Chapter 457: Chapter 393: Do You Still Want to Play Ball?
In the hospital’s public lounge, a TV mounted in the corner showed footage of Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
On ABC Channel 7, Jessica Boston, a well-known host to all Chicagoans, was rapidly reporting on the situation.
"The surgery is over."
"We consulted Dr. Jonathan from the University of Chicago Medical Center, who told us that it would be a very complex surgery."
"Let’s review the surveillance footage from the scene of the accident. We can see Jay taking a turn at an extremely high speed, during which his motorcycle spun out of control and crashed into a utility pole. According to eyewitnesses at the scene, Jay was thrown more than ten feet at the moment of impact."
"What a tragic scene. Fortunately, the Bulls found Chen right away. Without a doubt, Chen is our best orthopedic surgeon in Chicago. At the post-operative press conference late yesterday, Chen didn’t reveal many details, only saying that the surgery was very successful. We have reason to believe that poor Jay will be back on the court very soon."
Chen Yu sat in an empty seat, not paying attention to the TV report. Instead, he was checking his email.
The email contained an analysis report on Jay Williams.
After deciding to set up a consulting firm, Chen Yu had begun to build his own player database.
A foundational database was essential for providing professional consulting advice.
For now, the database was primarily based on reports from the scouting and player development departments of various teams at this stage.
Chen Yu had managed to obtain all of this content through his connections.
At the very least, it was more professional than the analyses from the media and sports commentators.
As he read, Chen Yu looked up, glancing over his laptop screen at the person across from him.
In the seat opposite Chen Yu, Josh O’Connor was cradling a model of a human skeleton. With his eyes closed, his hands were feeling their way across the model.
The look on his face could only be described as a little creepy.
As if sensing Chen Yu’s gaze, O’Connor opened his eyes. They made eye contact, and he looked away, mortified.
"Chen, I don’t think this is working. It’s not realistic or accurate enough," O’Connor said.
He couldn’t write a paper or study the technique officially, but surely there was no harm in practicing on his own.
This was a method O’Connor had devised for himself. By closing his eyes and feeling the skeletal model, he hoped to become as intimately familiar with human anatomy as Chen Yu was.
But it clearly wasn’t working.
Chen Yu smiled and shook his head, thinking, ’It would be a miracle if that actually worked.’
"Well, I..." O’Connor hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting about. He suddenly stood up and said, "Chen, something’s come up. I have to go."
With that, he hurried away.
Chen Yu looked away, but then a thought suddenly struck him. He snapped his head up, staring in the direction O’Connor had gone.
’That guy... he wouldn’t actually go to the morgue, would he?’
An unsettling image surfaced in his mind, causing Chen Yu to shudder.
A short while later, a young doctor pushed the door open and came in to tell Chen Yu that Jay Williams was awake.
He had woken up once during the night after the surgery but had quickly fallen back asleep.
When he arrived at the private ward, a number of people were still gathered outside the door.
There was his agent, Bill Duffy, from the Bulls, Jay’s family, and an incredibly conspicuous, massive man.
He was built like O’Neal.
It must have been the Bulls’ rookie, Eddie Curry.
He was selected by the Bulls with the fourth pick in ’01. Along with Kwame Brown and Tyson Chandler, they were hailed as the three high school gems of that draft class.
The Bulls drafted him with the goal of developing him into the next O’Neal.
This season, he averaged 10.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game and was at one point dubbed "the next O’Neal" by the media.
This was, of course, nonsense. The media was like that—they’d just say anything without any real basis.
However, he had a large frame and managed to maintain impressive athleticism despite his heavy weight, which was indeed quite similar to a young O’Neal.
If he was developed properly and put in the effort himself, he might not become the next O’Neal, but there was hope he could become seventy percent of an O’Neal.
And seventy percent of an O’Neal would be enough to make him the best center in the league.
And most importantly, he was still young.
Eddie Curry, Tyson Chandler, Jamal Crawford, Jay Williams.
Through the draft in the last couple of years, the Bulls had truly acquired a crop of astonishingly talented players. Once they developed, the Bulls would rise again.
Eddie was a Chicagoan himself, born in Harvey on the South Side. In his youth, he was an unbeatable player on the courts of Chicago and an idol to many kids in the community.
The other Bulls players were already on break for the offseason. As a local, he had made a special trip to visit Jay.
A middle-aged man with a side-parted hairstyle was speaking with Old Williams. Chen Yu recognized him immediately: it was Jay’s college head coach, Coach K.
He was also a Chicagoan.
Upon seeing Chen Yu, everyone greeted him.
Old Williams hurried forward, grasping Chen Yu’s hand and thanking him profusely.
"David, you’ve already thanked me many times," Chen Yu said with a smile.
Just then, Coach K, who was standing nearby, said, "Chen, David has thanked you many times, but I have yet to formally express my gratitude. You didn’t just save Jay; you also saved Grant. So I feel I’ve owed you my thanks for a long time."
He stepped forward and embraced Chen Yu.
Both Hill and Jay were his cherished players.
Releasing Chen Yu, Coach K couldn’t help but add with a sigh, "And Bobby... if he had met you a few years earlier, things might have turned out differently."
He was hailed as the next Stockton, a true sensation across the country, yet his career faded as quickly as a shooting star.
Look at the other rookies from his class, like Weber and Hardaway—they’re still in their prime.
"Mike, what’s past is past," Chen Yu said comfortingly.
When it came to players with tragic stories, NBA history was full of them.
Take Len Bias, for example, who destroyed his own future. He was hailed as a super-talent on par with Jordan, someone who could change the landscape of the NBA, but he also ruined everything by giving in to his vices.
And Jay was clearly heading down that same path.
Thinking of this, Chen Yu said, "Mike, Jay trusts you. Come in with me and have a word with him."
Coach K froze for a second, then nodded eagerly.
He was heartbroken by what had happened to Jay.
’He really let it all go to his head!’
"Chen, he’s a good kid. I know him," Coach K sighed as he followed Chen Yu into the ward.
Inside the ward, a nurse was changing Jay’s IV drip.
Lying in the bed, he still looked like a pitiful sight.
The one silver lining was that Chen Yu had performed minimally invasive surgery. If it had been an open procedure, he would be covered in external fixation and completely immobilized.
His face was still pale.
Even though it was a minimally invasive procedure, it was by no means a minor surgery.
When he saw Chen Yu and then Coach K—especially Coach K—tears instantly started to fall.
Like a student who had made a mistake facing a respected teacher, he was so ashamed he wished the earth would swallow him whole.
"Coach, I was wrong."
He murmured, and then he could no longer hold back his tears; they streamed down his face.
Before entering the room, Coach K had a million things he wanted to say.
He had once thought so highly of Jay, and had poured countless hours of effort into him.
And yet, after only one year, it had all come to this.
But in that moment, Jay’s simple "I was wrong" made Coach K’s own eyes redden, and he struggled to keep his composure.
Coach K reached out and patted Jay’s shoulder. "It’s a shame I’m not your coach anymore," he said. "Otherwise, I’d make you run a hundred suicides."
Hearing this, Jay completely broke down and began to sob uncontrollably.
"Alright."
Chen Yu interrupted them.
He checked the data on the monitor, then scanned the affected area with the Eye of All-Seeing.
There were no major issues, nor any obvious signs of infection.
Chen Yu sat down and took out his needles to perform acupuncture.
Post-operative inflammation was high, and circulation was stagnant. Using distal acupuncture to activate blood flow would be beneficial for his recovery.
"Dr. Chen, thank you. You saved me," Jay said, wiping away his tears and thanking him earnestly.
His parents had told him last night that the surgery was very successful and that he would be able to return to the court.
"No."
As he deftly inserted the needles, Chen Yu said, "Jay, the surgery itself was a success. I successfully repaired your fractures and torn ligaments. However, when you were admitted, Dr. O’Connor should have told you that your displaced pelvis was compressing your sciatic nerve. That’s why you’re feeling numbness in your left leg."
The color drained from Jay’s face as he immediately looked down at his left leg.
The surgery had just finished, and thanks to the pain pump, it still felt numb.
"Dr. Chen, what are you trying to say?" Jay’s voice began to tremble.
Chen Yu said with a deadpan expression, "Jay, you’ve damaged a nerve. That means you may suffer from long-term complications."
Those words plunged Jay’s gaze into despair.
Beside them, the color drained from Coach K’s face as well. He hadn’t known about this. "Chen, how could this happen?" he said urgently. "He’s so young, only twenty-two years old. I’m begging you, you have to find a way to fix this. You’ve healed so many players, you must have a solution."
Jay nodded frantically in agreement.
"Mike," Chen Yu said, shaking his head. "Jay injured a nerve. It’s not the same as the other players you’re talking about. Making a full recovery is going to be extremely difficult."
Chen Yu glanced at the stunned Jay. The kid was clearly terrified.
It was as if he had just managed to crawl out of hell and into heaven, only for Chen Yu to kick him right back down.
"Jay, listen. You’ll need at least three months for the fractures to heal. Then you’ll need another surgery to remove the internal fixation screws and plates. After that, you’ll need another one to two months to recover. That’s nearly half a year gone by."
"You should know what happens when a professional athlete is inactive for half a year. On top of that, you have nerve damage. To make a full recovery, you’ll have to put in an even greater effort during your rehabilitation."
"In other words, it might take you a full year, maybe even longer, just to get back to normal."
"The process will be extremely painful, and I’m not sure you’re prepared for that."
"By the way, I spoke with John yesterday. Did you know you violated your contract? The Bulls have grounds to terminate it."
At this, Jay’s face went deathly pale. He was on the verge of a complete breakdown, murmuring, "I didn’t mean to... I regret it so much, but..."
He trailed off, unable to continue.
It was too late for regrets now.
Beside them, Coach K let out a long sigh, his expression grim.
Chen Yu felt the timing was right and continued, "So, Jay, if you give up now, the Bulls will probably buy out your contract. You can take your millions and go live an ordinary life."
"Or, you can commit to the rehabilitation. I can’t guarantee you’ll make a full recovery, but I can tell you there’s a sliver of hope. And then, maybe, you can return to the court and continue your career."
"So now the question is simple. Do you still want to play basketball?"
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