Gan Guoyang spent the last few days of 1996 in Los Angeles.
After playing against the Lakers, the Trail Blazers stayed in Los Angeles to continue their away games against the Clippers, then headed to San Francisco to face the Warriors.
On the first day of 1997, they played against the Phoenix Suns, ending their road trip and returning to Portland for a break.
Gan Guoyang was suspended for these three games, so he simply stayed in Los Angeles, not traveling around with the team.
As a veteran, he could avoid some of the traveling hardships and take advantage of the suspension to recover and build up his stamina.
He rented a gym and a fitness center to train and stay in shape every day.
Because once his suspension ended on January 4th, the Trail Blazers would face the Chicago Bulls at home.
Another highly anticipated Gan-Joe showdown was waiting for him, and the suspension gave him an opportunity to prepare carefully.
