Y13 [EN]: Chapter 97

Y13-97 (97/296)

00097 2010-11 Regular Season ====================================================

[Dallas Mavericks Acquire Corey Brewer!]

The Dallas Mavericks have acquired small forward Corey Brewer (24) after he was waived by the New York Knicks. Corey Brewer was drafted 7th overall in the first round of the 2007 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Brewer is a defensive specialist, standing at 6-9 (206cm) with a long wingspan, showcasing excellent athleticism.

Last season with Minnesota, he averaged 13 points (43% FG, 35% 3PT) and 4.3 rebounds. However, this season, his playing time was reduced due to Michael Beasley, Wayne Ellington, Wesley Johnson, Martell Webster, and others, causing his field goal percentage and three-point percentage to drop by more than 10%. With his role diminished, he was included in a large three-way trade (Denver Nuggets – New York Knicks – Minnesota Timberwolves) centered around Carmelo Anthony, traded to New York, and immediately waived on the same day. In a way, he could be seen as a victim of circumstance.

Dallas and Boston, both in need of a swingman defender, competed for him, but he signed with the Dallas Mavericks, who offered a multi-year contract. Dallas used their remaining MLE [Mid-Level Exception, a salary cap exception] to sign him to a 3-year, 7M contract (with a team option for the final year).

Head Coach Rick Carlisle commented, “Brewer will play a role beyond just being the team’s 12th man,” expressing his high expectations for him.

RE: Oh, I thought he would go to Boston, but he came to Dallas?

RE: His performance dropped because of reduced playing time, but he’s going to a team with even less playing time for the money, lol.

RE: A long-term contract is ultimately a way to guarantee playing time, idiot.

RE: From a Dallas fan’s perspective, this seems like a good acquisition. Getting a young player who is only in his fourth year this cheaply is a win even if he performs just as well as he did this season.

RE: The problem is that he has a history of injuries. Well, it won’t be a big problem since our bench depth is good anyway.

RE: But I heard his BQ [Basketball IQ] isn’t good. I’m worried if he’ll fit well with our team. I’m afraid he might mess up our team’s defense.

RE: If it doesn’t work out, we can just give him limited minutes and use him as a 1-on-1 defensive specialist. The coach is good at utilizing swingman defenders.

With the acquisition of Corey Brewer, the Dallas Mavericks deepened their bench depth towards the end of the season and succeeded in strengthening their defense and fast breaks. He was a player who could compensate for Peja Stojakovic’s defensive shortcomings. As such, expectations for Corey Brewer were inevitably high within Dallas.

Winning the acquisition battle against the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs, who also sought Brewer, was more than just acquiring one player for Dallas. It was a statement.

Dallas played four games starting with the Indiana Pacers, followed by the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New Orleans Hornets, recording 2 wins and 2 losses. The disappointing part was suffering a narrow 1-point loss in the games against Memphis and New Orleans. Moreover, both games were lost after conceding buzzer-beaters in the fourth quarter. They failed to defend in the final moments.

Youngjae started playing again from the game against Memphis. In the three games since his return, he averaged 19 minutes, recording 13.6 points, 3.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 1.3 turnovers. Looking at the raw stats alone, he seemed to be showing good efficiency per minute. However, starting with the sharp drop in assists and rebounds, Youngjae’s performance in those three games was not the bold and flashy play he had shown from the start of the season until before the Philadelphia game.

He drastically reduced aggressively driving into the paint after dribble penetration and continued to hesitate in aerial contests during rebounds. As a result, he was not actively involved in offensive rebounds and seemed to avoid intense physical contact, which further worried Coach Carlisle. He revealed problems in aggressive paint scoring and quick guard defense, which Dallas needed.

It could be said that he is still showing decent efficiency, and it might be too much to expect from a rookie, but in the games against Memphis and New Orleans, Youngjae allowed Mike Conley and Jarrett Jack, whom he was guarding, to make the final shots, inevitably leading to a 1-point loss.

Because his jump was lower than before and he refrained from intense collisions, his matchups were able to shoot more easily than before. By only hindering and not making the shots difficult for Conley and Jack, they were able to shoot buzzer-beaters more easily than Youngjae had anticipated.

The only fortunate thing was that Youngjae himself was continuing to receive psychological counseling to overcome this, and he was showing a serious and diligent attitude in training. And with him starting to show glimpses of his old plays, Coach Carlisle managed Youngjae by helping him overcome this crisis and giving him time, rather than scolding him or substituting him out. For Dallas, who were in a comfortable position to secure a high seed, 2-3 losses were a cheap price to pay if Youngjae could recover by the playoffs.

“Alright~ Good job on the road trip. We should have had a welcoming party sooner. Eat up, everyone.”

As the team captain, Nowitzki reserved a restaurant with Kidd, Terry, and Marion to provide a simple dinner for the players who worked hard on the road trip, as well as a welcoming party for Corey Brewer. The welcoming party for Brewer was attended by Nowitzki, Kidd, Terry, Marion, along with the main guest Corey Brewer, and all the team members who participated in the road trip, including Beaubois, Youngjae, Barea, Mahinmi, and even Tyson Chandler, who had almost recovered from his injury.

“Yoon~ Long time no see? Why is it so hard to see your face?”

Youngjae greeted Chandler with a rather gaunt expression, and Chandler, seeing Youngjae like that, didn’t say much and greeted Youngjae as usual. Chandler was well aware of Youngjae’s condition and had seen the articles and games related to it, so he knew how much stress Youngjae must be under.

“Chandler, hurry and come back. It’s really tough.”

“What’s tough? You’re eating well and playing well, aren’t you?”

“Can’t you see we’re 2-2 without Chandler? You used to brag so much that I was the core of Dallas. I guess that’s somewhat true?”

Chandler, seeing Youngjae joking around, put him in a headlock, saying, “Somewhat?!” Youngjae coughed and raised both arms in surrender. Chandler had expected Youngjae to be gloomy and downcast, but he was relieved to see him joking and teasing, compared to what he had imagined.

Chandler himself had suffered many injuries throughout his career, to the point where he was even called injury-prone. Even after rehabbing like crazy and returning from an injury, he was constantly plagued by the fear of jumping for rebounds and the intense physical contact to block the opponent’s attacks.

Many more injuries have since chipped away at Chandler’s career. Chandler was originally drafted first overall during a time when high school stars were dominating. What if the rehabilitation doesn’t go well, what if my performance doesn’t return after coming back, will I be able to defend without hesitation if the situation that caused the injury happens again… Chandler, who has come this far amidst such worries, thought he was very lucky. Chandler sat next to Youngjae, wanting to comfort him and give him advice, and shared various stories while eating dinner.

“Hey~~”

At that moment, Brewer, who was talking with Nowitzki, Kidd, Terry, and Marion, who had arranged this gathering, came to Youngjae and Tyson Chandler’s table, put down his plate, and sat down heavily in front of them.

“Let me introduce myself again. I’m Corey Brewer. Nice to meet you.”

“Youngjae Yoon.”

The two stood up slightly and shook hands. Chandler, seeing Brewer, who didn’t seem to have any ill intentions, ate his food without much thought.

“Yeah, nice to meet you. Coward.”

Clang-

“Hey, why don’t you go pick a fight somewhere else? You little punk.”

At Corey Brewer’s word ‘coward,’ Chandler roughly put down his fork and stood up abruptly in front of Brewer, sticking his head out. Despite Chandler’s immense intimidation, Corey Brewer took a step back and said with a sly smile.

“Oops, Chandler. Compared to you, I’m just a trivial little punk. I have no intention of denying that. But, just looking at that coward makes me lose my appetite.”

Corey Brewer’s skills were beyond doubt, but despite those skills, the reason why many teams, not just Boston, San Antonio, and Dallas, only three teams showed interest in Brewer was because of his uninhibited personality. Brewer’s straightforward way of speaking, expressing his opinions honestly and without reservation, carried the risk of potentially disrupting team harmony. The three teams were full of coaches who could control Brewer and veterans with good leadership.

“You keep calling him a coward, you little punk. Why do you think you were released from your team? Yoon is in a bit of a slump these days, and you’re acting like you’re so much better, but what do you think you’re better at than Yoon, who you’re picking a fight with? Yoon is already a teammate who has been with us for a season. Compared to that, you haven’t shown anything here yet, so what are you talking about? Do you think there’s anyone here who will understand and acknowledge your words?”

Brewer shrugged at Chandler’s words. He seemed to have expected that much.

“Don’t be so sensitive. I know I haven’t shown anything properly since coming to Dallas, and I know my place well enough. I also know that my position is different from Yoon’s. But is it so wrong that I can’t even speak the truth? Aren’t I a member of this team now?”

At Brewer’s words, Chandler stepped back slightly and gestured for him to speak. The other players also stopped eating and tried to stop the two, but since Chandler stepped back first and gave Brewer a chance to speak, they pricked up their ears as if to listen to what Brewer had to say.

“The coward I’m talking about is the current Youngjae Yoon. The Yoon before March was a really great rookie in my eyes. I’ve played against him in games, and he has all the skills needed as a swingman and passionately played for the team’s victory. But, for some reason, he was ordered to rest right before I came, and since he came back, he’s been playing basketball like a coward. He always actively participated in rebounds, and where did the boldness go that allowed him to finish around the rim with stable and effective dribble penetration, even if it wasn’t explosive… Why? Why is that?”

Youngjae couldn’t help but be drawn into Brewer’s words. What on earth was Brewer thinking when he said ‘why?’ If he could hear Brewer’s thoughts, he might be able to find a clue, so his eagerness was growing rather than anger.

“I might be saying this recklessly because I’m not the coward in question. If you’ve suffered a really big injury, or if something happened in the past that’s making it hard for you, I’ll apologize in advance. I’m sorry, Yoon. But I heard that nothing happened. If that’s true, then you’re a coward. And it’s obvious, but even if there was such a reason, you have to overcome it. Even if something happened, your current actions are just trying to avoid facing it head-on.”

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

★Thank you to those who gave pre-orders, recommendations, comments, and coupons!!

@The Warriors won Game 5. Even if Cleveland wins Game 6, it’s an elimination road game… It’s not LeBron that’s the problem for Cleveland, but the other players are too tired. Especially with Dellavedova not hitting from the outside and not controlling Curry, it feels like they’re tilting [losing momentum]. Moreover, Barnes, Green, and Iguodala are too hot in the Warriors’ small lineup. J.R., Shumpert, and Tristan Thompson are significantly behind.

@Maybe because they’re tired, there were too many hard fouls… J.R.’s elbow, Dellavedova’s arm hooking Green, and Zaza’s flagrant foul suspicion, etc… Relatively, the Warriors have fewer hard fouls with Bogut out.

@I’m sorry that I was a little late because of the exam period. I should always upload at a similar time so that readers can read it comfortably.

Radiant Legacy/// I see you often in the first comment lol. Thank you!!

KyabaBam/// We need to overcome it step by step, hehe.

H0H/// lol I prefer pre-dating and post-marriage. It’s also a matter of taste, and as you said, Episode…

dsmk12/// Hehe, 막장 [makjang – Korean drama trope of outrageous plot twists] is difficult, lol.

GangjaIl/// The injury scene we were thinking of is at this point in reality. So I put the trauma at this point, but it coincides with the point where the heroine’s favorability is increasing. I’ve been consistently making him do flexibility exercises and paying attention to his ankles before.

Yabes/// If the main character enters Garnett or DeAndre Jordan’s body, it would be amazing. It would be almost like a Duncan-Garnett combination. With today’s victory as a starting point, it’s almost leaning towards the Warriors. Cleveland players can’t endure the second half.

-DarkANGEL-, Kundara, misscherry, Financia, Omarion/// Thank you for your comments today too＊~＊

MoveAside/// He will mature one step further^^

Moon’sWaterdropºHeaven///Yes, as you said, body pitches are all scary. But Choo Shin-soo was so serious that his batting average against left-handed pitchers was more than 10% higher than against right-handed pitchers, and he himself confessed that he had trauma.

SPARTANS/// Haha… It’s not completely over, but a little…it will be difficult…?

JijonCheonha/// This is your first comment, hehe. Thank you!!

HeeritJjing/// It’s not sleep lol

ttn0147/// Haha, thank you~~