Chapter 455: Chapter 390: Can I Play Ball Again?
The plane soared through the clouds as Chen Yu opened his laptop to review the preliminary examination report the hospital had sent before he boarded.
Setting aside the superficial injuries, the main issues were fractures.
A tibial fracture.
This was straightforward, a clean break that would heal relatively quickly and was unlikely to leave any long-term complications.
A talus fracture in his left ankle.
This was also manageable, not a major problem.
The pelvis, however, was the troublesome part.
He had a displaced acetabular fracture combined with an ischial fracture. Preliminary tests, including an electromyogram, had essentially confirmed that the fractures were compressing the sciatic nerve.
As for the exact degree of compression and whether there was any nerve damage, that wasn’t yet clear.
Once he was on-site, a look with the Eye of All-Seeing should clear things up.
Finally, there was the left knee.
A torn anterior cruciate ligament, combined with a cartilage fracture.
This knee alone would be a huge challenge for an ordinary doctor.
But Chen Yu had handled many such cases. To him, they weren’t major problems.
The most troublesome part was still the nerve.
The sciatic nerve is the thickest nerve in the human body. Damage leading to functional impairment is a serious matter even for an ordinary person, let alone a professional athlete.
Chen Yu was confident he could heal him, but the kid would need a very, very long time to recover.
Closing his laptop, Chen Yu shut his eyes to rest, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Jay Williams.
Chen Yu didn’t know much about him.
He had apparently been named Jason Williams, but because there were already two other players in the league with that name, he changed it to Jay before the draft.
He was an outstanding talent, a superstar in the NCAA.
During last year’s draft, if not for the Phoenix Suns having Hardaway and J Kidd, plus the need to complete a trade with the Lakers for O’Neal, any team with an average backcourt that had gotten the first pick would have certainly chosen him.
With Duke University, the Naismith and Wooden Awards, and all sorts of other accolades to his name, it was no exaggeration to call him the best player of his time in college.
Even Coach K, the revered mentor of Hill and Brand, spoke highly of him, saying he possessed the same innate leadership qualities as Jordan and Bird.
This was probably why he’d never stopped complaining about Yao Ming taking the number one pick from him.
Chen Yu remembered that during the World Championship, Williams had been bent on revenge, planning to throw down a dunk on Yao Ming’s head.
Unfortunately, he didn’t get much playing time. His one and only chance was blocked by Yao, turning him into a laughingstock.
The Bulls had high hopes for him.
But because the Bulls already had Jamal Crawford, Head Coach Bill Cartwright moved him to the point guard position.
In college, he had started out as a point guard. But then Chris Duhon, hailed as the best point guard prospect out of high school, joined Duke University, and with a wave of his hand, Coach K had Williams play shooting guard instead.
This single change immediately unlocked his scoring talent.
His fundamentals were excellent, and he possessed what the media called "startling speed comparable to Iverson’s," which allowed him to shine in college.
But with basketball, once you reach a higher level, deficiencies in talent become fatal.
He wasn’t tall enough.
At 6 feet 2 inches tall, playing the two-guard in college was like a fish in water for him, but in the NBA, it just meant he’d get schooled by everyone.
The advantages in strength and explosiveness he enjoyed in college vanished when he came up against the freakish talents in the NBA.
So Cartwright’s decision to switch him to point guard wasn’t just about competing with Crawford.
Static physical attributes are truly important. The media always talked about Iverson’s lack of height, but people forget that in every other aspect, Iverson’s talent was all-time great.
Otherwise, how could there be only one Iverson after all these years?
Furthermore, his shooting wasn’t very good, so it was no surprise that his rookie season was average.
But it was just his first year, and a poor shot was something he could work on.
Besides, many point guards are late bloomers. With his traditional point guard playstyle, as long as his fundamentals were solid, he could have very well developed into an All-Star caliber player over time.
But none of that mattered now.
He had truly destroyed his own future.
A rookie daring to ride a motorcycle.
Just think about a badass like Rodman, who got suspended by the Spurs for 33 games just for riding a motorcycle.
Only superstars like Jordan and O’Neal had certain privileges.
While lamenting this, Chen Yu was also reminded of Williams’s predecessor, Bobby Hurley.
He was also a predecessor to Hill; they were known as the "Duke Duo." He had been on the college select team that famously defeated the Dream One Team in a scrimmage. But just six weeks after making it to the NBA, he was in a car accident. A piece of glass pierced his lung, and he tore his Achilles tendon, effectively ending his promising career.
At least that guy was a victim of bad luck, whereas Jay Williams had truly brought this on himself.
’Thinking back to his interactions with Williams during last year’s World Championship, the kid was just too arrogant.’
’Pride comes before a fall, and here it is.’
’Fortunately, he ran into me. Without me, his career would have been over.’
Chen Yu just hoped that after this major injury, he would learn his lesson.
「The plane arrived in Chicago.」
Paxson picked up Chen Yu, and they rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
"Chen, thank you for coming so quickly." In the car, Paxson rubbed his face, a look of helplessness written all over it. "Did you know he’d only bought that motorcycle a week ago? It still had temporary plates. And to make matters worse, he wasn’t even wearing a helmet."
Chen Yu sighed. That was the thing about accidents; they always came when you least expected them.
"Alright, John. What’s done is done. There’s no use regretting it now. And besides, he’s already lucky enough."
’Not wearing a helmet and not dying on the spot... that’s already something.’
Paxson gave a bitter smile and asked if Chen Yu was confident he could be completely healed.
He was the second overall pick, the one they had such high hopes for. He had only played one season. If he was finished, the loss for the Bulls would be immense.
Chen Yu said, "Let’s wait until I’ve seen him."
The car quickly arrived at the hospital.
The emergency entrance was swarmed with news vans, and the two of them were immediately cornered by reporters.
A short while ago, the Bulls organization had already revealed to the press that they were planning to invite Chen Yu.
Upon seeing Chen Yu, the reporters hurled a barrage of questions at him.
Mixed in with the chaos were questions about why Chen Yu hadn’t been promoted to vice president of the league and whether he would be leaving the Phoenix Suns.
Chen Yu’s plans to establish a consulting firm and his next moves had not yet been announced to the public.
"Everyone, move aside."
Chen Yu pushed through the reporters with a blank expression, hurrying into the hospital under the escort of security guards.
Bulls Owner Jerry Reinsdorf had visited earlier but had already left. Head Coach Cartwright and some of the Bulls’ management were still there.
His parents were on their way from New Jersey.
His agent, Bill Duffy—who was also Yao Ming’s agent—had heard the news and was rushing over from San Francisco.
Chen Yu was no stranger to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The head of the emergency department, Mike Feist, and the head of orthopedics, Josh O’Connor, received him.
Chen Yu was even more familiar with Josh O’Connor.
Last year, when Yao Ming came to Chicago for a tryout, his physical was done at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Chen Yu and Josh O’Connor had spoken at length back then.
Jay Williams was lying in an emergency room, having regained consciousness.
Chen Yu didn’t rush into the room, opting to look at the subsequent test results first.
Basically all possible tests had been done. He had pelvic bleeding. He wasn’t in immediate danger of dying, but he needed surgery as soon as possible to address it.
"Chen, what do you think? The main concern is the nerve," Josh O’Connor asked, pointing to the scans.
Chen Yu didn’t give his opinion right away, instead leading the small group into the patient’s room.
On the hospital bed, Jay Williams’s left leg was simply immobilized. He lay there, battered and bruised, looking miserable.
As they entered, he was muttering to himself, though it was unclear what he was saying.
But when he saw Chen Yu walk in, a flicker of life suddenly ignited in his vacant eyes, and he struggled to move.
"Don’t move."
Chen Yu said sharply, walking forward.
The pain had him covered in a cold sweat, his face deathly pale. His left cheek must have been scraped as well; his left eye was severely swollen and covered with gauze, and he couldn’t even open the eyelid. He opened his mouth, trying to say something.
"What is it?"
Chen Yu asked, leaning down slightly.
"Dr. Chen, will I be able to play ball again?" His voice was weak, his eyes fixed on Chen Yu. As he finished speaking, tears began to stream uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes.
He was probably kicking himself with regret.
Chen Yu’s gaze swept over his body.
The knee, the tibia, the ankle, and finally, the pelvis.
The sciatic nerve, emerging from the greater sciatic foramen, was indeed being compressed by the displaced ilium and ischium.
And there was nerve damage.
Under the Eye of All-Seeing, the epineurium was intact, but the nerve itself was like a thick cable. After being crushed by trauma, the outer sheath might look fine, but the nerve bundles inside were a complete mess.
That’s what had happened to him.
It was just that the damage wasn’t as severe as it could have been.
But this was a nerve. Even the slightest damage could have severe consequences.
’But it’s not a huge problem. If the nerve had been completely severed, now *that* would be real trouble.’
After all, Chen Yu had earned the name "Miracle Doctor" by using the system’s power to awaken Carl from a vegetative state.
For nerve damage like this, which even gods would find hard to heal, he could only rely on the system’s effects.
Hearing Jay Williams’s words, Chen Yu couldn’t help but feel a sense of lament.
’Regretting it now? What were you doing before?’
"Wait for the surgery," Chen Yu said, patting his shoulder without directly answering his question.
’He needs to understand the gravity of the situation. He has to know how difficult the long recovery will be, and how hard it is to finally get back on the court. Only then will he cherish it and truly focus on his career.’
Not getting the answer he wanted, Jay Williams weakly opened and closed his mouth, but in the end, only two streams of tears flowed.
Just as they left the room, his parents arrived.
Speaking of whom, his father, David Williams, was something of a celebrity.
Or rather, his whole family was.
Back in the eighties, the model of a free and equal family that the elder Williams championed became a hot topic across America after it was reported by the media.
Because of this, their family earned the title of "America’s Greatest Family."
That was why a three-year-old Jay Williams had even been received by the president.
But now, he was just a poor old father, worried sick about his seriously injured son.
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