Y13 [EN]: Chapter 43

Y13-43 (43/296)

00043 Summer League =========================================================================

The 2010 Summer League concluded without much fanfare. The Dallas Mavericks surprised everyone by winning the final game decisively, claiming the Summer League championship. In the championship game, Youngjae propelled the team to victory with an impressive 23 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals in 31 minutes. He dominated the Summer League, earning both the Summer League MVP and Summer League Championship MVP awards, boasting an outstanding average of approximately 30 minutes per game, 20.3 points, 10.8 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.3 steals across 8 games.

With the Summer League over, the players dispersed. Only Ian Mahinmi would be joining Youngjae in the preseason. Rodrigo Boboua was set to join the French national team for the Basketball World Cup and would therefore miss the preseason. Although Korea was eliminated from the Basketball World Cup, they were scheduled for various evaluation matches, but Youngjae hadn’t received any specific news regarding participation yet.

‘It’s a shame we won’t be playing together.’

‘Yeah. If we face each other in the regular season, take it easy on me.’

‘Well… I’ll consider it. Who knows? You might surpass me, and I’ll be the one asking you to go easy.’

‘Hehe. Really? I’ll try my best.’

Jeremy Lin ultimately signed a contract with the Golden State Warriors, not the Dallas Mavericks, as Dallas already had a surplus of guards.

Lin’s performance had improved considerably since his face-off against John Wall. Despite this, Dallas didn’t extend an offer. The Golden State Warriors, lacking a reliable backup guard besides Stephen Curry (PG) and Monta Ellis (SG), quickly signed him.

Youngjae encouraged Lin, hoping he would find success with the Warriors, rather than enduring years of struggle before his breakout “Linsanity” moment with the New York Knicks, as he remembered from his previous life.

Following the July Summer League, Youngjae, with the assistance of his agent Bill Duffy, secured a house near the American Airlines Center, the Dallas Mavericks’ home arena.

Given that Texas has no state income tax, he purchased the house outright, planning to reside there long-term. Players in states with high income taxes sometimes buy homes in states without such taxes to process their offseason income as being earned in the tax-free state.

The house was a charming one-story structure with a small yard. Youngjae, needing little space as he lived alone, opted for a compact house with two rooms, one bathroom, and a total area of less than 25 pyeong [approximately 82 square meters or 883 square feet].

Naturally, the yard featured a basketball hoop and a half-court, with the remaining area covered in grass, providing a pleasant view and space for individual practice.

While many NBA players were engaged in international competitions or enjoying vacation, Youngjae hadn’t yet met the Dallas Mavericks’ first-team players and was concentrating on individual training. Thanks to the dedicated coaching of Dwayne Casey and Terry Stotts, he was steadily improving his offensive and defensive skills through various drills.

During this time, Youngjae obtained his driver’s license and purchased a simple yet dependable SUV from S company. In his past life, he might have been eager for a sleek sports car, but the current Youngjae viewed unnecessarily expensive and fast cars as frivolous. He preferred the sturdy and reliable SUV, a choice Duffy didn’t question. When Youngjae occasionally drove to the American Airlines Center, the coaches would see him in the SUV and remark approvingly, ‘That’s unique.’

Meanwhile, media outlets began publishing analyses of offseason team evaluations and predictions for the 2010-2011 NBA season, including assessments of the Dallas Mavericks. In Korea, the Youngjae phenomenon ignited the passion of previously quiet basketball fans.

Korean Dallas Mavericks Fan Forum.

Title: NBA.com Dallas Mavericks Report (A~D)

IN: Tyson Chandler, Alexis Ajinca (Trade), Ian Mahinmi (Free Agent), Yoon Youngjae (Draft)

OUT: Matt Carroll, Eduardo Najera, Erick Dampier (Trade), Drew Gooden, Josh Howard, Tim Thomas, Chris Humphries, Quinton Ross (Contract Expired and Terminated)

The frontcourt has been strengthened with the acquisition of Tyson Chandler during the offseason.

They succeeded in strengthening the inside through a 2:3 trade with Charlotte. Erick Dampier had a non-guaranteed contract of $13 million (approximately 15 billion won [South Korean currency]), and Dallas initially aimed for Al Jefferson and Chris Paul, but failed and used this player to acquire Tyson Chandler. Fortunately, they succeeded in disposing of Matt Carroll and Najera.

Dallas get: Tyson Chandler (Center), Alexis Ajinca (Power Forward/Center)

Charlotte get: Erick Dampier, Matt Carroll, Eduardo Najera

Ian Mahinmi, whose contract with San Antonio expired, was signed as a free agent to provide insurance as the team’s third center.

Dallas drafted Yoon Youngjae with the 25th pick and sent Solomon Alabi, who was drafted with the 50th pick, to the Toronto Raptors and received a future second-round pick. Solomon Alabi was mentioned in the first round, but all teams questioned his physical condition and he fell to the 50th pick. If Alabi is healthy, he could be one of the steal picks of the 2010 draft.

Yoon Youngjae, who was drafted with the 25th pick, is showing signs of being a steal pick by winning the Summer League MVP. He won a landslide victory in the match against John Wall, who is the most watched rookie this season, and led the Dallas Summer League team, which was evaluated as being in the lower ranks, to the Summer League championship. In 8 Summer League games, he recorded 20.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 10.8 assists, and 3.3 steals, literally dominating the Summer League.

Dallas has several major weaknesses in its guard lineup this season, and Yoon Youngjae is a player who can fill all of these weaknesses at once if he adapts to the NBA and reproduces the performance he showed in the Summer League. He has shown the talent to solve the weaknesses of the guard lineup’s lack of rebounding ability, the absence of a slasher [a player who aggressively drives to the basket], and defense against fast guards. It is no exaggeration to say that he is the key player for Dallas this season.

Frontcourt (Forward-Center): A

Small Forward (SF) – Caron Butler, Shawn Marion

Power Forward (PF) – Dirk Nowitzki

Center (C) – Brendan Haywood, Tyson Chandler, Ian Mahinmi, Alexis Ajinca

The starting lineup of Butler (30) – Nowitzki (32) – Haywood (31) will be supported by Marion (32) and Chandler (28). However, the absence of Nowitzki’s exclusive backup at the 4 position is one of the challenges that Dallas must solve. Steve Novak and Brian Cardinal, who have joined the camp, may be a fallback if Dallas cannot find an answer.

It is the team that seems most likely to face the Gasol-Bynum inside of the LA Lakers.

Backcourt (Guard): B+

Point Guard (PG) – Jason Kidd, J.J. Barea, Rodrigo Boboua

Shooting Guard (SG) – Jason Terry, DeShawn Stevenson, Yoon Youngjae

Veteran Jason Kidd (37) has to play more than 30 minutes despite his age. Jason Terry (33), J.J. Barea (26), and Rodrigo Boboua (22) are explosive on offense but cannot be expected to play defensively. DeShawn Stevenson (29) is at a level that should be considered out of the team based on his performance last year. In order to improve the defense of the starters, it is important for Dallas to see if Yoon Youngjae (19), the Summer League MVP, can do well in the NBA.

Bench: B+

The bench with Terry, Marion, and Chandler is top-notch. If Marion shows the performance he had during his Phoenix days and Chandler is healthy, it could be the strongest in the league. Terry has weaknesses in defense and ups and downs, but he is still a scorer who can score more than 20 points.

Coaching: B

Although they lost to San Antonio last year, Carlisle did well in his own way. He is a sufficiently talented strategist, and assistant coaches Dwayne Casey and Terry Stotts are among the best in the league.

Offense: B

Nowitzki is still a player who can score +25 points, and Caron Butler is the best second option in the league if he is healthy. Kidd, Terry, and Marion are also players who can score in double digits. However, due to the lack of post-up options and penetration options, it is expected that they will repeat the simple passing-jumper game this season as well. The only hope is that Barea and Boboua’s passing will improve, or that Yoon Youngjae will debut successfully.

Defense: B+

They are inferior in quality compared to competing teams, but they have a quantitative advantage. Chandler coming off the bench is a significant strength. A starting-level center can guard the court for 48 minutes. However, the defense of the guards is the worst in the league. Nowitzki’s 4th position is also a defensive weakness. They have defensive weaknesses in 3 of the 5 positions. It is questionable whether Boboua-Yoon Youngjae can replace Kidd’s slowed feet.

Overall: B+ (6th overall. 1st Miami Heat – 2nd LA Lakers – 3rd Oklahoma City Thunder – 4th San Antonio Spurs – 5th Chicago Bulls)

Although they were brutally defeated by San Antonio last year, 10 consecutive years of 50 wins or more (82 games per year) is not a record to be taken lightly. They haven’t won a championship yet, but Nowitzki’s era is worth remembering.

It is reassuring that Nowitzki has stayed and Butler is working hard. Marion wasn’t great last year, but I hope he recovers.

They have strengthened the paint [area close to the basket] and supplemented energy levels and athletic ability.

The backcourt has a good combination of old and new with Kidd-Terry and Barea-Boboua. It is worth anticipating that Yoon Youngjae, who stood out in this Summer League, will become a steal pick following in Boboua’s footsteps.

This team is not the best team, but it is still a team that can chase the Lakers, the strongest team in the West. The current roster has 13 players, and if they strengthen the squad by supplementing 2 players well, they may become a better team.

Dallas Salary Status.

1 Dirk Nowitzki $17,278,618

2 Tyson Chandler $12,600,000

3 Jason Terry $10,650,000

4 Caron Butler $10,561,960

5 Jason Kidd $8,610,500

6 Shawn Marion $7,305,500

7 Brendan Haywood $6,900,000

8 DeShawn Stevenson $4,151,786

9 J.J. Barea $1,815,000

10 Alexis Ajinca $1,467,840

11 Rodrigo Boboua $1,156,080

12 Yoon Youngjae $1,110,120

13 Ian Mahinmi $762,196

Total Salary $82,901,760

Salary Cap: $58,000,000

Luxury Tax Line: $70,307,000

Dallas has already exceeded the salary cap and the luxury tax line by a significant amount. It boasts the 3rd highest total salary in the league. Therefore, Dallas can only acquire players through the Mid-Level Exception [an exception that allows teams over the salary cap to sign a player] and Veteran Minimum or Sign and Trade [a transaction where a player is signed and then immediately traded to another team].

Dirk Nowitzki and Brendan Haywood will be stable as this season is the first season of their long-term contracts. Tyson Chandler, Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson, and J.J. Barea may show FA roid (showing outstanding performance in the season before FA [Free Agency]) as this season is their last season.

Traditionally, Dallas has few big-name FAs [Free Agents], a poor draft, and mainly strengthens its power through trades. As a result, the player base changes a lot every year, and the focus this season will be on how quickly they can build team chemistry and organization.

Mark Cuban, the owner, spares no expense in strengthening the team’s power, even while saving on luxury taxes every year, and has not been out of the top 3 in the league in total salary for 9 years. However, they have not yet reaped the reward of winning the championship.

Comments

RE: Our team’s overall rating is still 6th overall this season. It seems like we can look forward to this season.

RE: Cuban, please win a championship after pouring so much money every year…

RE: Nowitzki needs to win a championship while he’s still in his prime before he gets any older.

RE: It’s a record that they do so well in the regular season, but they don’t have a championship. Sigh…

RE: By the way, is Yoon Youngjae really good? The official homepage is picking him as a key player.

RE: I saw the Summer League and it was real. I think he can really make something happen haha.

RE: I also think he’s great, but it seems like too much hype. To be honest, there are so many prospects who eat Summer League MVP and then disappear in the official NBA ㅡ.ㅡ

RE: That’s true, but his Summer League record is among the highest. In addition, he hard-carried a weak Summer League team, and he has no weaknesses overall. John Wall alone has several weaknesses, but he has relatively few weaknesses, even if he has some shortcomings.

RE: First of all, the opponent’s defense is not NBA defense. We need to prove whether he can make those kinds of breakthroughs and shots in front of NBA defense. The same goes for whether he can defend NBA starters.

RE: Still, the official homepage mentions his name in various indicators, so I think he’ll do well enough? If he grows up well, our team’s weaknesses will disappear in one shot.

RE: 22222. I agree. It’s not because he’s Korean, but if he grows up like he did in college and the Summer League, I think our team can eliminate weaknesses and gain a core after Nowitzki.

Even with these reactions, Youngjae abandoned his habit of occasionally reading articles like he did in college and hardly even accessed them. It may be to guard against himself in his past life, who was complacent with the local Korean reactions like a frog in a well [idiom for someone with a limited perspective], but he didn’t want his mental state to be shaken by unnecessary articles or comments. So Youngjae entrusted Duffy with those public opinions, and as a result, Youngjae was able to prepare for the preseason with a slightly more comfortable mind.

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

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

★Thank you for the sponsorship coupon, Giant!

@Some people wanted to see the Korean reactions from the previous episode, and since the offseason is slowly coming to an end, I’ve organized it once in a column format. If a Korean player actually advanced and such an article was posted on the forum, there would be hundreds or thousands of comments ㄷㄷ. There would be a lot of controversy as well. I only wrote calm comments haha.

@This episode has a lot of terms, so rather than putting it in the afterword, I’ll upload the data to the yard sometime tomorrow. These are offseason terms, so it will be fun for those who are interested to read. However, the explanations for salaries, contracts, and trades are a bit complicated, so I plan to write them briefly. These are terms that are not used in the game, so you can skip them lightly. However, if you still read it, you can predict the future direction of this team and Youngjae’s direction. It seems like this took the longest of the 43 episodes I’ve written so far.

Thank you, Brilliant Legacy, Full Moon Wolf///

To the handsome man in front of you/// Haha, it’s preseason now. Of course, NBA players will appear now haha

Ga Yeon Eul/// ㅠ.ㅠ The number of episodes is still small…

Nireudy/// I felt that way when I was a reader lol

Curry Curry/// Um, I looked it up after hearing what you said. The Kill Crossover seems to be a different technique from Between the Legs. Of course, Between the Legs is mainly used for dunks, but there is no specific term to describe this dribble. So I decided to use this term. Thank you for pointing it out~

Wind Man/// S….save me

Picks/// Cool protagonist

Financial, Don’t Erase Me, -DarkANGEL-/// Thank you for your comments as always~

Lafir and Jint/// Hehe Rookie of the Year competitor Wall!! Really?

Celestial Star/// Hehe, I’ll grow up step by step

Ruthless Pirate/// Last year’s playoffs had the most Game 7s, but this season it will end in almost 4-5 games.

Omari On, Kundara, dio2n, Giant/// Thank you for your comments~

Biryueol/// ㅎㅎ You were an NBA fan

Cutie Dong/// Dallas this season is full of ups and downs and feels like it’s cursed. The Rondo trade is likely to be the worst trade after the Odom trade.

Frog Power/// You flatter me ㅎㅎ

kkjine/// Thank you for your support.