O’Neal, standing on the scale in his shorts, made the needle jump violently before settling at 376 pounds.
Chen Yu sucked in a sharp breath.
But O’Neal just frowned, a puzzled look on his face. "Huh, have I actually lost weight?"
This season, while he hadn’t completely let himself go, his weight had constantly hovered at a high level. At one point mid-season, it had even approached 400 pounds.
The fact that it was now down to 376 could only mean that the season had taken a huge toll on his body.
’Looks like I need to bulk back up.’
Chen Yu, on the other hand, was speechless. 376 pounds, exactly 170 kilograms.
During his time with the Magic, he had probably weighed around 320 pounds.
Chen Yu didn’t expect him to get down to that level, but 350 pounds—158 kilograms—was a more ideal number that would balance the strain on his body with his power under the basket.
Besides, beyond his enormous weight, O’Neal actually possessed outstanding low-post skills and incredible agility.
Even if he relied on skill instead of his body, he could still dominate ninety percent of his opponents.
The weight loss could be put off for a bit. Chen Yu’s priority was to deal with his toes.
"Shaq, I want to take advantage of the offseason to fix the problems with both of your feet at once," Chen Yu said, looking at O’Neal’s severely deformed toes.
Last year, he’d had surgery on his left foot to remove bone spurs and correct a hammertoe.
There are several types of hammertoe, and O’Neal’s was caused by excessive pressure on the foot, which had squeezed the toe, causing it to deform and curl upward. That surgery was a repositioning procedure.
Then this year, his weight continued to skyrocket, and his right big toe began to suffer from frequent aseptic inflammation and other issues.
And the root cause was likely the problem Chen Yu had discovered the season before last: insufficient dorsiflexion in his big toe.
Because of the lack of dorsiflexion, the arch of his foot was bearing too much pressure, leading to constant problems and inflammation in the sole.
As for how this problem formed, Chen Yu speculated it was related to the tendons and the deformation of the toe.
"In other words, I’m preparing to perform a rather thorough reconstructive surgery on both of your feet to restore the function of the tendons and ligaments," Chen Yu said, pointing at the toes.
Chen Yu hoped that through this comprehensive reconstruction, he could fix every possible issue and resolve the problem of insufficient dorsiflexion.
O’Neal’s expression changed slightly. He pointed at his feet and asked, "Surgery on both of them? Are you going to cut them open?"
From Chen Yu’s tone, it sounded like he wanted to dismantle both of his feet.
Chen Yu shook his head. "It’s not that serious. I’ll use open surgery where necessary, but for the rest, I’ll opt for minimally invasive procedures."
Fully open surgery would cause too much damage to his feet.
The main goal is functional reconstruction, focusing on the most important parts.
O’Neal still grimaced. "But after the surgery, won’t I be laid up for a long time?"
Chen Yu could hear the resistance in his voice.
To be fair, for someone with O’Neal’s weight who had played for so many years, he had never suffered a major injury. Perhaps because of this, he’d always felt his body wouldn’t have any serious problems and was fine as long as he could get by on the court, making him resistant to surgery.
"Shaq, do you trust me?" Chen Yu asked, standing up.
O’Neal nodded, then said with a sly look in his eyes, "But Chen, whether I trust you or not has nothing to do with getting surgery, right?"
’This guy isn’t easy to fool.’
Chen Yu said, "There’s no direct relationship, but I remember you saying it yourself. This season, you lost some of your dominance due to injuries. I think you considered coming to the Phoenix Suns because you wanted to play healthy again, to show the entire league—especially the Lakers—just how dominant a healthy Big Shark can be. It’s the offseason now. You have plenty of time, so why not use one surgery to completely solve your health problems?"
At the mention of the Lakers, O’Neal’s gaze turned serious for a moment, but he quickly composed himself. He scratched his head and said, "Alright, Chen, you don’t have to specifically provoke me. I know you’re a master psychologist. I’ll listen to you. I’ll have the surgery."
In O’Neal’s mind, Chen Yu was an eloquent master psychologist, the kind who could predict what people were thinking. That’s why he always had to think carefully about whatever Chen Yu said.
Chen Yu nodded and said no more.
’What I say isn’t important. The main thing is that O’Neal has a fire in his belly.’
After he was traded to the Phoenix Suns, the proud Los Angeles media hadn’t let him off the hook. Some called him a deserter who had defected to the enemy, while others claimed, "We Lakers don’t need O’Neal; we can win a championship without him."
And then there was Kobe. After the trade was completed, he was "cornered" by reporters and asked to comment on the Lakers management’s decision to trade O’Neal. His exact words were that it was a management matter he couldn’t control, but he would work even harder, take responsibility for the team, and bring a championship to the Lakers.
He also took the opportunity to praise Yao Ming at length, saying he had watched game tapes of Yao Ming, calling him a very formidable big man, and that he looked forward to working with him.
Between the lines, there was no hint of wanting O’Neal to stay, and it was clear he still believed he was the most important piece for a Lakers championship.
Chen Yu didn’t believe for a second that O’Neal hadn’t seen these comments.
That’s why O’Neal had the desire to get healthy and prove himself.
There was no rush to schedule the surgery. The foot has numerous tendons and ligaments, and to reconstruct its function, Chen Yu needed to conduct a thorough evaluation and create a foolproof surgical plan.
In any case, O’Neal wasn’t in a hurry either. He was eating and drinking well, shooting the breeze with Jordan every day, and was starting to feel so content he might never want to leave.
One day, Chen Yu received a call from Brian.
"Go to Europe?"
Chen Yu frowned, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Why have you set your sights on him? Hasn’t he already retired?"
Brian had proposed that Chen Yu accompany him to Lithuania to scout a player.
The former "Roof of the World," Arvydas Sabonis.
The thing was, he had left the Pioneer last season. He didn’t say he was retiring, only that he wanted to spend time with his family. He then returned to Europe and played for another year in the Lithuanian league. It looked like he was planning to retire in Lithuania after this season.
Besides, he wasn’t young anymore; he must be 38 this year.
Over the phone, Brian let out a long sigh. "We have no choice. O’Neal’s contract is huge, and our salary cap pressure is immense. My old man has relented and says he doesn’t mind paying the luxury tax, but we can’t just mindlessly throw money away."
This championship win had a huge impact on the Suns’ market value.
Originally, Old Kolangelo had even considered selling the team, but now, he wouldn’t sell for anything.
"Just think of it as a company-paid trip," Brian urged.
"Don’t even start with me." Chen Yu hadn’t forgotten how this guy had tricked him into going to China, only to ditch him at the airport the moment they landed.
However, evaluating a player’s physical condition was part of a team doctor’s duties anyway. After a moment’s hesitation, Chen Yu agreed.
The next day, the group of four set off.
Skiles and David Griffin went along as well, which showed that Brian was taking this scouting trip very seriously.
While waiting for their flight at the airport, Chen Yu couldn’t help but ask, "Don’t we have Patrick? And Jack? If we sign Sabonis too, won’t the center position be overcrowded?"
They definitely needed to find a backup for O’Neal, but he was only 30 and still in his prime. Last season, he averaged 36 minutes per game. Finding a decent blue-collar backup to fill in for a few minutes should have been enough.
Stockpiling several centers like this seemed a bit wasteful.
Brian gave a mysterious smile. "I have other plans for Patrick."
Chen Yu understood at once. Brian was going to trade Ewing.
"Who are you trying to trade for?" Chen Yu asked curiously.
Right now, it felt like the Phoenix Suns’ roster had no weaknesses, except maybe at the power forward position.
Brian retorted, "I thought you didn’t care."
"Fine, don’t tell me." Chen Yu rolled his eyes at him. Now he was trying to be mysterious with him.
Brian glanced at Skiles, then said, "We’re planning to trade for Antonio McDyess. He was out for the season last year, right? The intel I have is that he’s been unhappy with the team, feeling that the team’s mistakes led to his major injury. He no longer trusts the Nuggets management and wants to be traded."
Chen Yu was startled. ’It’s him.’
He recalled McDyess’s technical skills: an All-Star level big man with explosive athleticism, a precise mid-range shot, and above-average defense.
The last two years had been his peak, where he averaged 20-plus and 10.
At the same time, his personality was the hardworking type.
Since they had O’Neal, the requirements for a power forward were simple. It would be best if they could score, but it didn’t matter if they couldn’t. The most important thing was for them to be able to cover for O’Neal, help on defense, and do the dirty work.
From that perspective, McDyess certainly fit the bill.
But having an All-Star caliber player play second fiddle to O’Neal... wasn’t that a bit of a waste?
And even if he was at odds with the Nuggets, would they just give him away for free?
Besides, if Chen Yu remembered correctly, he had played for the Phoenix Suns before, but his partnership with J Kidd hadn’t been ideal. It was only after he went back to the Nuggets that he seemed to have a breakthrough and made the All-Star team.
For a player like that, what assets did the Phoenix Suns even have to trade?
’Wait a minute!’
A jolt went through Chen Yu. "Fuck, Brian, you’re not going to trade Jason for him, are you?"
Even though McDyess’s 20-and-10 was padded on a weak team, the fact that he could put up those numbers made him a star.
You can only trade a star for a star.
And on the Suns’ current roster, O’Neal and Hardaway—the inside-outside duo—were untouchable. Marion was still on his rookie contract, a huge bargain, so only an idiot would trade him.
That left only one asset that could possibly entice the Nuggets: J Kidd, the league’s assist king.
Coincidentally, the Nuggets had just traded their All-Star point guard, Nick Van Exel, to the Mavericks this year to acquire Juwan Howard. They were in need of a top-tier point guard.
Brian jumped, quickly motioning for Chen Yu to lower his voice. "It’s just an idea, nothing’s set in stone yet," he said hurriedly.
Chen Yu rolled his eyes at him. ’Just an idea?’
’The moment you thought of it, J Kidd was already on the fast track to being traded.’
Chen Yu sized Brian up again. This guy used to be so timid and indecisive. After Chen Yu’s little pep talk, it was like he’d had an epiphany. How did he suddenly become so bold?
He was probably the first person ever to break up a championship-winning team like this.

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