinese team with Wang Zhizhi, Yao Ming, and Hu Weidong is truly formidable.

They successfully advanced from the group stage to the semi-finals, where they were grouped with the American team.

In the semifinals, Yao Ming dominated against New Zealand, scoring 44 points and helping the Chinese team defeat New Zealand to advance to the quarterfinals.

Unfortunately, they lost to the German team led by Nowitzki by 2 points in the quarterfinals, and were eliminated in the quarterfinals. This performance was the best performance of the men's basketball team without Gan Guoyang.

Yao Ming's performance at the World Championships was particularly outstanding. As the number one draft pick in the 2002 NBA draft, he received a lot of attention and faced a lot of pressure.

Fortunately, two months of training put him in top condition, and he did not disappoint.

Finally, in Indianapolis, Yugoslavia won the World Championship gold medal, while the United States was also eliminated by Yugoslavia in the quarterfinals.

This nation, on the verge of disappearing, this nation shattered by American bombs, finally achieved a small revenge against the Americans with a gold medal at the World Championships.

Although it didn't have much practical significance, it at least gave me a sense of relief.

After the World Championships, Yao Ming left the national team and returned to Las Vegas to report for duty.

He will not go to South Korea with the national team for the Asian Games, but will instead go to Vegas to rest and recuperate in preparation for the upcoming 2002-2003 season preseason.

Fans on both sides of the ocean are eagerly anticipating the new season, and the Glory team is under immense pressure, as this is a season where they cannot afford to lose.

As Yao Ming's life in the United States gradually became more stable, he decided to bring his parents over with him.

The mother took a year-long leave from her workplace to come to Las Vegas to be with her son and take care of his logistical needs.

After arriving in Vegas, seeing that her son was doing well and his life was being taken care of, Yao's mother was quite pleased and said, "It seems that whether I come or not is not so important."

Yao Ming said, "I'll still come. The food here is a bit lacking. My mom's cooking is the best."

When Yao's mother arrived, she asked about Gan Guoyang's situation and learned that Yao Ming had not invited Gan Guoyang to their home for a meal. She said that her son was very impolite and didn't understand this at all.

Yao Ming said his home was too humble and he couldn't possibly invite him. Yao's mother said she would prepare the meal and that she would definitely find an opportunity to invite Forrest Gump to visit.

Before the start of the preseason training camp, Gan Guoyang accepted Yao Ming's invitation and brought his family to his apartment for a meal, which was a pleasant experience.

However, when talking about the new season, Gan Guoyang's tone and expression became serious. He made a request to Yao Ming: "The first step is to find a way to secure a starting position and outperform those two old guys, Kevin Willis and Ewing."

Yao Ming then revealed his confidence, saying, "I'll be able to secure a starting position by the end of the first day of training camp."

Gan Guoyang admires Yao Ming's confidence, saying that by taking steady steps forward, Yao Ming's career will surely be more stable.

(End of this chapter)