"Does your back hurt?"
Inside the consultation room, Chen Yu looked at Scholl and asked his first question.
Ankles, knees, things like that—those were all manageable.
Besides, Scholl had been constantly recovering from injuries, yet he was also constantly making comebacks and playing in games.
This meant his ankles and knees could still hold up; they were functional, more or less.
But this herniated disc was another matter.
It was a very troublesome condition to have, especially for an athlete who had to run and jump. It was excruciating.
It wasn’t like a major injury such as a torn or ruptured ligament. An injury was an injury, and there were ways to repair it.
A herniated disc, however, was like being cut with a dull knife—a slow, persistent ache. It hurt from time to time, sometimes randomly, and it could affect your power generation at any moment.
The crucial part was that it was extremely difficult to cure.
Since Scholl had come all this way, Chen Yu was definitely going to address it for him.
Scholl froze for a moment and subconsciously touched his lower back. He remembered being called back for another scan right after finishing his MRI.
’They must have been scanning my back.’
"It does hurt a little. It just started recently. I thought it might be because the training intensity increased with the start of the new season. It only hurts occasionally, and it’s not that bad. It shouldn’t be a big deal, right?" Scholl had never mentioned the back pain to anyone.
’Your back hurts from fatigue after a normal training session or a game. Can you even call that an illness?’
Beckenbauer sensed something was amiss. He frowned and asked Chen Yu what was wrong.
"You likely have a herniated disc." Chen Yu took out the scans and pointed it out to Scholl.
Scholl was stunned.
Beckenbauer’s expression changed slightly. Having dedicated his life to soccer and being a world-renowned figure in sports, he knew exactly how much a herniated disc could affect an athlete’s performance.
"Is it serious?" Beckenbauer asked with a grave expression, thinking to himself that this trip to the United States was indeed the right decision.
’We came to get his knees and ankles checked, but they ended up discovering a problem with his spine.’
Chen Yu smiled. "It’s not serious. The herniation isn’t very severe right now. If we treat it early with a micro-invasive procedure, the impact shouldn’t be too significant."
Both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
Next were the knees and ligaments.
In fact, his meniscus and cartilage also had issues.
"You’ll still need surgery, but not open surgery. A micro-invasive procedure will suffice. I generally recommend micro-invasive surgery to the patients I treat now, as it causes less trauma to the body." Chen Yu explained the areas that needed to be addressed.
Scholl grimaced as he listened but didn’t say anything. Instead, after Chen Yu had explained the whole situation, he suddenly asked, "Dr. Chen, if I have all these surgeries, will I still be able to make it to next year’s World Cup?"
In truth, he had another sentence he left unsaid.
If the surgeries and the recovery period would affect his chances at next year’s World Cup, he would rather not have them at all.
At least he could still play now.
Hearing this, Beckenbauer couldn’t help but sigh.
Scholl had won many honors with Bayern, but he and the World Cup were just not meant to be.
In ’94, Scholl was too young and didn’t make the National Team roster. In ’98, at the height of his fame, he was ready to showcase his skills on the World Cup stage, but a knee injury struck just before the tournament, forcing him to miss out.
He was already 31 this year. If an injury prevented him from participating in next year’s World Cup, he would have to wait until ’06, by which time he would be 36 years old.
This might very well be Scholl’s last World Cup.
"The World Cup?"
Chen Yu smiled. "Your injuries aren’t as severe as Desler’s. I can get him back on the field before next year’s World Cup, let alone you."
Scholl’s situation was actually similar to Olajuwon’s and Ewing’s. Surgery was one aspect, but the key was rest and recovery. If the rehabilitation went well, he would definitely be able to return before next year’s World Cup after a few months.
"That’s wonderful." Scholl’s eyes lit up. As long as he could participate in the World Cup, he was willing to do anything.
He then followed up by asking if Chen Yu was lying to him.
"Don’t worry, I never lie when it comes to treatment."
Chen Yu smiled, closed the medical file, and arranged for Scholl’s admission to the hospital.
It was the same for Desler; he just needed to be admitted and wait for surgery.
’My previous guess that they might not make it for the season opener was right.’
The final round of the Hexagonal was scheduled for November 7th, but the National Team was set to assemble a week in advance.
Or rather, the National Team’s management staff was assembling.
Contiguglia was preparing to form a scouting party to travel to Japan and South Korea to inspect and select the United States Team’s base camp for the World Cup.
This was no small matter; in fact, it was crucial. They had to consider various factors like training facilities and accommodations. After all, players could only perform well if their logistical support was properly handled.
As the National Team’s doctor, Chen Yu naturally had to inspect the local medical facilities and prepare contingency plans for player injuries, such as which hospitals to use.
There were also the training facilities. Contiguglia knew that Chen Yu not only possessed top-tier medical skills but also understood training.
The media had long reported on the data-analytics-based training methods he had implemented with the Suns, and many professional players were preparing to adopt them.
Therefore, Chen Yu could also be of help in inspecting the training facilities.
He had originally wanted to take Lexi on this trip. He had mentioned before that he planned to take her to Japan and South Korea for a relaxing vacation during the draw ceremony.
But considering they would be rushing between multiple cities with no time for sightseeing, he decided they would go some other time.
This wasn’t like the draw ceremony, where Chen Yu would just be tagging along for the ride.
「Back to the Hexagonal.」
The United States was currently second in the group with good prospects for qualifying. As long as they didn’t lose this next match, their spot was secure, so there wasn’t much pressure on the team.
On October 7th, far away in Trinidad and Tobago, although the home team had been eliminated early with no hope of advancing, the United States Team failed to seize the opportunity. The two sides drew 0-0, ending in a stalemate.
At this point in time, the American soccer league had already started. Traveling abroad for a match while having club games to play would inevitably affect the players’ form.
Fortunately, it didn’t matter. In the other match, Mexico successfully defeated Honduras to claim the last qualifying spot.
Honduras was eliminated.
With that, the United States Team would advance from the Central and North America Division as the second-place team.
After the match, Chen Yu hurried back to Phoenix.
The scouting party’s departure was set for the 15th, leaving him one week.
In that week, Chen Yu planned to get Desler’s and Scholl’s surgeries out of the way.
"By the way, how’s the team doing?" Chen Yu asked Lexi, who was driving, on their way home from the airport.
At the mention of the Suns’ record, Lexi’s eyes lit up. She smiled and said, "They’re doing great! You were gone, so you don’t know how well Anfernee has been playing. He scored 37 points against the Grizzlies the day before yesterday."
"He’s that good?"
Chen Yu was slightly taken aback and asked for more details about the team.
Since the season started, the Suns had played 5 games and were now 3-2, ranked 5th in the West.
Ahead of them were the Lakers, Kings, and Minnesota Timberwolves, who were all undefeated since the start of the season, followed by the 4-1 Rockets.
They had lost two games. One was on the road in a back-to-back, where their form was poor, resulting in a loss to the Lakers.
The other was a heartbreaking buzzer-beater loss to the Rockets.
"Oh, right, there’s a game today. Do you want to go to the arena?" Lexi asked.
Chen Yu had flown home right after yesterday’s match. After the long journey, he had said he was going home to rest.
Chen Yu asked what time the game started. When he heard it was at seven, he nodded. "Then let’s go."
The game would be over by ten, so going home afterward wouldn’t affect his rest.
’I have a bunch of surgeries scheduled for tomorrow to push for Diamond Level treatment effects. I need to be well-rested.’
Lexi turned the steering wheel and drove toward the US Airways Center.
When they arrived, the players were already trickling in and starting to warm up.
"How are Hakeem and the others doing physically?" Chen Yu found Nelson and asked about the physical condition of Olajuwon and the others.
Chen Yu was quite worried about these old-timers.
Especially since he had been gone for a week this time and would be leaving again soon.
Nelson said, "They’re doing well. The extra conditioning we did during training camp was effective. Their stamina reserves are pretty good."
Chen Yu followed Nelson to the court.
Olajuwon was, as always, practicing his Five Animals Qigong.
Chen Yu scanned his body with the Eye of All-Seeing. Everything was healthy.
In reality, the Suns now used electronic equipment for analysis. Just by looking at the monitored data, they could detect early signs of injury and make arrangements in advance.
This was a major reason why Chen Yu sometimes dared to be away for a week at a time.
Since he was here, Chen Yu decided to personally work on a few of the starters to help them relax. Even without using his recovery effects, the boost from his massage technique alone was helpful.
Speaking of which, after having done this massage countless times, Chen Yu had a strong intuition that his Basic Techniques might be about to level up.
"By the way, I heard from Frank earlier that the team is practicing zone defense. How are you adapting to it?" Chen Yu asked casually while massaging Hardaway, who was lying on the bed.
Frank Johnson was the Suns’ tactical coach.
When significant aspects like the team’s lineup or tactics changed, a player’s position, role, and responsibilities would also shift. This was a time when their mental state could easily be affected.
For example, Hardaway had always been a primary scorer, and his defense wasn’t as strong. If the head coach suddenly asked him to step up his defense, it would definitely affect his personal stats. Some players might not like playing defense and feel conflicted about it. These psychological changes would ultimately affect a player’s performance.
This season, the changes to the illegal defense rule had created space for zone defense to be effective.
Look at the Minnesota Timberwolves. Last season, they struggled just to make the playoffs, but at the start of this season, they hadn’t lost a single game.
Skiles had always emphasized defense. Seeing the Wolves doing so well, he began planning to practice zone defense as well to improve their own defensive capabilities.
Since no one could stop O’Neal one-on-one, the only way was to rely on a zone defense, to swarm and trap him.
"It’s fine, I don’t mind. Hakeem and the others are practicing so diligently, so I certainly won’t have any complaints." Hardaway spoke his mind freely in front of Chen Yu.
Chen Yu paused for a moment, suddenly realizing Hardaway had a good point.
When legendary stars like Olajuwon and Ewing were training so seriously and leading by example, what could the younger players possibly say?
Besides, this year’s Suns team was aging significantly. They were all veterans, and with few exceptions, they were hardworking players willing to put in the effort.
"That’s good." Chen Yu patted Hardaway, signaling he was done.
A short while later, Skiles returned from the pre-game press conference.
He pulled over a whiteboard, hastily drew some tactical diagrams, and said, "Besides strengthening our defense, we also need to pass more. We need to get the ball moving. Pay attention to your teammates’ positions."
During the preseason, Skiles had discovered that the team had an excess of passing talent.
After discussing it with the coaching staff, they decided they might as well just pass more.
His coaching philosophy had always emphasized teamwork anyway.
And this season, the Kings’ Princeton offense was flourishing. In Skiles’s view, it was all about passing more—not just on the perimeter, but inside as well.
"So, Hakeem, you’re crucial. You’re smart. You need to leverage your advantage as a passer," Skiles added, looking at Olajuwon.
Olajuwon was exactly that type of all-around center who could facilitate the offense, pass, and hit mid-range shots himself.

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