Sports Medicine Master System-Chapter 43: Come with Me to Orlando

Passing by an oversized pool, Chen Yu met Hardaway in the spacious living room.

Chen Yu was no stranger to Hardaway.

In the American basketball world, and even the broader sports world, he was among the top echelon of stars.

When Hardaway shot to stardom with the Magic, Chen Yu had seen him play during an away game. His impression of the player was one of pure passion. Tall and lanky, he would glide past defenders with fluid ball-handling, either finishing with a spectacular dunk or making a creative pass that would leave you breathless.

But now, Chen Yu frowned.

Hardaway was slumped in a large sofa. Even though it was already noon, he was still in his pajamas. His left knee was wrapped up tightly, and his face was covered in stubble, looking like he hadn’t shaved in days.

He was a handsome man, but at the moment, he was the very picture of dejection.

His eyes, in particular, were dim and vacant. He must have been drinking when Chen Yu came in; half-empty bottles and various snacks were scattered across the coffee table in front of him.

Chen Yu shook his head inwardly.

’Drinking while recovering from an injury? He really doesn’t take his body seriously at all.’

’In contrast, Hill had been so much more disciplined. Even when his injuries made it hard to move, he had never let himself get this unkempt.’

Still, upon seeing Chen Yu, Hardaway stood up and extended a large right hand to shake. "Chen, we finally meet. What you said on TV was brilliant. The Magic’s team doctors are a bunch of vets."

"Damn Barnett, and damn Billings!"

Hardaway cursed.

When Boston had previously recommended Chen Yu, Hardaway had rejected the idea almost without a second thought.

Years of recurring injuries had made him extremely wary of doctors. Weren’t the surgeons who performed his microfracture surgery all renowned experts? Before the operation, they had assured him he would make a full recovery.

And the result? Things only got worse.

If Hardaway couldn’t even trust them, how could he possibly trust a rookie doctor like Chen Yu?

He’d been especially scornful after Billings accused Chen Yu of misdiagnosing and deceiving Hill.

But then, public opinion shifted. Hardaway realized he had misjudged Chen Yu. When he saw the news clip of Chen Yu pointing at the camera and calling the Magic’s staff a bunch of vets, he felt like he’d found a kindred spirit.

He desperately wanted to tell the world, ’You have no idea what a bunch of hacks the Magic’s medical staff are!’

That’s why he reached out to Boston and had him invite Chen Yu.

’If Hill can trust Chen Yu, then I should be able to, too.’

Chen Yu nodded, unsure whether to laugh or cry. Hardaway’s grudge against the Magic ran incredibly deep.

The three of them sat down. Chen Yu skipped the pleasantries and asked if Hardaway had any recent medical reports.

Boston had them ready.

Chen Yu picked up the files. The most recent report was from three days ago.

As he read, he also used the Eye of All-Seeing to examine Hardaway’s condition.

After just one glance, Chen Yu frowned.

’Just as I thought. You can’t believe everything the media reports these days.’

Hardaway’s actual condition was significantly different from what he’d read online.

First, his knee.

Chen Yu could see the cartilage had been removed.

The cause was most likely a torn meniscus.

After the meniscus tear, there was an increase in loose bodies in the joint and synovial inflammation, which caused severe wear on the articular cartilage. There was no choice but to remove it completely.

Then there were the ligaments.

The main issue was with the ACL. It was torn—and clearly, there were both new and old tears.

Fortunately, it hadn’t ruptured completely. The tear was somewhere between a grade one and a grade two.

So upon closer inspection, Chen Yu realized that Hardaway’s meniscus was a bigger problem than his ligaments.

His left meniscus was torn again.

And it was in the dreaded "white zone," an area that theoretically has no capacity to regenerate or heal on its own.

The only option was to remove it.

But while removal was simple, the resulting joint friction and degeneration, along with recurring inflammation and swelling, would only lead to increasingly difficult problems down the line.

Besides his knee, there was also his hamstring.

Hardaway’s hamstring and ankle both had varying degrees of damage and inflammation.

But compared to his knee, these issues were almost negligible.

"So, what’s the verdict?" Hardaway asked, looking at Chen Yu with anticipation. "What kind of treatment do I need? How long until I can play again?"

Chen Yu glanced at Hardaway.

’Play again?’

’He had to be dreaming.’

Setting down the file, Chen Yu said, "You have a lot of issues. I’m sure plenty of doctors have gone over them with you recently, so I won’t repeat everything. If you’re asking for my diagnosis, my recommendation is still surgery. You’d be out for the season and need nearly a year to make a full recovery."

It was early December.

’The new season starts next October. That’s a full eleven months. It should be enough time.’

The color drained from Hardaway’s face.

Beside him, Boston also frowned.

’Judging by their expressions,’ Chen Yu thought, ’other doctors must have already told them the same thing.’

His face etched with disappointment, Hardaway reached for his glass.

Chen Yu said coolly, "If I were you, I wouldn’t take that drink."

Hardaway froze, his hand hovering over the glass.

Boston coughed lightly, stepped forward to take the glass and set it down. "Penny," he said, "we’ve already consulted so many doctors. They all recommend surgery. It’s just one season. Get the surgery, and after you recover next year, you’ll still be the same unstoppable Penny."

Hardaway was unmoved. He suddenly looked up at Chen Yu. "What if I choose conservative treatment? I don’t need a full recovery. I just need to be able to get back on the court."

In Hardaway’s mind, surgery had become a nightmare.

He had been deceived time and time again.

Even with the cartilage removal surgery after last season, he’d thought it was just a meniscus procedure right up until he was on the operating table. Who would have thought they were going to remove his articular cartilage completely?

Chen Yu was about to shake his head, but he stopped.

’Conservative treatment is definitely out of the question,’ he thought. ’If a condition like his could be fixed without surgery, it would be a medical miracle. They’d want to dissect him for research.’

But this brief exchange made Chen Yu realize just how deeply Hardaway distrusted doctors and surgery.

’At this point, even if I promise him that surgery can lead to a full recovery, he won’t believe me.’

’If I want Hardaway to agree to surgery without a fight, I’ll have to get creative.’

’For example, I could let him experience my skills firsthand. Or he could see for himself how Hill is recovering under my care.’

’Trust isn’t built with just a few words during a first meeting.’

’Hill only came to trust me completely after I stood my ground and managed to reduce his swelling in twenty-four hours.’

With that thought, Chen Yu said, "Conservative treatment... is an option."

Hardaway’s eyes instantly lit up. "Chen," he said excitedly, "you’re not kidding me, are you?"

Chen Yu smiled. "Rehabilitation therapy is my specialty. It’s the main reason Hill chose to work with me. Your situation is very complex, so I can only say we can give it a try. For example, we could spend a month on it, see how effective the conservative treatment is. If the results aren’t ideal, we can consider our next move then."

Chen Yu made a quick calculation in his head. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

’Even if I’m going to operate on Hardaway, I’ll need to prepare.’

’My current Silver-Level healing ability probably isn’t enough. I’ll need to grind it up to Gold Level to be safe.’

’I’ll use this month to find a way to grind my healing ability.’

’Perfect. In a month, Hill will be making his comeback. That will be the perfect opportunity to show Hardaway just how effective my treatments are, earn his trust, and then proceed with the surgery.’

’His isn’t an acute injury; it’s a chronic problem from years of wear and tear. Delaying surgery by a month won’t make a huge difference.’

"Kevin, did you hear that? I can get conservative treatment!" It was as if Hardaway had suddenly come back to life. He pointed at Chen Yu and spoke excitedly.

He even stood up and insisted on giving Chen Yu a hug.

"Chen, what do you need me to do?" Hardaway asked, sitting back down and staring intently at Chen Yu.

Chen Yu chuckled. "Simple. Come with me to Orlando."

Hill’s rehabilitation couldn’t be interrupted. The two cities were over a thousand kilometers apart, so traveling back and forth was completely unrealistic. The only option was to bring Hardaway to Orlando.

Hardaway froze.

He couldn’t help but shudder at the mention of the name Orlando.

It was where he had shot to stardom, but it was also where he had stepped into hell.