Y13 [EN]: Chapter 244

Y13-244. 2011-2012 Regular Season

Carlisle replied with a look that was half-expecting and half-embarrassed. If he had to pinpoint the team’s weakest position, it would be point guard, so he anticipated players for that role, but he hadn’t expected *these* particular players.

“Nash and Rondo… Frankly, I doubt they’ll be of much help to our team right now. Is this Cuban’s idea?”

However, that embarrassing feeling quickly turned into a frown. Although the point guard position was the weakest, Nash and Rondo weren’t a great fit for Dallas, which already had Youngjae and Terry at shooting guard. These were point guards with some of the highest ball possession rates in the league.

Rajon Rondo was good on defense and showed versatile abilities like rebounding and assists, but he was practically nonexistent when it came to shooting, especially jump shots and free throws. He also had a fatal flaw: too much ego, which could cause teamwork issues. Nash, compared to Rondo, was almost unmatched offensively, but he lacked defensive skills and was old, making him a risky choice.

It was hard to see these two players creating better synergy with Youngjae or Terry than Kidd currently did. Moreover, they both wanted to be at the center of the team’s tactics, and that’s how they were most effective, which meant the team’s tactics would have to be completely overhauled mid-season.

“Yes, it is. I didn’t think we’d benefit much from it either, but Cuban believes Nash and Rondo will help the team, just like winning the championship after the Kidd trade. Of course, his desire to have a top-tier point guard also played a significant role.”

Cuban’s love for point guards had been considerable for a long time. He especially liked pure point guards who focused on passing, which is why he became a fan of Dallas and eventually bought the team, later bringing in an aging Kidd through a trade. Fortunately, they won the championship last year; otherwise, it would have been like throwing away Devin Harris, a young All-Star guard.

“I should be relieved the deal fell through… So, there won’t be any other trades in the remaining day?”

“Probably not. Stephen Jackson, Devin Harris, and O.J. Mayo are also on the market, but I don’t see the need to sacrifice our current strength to acquire them. I’d rather aim for the buyout market, which opens at the end of this month. There will definitely be veterans on expiring contracts looking to win a championship.”

They didn’t feel the immediate need for bench players or role players below the third option. Donnie Nelson explained the team’s direction in this trade market to Carlisle and then asked about the situation of the three players who might be traded. Carlisle thought for a moment before carefully choosing his words.

“Beaubois seems like he’s about to become something, but he never quite does. He has explosiveness, but he’s inconsistent, and he’s two percent short as both a shooter and a point guard.”

For Carlisle, Beaubois was a frustrating case. His talent was clear, and he was steadily growing, fitting into Carlisle’s plans. However, as the saying goes, luck is also a skill, and Beaubois had suffered too many setbacks in a short period. A fractured toe while playing for the French national team, and then the loss of his father. He had endured the injury well and was adapting to reality, developing in a positive direction, but the loss of his father was a trial too difficult to bear.

“Beaubois… It’s a real shame.”

Donnie Nelson, also aware of his unfortunate situation, simply nodded without saying more.

“Corey Brewer is also too inconsistent with his shooting compared to his defense. Bringing him in as a bench energizer was good, but his shooting inconsistency is worse than expected. I believe that if I create a good strategy and the player adapts to it, their shooting percentage can improve, but Brewer falls short.”

Three years, $7 million, with a team option for the last year, but even after two years, his adaptation was slow. His defense was already well-regarded, so just having him defend the opponent’s ace was helpful, but his biggest problem was his inability to grasp Carlisle’s complex tactics for long periods, along with his failure to develop offensive options beyond fast breaks.

“Hmm.”

“Mahinmi shows good offense, but his defense is just unbearable. He still doesn’t understand the timing for a center to hedge [a defensive maneuver where a player briefly steps out to impede the progress of an opponent] and recover. I understand why San Antonio gave up on him. He’s hard to use in teams like ours or San Antonio, where tactical understanding is crucial. He’d be better off going to a team that plays with raw talent.”

“Indeed, Mahinmi is a real disappointment. Why can’t he do more with that great physique? Wright and Mahinmi could be a good inside combination. I expected him to reliably support Nowitzki and Chandler with his switchability, mobility, and height.”

“I’ve almost given up on Mahinmi. Whether it works out or not, I’ll have to use Haywood as the backup center. There are many disappointing aspects compared to his salary, but we no longer have the luxury to accommodate Mahinmi and Beaubois as much as we need to push forward.”

“It’s early to say, but we’ll probably have to keep Haywood next year. I wanted to terminate Haywood’s contract if Mahinmi improved and maintain a Chandler-Mahinmi center lineup, but there are only max-level or minimum-level players in next year’s FA [free agent] market. In other words, unless we trade, we’ll have to keep the current center lineup.”

Carlisle finished talking about the three players and let out a faint sigh. It was a sigh filled with deep regret. Especially with Beaubois, whom Cuban cherished, and Carlisle himself acknowledged his talent, so he trained with him a lot and guaranteed him a fair amount of playing time. However, he lacked defensive skills and consistency in shooting and passing to play as a starting guard on a team aiming for a championship.

There were many regrets, but there was nothing he could do about what couldn’t be done. No general manager or coach had ever had a 100% successful recruitment strategy. Carlisle and Donnie Nelson knew that better than anyone, but they still couldn’t hide their disappointed expressions.

“Hmm… Let’s put it this way.”

After the game on the 19th, Youngjae, who had immediately taken a plane and arrived in Dallas at night, greeted Emily, who had just finished her concert and music video shoot.

“Is it okay to shoot like this without a director?”

The two went straight home, shared stories they hadn’t been able to tell, and had a simple dinner. Then, Emily smiled and took out a camcorder from her bag.

“Don’t worry. I wanted to make it myself, so I’ve been learning about camcorders and filming since college. And this is a song I wrote myself, so there’s no director. I’m the director!”

Emily put on a solemn face and said to Youngjae, ‘We’ll start filming now, so you need to focus on your role!’

“Yes! Director. So, what should I do?”

As Youngjae appropriately matched her energy, Emily, looking excited, played the song she had sung.

– Do you have my blue toothbrush? –

– I left it near the bathroom sink. –

– It’s been a couple years, I think. –

Youngjae closed his eyes and hummed along, captivated by Emily’s gentle and pleasant voice. As it reached the middle part, she began to whisper about how sweet the memories a couple had shared were. From being each other’s strength in difficult times to cooking together in the same kitchen, surprising each other by visiting their workplaces, enjoying just sitting on the sofa and talking, lightly kissing, and laughing at trivial things, she unfolded the story gently.

– If you don’t want my blue toothbrush. –

– I’ll take it back on we next me. –

Youngjae listened to the song until the end and smiled contentedly.

“Is it about a couple who are in love and then break up? The blue toothbrush is Emily, and some bad guy starts to dislike Emily and gives the toothbrush back? Giving back all the memories of eating together, laughing, talking, and crying together?”

“Um… I did write it with those lyrics in mind.”

Youngjae playfully pressed down on Emily’s high nose and said, ‘That bad guy! He’s blind!’ Emily hesitated for a moment and then took out her portable recorder.

“I haven’t decided on the last verse yet. I want to finish the song with a spoken line, and I… I want Yoon to say it.”

Youngjae looked down at Emily, who was sitting next to him on the sofa, and Emily looked up at Youngjae like a baby in his arms. Youngjae stared at Emily for a moment, then took the recorder Emily had pressed and opened his mouth.

– Don’t worry. –

– The Blue Toothbrush is mine. –

– And… You too. –

“How is it? It’s not too explicit, but it clearly conveys the man’s thoughts, right?”

Instead of answering, Emily wrapped her arms around Youngjae’s neck and gave him a light kiss.

“I… I don’t know if I’m asking too much.”

Emily had asked him to film with her after filming all her parts, but she was worried that it might disrupt his tight schedule during the shortened season.

“You said we’re just filming you relaxing at home as usual, right? Then it’s no problem at all. I think it’s a great honor to briefly appear in the music video of ViewTUBE’s superstar, Emily Kinney, so don’t worry.”

“Still, after filming this, you have to go back to filming the drama. I can’t even be there for you when you’re having a hard time.”

“Don’t think like that. I was able to gain strength because Emily kept taking care of me. Like a center that holds me when I’m wavering. And if you want to cheer me on during the playoffs, you need to finish your work quickly, right?”

“Of course, I will! I want to cheer you on during the playoffs too… But I can’t help but feel sorry.”

Youngjae reassured Emily that he was really okay, and the two of them packed up their things, the camcorder, and the recorder, and lay down side by side in the same bed.

“Are you tired?”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. But these days are the best. It feels like both you and I are doing well in our work.”

Youngjae couldn’t resist Emily’s cuteness after hearing her admirable words and hugged her tightly. Emily, who was wriggling in Youngjae’s arms, soon hugged him back.

“Honey, what do you use when you shower?”

Perhaps because she liked the subtle scent of soap, Emily asked casually, and Youngjae replied briefly, ‘Ivory.’

“Really? Ivory?”

“Yeah. It’s cheap and has a subtle scent. That’s why I like it.”

As an athlete, he didn’t seem to care much about his appearance, but Emily thought Youngjae’s appearance and skin were so firm that he must be taking care of himself, so the word ‘Ivory’ was quite shocking.

“Don’t you use anything else?”

“Um… If I get gifts, sometimes a face mask? I don’t want to throw them away.”

Emily felt a little jealous, thinking that being young was good, but still, Youngjae’s simple charm was most attractive to her.

“I’ll use Ivory too.”

“Should I give you some? I have some I bought.”

Emily chatted with Youngjae and soon fell asleep.

“…”

Youngjae stared at Emily’s sleeping face for a long time, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.

“Cut!”

Emily, who finished filming the music video with Youngjae doing his morning training as the last scene, smiled brightly, satisfied with the footage. Youngjae also approached to see the camcorder Emily was holding, but Emily shook her head, hiding the camcorder tightly.

“I’ll show you when it’s all done!”

“Ah, okay. Okay. Show me when it’s all done.”

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

★ Thank you to those who gave 선작 [pre-selection], recommendations, comments, and coupons!!

★ Thank you for the support coupon, Sardine!!

@ Ah… ㅅㅂ Joara. All the afterwords and re-comments are gone. I pressed register at 8 minutes, but the message that the connection is not smooth… Fortunately, the main story is proofread in Hangul, so it’s a relief that it didn’t disappear, but it’s frustrating.

@ Originally, I wrote in the afterword about LeBron getting angry and going to the bench today, and Cuban going to the event game, etc., but since it disappeared, I lost the motivation to write. I’ll just redo the re-comments.

Angel’s Affair, Pachanut/// Thank you for the quick comments!!

Black Moon Flower/// Thank you for reading it with interest ^^

H0h/// Those who run their own business or researchers usually can’t spend Friday or Saturday nights ㅠ.ㅠ

goimosp, Airama/// Curry’s maximum is 31.5M because he is in his 9th year in 2017, so 30% of the salary cap of 105M (estimated) is the maximum. If you sign Barnes between 15~18M, and combine it with Thompson and Green, it will be almost over 80M. If you re-sign Ezili or recruit a starting center, the salary will be almost full. Then, unless you re-sign existing players such as Iguodala, Livingston, and Speights using bird rights, you can only get minimum and mid-level contracts. Above all, since there will be a new CBA [Collective Bargaining Agreement] negotiation after 2016, this salary cap estimate is just a simple estimate.

Lee Dong-seok/// Reply to 1988 is a bit old for me to sympathize with ㅠ.ㅠ And personally, the female lead doesn’t show as much charm as Jung Eun-ji or Go Ara.

-DarkANGEL-/// Curry’s contract has become a filial contract. Thanks to Under Armour’s Curry-only shoes, there are almost no injuries, and his skills are still improving…

Yabes/// I think there is enough possibility. Of course, it is difficult to judge rashly because it is the beginning. Personally, I still see the possibility of achieving more than 72 wins at less than 20%.

Vanishing Soul, Omarion, Financia, Misscherry, Kalpa/// Thank you for your comments!! Have a good new week ^^