Chapter 453: Chapter 388: He Came Too Early
The parking lot.
"Chen, goodbye."
Stern stepped forward and hugged Chen Yu. As he let go, he hesitated for a moment, then asked if Chen Yu had thoroughly thought it through.
Chen Yu smiled. "Of course. I’ve been thinking about it for at least half a month."
Stern sighed softly and didn’t press the matter.
As he turned to get into his car, Jordan waved and called out, "David, your putting still has room for improvement! I’ll teach you when I have time."
He was grinning from ear to ear; he’d had the best score in the round of golf they just played.
Everyone was speechless.
Stern nodded, unbothered, and got into the car with Silva before driving away.
After the car had driven some distance, Silva noticed Stern was silent and couldn’t help but say, "David, to be honest, I’m not surprised he made this decision."
Stern frowned slightly but still said nothing.
Silva continued, "Chen is a very career-driven person. Or rather, I sense a strong feeling of responsibility from him. He probably feels that since he possesses such medical skills and abilities, he should put them to their proper use and benefit more people, rather than staying with one team as an ordinary team doctor."
"He and the Suns have achieved success together. Now that the Suns have won a championship and are even looking to defend their title, it’s quite normal for him to want to leave at this time."
"Besides, from our perspective, even though things didn’t go according to our plan, at least this problem has been resolved."
With Chen Yu starting a sports consulting firm and no longer employed by any team in the league, he won’t be disrupting the league’s balance like before, even though he’s still in Phoenix.
Silva noticed Stern’s brow relax slightly, a sign that his words were getting through. He went on, "What’s more, I believe his consulting firm has a very bright future. Our investment is sure to bring huge returns."
After presenting his idea, Chen Yu had also proposed letting the league invest and become a partner.
Silva knew Chen Yu was doing it to secure business from the NBA, but from the league’s perspective, it was a win-win situation.
Stern sighed and finally spoke. "I’m not dissatisfied, just a little disappointed. I actually thought very highly of him."
As he said this, he glanced at Silva.
Silva’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.
’What does he mean by that?’
’Thinking highly of him, promoting him to vice president... Could it be that he wanted to groom Chen Yu as his successor?’
Stern was nearing retirement age.
He had run the league for many years. His competence was one thing, but most importantly, he had the deep trust of the Board of Governors.
And as a doctor, Chen Yu had a natural advantage in that regard. Looked at this way, he was definitely a suitable successor.
Silva smiled and nodded, but a cold sweat suddenly broke out on his back.
Meanwhile, after watching Stern’s car drive off into the distance, Jordan suddenly said, "Jerry, we’ve been good friends for so many years. You know me. I really want to become a shareholder in a team. And you can rest assured, if I invest in the Suns, I can stay out of the team’s operations."
When he invested in the Wizards and served as General Manager, he’d made quite a few moves in those two years, and he’d been heavily criticized by the media and fans. Thinking back on it now, he knew he should have learned some lessons.
Old Kolangelo said with a gentle smile, "Michael, you’re right, we have been good friends for many years. If the team were mine alone, I’d definitely be willing to transfer some shares to you. But as you know, I’m not the only one who has a say. How about this? I’ll go back and discuss it with the others and see if there’s any possibility."
Jordan could hear the gentle refusal in his words, but his response was so flawless that Jordan could only smile wryly, nod, and thank him.
Fortunately, there was another investment opportunity today.
"Chen, just tell me how much money you need later." He gave Chen Yu an enthusiastic hug.
’He doesn’t forget about me when something good comes up. Now that’s a true friend.’
Chen Yu nodded. He saw Jordan off first, then turned to Old Kolangelo. "Jerry, you’re not upset with me, are you?"
Even though he was staying in Phoenix, he was no longer the team’s doctor.
"How could I be?"
Old Kolangelo quickly shook his head. "The Suns were founded in ’68, and I became the team’s first general manager. It’s been 35 years now. I’ve had many roles—general manager, head coach, and team owner. For all these years, the Suns have truly been like a child to me."
"So for you to help us win a championship—two of them, at that—I will only ever be grateful to you."
His feelings for the Suns ran exceptionally deep.
"Although, Brian is probably going to have a headache," Old Kolangelo added with a laugh.
With Chen Yu leaving the team, Brian would surely be the first one who couldn’t accept it.
"By the way."
Old Kolangelo remembered something else. "Chen," he asked, "that Wade kid, does he really have a lot of potential? And from your perspective, would he be a good fit for us? After all, you’re a professional in this area now, too. I heard from Aaron that you often study tactical theory with them."
Potential was one thing, but whether he was a good fit for the Suns was another.
After all, the Suns were a championship team. With their existing chemistry being so good, rashly bringing in a high-potential player who needed significant development could siphon away possessions and affect the performance of others.
Basketball isn’t as simple as 1 plus 1.
Just like when the Suns won their first championship, it was because both Olajuwon and Ewing made sacrifices in the paint, finding a way to play that suited them both, that they finally won the title.
Chen Yu stopped walking and thought seriously for a moment. "Without a doubt, he has tremendous potential. Just as I predicted, he has the potential to become a Hall of Fame-level star. As for whether he’s a good fit for us... that’s really hard to say."
Fit, chemistry... those things really depend on the roster and the team’s tactics.
In fact, even now, the so-called OP Duo of Hardaway and O’Neal isn’t that great of a fit.
Hardaway is a point guard, of course, but his playmaking relies more on using his back-to-the-basket game to collapse the defense and pass to the weak side. He’s not quite the same as a traditional point guard who distributes from the high post or lobs the ball into the paint.
This season, because of O’Neal’s arrival, he has already changed his playstyle somewhat, but it has actually weakened his scoring ability.
You could tell just by looking at the playoffs.
This season, he had far fewer of those ball-dominant, carry-the-team performances where he’d average 30-plus points like last year. The few high-scoring games he did have were when O’Neal was injured or not playing with much intensity.
But problems with their fit didn’t stop the Suns from winning the championship at all.
Their roster was just too stacked. A little bit of coordination was all it took.
But if you threw Wade into the mix, all bets were off.
A rookie picked that high in the draft, if you were to develop him fully, would have to be a starter and be given a lot of time to gain experience.
If you have him play the two-guard, his lack of height would be a greatly magnified weakness.
But if he played the one, forcing Hardaway back to the two, it would diminish Hardaway’s abilities.
Wade isn’t like J Kidd, either.
J Kidd genuinely doesn’t look to score and focuses on playmaking. Wade, on the other hand, is a ball-dominant player. When Chen Yu tested his potential, he discovered that Wade’s knack for finding open spots off the ball wasn’t very good.
Most importantly, he doesn’t have enough range.
Last year, Hardaway could move to the two-guard spot because he had enough range, with excellent three-point and mid-to-long-range shooting abilities.
Wade doesn’t have that.
Chen Yu laid out his analysis and concluded, "Of course, this is all just speculation. A player’s skills aren’t set in stone, so who knows what the final result will be."
Old Kolangelo nodded.
"Chen, I’ll definitely take your opinion into serious consideration. The main issue is that the Grizzlies’ asking price is very high right now. They’re demanding three first-round picks. It’s just outrageous."
What’s more annoying is that besides the Grizzlies, no other team is willing to trade with the Suns.
And even the Grizzlies are acting like they have the Suns right where they want them. They’re sticking to their price and not budging, clearly trying to make up for the loss of their unexpectedly-lost second-overall pick at the Suns’ expense.
Under these circumstances, paying such a high price would truly be a huge gamble.
"They’re definitely asking for the moon. Making us give up Sabonis and three first-rounders? They must take the Suns for suckers."
’You might consider it for a top-three pick.’
’But for a seventh-overall? They’ve got some nerve.’
"Actually," Chen Yu hesitated for a moment, then said, "compared to Wade, Miller is a better fit for us."
As the league’s most famous "Mr. Clutch," Miller might not be suited to be a team’s number one option, but he’s absolutely one of the best championship puzzle pieces.
His clutch ability, his desire for victory, that lights-out shooting that strikes fear into opponents—all of it is perfect for the Suns.
Old Kolangelo nodded in agreement. "I heard he hasn’t left yet. Have you had a serious talk with him? Is he willing to stay?"
Chen Yu sighed. "Of course I have. But I get the feeling the scales have already tipped toward him returning to the Pacers."
Initially, Miller definitely came to Phoenix with a strong desire to chase a championship.
You could see it as a decision made in the heat of the moment.
But as time went on, various considerations have been wearing away at that passion.
Chen Yu really felt he had come too early.
If he had come next month after the market opened, he might have stayed in Phoenix on sheer impulse.
But now, he was just too conflicted.
Speaking of which, being born on August 24th, he was a Virgo.
Old Kolangelo thought for a moment. "Would it be useful to talk to him like we did when we recruited O’Neal last year?"
The Suns put in a lot of effort to recruit O’Neal last year.
Having Hardaway and O’Neal go talk to Miller together might work.
"I doubt it would do much good," Chen Yu said, shaking his head.
Miller isn’t the type of person who is easily swayed. He’s obsessed with perfection, but he’s also a very strong-willed person.
If he can’t convince himself, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says.
"Alright." Old Kolangelo nodded. "I’ll discuss it thoroughly with Brian, especially about Wade. Speaking of which, we Chicagoans haven’t had such an outstanding player in a long time."
Old Kolangelo was also from Chicago.
"That’s right."
After Jordan retired, Chicago basketball completely fell into decline.
It was actually painful for Chen Yu to see his hometown team become like this.
Waving goodbye, Chen Yu turned and got into his car, but an image suddenly flashed through his mind: that young man named Derek Rose.
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