Sports Medicine Master System-Chapter 68: He Has No Other Choice
Inside the spacious conference room, Joseph, the Director of Orthopedics at Saint Luke Hospital, was also present.
Chen Yu flipped through the various test results.
In truth, Chen Yu already knew what the results would show.
The ligament, meniscus, and cartilage were the same as before. There was some recovery—after all, Chen Yu’s massages and Acupuncture had their technical benefits—but it was minimal.
Setting down the documents, Chen Yu met Anfernee’s expectant gaze and said, "I’m sorry, Anfernee. Your recovery isn’t going well."
The smile on Hardaway’s face instantly froze.
Chen Yu continued, "I believe that, given your current condition, the best option is still surgery."
Hardaway’s eyes widened, filled with disappointment and even despair.
Everyone else in the room fell silent.
Chen Yu scanned the room. He was perfectly aware that everyone present already knew Hardaway’s situation.
Besides surgery, there was simply no other choice.
Brian, for his part, had probably already prepared for Hardaway to be out for the season.
As for Emerson and Joseph, they were both senior doctors. They knew very well that for a condition like Hardaway’s, conservative treatment was useless.
Even Boston was perfectly aware of the situation.
"Chen, you lied to me!" Hardaway roared, his voice thick with emotion. "You told me conservative treatment was an option! Why is this the result now? You were able to cure Hill, so why not me?"
Chen Yu didn’t look away, meeting Hardaway’s gaze directly.
As they stared at each other, Hardaway lost his momentum. He slumped back into his seat and said in a trembling voice, "Chen, I trust you. I really do. You cured Hill, and he’s so healthy now. Is there really no other way? I really don’t want surgery."
Hill’s return had sent shockwaves through the entire league.
Just last night, in Hill’s third game back, the Magic had faced the Spurs at home.
Although the Spurs had six players scoring in double digits, Hill, who played nearly the entire game, recorded a triple-double with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists. He led his team in a battle against the Spurs down to the final moment, losing by a narrow margin of 3 points.
The sheer heat of Hill’s performance left everyone stunned.
Chen Yu said, "Anfernee, since you trust me this much, let me be the one to perform this surgery. Next season, I’ll have you back on the court, just as healthy as Hill."
Hardaway still shook his head, then stood up and walked out.
Boston immediately followed, but not before giving Chen Yu a meaningful look as he passed.
The two of them went outside the conference room.
Boston let out a long breath. "Chen, you should prepare for the surgery. Trust me, he’ll agree to it."
After a pause, Boston sighed again. "Because he has no other choice."
Chen Yu patted Boston’s arm. "Trust me. Next season, I’ll give you back a healthy Penny."
"I believe you." Boston chuckled, then added, "Chen, your initial strategy was right. If you hadn’t let him see Hill’s condition after his comeback, he never would have accepted reality. And as for his surgery, very few people would be confident enough to perform it, but you can. You’ve already worked a miracle with Hill."
With that said, he hurried off after Hardaway.
Chen Yu returned to the conference room.
The atmosphere was still heavy.
Brian cleared his throat and asked, "Chen, if you perform the surgery, to what extent can Anfernee recover by next season?"
Brian was, of course, well aware of Hardaway’s condition. All that talk about conservative treatment was just to placate him.
He understood now. Chen Yu had probably intended from the start to use conservative treatment to stabilize Hardaway emotionally before finding a way to convince him to have the surgery.
The key was that he didn’t dare entrust this surgery to Emerson. If he did, the most likely outcome was another Gugliotta.
But then there was Chen Yu. Hill’s recovery had been just too good.
Emerson also looked at Chen Yu. He wasn’t about to question Chen Yu the way Billings might have.
’If it were me, I’d also say surgery was necessary. Besides, I’m not at all confident I could perform this operation. A torn ligament, a torn meniscus, and a cartilage removal on top of that... Not even a god could fix that.’
’Plus, I’m planning to resign anyway, so I might as well just let Chen Yu handle it.’
Chen Yu stood up, walked to the whiteboard, and quickly sketched a simple diagram of the knee. He then said, "I want to use a single open surgery to resolve all the issues in his knee. On one hand, to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament and the left meniscus. On the other hand, for the cartilage that was removed, I plan to use microfracture surgery to reconstruct it."
"With a 10-month recovery period, he can make it back for next season. As for the extent of his recovery, I can only say conservatively that he should regain about ninety percent of his peak functionality."
’No matter how good the repair, it’s never as good as the original.’
’Even with the System, I can’t over-promise. A conservative estimate of ninety percent recovery should be safe.’
"Ninety percent?"
Brian’s eyes lit up. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
And ninety percent of his peak, at that.
Besides, in his last healthy season with the Magic, the ’95-’96 season, Hardaway averaged 21.7 points and 7.1 assists. Was that even his peak?
Not by a long shot!
That was only his third year in the league. He was only 25 years old! He still had so much room to grow.
In other words, Hardaway was struck down by injuries before he even reached his peak, and he’d been struggling with them for years.
Brian wasn’t even asking for his true peak. If Hardaway could get back ninety percent of his ability from that year, he’d be smiling in his sleep.
"Chen, I believe in your diagnosis."
After Hardaway got injured, they had consulted so many doctors, and not a single one had dared to say what Chen Yu just did.
And based on Hill’s recovery alone, Brian trusted Chen Yu’s judgment.
Emerson and Joseph naturally didn’t say much, but they were both wondering inwardly, ’With an injury like Hardaway’s, can he really regain ninety percent of his functionality?’
After all, the injury was just too severe.
"Joseph." Chen Yu looked at Joseph. "I’d like to perform this surgery at your hospital. I’d also like to ask you to be my assistant. Would you be willing?"
Joseph hesitated for a moment. "Performing it at our hospital is no problem, of course. As for being your assistant... I’m getting older. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be up to it."
Hardaway was no ordinary patient. If something went wrong during the surgery, even as an assistant, Joseph’s reputation would be damaged.
"No problem."
Chen Yu didn’t insist. Another person came to his mind: Wash.
’Inviting her to fly in for a surgery shouldn’t be an issue.’
After the discussion ended, Brian didn’t leave right away. Instead, he invited Chen Yu to have a word in private.
"Chen, Emerson is planning to resign, and we’re in need of a team doctor. I know you’re preparing to take a position at the league’s new player health management department, but you should have time to also serve as a team doctor for one of the teams, right?"
It was very common for a renowned expert to hold multiple positions.
Chen Yu looked at Brian in surprise.
’What a coincidence. I was just wondering how I could talk to Brian about getting a position on the Suns’ medical team.’
Chen Yu had already spoken with Stern about wanting to locate the office for this player health management department in Phoenix.
It was mostly routine review work, so it didn’t necessarily have to be at the NBA Headquarters.
The main reason was for his own convenience. After all, he would have to stay in Phoenix for the next year to work closely with Hardaway.
"Of course." Chen Yu smiled and extended his hand.
Brian quickly shook it, his gloomy mood finally easing a bit. He then said immediately, "Chen, in that case, if it’s convenient, could you re-diagnose another player for us?"
Brian really didn’t want another Gugliotta on his hands.
