Su Jun stared intently at Chen Yu.
’Having the Basketball Association pay for this, and a million US dollars at that? That might be a bit difficult. Never mind paying out, those guys are still trying to figure out where to get money from.’
"This is very difficult," Su Jun said, shaking his head.
Chen Yu asked again, "What about his team? Don’t they have a problem with it?"
One of their own players was competing while injured, affecting their league record. The team had to have an issue with that.
Su Jun gave another wry smile. "His situation is very unique. It’s not easy for me to explain right now."
Chen Yu shrugged. "It’s fine. You can take your time. We have all the time in the world."
Su Jun glanced at the fans who were already heading back to their seats in the stands. ’You’re a team doctor,’ he thought, ’and you’re skipping out on the second half?’
But since Chen Yu had asked, Su Jun began to explain the special circumstances.
As he was speaking, Su Jun suddenly said, "I just had an idea, Dr. Chen. Have you ever considered freelancing for surgeries?"
He grew excited. "An expert like you must get invitations from many hospitals to perform difficult operations. If that’s the case, why not do it internationally? Come to our country to help with surgeries. I think the associated costs would be much lower, and we could even use our national medical insurance."
Chen Yu was taken aback for a moment.
’International freelance surgery... that actually seems like a viable option.’
The more Su Jun thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He continued, "In fact, I think you could even expand your clinic’s business. For example, you could partner with someone to open a hospital in China. With your level of medical skill, I believe you could make money opening a hospital anywhere. Plus, our country has a huge number of athletes who all need top-tier medical services. This should be a good solution, right?"
Chen Yu raised a hand to interrupt Su Jun.
’What is he thinking? Go to China to open a hospital, earn RMB, but spend in US dollars? Am I an idiot?’
’Besides, surgery is only one part of it. To get these athletes back to full health, the role of rehabilitation can’t be ignored.’
’It’s thirty percent surgery, seventy percent rehab. The rehab is even more important.’
’If I opened a hospital in China, wouldn’t I have to be based there permanently? I don’t have the time or energy for that.’
"Is it not possible?" Su Jun asked, looking at Chen Yu with hopeful eyes.
Chen Yu shook his head.
Su Jun sighed and had no choice but to continue explaining the problems.
He explained a lot of messy details.
By the end, Chen Yu understood a bit more. He also suddenly realized why Yao Ming had needed the Basketball Association’s approval to enter the draft earlier.
Sighing, Chen Yu waved his hand dismissively. "This whole thing is too complicated. Let’s just forget it."
Chen Yu wanted to help, but this was beyond his capabilities.
Seeing Chen Yu stand up to leave, Su Jun quickly stopped him. "Dr. Chen, please wait. Let me try to think of another way."
As a veteran Chinese basketball journalist who had witnessed the development of Chinese basketball firsthand, it pained him to see so many excellent players’ careers go to waste for various reasons.
It wasn’t every day that an influential doctor like Chen Yu was willing to do something to help.
His mind racing at full throttle, Su Jun suddenly slapped his thigh and said, "Dr. Chen, I have an idea."
Chen Yu sat back down and gestured for Su Jun to continue.
Su Jun’s expression shifted several times as if he was making a difficult decision. "What if we do this: we find a way to blow this issue up, make it as big as possible. For example, we get the Suns to extend a contract offer to Liu Yudong. Of course, I’m just talking about an invitation, but at a time like this, it would definitely attract a huge amount of attention."
"Then, you could step forward and publicly criticize the Basketball Association for its poor management of player injuries, pressuring them to make changes."
Su Jun’s thoughts were a mess, and his words were disjointed, but Chen Yu understood the core idea.
"Would that work?" Chen Yu asked, puzzled.
Su Jun nodded eagerly.
In Su Jun’s mind, what did the Basketball Association fear? First, their superiors. Second, their superiors were also afraid of losing face.
Yao Ming had just entered the NBA as the number one pick, setting off an NBA craze in the country. To the Basketball Association, this was proof of their rising basketball standards.
If, at this moment, another player like Liu Yudong was scouted by an NBA team, it would only further prove that China’s basketball level was even higher.
But if it was then revealed that Liu Yudong had been playing through an injury, sparking widespread discussion, Su Jun believed those guys at the Basketball Association would absolutely not stand by and do nothing, because it would damage their reputation.
"What do you think?" Su Jun asked, looking at Chen Yu nervously.
The core of the plan was getting the Suns to extend an invitation.
Chen Yu frowned.
Getting Brian to extend an invitation was no big deal. He could just send a scout to sit courtside and watch a couple of games, then just say the words, "You’re great, we want to invite you to the team."
An invitation like that would have no real impact on the team at all.
After all, an invitation is just an invitation. Whether a contract gets signed is another matter entirely.
’As for me running my mouth a bit, that’s even less of a concern. It’s not like I’d be talking about the United States Basketball Association anyway.’
’Even if I did blast the United States Basketball Association, so what? I’d just say what I have to say, and there’s nothing they could do about it.’
"Honestly," Chen Yu sighed, shaking his head. "This should have been a very simple matter. It shouldn’t be like this. Your Basketball Association overworks its players. It’s the same with Yao Ming. I remember your Basketball Association set conditions for us, demanding we allow him to return to China to play for the National Team anytime, anywhere. That actually puts a huge strain on a player."
Take Ronaldo, for example. He plays in multiple league competitions, and on top of that, he’s constantly being called up by his national team. Even a body of iron can’t withstand that.
Su Jun gave a wry smile. He already knew about this. From the Basketball Association’s perspective, it was understandable, but using it to obstruct Yao Ming’s move to the NBA was a bit underhanded.
"Dr. Chen, does this mean you agree?" Su Jun asked apprehensively.
Chen Yu glanced at Su Jun’s expectant face. ’This man in front of me,’ he thought, ’probably wants to change things, too.’
"I guess you can say I agree."
Chen Yu stood up, casually took a business card with his personal number from his pocket, and placed it on the table. "Call me if you need anything. I can give you an exclusive interview."
Su Jun quickly took it.
"Oh, right, Dr. Chen." Seeing Chen Yu about to leave, Su Jun suddenly called out to him again, asking tentatively, "Let’s say you manage to completely heal Liu Yudong. Is there any hope of turning that invitation into a real contract?"
Although Liu Yudong lacked the natural gifts of height and wingspan, he was definitely a leading figure of China’s basketball golden generation.
A healthy Liu Yudong inspired endless possibilities.
In ’94, during a Nike exhibition game, Liu Yudong faced Moning and dropped 34 points, leading Moning to bluntly state after the game that he was the "Barkley of China."
In ’96, facing the star-studded Dream Three Team, Liu Yudong’s performance also garnered NBA attention, but he immediately suffered a severe knee injury and his career went into a decline from which it never recovered.
So, if even Baggio could dream of returning to his peak, and a 40-year-old Ewing could win a championship, then why couldn’t Liu Yudong, who was only 32, take another shot at the NBA?
Faced with this question, Chen Yu thought seriously for a moment, then shook his head. "He can’t make it. But your number 8 might have some hope."
Su Jun was stunned. ’Number 8? Hu Weidong?’
Chen Yu nodded.
After knocking around the NBA for two years and interacting with so many industry professionals, Chen Yu’s eye for judging players had improved.
Only a few types of players could establish themselves in the NBA.
First, there were the freaks of nature like O’Neal—the core, the cornerstone of a team.
The rest were players who possessed some irreplaceable trait, something that made them different or rare.
In the first half, Chen Yu had watched a few minutes of Liu Yudong’s game and had a rough idea of his playing style.
At his height, he was really too short to play the four-position (power forward).
So Chen Yu guessed that his strength must be his strong suit; he was physically tough, which allowed him to hold his own at the four.
But if he was just that kind of bruiser-type player, there were tons of those in the United States.
Barkley is very famous, but in all these years, there has only been one Barkley.
And if he played the three-position (small forward), he wasn’t fast enough and would easily get blown by.
To put it bluntly, his strengths were a dime a dozen in the United States. On the other hand, this Hu Weidong had an outside shot, and Chen Yu noticed he could also pass. Although his defense wasn’t great, a tall guard who can pass is a highlight in itself, enough to find a footing in the NBA. Maybe warming the bench, but he could potentially be called upon to fill in at some point.
But it would be difficult. He seemed to be a ball-dominant player. A marginal player wouldn’t get many opportunities for on-ball offense. If he really wanted to make it in the NBA, he would have to transform his game and find his niche.
After hearing Chen Yu’s analysis, Su Jun nodded with a wry smile.
It was a bit harsh to hear, but he had to admit, it was the truth.
"Thank you." Su Jun didn’t bring up turning the invitation into a real contract again and just gave his thanks with a serious expression.
Chen Yu waved his hand and returned to the court.
The third quarter had just ended.
The score was now 65 to 38, a lead of 27 points.
You could say the game had already entered garbage time.
Chen Yu decided not to watch anymore and went straight back to the locker room where it was quieter. Then, he called Brian to explain the situation.
Over the phone, Brian’s voice was full of confusion. "Chen, why make it so complicated?"
It’s just about treating an injury.
Besides, he’s a National Team player. Shouldn’t he have insurance? If he got injured during an international game, the Basketball Association should be the one to pay for it, right?
"Don’t ask me, I don’t know either," Chen Yu said, feeling irritated. He asked Brian if he would help or not.
"Help? Of course, I’ll help," Brian said hurriedly.
Forget about a request that wasn’t even a real request; if Chen Yu had said, "I like the look of that player, sign him for me on a minimum contract," Brian would have seriously considered its feasibility.
In Brian’s mind, Chen Yu was more important to the Suns than even a superstar.
Chen Yu was an absolutely indispensable part of his veteran-centric team-building philosophy.
After a pause, Brian said, "Actually, you could just contact John directly. He should be in Oakland right now, maybe even at the game."
Chen Yu was taken aback and asked what he meant.
John was a scout for the Suns, John Schumate.
Brian said, "To scout that Liu Yudong you mentioned. His performance in the finals was outstanding, you could say he was no weaker than Yao Ming. So we noticed him back then and had a plan to scout him. You know, we still have one spot left on our roster, and I want to sign a Chinese player."
They had to let Yao Ming go to get O’Neal; there was no other way.
But after scouting around China, Brian’s desire to sign a Chinese player had become particularly strong.
"Chen, you have no idea. The Lakers are selling a crazy amount of Yao Ming’s jerseys," Brian said, his voice full of envy.
Ever since the trade was completed and the Lakers officially signed Yao Ming, his number 11 Lakers jersey had been selling like crazy.
Not to mention the attention and potential commercial benefits that came with it.
That being the case, using a benchwarmer spot to sign a Chinese player to boost the team’s profile and attendance—there was no way they could lose on that, right?

Comments

Loading...