The Golden Age of Basketball

Along the way, there have always been benefactors to help, but Ben Wallace knows in his heart that what truly determines his fate is his own effort and struggle, diligent training, and hard work.

In this respect, Ben Wallace is much more mature than Kobe and Little O'Neal; he quietly does what he should do, indifferent to many external evaluations and attention.

He doesn't even feel much about being valued by Ah Gan and being kept, as he believes it's something he deserves; being undrafted was a mistake in the first place.

Perhaps this is also a kind of pride, just presented in a completely different form than Kobe.

Bird is curious to see if the players that Ah Gan values can play a role in the team's future framework.

After the rookie training camp ends, with October approaching, the preseason training camp is about to officially begin.

This will no longer be a test for young players to stay, but the true beginning of the NBA season.

In the hot summer of 1996, by the end of September, a blockbuster trade had broken the league's tranquility.

On September 29, the Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns completed a transaction. The Heat sent Anthony Mason, Cliff Robinson, Steve Smith, Grant Long, and a future draft pick to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Charles Barkley.

This is a super heavyweight trade and once again comes from Pat Riley and his Miami Heat.

From grabbing Drexler in 1988 to trading for Olajuwon in 1992, now they've acquired Barkley.

Pat Riley is only interested in big names and big scenes; he doesn't care about draft development or minor plays.

In fact, for the past two years, the Heat's lineup has been quite luxurious. In addition to the All-Star duo of Olajuwon and Drexler, Tim Hardaway, Steve Smith, Robinson, Mason, John Salley, Brian Shaw, and others all have very strong skills, with near All-Star talent.

But Riley is not satisfied. He believes that relying solely on the duo of Olajuwon and Drexler, the Heat can hardly surpass the mountain that is the Chicago Bulls.

Because Olajuwon and Drexler are significantly declining, especially Drexler, he was plagued by injuries and only played over 40 games in the 1995-1996 season.

His average scoring dropped to 18 points, and his two-point shooting percentage fell from a terrifying 57% in the 1995 season to an equally terrifying 45%, worse than his rookie season.

Obviously, after the Heat won a championship, Drexler no longer had the motivation to move forward, and his career had reached a perfect end.

How many players can win championships as a core player with two different teams? And with four championships, Ah Gan couldn't even do that.

As for Olajuwon, the rift between him and Riley is getting bigger, and the 1996-1997 season will be the last year of his contract with the Heat.

There have always been rumors that after his contract ends, Olajuwon might return to Houston and join forces with Chris Weber to bring a championship trophy back to Houston.

In this situation, Riley is bound to do something, seizing what might be his last chance to make a big move.

Right then, Charles Barkley had been with the Suns for six seasons, reaching the finals only once and losing to Jordan.

Originally planning to observe this season, Ah Gan said he'd make a comeback and returned to Portland, making Barkley immediately hesitate.

Barkley's ambition and fearlessness from the 1993 MVP season had been shattered by the whip of reality.

The Suns also realized that the championship window for Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson had passed.

In the 1995-1996 season, they lost in the playoffs consecutively to the Seattle SuperSonics, Robert Parish was too old, and couldn't stand up to Ewing.

Both sides immediately agreed, and the Heat decided to go all in for one last crazy attempt, forming a super trio to compete against the Chicago Bulls and Trail Blazers.

Charles Barkley urgently wanted to form a group and win a championship while he still had a bit of fuel left, completing his career.

He had thought about joining the Trail Blazers, but holding Ah Gan's thigh in the finals was too embarrassing, and besides, the Trail Blazers were full of rookies, and Ah Gan was now like a kindergarten principal; Barkley didn't want to be the vice principal.

Gan Guoyang, upon hearing the news of Barkley being traded to the Heat, immediately picked up the phone to call Barkley's cell phone to understand the situation, but Barkley's phone was off and could not be reached at all.

"Damn, this fat guy ran off to the Heat to form a trio, another one taking his talents to the south coast."

A single stone creates a thousand ripples; the Heat's big three made the already unstable 1996 offseason even hotter.

People's anticipation for the new season is becoming ever stronger, including Gan Guoyang himself, who can't wait to see exactly how many discs he has.

Apart from such a widely discussed earthquake-level trade involving Barkley, some less noticeable signings often have an even greater impact on the league's landscape.

After failing to rebuild, the Celtics decided to join the tanking army. The Utah Jazz Team used a second-round draft pick and two substitute players to trade for Jeff Hornacek from Boston.

The media did not pay special attention to this, only a few sentences in the news column. The Celtics thanked Hornacek for his efforts over the years, but they needed talent more, needed the 1997 first draft pick, needed Tim Duncan.

At the same time, the Celtics also did not renew Divac's contract; Divac chose to join the Sacramento Kings, a long-standing weak team, and became teammates with his Serbian compatriot Peja Stojakovic.

Upon arriving in California, Divac proactively called Gan Guoyang and explained his situation and choice.

When Petrović suddenly passed away in 1993, Divac suffered great mental and physical trauma; their friendship was never restored due to ethnic and national issues.

The war temporarily ended, and Divac always wanted to find an opportunity to make peace with Petrović, but now there is no chance.

"Going to the Kings is a very good choice; it's suitable for you, settle your mind and play well. Pete never really blamed you, you must know that, but in those circumstances, he had no choice. In the future, if there is a chance, we can visit Croatia together and see him when the situation gets better."

In 1996, the situation in Yugoslavia remained unstable; after Croatia's independence, conflict erupted in the Kosovo region.

There is no sign of peace and stability in this region for now.

Aside from the departures of these two former Trail Blazers from Boston, there are also some insignificant signings and small trades, patch-ups.

After the rookie training camp, the Trail Blazers offered Ben Wallace a one-year guaranteed contract, and besides that, made no other moves.

Their salary cap situation does not allow them to make any more moves; the salary cap is already fully utilized, leaving no room for flexibility.

At the beginning of October, the Trail Blazers' preseason training camp officially kicked off, and they have assembled their team of 12: Gan Guoyang, Kobe, Little O'Neal, Isaiah Riddle, Alon Magee, Brian Shaw, Ruben Embad, and Grant Long.

In addition, there are three players with non-guaranteed contracts on the 15-man list, officially kicking off the 1996-1997 season.

Furthermore, Bird looked at the final roster of 12 with some concern because none of them were legitimate small forwards.

Kobe, Alon Magee, Little O'Neal, and Isaiah Riddle are all there, but all are outside their natural positions, which would make constructing the roster difficult.

Bird voiced his concerns to Buckwalter, asking if a trade or signing for a more versatile small forward during the season would be possible; otherwise, it would be very challenging to build the lineup.

Buckwalter looked at Bird and said, "If you think we lack a small forward, you can take off your suit and play yourself."

"..."

Bird was at a loss for words, yet found it quite amusing, but also bewildering.