Sports Medicine Master System

Memphis.

Pau Gasol extended an arm on the wing, firmly boxing out Bonzi Wells.

Wade curled around a screen, and Jason Williams’ pass arrived right on time.

Without breaking stride, he took the ball and blazed a path to the basket.

He executed a crossover on the move, slipped past Milicic, and finished with a reverse layup.

His speed, explosiveness, and body control were on full display.

On the sidelines, a white-haired Jerry West leaped to his feet, raising his arms and roaring in celebration.

Wade now had 27 points!

And this was only Wade’s third game back.

On December 1st, Wade was discharged from the hospital and returned to Memphis.

Wade didn’t play in the December 1st game against the Celtics.

Two days later against the Brooklyn Nets, Wade came off the bench and put up 9 points, 3 assists, and 5 rebounds.

On the 5th against the Wizards, Wade played 28 minutes off the bench, scoring 17 points on 7-for-16 shooting.

This linear improvement in performance led Hubie Brown to make a bold decision: no more bringing him off the bench to find his rhythm. He would start in today’s game.

He had long heard that players treated by Chen Yu were fully healthy the moment they left the hospital, requiring no adjustment period before they could play.

And that was exactly the case with Wade; he was perfectly healthy, without a single issue.

Then, against a Pioneer team in turmoil, Wade unexpectedly went off.

So far, he was 11-for-18 from the field—a terrifyingly high efficiency.

Jerry West couldn’t help but feel relieved that he had resisted the temptation back then and hadn’t made a trade with the Phoenix Suns.

Or perhaps, Chen Yu’s eye for talent was just that sharp. Based on this performance, Wade truly had the potential to become a Hall of Fame-level player.

With just over two minutes left in the game, the Pioneer were down by 19 points. The outcome had long been decided.

Jerry West sat back down, so satisfied he couldn’t help but hum a little tune.

He felt like the Grizzlies were about to take off.

Look at the Grizzlies’ lineup now: Jason Williams, Wade, Mike Miller, Pau Gasol, and center Lorenzen Wright.

And on the bench, they had tough players like Battier, Swift, and Vesely Persson.

This roster definitely had enough talent.

Wade’s final score was locked in at 29 points.

The entire Pyramid Arena erupted, and many fans in the stands were chanting Wade’s name.

His first career start was an absolutely perfect debut.

The Grizzlies’ side was a scene of jubilation, a stark contrast to the dejected Pioneer.

But the veterans like Stoudemire didn’t care anymore.

The team was about to be rebuilt anyway, so what difference did their record make?

Only Milicic watched from a distance as Wade was surrounded by his teammates, his eyes filled with unwillingness to accept defeat.

Wade was only the seventh pick!

Among this year’s top rookies, never mind James—he was the center of attention and was averaging 17.5 points per game as of December.

The third pick, Carmelo Anthony, was even more impressive, averaging 18.8 points per game last month and sharing November’s Rookie of the Month honors with James for the West and East, respectively.

’Only I, the number two pick, am performing like a total disaster.’

"Dako, don’t overthink it. You played well today."

Rivers, ever the considerate one, immediately went to Milicic’s side, patting his back comfortingly.

Milicic had come off the bench again today, getting 9 points and 7 rebounds in 23 minutes.

In Rivers’s mind, that was a decent performance.

Back in the locker room, everyone immediately underwent an injury assessment from Ted Austin of the medical team.

It was called an assessment, but it was mainly just a series of questions followed by a physical examination.

This was something Chen Yu required.

Before and after every game, Chen Yu required the team doctors to ask every player who took the court if they felt any discomfort.

If a player’s knee was sore, for example, they would immediately conduct a physical exam.

The goal was to ensure that no small issue would escalate into a major one.

Sometimes after a game, a player might feel some soreness and swelling in their knee, think it’s nothing serious, and then not mention it to the team doctor.

The team doctors, unlike Chen Yu with his Eye of All-Seeing, couldn’t just glance at someone and know if there was a problem. If a player didn’t speak up, it was difficult for them to find out.

As a result, they’d play in the next game, and the minor ailment could turn into a major problem.

After finishing his interviews, showering, and changing, Milicic was about to head back to the hotel when a loud BANG suddenly echoed through the room.

Not far away, Stoudemire, clutching his phone, had furiously kicked over a trash can.

"What are you looking at me for, you bunch of idiots!"

Seeing everyone looking at him, Stoudemire cursed without hesitation.

"Fack, what did you say!"

Ruben Patterson was like a human powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest provocation. He shot to his feet, clenching his fists, ready to fight.

Lynam, who was present, rushed over to intervene, shouting at them to be quiet.

Stoudemire picked up his bag, shot one last, vicious glare at Milicic, and stormed out of the locker room.

Milicic was bewildered, having no idea why Stoudemire had glared at him.

He just felt that this atmosphere was too oppressive; every time he entered the Pioneer locker room, it felt like a hand was squeezing his throat, suffocating him.

"Dako, don’t mind him. He’s just a lunatic," Farooq whispered comfortingly beside him.

Milicic quickly shot him a look, signaling him to keep quiet.

’If someone hears this, it’ll just be more trouble.’

The group returned to the hotel.

Milicic specifically requested a double room so he could stay with Farooq.

He was holding the study notes Alex had made for him, trying his best to learn English, when a knock suddenly came at the door.