June 4, 2024

It’s an understatement when I say sh*t hit the fan the last 24 hours.

Well, not only was Lee Gwanhee traded, but so was Lee Jaedo! On the same day, I kid you not! Coach Cho Sang-Hyun and his coaching staff definitely pulled the rug right from under us.

What must be going through Jaedo and Gwanhee’s minds? The former is about to get married, and the latter is in his last year of his contract. Jaedo is also headed to a team that finished eight in the league, but at least he will join Jeong Heejay and Lim Dong Seop. Still… they must be devastated, right? Did they feel like they got stabbed in the back? Did they have an idea this may happen?  And what about Justin?!? There are so many questions and thoughts swirling through my mind.

Shortly after the season ended, Coach Cho did say the highest paid players in the team did not perform to expectations. Now, the four highest paid players in the team are gone: Yang Hongseok (military enlistment), Lee Jaedo, Lee Gwanhee, Jeong Heejay. Ouch. Big statement there, Coach. And big moves.

But it’s frustrating not to know all the whys behind these decisions. If only I could read and understand Korean, I could at least read the news articles. Perhaps it’s time to learn?

I assumed based on logic and my observations that LG wanted to rebuild. It is as simple as that. They keep their league Rookie of the Year and Rebounder winners, Yu Kisang and Assem Marei, and build a new team around them. The middle was plagued with injuries this past season (Marei, Dante Cunningham, and Juan Tello), so coaching staff sought for centers/power forwards to strengthen it and give relief for Marei, who averaged almost 30 minutes a game last season. Justin Gutang, aside from Marei, was the only one who had over 50% both 2FGP and 3FGP (FGP or field goal percentage measures how well a player shoots by dividing the number of field goals/shot made by how many attempted, excluding free throws.) Naturally, LG needed and wanted a stronger backcourt to improve its shooting percentage. Their current roster didn’t deliver when needed, especially during the postseason.

But many international fans may not have the same thought process as I do. Confusion and anger continue to flood social media aimed at LG coaching staff/management. Many Singles’ Inferno fans have commented that they will be unfollowing the LG Instagram page. First, no one cares, folks. LG doesn’t care. Second, you were never a true basketball fan in the first place. Like stop. End of rant.

I mean, I get it. Many of these fans are new to the sport and do not understand how the world of professional sports works. They just grew attached to a team they watched all season long, and all of a sudden, half of that team is gone. In the end, they are just basically Lee Gwanhee fans.

And not only will Gwanhee be going to DB Promy, but he will surely be bringing a slew of his fans with him.

But I still wonder how he’s doing, though..if my mind is running a million miles a minute, I can only imagine his. I hope he’s dealing ok with all of this. Even if he is a veteran, it’s still tough.

Read all the Diaries here…