Chapter 476: Chapter 410: Odom
Brian gave a sheepish smile and dropped the subject.
In truth, more than who to sign, he was currently worried about Chen Yu’s role with the team next season.
The league’s—or rather, Stern’s—attitude was very clear: Chen Yu had to be restricted. He couldn’t be allowed to travel with the team as a doctor, and especially couldn’t be allowed to use his massage and therapy skills to help the Suns players recover their stamina during games.
But this was difficult to enforce. They couldn’t just ban Chen Yu from the arena, could they?
That wasn’t realistic.
And if they did let Chen Yu into the arena, how could they be sure he wasn’t secretly helping the Suns?
Forget the regular season; when it came to crucial moments in the playoffs, the potential for Chen Yu to secretly lend a hand was just too great.
Especially since the league now allowed Chen Yu to be a minority owner of the Suns, which gave him even more reason to help the team.
As a result, the league had yet to issue a clear ruling on what exactly to do.
But the axe was bound to fall sooner or later.
The only silver lining was that Chen Yu had still chosen to stay in Phoenix.
Brian had already thought it through. Even if Chen Yu was ultimately banned from the arena, he could just have the players go directly to Chen Yu’s clinic for physical maintenance after every practice.
Or, they could simply convert a building near Chen Yu’s clinic into a training facility.
"Oh, right." Chen Yu, unaware of what Brian was thinking, asked, "It’s the 16th today. Any big signing news?"
Brian laughed. "Of course, there is."
Everyone was waiting until today to make their big moves.
After speaking, his gaze grew a little more serious. "The Magic signed Juwan Howard. Rumor is they’re also targeting Rasul Nestorovic from the Wolves, and it sounds like they’re close to a deal."
Brian didn’t mention the smaller signings; he only cared about the moves made by the Suns’ potential rivals.
He turned his head to look at Chen Yu and asked, "Chen, what do you think of a partnership between Odom and Yao Ming?"
Chen Yu was slightly taken aback. "What do you mean? Do the Lakers want Odom?"
Brian nodded. "Horry is already set to leave and join the Spurs, and Hakeem has made it clear he’s retiring. The Lakers have almost no one left to play the four, so they want Odom from the Fast Ship."
"The Fast Ship’s stance is clear. They only want to keep Brand. Sterling is too cheap; he’s not even willing to keep Olajuwon, so it’s highly unlikely he’ll keep Odom either. And for Odom, going to the cross-town Lakers means he wouldn’t have to leave Los Angeles and would have a shot at a championship. It’s his best option."
"The Lakers have plenty of cap space right now and can offer him a contract in the ten-million-dollar range."
Having shed O’Neal’s salary burden and benefiting from Yao Ming’s rookie contract, the Lakers have all the cap space they need.
Besides, as a premier franchise, they aren’t too concerned about paying the luxury tax.
Chen Yu crossed his arms and thought for a moment.
"You know, Odom would actually be a pretty good fit for the Lakers, or more specifically, for the current Yao Ming."
"You know Odom’s situation, and I know a bit more about Yao Ming’s. His footwork is still relatively slow, and he also has stamina issues. Expanding his defensive range would be too draining on him. By the fourth quarter, or during the playoffs, his stamina would become a huge problem."
"So at the power forward position, he needs a player with great range who can play both one-on-one and help defense. Horry could do it, but Odom is better because Odom also has a decent scoring ability."
"Most importantly, Odom started as a point guard, so he has good passing skills. Phil’s demands for Yao Ming have always required him to come up high, hold the ball at the high post, and then distribute it, which actually consumes a lot of his energy."
A player’s energy is finite; truly all-around players are very rare.
The way Jackson uses Yao Ming—making him defend in the low post, constantly come up to set screens and pass to the perimeter, and also score himself—it’s just too much to ask.
"But Odom can use his passing, playmaking, and scoring abilities to help ease the pressure on Yao Ming."
Aside from his clutch three-pointers, Horry had almost no scoring ability.
And Odom’s scoring efficiency and ability far surpass Horry’s.
"Phil really has a sharp eye," Chen Yu remarked with a sigh.
Yao Ming’s talent was obvious, and he had the potential to become the team’s core in the paint. That meant the Lakers’ championship window was just the next couple of years. By taking advantage of Yao Ming’s rookie contract, while Kobe’s contract wasn’t yet massive, and aggressively bringing in useful role players, they had a real shot at winning another title.
The Suns, on the other hand, had O’Neal’s ever-growing contract, which locked up their salary cap long-term.
Just paying the luxury tax wasn’t a sustainable solution.
The league would always have new veterans appearing, but O’Neal was also aging. When his dominance faded, his massive contract would become a burden for the Suns.
Still, the Suns had won two consecutive championships, so you couldn’t say it wasn’t worth it.
After a moment of thought, Chen Yu continued, "I feel like Phil won’t stay idle. He’ll definitely make another big move. They need a solid wing defender at small forward, one who has to have enough height. Or, they could bring in another power forward and move Odom to the three."
Since they were in the West, their primary target could only be the Suns.
Everyone drooled over the height of the Suns’ front line.
Therefore, just being tough and fast wasn’t enough; they had to have height.
But there aren’t many forwards like that, and if the Lakers want to get one, they’ll definitely have to pay a steep price.
But to win a championship during Yao Ming’s limited rookie contract window, the Lakers might just go all-in.
Jackson had that kind of guts.
"And then there’s the Fast Ship. If the Fast Ship really does have a fire sale, Andre Miller would be a good option. His rookie contract is up this year, so he’ll definitely be looking for a big payday."
"The Lakers are fully capable of offering him an eight or nine-million-dollar contract. Knowing how cheap Sterling is, he most likely won’t match it."
"But Fisher is still in his prime. Aside from his assists being a bit worse than Miller’s, and his trouble defending quick players, he’s fine in other aspects."
Especially when matched up against Hardaway, Fisher was truly willing but unable to keep up.
But if there really were no better options, Fisher was serviceable. He was definitely a qualified starting player for a championship-level team.
"Actually, compared to all that, the most important thing Phil should do right now is find a competent backup center for Yao to reduce his fatigue."
Yao Ming’s stamina was a really big problem. Especially in the playoffs when the wear and tear in the paint is greater, they have to find a player who can step up in crucial moments to prevent Yao from getting too exhausted and wasting his offensive talent.
Brian nodded, then smiled again. "Of course, we’re still the team getting the most attention today."
"How many did you sign?" Chen Yu asked.
He had been so busy for the past half-month that he had no energy to follow the Suns’ moves.
Brian gave a smug smile. "Ma Long, Payton, Stockton—I signed them all. The deal with the Pacers is almost done, too. It’ll probably be finalized in the next day or two."
Once the market opened, the Suns were still the most dazzling and attention-grabbing team.
Especially with the signing of those three former All-Stars—Ma Long, Payton, and Stockton—it really felt like it sent a shockwave through the league.
Regardless of their age, just hearing those names was intimidating.
Chen Yu wasn’t surprised by this outcome.
Even without him, the Suns were still the team with the best hope of winning another championship, which was appealing enough for players like Ma Long and Payton.
Not to mention, he hadn’t left Phoenix.
As long as he was rooted in Phoenix, if Ma Long and the others really did suffer any injuries, they could receive proper treatment.
And that was enough.
Seeing Brian’s smug and delighted expression, Chen Yu offered a rare compliment. "I feel like we can get a three-peat. It’d be the first one of the new century."
The Bulls’ two three-peats were thanks to Jordan, who was unbeatable throughout the league.
As for the Celtics and the Lakers, those were from a bygone era and didn’t hold much relevance for comparison.
Since the new century began, the Suns would be the first team to achieve the glorious feat of a three-peat.
Brian laughed heartily, saying in a punchable way, "I think so too."
Back at home, a long-awaited reunion naturally led to an intimate time with Lexi.
「The next day」
Chen Yu arrived at the clinic early.
He’d been gone for the better part of a month, and the clinic had accumulated a huge backlog of patients.
Moreover, with the offseason underway, players from all over the world were beginning to arrive at the clinic.
His wedding was also in August, so Chen Yu wanted to try and get everything done before then.
"How’s the recovery going?"
Chen Yu pushed open the door.
Inside the hospital room, Jay Williams was still wrapped up like a mummy.
He had been transferred to Phoenix last week to undergo the next phase of his rehabilitation.
He wasn’t in a private room. There were too many patients; even being a basketball star didn’t qualify him for one.
Wade, who was sitting by the bed in a patient gown and chatting with Jay, immediately stood up to greet Chen Yu.
Jay Williams also struggled to lift his head, nodding to indicate he was fine.
Chen Yu scanned him with his Eye of All-Seeing.
The benefits of the minimally invasive surgery were already apparent. The incision was small, and with the inflammation under control, recovery was fast.
After giving a few simple instructions, Chen Yu patted Wade’s shoulder and said, "The organ transplant organization will deliver the donor tissue this afternoon. Let’s say 7 PM, around that time. Get ready for your surgery."
A glint of light flashed in Wade’s eyes as he nodded vigorously.
It wasn’t just Wade waiting for surgery; there was also TJ Ford.
When Chen Yu entered the hospital room, TJ Ford was talking with his parents.
As soon as the draft was over, he reported to the Heat and then immediately rushed to Phoenix.
Everyone knew Chen Yu was getting married this summer and his time was limited. If he didn’t have the surgery now, he’d miss at least half of the new season.
Chen Yu greeted his parents, then turned to TJ Ford with a serious expression. "TJ, I have to ask you one more time: have you thought this through? This is not a minor surgery. Especially for a professional athlete like you, the risks are still very high."
He had congenital cervical spinal stenosis.
He hadn’t shown any symptoms of spinal cord compression yet, so he still had many options.
And the planned single-door laminoplasty to widen the spinal canal was not without significant risk.
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