The Golden Age of Basketball

Bird quickly got into the swing of things, and the Trail Blazers players soon followed, sprinting back and forth on the court, accompanied by the constant squeaking of sneakers against the floor.

To Gan Guoyang, this sound was all too familiar and intensely exciting. He was finally starting serious NBA training, with a familiar sensation coursing through his body.

Gan Guoyang had no issues with any groin discomfort; he had spent the entire summer running, and for him, an athletic beast, Bird's training volume was nothing worth mentioning.

While Bird observed the players, they also observed Bird. Gan Guoyang greatly admired Bird's composure, simplicity, and confidence.

The previous Trail Blazers coaches were not flamboyant types, not the kind to indulge in lengthy discourses or endless chatter.

Even the most unsuccessful Carlesimo was merely bad-tempered and didn't match ambition with ability. Overall, he was also a pragmatic person.

When Gan Guoyang competed against Bird during his playing days, he could sense Bird's modesty and straightforwardness, everything geared toward victory.

Therefore, when Tang Jianguo phoned Gan Guoyang to say he wanted to invite Bird as head coach, Gan Guoyang made up his mind to make a comeback.

If Old Tang had said he wanted to invite Magic Johnson to coach, Gan Guoyang would definitely decline. Magic is a good person, but he's not suited to coaching.

In the morning, the team trained for three hours, including an hour and a half of physical training and an hour and a half of defense training.

Dick Hart was responsible for the team's defense, and when the team conducted defense training sessions, Bird sat silently on the sidelines, leaving everything to Hart.

This approach was different from Carlesimo, who, when coaching, only treated Hart as a consultant, seeking his advice while handling training himself.

Bird, however, did not interfere with the specific content and methods of training; he was in charge of the general direction and observation. If he found any bad tendencies in the players, he would step in to stop them.

Yet what puzzled Bird was that the Trail Blazers players were obedient and diligent throughout training without any complaints.

Bird knew this wasn't normal because no player truly enjoys defensive training, not even Bird himself.

Even if they don't say anything, they would internally resist the boring and exhausting grind of defensive details.

But the Trail Blazers players seemed perfectly normal today; no one talked back during defense training, no one slacked off on purpose, and no one ignored Hart.

Hart had warned Bird that during previous defense training, there would be defiant players who were unserious and lazy, and coaches couldn't deal with them.

Bird didn't need Hart to tell him who it was; that person was definitely Van Exel.

Van Exel was notorious for his poor defense during games, which was why many teams were reluctant to pick him early.

He was indeed talented and imaginative in offense, with impressive shooting skills, but his defensive holes could cause great trouble for the team.

His indifference during training was well-known; he talked back to George Karl during tryouts for the Supersonics and deliberately slacked off during tests.

Karl asked him to run 300 yards, hoping he could clock in at 50-55 seconds, a quality essential for a good guard.

Instead, Van Exel ran 1 minute 08, and after Karl gave him a second chance, he ran 1 minute 20.

He did it deliberately, slacking off on purpose, just not wanting the Supersonics to pick him.

Karl has extensive connections within the League, and he informed other coaches of Van Exel's poor performance.

The NBA coaching circle is a small community; player reputations spread by word of mouth, and coaches know which teams work well and which players are trouble.

Like Gan Guoyang, who consistently ranked first on coaches' dream list; any coach lucky enough to instruct him would consider themselves fortunate.

Even a rookie coach like Carlesimo, with such a lousy lineup, could reach the West Finals, regular season with 50 wins, and West Finals in playoffs—Gan Guoyang's baseline.

While players like Van Exel and Riddle are on coaches' blacklists, the team signs them, and coaches have no choice but to use them.

Bird was prepared for Riddle's lateness and Van Exel's antics, ready to give them both a stern warning to show them Larry the coach's authority.

Yet nothing happened.

The Trail Blazers' first three-hour training of the new season was quite successful; mission goals were fully achieved, everyone was drenched in sweat, and the training results were almost complete.

However, to Bird, the training seemed incomplete; he sat on the sidelines chin in hand, pondering what was amiss.

Was he being overly sensitive, or had he misunderstood Van Exel and Riddle, perhaps they were actually pretty good professional players.

After all, media tend to exaggerate players' negative news; perhaps Bird really should reflect and avoid preconceived notions about players.

Or maybe because today was the first day of training camp, the players were still showing off, they might reveal their true selves after three days of practice, and Bird would have a headache then.

Another possibility was the well-known power of Bird throughout the League; young players might turn into well-behaved kids upon meeting him.

Bird thought this last scenario was the most likely, momentarily swelling with pride, believing becoming a coach was the right decision for him.

There was, of course, another possibility, but Bird was unwilling to believe it, although he had a vague suspicion it was because of Ah Gan, yet he just couldn't accept it.