Sports Medicine Master System

Last season, the Knight went 30-52, finishing 11th in the East.

The last time they made the playoffs was the ’97-’98 season.

This team has been struggling in the East for several years, stuck in that awkward, lukewarm spot—reluctant to completely tear it down and rebuild, but unable to improve without doing so.

However, during the draft the year before last, they picked up a decent lottery pick in Andre Miller, who had the potential to grow into a core perimeter player.

But that was about it. Their eye for draft talent had never been great, and their luck in getting high picks wasn’t much better.

This year, they changed head coaches again, wanting to give it another shot. So, to shore up their weak frontcourt, they set their sights last summer on the Digital People’s starting power forward, Troy Hill.

Actually, Troy Hill had made a name for himself with the Knight. In the ’96-’97 season, he shot 60% from the field, setting the Knight’s single-season record. After bouncing around, he joined the Digital People, where he partnered with Mutombo to become a defensive bulwark in the paint.

His scoring ability was average, but his defense was outstanding, especially his rebounding. He was the Digital People’s top rebounder, a quintessential blue-collar player.

The Knight traded Matt Harpring and Roberte Treller, two first-round picks from ’98, along with Cedric Henderson, to get him.

They also gave him a two-year, $13 million contract.

Who would have known that after coming to the Knight, Troy Hill would get injured before playing a single game? A torn meniscus, and he still hasn’t returned.

Instead, Jumaine Jones, who was just a throw-in in the trade, has been playing better and better, securing a starting position.

Troy Hill is about to turn 34, while Jumaine Jones is only 23. Anyone would know which one to choose.

Especially for a player of Troy Hill’s age, you can imagine how much a major injury like this would affect his career.

The Knight want to offload him.

But with his $6.6 million salary, the second-highest on the team, only a total sucker would be willing to take him on.

And then, the sucker appeared: the Phoenix Suns.

Not only were they willing to give up Robinson, who was still in his prime, but the price was just a single first-round pick.

It was practically a gift from heaven.

"I originally wanted two first-round picks, but Jim absolutely refused. After so much haggling, he would only agree to change one of the first-rounders to a second-rounder. Then he didn’t want to give up this year’s first-round pick, offering a ’03 pick instead. How could I possibly agree to that?" Brian complained over the phone.

Chen Yu did a quick mental calculation. "Brian, don’t you feel like you got the short end of the stick?"

A second-round pick isn’t worth much. To put it bluntly, they had essentially just traded for a single first-round pick this year.

And it wasn’t even certain what the pick number would be. The probability of getting the number one pick was likely in the single digits.

On top of that, they had to swallow Troy Hill’s garbage contract.

By that calculation, it was clearly a bad deal.

The moment he heard Chen Yu say that, Brian immediately retorted, "How can you call it a bad deal? I’ve weighed it carefully. Look, first of all, we achieved our goal. We got a first-round pick for this year. Judging by the Knight’s record the last couple of years, they’ll most likely be in the lottery again, and it’ll be a high pick. Not to mention we also got a second-rounder."

"And then there’s Troy Hill. Yes, he’s injured, but that’s what we have you for, isn’t it?"

Chen Yu chuckled. ’So he was factoring me into the equation.’

Brian continued, "He’s two years younger than Clifford, which is an advantage. When he’s healthy, his defense is excellent, especially his ability to fight for rebounds. He’s much stronger than Clifford in that regard."

"This season, Scott doesn’t want to wear out Hakeem and the others in the paint too much. We need a blue-collar player at the four-spot who excels at defense and can do the dirty work. Clifford isn’t quite enough in that department, and his skill set overlaps with Tom’s. It’s better to just trade him."

"Plus, his contract is a little smaller, saving us a million or two. As long as you can heal him and guarantee he stays healthy, this trade is definitely not a loss."

After putting Robinson on the trading block, Brian received offers from many teams, but after weighing all the options, the Knight’s deal was the most suitable.

The key to this trade not being a loss was whether Chen Yu could heal Troy Hill.

A healthy Troy Hill would be a perfect fit for this Suns team and a competent starter.

"Alright, I’ll go check on his condition," Chen Yu said, not arguing further.

’Brian has already calculated everything. Why should I get involved?’

Besides, trading a 36-year-old Robinson for a 34-year-old Troy Hill who’s suffered a major injury... ’Are we trying to solidify our reputation as a team of old, weak, sick, and disabled players?’

However, they had only reached a trade agreement; it wasn’t official yet. Chen Yu, as the team doctor, had to personally examine Troy Hill’s physical condition. If the Knight had concealed anything about his injury, the deal would be off.

"I know a little about his situation. Let’s do it tomorrow. I have clients at the clinic today. I’ll go to Cleveland tomorrow to check on his recovery." When Troy Hill got injured at the beginning of the season, the Knight had reported it to the league.

Because of the McDyess incident, they probably wouldn’t dare hide anything.

So, Chen Yu had a general understanding of Troy Hill’s condition.

After hanging up, Chen Yu thought for a moment and sent a message to Hardaway.

The guy was leaving; they should at least hold a farewell ceremony.

He came in high spirits, so he should leave in high spirits.

Within the team, Chen Yu and Robinson were friends; their relationship was pretty good.

They said another physical was needed, but it was basically a formality. The trade would almost certainly go through, and Robinson’s departure was a done deal.

After making the arrangements, Chen Yu prepared to welcome today’s client.

It was Baggio.

Baggio was getting ready to leave. The plan had always been for him to make his comeback this January.

Therefore, the general manager of Brescia, Mauro Pedrazzoli, was coming to the United States to evaluate Baggio’s condition.

’The guy’s actually a decent person.’

He had just become general manager last year, and he was a big reason why Baggio was able to sit out half the season. After all, Baggio could still play at the time, and sitting him out would affect Brescia’s fight to avoid relegation.

The plane hadn’t arrived yet, but Chen Yu didn’t stay idle. He headed to the soccer field.

There were still three soccer players at the clinic: Baggio, Scholl, and Desler.

All of them had finished their surgeries and were rehabilitating according to schedule.

Normally, the three of them often trained by playing soccer on the field.

Baggio and Scholl, both playing in European Football, would cross paths frequently and were acquaintances.

And as a former World Player of the Year and a senior figure in the soccer world, Baggio was like an idol to a young kid like Desler.

As a result, the three of them got along very well.

When Chen Yu arrived, Baggio was doing dribbling drills. He had the ball, which seemed to be glued to his feet as he skillfully weaved around a series of cones.

Scholl and Desler were watching from the sidelines.

Scholl’s injury was less severe, and he could now do some simple rehabilitation exercises.

Desler was still in a wheelchair, watching the other two with a cheerful smile.

Seeing Chen Yu appear, Baggio stopped, shouted "Heads up!" to Chen Yu, and then unleashed a powerful shot.

The ball flew thirty meters, heading straight for Chen Yu.

Chen Yu lifted his foot to trap the ball. He managed to receive it, but it bounced three meters away.

When he had free time, Chen Yu would also come out to play a bit, learning a few tricks from this group of world-class soccer players.

Baggio ran over.

Chen Yu’s gaze fell on his legs, especially the right one.

Before he arrived, his right leg had suffered severe atrophy; you could clearly see it was much thinner than his left.

But over the past few months, with targeted training and dietary help, the muscle in Baggio’s right leg had grown back. If you didn’t look closely, you could barely tell the difference between his two legs.

Although the two scars near his knee were very noticeable, the leg was healthy.

Moreover, during this time, Chen Yu had applied several of the training methods he’d developed with the Suns to Baggio, and the results were quite significant.

Add to that the constant rehabilitation massages, Acupuncture, medicine, and various other treatments.

You could say that Chen Yu was even more dedicated to Baggio’s leg than he had been to Ronaldo’s.

That was also the reason why, at 35, he could still run with the health of a man in his twenties.

"I get the feeling you’re a bit impatient," Chen Yu commented as Baggio came closer. Baggio didn’t stop moving, doing small, quick steps in place to keep his legs active.

He also knew that people from his club would be coming to evaluate his recovery this year.

Baggio grinned. "Chen, you know what? A friend of mine in the media told me that a lot of fans are supporting my return to the National Team. And Mr. Trapattoni has also softened his stance, saying I have a great chance."

This was all not just because Moratti and others had put in a good word for him, but also because Ronaldo and Redondo were in fiery form after their own comebacks.

Especially Ronaldo, who was at the top of the Serie A scorer’s chart.

Their good form only proved Chen Yu’s medical skills were superb. It followed that Baggio, who was also receiving treatment from Chen Yu, would surely recover well too.

Trapattoni had said Baggio was old and out of form, stubbornly refusing to include him, which earned him scolding from fans all over Italy and put him under immense public pressure.

Before, he could still find reasons to console himself, because Baggio really was old and his form was declining. He could tell himself that not picking Baggio was for the good of the National Team and the right decision.

But now that Baggio had a chance to regain his form, not picking him would be hard to justify.

That’s why Trapattoni had softened his stance.

"That’s good," Chen Yu said with a nod. He was privy to the inside story and knew just how difficult Baggio’s path back to the National Team was.

"By the way, if you really make it to the National Team, we’ll be opponents," Chen Yu added.

The United States Team and Italy were in the same Group G, making them direct competitors.

Baggio laughed heartily. "Chen, don’t worry. When we play the United States Team, I definitely won’t go easy on you."

Knowing he was joking, Chen Yu didn’t say more about the World Cup. After all, whether he’d ultimately make the squad wasn’t certain yet.

’Who knows if that old stubborn mule Trapattoni will have a brain fart at the last minute and dead-set refuse to pick Baggio.’

"Anyway, I’ll say it again: believe in yourself, and believe in me. You’re very healthy right now. You might be a bit older, but you’ve paid such a huge price for this World Cup. So keep it up. Give it everything you’ve got and fight your way onto the National Team," Chen Yu said, patting Baggio’s arm.

Repairing a torn ligament, transplanting a meniscus, reconstructing a tendon—if it weren’t for the World Cup, he wouldn’t have chosen to undergo such major surgeries.

Chen Yu just hoped that everything he had sacrificed would be worth it.