Sports Medicine Master System-Chapter 65: NBA Headquarters

Pulling open the curtains, he was greeted by the sight of the massive New York Central Park.

To Chen Yu’s delight, it had snowed. It must have fallen sometime last night, as the vast park was now a blanket of white.

Chen Yu looked down while holding a steaming cup of coffee, watching pedestrians pass through and people out for an early morning dog walk, leisurely leaving two sets of footprints behind them.

For a moment, he found himself lost in the view.

With Hill’s return to the court, Chen Yu felt as if he had completed a major mission. The pressure in his heart vanished in an instant.

Hill had been afraid, worried about getting injured again after his comeback. Chen Yu had been just as afraid that his treatment wouldn’t be effective.

Fortunately, it had ended perfectly.

Just as he was thinking about this, a knock came at the door. A waiter was there to deliver his breakfast.

Along with the food were several newspapers, which Chen Yu had specifically requested from the hotel the day before.

After tipping the waiter, Chen Yu began to eat his breakfast and opened a newspaper.

The first one was the New York Times.

He quickly scanned the current events on the front pages before flipping to the sports section in the back.

The first thing that caught his eye was a huge photo of Hill dunking over Camby.

"Two Months Later, He Returns—Still the Best Successor to Jordan"

Seeing the headline, Chen Yu speared a piece of bacon with his fork, took a bite, and read on.

"Just yesterday, while we were still surprised by Hill’s early return to team practice, he had already traveled with the team to New York. Pleasance put him on the active roster, but no one thought Hill would actually play. Everything was happening too fast. Everyone assumed he was just with the team to soak in the game-day atmosphere."

"But as Hill himself said after the game, he couldn’t tolerate sitting on the sidelines in good health while watching his team lose. So, in the second half, when the Magic were in a tough spot, Hill stepped up. He chose to play."

"Pleasance said after the game that it was a huge and difficult decision."

"And it was. Having just come back, with no conditioning training whatsoever, he had no reason to be ready for a return to the court, nor was he. Furthermore, no one could have demanded anything of him."

"But Hill played anyway."

"He scored 12 points in a single quarter with zero turnovers, leading the team to a 13-point comeback victory over the Knicks. When he dunked over Camby, for a moment, we thought he had never been injured at all. And with his perfect performance, he showed everyone that even after being gone for two months, he is still the best small forward in this league."

"After the game, Hill also spoke about Chen Yu. He didn’t say much, his words filled only with gratitude, but his teary eyes said it all."

Chen Yu paused. ’That guy actually teared up after the game?’

Taking a deep breath, Chen Yu continued reading.

The rest of the article was surprisingly a recap of the events of the past two months, even highlighting his own television appearance where he called the Magic’s medical staff veterinarians.

"Finally, even after this game, the Magic are still third to last in the East. They have undergone management changes and replaced their head coach. If they end up with the number one draft pick after the season, we wouldn’t be surprised at all."

"But Hill is back, and he has integrated perfectly with the team. Therefore, we can still consider the Magic a playoff-caliber team."

Chen Yu put down the paper, lost in thought for a moment, then picked up the other newspapers.

They were all more or less the same, reporting on Hill’s early return.

They also mentioned the All-Star Game.

Before this, the most popular player in the East was Iverson. But after Hill’s return yesterday, his vote count skyrocketed by 300,000 in a single day, pushing him to first place in the East.

He really is America’s sweetheart. That kind of popularity is just unbeatable.

After breakfast, Chen Yu organized some information on physical therapy and massage techniques and emailed it to Houston.

He had lunch at the hotel restaurant, then headed to the Olympic Tower early.

The NBA Headquarters occupies the 12th to 20th floors of the building.

He took the elevator to the 17th-floor entrance.

A female administrator wearing glasses greeted Chen Yu. She gave him a short tour of the NBA Headquarters until it was time for his appointment, then led him to Stern’s office.

Chen Yu took a deep breath, silently rehearsing the speech he had prepared.

He didn’t expect that when the door opened, he would be face-to-face with Michael Jordan.

"Huh?"

Chen Yu froze. It was only by looking past Jordan’s tall frame that he saw the white-haired head of the NBA, David Stern.

"Chen, what are you doing here?" Jordan was also a bit surprised to see Chen Yu.

Stern came forward from behind, shook Chen Yu’s hand with a smile, and explained the reason for his visit.

"A player health management department?" Jordan raised an eyebrow, looking Chen Yu up and down. "Chen, is this your idea?"

Chen Yu nodded.

Jordan showed a surprised expression and asked Stern if he could stay and listen to Chen Yu’s proposal.

Stern thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

Although Jordan was already retired and wasn’t the president of the Players’ Union, his influence among the players was unrivaled.

The three of them sat down. Stern didn’t jump straight to business, choosing instead to chat about last night’s game.

"Chen, will there be any problems with Hill returning so quickly?" Stern asked with some concern.

Hill was, after all, the successor to Jordan that he was heavily promoting. Stern was also afraid that such a quick return would lead to another injury.

"No," Chen Yu said, shaking his head. "If he wasn’t ready to play, I would never have let him on the court."

Stern nodded with a smile.

Previously, to prevent Hill from returning early, Chen Yu had effectively argued the Magic’s management right out of their jobs.

"What about Anfernee?" Stern asked next.

Coincidentally, both of the Jordan successors who had been ravaged by injuries had chosen Chen Yu as their doctor.

Chen Yu didn’t reveal his plan to operate on Hardaway. "I’m going to Phoenix tomorrow to do an injury assessment for Anfernee. I’ll make a decision based on the situation then."

Beside them, Jordan quietly offered an assist. "A lot of the young guys in the league have gotten injured these past few years, David. You need to do something about it."

Stern’s gaze shifted between the two of them. ’Do these two have some kind of unspoken agreement?’ After all, Jordan had been at the game in person yesterday too.

Stern sat up straight. "Chen, so, about this player health management department, what are your thoughts?"

Chen Yu didn’t waste any time and explained his idea.

It would be centered around a core of specialists from different medical fields, forming an evaluation team to oversee the operations of each team’s medical staff.

"We call it oversight, but it’s really more of an advisory role. The goal is just to ensure every player can receive the correct treatment."

Chen Yu carefully measured his words.

Chen Yu had thought about it carefully later. Such a good idea had been stalled for a month before making any progress. It might have had something to do with Ewing’s inefficiency, but the bigger reason was surely resistance from the league.

Team owners spend money to keep their own medical staff; they certainly wouldn’t want outsiders telling them what to do. That’s why Chen Yu used the word "advisory."

Stern nodded. Chen Yu quietly studied him but couldn’t glean any valuable information from his expression.

The old man had started as a lawyer; maintaining a poker face was a basic skill for him.

Seeing Stern’s muted reaction, Chen Yu hesitated for a second, then decided to test the waters. "Actually, I personally feel that as America’s top sports league, there’s a need to establish a department like this to serve the players who join the league. After all, this shouldn’t be just the Players’ Union’s business. The league has a responsibility as well. When players, especially star players, can stay healthy and on the court, the entire league gets better."

After he finished speaking, Chen Yu noticed a shift in Stern’s gaze.

’Looks like I guessed right. The reason Stern was dragging his feet on this wasn’t because the proposal itself wasn’t good enough. It’s because he wanted a piece of the action and didn’t want the Players’ Union to establish this department on their own.’