Sports Medicine Master System

Chen Yu smiled, but inwardly, he shook his head.

’That was probably bullshit.’

’He likely just went to work at his own clinic.’

Last season, Chen Yu had required every team to hire a full-time psychologist.

But only about half the teams actually did so.

The other half hired part-time psychologists instead.

It wasn’t entirely that the teams were feigning compliance or were unwilling to spend the money. A major reason was that many top psychologists had their own private practices and careers, making it impossible for them to work exclusively for a team.

Knowing this, Chen Yu didn’t press the matter.

After a few more pleasantries, Roberts lowered his voice. "Chen, we’re friends. You’re here this time to make some improvements to the medical team, aren’t you?"

He knew Chen Yu had started a consulting firm and was aware of his work in Los Angeles—it had all been over the media.

Now that Chen Yu had come to the Pioneer with the full backing of Paul Allen, Roberts was worried that the medical team would be the first to go under the knife.

The Pioneer players had certainly had their share of injuries over the past two seasons.

And medicine was Chen Yu’s greatest strength and area of expertise.

Roberts was worried Chen Yu would come in and fire them both on the spot.

A team doctor’s salary was not low, and he didn’t want to lose this job.

Chen Yu considered this for a moment, then shook his head. "Sorry, Donald, I can’t make you any promises."

Evaluating the medical team’s daily operations to make improvements was one of the most important parts of his job.

If Roberts didn’t meet the standards, he would definitely have to be replaced.

They called each other friends, but they weren’t that close, so Chen Yu felt no obligation to do him any favors.

"Alright."

Roberts gave an awkward laugh and didn’t press the issue.

They chatted a bit more, and once Chen Yu finished his meal, he and Rice took their leave.

"Chen, I’ll go with you. I’d like to observe and learn."

Knowing Chen Yu was about to talk with Milicic, Nelson offered to join him.

The more he learned about psychology, the more interested he became, and he found it was genuinely useful for his own work.

For example, when it came to motivating athletes in training, psychological encouragement was far more effective than just making demands.

"Sure."

Chen Yu agreed and asked him to find Milicic and bring him to the counseling room at the arena.

The Pioneer’s counseling room was nicely decorated, with two Monet paintings hanging on the wall—replicas, of course.

The authentic ones were hanging in Paul Allen’s private collection.

Still, it was enough to show that Frank Olinsky was a man with a certain degree of taste.

Chen Yu casually poured himself a cup of coffee and waited for Milicic.

He arrived a short while later.

Entering with him was his translator.

The young man’s English was poor; he could only understand the most basic conversations.

He sat down apprehensively, only daring to steal glances at Chen Yu, his entire posture screaming nervousness and anxiety.

"Would you like something to drink? How about a Coke?"

Chen Yu stood, opened a mini-fridge, and turned to ask.

Milicic nodded blankly.

"Don’t be nervous. I just wanted to have a casual chat."

Chen Yu placed a can of Coke in front of him and smiled.

Secretly, Chen Yu activated a Silver Level psychological effect.

Chen Yu was actually taking this first conversation very seriously.

The first step was to win his trust, to get the young man to truly open up and reveal his innermost thoughts.

The combination of the system’s effect and his own techniques produced a noticeable result. Milicic nodded, the tension in his body visibly lessening.

"By the way, have you found an apartment yet? You arrived in Portland on the 23rd, right? Since you started training with the team today, you probably haven’t had a chance to explore the city. Portland is a great place, really beautiful scenery."

As soon as the trade was finalized, the Pistons had eagerly shipped him off to Portland.

Chen Yu then seemed to remember something and turned to Nelson. "Aaron, the last time I was here, Paul’s butler recommended a good lobster restaurant downtown, but I was in a rush and didn’t get to try it. Why don’t we all go and check it out tonight? We can invite all the Pioneer players, have a team dinner, and get to know one another."

Boston lobster from Maine is world-famous, but as a port city in Oregon, Portland had an equally rich variety of seafood.

Nelson was a little baffled. He nodded blankly, but couldn’t help but wonder to himself.

’Weren’t we supposed to be having a counseling session? How did we get from that to talking about food and planning a dinner in just a couple of sentences?’

Furthermore, he noticed that in the conversation that followed, Chen Yu didn’t bring up the team, the trade, or the process of adapting at all. He just made small talk, rambling from one topic to another, and ended up talking a lot about Milicic’s hobbies.

They even learned that the kid liked music and had played the tuba for six years.

The conversation went on for about forty minutes.

In the end, Chen Yu sent Milicic off with a cheerful smile.

"Chen, are your regular counseling sessions with players always like this?" Nelson asked, thoroughly confused.

All the counseling sessions with the Suns had been confidential, so he never knew what Chen Yu discussed with the players.

But now, seeing it firsthand, Nelson was surprised to find that Chen Yu’s approach to counseling was completely different from what he had imagined.

At least, it was nothing like what he’d seen on TV.

Chen Yu laughed. "This is just the beginning. It’s like when we did those five-minute chats before. At first, we didn’t say anything at all. Then we spent a long time just talking about trivial, everyday things. That’s how I slowly earned the players’ trust."

"You can only continue the conversation after you’ve earned their trust."

Nelson nodded, deep in thought.

He knew for a fact that the players on the Suns, from rookies to veterans, all trusted Chen Yu—even more than they trusted their head coach, Skiles.

Just then, Steve Patterson emerged from a nearby conference room.

He must have been waiting there the whole time.

"Chen, are you finished? Any results?" Patterson asked nervously.

They had traded away a core player for Milicic. If he had psychological issues and couldn’t perform, the whole trade would be a complete waste.

"No concrete results yet, but I’ve made significant progress."

Chen Yu smiled, then added, "Steve, first thing, I need you to replace his translator, a man named Collins. Then post a job opening. I’ll handle the interviews and choose the right person for the job."

Patterson was taken aback. He never imagined the very first thing Chen Yu would do was demand to replace Milicic’s translator.

"Chen, he’s just a translator. Is there a problem?"

Chen Yu nodded.

"Of course there’s a problem, and it’s a huge one for him. He came to the United States all alone, without any family. He doesn’t speak the language and knows nothing about this country. At a time like this, his translator should be the most important bridge for him to understand and adapt to American life."

"But Collins is too old. They have nothing in common."

The translator the Lakers found for Yao Ming, a guy named Rekton, is a perfect example.

He’s about the same age as Yao Ming. They’re both young men with similar hobbies, and they even play video games together all the time.

The fact they also lived together was a huge help for Yao Ming in getting accustomed to life in the United States.

A young man like Milicic needs his own Rekton.