Sports Medicine Master System

On November 25th, the Trail Blazers hosted the Wizards.

Chen Yu had also come to the arena.

For the first few days, Chen Yu and his team would be following the Trail Blazers to observe their daily operations.

Observe and record, identify problems, discuss directions for improvement, and finally, implement the solutions.

Most teams operated similarly on game days.

After all, the NBA had been around for so many years that it had already formed a very mature operational system.

It was just that the Phoenix Suns, under his influence, had adopted more advanced training philosophies.

So it wasn’t that they were doing a bad job, but rather that they didn’t have someone like Chen Yu, who had two years of accumulated experience using scientific equipment.

Perhaps because he was here, Roberts was in the locker room, leading a few veterans through pre-game stretches and applying kinesiology tape.

Chen Yu didn’t intervene, observing from the side the entire time.

All he could say was that there were still some issues.

Roberts was undoubtedly an excellent orthopedic doctor.

But he understood medicine, not sports.

And the head trainer, Jeff Clark, understood sports and training, but he was lacking in the medical department.

Take this simple kinesiology tape. When applied correctly, it not only protects the body from injury and doesn’t hinder force generation, but can even improve it.

This required not just an understanding of training and the principles of how the body generates force, but also medical knowledge and familiarity with human anatomy.

That was why a top-tier trainer like Nelson, who also had a medical background, was so rare.

Over the past two seasons, Chen Yu had also distributed quite a bit of material through the player health management department.

But materials were just materials; whether they could be applied effectively depended on the individual.

Just because you’re given a textbook, does that mean you understand everything?

As he was watching, Rivers suddenly came to Chen Yu’s side and asked in a low voice, "Chen, should we put Milicic in this game?"

Chen Yu was stunned for a moment before realizing Rivers was asking him.

"Doug, you’re the head coach."

’You’re asking me whether a player should play? I might as well be the head coach for you.’

Rivers said cautiously, "Chen, you misunderstand me. I know what management is thinking. We traded for Milicic to develop him as a cornerstone of our rebuild, and his future training plan and development path will all be based on your team’s advice."

"I heard you spoke with Milicic yesterday, so I wanted to get your opinion. If you think Milicic still needs time to adjust, I’ll delay his debut. Even how many minutes he plays—I need to take your suggestion into consideration for that as well."

Chen Yu gave Rivers a surprised look.

’How rare. He’s actually thinking about things so thoroughly from a player’s perspective.’

’He wasn’t like this back when he was with the Magic.’

’It seems getting fired once really taught him a lesson.’

After a moment of thought, Chen Yu said, "Let him come in off the bench. Normal rotation, about ten to fifteen minutes."

From their conversation today and the dinner last night, Chen Yu had discovered that Milicic’s morale hadn’t taken too much of a hit from his lack of playing time with the Pistons.

Deep down, he was still eager to get on the court and prove himself.

Rivers made an "OK" gesture and left to prepare for the game.

During the game that night, Chen Yu and Nelson sat in the second row behind the Trail Blazers’ bench.

It was a familiar spot for them.

The arena’s attendance wasn’t high, only about sixty percent full with sparse crowds.

Rip City couldn’t compare to Phoenix, but this attendance rate was still a bit poor.

Thanks to their championships over the past two years, Phoenix’s basketball market had really heated up.

Not long after the game started, Steve Patterson came to the court and sat down next to Chen Yu.

"Chen, the job posting has been sent out through the proper channels. We’ve done some initial screening and have 12 qualified candidates. When do you have time to schedule interviews?" he asked, referring to the translator position.

NBA teams weren’t short on cash. With generous employee salaries, the positions they offered were very attractive.

Chen Yu casually suggested tomorrow, then after a moment’s thought, asked, "Steve, what do the local Portland media think about the Milicic trade? And the local fans, have any media outlets done a survey?"

Patterson was taken aback, not expecting Chen Yu to ask about such things.

After thinking for a moment, Patterson said, "Well, from the reports and posts on some local forums, I’d say most people support the trade and the rebuild."

"Chen, you have no idea. The team’s image was so bad the last couple of years that many families were unwilling to bring their kids to watch games, believing our players were setting a bad example."

"So even if the media analysis suggests the trade is too risky, I think most people still support it."

The "Jail Blazers" was really not a good reputation to have.

The local fans certainly didn’t want their home team to become like that.

Chen Yu nodded. It seemed to match the information he had gathered himself.

"Steve, I want you to find a way to do some surveys and gather information, especially on how local fans view Milicic."

Patterson nodded and made a note, then asked curiously why he needed to do this.

Chen Yu glanced at Milicic, who was sitting in the corner of the front row.

Just from his profile, he was indeed a handsome young man.

"Of course it’s important. The main reason is to find a way to cultivate his sense of belonging with the Trail Blazers."

"During dinner last night, I talked to him about life in Detroit. It turned out he knew nothing about it and even expressed a lack of interest in learning about it."

"People are emotional creatures, influenced by their environment. Conversely, a good and comfortable environment can also inspire one’s fighting spirit."

"To put it simply, he needs to fall in love with a city before he’s willing to work hard and give his all for that city’s team."

That was where the "one man, one city" legacy came from.

Patterson nodded thoughtfully.

Chen Yu then asked, "By the way, it’s almost the end of the month. Have you scheduled any community events?"

Patterson nodded.

The team basically scheduled some community events every month to deepen their connection with the fans.

"It’s just that our reputation wasn’t great before, so fan participation wasn’t very high."

Chen Yu smiled. "That was then. You’re rebuilding now, aren’t you? New players, a new atmosphere. They’re all young players, especially. They’re young, inevitably a bit vain, and they like being admired. Find ways to shape a positive image for them. Getting the fans to like these players is how you’ll ignite their fighting spirit."

"To be honest, that locker room of yours was a toxic, lifeless mess."

Chen Yu had even asked Lynam and the others about it.

In their own words, the old Trail Blazers locker room had the eccentric and defiant Wallace, the perpetually sour-faced Pippen, the taciturn Sabonis, and on top of that, toxic elements like McInnis, Wells, and Patterson. Calling the locker room a toxic mess was no exaggeration.

A flash of embarrassment crossed Patterson’s face, but it vanished quickly.

He had just taken the job this season; he wasn’t going to take the blame for the past.

He then asked what specifically they should do.

"Simple."

Chen Yu smiled and said, "It’s actually like when a company has an image crisis and hires a PR firm to handle it. You can do something similar. Find ways to shape a positive image for them and win the fans’ affection."

How many of these NBA players were genuinely the same on and off the court like Hill?

It was just that they had agents and management teaching them how to deal with the media and fans, so they knew how to maintain their image.

"Of course, you also need to actually manage them properly. They’re all young men; it’s easy for them to lose their way."

At eighteen or nineteen, mostly having grown up in poverty, and now earning millions of US dollars a year... it was only natural for them to get carried away and indulge themselves.

"Just think about Jay Williams. He’s still lying in my clinic to this day."

What a vivid example. A classic case of tempting fate and destroying one’s own future.

Patterson nodded repeatedly. He strongly agreed with Chen Yu’s points.

Just then, halfway through the first quarter, it was time for substitutions.

Rivers gestured for Milicic to come over. When he approached, Rivers put an arm around his neck and said intimately, "Darko, tonight is your debut. The fact that the team traded for you means we believe in your potential and recognize your talent."

"So you have to believe in yourself. Remember, you were the second pick. You’re the greatest basketball talent out of Europe. Your future is limitless."

Milicic looked at Collins with a look of partial understanding. Only after Collins finished translating did he nod in surprise.

Rivers saw his reaction and felt his pep talk hadn’t been quite enough.

"Darko, you have to keep that fighting spirit. Think about what you went through in Detroit. Don’t you want to prove to Larry Brown and Joe Dumars that they misjudged you, that trading you was their biggest mistake?"

This provocation clearly had an effect.

A fire lit up in Milicic’s eyes, and he nodded forcefully.

"Laettner is old."

Rivers pointed to the Knicks’ center on the court, Christian Laettner.

"He’s almost 35. His foot speed is frighteningly slow. On offense, you can initiate from the elbow. The left side is better. I know you’re skilled with both hands. Take advantage of your agility; he won’t be able to keep up with your rhythm."

"On defense, be a little bolder. Don’t be afraid to foul. Let him know you’re tough. If he yells at you, look him right in the eye and yell back."

"Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. I’ll allow you to hold onto the ball. You’re young, you’re allowed to make mistakes, and I have plenty of patience."

With his arm still around Milicic’s shoulder, Rivers earnestly gave him his instructions.

As a head coach, if he didn’t know that Milicic was the core of the rebuild in Chen Yu’s plan, and if he wasn’t trying to get on Chen Yu’s good side, he would never have wasted so much breath talking to Milicic.

However, this mix of pep talk and guidance had a significant effect.

At least with the Pistons, Larry Brown wouldn’t even give him the time of day and never looked at him with anything but disdain.

"Coach, I understand."

Milicic used his limited English vocabulary and nodded forcefully.

"Go get ’em."

Rivers grinned and patted him on the butt, sending him to get ready to check in.

Chen Yu saw it all.

’I have to say, recommending Rivers to be the Trail Blazers’ head coach might have actually been the right call.’

’He really has a knack for motivating players and getting them hyped up.’

’So he’s a perfect fit for the rebuilding Trail Blazers.’

’It’s just that his coaching ability is also genuinely limited. I’d hate for him to develop a bunch of rookies only to be clueless when it’s time to actually win games.’

’But that’s an easy fix. Worst case, we just replace him or surround him with a bunch of good assistant coaches.’

’If the head coach isn’t good enough, the assistants can pick up the slack.’