Houston invited Chen Yu inside.
After a moment's hesitation, Houston secretly sent a text message to Billings.
Chen Yu saw Hill.
He was half-lying on the sofa with his left foot elevated, which was already wrapped in a compression bandage.
Upon seeing Chen Yu enter, he immediately used the sofa for support to stand up and shake Chen Yu's hand.
Even though he was injured, the humility ingrained in his very bones didn't allow him to neglect his manners.
"Sorry for making you rush over like this. I hope it didn't interfere with your work," Hill said apologetically as he sat back down.
He hadn't expected Chen Yu to arrive so quickly.
Even for a wealthy man like him, seeing a doctor still required an appointment. He was grateful that someone like Chen Yu would travel hundreds of kilometers on just a single phone call.
Chen Yu shook his head. "Like I said last time, I'm between jobs right now, so I have plenty of time."
Hill didn't say any more. He showed his left ankle to Chen Yu and asked, "Do I need to get another MRI?"
Chen Yu didn't answer right away. He had already silently activated his Eye of All-Seeing.
'An examination will definitely be necessary.'
'It doesn't have to be at a major hospital. There are plenty of clinics that specialize in diagnostic services; we can just use one of them.'
'If I just give a diagnosis without an exam, it would be hard to explain how I saw the problem.'
But as he looked, Chen Yu's brow furrowed immediately.
At first glance, it was just as Hill had said: there was no structural damage.
The bones were fine, and the ligaments weren't torn.
But Chen Yu's Eye of All-Seeing could perceive problems that conventional scans would miss.
Damaged capillaries, fluid buildup in the tissues, and swelling were all manageable; with enough rest, they would heal.
The real trouble was that Chen Yu observed damage to Hill's talar cartilage, which hadn't been there a few days ago.
Normally, cartilage is smooth and not easily damaged.
However, under extreme circumstances like a sprain, abnormal friction can cause cartilage damage.
In Hill's case, the inversion of his ankle caused his fibula and talus to collide, leading to this result.
Fortunately, the extent of the damage wasn't severe.
But if it wasn't handled properly, it would cause a lot of trouble down the line.
Cartilage is even worse than ligaments. It has no blood supply, meaning it has almost no ability to heal on its own.
Once damaged, when subjected to pressure again later, it will gradually lead to conditions like delamination, defects, cystic changes, and inflammation.
Eventually, it will completely lose its function, causing bone-on-bone contact, which leads to pain and a decline in athletic ability.
Its role is no less important than that of the meniscus.
This is why so many athletes experience a decline in performance after having their meniscus removed.
Moreover, it would very likely lead to ankle instability.
Chen Yu had encountered this situation many times in orthopedics. It could start with a single sprain, and after recovery, the person would experience frequent sprains in the same spot, accompanied by persistent pain and swelling.
The most crucial part was that it couldn't be detected by standard tests. An X-ray would show everything was fine, yet the person would suffer from habitual sprains and pain.
The MRI from last night must not have detected this issue either.
For one, the damage wasn't severe. For another, the cartilage is thin, and the fluid from the swelling made it extremely difficult to distinguish.
But if he truly only rested for two weeks before hastily returning to play, the hidden danger would persist and gradually worsen.
Chen Yu could even predict Hill's future outcome.
Most likely, he would develop inflammation, joint wear, bone spurs, and scar tissue, and his ankle would get progressively worse.
Many illnesses, in fact, are simply dragged out and become severe because they weren't treated thoroughly from the start.
And it wasn't just the damaged cartilage. Chen Yu also noticed that the steel plate surgically implanted in Hill's ankle previously had developed minute cracks around the fixing screws due to the impact of this sprain.
Of course, it wouldn't come loose now, but over time, every change of direction, every explosive drive to the basket, would widen the damage, eventually leading to uncontrollable consequences.
But for now, it was still in the acute phase of the sprain, and there was nothing Chen Yu could do.
"Tomorrow, I'll arrange another examination for you. We'll talk after we get the results."
Hill nodded in agreement. The whole reason he had asked Chen Yu to come was to get a second opinion and another examination.
Houston had texted Billings, telling him that Hill had found another orthopedic doctor.
But Billings didn't rush over.
The Magic were playing a back-to-back against the Hawks today, and Billings had traveled with the team to Atlanta.
However, after receiving the text, Billings was not in a good mood.
Hill's actions clearly showed a lack of trust in his diagnosis.
He was the head team doctor, and for the team's star player to not trust him was no small matter.
After the game that night, back in his hotel room, Billings didn't go to rest right away. Instead, he went online and searched for information on Chen Yu.
After his search, he became even more frustrated.
He had thought Chen Yu was some kind of expert in the field of orthopedics, but it turned out he was just a rookie doctor from Jackson Memorial Hospital who had just completed his residency.
At least, in his eyes, Chen Yu was a rookie.
He called Houston that night, and after learning that Chen Yu had arranged another examination for Hill the next day, he specifically instructed Houston to tag along and monitor the entire process to prevent any problems.
He couldn't stop Hill from getting the exam; that would only make him look like he had something to hide.
But he couldn't let this rookie, Chen Yu, do whatever he wanted either.
He even contacted Gabriel to explain the situation.
He felt that Hill was having some psychological issues. If a rift and a crisis of trust formed between him and the front office at a time like this, it wouldn't be a good sign.
Gabriel was also startled by the news. The next morning, he rushed over to Hill's house early to talk about Chen Yu.
"Grant, Joe is a veteran surgical expert, and Dr. Montrose, who examined you, is the best orthopedic doctor at Florida Hospital. You can completely trust their diagnoses."
Hill didn't say anything.
He had specifically sought out Chen Yu this time not just because he'd gotten a good impression of his professionalism during their brief meeting at the American Airlines Arena, but for another reason as well: he didn't really trust Joe Billings.
The reason for this went back to another one of Jordan's successors.
Penny, Anfernee Hardaway, who entered the NBA a year before Hill.
Being called a successor to Jordan was enough to show how incredible Hardaway was. But during the '96-'97 season, Hardaway began to experience soreness in his knee. The Magic's team doctor at the time, Jim Barnett, examined him and confirmed it was cartilage damage. After surgery, and only 20 days later, Barnett cleared Hardaway to play because the Magic's record was so poor.
As a result, Hardaway was injured again after playing just one game.
The following season, Hardaway underwent two more minimally invasive surgeries. And once again, due to the team's record, Barnett told him he could return to the court early.
Everyone knows how that turned out.
That tall, elegant point guard was never the same again.
And Joe Billings was Barnett's assistant at the time.
He was also complicit in the ruin of Hardaway's career.