Sports Medicine Master System

The decision to trade Randolph was no small matter. Rivers and John Nash would certainly have to consider it carefully before coming to a decision, so it was set aside for the time being.

Meanwhile, after training ended, Chen Yu made a point of finding Nash to have a chat.

If you had to ask who was most upset about O’Neal and Nowitzki swapping teams, it would have to be Nash.

As for why he left the Mavericks, while it was true the Mavericks’ payroll had exploded, preventing them from offering him a big contract, another definite reason was that he saw no hope of winning a championship with the team.

The Mavericks made the playoffs every year, but they were still a long way from a championship title.

And then there was his age; Nash was already 30.

Taking all these factors into account, Nash had chosen to leave.

During the summer, the Pioneers’ owner, general manager, and head coach had all taken turns trying to persuade Nash to come to Portland. It had dragged on for a long time before they succeeded, precisely because Nash wasn’t too optimistic about the Pioneers’ prospects.

’He was chasing a championship. Would leaving the Mavericks for the Pioneers really get him a title?’

’The Pioneers weren’t necessarily any stronger than the Mavericks.’

So, as far as Chen Yu knew, Nash had always had one goal in mind at the time: go to the East, join the Magic, and team up with Hill and Tracy McGrady.

The competitive landscape in the East was a bit more relaxed.

The Magic made it to the Finals every year, and this year they had acquired Howard. If he had gone there, he would have filled their last remaining weakness.

A lineup of Howard, Hill, Tracy McGrady, and himself would be in no way inferior to the Five-star Phoenix Suns.

Unfortunately, the Magic’s management had another brain fart and rejected him.

This was because in the Magic’s lineup, Hill was the designated on-ball playmaker.

The Magic’s point guard was mostly tasked with bringing the ball past half-court and then spotting up to wait for a pass to shoot.

They felt Nash’s style of play didn’t match their tactics.

At the same time, they were reluctant to give Nash a large, multi-year contract.

And even after ruling out the Magic, the Pioneers were still not Nash’s second choice.

He also wanted to go to the Lakers.

The Lakers probably could have offered him a decent contract, and the prospect of partnering with Yao Ming and Kobe was tantalizing.

But at the time, Nash had one concern: he no longer wanted to stay in the West.

The Lakers were strong, weren’t they? So were the Spurs. But they were still getting steamrolled by the Phoenix Suns year after year.

If he stayed in the West, no matter which team he joined, he would have to worry about how to deal with the Phoenix Suns.

He might not even make it out of the West.

After weighing all these factors, and adding in the fact that Paul Allen was just obscenely rich, he was offered a six-year, $82 million max contract.

For a 30-year-old point guard who had never even been the league’s assist leader, this contract was a true show of good faith; you could even say it was an overpayment.

Whether it was that or the future blueprint the Pioneers painted being just too enticing, Nash was moved. He came to Portland.

But he never would have dreamed that as soon as he left, the Phoenix Suns would start dismantling their team!

When they traded away McDyess, Nash wasn’t worried. He figured it was nothing, just a normal roster adjustment.

But when the Phoenix Suns outrageously traded away O’Neal—and to the Mavericks of all teams—Nash was about to lose his mind.

’I just left the Mavericks, and you immediately trade for O’Neal? Are you messing with me?’

’If I’d known the Mavericks were going to get O’Neal, I might have just held my nose and accepted their contract offer for a shot at the championship.’

’But it’s too late for any of that now.’

At that moment, Nash must have felt that he had just let a championship slip through his fingers.

For a team’s core player to have such thoughts was very dangerous.

So, Chen Yu had to talk to him, and he had already figured out his angle. He would tell Nash that winning a championship as a supporting character on a super-team couldn’t compare to the historical legacy he’d build by leading a team to victory as its undisputed core.

Whether he went to the Magic or the Lakers, he would only ever be a supporting piece. But with the Pioneers, he was the absolute core.

The Pioneers were now a formidable squad, full of promising rookies, just waiting for their captain to take the helm.

"If you lead this group of young Pioneers to a championship, your place in NBA history will be guaranteed."

Coupled with the effect of the system, this speech made Nash’s blood boil with excitement. He told Chen Yu directly that since he had come to the Pioneers, he had no regrets and would give it his all on the court.

Chen Yu ended up spending a considerable amount of time with the Pioneers.

On October 11th, the Pioneers’ first preseason game tipped off.

They were playing against the Wolves, a fellow team in the Northwest Division.

The Pioneers’ goal was clear: make a run for the playoffs, and even the championship. So, when choosing preseason opponents, they definitely wanted to test their mettle against a strong team like the Wolves to see where they stood.

For Chen Yu, the preseason was even more important than the regular season.

Through the preseason, Chen Yu and his team could assess the players’ conditions and discover the potential of substitutes who might not get much playing time during the regular season.

Only then could Chen Yu, based on the coaching staff’s requests, formulate a training and improvement plan for the entire season.

So, after the game began, Chen Yu and his team of more than ten people sat in a neat row on the sidelines, diligently recording the players’ performances.

Paul Allen had also made it to the game and was sitting with Chen Yu on the sidelines.

He usually didn’t like sitting in the top-level luxury boxes, preferring to watch the game quietly by himself at courtside.

During their casual conversation, he inevitably brought up his various dreams: his spacecraft, his yacht the *Octopus*, deep-sea exploration, his sci-fi fantasies. This year, he had also spent a fortune to build the world’s first science fiction museum.

"Chen, I’ve come to realize something. I do want a championship, but not the kind you get just by buying a few superstars."

With Paul Allen’s net worth, if the NBA lifted its salary cap, he could afford to buy 15 superstars.

"I think your way is much better. It’s like back when Bill and I were just a couple of nobodies building Microsoft together. We want to earn this championship through hard work."

He gestured toward Milicic on the court and asked, "Chen, are you really high on Dako?"

Chen Yu thought for a moment and nodded.

Paul Allen smiled. "I trust you."

Just as he spoke, Milicic seized an opening on the court when Garnett turned his head to look away. He suddenly exploded toward the basket.

The play had originated on the strong side, where Nash and Darius Miles executed a give-and-go, driving to the hoop and drawing the attention of the Wolves’ defense.

Nash blew through the paint like a gust of wind. Instead of forcing a shot, he simply tossed the ball into the air.

Milicic came charging in.

Although Garnett reacted with incredible speed to stay with him, Milicic was every bit as fast.

He leaped high into the air, ignoring the retreating Nestorovic, and went for a powerful dunk.

KADUNK! Milicic fully extended his arm and threw down a thunderous dunk.

In the stands, the few spectators present erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Chen Yu applauded along with them.

This was Milicic. He might drift out to the three-point line for a shot, but deep down, he wasn’t someone who shied away from contact.