This season, the Jeonju KCC Egis have suffered a series of trials. In the off-season free agent market, Lee Seung-hyun (30‧197cm) and Heo Woong (29‧185.2cm) were recruited at once, showing off the power of a big hand, but after that, problems with foreign players and large and small injuries within the team continued, causing headaches. Although it is currently in 6th place, it is expected that Mercury will not be easy given the bad news.안전놀이터
What bothered KCC the most was, of course, the issue of foreign players. KCC, which failed to renew the contract with the player it had originally planned, found Tyler Davis (25‧208cm), whom he had worked with as an alternative. Although he had broken trust with the club before, it was judged that there was no suitable person skillfully in a situation where an authentic center was needed. If Davis returned to his previous skills and played faithfully, KCC’s power might have changed dramatically.
As a result, KCC was hit in the back by Davis again. With the opening of the season just around the corner, I felt impatient and hurriedly brought in Ronde Hollis Jefferson (28‧198cm). Considering his young age and brilliant NBA career, which is one of the best foreign players of all time, it would not be strange to evaluate him as a bigger player than Davis.
The problem was that Jefferson was a forward. Like many foreign forwards who played an active role in Korea, he was a typical wing resource with a skinny body, not the type that could hold out at the bottom of the goal to some extent. Not to mention the same foreign players, they were often pushed back by strong domestic players. Even though he was a forward, he was showing weakness in the 3-point shot, so it was very difficult to use.
In the end, Laguna (33‧200.5cm) became the center again and had no choice but to run. It was at a level where the post defense was not possible at all, so it could not relieve the burden on Laguna. Occasionally, when a foreign forward met a team that was active as the main axis, he showed his class, but most of them took only a short business trip to the extent that they did not have a big impact on the team’s win or loss.
Jefferson, who was proud of being an NBA player, began to accumulate dissatisfaction with his role as a backup. He eventually caused controversy over sabotage and was forced to leave. It was a situation where a replacement foreign player was not yet found, but it is said that it was difficult to be together anymore as the goal of conflict between each other deepened.
The problem is not only foreign players. Currently, KCC is in a state where Lee Seung-hyun and Heo Woong are out of power due to rehabilitation after an elbow injury and an 8-week diagnosis of an ankle lateral ligament injury. Considering the absence of foreign players in the local one-two punch, it can be said that the future competition for the 6th round has become very difficult. In the meantime, there are rumors that Lee Seung-hyun will return early ahead of the Anyang KGC match on the 17th. He is still in poor physical condition, but it is an expression of his will to exert his strength in an important period toward advancing to the playoffs.
This can obviously be a variable for KCC, whose current power is hitting bottom. While Lee Jong-hyun (29‧203cm), who joined through a trade, is showing good performance as a backup big man resource, if La Gun-ah and Lee Seung-hyun show fighting spirit, it is worth trying in a goal fight against a decent team. If the post is stable, the performance of the outside resources can also be revived.
Nevertheless, the reaction of KCC fans is not very good. In various communities, there are overwhelmingly more voices of concern than expectations. A fan who has been supporting KCC since the first year of the pro team said, “I know that it is an important time for the competition in the 6th round, but I don’t know why the team’s key resources have to make an early comeback while overdoing it. Lee Seung-hyun is a player who should serve as a pillar for the next few years. Even if he doesn’t, he’s been struggling with injuries this year, and I’m worried that overdoing it will lead to bigger injuries.”
Another fan also said, “I am a pot fan who has mixed joys and sorrows in each game depending on whether KCC wins or loses, but watching the rope injuries in the meantime, I desperately realized that a player’s health is more important than an immediate win. Our fans are ready to wait. This season, the coach often said that he was sorry and thanked Lee Seung-hyun, who was struggling with injuries, but rather than watching every game anxiously, I think the first thing to do is to strongly restrain and protect the players even if they show their intention to participate.” did.
In fact, even if Lee Seung-hyun and Heo Woong play healthy, KCC is far from winning. There are many areas that need to be strengthened, such as the thin player base and the imbalance of balance by position. For this reason, most fans and officials are unanimous that the next season, when the former ace Song Gyo-chang (26‧201.3cm) returns, is the time to challenge for the championship.
In order to do that, the healthy physical condition of the existing main players, such as Lee Seung-hyun, Heo Woong, and Jeong Chang-young, who suffered from controversy over abuse, is essential. At best, even if Song Gyo-chang returns and plays an active role, it will be meaningless if a hole is made elsewhere. KCC needs to go through the season with a long breath. As mentioned earlier, fans are ready to wait. An unreasonable move for one win should not become a ‘sotamdaesil’.