Popovich hugged Jordan, who had come over after hearing the news, and asked with a chuckle how his knee was doing.
"It’s all better now. If you’d come two days later, I would’ve already left Phoenix." Jordan’s issue with fluid in his knee had been resolved, and he was about to be discharged.
He then turned to greet Duncan, pointing at Chen Yu and saying, "Tim, you made the right choice coming to Chen. He’s the best doctor. And to be honest, you should have had the surgery last year. But what could you do? You were getting married. Games are important, sure, but enjoying life is just as important. By the way, how’s married life? Are you happy?"
At the end, Jordan smilingly asked about Duncan’s married life.
A knowing smile spread across Duncan’s face, full of happiness. "Of course. Amy is wonderful."
Then, Duncan asked Jordan about the upcoming season and his plans to become the owner of the Wizards.
The media had already dug up most of the details on that. Everyone knew that after next season, Jordan would become the owner of the Wizards.
"Soon."
Speaking of becoming an owner, Jordan was practically glowing, the joy in his eyes impossible to hide.
"Tim, next year when I’m the owner of the Wizards, how about you come join us? Brown is the number one pick. You two could form a dual top-pick combo. It would be the most competitive frontcourt in the league." Jordan once again ignored Popovich and started recruiting Duncan directly.
Popovich was so frustrated he wanted to curse.
"Tim, why don’t you go get your examination started?" Chen Yu stepped in to defuse the situation, interrupting Jordan. He then had William arrange for Duncan to begin the check-up process.
It was the same old problem: his athleticism had never been the same since his meniscus was removed.
Even without a meniscus, Duncan had still put up monstrous numbers last season, averaging 25.5 points and 12.7 rebounds and dominantly snatching the regular season MVP. But to put it another way, if he could deliver that kind of performance after losing some of his athleticism, wouldn’t he be even stronger if he were fully healthy?
This was the fundamental reason Popovich had brought him to Phoenix.
Who wouldn’t be curious about where Duncan’s ceiling truly was?
Besides, David Robinson was on the verge of retirement. The Spurs would need Duncan to carry the team in the future.
"Greg," Chen Yu said, turning to Popovich. "If we do decide to go with the meniscus transplant, it’s mid-July now. Factoring in the time to find a suitable donor, the surgery probably won’t happen until the end of the month. Then he’ll need four months to recover. That means he’ll miss at least the first month of the new season."
A four-month recovery period, at a minimum.
Popovich nodded. "Understood. That’s not a problem."
’It’s only one month. It’s not like the Spurs will miss the playoffs entirely without Duncan.’
By completely resolving Duncan’s knee problem, the Spurs could go further in the playoffs this year.
Just as they were speaking, Duncan left the room, and the faint sounds of a commotion and music drifted in from outside.
Loud, thumping rap music.
Popovich’s expression turned a little strange. ’This is a clinic, isn’t it? Why is it so noisy?’
Chen Yu heard it too. He sighed helplessly and said to Jordan, "Michael, go deal with him."
Jordan raised an eyebrow and flatly shook his head. "Why don’t you go?" he retorted.
’If I go, he’ll just get even more worked up,’ Chen Yu thought.
Seeing Popovich’s confused expression, Chen Yu explained helplessly, "It’s Shaq. I have him on a controlled diet to lose weight, so he has some objections."
It was more than just "objections"; he was going completely crazy.
If he could move his feet, O’Neal would have already staged his own escape from Arkham Asylum.
He was so hungry his eyes were practically glowing green. Since he couldn’t move, his only outlet was to vent by blasting music, singing, and shouting abuse.
Chen Yu knew that carb deprivation was a terrible feeling, so he just let him be.
Popovich could faintly hear someone shouting and screaming—it had to be O’Neal. He nodded, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Anyone who didn’t know better would think O’Neal wanted to murder Chen Yu.
However, Popovich also grew vigilant.
An overweight O’Neal hadn’t necessarily lost his dominance, but his condition was definitely affected. Jackson couldn’t control him. If Chen Yu could actually get him to lose weight and return to his first-championship form, that would be terrifying.
Popovich sighed inwardly. ’The Phoenix Suns are really gunning for a dynasty.’
Duncan was admitted to the clinic.
Meanwhile, the clinic was gradually getting busier.
On the 16th, the Phoenix Suns announced they had finalized a contract extension with Sabonis: a 1+1 deal for $6 million over two years.
For that price, one could only say it was a bargain.
Because later, media reports revealed that the Pioneer also had ideas about bringing Sabonis back. And with Paul Allen’s deep pockets, he could have offered a contract of at least five or six million a year.
All one could say was that Sabonis still wanted to win a championship.
So after handling his private affairs back in Lithuania, Sabonis quickly came to the United States to deal with his knee and ankle problems.
His issues were rather troublesome. His knees had numerous old injuries that needed time to be treated; otherwise, he wouldn’t make it back for the start of the new season.
Then there was Mookie Blaylock, who also needed to address his hamstring problems.
Oakley, Dale Curry, and Kevin Willis were also scheduled to arrive at the clinic by the end of the month for physical maintenance.
These veterans not only had great professional spirit but were also determined to get into top shape during the offseason for one last push in their careers.
Busy days always fly by.
「August.」
Beside the clinic’s soccer field.
Back during the World Cup, Chen Yu had someone install a professional-grade synthetic running track around the soccer field.
On one side, a 100-meter dash track was also set up.
This 100-meter track was built to professional competition standards, featuring not only a rail-mounted high-speed camera for continuous tracking but also an infrared timer to ensure accurate results.
With the ground temperature exceeding thirty degrees Celsius, Ronaldo, dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, shot across the finish line like a bolt of lightning.
The moment he broke the tape, his time appeared on the LED screen opposite him.
10.47 seconds.
"Not bad at all," said Inter’s physical trainer, Gian Barerra, from the side of the track. The slender and well-proportioned man spoke with pleasant surprise.
After Inter won the championship last season, Moratti’s favoritism towards Ronaldo reached the point where he’d grant any request. He not only paid for all of Ronaldo’s training expenses in the United States but also sent over his own physical trainer.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the professional level of Chen Yu’s team, but rather that he believed Barrella, having been with the team for years, had a better understanding of Ronaldo’s physical condition and could provide assistance.
Barrella continued, "Before Ronnie’s injury, his speed had already begun to decline. If you just look at the data, ’98 was probably his peak. He said himself that he could run the 100-meter in 10.2 seconds back then. After that, it started to gradually decrease. Even after his healthy return last season, his speed was still somewhat affected."
For a professional soccer player, a 30-meter sprint might be a better indicator of a player’s on-field speed, but the 100-meter can still reveal certain things.
Especially for someone like Ronaldo, who favored long, driving runs.
"But after coming to the clinic, for him to get back in shape so quickly and even improve in such a short time... it’s incredible. It just goes to show that your training methods really work," Barrella said, looking at Chen Yu with a compliment.
High-definition cameras tracked his every move, even analyzing Ronaldo’s running form frame-by-frame to identify flaws in his power generation before designing targeted training plans. The level of professionalism completely blew away the training standards of all of Europe.
While Barrella’s face was full of joy, Chen Yu’s showed little excitement.
"I still think this kind of training isn’t very meaningful for him," Chen Yu said.
What was a sports science lab for? It was for using scientific methods to assist in improving technique and tactics.
Ronaldo wasn’t a sprinter. So what if he ran faster?
’With the current training methods—modifying his running posture, stride frequency, and power generation, plus the effects of systematic training—it’s only normal for his times to improve. It would be hard for them not to.’
’But the usefulness is limited.’
Ronaldo was already one of the fastest players in the world of soccer. Assuming he was healthy, his speed was more than enough. Those stronger than him weren’t as fast, and those faster than him weren’t as strong. No matter who he faced, he could create an advantage.
This year’s Serie A season started on September 1st, which was less than a month away.
With the time they had, Chen Yu felt they should focus on improving some of his skills.
In preparation for Ronaldo’s arrival, Chen Yu had meticulously studied him through media reports, evaluations from coaches and players in the soccer world, and all sorts of other data.
The general consensus was that he was technically perfect. His combination of speed and power, along with his shooting and dribbling skills, were all top-tier.
But if one were to nitpick, Ronaldo still had some flaws.
For example, his heading was poor, his passing ability and awareness were lacking, and there was still room for improvement in his long shots and free kicks.
Oh, and Chen Yu had also seen some reports claiming Ronaldo’s "acting" on the field was insufficient—that he was unwilling to dive.
It wasn’t about intentionally diving; reasonably using the rules to gain an advantage on the field was, in itself, a technical skill.
So, compared to continuing to improve his physical attributes, it would be better to put some effort into these areas.
Chen Yu had discussed this issue with Barrella many times, so Barrella gave a wry smile. "Chen, this was his own choice. We should just respect it."
After the World Cup defeat, Ronaldo had come to the simple, blunt conclusion that he had lost because he wasn’t strong enough or fast enough.
Chen Yu still shook his head. "No. Respect is respect, but since he came here, he needs to understand who’s in charge."
Giving Ronaldo half a month to improve his physical condition was, in Chen Yu’s opinion, enough.
Otherwise, Chen Yu would have stopped it long ago.
Reaching this level of training was sufficient; there was no need to waste any more time on it.
Barrella’s expression changed slightly, and he tactfully shut his mouth, saying no more.
’Only Chen Yu could get away with this. If it were me, I would never dare to treat Ronaldo this way.’
"Then it’s decided." Seeing that Barrella and Nelson had no objections, Chen Yu was about to call Ronaldo over when the pager he carried with him went off.
Chen Yu picked it up and saw that a patient was looking for him.
And it said they had an appointment.
But Chen Yu didn’t recall having any appointments today.
It was only after seeing the name that Chen Yu realized who it was.
Usain Bolt!
Back when he was in Japan, Wolffat had mentioned this guy to him, wanting him to come see him to fix his scoliosis.

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