Y13 [EN]: Chapter 128

Y13-128. 2010-2011 Conference Semi-Finals

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

2010-11 T-MOBILE NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD Voting Results

Rookie, Team (1st Place Votes, 2nd Place Votes, 3rd Place Votes, Total Points)

Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers (107, 11, 0, 568 points)

Youngjae Yoon, Dallas Mavericks (11, 97, 10, 356 points)

John Wall, Washington Wizards (0, 8, 99, 123 points)

DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings (0, 1, 7, 10 points)

Landry Fields, New York Knicks (0, 1, 2, 5 points)

Youngjae Yoon’s impressive season was unfortunately overshadowed by Blake Griffin’s sensational performance, leading to a second-place finish. Griffin had been outstanding from the start, earning an All-Star selection. While his stats dipped slightly in the second half, perhaps due to fatigue or opposing teams adjusting their strategies, he still averaged 22.5 points (12th in the league), 12.1 rebounds (4th), and 3.8 assists, showcasing his versatility as a big man. Griffin’s highlight-reel plays each week significantly boosted the Clippers’ popularity.

Youngjae Yoon also posted excellent numbers with 17.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists (21st), and 1.9 steals (4th), stats that might have secured him the Rookie of the Year award in many other seasons. However, he had the misfortune of being a rookie in the same year as Griffin, a ‘used’ rookie [referring to Griffin having been drafted earlier but missing a season due to injury]. While Yoon’s basic stats appeared less impressive than Griffin’s and even John Wall’s, his efficiency and consistency earned him a comfortable second place. He achieved these stats while playing only 28.5 minutes per game on average.

In comparison, both Griffin and John Wall averaged around 38 minutes per game. Yoon struggled to get more than 30 minutes of playing time due to the presence of veterans like Jason Kidd and Jason Terry on the Mavericks. Furthermore, Yoon’s shooting percentages were remarkable: 50.7% from the field, 41.3% from three-point range, and 91.3% from the free-throw line. This made him one of only two players that season, along with Dirk Nowitzki, to join the exclusive 180 Club [players who shoot 50% or better from the field, 40% or better from three-point range, and 90% or better from the free-throw line]. He became only the sixth player in NBA history to achieve this feat, and the first rookie to do so. Adding to the historical significance, this marked the first time in NBA history that two 180 Club members played on the same team, a truly remarkable occurrence.

(Reporter’s Note: The previous members of the 180 Club are Larry Bird (twice: 86-87, 87-88), Mark Price (88-89), Reggie Miller (93-94), Steve Nash (four times: 05-06, 07-08, 08-09, 09-10), and Dirk Nowitzki (07-08), totaling 5 players with 9 records. This season, Nash narrowly missed the mark, falling 0.8% short on three-pointers. With Youngjae Yoon and Nowitzki achieving it, the record now stands at 6 players with 11 records.

This record also has strict criteria, requiring at least 300 field goals, 55 three-pointers, and 125 free throws made. Players like Steve Kerr and Jose Calderon have fallen short of joining the 180 Club because they didn’t meet the minimum shot requirements, despite achieving the necessary percentages. It’s a difficult achievement, and those who manage it are considered elite shooters.)

Yoon also topped all rookies who played more than 15 minutes per game in advanced efficiency stats like True Shooting Percentage (TS%), Win Shares per 48 Minutes (WS/48), Box Plus/Minus (BPM), and Assist-to-Turnover Ratio (A/T). He also helped lead his team to the top seed in the Western Conference. However, the fact that Dallas likely would have secured a high seed even without Yoon’s contributions may have worked against him in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Unlike the MVP award, the Rookie of the Year award tends to place less emphasis on team success. The limited cumulative stats and playing time seemed to be a disadvantage in the Rookie of the Year race. Moreover, while recent Rookie of the Year winners like Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans had established themselves as their team’s primary option, Yoon played as Dirk Nowitzki’s assistant and a supporting player for Dallas, which may be one reason why Griffin received more votes. Furthermore, the Rookie of the Year voters don’t yet seem to weigh advanced stats as heavily.

Another contender, John Wall, who was widely expected to win the Rookie of the Year award before the season began, finished third with 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 8.4 assists (6th), and 1.8 steals (6th). While Wall’s performance was impressive for a rookie, his shooting inefficiencies (41% field goal percentage and 29% three-point percentage) and 3.8 turnovers per game highlighted a lack of consistency. Of course, one could argue that Wall’s struggles were exacerbated by playing alongside players like Nick Young and JaVale McGee, who were perceived to prioritize their own stats and individual play, and by being on a struggling Washington Wizards team. He simply didn’t receive much support from his teammates.

[ESPN – Tim MacMahon]

2011.05.06

Re: He got more first-place votes than I thought? Avoiding a unanimous vote is something.

Re: Yeah. Honestly, I think the Rookie of the Year award considers impact and popularity in addition to stats, and Yoon is inferior to Griffin in both of these aspects. Griffin is quite popular, and his impact is among the top in the league. Yoon doesn’t have any games with 30 or more points in the regular season, and there’s nothing that would make fans cheer.

Re: Sigh, it’s a shame that the award criteria are different from the MVP award. Even if his impact is lacking, his stats seem comparable. Honestly, what’s more impactful than a dunk?

Re: It’s natural for efficiency to be good when playing time is limited. I don’t think there are many cases where efficiency improves with increased playing time.

Re: That’s true. That’s why many people say that per-36-minute stats are meaningless.

Re: Isn’t there some disadvantage because he’s Asian?

Re: You can’t say there isn’t. Just look at Yao Ming. But I think it’s a meaningless assumption to say that Yoon wouldn’t have received it even if he were American. Of course, he’s not getting favorable foul calls, but it’s not like he’s receiving such biased calls that we can argue about it.

Although he narrowly missed out on the Rookie of the Year award, Youngjae himself wasn’t particularly hung up on it. From the beginning, his competitor, Blake Griffin, a ‘used’ rookie, had such overwhelming stats that it was impossible to compete, regardless of advanced stats or team performance.

The LA Clippers were determined to develop Blake Griffin into a franchise star and provided him with ample support. Given the Clippers’ roster situation, Griffin needed to be the primary option. In the end, Youngjae had to be content with being the runner-up who prevented Blake Griffin from winning the Rookie of the Year award unanimously.

[Still, it’s too much to ask.]

“It’s okay. I can just do better next year.”

[Still, having another line on your resume later is so important… especially since you can only win Rookie of the Year once in your lifetime. People on our side value the Rookie of the Year award much more than other awards.]

Youngjae was lying in bed, talking sweetly with Emily on the phone. After a grueling schedule of games with only one day of rest in between, Coach Carlisle gave the players a break today following a light team practice in the morning. Youngjae decided to rest in his room, limiting himself to minimal exercise, rather than going out with his tired body.

He felt it was better to rest at home than to go sightseeing and enjoy Los Angeles, as it was crucial to prioritize rest. He wasn’t at a point where he could fully enjoy such things yet, especially with the playoffs underway.

“By the way, how’s the filming going? I can’t visit during the season, so I’m curious.”

Emily replied in a cute voice, “It’s okay. Filming is so much fun. It’s sometimes scary, though.” When the 26-year-old’s voice sounded so childlike, Youngjae often wondered if Emily was truly 26 years old.

“Tsk, tell me honestly. Emily, are you actually younger than me?”

Emily laughed happily, denying the possibility, and Youngjae reminded her to take care of her health before ending the call.

“Don’t stay up late watching the games. Don’t watch them live, just read the articles.”

[Don’t worry~ I take care of my body thoroughly. I’m not a kid.]

“Okay. Then I’ll call you again later.”

After hanging up, Youngjae wondered if there was anything to do, but ultimately, he found himself restless at home and headed to the practice court. Perhaps it was his youth, but he felt uneasy when he rested for too long. His body was tired, but his mind was sharp.

During the three-game series against the Lakers, Youngjae had become acutely aware of his shooting touch. He was still shooting at his peak, but the fact that he was reacting so sensitively to even minor misses was a testament to his heightened awareness.

Swish-

Still going in smoothly in unguarded situations. Even during games, he focused on making shots in open spot-up situations as much as possible, avoiding rushed shots.

Thump thump-

However, pushing an exhausted body was not easy. As soon as one shot missed, he felt his shooting touch deteriorating, and as more and more balls grazed the rim and bounced out, Youngjae stopped shooting and lay down on the court.

“Haa…”

Each game was a whirlwind of tension and excitement, and Youngjae realized he had become more sensitive without even noticing. While that sensitivity could be seen as a desire to win, it also had significant drawbacks. It was just training that he had been doing steadily, but now he was overly sensitive, experiencing extreme highs and lows with each practice shot.

Swish-

Still, Youngjae stood at the top of the key and took one last three-pointer, breathing a sigh of relief as the shot swished through the net without even touching the rim.

[ESPN is bringing you the 4th game of the Conference Semi-Finals! We will be broadcasting the game between the LA Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks. Mike Tirico will be on the call, and Hubie Brown will be providing commentary. Nice to meet you! Depending on the outcome of today’s game, the Dallas Mavericks can advance to the Conference Finals, or the LA Lakers can get a chance to make a final comeback. In other words, it will be an elimination game at the LA Lakers’ home, the Staples Center. Dirk Nowitzki, the core of the Dallas Mavericks, is showing the most perfect performance of his career, and he is holding the team together well as the captain of the Dallas Mavericks?]

Born in 1933, Hubie Brown was 71 years old when he served as the coach of the Memphis Grizzlies in 2004, making him the oldest coach at the time. Despite his white hair, he looked like he was in his 60s, now entering his twilight years. As a coach with strong leadership skills who won the Coach of the Year award in 1977 and 2003, Hubie Brown’s 10-Man Rotation tactics maximized the abilities of his deep bench, highlighting and developing the importance of modern bench players.

[Of course. In this series, Dirk Nowitzki is averaging 28 points, 56% field goal percentage, 13/14 free throws, and 11 rebounds, showing a flawless and perfect performance. In addition, Nowitzki achieved the 180 Club this season and was ranked 4th in the MVP voting after Rose, Howard, and LeBron. He was considered an MVP frontrunner until he was injured in January. Had he not been injured, the team’s performance could have surpassed the Bulls, potentially leading to an MVP award for him. However, the 3-0 series lead isn’t solely due to Dirk Nowitzki’s brilliance. I think it’s also thanks to the emergence of Youngjae Yoon, the secondary scoring option who supports him.]

Mike Tirico glanced at the stat sheet and nodded with an exclamation of “Oh!”

[21.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 2 steals, 2.4 turnovers. Average on-court plus-minus of +13! It’s hard to believe that this is the record of a rookie experiencing the playoffs for the first time. Magic Johnson received the Finals MVP in his rookie season. It’s still too early to compare, but he’s a player with a similarly strong impact in these playoffs.]

[That’s right. Youngjae Yoon, who was given a consistent 10 to 15 minutes of playing time from the beginning of the regular season despite being a rookie, surpassed DeShawn Stevenson, who was initially the backup shooting guard, and established himself as a starter. Now he has become an indispensable presence. His height of just over 6-5 (196cm) allows him to play both point guard and shooting guard effectively. It is a pity that his wingspan is only about 6-8 (203cm) due to the physical limitations often associated with Asian players, but it seems that not having a long wingspan is just a small obstacle for Youngjae Yoon and does not have a significant impact on his performance. Although wingspan is important in terms of defense, his quickness, judgment, and lateral movement are excellent.]

Mike Tirico nodded at Hubie Brown’s explanation, impressed by Yoon’s performance, and Brown continued.

[The Dallas Mavericks’ core philosophy revolves around tactics and players that can seamlessly transition between fast-paced and deliberate plays, and ultimately, accurate shooting. Dirk Nowitzki has a 90% free throw percentage this season, and Youngjae Yoon has 91%, so you can expect them to miss only 1 out of 10 shots. You can almost assume they will all go in. In addition, Youngjae Yoon is also the first player to achieve the 180 Club in his rookie season. As the only team in history with two 180 Club members, they are second to none in shooting. Furthermore, Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic are also excellent shooters, and Jason Kidd’s three-point shot is becoming increasingly reliable, which is an important factor in Dallas’s success.]

============================ Author’s Afterword ============================

★Thank you to those who gave me advance reservations, recommendations, comments, and coupons!!

＠The Conference Semifinals were a bit tight at this time. The 1st to 4th games were on May 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th. Especially between the 2nd and 3rd games, they had to move from Dallas to LA, but there was only one day of rest. Both teams are the best veteran teams in the league, but the schedule was tight, so it was a boon for Dallas, whose bench was in much better condition. The starting playing time was also much less than the Lakers.

＠The Rookie of the Year voting is 5 points for 1st place votes, 3 points for 2nd place votes, and 1 point for 3rd place votes.

＠Youngjae’s wingspan is slightly below average among NBA players. Usually, if an Asian’s wingspan is the same as their height, it is average, and if it is longer, it is about 5cm (2 inches) longer. Youngjae should be considered a little longer for an Asian. Black players tend to have very long wingspans. White players are a little longer than Asian players, but much shorter than black players. Among famous Korean basketball players, KGH has a long wingspan for a guard.

Shooting Start/// First comment!! Yes. Originally, Dallas was a bit more dramatic, but Youngjae is making it less dramatic ㅠ.ㅠ ㅋㅋ

Kanen, Cup in Cup, Kundara, -DarkANGEL-, Financia, Omariyon, 1234567890123, huhcafe/// Thank you for your comments!! Have a good day tomorrow~~

Yabes/// He has a bit too much self-esteem. It’s a matter of style, but there’s almost no off-the-ball movement, and it feels like he has a compulsion to do everything himself as a coach, GM, and ace. That’s a bit disappointing for LeBron. His skills are the best in the league and he has enough cumulative stats to be in the top of all time. It seems like he’s trying to do everything with himself as the center.

Naye/// The playoffs should be on fire!

ㅎ0ㅎ/// The weather has cooled down a lot instead of the sun. The highest temperature in Seoul is less than 30 degrees ㅋㅋ Thanks to that, it’s easy to walk around

zigichacha/// Haha… I’ve watched a lot of games, but I’ve also picked up a lot of things through various bulletin boards and chats. We’re not very good at English either ㅋㅋ We can only hear exclamations or words in the commentary.

Sergeant Chic, misscherry, Carlos Otero/// That’s right ㅠ.ㅠ Griffin is 넘사벽 [a Korean slang term meaning “the wall you can’t overcome”]. If you get over him, it’s too much…

Lafir and Jint/// The development is a little different from Dallas in this season, which could be made into a movie ㅋㅋ

Goddess Yuri Praise/// LOL Used goodsㅋㅋㅋ That’s right. Used rookies are one year oldㅋㅋㅋ

Omen/// Yes. The Warriors didn’t even have any Finals experience, but Dallas has Finals experience, but everyone is winning for the first time. At this time, Dallas was evaluated as a championship achieved by veterans who were thirsty for the championship. As the oldest team in the league, they had a lot of playoff experience, but no one had ever won a championship. And I know that none of the Dallas players in this season have added championship rings since then.