Lesnar Shows Teeth for Choi Bout
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
The greatest center ever in Korean basketball is looking for a new show to run while his top bidders are all busy giving him the red carpet treatment.
According to the Korean Basketball League (KBL), three teams _ Incheon E-Land Black Slammers, Jeonju KCC Egis, and Ulsan Mobis Phoebus _ have officially made contract offers to the 2.07-meter Seo Jang-hoon who is considered the top prize of this year's free agent crop.
The teams hope that acquiring the 10-year veteran could make them instant title contenders, although it would certainly be an expensive gamble as the 33-year-old's game has been slipping considerably in the past two seasons.
Seo played for the Seoul Samsung Thunders last season but opted for free agency when the team refused to offer more than a three-year contract with an annual paycheck of 400 million won.
Seo, who earned the league's top salary of 470 million won ($504,000) last season, is looking for a contract longer than four years and isn't expecting to take much of a pay cut.
Among the three teams bidding for Seo, the Black Slammers are offering the seemingly most attractive contract, a four-year offer with annual pay of 560 million won.
The Black Slammers, who finished ninth among the 10 teams last season, hope that Seo's inside presence could open up the perimeter for jump shooters such as Cho Woo-hyun and Kim Sung-chul, boosting an offense that ranked seventh in the league.
Seo could also reunite with his mentor Choi Hee-am who is now the head coach for the Black Slammers.
Choi coached Seo for four years at Yonsei University anchoring what is considered the best college team ever that featured other future all-stars such as Lee Sang-min, Woo Ji-won, and Moon Kyung-eun.
The last-place finishers Egis are offering Seo the longest contract among the three teams, a five-year offer with an annual salary of 400 million won.
If Seo can reunite with his old head coach with the Black Slammers, he can reunite with his former point guard Lee, a two-time league MVP who never missed the all-star game through his 10-year career, at Egis.
Egis might be the best fit for Seo, a consistent mid-range shooter, as he could be the centerpiece of a three-headed attack completed by Lee and small forward Choo Seung-gyun. Seo's presence would also strengthen the team's interior defense.
Defending champions Phoebus has offered a contract of four years with annual pay of 400 million won for Seo, identical with what the Thunders offered him, making it clear that they won't break the bank for the all-star center.
Seo, who has dominated Korean basketball throughout his career with his rare combination of size, athleticism and skills, has made the all-KBL first team in seven of his 10-year career span.
Seo led the league in rebounds at 14 per game to go with an average of 25.4 points in his rookie year during the 1998-99 season, which was statistically his best year in the pros.
However, since averaging 22.1 points per game and 9.4 rebounds in the 2004-05 season, Seo has seen his effectiveness on the court diminish significantly, with his body slowed by chronic back problems. Seo averaged 19.7 points during the 2005-06 season but his rebounds dropped to 5.8 per game.
Seo averaged 16.3 points on 4.7 rebounds last season, with the Thunders completing league play in a disappointing fifth-place finish.
With Seo losing much of his ability to run the floor, he proved as a poor match in the Thunder's open court attack led by quick-footed wingers Kang Hyuk and Lee Kyu-sup. This also led to a rift between Seo and head coach Ahn Jun-ho who often left the center out of late game situations.
Despite his doubters, Seo insists that there is a lot left in the tank for him and he is confidant that he can start next season in full health, which hasn't been the case in the past two seasons. For the next team to doll out serious cash to the declining big man, they are hoping that Seo manages to stay healthy for a full season, which seems to be a tall order, and play closer to his vintage form than the water-downed version he showed in recent years.