Sports Medicine Master System

On January 31st, the Pioneers hosted the Bulls.

Before the game, Rivers announced the starting lineup as usual. There were no changes.

But then he added, pointing at Milicic, "Dako, you’re playing the four in this game."

Milicic froze, and not far from him, Randolph froze as well.

The players in the locker room looked at each other, then all turned to Milicic.

Rivers said, "Dako, this is an experiment. Don’t feel any pressure. Just focus on playing your best. The same goes for everyone else. Our core strategy remains the same."

He waved D’Antoni over.

D’Antoni immediately came forward, pulled over the whiteboard, and began explaining the tactical arrangements to the team.

"Dako, now that you’re at the four, you need to use your agility. Help the perimeter players by setting good screens and running pick-and-rolls."

"On offense, you need to exploit your height advantage. If you can, push the pace and use your speed. Davis is getting older, after all."

Last month, after Eddie Curry suffered a season-ending injury, the Bulls completed a trade with the Raptors. The deal was motivated by several factors: they disliked Marshall’s wild three-point attempts, needed to clear up roster space for their guards, and wanted to shed Jalen Rose’s massive contract.

They sent Jalen Rose as the centerpiece to the Raptors in exchange for Antonio Davis, who had been phoning it in for a year and had long wanted to join the Bulls.

It was a trade where each team got what it wanted.

"Then on defense, pay attention to helping in the paint."

He glanced at Randolph.

With Eddie Curry out for the season, Tyson Chandler had stepped in as the starting center.

He was an excellent defender and tall enough—a good four inches taller than Randolph. Never mind whether Randolph could hold his ground against him; Chandler could feast on easy baskets near the rim based on height alone.

Randolph glanced at Milicic but didn’t say anything.

Randolph didn’t have any major complaints about the team going all-in on developing Milicic.

Now in his third year, he had only averaged 8.4 points per game last season, making him pretty much a nobody on the team.

He certainly didn’t think that just because the team had traded away Wallace and the others, he would suddenly rise up and become the team’s leader.

The guy was the number two pick, acquired in the trade for Rashid Wallace. It wasn’t excessive for the team to invest so heavily in his development.

In fact, deep down, Randolph was even a little grateful to Milicic.

If it weren’t for Milicic, the Pioneers wouldn’t have undergone a complete rebuild. Without those annoying old-timers who were always picking on him, his life was now quite comfortable, aside from the tougher practices.

"Pace! Pay attention to the transition speed! You have to push it! This is what we’ve been practicing. Pushing the pace is how we create scoring opportunities."

As he finished, D’Antoni slapped the whiteboard, reminding everyone again.

He’d said this hundreds of times, but he still had to repeat it before every game.

According to his schedule, Chen Yu was supposed to head to China after his trip to Portland. However, he wasn’t in a hurry to leave, intentionally staying for two extra days to see the effects of Milicic’s position change.

In a luxury suite at the top of the arena, Paul Allen was enthusiastically discussing his White Knight aircraft with Chen Yu.

The man was seriously planning to go to space.

As the game began, their conversation returned to the court.

"Chen, do you really think Milicic can become a star?" Paul Allen asked, watching Milicic walk to the center circle for the tip-off.

"What, losing faith in him already?" Chen Yu retorted.

Compared to James and Anthony, Milicic’s performance so far had been quite disappointing.

Paul Allen shook his head. "Not really. I know he’s still young and needs time to grow, just like when I invest in innovative companies, I give them enough time to develop."

"But... I want to see a spark. Something that makes me feel this investment is worthwhile. Chen, do you know what I mean?"

How could Chen Yu not understand?

After a moment of thought, Chen Yu said, "Don’t worry, Paul. I believe he has the talent. He just needs the right guidance and development. Give him a season, and he’ll give you a return on your investment."

James’s physical gifts were truly historic; any amazing performance from him was to be expected.

As for Anthony, he was already a technically polished player in college, so his performance in his rookie season was also normal.

And they were both forwards, which was different from being a center.

The development cycle for centers is genuinely long.

"Besides, let’s put it another way. Even if you hadn’t traded for him, hadn’t rebuilt, do you think you could have won a championship with that old crew?"

If that old crew was going to win a title, they would have done it years ago.

The longer they stayed together, the more hopeless it would have become.

Paul Allen sighed. "Chen, you’re right, I was being impatient. I trust your judgment."

Down below, it was Milicic at the tip-off. He leaped up and cleanly won the ball.

Although he was in the process of gaining weight, the progress was slow and focused on adding muscle, so his vertical, and his strength, were actually gradually improving.

Larry Hughes caught the ball and immediately bolted down the court.

They had been practicing D’Antoni’s system for a while now, and his most frequent demand was speed.

Fast breaks, fast transitions, fast getting into position.

It didn’t matter if the play was executed successfully; the priority was to just get moving fast.

So four players shot out like a flash.

Randolph couldn’t keep up. His speed really needed improvement.

Darius Miles was leading the charge, with Milicic right behind him.

Larry Hughes took a quick glance and flung the ball ahead.

At this point, the Bulls hadn’t fully set up their defense; they were even a bit behind the play.

Milicic caught the ball already inside the three-point line. Antonio Davis was with him and hadn’t lost position, but Milicic executed a guard-like sudden stop, created a sliver of space, and pulled up for the shot.

He was the core of the offense now, with a limitless green light to shoot. Chen Yu had told him more than once to just shoot with confidence. Whether it went in or not was secondary; no one would dare to say a thing.

Previously, playing the five, even as the offensive core, Milicic couldn’t help but think about more than just scoring.

Now at the four, his worries seemed to vanish. He just raised up and let it fly.

He had just gotten on the court, but it felt good. The ball bounced on the rim once before dropping into the basket.

On the bench, D’Antoni couldn’t help but applaud and cheer.

From the tip-off to Milicic’s shot, only about five seconds had passed.

His requirements right now were simple: it didn’t matter if the play was run correctly. As long as there was a decent look, just shoot it. The main principle was speed.

Once they mastered playing fast, then they could start thinking about offensive efficiency.

The Pioneers scored two points. Randolph had just made it to the three-point line, so instead of trying to get into the paint, he just turned around and ran back.

Because Milicic and the others were already heading back on defense.

Their defensive talent wasn’t great, so the first step was to ramp up the energy. It didn’t matter if they could get a stop; the important thing was to show how fast they could get back on D.

As for getting tired? All those suicide drills they ran every day weren’t for nothing.

Jamal Crawford’s mid-range shot clanked off the rim, and Milicic leaped up to grab the rebound.

Randolph was undersized, so before the game, D’Antoni had specifically instructed Milicic to be mindful of defensive rebounds.

After landing and turning, Milicic looked up to see Joe Johnson and Darius Miles already sprinting down the court like rabbits.

Larry Hughes was right behind them.

Without hesitation, Milicic whipped a long pass straight to Joe Johnson.

In D’Antoni’s vision, everything centered around increasing the pace. He demanded fast transitions, not even requiring Larry Hughes to be the one to bring the ball past half-court. Long passes were encouraged, and anyone could make them.

Having played in Europe, Milicic’s passing fundamentals were solid.

Joe Johnson caught the ball outside the three-point line, took a quick look around, and before Schringer could get into full defensive position, he pulled up and fired.

CLANG! The ball hit the rim and bounced out.

He didn’t seem to mind, just turning and heading back.

The Pioneers were full of rookies right now, all projects for development. Plus, with no pressure to win, Rivers hadn’t designated a primary scorer.

So, as long as there was a decent opportunity, the order was to just shoot it. Whether it went in was a secondary concern.

Joe Johnson had already bricked his shot and was running back on defense, while Randolph and Chandler had only just crossed half-court.

Randolph silently rolled his eyes and reluctantly turned back again.

And this style of play was repeated frequently throughout the rest of the game.

The immediate impression was one of chaotic, undisciplined play—being fast for the sake of being fast.

It got to the point where even the Bulls’ head coach, Cheeks, couldn’t help but turn to look at the opposing bench, wondering which genius had coached this offense.

Cheeks, who had just been fired last summer, hadn’t been idle. When the Bulls fired Bill Cartwright, he successfully applied for the job and took the helm in the Wind City.

His gaze fell on Rivers, who was standing on the sidelines, clapping and loudly encouraging his players. A flash of disdain crossed his eyes.

’How ridiculous. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were a cheerleader.’

Cheeks was still bitter about being fired by the Pioneers in the summer.

’Was it my idea for you to build a hundred-million-US Dollar roster? Is it my fault we lost to the Phoenix Suns? That was the Phoenix Suns! Nobody would have had a chance against them.’

And when he thought about the Pioneers trading away Rashid Wallace to rebuild around a bust of a number two pick like Milicic, Cheeks found it even more laughable.

He truly believed Paul Allen had been duped by Chen Yu.

’A softie like Milicic who just runs to the perimeter to shoot threes will never make it in this league.’

The moment he had this thought, Milicic, who had faded to the outside after a pick-and-roll, caught a return pass and, facing a rotating Crawford, immediately launched a three-pointer.

He was 7-foot-1 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan. For him to shoot a three from that height, Crawford would need a pair of spring-loaded shoes just to contest it.

SWISH. The ball dropped cleanly through the net.

Cheeks frowned slightly, chalking it up to a fluke.

But on the Pioneers’ next offensive possession, Larry Hughes, who had dribbled in a loop along the baseline, saw no opening and threw the ball back out to the perimeter.

Milicic hadn’t even stepped inside the three-point line.

Antonio Davis’s attention was still focused on the paint.

As a result, Milicic pulled up and fired again.

SWISH! Another one!

Hitting two straight threes brought Milicic’s point total to 20.

He had scored 14 points in the first three quarters on mediocre shooting, only around forty percent.

After moving to the power forward position, Milicic got more open looks. Combined with having the ball in his hands and the confidence to shoot, he was managing to score.

But if that was all, he would be just as inefficient on offense as he had been in previous games.

However, after shooting for the better part of the game, he seemed to have suddenly found his rhythm.

Soon after, another spectacular play unfolded.

He caught the ball at the free-throw line and made a cut to the basket. With a huge crossover dribble, he blew past Davis and finished with a powerful left-handed dunk right over him.

The stands erupted in cheers.

In the luxury suite, even Chen Yu couldn’t help but applaud.

’This is what I wanted to see,’ Chen Yu thought. ’Using his natural advantages to create a mismatch and attack the rim.’

Milicic, who could finish with either hand, actually had great potential to be a threat at the rim.

And he wasn’t done yet.

A little over a minute later, Milicic made a V-cut on the wing, caught a pass, and pulled up for another three-pointer.

The ball swished through the net.

He had already exploded for 11 points in the quarter, bringing his personal stats to 25 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks.

And with more than three minutes left in the game, he even had a chance to reach 30 points!