Sports Medicine Master System

The Pioneer’s rebuilding efforts had not stopped.

"Vin Baker?"

Inside John Nash’s office, Chen Yu learned of the Celtics’ trade proposal.

They planned to package Vin Baker and Joe Johnson, plus a 2004 first-round pick, to acquire Damon Stoudemire from the Pioneer.

Vin Baker’s salary for this season was $13.5 million. Joe Johnson was in the third year of his rookie contract, with a salary of only $1.85 million.

Damon Stoudemire’s salary this season was $12.38 million.

The salary difference for the trade was less than $5 million, so the deal was permissible.

Of course, to free up a roster spot, the Pioneer could also include a throw-in player.

This 2004 first-round pick wasn’t even the Celtics’ own; it was one they had acquired from the Mavericks last month in the Antoine Walker trade.

Angie, who had taken the reins this season, had never really thought much of Walker.

Back when he was a TV commentator, he had criticized Walker on more than one occasion, saying he was obsessed with shooting threes and unwilling to fight for rebounds.

After becoming general manager, he had publicly stated on multiple occasions that there was only one core player for the Celtics’ rebuild: Pierce.

The subtext was that anyone else was expendable.

He traded away Walker for Lafrentz—another player who loved to chuck threes—yet when it came out of his mouth, Lafrentz was suddenly what a "true center" looked like.

The double standard was just too blatant.

As a result, the first-round pick wasn’t particularly valuable.

"This isn’t a good option. You’d be getting fleeced," Chen Yu said without hesitation.

Vin Baker was once an All-Star, but what kind of shape was he in these last two years?

His performance hadn’t declined so drastically just because of injuries, but because of his extreme lack of self-discipline.

Obesity, alcoholism... his weight was skyrocketing.

On top of that, he felt he was getting older and wouldn’t be able to sign another big contract anyway, so he let himself go even more.

Last season, he was disciplined internally by the Celtics for his weight and alcoholism, and his scoring average plummeted from 14 points per game the season before to a mere 5 points per game.

His only trade value was his large, expiring contract, which could free up cap space for the Pioneer the following summer.

"He’ll be a bomb in the locker room," Chen Yu added.

During his few days in Portland, Chen Yu had already discovered a severe antagonism between the veterans and rookies in the Pioneer’s locker room.

The whole point of a rebuild was to clear out the arrogant, entitled veterans. So what was the point of bringing in Vin Baker, who was even more self-indulgent and entitled?

And paying over ten million for him to just sit on the bench would be a colossal waste.

John Nash glanced at Patterson and said, "That’s what we were thinking, too. We proposed a 2-for-3 trade for their Tony Battie and Eric Williams, but Angie felt he was on the losing end and demanded one of our draft picks."

Chen Yu was speechless.

’This time, it seems like *your* appetite is a bit too big.’

Tony Battie was the 5th pick in the ’97 draft and the Celtics’ starting center last season, averaging 7.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

His contract was only $4.4 million, which was excellent value.

Eric Williams was a key rotation player for the Celtics last season. He was the 14th pick in ’95 and had averaged 15 points per game in his second season, only later becoming a key reserve due to the emergence of Joe Johnson.

John Nash trying to trade the 30-year-old, slightly past-his-prime Damon Stoudemire—who came with a heap of off-court baggage—for a promising young player, a starter, *and* a key rotation player? He was dreaming.

Patterson thought for a moment. "Why don’t we wait a bit longer? Giving up a draft pick is out of the question."

They were rebuilding. They needed rookies and draft picks. How could they possibly trade them away?

Chen Yu thought for a moment. "It’s better not to wait."

Seeing them both look at him, Chen Yu said, "After Walker was traded, Joe Johnson gained more opportunities to shoot. Last week, in the game against the Wasp, he efficiently dropped 26 points. I have a feeling his numbers are about to explode this season. Once that happens, the Celtics might not be willing to let him go."

The Celtics were also trying to rebuild.

There’s only so much ball to go around. With a primary scorer like Walker gone, Joe Johnson’s stats were bound to increase.

"If worse comes to worst, see if you can bring in a third team. In any case, taking on Vin Baker’s contract is the absolute worst option."

Patterson nodded. He didn’t really want Vin Baker either.

Chen Yu was, after all, just a consultant.

He was like a chef: it was best if the Pioneer could provide the ingredients he wanted.

If they couldn’t, then Chen Yu would just have to work with what he was given.

Paul Allen had requested that Patterson let him get involved in the team’s trades, but Chen Yu couldn’t get *too* involved. If he participated too much, made a bad call, and ended up acquiring a pile of garbage contracts, he would only earn their resentment.

Over the next couple of days, the equipment began to arrive in batches.

Chen Yu’s main task for the next few days was to lead his team in calibrating the equipment and continue his preliminary observation work.

The Pioneer’s roster adjustments were far from over. He’d have to wait until the trades were more or less finalized and the new season’s roster was set before he could think about a training plan.

"Dako, wait a second."

In the hallway, Chen Yu called out to Milicic.

Seeing Chen Yu, Milicic hurried over and greeted him humbly.

"You played well in the last game. You’re getting better and better."

After playing the Wizards on the 25th, they hosted the Brooklyn Nets on the 28th.

Facing a Brooklyn Nets team that lacked a strong interior presence, Milicic played for 23 minutes and had a decent showing.

His problem with poor efficiency still persisted; he took 12 shots in the game, only hitting 4 of them, and ended up with 9 points including free throws.

But he grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 2 blocks.

He had practically turned into a rebounding machine.

He was a bit weak in physical confrontations, but that was only relative.

Facing a powerhouse center like O’Neal, anyone would seem physically outmatched.

But against ordinary interior players, Milicic, who wasn’t afraid of contact, still had an advantage.

Having played in Europe, his fundamentals were excellent, and his awareness for boxing out in the low post was superb.

On top of that, the Brooklyn Nets’ frontcourt was not only limited in skill but also lacked height, giving him an opportunity to perform and snag plenty of rebounds.

In that game, the Brooklyn Nets lost primarily on the boards.

His translator had already been let go at lightning speed, so Milicic didn’t have one with him. Chen Yu’s words were simple enough for him to understand, but he didn’t know how to reply in English. He just stammered and shook his head, managing to get out single words, saying that he wasn’t good.

Chen Yu patted his arm. ’At least he’s still eager to improve.’

"Come with me."

Chen Yu beckoned, leading him to the office area.

Milicic thought Chen Yu was about to give him a pep talk, but when he pushed open the door and entered, he saw that two people were already sitting inside.

A young man, and a... girl?

When he saw Alex Salerno, Milicic froze for a second.

Today was her first day on the job, so Alex had dressed up meticulously.

Her outfit was still the epitome of professional chic.

She wore a gray, sleeveless, low-cut sheath dress, with a dark, plaid blazer over it. Her curly golden hair was tied back in a ponytail, with two restless tendrils framing her temples, adding a hint of playfulness to her capable demeanor.

Her choice of lipstick was perfect, and combined with her pale blue eyes, earrings, necklace, and other accessories, her look was both appropriate and stunningly beautiful.

She was well-educated; her sense of style was impeccable.

"Dako, let me make some introductions."

Chen Yu led Milicic forward to introduce them.

"Hello."

Milicic gave Farooq a simple greeting before his gaze quickly shifted back to Alex.

’Chen Yu actually found me an English teacher.’

"Hello."

Alex spoke in fluent, standard Serbian, graciously extending her hand to greet Milicic.

Her brilliant smile caused Milicic to space out for a moment. Snapping back to reality, he hurriedly shook her hand.

"I lived in Novi Sad for ten years, right near Freedom Square. How about you? Maybe we lived really close to each other when we were kids," Alex said, taking the initiative to start a conversation.

Milicic was stunned again. He never imagined Alex had also lived in Novi Sad, let alone for ten years.

He was so surprised, he forgot to let go of her hand.

Alex had to be the one to gently pull her hand back, a warm smile on her face as she looked at him.

Milicic finally snapped out of it. He subconsciously tried to answer, but the words caught in his throat and he stammered.

Alex had lived near Freedom Square, which was in the old city center of Novi Sad. Freedom Square itself was the most prosperous area in the entire city, a place where the wealthy congregated.

But he... he lived in the remote Liman District.

For some reason, a wave of self-consciousness washed over Milicic. He had to compose himself before saying, "I lived in the Liman District when I was a kid."

"I know."

Alex beamed, and even named a famous restaurant in the Liman District, saying that in her opinion, it had the best grilled pork ribs in all of Novi Sad.

Milicic’s mouth fell open. He knew that restaurant.

As a child, he had passed by it countless times, secretly swallowing his saliva as he smelled the delicious aromas wafting out from inside.

Just as he was about to say more, Chen Yu stepped forward. "Alright, today was just for a brief introduction. You’ll have plenty of time to get acquainted later. Dako, you still have practice, so you should get going. Don’t keep the coach waiting."

Milicic nodded and got ready to leave.

Farooq immediately grabbed his bag and followed him.

From now on, he was to be Milicic’s shadow.

Just as he was about to walk out the door, Milicic remembered something. He turned his head and said goodbye to Alex in Serbian.

"Goodbye, and good luck."

Alex offered with a warm, encouraging smile.

Milicic grunted in acknowledgment and quickly left the room.

Farooq stuck to him like glue. With Chen Yu gone, his loose lips started flapping. He was fascinated by NBA teams and their players, peppering Milicic with all sorts of questions, even asking if he’d ever met Kobe.

"By the way, you’re Croatian?" Milicic suddenly stopped and asked.

His father had gone to war and fought against Croatia.

Farooq froze for a second, quickly guessing the reason behind the question. "Hey man, I’m just a regular person," he said quickly.

Milicic thought for a moment, then nodded.

Farooq breathed a silent sigh of relief. He’d been wondering why Chen Yu had chosen him in the first place, and now he figured it was probably because Chen Yu didn’t understand the political situation back home.

How could Chen Yu, living in the United States, be expected to care about something so far away?

Fortunately, Milicic didn’t seem to have a strong reaction.

Farooq really couldn’t bear to lose this job.

He immediately changed the subject, asking in a conspiratorial whisper, "Dako, isn’t that Alex girl gorgeous? I saw you just now, you couldn’t take your eyes off her."

They were young men in the restless throes of youth; of course, the conversation would turn to women.

Farooq had noticed something was off about Milicic’s reaction just now.

"I... When was I staring? Don’t talk nonsense," Milicic said, startled, hurriedly denying it.

"I get it, I get it."

Farooq nudged Milicic with his elbow, an all-knowing look on his face.

Milicic didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’What is it you think you get?’ he thought.

However, when he remembered that he had an English lesson after practice, and that he and Alex would probably be alone, an inexplicable warmth spread through him.