Chen Xudong left.
Their largest shareholder was Guanggu Construction Investment Co., Ltd. The company’s general manager, Shen Liefeng, also served as the club’s chairman, but daily operations were still handled by Chen Xudong.
But this was too big a decision for Chen Xudong to make on his own.
How much was the entire club worth? If the gamble failed, the massive deficit couldn’t be covered even if they sold Chen Xudong himself.
In reality, they had other options.
In the Five Major Leagues, South America, and Africa, there were plenty of players who couldn’t get any playing time.
If they weren’t looking for superstars, they could find a batch of players cut from the Five Major Leagues every year—players who were starting-caliber regulars.
They were far more eager than a top star like Vieri to come play in the Chinese Super League and make some money.
However, the Pioneer club was committed to a star-powered strategy. If they just signed a bunch of role players, they wouldn’t need Chen Yu.
Besides, with the possibility of getting Vieri, how could they possibly be satisfied with other players?
This was Vieri they were talking about!
As they parted ways, Chen Yu made it clear to Chen Xudong.
He wouldn’t wait on them forever.
Chen Yu would be recommending Vieri to other clubs as well.
Huanghe Tower might be poor, but clubs like Guo’an, Shen Hua, and Luneng had money.
Most importantly, Vieri wouldn’t wait. If they missed this opportunity, it would be gone for good.
After seeing Chen Xudong off, Chen Yu rushed back to the United States.
It was already the next day by the time he arrived in the United States.
Brian didn’t come to pick Chen Yu up, not that Chen Yu needed him to.
Lexi came to get Chen Yu with their daughter.
Xiaoyanfei was already three and a half months old, chubby and fair-skinned—absolutely adorable.
"Kissy, kissy."
Having been away for a few days, Chen Yu had missed her terribly. He scooped his daughter up and peppered her with kisses, making Xiaoyanfei giggle.
The reasons he’d returned were Brian’s pestering and some matters to discuss with Stern, but the main reason was his daughter.
Just three days apart and Chen Yu was already feeling anxious to see her.
The next day, Chen Yu finally made his way to the US Airways Center.
Greeting people as he went, Chen Yu found Brian.
"Alright, spit it out. What did you drag me back here for?"
The guy had called Chen Yu initially, claiming Hardaway was injured.
It had scared the hell out of Chen Yu.
He’d immediately checked with the team doctor and the clinic, only to find out Brian had been exaggerating.
Of course, Hardaway was indeed injured.
It happened late in the third quarter of Game 2 of the second round. He was driving to the basket, and Tony Allen was on him the whole way, playing suffocating defense.
When he reached the baseline, Hardaway stopped on a dime and forced up a shot.
Tony Allen was shadowing him too closely. To make the basket, Hardaway pulled off an incredibly difficult fadeaway jumper, but he twisted his left ankle when he landed.
He was immediately subbed out and went back to the locker room, never returning to the game.
In the post-game press conference, Hardaway said it wasn’t a big deal, but the media obviously didn’t see it that way, because as soon as the game ended, he was sent straight to Chen Yu’s clinic.
That clinic of Chen Yu’s was a prime stakeout spot for the media, even when Chen Yu himself wasn’t there.
But the clinic’s diagnosis was that Hardaway’s injury wasn’t serious—just a common sprain.
He had already traveled with the team to Portland.
He was still slated to start Game 3; his ankle just needed to be taped up.
Brian quickly apologized, then said with a grave expression, "Chen, the Blazers are no pushover."
After two games, the series was tied 1-1.
And the game the Phoenix Suns had lost wasn’t even the one where Hardaway got injured.
In Game 1, perhaps the Suns had been careless, or perhaps the Blazers, still riding the high from their number-eight-seed upset, had simply caught the Suns off guard.
They beat the Suns decisively, 109 to 97, a 12-point victory.
In the very next game, the Blazers started with the lead again, and it wasn’t until the second half that the Suns slowly clawed their way back.
Just when it looked like they were about to secure the win, Hardaway got injured.
Brian was on the sidelines at the time and honestly thought they were going to lose that game too.
Losing two straight at home would make the series incredibly difficult.
Thankfully, Old Miller and Nowitzki stepped up, securing a narrow 98-95 victory over the Blazers by just three points.
"Chen, you really found us a dangerous opponent," Brian added.
How had the Blazers risen so quickly? It was all because of Chen Yu, wasn’t it?
He had single-handedly orchestrated their rebuild and provided consulting services every step of the way.
So, it wasn’t wrong at all to say that Chen Yu had created a formidable opponent for the Phoenix Suns.
Chen Yu sighed. "They pulled off a number-eight-seed upset against the Spurs. Why would you ever think they were a weak team?"
The Blazers had pulled off an incredible number-eight-seed miracle, and they did it by beating a top-tier powerhouse like the Spurs.
In a seven-game series, the Blazers didn’t win by luck. They won fair and square, with real skill.
It was safe to assume, then, that the Blazers were no longer a pushover team of rookies, but a force to be reckoned with—a team with top-tier strength in the West.
So it was no surprise that the Phoenix Suns had lost a home game.
This year, even the Suns would have a tough time against the Spurs.
Brian said nothing.
Chen Yu shook his head slightly and asked, "So where did we fall short? What did Scott say?"
Chen Yu hadn’t had time to watch the two games.
Besides, even if he had watched them, just reading media reports would have been useless. Their so-called analysis was completely unreliable.
Brian got up to pour Chen Yu a drink. "I’d say we lost because of our backcourt and our bench."
He paused for a moment, then added, "And Dirk is still no Shaq."
Nowitzki just wasn’t as dominant as O’Neal.
’Obviously,’ Chen Yu thought.
Trading O’Neal for Nowitzki was a downgrade for the roster. When they made that trade, they had to be prepared to accept these consequences.
"What’s wrong with the backcourt?" Chen Yu asked.
Losing because of the bench was understandable.
The biggest reason the Spurs had lost was also their bench.
The Blazers had assembled a group of "bench mob" players whose performance had been stunning the entire league.
Brian shrugged helplessly. "I never really noticed it before, but now that we’re in the playoffs, I’m realizing our backcourt is either too old or too young. It’s just not good enough."
Chen Yu fell silent.
Hardaway was getting older; he’d be 34 in two months.
Of course, he could still play and was still among the league’s top-tier stars.
But he was just one of the best, not *the* best anymore.
Then there were Miller and Payton, both of them old-timers.
Payton especially. After winning the championship last year, it was as if he’d lost all motivation. He’d been slacking off a lot this season.
And then there was the veteran Kendall Gill, Brian’s pick, who was already 37.
So much for the "too old."
And then there was the "too young."
Ben Gordon was still a bit too green.
Primarily a shooter, he was limited by his athleticism and height, and he hadn’t had any standout performances in the two games.
As for Quinton Ross, he was an undrafted player just filling a roster spot and had barely seen any playing time all season.
Looking at it this way, the downgrade to the Phoenix Suns’ backcourt was even more severe than the one to their frontcourt.
"It’s too late to be talking about this now," Chen Yu said.
Brian replied, "Of course I know it’s too late. But Chen, the Blazers are really tough. Before this series began, I honestly thought we had it in the bag."
"But after two games, I never expected the Blazers to be this difficult. And that Milicic... I feel like he’s been playing even better than Dirk."
His playstyle was almost identical to Nowitzki’s, favoring the perimeter. Both could step out and shoot threes, but Milicic’s drives from the high post were more ferocious.
Moreover, Milicic had a stronger desire and will to play defense. He was relentless, guarding from the inside out without hesitation.
"That’s why I’m really afraid we’re going to lose this series!"
Brian’s expression was grim. "Look, I know we’re not expecting to be championship contenders, but getting knocked out in the second round is just not acceptable. We have to at least make it to the Western Conference Finals."
"So?"
Chen Yu shot back.
Only then did Brian lower his voice. "So... should we use your secret weapon?"
Chen Yu’s brow furrowed instantly.
Now he knew why Brian had wanted him back.
And this so-called "secret weapon" was, of course, having Chen Yu personally maintain the players’ bodies so the starters could play the entire game.
This would be perfect since the Blazers’ strength lay in their bench.
After a moment of thought, Chen Yu shook his head. "No."
Originally, Chen Yu’s plan had been to help no one but the Phoenix Suns.
He had already directly refused Popovich, which had indirectly led to the Spurs’ number-eight-seed upset loss.
But unexpectedly, Stern himself had contacted Chen Yu to address the issue head-on. He had asked Chen Yu to refrain from providing any off-court assistance beyond normal treatment, in the hopes that the game could return to a state of fairness.
As if the games before hadn’t been fair.
Since Stern had said it to his face, he had clearly made preparations. Chen Yu couldn’t just disregard his request and do the opposite of what he’d agreed to.

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