By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter
The reputation of suspended Daegu Orions guard Kim Seung-hyun was badly damaged after a scandal involving a double contract became public in July. And most of the talk around the Korean Basketball League about Kim these days has been negative.
But now Kim is hoping to have his punishment reduced and team officials are saying he's hoping to win back his fans.
Kim received an 18-game ban as well as a 10 million won fine when a secret contract he had with the Orions, meant to skirt salary cap rules, was revealed.
The arrangement became public during a bitter contract dispute between the player and the team, where both sides were allegedly negotiating a deal where Kim would secretly receive more money under the table that his official contract stipulated.
While relations between Kim and the Orions were strained at that time, it now appears that the team is ready to welcome him back.
Kim reportedly asked the KBL to review his suspension even before he had begun serving it. Kim's greedy reputation, however, has not helped him in the court of public opinion and there have been many calls from fans for him to serve the ban in full.
The Orions speedy guard sent a document to KBL committee on Oct. 12 before a meeting and asked for the committee to show leniency.
"His return is the best way for him to apologize to the fans. And his return is also crucial to improving the balance among the league teams," an Orions official insisted.
However, according to a source, many basketball officials also believe his suspension should not be reduced, especially since the KBL is only a few games into the season, and many already believe he has gotten off too easily.
Even if relations between team and player are strained, the Orions are desperate to get their star player back on the court. The Daegu-based team's official admitted that without Kim, the team would likely be the league's worst team by a wide margin, which would hurt league parity and have a negative impact on the league as a whole.
They did manage to beat the Samsung Thunders, however. And guard Jung Jai-hong has filled in reasonably well for Kim, averaging 5.3 assists per game.
An official from another team argued that it's too early to say that Kim's return is in the best interest of the league.
"If the Orions lose more than eight or nine games early, that issue of league interest could be discussed. But its only been three games."