It was obviously a season that started with high expectations. Although they lost the ace of the team, they recruited another player who could be an axis and was evaluated as a good composition. But this time, the dream of making the playoffs was blown away. Let’s look back at DB’s season when the evil spirits of injury never ceased.
*This article was published in the May issue of Rookie.
Let’s 토스카지노 set the time for the new season that started with the returning MVP to the time immediately after the end of the last season. Last year, the free agency market attracted a lot of attention with the appearance of the Big 6 (Lee Jung-hyun, Kim Sun-hyung, Doo Kyung-min, Jeon Seong-hyun, Lee Seung-hyun, and Heo Woong). DB’s first goal was the retention of internal FA Heo Woong. Heo Woong, who has already leaped to become the best star in KBL, finished proving his skills by being named in the best 5. Even though DB failed to advance to the playoffs amid all the bad news, Heo Woong’s presence shone.
Amidst the attention of many fans, Heo Woong chose to transfer to KCC instead of staying in DB. DB where the market situation is not resolved as intended. They made a comeback of guard Doo Kyung-min, who was the MVP of the regular league, and quickly started to deal with it. The renewal of the contract with veteran Park Chan-hee, who was an internal free agent, was also completed. In the forward line, which was pointed out as a weakness, Choi Seung-wook, a real resource, was brought in.
DB, including the transfer of Heo Woong, made a big change in the team composition itself as the off-season passed. There are many players who leave Wonju for reasons such as Sangmu enlistment, transfer to another team, or retirement. Lee Yong-woo and Kim Hoon enlisted in Sangmu, and Kim Young-hoon, Kim Cheol-wook, Park Gyeong-sang, and Jung Jun-won transferred. KBL’s No. 1 Japanese player, Taichi Nakamura, also returned to Japan.
In particular, in the guard line, where there were many changes, the player who stood out as much as Kyung-Min Doo was Lee Seon Albano, who joined the Asian Quarter in the Philippines. Albano, who has accumulated professional experience while playing in the German league, received expectations by showing unusual skills from off-season practice games as a 185cm guard. Heo Woong’s void is not small, but the gaze came out that Doo Kyung-min and Albano could fill it.
Dewan Hernandez was selected as the first-option foreign player that accounts for a large portion of farming this year. Hernandez, a former NBA draftee, is a player who has averaged more than 20 points in the G-League. With Hernandez, who is tall and has both athletic ability and scoring ability, DB fans expected him to be the right person to end the brutality of foreigners. Option 2 decided to continue with Lenard Freeman.
In the rookie draft, Yang Jun-seok and Lee Doo-won, who are called the Big 2, were missed, but the swingman position, which was lacking in the 3rd place, was reinforced. Chung-Ang University Park In-woong, nominated by DB as the 3rd ranked player, was called the best scorer in the university. Here, Kyunghee University’s tall forward In Seung-chan and Hanyang University’s shooter Kim Hyeong-jun joined as members of the DB.
DB, who entered the season with a good start and another injury nightmare, was evaluated as having enough power to advance to the 6th round. In the cup competition held in Tongyeong in early October, although they did not achieve great results, they showed good performances. At this rate, there was an expectation that they would make up for the sadness of the past two seasons, when they were pushed out of the 6th place.
The start was uneasy, such as becoming Carrot’s first win opponent before the opening, but DB immediately succeeded in rebounding. After 2 losses, 5 wins in a row. What stood out to him was his fierce attack power. He pounded out his opponents, scoring 85 points or more in 4 of his 5 games. It was also encouraging that the winning streak began with the return of Doo Kyung-min.
DB finished the first round with 6 wins and 3 losses and opened the door to the regular league in a good mood. However, DB’s uptrend did not last long. DB, which was running a high-ranking race, fell into a swamp of consecutive losses in the second round schedule after a short break and crashed in an instant. DB’s ranking, which finished the second round with 1 win and 7 losses, fell to the bottom.
Here, the terrible injury demon that has been holding DB’s ankles for the past few seasons has come to DB again this time. While Kim Jong-kyu, who had a bad knee condition, was not able to show his power properly, bad news occurred that injured Kang Sang-jae following Doo Kyung-min and 1st option Hernandez.
Doo Kyung-min showed off his skills by pouring out 43 points against Korea Gas Corporation on December 18 last year, but the pain in his knee, which had undergone surgery in the off-season, did not go away easily. Doo Kyung-min, who played with a sense of responsibility even though his body condition was not 100%, eventually went to the operating table again in January.
1st option Hernandez, who had obvious explosive power, but exposed problems in defense and air supremacy. Hernandez, who had been longing for it, was sidelined for nearly three weeks due to a sole injury due to an injury in early December. Hernandez’s vacancy was filled by Demetrius Treadwell, who joined as a temporary substitute, but he did not completely fill the void.
Even Kang Sang-jae suffered a femoral injury, and DB had a very difficult November and December. His performance was so unstable that he could not record a win streak for two months. In the end, DB, which stayed in the lower ranks, faced a change in which manager Lee Sang-beom voluntarily resigned and coach Kim Seong-cheol stepped down.
In the end, the 6th round was frustrated, but…
DB, who broke up with coach Lee Sang-beom, switched to the acting manager Kim Joo-seong. Not much can be changed in a short amount of time. Acting Kim managed the game by giving strength to the triple post where Kim Jong-gyu and Kang Sang-jae sortied together. In addition, DB’s big lineup with Choi Seung-wook as number 2 was definitely threatening.
In the early days when Acting Kim took the baton, DB, which stayed in ninth place, was on the rise. DB, who took advantage of his height but did not lose much in his activity, showed much better defense than before and harassed the opposing team. As the performance changed, the number of wins also began to accumulate.
Kim Jong-kyu, who suffered from the worst slump since his debut until the second round, regained his aggressiveness from the third round and succeeded in rebounding. Kang Sang-jae, who has excellent shooting skills despite his height, maximized his own strengths by playing the role of a linker using clever BQ. Here, Albano, who has been steadily active since the beginning of the season, also contributed greatly by leading the front line.
DB, who jumped into the fight in the 6th round in earnest, threw the number of wins. He replaced Hernandez, who was unable to show his skills due to an injury, and recruited Malcolm Thomas, a former KBL player. If Thomas properly melted into the team, it was a paving stone that could be looked at not only in the 6th round but also beyond.
However, DB, who wanted to leap forward, rather slowed down after joining Thomas. Thomas, who was not in perfect physical condition, did not live up to expectations at all, and DB suffered from a lack of a fixer and fell into a 7-game losing streak when it was time to hit. There was also bad news that Doo Kyung-min and Kang Sang-jae were injured again.
DB’s sudden sluggishness was all the more regrettable because it was a time when other teams competing in the 6th round were also stagnant. They sent Thomas, who had an average of 3.5 points in 6 games, and promptly brought in Dijon Davis, but it was not enough to turn the tide. It was fatal to lose all of the 5th and 6th rounds to 6th place KCC.
Still, the DB players did their best until the end of the season. He did not give up and continued his hopes by running for five consecutive victories. Albano, who struggled throughout the season despite difficult conditions, presented a winning buzzer beater to home fans in the last home game of the regular season. DB finished the season in 7th place.
During the season, a total of 5 foreign players, including temporary substitutes, went through DB. Even in the domestic lineup, it was difficult to find a player who had a healthy season. The key to success next season is the health of the players and the selection of a strong first-option foreign player.
DB appointed Kim Joo-seong as the official manager shortly after the end of the season. DB’s greatest legend, manager Kim, has been given the honor of being in charge of all players, coaches and managers in one club. Coach Kim, who won 5 regular league championships and 3 championship championships at DB during his active career, took command of the team with the mission of rebuilding a prestigious family.
Will DB be able to succeed in rebuilding the famous family with director Kim Joo-sung? First of all, coach Kim Joo-seong said, “It’s a position that comes with a lot of responsibility, but I will do my best to improve the team and make it a good team.”
Team MVP | Lee Seon Albano
53G 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists
The Asian Quarter players from the Philippines, the hottest topic in KBL this season, joined. Among them, Albano showed off his outstanding skills. Compared to other Filipino players, he was not the type to produce a lot of flashy scenes, but he led DB’s front line by showing unrelenting performance.
The presence of Albano, who consistently kept the court, was a great boost to DB, who suffered from bad news of injury throughout the season. Albano, who was also at the center of the winning streak at the end of the season. He digested a long season and perfectly adapted to the league, so he is looking forward to the next season.
Team RISING STAR | Park In
-woong 33G 3.9 points 2.2 rebounds 3 points success rate 33.3%
Newcomer Park In-woong, who joined the team as the 3rd overall player after serving as the ace of Chung-Ang University, did not take as much weight as he did during his college days, but played an active role in his own way in a small amount of playing time. He didn’t score much, but he showed the guts to shoot when the team needed it without hesitation.
However, it was regrettable that the season ended early due to an injury suffered at the end of January. Park In-woong, who was evaluated as having been reinforced in the position the team needed after the draft. If he returns after completing his rehabilitation well, he is a resource that can play a vital role in the 2nd or 3rd position.