One Year Left to Play

Upon arriving at the hotel in Houston, Zhang Hao, as usual, spent the day before the game focused on studying his opponents’ footage and data.

Over time, his teammates came to see him as a boring basketball workhorse.

He became a role model, but it was hard for others to follow his lead.

At 5:10 in the afternoon, just as he finished his work and was about to call his teammates for dinner, Zhang Hao received a system notification.

"Contracted player Wang Zhizhi, in the game representing the Hoya Dog Team against the Husky Team, played 37 minutes and scored 11 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, made 10 assists, and blocked 4 shots, helping the Hoya Dog Team defeat the Husky Team 92 to 75... Congratulations to the host for receiving a double reward of 4 days of life bonuses."

Seeing this system prompt, Zhang Hao was taken aback!

Xiaowang really stepped up! To get a triple-double in the second game of his sophomore year!

But that playing time, and that score...

Zhang Hao recalled a game he played last season, where he went in the fourth quarter, and the score difference quickly exceeded 20 points, but he was kept in the game for another half-quarter because he was 3 points short, yet the opponents, despite being far behind, gave him little chance to shoot freely, defending intensively...

"John Thompson seems to really like Xiaowang, he played 31 minutes in the last game too, but Georgetown is having a harder time winning this year compared to last. With Iverson, last year’s Big East Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, gone, their strength has significantly declined, and they haven’t recruited particularly talented wing players... They seem to just produce great centers historically, with 9 centers selected in the first round, will Xiaowang become the 10th... There seems to be only 1 NCAA championship.

Ewing, Moning, Mutombo, those should be the best three centers in Georgetown University’s history, and Xiaowang is really different from them. Perhaps that’s what sparked John Thompson’s interest in nurturing this treasured talent?"

After feeling happy for Wang Zhizhi for a moment, Zhang Hao found Kenny Anderson and Jason Williams, had a lunch together, then went back to his room and called Wang Zhizhi to congratulate him.

After hanging up, Zhang Hao still felt it was quite a hassle, having to call Wang Zhizhi through his school team’s manager, and he couldn’t send an expensive gift either, otherwise, it would cause trouble for him and trigger an NCAA investigation.

After a night’s rest, the next morning, Zhang Hao went with his teammates to prepare at the Rockets’ home venue.

Del Harris was determined to pursue the "anti-trend playstyle" to the end, with increasingly unconventional strategies...

Zhang Hao felt the kind of madness that the old fox showed by letting the rookie Kobe take the final shot in consecutive playoff games.

After lunch at noon, as Zhang Hao was about to take a nap, Jason Williams rushed in.

"Aix, did you see the news?"

"What is it?"

"The Spurs announced that David Robinson has a fractured joint cartilage in his right foot and a torn ankle ligament, and he’s out for the season!"

"Uh..."

Zhang Hao, though knowing David Robinson would be out for the season, recognized the gravity of the injury as a student of sports medicine. With today’s medical technology and sufficient funds, Robinson, surely a wealthy man, could definitely be treated well.

This type of injury, also commonly known as "football foot," often seen in Europe and South America, already has a fully developed treatment method. Los Angeles and Miami both have experts in this field, and if treated early on, although not perfectly recoverable, the impact could be greatly reduced.

But David Robinson’s case is definitely at the worst level!

While cartilage fractures and ligament tears can be healed, this only applies to the average person; for an athlete, it’s a crippling blow to explosiveness and speed!

Zhang Hao didn’t believe the Spurs would intentionally hold back a prime David Robinson and let his injury worsen to sideline him for the entire season, especially such injuries that might cause a player’s performance to plummet.

Over the past two seasons, David Robinson was in the All-NBA First Team consecutively; if not for Jordan’s return, he could’ve completed back-to-back MVPs last season.

"Is it because ’football foot’ is rare in the NBA, so they didn’t take it seriously? Or was it because they were competing with our Lakers for the top spot in the West and feared being ripped off by Los Angeles hospitals? Did this delay it until now, letting it worsen to this degree? What a tragedy!"

...

With an average of 15 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block in the 6 games started, David Robinson’s 1996-1997 season came to an end.

The Spurs went from an unexpectedly poor start to becoming a truly poor team.

Before a warm-up, the Magician mentioned the Spurs’ David Robinson in an interview.

"I was forced out of the NBA court at his age as well, hoping the Admiral can overcome the injuries..."

When Zhang Hao heard these words from the Magician, he sensed a lot of emotion, as the Magician also faced a career-ending blow around that age.

In a joint interview, Zhang Hao said, "I think players should have more understanding of their own bodies. Trusting the team’s doctor is important, but in special situations, multiple opinions should be considered instead of blindly following someone else’s words..."

These words offended some people.

The Spurs firmly refused to admit any fault with their medical team, and the hospital where their doctors were affiliated provided plenty of theories to back them up.

Zhang Hao didn’t care much; he simply wanted to express himself, nor did he plan to play for the Spurs anyway.

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