Chapter 66

"Chen, come over."

Philadelphia, 76ers Training Center.

After several days of intense competition, the 76ers were given a rare two-day break. With no games scheduled, Coach Cheeks also unusually did not arrange any training sessions. Perhaps to reward the players who had shown great fighting spirit in the game against the Heat, this academic coach decided to give the team a day off. After this day, the 76ers would pack their bags and head west for a tough road trip. The first stop of this road trip was Phoenix, Arizona, which Chen Mu had been looking forward to for a long time.

Even though it was a rest day, Chen Mu still came to the training ground, not for extra practice, but to retake the physical measurements. "Alright, your height and weight data have been re-registered."

Several team staff members were present. After Chen Mu proposed the idea of retaking the measurements to the manager, the team was very supportive and provided maximum assistance and cooperation. "Your physical data is too old. It's been more than half a year, and if you count from the date of the last measurement, it's almost a year. It's time for an update."

The team manager said. "Barefoot height: 204.5 cm, height with shoes: 207.5 cm. Not bad, that's a standard height for a power forward!"

The team's beautiful female recorder noted the data, nodding continuously. Her blonde hair was tied into a ponytail, swaying slightly behind her head, looking very energetic. "You've really grown taller!"

Hearing the data reported by the staff, Chen Mu was also surprised. He looked up at the measuring instrument and smiled, "No wonder, I always felt like the rim was a bit closer when I reached up!"

"Your previous data was 201 cm barefoot and 204 cm with shoes, right? Yes, you were just under 17 years old the last time you were tested. Now almost a year has passed, so it's normal for your height to have increased."

The female recorder nodded and said, "Since you joined the team, your diet and training have become more standardized and specific. At your age, you might even grow a bit more."

"Haha, if I could grow to 210 cm, that would be great!"

Chen Mu smiled, then leaned over to look at the record book in the female recorder's hand, somewhat surprised, "94 kg? I've gained nearly 10 kg of muscle!"

If growing taller mainly thanks his parents and the country, then gaining weight, Chen Mu must thank Iguodala. This fitness enthusiast already had a very perfect physique but still trained crazily every day, eating nothing but beef and eggs. Following this guy around, Chen Mu's weight gain was not too surprising. However, for his current height, this weight was still a bit light.

"If I could gain another 10 kg, my muscle lines would be even better, and my strength would improve significantly!"

Chen Mu thought to himself. "Come, spread your arms."

While he was thinking, the recorder had already called the staff to bring a professional infrared distance meter. After confirming that Chen Mu's arms were fully extended, she placed two markers on either side and began measuring. "7 feet 3 inches... yo~!"

After the measurement, the recorder sighed and looked at Chen Mu, "Your wingspan is quite impressive!"

7 feet 3 inches, Chen Mu's height was 204.5 cm, but his wingspan reached an astonishing 221 cm, with a wingspan-to-height ratio of over 108. This was already a very impressive figure among black players, and it was even more surprising to see it in a yellow person.

"My wingspan is actually longer than Yi Jianlian's!"

Chen Mu was also surprised because he remembered that his wingspan was already quite good during the last measurement, but still had some gap compared to Yi Jianlian, who had international-level physical attributes. This time, not only had his height increased, but his wingspan had also grown, which made him very happy.

"Does a person's wingspan also grow with age?"

Chen Mu was puzzled, looking at his arms repeatedly, muttering to himself. "Of course it's possible."

The recorder nodded, pulling down her glasses slightly and looking at Chen Mu, "Generally, males experience a second growth spurt around 15-16 years old, during which their wingspan and other measurements can change. You had your last measurement after 16, so if all the data was correct, an increase in wingspan is not uncommon."

Standing at nearly 208 cm with shoes and a 221 cm wingspan, Chen Mu finally understood why Wade had asked such a strange question during the game. "From the wingspan data, my defensive area is probably comparable to that of a 7-footer!"

After a series of tests, Chen Mu's physical data was finalized. From the results, his mobility was considered top-notch among frontcourt players. His baseline-to-baseline sprint was 10.9 seconds, and his three-quarter court sprint was 3.30 seconds. Chen Mu's speed was indeed good, especially the excellent change of direction in the baseline-to-baseline sprint, which made the staff exclaim in surprise.

Additionally, his standing reach was 9 feet 2 inches, or 279 cm, which was quite good for a power forward. With the help of his long arms, Chen Mu's standing reach was comparable to players like Tyson Chandler and even caught up with the arm-length monster Elton Brand, compensating for his slight height disadvantage.

After measuring his standing vertical jump, Chen Mu achieved an impressive 0.77 meters, which was already quite good among frontcourt players. "The last item, maximum running vertical jump."

The staff announced the final test, and Chen Mu was eager to try. During the standing vertical jump, Chen Mu felt he hadn't warmed up enough and didn't perform at his best. This time, he spent a considerable amount of time warming up before preparing for the test.

Starting from one side, Chen Mu gradually accelerated, preparing to jump to the highest point. However, to stay within the measurement range, his last step was a bit tight, and he didn't land firmly. Although it was a minor flaw, Chen Mu still didn't achieve his best jump, but the staff's exclamations after he landed told him that his data was still very impressive. "34.5 inches!"

The staff all praised, and some even clapped. No one expected that this big guy from China, with a body type generally considered to lack running and jumping ability among Asians, would jump to such a shocking height. "For a player of this height, this is a historic-level data point!"

The recorder was also surprised and, after converting the data, gave Chen Mu a more understandable metric: "87.6 cm, very impressive, top-tier jumping ability among frontcourt players!"

With this data, Chen Mu finally understood why he could grab so many rebounds on the basketball court. "Not only because I have the help of the landing point cheat, but my physical attributes are also terrifying. This body is just amazing!"

Chen Mu vaguely remembered that Yi Jianlian's running vertical jump was 90 cm, slightly higher than his, but he clearly didn't perform at his best this time. With excellent mobility, explosive jumping ability, and long arms, it's no wonder Chen Mu could grab rebounds like a tidal wave on the NBA court. "The tenacious rebounder badge is the perfect badge for me!"

Chen Mu was very satisfied, looking up at the rim and once again realizing that, besides good physical attributes, basketball IQ is the key to success. Before his soul traveled to this timeline, the "Chen Mu" on this plane was also playing basketball with this body. Even with such a beastly body, he couldn't dominate in domestic-level games. But with his current brain and IQ, the same body could dominate the basketball court and even stand in the NBA. It's undeniable that sports, while based on the body, also require the mind.

However, Chen Mu also noticed that, besides his excellent mobility, his strength was still not ideal. His bench press data was quite poor, which made him more determined to practice and catch up with other frontcourt players. After the physical measurements, Chen Mu reluctantly said goodbye to the beautiful female recorder, giving her a final glance (Chen Mu: Why did you write this sentence, you bastard?!), thanked all the staff, and left the training ground.

Chen Mu still had one thing to deal with. If he couldn't finish it, he wouldn't be able to leave for the road trip with peace of mind. Back at home, Chen Mu hesitated for a long time before calling Shen Mofei. In the next ten minutes, Chen Mu tried to remain calm and honest with Shen Mofei, expressing his thoughts.

"I know you too well, and you know me too well. I don't know what your intentions are, but I only brought you along out of old feelings to help you get familiar with America. Now you have new friends, and life in Philadelphia is no longer a problem. I hope we can end this here."

To Chen Mu's surprise, Shen Mofei didn't explode. There was a long silence on the other end of the phone before a response came. "I understand."

Hanging up, Chen Mu himself was somewhat disbelieving. Was everything over? Could the once weak and always accommodating him finally express his true feelings? Previously, due to his mentality, Chen Mu mostly dealt with this issue with his lower brain. Thinking about it carefully, if he continued like this, how was it different from what Shen Mofei had done? To change himself, it wasn't just about improving his abilities and showing dominance on the court; more importantly, it was about changing his mentality. Adjusting his mindset, he needed to remember that he was now an NBA player and couldn't continue living with his old mentality. Change, Chen Mu originally thought, would be difficult to express and act on. But after actually doing it, he realized:

It wasn't that hard after all.

Lying in bed for a while, Chen Mu also suspected that Shen Mofei might be up to something, but at least the immediate threat was gone, and he eventually fell asleep. The next day, at the airport.

Sitting on the plane to Arizona, Chen Mu looked out the window at the airport ground, his mind already flying hundreds of kilometers away to Phoenix. "Mr. Colangelo, my former boss..."

Chen Mu clenched his right fist tightly, his eyes full of determination, and muttered to himself, "I'm back...!"

=================

Because many readers in the book review area expressed dissatisfaction with the character Shen, I have taken everyone's advice and quickly resolved the issue. The character will be deleted in subsequent chapters. My original intention was to make Shen a deep-minded antagonist with other purposes, who would bring some trouble to the protagonist. The protagonist, due to not having completely changed his mentality, would suffer the consequences of being used and eventually resolve the trouble, completing his mental transformation. I didn't expect such a big reaction, and I sincerely apologize to everyone. In the future, the protagonist's mentality will change, gradually shedding his weakness and good-naturedness, truly becoming a mental strongman. The removal of this plot might make the story a bit abrupt, but I hope everyone can understand. I deeply apologize for the inconvenience caused and hope for your continued support. Roar! Back to the court, let's play basketball. My former boss, I, Chen Hansan, am back!