Sports Medicine Master System

In this game, both sides were clearly holding back.

Hardaway only played in the first half for 14 minutes before Skiles benched him.

He had just returned from injury, so Skiles didn’t dare to use him too heavily.

The same went for the others.

Especially Olajuwon and Ewing. With those two old-timers, Skiles was constantly on edge, worried that one post-up or one rebound would end with them collapsing in pain on the floor.

Olajuwon played for 20 minutes and came off the court at the same time as O’Neal.

Ewing only played for 11 minutes.

Unfortunately, the Phoenix Suns lost by a disappointing four points, 89-93.

A loss was a loss. It was just the preseason, so there was nothing to be too upset about.

In any case, Skiles was quite pleased.

When the starters were on the court, despite a few mistakes, they still executed the kind of teamwork he wanted to see.

The bench was serviceable, too. Ewing, Gugliotta, and the perimeter players Mario Elie and Vinnie DeNegro—those four old guys, with an average age of 37.5, somehow managed to play decently.

They couldn’t defend to save their lives, but they could really score a few points based on experience.

The season had just begun; everything had to be taken slowly.

After the game, everyone hugged and exchanged pleasantries.

Chen Yu didn’t see Kobe. It seemed he had headed straight back to the locker room the moment the game ended.

In this game, Kobe played 19 minutes and, like Hardaway, scored 9 points.

However, he only scored 3 of those points while Hardaway was on the court with him. The other 6 came after Hardaway was subbed out.

In other words, Kobe had lost his matchup against Hardaway.

Chen Yu had long known how proud and untamable the kid was.

But one preseason game didn’t prove much.

Even Hardaway was still slowly getting back into form. The true extent of his recovery would only be seen in the season opener and during the regular season.

Back in the locker room, Hardaway went to the post-game press conference, while Chen Yu wasted no time helping Olajuwon and the other veterans with their cool-downs.

These guys were like a bunch of classic cars. Just getting them started and on the road was an achievement; they really needed careful maintenance.

After returning to Phoenix, and with Hardaway and the others back on the team, another person was about to be discharged from the clinic.

Ronaldo.

He was preparing to return to Italy.

"Chen, I’m going to miss you." In the parking lot, Milanee stood to the side holding their child as Ronaldo hugged Chen Yu, unwilling to let go.

"You... you gave me a new lease on life."

Ronaldo used the phrase "new lease on life." This recovery had been so long—over a full year—but like a phoenix rising from the ashes, he had been reborn under Chen Yu’s care.

He felt so healthy now that he could hardly believe it himself.

Chen Yu patted Ronaldo on the back, signaling that he could let go now.

"You’re not going to cry, are you?" Chen Yu said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "You’re making this sound like a final farewell."

"Did you forget we’re seeing each other again next week?"

Next week, on October 21st, was the eighth round of Serie A.

There was a major showdown: the city derby between Inter Milan and AC Milan.

After discussing it with Chen Yu, Ronaldo had decided to return to Italy a week early to prepare for this match.

He planned to use this game to announce to the world that the omnipotent Alien was back!

At the same time, both Ronaldo and Moratti wanted to invite Chen Yu to watch the match in person.

After some consideration, Chen Yu had agreed.

So they would be seeing each other again next week. There was no need for all this sentimentality.

"It’s not the same," Ronaldo said, hugging Chen Yu again.

Looking back with every few steps, Ronaldo left the clinic.

Chen Yu turned around and noticed Redondo staring blankly in the direction Ronaldo had left.

"Alright, your turn is coming soon, too."

Chen Yu patted Redondo’s shoulder.

At his current pace, Redondo could return to Italy as early as next month.

The slowest would probably be Baggio.

His injury was the most severe and the most complicated. His legs were completely different in size—one thick, one thin—and he needed more time to recover.

Chen Yu had already had him discuss it with Brescia; they wouldn’t consider a comeback until January of next year.

Then there was Haaland.

Old Haaland probably wouldn’t consider returning to the pitch until the end of December.

His wife and child had already returned to the United Kingdom, since the kid had to go to school.

With all these people gone, Chen Yu found the clinic strangely quiet.

But before heading to Italy, Chen Yu had a lot to do.

He had to make a trip to Sacramento.

Just the day before yesterday, during the Kings’ preseason game against the Mavericks, Weber had accidentally twisted his left ankle and was carried off the court.

The Kings’ management was terrified.

They had just signed Weber to a massive seven-year, $120 million contract over the summer.

If he was seriously injured, it would be a huge loss.

It scared their General Manager, Geoff Petrie, so much that he specifically filed a report with the league and strongly insisted that Chen Yu come and re-diagnose Weber.

What could Chen Yu do? His salary as the head of the Player Health Management Department wasn’t for nothing. He had to make the trip.

However, before going to Sacramento, Chen Yu planned to make a stop in Denver first.

During training camp after the season started, their All-Star center, Antonio McDyess, was injured again and reported to the league that he would be out.

The reason Chen Yu noticed him was because he found it unusual.

McDyess had already been injured late last season, missing the final 10 games. At the time, the Nuggets had also reported it to the league, saying it was a patellar tendon sprain and that they were opting for conservative treatment.

But he was injured in April, and it was now mid-October. Six months had passed. If it was just a sprain, it should have healed over the long offseason.

But now he was injured again, and the report stated he needed surgery. That meant there was a problem.

’He couldn’t have gotten injured again during the offseason, right?’

Chen Yu suspected the Nuggets were hiding the true extent of McDyess’s injury.

Although the Player Health Management Department had been established and all team injuries had to be reported to the league for Chen Yu’s review, it wasn’t foolproof.

If a team deliberately concealed information—for example, by using euphemistic language to describe a serious injury as a minor one—Chen Yu might not be able to discover it without being there in person to strictly review the medical records.

In these matters, it often came down to the team’s conscience.

And then there were the players. Some were easily misled by their teams. Furthermore, because the department was so new, players didn’t see it as having much influence and wouldn’t think to go through the Players’ Union for a re-evaluation if they suspected a problem with the team’s diagnosis.

Last season, teams had constantly reported injuries, but very few had actually required Chen Yu’s intervention and review.

This time, Chen Yu planned to go see for himself.

If the Nuggets were playing games, he had to make an example of them. Punishing them would make it clear to every team in the league that the establishment of the Player Health Management Department was no joke.

「October 16th, Pepsi Center, home of the Nuggets.」

The towering Bartel, wearing a backpack, walked to the arena accompanied by his agent, Xia Song.

The two were staying at a nearby hotel, so it was a short walk over.

The entrance was already crowded with Chinese reporters.

This past summer, the Chinese National Team had come to Dallas, United States, for training. Kiki VanDeWeghe, who was the Mavericks’ center coach at the time, took notice of Bartel. Before the season started, he suddenly became the General Manager of the Nuggets.

Seeing as the Nuggets needed to strengthen their frontcourt, Vandeweghe thought of Bartel and invited him to participate in the Nuggets’ training camp and preseason.

Bartel agreed and rushed to the United States with Xia Song.

His arrival naturally captured the attention of the media back in China, who were providing round-the-clock coverage.

"Old Xia!"

In the crowd, a spectacled Su Jun was waving his arm.

Xia Song saw him and told Bartel to go ahead to the practice court while he stopped to take questions from the reporters.

Su Jun pushed to the front of the crowd and asked loudly, "Old Xia, will Bartel get to play against the Mavericks the day after tomorrow?"

In the previous preseason game against the Supersonics, Bartel played for 3 minutes, went one-for-one, and scored 2 points.

Most importantly, Su Jun had already heard that the Nuggets’ starting center, McDyess, might need surgery. This meant an opportunity for Bartel, who might get more playing time.

Xia Song smiled and shrugged. "I can’t say. It’s up to what Isel decides. All we can do is train hard and fight for a chance to play."

After answering a few more questions, Xia Song pushed through the crowd and headed into the arena.

When he reached the practice court, Bartel had already changed into his uniform and was practicing.

He didn’t speak English well and had only been with the team for half a month, so he wasn’t very familiar with his teammates. He stood by the side of the court, looking a bit isolated.

Xia Song took it all in and walked over, planning to remind Bartel to try his best to build a good relationship with his teammates.

This month would decide whether Bartel could sign with the Nuggets.

Of course, even if the Nuggets wanted to sign him, Shougang wouldn’t release him. But you still had to fight for the opportunity. If you weren’t familiar with your teammates, why would they pass you the ball on the court?

Just as he started to speak, the Nuggets’ General Manager Vandeweghe, Head Coach Dan Issel, and assistant coach, the famous "Glide" Clyde Drexler, walked onto the practice court, accompanying someone.

"Huh?"

Xia Song was taken aback. The man had an East Asian face.

"Old Xia, who’s that?" Bartel had noticed too and asked curiously.

Seeing how the group walked, with this man in the very center, was enough to show he was no ordinary person.

Xia Song shook his head. "I don’t know."

The group stood on the sideline, seeming to watch the practice.

The Nuggets’ other two assistant coaches, Jin Hughes and Louie Danpeir, also walked over to talk.

"James." Xia Song stopped James Posey, who was walking by, and pointed into the distance to ask who Chen Yu was.

"That’s Chen. You don’t know him? Isn’t he Chinese, too?" James Posey asked back.

"Who?"

Xia Song was stunned. ’Chinese?’

’I don’t know him at all.’

Seeing Xia Song’s blank expression, Posey realized. "Oh, right. He’s of Chinese descent, but he’s American."

Xia Song was about to ask more when he saw Chen Yu walking toward them.

Chen Yu’s sudden visit was a surprise to the Nuggets’ management, but they also took it very seriously.

McDyess’s surgery was imminent, but without Chen Yu’s approval, it really couldn’t happen.

And after arriving in Denver and seeing Vandeweghe’s attitude, Chen Yu was more or less certain of his suspicions.

They had definitely concealed McDyess’s injury.

Worried they might be playing games with other players too, Chen Yu decided to come to the practice court to see for himself.

A quick look in person would tell him if there were any problems.

As he looked around, Chen Yu was surprised to see an East Asian face. He asked Vandeweghe and learned that the player was Chinese.

"Hello, my name is Chen Yu," Chen Yu said, approaching Bartel and greeting him in slightly clumsy Mandarin.

’Man, this guy in front of me is built like a tank.’