Sports Medicine Master System

As an NBA player, Larry Hughes’s home was bound to have a basketball court.

The sun was setting as Chen Yu sat with Larry Hughes, a beer in his hand. Not far off, ribs sizzled on the grill, releasing a mouth-watering aroma.

On the basketball court across from them, a few young kids were playing.

Justin, in a wheelchair, was also part of the game, cheerfully shooting hoops.

And then there was Bill, along with the little kid named Tatum. The tiny kid could do little more than chase after the ball.

Bill’s skills were a notch better. Chen Yu could tell at a glance that he had an excellent feel for the game.

The thought suddenly brought to mind that kid from Chicago, Derek Rose.

Seeing Chen Yu watching the court, Larry Hughes said with a touch of pride, "Bill’s pretty good. I think he’s really talented. In elementary school, no one’s a match for him. Even some of the older kids can’t beat him."

After a pause, Larry Hughes added, "Who knows, maybe he’ll even make it to the NBA one day."

Chen Yu smiled but didn’t argue.

’If being unbeatable in elementary school was enough to get into the NBA, then becoming a pro would be far too easy.’

After a moment’s thought, Chen Yu said, "At his age, he really needs to focus on building a solid foundation."

Ten years old is the perfect age to build that foundation.

Any older, and it would already be too late.

Larry Hughes said, "He’s got a decent head start. His mother’s a volleyball coach, so she’s trained him since he was little. Still, the level of training he has access to is limited. If he wants to make it big in the future, he’ll have to train really hard."

Having made it to the NBA himself, Larry Hughes knew just how hard it was.

It was like Tatum’s father. He was once a famous, well-known basketball prodigy in Saint Louis, but he never made it to the NBA. In the end, he had to leave his family behind and go play in Europe.

"You’re right. Training is crucial."

Chen Yu nodded in agreement.

In sports, talent is the foundation of everything, but training is just as critical.

Receiving proper, scientific training from a young age is the only way to go far.

Take Milicic, for example. Because of the war, he never really had access to formal, scientific basketball training. He got to where he is today mostly by relying on raw talent.

In lower-level leagues, his talent allowed him to dominate, seemingly capable of anything.

But in High Level competition, his lack of fundamentals would be exposed.

A high number of turnovers, poor finishing at the rim—these were all symptoms of his weak fundamentals.

As he watched, a thought inexplicably popped into Chen Yu’s head.

After the first season of his weight-loss show ended last year, ABC had been pestering him to do a second season.

Chen Yu was busy and had never gotten around to it.

He couldn’t be bothered, anyway. It wasn’t right to keep dragging O’Neal into it.

But occasionally, Chen Yu would still think about how to approach the show, wondering if he should add some new twists or just create a different show altogether.

At that moment, it suddenly occurred to him: maybe he could create a show that taught people professional training methods.

The show would also be a platform to introduce his own training philosophy.

Chen Yu had always wanted to promote his own athletic philosophies and experience, but he’d been too busy to get around to it.

’Maybe I can make a show.’

’I could model it after the weight-loss show. Find some kids, put them through professional training, and then track their development afterward.’

Chen Yu even had a name for it: *How to Get Into the NBA!*

’No.’

Chen Yu’s thoughts expanded. ’Why stop at just a TV show? I could open a training camp.’

’During the summer break.’

’Summer break in the United States is three months long. That’s more than enough time.’

’I could run it like one of those talent shows: hold open tryouts, select the most talented kids for the camp, and have my team and I train them.’

’The whole process could be filmed and edited into a television series.’

’It’d be like a different kind of reality survival show.’

’With my reputation, even if it doesn’t become a massive hit, it would at least be moderately successful.’

’I could even start my own sports agency, scout talent early, and sign promising prospects.’

’Since I’ve already gone independent and started a sports company, getting into the agency business is a natural next step.’

’With my network, getting into the agency business would be a piece of cake.’

The idea had come out of nowhere, but the more he considered it, the more feasible it seemed.

It just meant he was piling more work onto his plate.

’But I’m still young. And with Lexi on my case about having kids, I should work hard to give our future children a comfortable life.’

That evening, to thank Bill for the inspiration, Chen Yu patted his head as he was leaving. He praised the boy, telling him he was very good and that he definitely had a shot at making the NBA in the future.

"Sir, I’ll definitely work my hardest!"

Bill’s eyes lit up with excitement. He trembled as he loudly declared his resolve.

Chen Yu just waved, said nothing more, and got in the car to head back to his hotel.

The next day, Chen Yu left Saint Louis and returned to Chicago.

Lexi also flew straight from Phoenix to Chicago, and they happily spent Christmas together.

Since it was a rare trip back, Chen Yu made sure to visit his clinic in Engwood.

Accompanied by his good friend Tucker, Chen Yu strolled through the neighborhood, their feet crunching in the snow.

People greeted Chen Yu from time to time.

According to Tucker, the mortality rate in the community had dropped significantly because of the clinic Chen Yu had built.

Before long, the two of them passed by Murray Park.

The clinic’s profits were funneled back into the community to sponsor poor but talented kids, and the local basketball court had also been renovated.

It was still a chaotic scene, however. The sidelines were covered in graffiti, and a few local toughs were loitering about.

Tucker greeted them with easy familiarity.

Chen Yu merely gave a slight nod in return.

’They’re not exactly good people.’ Chen Yu didn’t want to get too involved with them.

As his gaze swept over one of them, however, he felt a flicker of recognition.

He seemed to be the leader of the group—a skinny guy with eyelids so heavy they looked like they could barely stay open.

Chen Yu had an excellent memory. After a moment of thought, he remembered who the guy was.

’Derek Rose’s older brother. I forget his name... I think he has three of them.’

’One of them is a basketball coach, I think, and the other two just mess around the neighborhood with Vogel.’

They were just low-level street toughs, nowhere near Vogel’s level.

Chen Yu waved him over and asked if he remembered him.

The man nodded eagerly. "You treated my little brother’s arm," he said gratefully. "And you’ve helped us out with money, no strings attached. You’re a really good man."

The sponsorship from Chen Yu’s clinic had gone to the Rose family. It was a substantial amount of money, and because of it, their family’s living situation had improved considerably.

"How’s your brother doing these days?" Chen Yu asked.

This was Rose’s third-oldest brother, Alan Rose.

At the mention of his brother, Alan Rose’s face filled with pride. "He started high school this year—Simeon High School. He’s playing great. The whole neighborhood knows his name."

"Oh?"

Chen Yu’s interest was piqued, and he asked for more details about Rose.

Simeon High School was pretty famous in Chicago. It was the alma mater of Ben Wilson, a superstar basketball prodigy whose fate had once made countless Chicagoans wring their hands in sorrow.

He was born a few years before Chen Yu, who had heard his name plenty of times growing up.

He was hailed as a combination of "Magician" Johnson and "Ice Man" George Gervin.

Back when the Bulls drafted Jordan in ’84, Ben Wilson’s reputation in Chicago was even greater than Jordan’s.

Unfortunately, he was shot and killed, and all the fantasies about what he could have become remained just that—fantasies.

Rose was only a freshman, and since the Simeon High School varsity coach didn’t allow freshmen on the team, he could only play with other freshmen in a local Chicago city league. He was playing exceptionally well, averaging over 18 points a game.

"Does he have a game today?"

As they talked, Chen Yu learned that Derek Rose was off playing in an AUU game.

The AUU was the Amateur Athletic Union, a nationwide organization. The teams were mostly funded and organized by parents in the community, and they competed in different age brackets.

But Chen Yu wasn’t a big fan. AUU teams often traveled for games, taking a Bus or even flying to other cities.

And some of the more serious teams would play sixty or seventy games a season, which was almost as many as a professional league schedule.

’At that age, running all over the place to play games is a waste of time. It’s much better to focus on fundamental training.’

’There will be plenty of opportunities to play games in high school and college.’

"Tucker, get the car. We’re going to go check it out."

Chen Yu’s interest was suddenly sparked.

He could consider it scouting a prodigy for his future show.

The AUU team Rose had joined was called "Mean Streets," and his second-oldest brother, Reggie Rose, was the coach.

Today, they had driven 50 kilometers out to Will County for a game.

The game was being held in a modest local gymnasium.

Their opponent was a team called the "Victorious Jackal."

By the time Chen Yu arrived with Tucker and Alan Rose, the game was already past halftime.

There weren’t many people in the crowd.

It was probably because Christmas had just ended.

From what Chen Yu knew, AUU games usually drew a decent crowd. After all, since the parents were the ones sponsoring the teams, they were sure to show up and offer their support.

Chen Yu didn’t draw attention to himself. He tightened his scarf and trench coat before finding a seat in a corner of the stands with Tucker and Alan.

Chen Yu spotted Rose on the court.

He wasn’t particularly tall for his age group.

But he was incredibly agile with excellent ball-handling. With a quick crossover, he blew past his defender, drove into the paint, and finished with a reverse layup.

Chen Yu didn’t know how many points he had, but a glance at the scoreboard showed that "Mean Streets" was leading.

A little later, Chen Yu’s attention was drawn to the bench.

A chubby young man was yelling at Rose on the court, spewing all sorts of trash talk.

Alan Rose said, a bit embarrassed, "That’s my other older brother, Reggie."

Chen Yu nodded slightly. ’A strict coach, I see.’

The game itself wasn’t much to watch.

Derek Rose displayed a level of skill far beyond his peers, scoring as easily as if he were taking something out of his pocket.

But that was all there was to it.

The United States was full of talented kids like him. How many of them would ever make it to the NBA, even just to warm the bench?

The road to professional sports was a difficult one, and brutally unforgiving.

’But the kid’s feel for the game really is something else.’

The opponents weren’t very skilled, so their play was pretty rough.

But he always managed to protect the ball well, which wasn’t easy for a player his age.

Plus, his speed and flexibility were excellent, seemingly far beyond his peers.

Alan Rose sat beside Chen Yu, anxiously sneaking glances at him out of the corner of his eye.

He felt a massive opportunity presenting itself to his little brother, and he was so nervous he hardly dared to breathe.

Unfortunately, even after the game ended, Chen Yu didn’t offer any opinion. He didn’t even say that Rose had played well.

The game ended.

On the sidelines, a number of people immediately got up and rushed toward Reggie Rose and, of course, Derek Rose.

"Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!"

Reggie Rose roared at them furiously.

It was as if they hadn’t heard him. They just kept pulling out business cards and shoving them into Derek Rose’s hands.

Beside him, Alan Rose said angrily, "These damn scouts."

Chen Yu glanced over.

’Forget "scouts,"’ Chen Yu thought. ’To put it bluntly, they’re just a bunch of wannabe scouts and agents. The American sports world is crawling with people like this. They’re nothing like the professional scouts who work for NBA teams.’

It was clear that both of Rose’s older brothers wanted to keep him away from these sketchy scouts, afraid they would derail his future.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Yu stood up, pulled a business card from his coat, and handed it to Alan Rose.

"When summer break starts, have him give me a call at this number."

Chen Yu smiled, then motioned for Tucker to follow as he left.

Alan Rose was left standing there, clutching Chen Yu’s business card and trembling with excitement.

The opportunity he had been hoping for had finally arrived!