Chapter 325: Chapter 272: Old Oak Tree Charles Oakley

"You play ball, too?"

In the tree-shaded backyard of a villa, where a basketball hoop stood, a blond-haired boy wearing a loose No. 11 Pioneer jersey looked up and asked Chen Yu with a serious expression.

"Me?" Chen Yu, who had been looking at the plants, was suddenly singled out. He glanced left and right before realizing the kid was talking to him. He sized up the boy, who seemed to be Sabonis’s youngest son.

Chen Yu glanced at the hoop. "Of course. I can even dunk."

Unexpectedly, the boy snorted, made a face, and said, "This is a kids’ hoop. You’re so short, I don’t believe you can dunk on a regulation one."

He spoke in fairly fluent English.

Sabonis’s own English wasn’t great, but he clearly valued his son’s education.

’But why is this kid so mouthy?’

’What does he mean, I’m so short? Sure, I can’t compare to his dad, but I’m not exactly short for a normal person, am I?’

"What about you? Are you any good?" Chen Yu asked in return.

The little guy nodded. "Of course. My father says I’m the best one."

"Oh?"

With nothing better to do while Sabonis was negotiating with Brian and the others, Chen Yu walked over, beckoned to the boy, and said, "Come on, let me see how good you are."

The little rascal wasn’t shy at all. He even tossed the basketball to Chen Yu and said, "You go first. If I go first, you won’t get a chance."

Chen Yu almost laughed.

’I may have never played basketball seriously, but dealing with a little kid like you should be a piece of cake.’

Tossing the ball back, Chen Yu said, "Forget it, I won’t bully you. Besides, do you know who I am? Even if Jordan were standing here, he’d do whatever I told him to."

’That probably doesn’t count as bragging. If I told Jordan to run three kilometers, he’d have to obey, right?’

"You’re bragging." The boy made another face at Chen Yu, then started dribbling. After a couple of simple bounces, he shot the ball.

The arc was pretty high. Chen Yu, reacting too slowly, could only watch as the basketball swished through the hoop.

And it was a fucking swish.

The corner of Chen Yu’s eye twitched. ’Damn it, I miscalculated.’

"Again." Chen Yu tossed the ball back.

The little rascal then started dribbling skillfully. With a single crossover, he accelerated and drove past Chen Yu, right under his arm.

He scored with a steady layup.

Chen Yu’s expression was becoming strained. ’It must be because I’m wearing leather shoes and dress pants. It’s making it hard to turn.’

"By the way, how old are you?" Chen Yu tossed the ball back again.

"Six."

’He looks like he’s ten.’

The little rascal launched a surprise attack, raising his hands and letting it fly.

Another one in.

Chen Yu fell silent. ’I shouldn’t have even asked.’

He picked up the ball, but the boy didn’t take it. Spreading his hands, he said, "I’m not playing with you anymore. You’re too bad. You don’t know how to play basketball at all."

Chen Yu was rolling his eyes internally, wondering how to get his dignity back, when Brian and the others came out.

Sabonis was with them, wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt. He was tall and broad, and seemed to be in pretty good shape.

Actually, he was in great shape.

A check-up had been arranged for him at a local hospital the day before.

Chen Yu speculated that the lower intensity of the European basketball leagues might have allowed some of his injuries to heal.

But his injury history was still shocking: a complete rupture of his right Achilles tendon, and torn ligaments and tendonitis in both knees, among other issues.

While not quite on the level of someone like Baggio, he wasn’t far off.

Otherwise, when he first came to the NBA, the media wouldn’t have joked that he could go straight to collecting a disability certificate.

But he could still play. And if those injuries really needed to be treated, Chen Yu could handle it.

At his age, it wouldn’t be a return to his prime, but restoring a certain level of athletic ability was definitely not a problem.

Besides, he was a floor-bound player, so his style didn’t require an explosive physique.

In front of his father, the little rascal immediately became much more behaved.

Judging by the expressions on Brian and the others, the talks must have gone well. The Phoenix Suns might not be as loaded as the deep-pocketed Pioneer, but for a 38-year-old veteran who wasn’t short on cash, nothing was more appealing than a championship.

As the group prepared to leave, Chen Yu turned his head back to the little rascal. "What’s your name?"

The little rascal hid behind Sabonis and didn’t answer, just made a face at Chen Yu.

Sabonis ruffled his son’s hair in exasperation and introduced him with a smile, "This is my youngest son, Domantas."

Chen Yu nodded. "He’s got a real talent for basketball."

Sabonis chuckled, clearly thinking the same thing.

The group didn’t stay long in Lithuania and quickly returned to the United States.

The official signing period for players wouldn’t begin until the 16th, but the preceding period of contract negotiations was the most critical time.

This year’s free-agent market didn’t have any big fish. The biggest one was probably the King’s Bibi, and he was a restricted free agent. Given the King’s situation, there was no way they would let him go.

Before that, however, the Phoenix Suns were dealing more with player retirements.

Mario Elie, the small forward who had delivered the "Kiss of Death" to eliminate the Phoenix Suns in the 1995 West semifinals, had, after a winding journey, won another championship with the Phoenix Suns alongside Olajuwon.

Vinnie DeNegro had fulfilled his career dream and could retire in peace. He aspired to transition into management, and from what Brian said, he might stay on with the Phoenix Suns in an official capacity.

Dan Majerle, as the best shooter in Phoenix Suns history, would likely have his No. 9 jersey retired by the team to honor his contributions.

He would probably transition into coaching.

At his retirement banquet, with one arm around his son, he announced he would settle down in Phoenix. Having won a Championship Ring in the final year of his career, and with a harmonious family, it was truly the most perfect ending.

After trading away three players and retiring another three in one go, Brian wasn’t done. He also cut last year’s rookie, Elton Ford.

It turned out that drafting him last year with the hope that his weight could help him hold his own against O’Neal was just a pipe dream.

But for a second-round pick, there wasn’t much to complain about.

Chen Yu remembered him. He was tall and strong and didn’t talk much in the locker room, but he was the type of person who, if you started a conversation with him, would happily talk your ear off all day.

He was a pretty decent player, but the NBA was a cruel business. Since he wasn’t in the Phoenix Suns’ plans, he was better off trying his luck with another team.

Also cut was Joe Crispin, a guard who was just filling a roster spot. He hadn’t played a single minute the entire season, not even in garbage time, so his release was no surprise.

With that, the Phoenix Suns’ roster on paper was down to just seven players: O’Neal, Charalidis, Marion, Rodney Rogers, Hardaway, J Kidd, and Tony Delk.

Even with a minimum roster of 12, that meant they were still short five players.

And with Brian planning to trade J Kidd, it was still unknown who else would be leaving.

Well aware of this, Brian hadn’t been idle. After returning from Lithuania, he immediately secured the first verbal agreement for a signing.

It was Mookie Blaylock, the former Hawk legend nicknamed "The Thief," a point guard who had partnered with Dominique Wilkins to create a glorious era in Hawk history.

He bore a striking resemblance to Jordan. Back when the Hawk played the Bulls, this similarity actually caused the Bulls to make more than a few errant passes.

His glory days were naturally with the Hawk, where he was a two-time steals leader and a six-time All-Defensive Team selection. He later moved to the Warriors, where he played well for the first two seasons and was their starting point guard.

But after the Warriors changed head coaches, the team fell into turmoil. Compounded by a hamstring injury that affected his speed, at only 35 years old, he had reached the point of being out of the league.

None of this was really the issue. The key problem was that he had been cut by the Warriors before this year’s trade deadline and had already announced his retirement.

Although he had the misfortune of playing during Jordan’s unreasonable nineties and ended his career without a title, he had been retired for half a year already. To sign him back now... Chen Yu didn’t know whether to call Brian audacious or just plain cheap.

’Didn’t they say they didn’t care and were willing to pay the luxury tax? But here they are, still pinching pennies. Are they really planning to conquer the league with a bunch of old veterans?’

Brian didn’t hear Chen Yu’s internal complaints, so he immediately turned around and contacted Chen Yu again, inviting another veteran over for Chen Yu to assess his physical condition.

"Charles, my good brother!" Jordan, who had been waiting, warmly embraced the newcomer.

It was Charles Oakley, nicknamed "Old Oak Tree."

"Chen." After a brief hug with his old friend, Oakley quickly walked over to Chen Yu, embracing him with a cheerful laugh.

Chen Yu’s impression of him was that of a court enforcer, Jordan’s original bodyguard, who was also rumored to be a fan of kickboxing.

But seeing him now, Chen Yu felt he was quite a friendly person. Perhaps it was just a stereotype, or maybe his looks were just too fierce, or maybe he was just acting this way in front of him.

The key thing was, he was 39!

’Is Brian trying to reclaim the title of the ’Old, Weak, Sick, and Disabled’ team?’

Looking at his old friend, Jordan sighed and said, "Charles, coming to the Phoenix Suns is actually the best choice for you."

When John Salley had put a hand on his shoulder and taunted him, it was Oakley who had rushed in without hesitation and punched him in the stomach.

On and off the court, Jordan and Oakley were good brothers. When the Bulls traded him away back in the day, Jordan was furious and went to have a huge fight with Jerry Krause.

Most importantly, Jordan still felt he owed him. Oakley was traded to the Nicks, where he partnered with that unlucky fellow Ewing. Not two years later, the Bulls began their glorious championship dynasty.

From then on, Oakley suffered the same fate as Ewing and began a nomadic career.

After leaving the Nicks, he played for the Raptors for three years, then returned to the Bulls last year. But at the end of the season, the Bulls immediately told him there was no longer a spot for him on the team.

At 39, he was on the verge of retirement, with no teams interested.

Because of this, Jordan had even considered bringing Oakley to the Wizards.

But now, it seemed the Phoenix Suns were the better choice.

Oakley smiled and nodded.

Although the Phoenix Suns had started a frantic teardown after trading for O’Neal, everyone knew it was a rebirth through fire. With O’Neal, the Phoenix Suns were still one of the top teams in the league and very likely to defend their title.

At his age, he asked for nothing but a chance to fulfill his dream.

’If Ewing could fulfill his dream with the Phoenix Suns, why can’t I?’

Besides, he hadn’t suffered any major injuries throughout his career. His decline to the point of being out of the league was purely due to age. And the Phoenix Suns had Chen Yu, the miracle doctor.

’Under Chen Yu’s care, even that broken-down Ewing could battle O’Neal under the basket at the ripe old age of 40. Why can’t I do the same?’

Therefore, when Brian contacted him, Oakley immediately expressed his desire to come to the Phoenix Suns.

In fact, even if Brian hadn’t contacted him, Oakley had been planning to recommend himself.

So when Brian asked him to come to Chen Yu’s clinic for a physical examination, Oakley rushed over without a second thought.