Y13 [EN]: Chapter 232

Y13-232 Regular Season 2011-2012

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Coach Carlisle, who was in his office brainstorming for the home game on the 28th against the New Jersey Nets, paused from reviewing the data he was analyzing at the sound of a knock and told them to come in.

“I wondered who it was. Well… have a seat.”

“We’re here to talk about Youngjae Yoon.”

Seeing trainer Smith and the team doctor enter, Coach Carlisle instinctively knew something was wrong with Youngjae. The secretary, who was working in Coach Carlisle’s office, skillfully made coffee, placed it in front of them, and quietly returned to her seat.

“So? I hope it’s not the result I’m thinking of.”

Trainer Smith and the team doctor handed the test results to Coach Carlisle with grim expressions, and Coach Carlisle couldn’t help but swallow hard. Looking at this season alone, Youngjae was undoubtedly the key player for the Dallas Mavericks. Nowitzki was recovering but still not in great shape, and Terry and Kidd were frequently injured and inconsistent.

If Youngjae’s shoulder exam results were not good, Coach Carlisle was going to have a headache figuring out how to manage the remaining half of the season.

“…”

Coach Carlisle let out a sigh of relief and took a sip of coffee.

“There’s no problem. But you two don’t look too happy.”

Trainer Smith, unsure how to explain, asked the team doctor to speak instead, and the team doctor nodded and began to speak with a serious expression.

“Youngjae Yoon’s physical condition is perfectly normal. There are no problems other than accumulated fatigue. But he says he keeps feeling discomfort. Fortunately, he seems to believe the test results for now.”

“Then isn’t that a good thing?”

“The problem is that he thinks his slump is related to that discomfort, and he’s trying to overcome it with more training. He thinks more training will solve it.”

Coach Carlisle’s expression hardened as he began to understand what the team doctor was saying.

“Even now, his training volume is among the highest on the team. He’s not made of iron, so any further increase in training could wear him down. If it were an injury, he could accept it and go through treatment and rehab, but since it’s not, he’s getting impatient. That’s just like him.”

The team doctor nodded, agreeing.

“He’s diligent, has a strong competitive spirit, and is selfless. His mentality as an athlete is excellent. But that doesn’t always have a positive effect. There are many examples of excessive ambition and competitiveness ruining players.”

The team doctor paused, took a sip of coffee, and continued.

“In a way, this can be seen as a case where Yoon’s mentality is having a negative impact. Contrary to Yoon’s goal of always striving for victory, he may not be able to accept that his performance has declined for no apparent reason.”

Coach Carlisle tapped the table with his finger and then chuckled.

“There’s a player like that.”

“Yes, there is.”

“I’ve only been watching Yoon for a little over a year, so it’s hard for me to know exactly what kind of life he’s lived and what he’s thinking. I often think he’s amazing, but sometimes I wish he would relax a little.”

Coach Carlisle pushed the results aside and finished his coffee.

“He’s definitely not like a rookie. But when it comes to dealing with psychological pressure, he’s no different from a rookie. No, he’s even worse. It’s like he thinks it’s the end if he stops here. That desperation is what made Youngjae Yoon who he is today, but that extreme way of thinking is toxic in this case.”

Unless Coach Carlisle knew that Youngjae had barely survived death and gained a new life, this question would never be resolved. That’s why the team doctor, Coach Carlisle, and trainer Smith couldn’t accurately grasp Youngjae’s psychological state, and they often found themselves at a loss.

“What are your opinions?”

“Since his body is normal, trainer Smith is more qualified for this than I am. As a doctor, I only think he needs rest.”

“I also think he needs to rest and relax rather than train more. No player has grown this much in their second year. Everyone else came to the pros with exceptional talent and already complete. But he came this far with relentless grit, effort, and competitiveness. Now I hope he can relax. His stamina is already at its limit. The only problem I see with him is his stamina. If his stamina is lacking, of course his shots won’t go in, and his vision will be narrowed.”

Coach Carlisle continued to talk with them for a long time, then sent them back and sank into personal contemplation in his office. Then he carefully read the data he was looking at and couldn’t help but smile.

“Yoon, just how high are you aiming? And a stamina problem, I expected it, but how should I tell him…”

Coach Carlisle put aside Youngjae’s data and refocused on preparing for the game against the New Jersey Nets.

“Memphis… Grizzlies.”

In yesterday’s game against the New Jersey Nets, the Dallas Mavericks lost by one point, 109 to 110, after a hard-fought battle that went into overtime. In that game, Youngjae held Deron Williams to just 14 points with a 4/17 shooting percentage. However, Deron Williams lived up to his class by racking up assists against Barea, eventually recording a double-double with 14 points and 12 assists, contributing to the New Jersey Nets’ victory.

Of course, Youngjae also reached the 20-point mark in this game with 7/17 shooting, 2/6 from three-point range, and 4/4 from the free-throw line, but it was always lower than his season average. Watching Youngjae’s decline since the Knicks game on February 19, reporters were already writing articles with titles such as ‘His Limits Are Showing,’ ‘His Growth Has Ended,’ and ‘Y13 Cursed by Himself.’

“Memphis, another meeting with Allen. I don’t like matchups with players like that right now.”

Facing Tony Allen, who is famous for his tenacious and tight defense, would be the worst matchup in the current situation. Memphis is a top-5 defensive team in the league, and Allen was a Defensive Second Team player last season. He was one of the best in the league in terms of man-to-man marking.

“Hoo.”

Youngjae lay down on the court and let out a long sigh. After arriving at the hotel in Memphis and talking to Emily on the phone, Youngjae was happy to hear that Emily could arrive in Dallas tomorrow night, but he still couldn’t give her the usual enthusiastic reaction. Emily knew that Youngjae wasn’t in good condition, so instead of being disappointed, she spoke more cheerfully and acted even more affectionate to reassure Youngjae.

“…”

If he could break through Allen and regain his original condition. If the shooting touch that had been slumping for several games would return. Youngjae was determined to face the Memphis game with renewed determination.

Squeak-

Youngjae, who was lying alone on the court, wondered who had come to the court at this late hour, turned around, and saw an unexpected figure in a suit walking into the court.

“Coach!”

Youngjae was so surprised that he jumped up and greeted him, and Coach Carlisle nodded and casually said to Youngjae.

“Were you still training?”

“Not constantly… I feel like I’ve been slacking off lately, so I’m trying to tighten up again.”

Youngjae’s expression was resolute at first glance, but he was impatient and anxious because he couldn’t find the answer himself. Since he couldn’t see the answer, he had no choice but to devote himself to more training, even though his training volume was the highest in the team. The only thing that had helped him overcome countless obstacles was whipping himself.

“Do you have some time?”

Coach Carlisle waited for Youngjae to clean up and come out, and Youngjae cleaned up as quickly as possible, thinking that Coach Carlisle was waiting, and followed Coach Carlisle. Carlisle, who had moved to the hotel restaurant in time for the hotel dinner, sat down and started eating when the reserved food was set on the table, and Youngjae also watched for a while and then started eating.

“It tastes good.”

“Thank you. And thank you for treating me to dinner.”

Coach Carlisle did not explain why he had called Youngjae until he had finished dinner. Finally, when two cups of coffee came out for dessert, Coach Carlisle took a sip of coffee and began to talk about the main point.

“Yoon, I want you to reduce your personal training for the time being. Minimizing the training you do personally, other than team training and essential basic training, will help you.”

Youngjae suddenly looked bewildered. But soon, he looked at Coach Carlisle with an incomprehensible expression and opened his mouth.

“Why rest when my performance isn’t good? I don’t think I have an injury, but if my performance has dropped, I think there’s something I’m lacking. Resting in this state is…”

But Coach Carlisle cut off Youngjae’s words before he could finish and continued to talk about his thoughts.

“Since the words I have to say are the same anyway, I won’t beat around the bush. To put it bluntly, the fundamental reason for your perceived performance decline is neither injury nor laziness. Rather, I’m proud of how diligently you practice and how seriously you approach basketball.”

Coach Carlisle’s praise made Youngjae feel awkward, and Coach Carlisle paused for a moment before continuing.

“I think your current slump is due to the limits of your stamina. This is something that the doctor and trainer Smith have discussed, and all three agree on. It’s only natural that your shots aren’t going in when your stamina is low. As your shots don’t go in, you keep making unreasonable movements, and your shot selection gets worse. Soon, you’ll overload muscles you haven’t used before. As a result, you feel something wrong with your shoulder in a different posture than before.”

Youngjae shook his head, saying it didn’t make sense. He felt that he lacked stamina in the second half of recent games, but he thought he was fully recovered by the next game. He thought that the short shots and poor selection were only due to some shortcomings being analyzed or a lack of training.

“It’s presumptuous, but I don’t think my slump can be fully explained by stamina issues alone. I think my recent performance has been really bad. To the point where I’m a burden to the team.”

“What you feel and what the experts see are completely different. Your playing time is over 35 minutes per game this season. It’s already increased by about 7 minutes from last season, and it’s in the top 20 in the league. But your activity on the court and your constant movement without the ball are the same, so your stamina can’t handle it. Considering your overall playing style and increased playing time, the burden on your body is too severe.”

The burden on his body is severe. Certainly, Youngjae cherished every minute and tried to help the team and win the game, showing a tenacious spirit by running to the end even without the ball and catching up with players who were developing fast breaks, even if it meant giving up fast breaks. But Youngjae was at a loss, not knowing what to do, thinking that it had become a poison.

“You’re the number one in the league in activity per game. In the distance traveled per game, you run 2.8 miles per game, like Luol Deng [a British-South Sudanese former professional basketball player]. But he’s a player who plays 40 minutes. In other words, your stamina consumption per minute is higher. There are only 13 players in the league who run more than 2.5 miles. And you have the least average playing time among them. I and trainer Smith have seen countless players who couldn’t keep up with the pace of the first half due to stamina problems. Some of them recovered again in the late second half, but some only recovered in the next season. The difference is whether they take a break and know how to restrain themselves.”

“I see. I was actually taking poison.”

Youngjae smiled bitterly, but Coach Carlisle comforted Youngjae by saying, ‘You’re still a young player, and as a human being, you get stronger after experiencing mistakes and failures.’

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

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@Slumps can come at any time. LeBron and Durant also experience slumps. Of course, Youngjae’s case is similar to the cases of O.J. Mayo in the 12-13 season or Courtney Lee in the 14-15 season rather than these players. Both players exceeded 50% in the first half of the season. However, they failed to overcome the increased role and burden, and their stamina deteriorated sharply in the second half. Players who collapse sharply in the second half like this can be seen frequently every year. Of course, there are many players who solve the problem and rebound with the help of themselves or the coaching staff.

@The distance traveled per game is provided by the NBA official website from the 13-14 season. The 11-12 season is not in the official record, so I arbitrarily substituted it considering the playing time and record at the time. In the 13-14 season, the player with the most stamina was Chandler Parsons, followed by Jimmy Butler, and then Nicolas Batum. Considering that Butler was number 3 at the time, it seems that the number 3 position is the position that has to run the most, like a box-to-box midfielder in soccer.

Ultra10/// I was thinking about the right timing to roll it out, and this seemed like the right time. There are several similar cases.

Lee Dong-seok///lol

goimosp/// Surprisingly, there are many cases where stamina deteriorates and collapses in the second half. This is a case that players below the superstar level often experience. And it is mainly experienced by players whose playing time has increased rapidly or whose role in the team has increased rapidly.

Yabes///Golden State and Oklahoma City did tanking for several years because of that. Golden State had a dark age for almost 40 years after Rick Barry. Dallas doesn’t want tanking, whether it’s the owner or the fans. They are too used to winning teams. They have to follow the San Antonio style, but the core generation change failed due to the CBA revision. Since they weren’t originally a team that drafted well, they should have traded to change generations. I don’t know what will happen now lol

H0h, Mud Bear 12, Kangcheon, Flame of Depravity///Hehe, a combination of the most common stamina problem in the NBA and a mental slump due to excessive competitiveness and impatience? There are so many cases that the time and method it takes to solve it are very diverse.

Angel’s Circumstances///Slumps can come at any time. Of course, it may be a little frustrating if the novel is in progress, but I would appreciate it if you would consider the reality.

Blue Gauri, Goddess Yuri Praise/// American yellow newspapers are all the same lol. Of course, Korean internet newspapers are more dependent on views, so the titles are more provocative and trashy lol

-DarkANGEL-///That… that’s because Youngjae isn’t a big man. Youngjae should use floaters like Parker, Rose, and Paul more naturally. It seems that the skyhook is too likely to be blocked with Youngjae’s height.

Sarajil Soul, Omarion, Financia/// Thank you for your comments!! Have a great Monday and a great week~~