Chapter 770 - 14 Talent Shrinking

"Iron Five".

The "Iron Five" was one of Coach Franklin Capon’s signature strategies during his tenure at Princeton University.

Before each game, he would select five players he considered to be in the best overall condition and most suited for the matchup to start the game.

Then during the game, he wouldn’t make any substitutions, letting the five play from start to finish, each playing the entire game without rest.

This became a tradition at Princeton University for a considerable time, and sometimes under Pete Carrell’s helm, they would also go with just the five players.

Coach Capen explained, "If you let five players start, they should be your best. If they are healthy and play as they should, there’s no need to substitute."

Of course, Coach Capen later added, "Another thing, because there’s really no damn use for the guys on my bench!"

The athletic department at Princeton University always faced a talent shortage; after all, they are an academically prestigious institution with limited investment in sports, particularly basketball.

It was already not an easy task for them to assemble a five-man starting lineup, let alone find a reliable sixth man. The "Iron Five" was truly a last resort.

The Portland Trail Blazers, on the other hand, had a deep roster that was considered top in the League, given that the salary cap system wasn’t very strict back then.

Therefore, Bobby Beelman agreed with Adelman’s first suggestion to increase Sabonis’s role and get him more involved in the set-play offense, making him truly the second core of the team.

As for the second suggestion, Beelman rejected it, knowing that Ah Gan was capable of playing 45 minutes, even the full 48, thanks to his extraordinary stamina.

But looking at the long term, it was still necessary to control his time, firstly to ensure Ah Gan’s health and secondly to give other Trail Blazers players more opportunities to shine, as there was plenty of time during the regular season to hone them.

Beelman told Adelman, "Working with Ah Gan for a long time easily leads to ’Gan-dependency’. Sometimes you have to take control."

Adelman grumbled, "What’s wrong with depending on Ah Gan? Didn’t you depend on him all the way to today? Have you forgotten Dr. Jack?"

Within the coaching staff, only Adelman could talk to Beelman like this with no reservations; anyone else would probably be seeing red.

Beelman didn’t get angry, saying, "Of course, I know that, but don’t forget, Dr. Jack hopes Ah Gan can play until he’s 50. I do, too. I hope he plays for a very long time."

In the end, Adelman agreed with Beelman’s thinking, and Ah Gan’s playing time was still controlled at around 38 minutes.

After the coaches’ meeting ended, Beelman had a discussion with Gan Guoyang during the next day’s training, exchanging opinions.

When Gan Guoyang learned that Adelman wanted to increase his playing time, he joked, "After he retires, he should go buy a cotton farm to manage; he’d definitely make an excellent farmer."

On a more serious note, Gan Guoyang said that he understood Adelman’s thoughts, "Rick isn’t worried about me playing too little; he’s worried about me not finding my best form in limited minutes. I think Rick’s thoughts do make sense. Maybe I need to adjust my pace of the game."

Beelman also recognized this, noticing that after the reduction to 38 minutes, Gan Guoyang indeed faced issues finding his rhythm.

Any player needs to warm up to find their rhythm in the game, and only a few with ’microwave’ characteristics are suitable for coming off the bench to connect different segments of the game.

In high-level matches, if a player doesn’t get enough playing time, or their time is cut too sporadically, or they are hindered by fouls and play cautiously, it can lead to poor performance.

In the first nine games, Gan Guoyang averaged only 28 points per game, spending the first quarter creating opportunities for teammates and taking a considerable rest in the second quarter, resulting in fewer shots than before in the first half.

Under such circumstances, expecting a surge in the third quarter was somewhat unreasonable.

In the game against the Bulls, Gan Guoyang did play well in the third quarter.

But he still couldn’t turn the tide, and the game fell under the Bulls’ control.

In that game, Michael Jordan scored 35 points, pushing hard in the first quarter and quickly finding his rhythm.

"You’re right, Sonny, I do think I need to change the pace and order of rotations to let you perform better," Beelman said.

Since high school, Beelman has always made it a point to listen to Ah Gan’s thoughts, as he has an exceptionally keen understanding of the game.

Listening to Ah Gan is never wrong, and this isn’t just a joke.

So, after losing to the Bulls, Beelman readjusted his tactical strategy.

They would still start with the Princeton Offense, but Princeton wasn’t just about having Gan Guoyang as the pivot for passing.

Instead, they gave Gan Guoyang more autonomy in offense, letting him attract defense and pass, while also increasing his own attacking plays.

He could receive the ball from the wings, baseline, arc top, or low post, both executing the Princeton Offense and going solo.

Moreover, Beelman encouraged Gan Guoyang to focus on individual play, finding his offensive rhythm first, to avoid the predicament against the Bulls of only scoring 18 points in a single quarter.

With 7-foot-4 Sabonis positioned at the 4 spot, when Ah Gan was on the court, he became the most important focal point for playmaking, responsible for passing to Gan Guoyang and coordinating with the perimeter by setting screens, orchestrating plays, easing perimeter defensive pressure, and taking on the role of shooting from beyond the arc—tasks that Gan Guoyang often did in the ’80s when partnered with Clyde.