Chapter 2199 - 23: New Time
"This LeBron, so young yet already full of cunning. Not only does the Cleveland Honestman Report show he’s not that sincere, but I don’t think he is either."
Gan Guoyang soon saw the Cleveland Honestman Report’s coverage about LeBron and himself - pre-game confusing remarks, meeting performance benchmarks during the game, post-game tribute. Regardless of the actual game content, LeBron has already gained a lot in terms of reputation.
Anyway, many fans didn’t watch the game, and just by looking at the highlights, LeBron’s performance was still commendable with plenty of impressive plays.
Jordan poured Gan Guoyang a glass of sparkling wine. It’s January 1, 2007, and they were attending the team’s New Year party at the MGM Hotel.
Another year has passed, and Jordan is living quite comfortably within the Glory Team. Although he holds a position, there’s no need for him to clock in, attend meetings every day, or follow daily work plans.
What he needs to do is simply visit the team every once in a while, get insights on the team’s condition, participate in team activities as planned by the office, and offer some advisory opinions during team meetings.
For the rest of the time, he can go wherever he wants and do whatever pleases him.
He spends a lot of time golfing, fishing, gambling, and attending various commercial and non-commercial activities with his entourage.
Gan Guoyang requires two things from him: First, don’t meddle in the team’s player trades and drafts; second, whenever he participates in activities, he must wear a hat printed with the Glory Team’s logo.
With such days, Jordan lives very comfortably and of course, agrees to these minor demands. They maintain a very good friendship, with Jordan generally attending the home games to watch.
After retirement, Jordan considered joining other teams or even starting his own team to rival Glory.
Someone like Jordan naturally wants to be a big boss rather than a small boss here, where the big boss above is Ah Gan’s wife.
However, Jordan soon discovered that no other team could tolerate his laid-back work style; only in Las Vegas could he do that.
Moreover, Las Vegas has everything he loves: fine wine, women, entertainment, basketball. He doesn’t want to go anywhere else.
And as he gets older, he increasingly relies on old friends; working with Ah Gan is comforting.
"This kid wears the same jersey number as me, wears Nike shoes, but his personality is really different from mine. He actually didn’t dare attack you!"
"What good does it do you to attack me? Can you beat me? I find LeBron to be really, really smart, a very smart player. Although ’bully the weak and fear the strong’ is derogatory, it fits human nature. Who wouldn’t avoid hard things and choose easier ones if given the chance?"
The two evaluated LeBron, the current hot NBA player.
Many have high expectations for him, and the talent he shows on the court is indeed astounding.
Most players indeed couldn’t keep up with LeBron’s pace and strength, and he brings great shock to the league.
Gan Guoyang had considered finding ways to bring LeBron to Las Vegas, aware that he would make a decision at the 2010 turning point.
But through face-to-face encounters on the court and interactions off the court, Gan Guoyang realized LeBron’s character didn’t quite align with his own.
He’s too rational and calculating, and throughout the league, the only one with Gan Guoyang facing a clear power advantage is LeBron, so LeBron avoids and dodges.
If he were an average player, playing like this wouldn’t be an issue; many approach it like that. It’s not about provoking something you can’t avoid.
But LeBron’s positioning and goal are the best in history; he aims to surpass Jordan and approach Ah Gan.
Facing the league’s sole power stronger than him, someone who can suppress him, shouldn’t he figure out ways to upgrade and surpass that goal eventuall?
Yet, over these past few seasons, although LeBron’s overall strength has continuously improved, he’s become increasingly cautious, even conservative when facing Ah Gan.
In this regard, he and Kobe are truly at two extremes, while Jordan falls between Kobe and LeBron, his passion is mixed with generosity, rationality interspersed with decisiveness.
Gan Guoyang took a sip; he didn’t drink much. During the season, Gan Guoyang always strictly controlled his diet, and with increasing age, the requirements for self-discipline have grown higher.
Meanwhile, Jordan by his side is already getting a little puffy, indulging too much in daily pleasures and playing basketball infrequently, causing his physique to quickly change.
Watching his good friend, formerly the greatest rival, now like this, year after year, yet another year has come.
After just a day’s break, on January 2, Glory had another game to play, so Gan Guoyang resumed his preparations.
He knew this would be his final year of his career, without sentimentality or sadness in mind, only wanting to play well this year and win another championship.
The home game opponent was the visiting Boston Celtics, East’s most formidable team over the years but whose performance hasn’t fully met expectations.
Gan Guoyang originally arranged to have afternoon tea with Bobby Berman to catch up, but unexpectedly received news at noon that the Boston Celtics officially announced that Berman would no longer serve as head coach, resigning from all positions with the Celtics.
Gan Guoyang immediately called Berman, but the call couldn’t get through, Berman’s phone must have been busy.
Gan Guoyang then called an informant to confirm the news, and indeed, Berman resigned from the Celtics at the start of the new year.