Sports Medicine Master System

Chapter 184 - 135: A Minor Injury Becomes a Major One

"H-Hello."

Bartel stammered in reply. It felt both welcoming and a little incredible to run into someone who spoke Chinese in a foreign country.

"Hello."

Chen Yu then looked at Xia Song.

Xia Song came to his senses and quickly shook Chen Yu’s hand, though his mind was already racing with questions.

Poseidon hadn’t been clear earlier. Xia Song only knew that Chen Yu’s surname was Chen and that he had Chinese heritage. But how could a Chinese-American be doing so well for himself in the NBA?

"Keep it up. I heard from David a while ago that he wanted to invite Chinese players to the NBA. You must be the first. I hope you successfully sign with the Nuggets." Since they had just met and didn’t know each other, Chen Yu was just stopping by to say hello.

In truth, Chen Yu had always been curious about China. This curiosity had only grown after learning a great deal about acupuncture and Chinese medicine from the System, making him even more intrigued by that distant Eastern country.

Chen Yu remembered visiting his grandfather in San Francisco a few times when he was very young.

Chen Yu’s grandfather had come to the United States during the gold rush and later settled there. Because he had grown up in China, when he got older and his legs gave him trouble, he couldn’t get around much and would always tell Chen Yu how he wanted to go back to China to see his hometown one last time.

But in the end, that wish never came true.

Bartel and Xia Song nodded.

Xia Song, in particular, was reeling.

’Heard from David... which David?’

’It couldn’t be David Stern, could it?’

’What kind of connections does Chen Yu have to know David Stern?’

He wanted to ask, but Chen Yu had already turned and walked away.

At that moment, Xia Song’s interest in Chen Yu was piqued. A Chinese-American who could make it big in the NBA was a rare sight indeed.

Leaving Bartel to continue his training, Xia Song left the practice facility to find Su Jun and the others outside the arena.

Since they reported on the NBA, they should have a better understanding of the situation here.

"Chen Yu?"

Su Jun froze for a second, muttering, "What’s he doing here?"

But a moment later, the reason dawned on him: McDyess was injured.

"You’re not in the United States, so you wouldn’t know him. He’s a doctor, a very famous one here. He’s the Phoenix Suns’ team doctor and also the head of the NBA’s official Player Health and Wellness department. He’s basically a league official," Su Jun immediately explained.

Xia Song raised an eyebrow in surprise. "He’s that incredible?"

To think he was even an NBA official.

Su Jun nodded. "Of course. A ton of people go to him for treatment. Hill, Hardaway, Olajuwon, Ewing... even soccer players. You know Ronaldo, the ’Alien,’ right? Chen treated him too. I remember our Sports Weekly reported on it. Didn’t you see it?"

Xia Song shook his head. He really hadn’t noticed that story.

"Anyway, he’s really impressive. I think he’s also the team doctor for the United States national soccer team now," Su Jun recalled. Then, seeing Xia Song looking thoughtful, he added, "Old Xia, you’re not thinking of using him to get Bartel onto the Phoenix Suns, are you?"

Xia Song quickly shook his head. "No, we don’t even know him well. Besides, he’s just a team doctor. How could he help?"

Su Jun said, "Don’t underestimate him. He’s got a lot of clout. Do you know what his Player Health and Wellness department does? After an NBA player gets injured, they can’t return to play without his approval. That’s why a lot of team management have to give him face."

Xia Song was shocked, finally understanding just how much power the Player Health and Wellness department wielded.

Su Jun added, "Actually, it’s a good thing the NBA created this department. Look how seriously they take player health. The Jia A League could really learn a thing or two from this."

As they were talking, a staff member ran over from the players’ area, came up to Xia Song, and handed him a business card.

"Chen asked me to give this to you. He said if you need any help in the United States, you can contact him."

Xia Song looked at the business card in his hand, surprised. He suddenly felt a sense of goodwill toward Chen Yu.

He never would have thought that Chen Yu would proactively offer to help, especially since they had only just met and barely knew each other.

"You should take it, Old Xia," Su Jun said with a chuckle. "He’s a top-tier doctor. What if... ah, never mind. Anyway, he’s a really skilled doctor. Maybe there’s something he can help with."

At this, Su Jun added with a sigh, "Speaking of which, the National Team has a ton of injured players. Yang Chen, Li Ming, and the others could really come to the United States and have him take a look. He’s seriously that good."

Xia Song nodded thoughtfully and carefully put the business card away.

Meanwhile, Chen Yu went to the Nuggets’ partner hospital, the University of Colorado Hospital, and obtained McDyess’s medical records.

"Martin, are you sure Antonio was injured during training camp?" Chen Yu looked up at the Nuggets’ team doctor, Martin Scorsese.

The man was in his early fifties, wore black-rimmed glasses, and was the director of orthopedics at the University of Colorado Hospital.

Martin quickly glanced at Vandeweghe and nodded.

Chen Yu’s expression remained unchanged, but internally, he was already cursing them out.

’I believe you, my ass.’

After getting the medical records, Chen Yu finally learned the true nature of McDyess’s injury.

It was the same as Ronaldo’s: a torn patellar tendon in his left knee!

A major injury that could absolutely end his career!

He was only 27, a newly-minted All-Star at the peak of his powers. With an explosive physique and astonishing jumping ability, he was one of the league’s most famous high-flyers.

With an injury like this, you could almost see how the rest of his career would play out.

He would likely endure a long recovery, return to the court with a hobbled leg, and fall from an All-Star-caliber big man to a marginal player.

Glancing at Vandeweghe, he noticed the man’s expression was very unnatural.

Chen Yu had already figured out what happened.

Last season, McDyess must have injured his patellar tendon. And it definitely wasn’t a simple sprain; it was probably a tear.

Then, since it was near the end of the season, the Nuggets opted for conservative treatment.

After several months of recovery, it hadn’t fully healed, yet he chose to return to the team. During training camp, the improperly healed patellar tendon was injured again, and this time, it ruptured completely.

That was why the Nuggets had now opted for surgery.

If the Nuggets had come to him right when the injury first happened and let him perform the repair surgery, it might have only required a minimally invasive procedure. After a summer of rehab, he could have entered the new season perfectly healthy.

But now it was a complete rupture, requiring open surgery for a suture repair, followed by a long recovery period just like Ronaldo’s.

No doubt about it, his season was over before it began.

This was what Chen Yu feared most: a minor injury being mismanaged into a major one. If it wasn’t treated properly, a top player in his prime could just fade into obscurity.

But what was done was done. What could Chen Yu say?

Curse out Vandeweghe for being unreliable?

He couldn’t even blame him. When McDyess got injured, Vandeweghe was still with the Mavericks.

If anyone was to blame, it was Isel.

He was a Nuggets legend, their head coach, and also the general manager for the past two years. The decision to go with conservative treatment for McDyess must have come from him.

Rubbing his temples, Chen Yu said, "The surgery can be done, but I have to be the one to do it."

Chen Yu looked at the men.

"Of course. That would be for the best," Vandeweghe nodded eagerly. If he had the choice, he would certainly pick the more highly skilled Chen Yu.

Martin also chimed in with a nod. He could perform this kind of surgery, but he wasn’t confident McDyess would make a full recovery and return to his former level. Given the choice, he would rather not perform the operation at all.

"Then it’s settled. Get Antonio to Phoenix as soon as possible." Chen Yu stood up.

’There’s nothing more to say now. Once I report this to the league, they can just wait for the punishment.’

This time, Chen Yu was determined to make an example of them. He had to make every team’s management understand that being deceptive about player injuries was tantamount to murdering a player’s career.

Moreover, it was a lose-lose situation for both the player and the team.

After returning to his hotel, Chen Yu contacted Stern.

On the phone, after hearing Chen Yu’s account, even Stern couldn’t help but curse.

He just made the All-Star team last year.

"Fack, looks like I need to have a talk with Stanley."

He was referring to the Nuggets’ owner, Stanley Kroenke.

"No, David, I think you need to talk to all the team owners," Chen Yu interrupted. "You should make them understand that hiding player injuries like this also hurts their own interests in the long run."

A perfectly good All-Star center with a salary in the tens of millions was now out for the season because of this. Wasn’t that a huge loss for the team?

Stern sighed. "Chen, I know what to do."

This time, Stern acted quickly.

On the very day Chen Yu’s flight arrived in Sacramento, the league’s punishment for the Nuggets came down.

The Nuggets management was fined two hundred thousand US dollars.

It wasn’t a lot of money; the fine was largely symbolic.

But the important thing was the message it sent, telling every team’s management in the league that they couldn’t get away with playing games and deceiving people about player injuries.

Because of this, the Kings’ management was on high alert.

Even the owners, the Maruf Brothers, personally came out to receive Chen Yu.

General Manager Geoff Petrie also swore to Chen Yu that they had absolutely not concealed the extent of Weber’s injury.

"Whether you’ve hidden anything or not can only be determined after Chen has finished his examination."

The speaker was Weber’s agent, Aaron Goodwin. His face was tense, his expression grim.

Petrie cursed him internally but could only smile and nod. He had already heard that after Chen Yu confirmed the Nuggets management had hidden McDyess’s injury, McDyess’s agent, Andy Miller—a notorious troublemaker who specialized in poaching players and stirring up drama—had decided to sue the Nuggets management, claiming they had damaged McDyess’s interests.

And this Goodwin in front of him was no easy character either.

At the partner hospital, Chen Yu met Weber and also received his detailed medical records.

"There’s no major issue. It’s just a simple ankle sprain. The lateral ankle muscles and the calcaneofibular ligament have some minor strains, that’s all. According to the current diagnosis, four to six weeks of rest should be enough."

Compared to McDyess, Weber’s injury was practically nothing.

"Did you hear that? The ligament is injured," Goodwin said, glaring at Petrie. He then turned to Chen Yu. "Chen, is the injury very serious?"

Chen Yu glanced at Goodwin. ’Why do I get the feeling this guy is just trying to stir up trouble?’

"It’s not serious. A minor issue. Conservative treatment and plenty of rest will be fine."

Goodwin frowned slightly, then immediately said, "Geoff, I think it’s absolutely necessary to send Chris to Phoenix for treatment with Chen. Of course, you’ll be responsible for the expenses."

Petrie wanted to kick Goodwin to death.

But at a moment like this, Petrie could only nod and ask Chen Yu if it would be convenient for him.

What could Chen Yu say? ’You’re practically begging to give me money. How could it be inconvenient for me?’

After returning to Phoenix with Weber, Chen Yu didn’t stay long. Once he had arranged matters there, he and Lexi boarded a flight to Italy.