Chapter 740 - 3 You Are Brave

After the training camp in Washington, Ah Gan, Jordan, Barkley, and a bunch of friends will go their separate ways, returning to their respective teams.

As summer quietly passes and autumn arrives, the training camps of various teams will successively begin, and the steps of the 1990-1991 season are gradually approaching.

Gan Guoyang did not tell anyone about Charles Barkley’s intention to leave the Washington Bullets, including Jordan.

When parting, he reminded Barkley that no matter which city he plays in, maintaining a good condition and letting his performance on the court do the talking is the best way to deal with doubts and attacks.

And sometimes he should watch his mouth, consider more about his wife and children, and not always talk nonsense (most likely he won’t listen).

Barkley nodded, knowing that Ah Gan was right; he is no longer the gluttonous playful boy but a responsible man now.

The reason why Barkley wanted to leave Washington also involved his family; he hoped to move to a city with a more relaxed atmosphere and a better environment.

Although Washington is the capital of America, its security situation is not good. In 1989 alone, there were 400 homicide cases, making it the city with the most homicides in America, rightfully earning the title of "Murder Capital", and this number was still climbing.

The entire city is riddled with drugs and violent crimes, with gangs everywhere. Baltimore, neighboring Washington, is even notorious as the crime capital, being one of the cities with the highest crime rates in America.

Although Barkley could afford to live in a rich neighborhood under police protection, he still didn’t want his children to grow up in such an environment.

Portland is indeed a good place, but Barkley did not allow himself to cling to Ah Gan’s coattails; he wanted to defeat Ah Gan and Jordan fairly during the playoffs.

After returning to Portland, Gan Guoyang, as usual, attended the 1990 Trail Blazers rookie training camp.

Since the Trail Blazers had secured the league’s best record, in the 1990 draft, they only had the last pick in the first round, while their second-round pick had been traded to the Knicks in the Vandeweghe deal.

With only this last pick, Jerry West, after careful consideration, selected Antonio Davis, a power forward from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).

UTEP’s head coach was the renowned NCAA coach Don Haskins who, in 1966, led a starting lineup entirely made up of Black players to defeat the all-White University of Kentucky team coached by John Rupp in the NCAA finals, becoming the first champion team with an all-Black starting lineup in NCAA history. Later, his and his team’s exploits were made into the movie "Glory Road."

Davis, who spent four years at UTEP, teamed up with current Warriors star Tim Hardaway, serving as a crucial player on the team’s frontline.

However, in the 1990 draft, Davis did not receive much attention from various teams as his height and play style destined him to be a blue-collar player.

Most experts and scouts predicted that Davis would fall to the second round, or even possibly go undrafted.

Jerry West didn’t pick him because he thought he had any particular talents, but rather for his strong body and muscular physique.

Originally, Jerry West wanted to select Campbell from Clemson University, but Campbell was picked by the Lakers in an earlier pick.

West settled for second best, choosing Davis to fill the gap left by Anthony Mason’s departure.

Mason had made a surprising impact in June’s finals, showing off his strong physical fitness and solid willpower.

As a twelfth man, Mason made no rookie mistakes in defense and offense, played most of the half, and perfectly completed his tasks.

If Mason played this way during the regular season, no one would care, but this was the finals, the historically highest-rated NBA finals to date.

Mason’s value soared because of that game, and as a second-round pick, he only signed a one-year short contract with the Trail Blazers.

The Trail Blazers wanted to keep Mason but couldn’t offer a very long or high contract; after all, however outstanding his performance was, he was just the twelfth man, and it was not feasible to let him occupy too much salary space.

At this time, "Portland Scavenger" Pat Riley stepped forward, contacted Mason, and offered him a four-year contract, allowing him to bring his muscles to the South Coast.

Under the new labor agreement, the Trail Blazers could not match the contract offered by the Heat, and could only watch helplessly as Mason was poached.

Mason originally did not want to leave Portland; here, he had won a championship and playing basketball alongside Ah Gan was joyous for him.

After receiving the offer from the Heat, Mason called Gan Guoyang for advice, and Gan Guoyang supported him moving to Miami.

"A player’s career is very short; for the sake of your family and life, cherish every substantial contract. Portland can never give you such a long-term contract anyway, and moving to Miami will give you more playing opportunities. Pat Riley is a good coach, playing under him you will gain a lot, and you can create your own glory."

Hearing what Gan Guoyang said, Mason let go of his fixation, called Riley back, and stated he would go to Miami.

Thus, this rookie training camp, Gan Guoyang could no longer see Mason’s dark figure, and the gym also lost a companion who had always been with him.

Jerry West picked Antonio Davis as Mason’s replacement; this guy, also 6 feet 9 inches tall, robust build, was also a great candidate for the gym.