In the kitchen, Chen Yu was busy cooking when he heard the sound of laughter from the living room.
He peeked his head out for a look. His mother was talking to Lexi about something, and Lexi was doubled over with laughter. Then, she noticed Chen Yu and shot him a flirtatious glance, her eyes brimming with amusement.
Chen Yu grinned, suspecting his mother was telling some embarrassing stories about his past.
Just as he was trying to recall his own embarrassing past, the doorbell rang.
Lexi sprang up from the sofa and ran to get the door. A moment later, she called out, "Chen, someone’s here for you."
Chen Yu put down his kitchen knife. With his sleeves rolled up and still wearing an apron, he went to the door.
Outside stood an older man and a younger one.
One of them, wearing a tracksuit, stood somewhat stiffly. He was about 6’3" or 6’4" tall.
"Hello, Dr. Chen," the older man greeted him quickly, then explained, "Mr. Vogel sent us. My name is Dwayne Wade Senier, and this is my son, Little Dwyane Tyrone Wade."
He said, pulling the young man forward.
The young man immediately offered a polite greeting as well.
Chen Yu paused for a moment before remembering what this was about.
Vogel had mentioned it to him a couple of days ago.
’A knee injury?’
Chen Yu instinctively glanced down at Wade’s knees.
The right knee was fine. Then the left.
’Hmm?’
Chen Yu frowned imperceptibly.
’His lateral meniscus on the left knee is partially missing. It looks like about half of it has been removed.’
’There are also some cartilage bruises, inflammation, and blood congestion in the surrounding tissue.’
’He probably twisted it.’
’But it’s not a major problem. He can perform normal activities just fine, and if he grits his teeth, he can even play through the injury.’
"Vogel told me about his situation," Chen Yu said. "I don’t have time today. How about tomorrow? Come to my clinic at ten in the morning, and I’ll take a look at him."
It was Sunday, the weekend, and Chen Yu planned to take his mother and Lexi into the city. He also had an appointment with a contractor to discuss renovating his mother’s house.
Besides, Wade’s condition wasn’t that serious.
Old Wade was taken aback for a moment, then nodded quickly. "Okay, we’ll be there on time tomorrow morning. Sorry to have bothered you."
He was very polite.
Chen Yu nodded and closed the door.
Old Wade sighed and had no choice but to lead Wade away.
Wade followed, unable to hold back. "Father, maybe we should just forget it. I have to go back to school tomorrow. You know this is a critical time for me; I can’t miss any games or practices."
March Madness was in full swing. Marquette University was an average team; without him, they wouldn’t get very far.
"No."
Old Wade refused his son without a moment’s hesitation. With a serious expression, he said, "Son, this is Chen. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get an appointment to see him? This is an opportunity you can’t afford to miss. You have to find a way to solve this knee problem before the draft, or it will affect your entire future."
At this, Old Wade couldn’t help but sigh.
When Wade injured his knee last year, he opted for surgery to remove part of his meniscus for a faster recovery. Old Wade had felt it was a shame and regretted the decision at the time.
Back then, Old Wade had actually considered trying to see Chen Yu, but it was impossible to get an appointment at his clinic.
Later, Wade himself insisted, so he went ahead with the surgery.
Old Wade had felt at the time that it would cause future problems. And sure enough, this season, although Wade’s stats had steadily improved, his knee began to hurt and get inflamed.
Having played ball himself, Old Wade knew exactly what was causing it.
And just last week, he’d twisted his knee again during a game.
The draft was coming up soon. Entering it with such an injury risk would definitely affect his final draft position.
That’s why Old Wade had the same idea again: find Chen Yu and see if he could permanently fix the underlying problem with Wade’s knee.
"You have to listen to me on this," Old Wade said sternly. "I’ll talk to Tom at the university and get you excused. The bottom line is, you will be at that clinic on time tomorrow morning."
Wade sighed inwardly with resignation and could only nod in agreement.
He didn’t dare to defy his father. Besides, as far as he knew, his father had great foresight, and the decisions he made were always the right ones.
Back inside, Chen Yu returned to the kitchen and put the beef brisket on to stew. He stared at the bubbling pot, thought for a moment, then pulled out his phone to call David Griffin.
"David, do you know a player named Dwyane Wade from Marquette University?" Chen Yu asked.
Griffin was the Suns’ director of scouting.
If this Wade was entering the draft this year, Griffin would definitely know about him.
Griffin answered immediately from the other end of the line. "I know him. He’s got talent. He only officially started playing for Marquette University last season, and his stats have seen a big jump this year. But Marquette isn’t a powerhouse. Making it to the Sweet Sixteen is probably their ceiling."
Chen Yu cut Griffin off. He wasn’t particularly interested in the backstory.
Any player eligible for the draft had already made a name for themself and put up dazzling numbers in college.
So Wade’s stats didn’t really mean much on their own.
Chen Yu wanted to know something more concrete, like his projected draft position.
"We’ve been keeping a close eye on him," Griffin said.
The Suns had a first-round pick this year.
Brian hadn’t made any moves before the trade deadline, but he was holding on to a plan to trade up in the first round on draft night.
"He primarily plays shooting guard, but at only 6’4", he’s a bit undersized for the position," Griffin continued. "He has explosive speed on his drives and a knack for steals, but his shot isn’t consistent and his ball-handling is shaky, making him prone to turnovers. It puts him in an awkward spot. His stock probably won’t be that high. We’re projecting him to go around the 20th pick, maybe climbing to the edge of the lottery at best."
Chen Yu understood.
If Wade was primarily a shooting guard, then 6’4"—193 cm—was indeed a bit short.
An inconsistent shot was also a major factor that would hurt his draft position.
At the same time, Chen Yu understood why the Suns were watching him so closely.
By giving up some assets, the Suns could at best trade for a pick near the lottery range, which matched Wade’s projection.
Finally, the Suns needed a shooting guard.
Poseidon’s defense was solid, but his offense was inconsistent.
At every other position, the Suns were arguably top-tier in the league and didn’t need any reinforcements.
Taking a gamble in the draft was a good option.
"Oh, right, he got injured last year," Griffin added. "He has a history of knee problems, but I don’t think that should be an issue. After all, we have you."
An injury history was definitely a demerit.
But the Suns had Chen Yu. An injury risk, paradoxically, wasn’t a primary concern for them.
In fact, the greater the injury risk, the more interested Brian would be. Once Chen Yu fixed the player up, it would be a potential steal.
Chen Yu mulled it over for a second. "Do we have any other targets?" he asked.
Griffin answered immediately. "We do. There’s Alexander Pavlovic from Serbia, Donte Jones from Duke University, Carlos Delfino from Argentina who’s currently playing in Italy, and finally, Leandro Barbosa from the Brazilian league."
He then gave the most concise summary he could of the four players.
Except for Barbos, the other three were all big guards around two meters tall who could play both shooting guard and small forward.
For the past couple of years, for whatever reason, teams across the league had developed an unusual obsession with tall players.
Also, three of the four players he mentioned were international.
And they were all the type who were already playing in professional leagues.
That kind of choice made sense.
The Suns were the defending champions; unlike weaker teams, they didn’t have the time or energy to develop rookies. Given the choice, it was better to pick a seasoned player from a professional league who could contribute immediately.
"Alright, I get it." Chen Yu hung up, stirred the beef brisket in the pot, and then called Brian to fill him in on Wade’s situation.
"I can handle his knee."
After explaining the situation, Chen Yu stated his conclusion directly.
Since the meniscus had already been partially removed, there was only one option left for a complete fix: a meniscus transplant.
Duncan’s performance this season was proof enough that such a surgery was viable.
Therefore, Wade’s meniscus wasn’t the real issue. In fact, this injury risk would cause his draft stock to slide, giving the Suns an opportunity to select him.
It would be a total steal.
After all, even with the injury, his projection was near the lottery. Without that risk, he could easily be a top-ten pick.
The weaknesses Griffin mentioned—inconsistent shooting, poor ball-handling—weren’t major issues, aside from his height. Those could be fixed with targeted training once he entered the league.
Only his height was unchangeable.
But 6’4" wasn’t unusable.
Brian was sharp, too. He immediately understood what Chen Yu was getting at. "Chen," he said, "in that case, can you hold off on treating him? I don’t mean not treating him at all, just... later."
He explained hastily, feeling a bit like a scoundrel for suggesting they withhold treatment.
Chen Yu stirred the stew. "Don’t worry," he said. "Even if I offered to treat him right now, he wouldn’t agree. You’re forgetting what time of year it is."
The surgery would require a recovery period of at least four months.
And right now, it was March Madness.
How could a prospect trying to boost his draft stock possibly miss out on this huge stage?
Wade wasn’t unable to play. There was no way he’d consider surgery now. He’d at least wait until April, after March Madness was over.
"That’s right, it’s March Madness. Chen, I know what to do." Brian caught on instantly. After a pause, however, his tone suddenly shifted. "By the way, Chen, the season is almost over. Shouldn’t we start talking about your contract for next season?"
"And I think these one-year deals are too much of a hassle. How about two million a year, and we just sign you for ten years straight?"
Only with Chen Yu could the Suns dare to pull off these kinds of draft-day steals.
When you thought about it that way, Chen Yu’s value to the team was even greater. Seizing the opportunity, Brian brought up the contract extension again.
After all, the season would be over again before they knew it.
Compared to re-signing players, extending Chen Yu’s contract was the number one priority.
"Ten years?" Chen Yu rolled his eyes.
’Is he trying to chain me to the Suns Tank for good?’
"No, let’s stick to the usual arrangement."
Chen Yu didn’t give Brian a chance to argue and hung up.

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