Sports Medicine Master System

Chapter 360 - 300: Kill the Chicken to Warn the Monkey (Part 2)

The team had no practice scheduled for today. The next game was on the 31st, an away game for the Phoenix Suns against the Supersonic.

Just like last season, Chen Yu still wouldn’t travel with the team for away games.

At the same time, Chen Yu had to go on a business trip to Los Angeles.

It wasn’t because a player on the Lakers or Fast Ship was injured, but rather a matter concerning the "five-minute rule."

The rule was officially announced in the middle of the month, making the NBA the first of the four major sports leagues in the United States to address player mental health with a formal regulation. The move sparked considerable media coverage and discussion.

Now that it was an official rule, the teams naturally didn’t dare to neglect it. They all dutifully hired full-time psychologists.

But hiring was one thing. In the weekly work reports they submitted, Chen Yu noticed some problems.

Chen Yu felt that some teams weren’t taking it seriously at all.

The reports they sent him were beyond simple. Every player’s psychological file contained just one word: Normal.

If it had only been one week’s report, it might have been excusable. But when it was like this for two or three weeks in a row, it was obvious they weren’t taking it seriously.

They couldn’t even be bothered to cover it up. If they had just written something, anything, Chen Yu might have let it slide.

And there were eight such teams in total.

The Lakers were among them.

Incidentally, the Lakers had been the first team in the league to hire a psychologist, even before the Phoenix Suns.

But again, hiring was one thing; the psychologist wasn’t serving any real purpose. It was just a formality.

So Chen Yu planned to do the same thing he did with the Nuggets last season: make an example of them. He would use his actions to show every team not to treat the rule as a joke. Violations would result in immediate penalties.

As for why he chose the Lakers, well, who could deny their influence?

Since the Lakers were playing the Pioneer today in the second game of a back-to-back, Chen Yu set out for Los Angeles the next day.

In the afternoon, Chen Yu arrived at the Staples Center by car.

"Chen, this is our psychology chat room."

Kupchek and Jackson received Chen Yu together.

The room was surprisingly large and had clearly been decorated with care, furnished with two comfortable leather sofas.

"Are you sure?" Chen Yu stepped forward, picked up a bag of snacks from the counter, and then pointed to a pile of promotional flyers in the corner.

A coffee machine, self-serve drinks, and snacks.

It was obvious this place had become a break room for the office staff.

A flash of embarrassment crossed Kupchek’s face.

Chen Yu continued, "Also, the rule requires the hiring of a full-time psychologist. So I’d like to ask, where is this Dr. Bob Ruel?"

’Do these guys misunderstand what ’full-time’ means?’

Kupchek was too embarrassed to know how to answer.

Jackson stepped forward to smooth things over. "Sorry, Chen, that’s our fault. Bob isn’t here today. He only comes in when the team has practice or a game."

After a pause, Jackson added, "Chen, is this five-minute rule really necessary?"

Jackson thought that requiring teams to hire a psychologist was a good thing; otherwise, the Lakers wouldn’t have hired one so early on.

But in Jackson’s view, enforcing the five-minute rule was going a bit too far.

"I think the reasonable approach is for players with psychological issues to proactively seek treatment. It shouldn’t be for someone with no problems to have to see a psychologist. To be honest, a lot of the players are complaining about it," Jackson grumbled.

Chen Yu gestured for them to sit and casually brewed a cup of coffee.

’The coffee beans aren’t half bad.’

"Phil, it’s normal for you to think that way, but let me ask you a question. If you were a player, would you proactively admit that you have a psychological problem?" Chen Yu retorted.

Jackson was taken aback and fell silent.

Frowning in thought for a moment, Jackson said, "I’m starting to understand."

Even if the entire treatment process was confidential, very few people could probably bring themselves to tell their teammates and everyone on the team that they have a psychological problem.

Chen Yu continued, "I’m sure you’re thinking that many players don’t have mental health issues, so these frequent chats are a waste of time and unnecessary."

Jackson froze. ’How did you know what I was going to say?’ he thought.

"But Phil, what I’m trying to say is, by the time a real psychological problem appears, it’s already too late." Chen Yu didn’t bring up Anjel’s case.

That was a thorn in Chen Yu’s side, something he was reluctant to bring up.

Chen Yu said, "Let’s talk about Yao. Phil, what do you think Yao’s mental state is right now?"

Jackson frowned and shook his head.

Chen Yu continued, "In the season opener, you lost, and he didn’t score a single point. Yesterday, in your back-to-back game, you beat the Pioneer, and he played 21 minutes but only managed 3 points and 5 rebounds. On top of that, he had 4 turnovers and 4 fouls. His performance was still terrible."

As he spoke, Chen Yu took a copy of today’s Los Angeles Times from his shoulder bag and placed it on the table.

He had grabbed it on his way out of the airport.

"Look at what the media is saying. They’ve already given Yao a nickname, calling him the ’clumsy giraffe.’ I won’t go into the specifics, but suffice it to say, it’s not good. They’re also saying the trade for Shaq wasn’t worth it."

At the mention of the trade, Kupchek’s expression soured.

He’d already been getting blasted by the fans and the media.

"And he’s all alone, in a completely unfamiliar environment where he doesn’t speak the language, and he’s facing this kind of ridicule. Phil, if that were you, what would be going through your mind?"

Chen Yu looked at Jackson.

"All his hopes and dreams for the NBA, all his beautiful expectations, and his self-confidence—don’t you think they’d all be crushed?"

Jackson didn’t speak, but his brow was deeply furrowed.

Chen Yu said, "That’s why I require the five-minute chats before practice and before games. It allows you to constantly monitor their mental state and helps your coaching staff understand what they’re thinking. That way, if a problem arises, you can solve it more quickly. But if you wait until a real psychological problem develops, it’s already too late."

"Phil, we’re doing this not just for the good of the players, but for the good of the team as well."

Jackson stared blankly at Chen Yu for a long moment before finally nodding. He said seriously, "Chen, I completely understand now. You’re right about this."

Before, Jackson had never really thought about this issue in such careful detail.

’Right is right,’ Chen Yu thought, ’but you’re still not getting out of the fine.’

"Chen, so you’re saying you think Yao might have a psychological problem?" Jackson was clearly concerned about Yao Ming and asked immediately.

Chen Yu shook his head. "Not that he has a problem, but that a problem might develop if he isn’t guided and supported correctly."

Psychological issues aren’t like getting sick; they don’t just appear out of nowhere. They build up over time when problems go unresolved.

Early attention leads to an early solution.

"By the way, where does he live? I happen to have something for him, so I can drop by and see him," Chen Yu added.

He had prepared some things for Yao Ming.