Chapter 763 - 688: Artest

Chapter 763: Chapter 688: Artest

Pioneer Training Base.

"Morning."

Nowitzki, with his bag slung over his shoulder, greeted the coaches and kids he passed on his way to the training center.

He was startled the moment he walked in.

The entire facility was brightly lit.

Chen Yu was already there, along with about twenty trainers from Pioneer.

Ewing, Oakley, Chip Engelland, and a whole host of other star trainers were all present.

There were also numerous technicians adjusting cameras and tracking rails.

At the same time, his three teammates—Kwame Brown, James Posey, and Clifford Robinson—were also there, already warming up.

The sheer scale of the operation stunned Nowitzki.

Chen had contacted him and told him to report in today, saying they needed to identify issues with his playstyle and find ways to adjust and improve it.

But he never expected it to be such a massive affair.

He even stammered a little when he greeted Chen Yu, pointing at Brown and the others to ask if they were here for adjustments and improvements, just like him.

"No, they’re here to help you identify the problems."

Chen Yu shook his head and motioned for Nowitzki to go warm up.

Nowitzki went, still in a daze.

And it wasn’t just the players; the trainers were warming up too.

The facility was closed to the public. The testing began only after everyone was thoroughly warmed up.

The goal for the day was to simulate, as accurately as possible, the in-game situations where Nowitzki struggled.

This meant simulating scenarios where a power forward would body him up, and a small forward would rotate over to front him as help defense.

Chen Yu needed to use technological equipment to gather concrete data and analyze why Nowitzki found it so difficult to play in these scenarios, why his shooting percentage was so low, and where exactly the problem lay.

Only then could they move on to the next step: finding a way to adjust and improve.

On this high-tech court, which Chen Yu had spent nearly four million US dollars on, and with the help of high-definition cameras positioned all over, every one of Nowitzki’s movements was clearly recorded.

The coaching staff’s tactical coach, Frank Johnson, was also present. He had Nowitzki run through different offensive sets based on the Phoenix Suns’ current tactics.

Chen Yu had also prepared over a dozen scenarios to simulate various defensive environments.

And to ensure the sample size was sufficient and reliable, each scenario had to be attempted ten, even dozens of times.

This whole series of tests completely exhausted Nowitzki.

But they didn’t stop. When he got tired, Chen Yu would personally give him a massage to help him recover his stamina, and then they would continue.

And the scenario testing was just one part of it.

After lunch, once all the drills were completed, they proceeded to record all of Nowitzki’s technical movements.

By the end of it all, Nowitzki couldn’t help but remark that he felt like a test subject for some mad scientist in a movie.

This went on until well after four in the afternoon.

After giving all the players massages to help them relax, Chen Yu sent them on their way.

They had to leave for an away game the next day.

This was also why they had to complete so many tests today.

This was only the first session.

There would be a second, and a third, until the problem was completely analyzed and a suitable solution was found.

This cycle of testing and analysis continued for nearly a full month.

"Chen, what are your thoughts?"

Skiles’s voice pulled Chen Yu back from his wandering thoughts.

"What?"

Chen Yu sat up straight.

The Phoenix Suns’ management was in a meeting, discussing a certain matter.

It was late November.

Just yesterday, the media had dropped a bombshell regarding the Indiana Pacers in the East.

Artest, who had just recently returned to play this year, had requested a trade from the Pacers’ management. He wanted to leave the Pacers.

The news sent shockwaves through the league.

Furthermore, the media dug up that Artest had already had this idea at the beginning of the season but had been persuaded to stay by Bird.

At the start of the season, Bird’s public stance was that he hoped to keep the current roster and was looking forward to Artest’s return.

However, over the past month, he had changed his tune.

His latest statements indicated that he was now considering the possibility of a rebuild.

Therefore, it was possible that Artest would be traded.

This was a top-tier perimeter defender and an excellent on-ball attacker who could average nearly 20 points per game.

Most importantly, his salary was less than 7 million.

This wasn’t just good value; it was a steal.

His defense alone was worth that price.

His appeal was especially huge for teams aiming for a championship.

That was why Skiles and Brian were discussing whether they should try to acquire Artest.

The trade chip they planned to offer was Marion.

In Brian’s view, this would be a downgrade trade.

Artest’s one-on-one defense was stronger, but Marion’s help defense was a bit better.

And Marion’s scoring ability wasn’t bad by any means; his on-ball offense was just a bit weaker.

But the goal for the Phoenix Suns in making this trade was to downgrade and save on salary.

Their plan was to trade Marion for Artest and the 5th pick from the ’99 draft, Jonathan Bender.

This player was worth talking about.

He was seven feet tall with a seven-foot-three wingspan, but like Darius Miles, he was a big man who could play small forward.

Darius Miles was known as "Garnett 2.0."

But he wasn’t the first one to get that nickname; Jonathan Bender was.

Bender had been a sensation in high school, making a name for himself across the country.

In his senior year, he put up incredible stats, averaging 23 points, 15 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 4 assists per game.

In that year’s McDonald’s All-American Game, he exploded for 31 points to win MVP, breaking a record previously held by Jordan.

In the ’99 draft, the Raptors selected him with the 5th pick, but the then-Pacers head coach, Bird, immediately traded Antonio Davis to the Raptors to bring the phenom to Indiana.

At the time, Bird had praised him lavishly, saying his talent exceeded that of everyone else in the league combined.

As it turned out, Bird’s ability to hype players was on par with his talent for posturing.

But back then, a guy who was taller than Garnett, could play like a small forward, and was able to dunk from the free-throw line was indeed astonishingly talented.

It’s just that before he could even adapt to the NBA, injuries came for him.

A torn calf muscle caused him to miss most of the 2002-03 season.

Chen Yu had helped treat him.

Even back then, Chen Yu was aware of his underlying problem.

He had a knee injury, an old one from his high school days.

A torn meniscus and severely worn knee cartilage.

That year was a contract year for him, so he opted for conservative treatment.

As a result, after signing a big contract with the Pacers, he got injured again.

He twisted his left knee, tearing a ligament and missing the 2003-04 season as well.

Chen Yu treated him that time, too.

After his comeback, he finally managed to play a full season last year, averaging 7.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

But considering his talent and draft position, that performance still wasn’t good enough.

Plus, with Little O’Neal ahead of him, it was difficult for him to get significant opportunities.

Most importantly, his knee remained a significant injury risk.

The issues with his meniscus and cartilage wear had only been treated conservatively and hadn’t been properly addressed.

He had also missed his most crucial years for development due to injuries.

But Brian felt it was fine to bring him over.

He was still young, only 24 this year. Many older rookies were around that age, so he still had the potential to be developed.

Once Robinson retired, they would need to find a backup for Nowitzki anyway.

Mo Ke was clearly not a suitable option.

Besides, this was also a contract year for him. If he didn’t perform as expected, they could just let him go next summer, which would free up seven million in salary.

As for his injuries, Brian knew that Chen Yu’s side had already developed a brand-new cartilage regeneration technology. It was currently in clinical trials and could absolutely be used on Bender.

Because of this, even Skiles was a bit tempted by the trade proposal.

But Chen Yu’s opinion was equally important, which was why they were asking him.

"Sorry, I spaced out for a moment."

Returning to the question, Chen Yu thought for a moment before giving his answer: "I don’t really agree with this trade. Shawn is a better fit for us."