Sports Medicine Master System

Chapter 374 - 314: The War of Jordan’s Successors

Carter fell into deep thought.

But Chen Yu’s words made Stenberg’s expression change drastically.

What Chen Yu had just said was tantamount to claiming Nike’s Shox technology was flawed. If word of this got out, whether from Chen Yu or Carter, it would undoubtedly cause a massive uproar.

After all, Shox was the technology Nike had been heavily promoting for the past two years.

"Dr. Chen, let’s put the shoe issue aside for now. Does this mean Vincent’s knee can be treated and he can make a full recovery?" Stenberg interjected.

Chen Yu nodded as if it were a matter of course.

Putting aside the injuries caused by his playing style, Carter’s condition wasn’t actually that serious.

The minor tear in his collateral ligament and the quadriceps tendon strain didn’t require treatment; rest would be enough.

Then there was the patellar tendonitis. With the efficacy of the system’s medicine, it wouldn’t be difficult to handle either.

As for the cartilage wear and bone spurs, in Chen Yu’s opinion, his condition hadn’t reached the point where surgery was necessary.

Chen Yu was partial to surgery, but he certainly wouldn’t perform it if it wasn’t needed.

"It’s December now. Talk to your team and have them list you as out until after the All-Star Game," Chen Yu said.

Two or three months of recovery, coupled with a heavy dose of rehabilitation treatments, should be about right.

In Carter’s case, you couldn’t say a minor injury had dragged on to become a major one. It was more that the minor injuries were never fully treated, leading to recurring issues that eventually became the tricky problem he faced now.

Carter nodded in agreement. Since he was here, he would naturally follow Chen Yu’s plan. But after a moment’s hesitation, he asked, "Chen, can I come back before the All-Star Game?"

Chen Yu was taken aback for a second and asked him why.

Carter said, "I missed the All-Star Game last year. This year is Michael’s last All-Star Game, and I really don’t want to miss it."

His popularity was immense, making him the top vote-getter in the East every year. But he’d had a run of bad luck last year, getting injured—that quadriceps tendon strain—right before the main event and having to sit it out.

"Oh, right."

If Carter hadn’t mentioned it, Chen Yu would have almost forgotten.

After the new season started, Jordan, who had even accepted a role on the bench, had long since lost confidence in leading the Wizards to a championship, or even back to the playoffs. So, he had already made it clear that this would be his final year; he would retire as soon as it was over.

Then he would happily become a minority owner of the Wizards, making the magnificent transition from player to team owner.

So this year’s All-Star Game definitely held some special significance.

And Carter, in fact, also carried the title of "Jordan’s successor."

Of course, that’s what the media said.

They had hyped up the big three shooting guards: Iverson, Kobe, and Carter. And a high-flying, dunking guard like Carter was, in the media’s eyes, clearly a carbon copy of Jordan.

Although Chen Yu felt the two were completely different players.

"That’s right. A few days ago, I heard from Mark that David and the others were in a meeting discussing how to make this All-Star Game special. They mentioned creating a unique MVP trophy or something." Chen Yu still kept up with the slightest whispers from the league office.

It was mainly Brian, who was always trying to get inside information from him.

"A special trophy?" Carter’s eyes lit up.

Chen Yu nodded.

It seemed they felt the previous All-Star Game MVP trophies were too plain and shabby, so they were planning to make something more special this time.

It was obviously being prepared for Jordan.

Chen Yu suddenly perked up. "Then couldn’t this be considered the battle of Michael’s successors?"

’Just think about it. Hardaway and Hill, they’re the officially anointed successors to Jordan. They’re shoo-ins for the All-Star Game.’

’And then there’s Kobe, Iverson, and Carter—the media’s version of Jordan’s successors. They’re all league superstars, so their spots in the All-Star Game are as solid as a rock.’

’In that case, this year’s All-Star Game will feature five of Jordan’s successors.’

’But who is the true successor?’

’Now isn’t that a great storyline?’

For the past two years, to save the slumping market and ratings, Stern had been racking his brain for gimmicks to expand the league’s influence.

During the Finals MVP ceremony last season, he deliberately had Jordan present the award to Hardaway, a move meant to symbolize a perfect passing of the torch.

Carter nodded. That was exactly what he was thinking.

Missing other All-Star Games was one thing, but missing this year’s would feel like a real shame.

"Alright, no problem," Chen Yu said with a smile and a nod.

Chen Yu could certainly fulfill such a small request for Carter.

And so, Carter checked in.

Then, on the eve of O’Neal’s wedding in the middle of the month, the clinic suddenly received a VIP.

When he got the call from Lexi, Chen Yu was at the US Airways Center, watching everyone eat.

Or rather, watching O’Neal.

"Shaq, what did you eat this morning?" Chen Yu asked with his arms crossed.

O’Neal, holding his knife and fork, was pushing the peas on his plate into the shape of a C. Then, one by one, he forked them up and, with a great show of ravenous hunger, shoved them into his mouth and chewed fiercely.

He was most likely chewing with his molars.

Hearing Chen Yu’s question, he jolted. Looking up and seeing Chen Yu’s stern expression, he immediately squawked, "Chen, why are you asking me that? You should know what I ate this morning better than I do! 280 grams of pan-fried chicken breast with olive oil, 160 grams of vegetables, 4 fried eggs, and a glass of orange juice. I’ve practically memorized it."

"Chen, you’re basically murdering me! Murder, you get it?" O’Neal slammed the table and even shouted at the other players present.

Hardaway and the others chuckled to themselves, already used to this spectacle.

Chen Yu laughed. ’Look at you, turning the tables on me.’

"Is that so, Shaq? If you were strictly following my meal plan, you’d be wolfing down your food right now, wanting to lick the plate clean, not playing with your peas like a child," Chen Yu retorted, slapping the table himself.

With the meal plan he had designed, if O’Neal were to follow it strictly, he would definitely be in a state where he wasn’t starving, but was constantly hungry. After finishing a workout, he should be so famished he’d lick up every last drop of sauce, not leave leftovers.

"Anyway, I ate exactly what you told me to," O’Neal said, shrinking his neck back and resorting to playing dumb.

Chen Yu sighed, a headache coming on.

Shaunie was here now, and at his request, she was strictly monitoring O’Neal’s diet at home.

But it seemed the effect was still limited.

’This guy is just impossible to control.’

Chen Yu had every reason to suspect that this guy had snuck some food on his way from home to the arena.

And quite a lot of it, too.

When trying to lose weight by controlling diet, the biggest fear is rebound eating. Just as the body starts adapting to hunger and adjusting its energy supply, if you give up, the weight can come roaring right back.

As a result, O’Neal’s weight hadn’t returned to 350 pounds but had instead jumped to 364 pounds.

He was gaining weight while trying to lose it.

Just as he was about to argue with O’Neal some more, his phone rang.

It was Lexi. She was incredibly excited on the phone, shouting that a VIP had arrived at the clinic and that Chen Yu needed to come back immediately.

"Who is it?"

Chen Yu asked. ’A VIP? The president?’

Although he had become a presidential medical consultant, he had never been summoned. It was true that a certain someone enjoyed running, but right now, he was busy stirring up trouble around the world and probably didn’t have time for treatment.

Lexi didn’t say who it was, only that he would be very surprised—a pleasant surprise.

’Well, that settles it. It’s definitely not the president.’

Lexi wasn’t particularly fond of the president.

’Maybe a Hollywood star?’

Giving O’Neal one last look, Chen Yu sighed and left with a headache.

During his recovery in the summer, O’Neal’s desire to lose weight had been quite strong, fueled by the thought of proving himself and getting back at Kobe.

Who knows if it was because the Phoenix Suns’ record was too good, but by now, he had become completely complacent.

One could only say his personality lacked self-discipline.

He drove back to the clinic. There were no Special Service Bureau agents around, so it clearly wasn’t the man from Washington.

It was hard to tell from the parking lot either, as there were always quite a few sports cars.

When he reached the medical center, the front desk was empty. They had probably all run off to see the VIP.

Fortunately, the clinic operated on an appointment-only basis, so there were no walk-in patients. Slacking off once in a while didn’t matter.

A crowd had gathered in front of his consultation room.

It wasn’t just the clinic’s nurses and assistants; even the patients were there.

Chen Yu even saw Bolt, craning his neck to get a look. The clinic had a lot of rehabilitation equipment, so he split his time between the sports lab and here.

"Chen, it’s Woods! Tiger Woods!" Bolt shouted excitedly when he saw Chen Yu.

Chen Yu thought to himself, ’So it’s him.’

’It’s not entirely unexpected.’

After all, Stenberg had consulted him about the yips before.

’Could Woods really have the yips?’

’And Bolt... has this kid gotten into golf?’

’Or Lexi, for that matter. I’ve never seen her show any interest in golf.’

’Is it just because Woods is famous enough in the United States?’

He pushed the door open and went in.

It was indeed Woods, wearing a baseball cap and casual clothes, with Stenberg by his side.

Lexi, Jamie, and William were crowded around him. It looked less like a medical consultation and more like a fan meet-and-greet.

Chen Yu cleared his throat lightly, stopping them.

’Seriously? What kind of sports star haven’t you seen at my clinic?’

"Dr. Chen, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you," Woods said, standing up and extending his hand with a smile.

Chen Yu gestured for Woods to sit and then motioned for Lexi and the others to leave first.

Jamie and the others left, but Lexi didn’t budge.

Chen Yu sighed silently, then turned his head and said in a low voice, "You should leave for now."

’If it’s the yips, it could be devastating to Woods’s career. The impact would be astonishingly huge. It’s best to maintain as much confidentiality as possible.’

Noticing the serious look in Chen Yu’s eyes, Lexi said, "Oh," and obediently went out. On her way, she even pulled down the blinds on the door.

Only three people remained in the consultation room.

Chen Yu couldn’t help but look at Woods’s right hand, silently activating the Eye of All-Seeing.

He didn’t see any problems. The muscles, ligaments, and bones were all fine. At worst, there were some contusions and minor inflammation.

That wasn’t a problem at all.

’Maybe I should look at his cerebral cortex.’ After what happened with Anjel, Chen Yu had taken the time to thoroughly research the yips, reading a lot of medical literature.

After all that reading, Chen Yu was even more firm in his initial judgment: it was definitely related to plastic changes in the cerebral cortex.

"Chen, is that your fiancée? You’re a lucky guy," Woods said, making some cheerful small talk.

Chen Yu thanked him and then said, "Tiger, it’s just us here. You don’t need to have any reservations. Whatever your symptoms are, you can speak freely."

Anjel’s death had given Chen Yu a unique feeling about the yips.

Especially every time he entered his office and saw the baseball on his desk, Chen Yu would be reminded of Anjel’s despairing, grief-stricken mother.

But he hadn’t encountered another case to test his treatment method on.

Woods glanced at Stenberg, then rubbed his left knee and said, "It’s my knee. After the Skins Game last month, my knee has been getting worse and worse. It’s been hurting constantly."

His knee?

Chen Yu froze for a moment.

’With Woods’s situation, shouldn’t the yips affect his hands? Why would his knee hurt?’