Sports Medicine Master System

Chapter 425: Chapter 361: Want to Rest? Impossible

Mackintosh was already drowning in sour grapes.

’Five hundred is five hundred! You don’t want it? Give it to me, then!’

’And the transfer speed... did it have to be so fast? It’s like they were tripping over themselves to give him the money.’

Ryan asked tentatively, "Dr. Chen, have you given any more thought to the show?"

"No."

Chen Yu shook his head.

In fact, Burnett had contacted him just last night. He’d said he wanted to sell the show to another television network and asked for Chen Yu’s opinion.

Chen Yu genuinely hadn’t decided yet.

"No rush. Please, take your time to think it over." Ryan was still all smiles.

There was still no word from the president’s office. With the show suspended and all sorts of slander and dirt being thrown around, Chen Yu’s and Michael Jackson’s names were constantly appearing together in the papers, as if they were a package deal.

Still, with the show on hiatus and the team on the road, Chen Yu felt a lot more relaxed.

Liu Xiang had also contacted him, saying he was done resting and was ready to return to the United States to resume training.

Then there was Bolt.

He was also in the midst of intense preparations, aiming for the World Youth Championships in Sherbrooke, Canada, in July.

To be honest, Chen Yu didn’t really want him to compete. He preferred Bolt just keep training and then enter the Olympic qualifiers next year.

But the Jamaican Athletics Association was insisting, wanting Bolt to represent the country.

Mills was currently in discussions with the association. They were preparing for the event just in case. If the negotiations fell through, Bolt would have to compete.

Meanwhile, as the situation unfolded, quite a few people had come forward in interviews to voice their support for him.

David Stern, for example.

He stated bluntly that Chen Yu was an official part of the NBA, the league’s best team doctor, and that to slander Chen Yu was to slander the NBA itself and damage its reputation.

Many of the league’s stars did the same, like Hill, who proactively gave an interview to reporters the day after the news broke to stand up for Chen Yu.

He said it outright: the whole world could doubt or distrust Chen Yu—that was their right—but he would always believe in him. Chen Yu had saved his career.

Then there was Tracy McGrady. He might not say much usually, but when trouble hit, he was the first to respond.

He was followed by others, like Jordan, Olajuwon, Ewing, Duncan, and even Kobe.

Chen Yu and Kobe’s relationship had never gone beyond a nodding acquaintance. They hadn’t had any deep conversations and certainly weren’t friends.

And last year, the Phoenix Suns had single-handedly crushed the Lakers’ dream of a three-peat. Logically, Kobe should hold a grudge against the Phoenix Suns, and against him.

Speaking out at a time like this was bound to attract trouble, so Chen Yu made sure to remember this favor.

On April 30th, Game 4 between the Phoenix Suns and the Pioneer began.

Chen Yu didn’t watch the game.

’But it probably won’t be an issue.’

’The Phoenix Suns should be able to sweep the Pioneer 4-0 easily.’

However, around eight that evening, Chen Yu was writing an article about light fitness.

The show might be off the air for now, but he still needed to work on promoting his light fitness concept.

Suddenly, Chen Yu got a call from Nelson.

"Chen, Shaq’s been injured," Nelson said, his voice heavy on the other end of the line.

Chen Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

But just as quickly, Chen Yu calmed himself.

’Injuries are just accidents. No one can predict them.’

"Is it serious?" Chen Yu asked.

As he spoke, Chen Yu got up, walked into the living room, and turned on the television.

He flipped to TNT Television.

The game wasn’t over—it was only the third quarter. It must be a timeout. In the studio, Barkley and the other two commentators were chattering away.

Barkley, in particular, was raising hell on O’Neal’s behalf, yelling about how it must have been intentional.

"Hard to say. We just got back to the locker room. He twisted his right ankle." Nelson was hesitant to make a definitive statement.

Just then, the TV replayed the footage of O’Neal’s injury.

Since the start of Game 3, Cheeks had stopped his antics and stuck with the decision to have Rashid Wallace defend O’Neal.

In Game 2, Randolph had played pretty well, so Cheeks had decided to keep him in the starting lineup.

It looked like O’Neal was making a move in the paint against Rashid Wallace. When he came down, he landed on top of Wallace’s foot.

The slow-motion replay was quite clear: O’Neal’s right ankle twisted at a seventy- or eighty-degree angle, and he collapsed to the floor in pain.

In the replay, Rashid Wallace, who landed first, could be seen shifting his foot.

That must have been the move that had Barkley yelling it was intentional.

’Whether it was an intentional undercut, Chen Yu couldn’t say. There was no point debating it now. The fact was, he was injured.’

"Immobilize it for now. After the game, fly back to Phoenix tonight." Chen Yu hung up.

’Without seeing him in person, it’s impossible to determine the extent of the injury.’

’Still, with my current medical skills and abilities, a sprained ankle—or even something more serious, like a torn ligament or a fracture—isn’t a huge problem. I can heal it completely without any impact on his career.’

’The main issue is that it’s the playoffs. If he’s really out for the season, the Phoenix Suns’ path to defending their title will be a tough one.’

Chen Yu sat down and watched the rest of the game.

After O’Neal’s injury, a scuffle had broken out.

Oakley, the team’s enforcer, had charged straight from the bench onto the court and thrown a punch at Rashid Wallace. He’d already been ejected.

That’s just who he was.

Fortunately, the Phoenix Suns still held the lead, and even without Shaq, the Pioneer were clearly outmatched.

The wily old veteran Sabonis was still able to hold down the paint for the Phoenix Suns.

Most importantly, he was a ground-bound player. Even if someone wanted to play dirty, they’d have a hard time getting a foot in under him.

And you could always trust Hardaway in the clutch. When O’Neal went down and the Phoenix Suns were in disarray, he immediately stepped up. He hit consecutive shots, exploding for 14 points in the third quarter alone to maintain their 12-point lead.

’Winning the game shouldn’t be a problem. It’s just O’Neal’s injury that’s a real pain in the ass.’

And just like that, a call from Brian came through.

"All right, let’s wait until I’ve had a look at him before we discuss anything," Chen Yu said reassuringly, not wanting to say more.

In the end, the Phoenix Suns crushed the Pioneer 106 to 91, a 15-point victory, and smoothly advanced to the next round.

The entire Phoenix Suns team gave up their plan to rest in Poland for a day, instead flying back to Phoenix that same night.

They arrived in Phoenix a little after one in the morning.

Skiles, Nelson, and the others wore grim expressions.

O’Neal, however, was cheerful in his wheelchair. When he saw Chen Yu, he grinned and said he was fine, that he felt great, and that this was a perfect chance to get some rest.

"Rest?"

Chen Yu’s Eye of All-Seeing had already scanned O’Neal’s right ankle. He patted the big man’s shoulder and said with a grin, "You’re too important to the team. How could I possibly let you rest for long?"

Chen Yu breathed an inward sigh of relief.

’The problem wasn’t serious—just some minor strains to the tendons and ligaments.’

’Chen Yu figured the injury wasn’t severe, which likely had something to do with his weight loss.’

’After losing weight, his body was lighter and he had better control. The instant his ankle twisted, he was able to react better and mitigate the damage.’

’Chen Yu estimated he’d probably only miss a week.’