After this season, the Trail Blazers showed signs of dismantling. After winning the championship, the Blazers' shareholders wanted to further clear Gan's influence.
Rick Carlisle chose to resign and leave due to conflicts with the executives, and shortly afterward, Larry Bird also left the Trail Blazers. The team began transitioning to a more offensive style, with Kobe Bryant's scoring climbing to an average of 35 points per game in the 2005-2006 season.
However, Little O'Neal, due to injuries, was already showing signs of decline, even younger than Kobe.
This was something Kobe hadn't anticipated; he thought Little O'Neal could, like Gan, remain strong at least as long as he himself could.
But people's talents are different, monsters like Gan Guoyang played until 42 years old, while Little O'Neal declined even more by the 2006-2007 season.
