noveldrama
Chapter 821 821 522 Whatever the Cost_3
Chapter 821 821 522 Whatever the Cost_3
?Chapter 821: Chapter 522 Whatever the Cost_3 Chapter 821: Chapter 522 Whatever the Cost_3 Tyronn wouldn’t give up and personally went to see Roy’s recovery.
He discovered that Roy still needed to regain his feel for the ball, but his physical condition presented no issues.
Upon inquiry, Tyronn learned that Roy had always emphasized physical training during his rehabilitation. Although the training volume was restricted by the doctors, he was not in the state of someone who hadn’t exercised at all for half a year after a major injury.
Next, was his performance during training.
The coaching staff, who had long let Fei monopolize ball-handling, seemed to have almost forgotten that their championships in the past two years relied on having two ball-dominant cores.
Roy was still searching for his feel, but his ball-handling ability, penetration threat, near-basket touch, and passing vision would greatly alleviate Fei’s burden, allowing Fei to focus on offense at the small forward position, while Durant could punish the opposing role players under the constraint of both cores, just like before.
This was the fundamental reason why the SuperSonics had been so powerful in the past two years.
“Brandon, he…” Tyronn quietly asked the team doctor, “is it possible for him to come back for Game 5?”
The team doctor said, “It’s better not to, his physical recovery needs to be tested through extensive training.”
“About 70% of players with knee injuries tend to get injured again during training,” the team doctor gave Tyronn a grim statistic, “and less than 30% of them manage to come back successfully after a normal recovery period.”
“But…” Tyronn wouldn’t give up, “didn’t Brandon say before the surgery that he only needed 6-8 weeks off? He’s rested so long, he should…”
The team doctor sternly replied, “That’s exactly why we should carefully plan his comeback schedule. Because his recovery is not as fast as we expected, his body might be more fragile than we think, and now is not a good time to return.”
The glimmer of hope was engulfed by darkness in an instant.
Tyronn sighed and went back to his office to continue strategizing.
What happened next was something Tyronn couldn’t have imagined.
After the training, Brandon Roy said loudly, just like a president during an inauguration speech, “Guys, I’m coming back in Game 5!”
“Really?!” Durant cried out.
“Impossible!” Fei said, “You just resumed 5V5 practice, you need at least a month’s observation period.”
“Did I not play well just now?” Roy posed a question that left everyone speechless.
“It’s not about whether you played well!” Fei seemed ready to exercise an emperor’s veto, “Don’t try to mimic Willis Reed! I disagree!”
“I don’t need your agreement, just the coach’s approval, and I’m going to see him now.”
Roy left as he said this.
“You fucking stop right there!”
Fei chased after him.
The others were speechless, they looked forward to Roy’s return, but logically they knew Fei’s thinking was right. Roy had been away from the court for six months, even if his training performance was better than expected, playing in the Western finals, especially a game as crucial as King of the Hill, might be riskier than a Game 7 in the finals.
But what if Roy insisted on coming back?
Could Frye stop him?
A complex mix of thoughts swirled around the practice court, Roy’s teammates admired his decision, they anticipated his return, yet did not want him to come back.
“Is this an act?”
DeAndre Jordan looked at Kwame Brown.
Brown shook his head, “No, Brandon is serious.”
“Frye is serious too.”
“If Frye disagrees, Brandon probably can’t make a comeback, can he?” DeAndre Jordan said.
“Who knows…”
Just then, Clay Bennett, the owner of the SuperSonics, came over with a smile, asking, “I heard Brandon is making a comeback?”
“But Frye disagreed,” someone mentioned.
“Indeed, it’s too dangerous,” Bennett immediately switched positions.
He walked towards the coach’s office, and from a distance, he could hear the fierce argument erupting inside.
“Anyway, I disagree,” Fei told Tyronn, “I won’t agree to let a player who could get injured again come back in the name of saving the team!”
Fei said loudly, “I also won’t allow someone to gamble their career for glory; these are two different things, and there’s no room for negotiation about this!”
“Screw you, Frye, this is Seattle, not your dictatorship!” Roy roared furiously.
“You’re damn right!” Fei responded, “The SuperSonics is a kingdom ruled by me alone!”
Tyronn Lue was caught in a dilemma.
When Roy burst in saying he would come back no matter what, his image in Tyronn’s eyes was as bright and heroic as a knight in shining armor descending from the heavens.
Immediately after, Fei barged in with a murderous look and yelled, “I disagree!”
Then he was out of it.
He wished for Roy to return, but he couldn’t oppose Fei.
In the end, it truly was a situation that wouldn’t happen unless Fei approved.
Roy was furious and screamed at Fei, “You’ve been in Seattle for only a few days, who are you to dictate? You’re not even from Seattle! Let me tell you, I must come back, and if you oppose me, then screw you!”
Fei smirked, “I oppose!”
“Shut up!” Roy took a step forward, “I’ve had enough! I’m not just going to sit on the sidelines watching you guys play! A few days ago, the team told me they wanted me to represent the team and submit the new stadium financing plan to the city government during the finals, and I refused. Do you know why? Because I don’t want to be a mascot! This is the most important year in the history of Seattle professional basketball! If we win the championship, people living here even a hundred years later will remember my name! I want to be part of this history! So, I believe it’s fate! My recovery is complete, I can play, and I must come back. Whether it’s you (looking at Fei), the coaching staff, or that damn Oklahoma redneck boss who only cares about money, none can say, I can’t come back in Game 5!”
The coach’s office was very quiet.
Fei said no more.
Tyronn fixed his gaze on Roy, especially the person behind him.
The answer to this matter came from behind Roy.
“I agree that you should play in Game 5,” the Oklahoma redneck boss said with a beaming smile, walking over to Roy, “I fully support you, Brandon.”
Roy’s composure returned, and he swallowed hard.
“Boss, I…”
“No need to explain, I understand how you feel,” Bennett looked at Tyronn, “Coach, what do you think?”
Tyronn went all out, biting his teeth, “I support Brandon.”
Then, everyone’s gaze fell on Fei.
“I’ll tell you my final decision tomorrow,” Fei said, “but if you still decide to return at that time, I won’t oppose you anymore.”
Having said that, Fei left.
“I now believe,” Bennett said to Roy, “Frye really considers you as a friend.”
If you want to confirm whether a friendship is reliable, the most direct and convenient way is to have your friend do something that benefits you but can harm them. However, conversely, a true friend would not make such a demand.
Roy knew why Fei was vehemently against his comeback.
“I know,” Roy said. “He’s also my best friend.”
This was also the reason he was determined to come back.
For Roy, these three years were like a dream, creating the NBA’s most brilliant achievements with his best friend. Now, at the critical moment of the season, an opportunity to defend honor and to take a bullet for a friend was right in front of him, and he would not let it slip.
No matter what the price, to hell with it!