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September 08, 2008
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If I was in LA California dreamin’ On such a winter’s day ... (From “California Dreamin’” by The Mamas & the Papas) Bang Sung-yoon is California dreaming today. Bang, a sharpshooting forward formerly of the SK Knights in the Korean Basketball League, departed for Los Angeles Wednesday evening, renewing his dreams of playing in the National Basketball Association. The 26-year-old will first join the Anaheim Arsenal of the second-tier NBA Development League, or simply D-League, when the team’s new season begins on Nov. 29. Bang, the 196-centimeter (6-foot-5) forward, is seeking to become just the second Korean to don an NBA uniform. The first was 221-centimeter center Ha Seung-jin, who played sparingly for the Portland Trail Blazers from 2004 to 2006. Bang thinks it’s now or never. “This is my last shot at the NBA,” Bang told the JoongAng Daily. “I’ve just been dying to go. I couldn’t help it ... I have a lot of expectations for myself. I get excited at the thought of playing in the States.” This will be Bang’s second stint in the D-League. In the 2004-05 season, the Yonsei University graduate played for the now-defunct Roanoke Dazzle and led the league in three-point field goals with 38 in 41 games. Bang returned to Korea in 2005 after being drafted No. 1 overall by the KTF Magic Wings, who later traded him to the Knights. In the KBL, a player must reach a deal with the team that drafted him or he becomes ineligible for the league for five years. Bang’s contract with the Knights includes a clause that he can test the foreign waters for two years after three KBL seasons. And when the time came following the conclusion of the last season, the Knights were more than willing to let him try to reach the NBA.
“If he comes back before the two years run out, it will be all the better for us,” Jang said of Bang, who averaged 19.5 points per game over his three seasons in Korea. “But we all want to see him succeed. We’d like to see him play in the NBA.” Jang said the Knights will use multiple players to try to fill Bang’s void and his 22.1 points per game from last season. “Fortunately, we picked up Terrence Shannon [the reigning KBL scoring champ] from the foreign players’ draft,” Jang said. “And we have a bunch of other hard-working perimeter players, too.” In going to the D-League, Bang is leaving a comfortable life and career in Korea. In 2007-08, he was the fourth-highest paid player in the KBL with a salary of 400 million won ($358,000), and guided the Knights to their first playoffs in six seasons. Despite missing 21 games last season with a knee injury, Bang finished fourth in the league with 113 three-point field goals in 33 contests. Bang is already exempt for the mandatory military service after winning the 2002 Asian Games gold medal in men’s basketball. And no Korean player has Bang’s lethal combination of size and shooting touch. By all measures, he was well on his way to becoming one of Korea’s greatest shooters ever. So why leave now? “I just don’t want to have any regrets,” Bang said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me.” Bang has been hampered by assorted injuries - shoulder, ribs, ankle, fingers and knee - over his three-year KBL career. On Dec. 21 last year, Bang suffered a torn left knee ligament after twisting the knee as he fell on a slippery spot on the court. With the Knights jostling for a playoff position, Bang rushed back and played for the team in the postseason. But he re-injured his knee and went through more rehab in the offseason. But Bang said he has never felt better. “I’ve never had such a long and proper rehab,” he said. “I might have been injured so often because I never really had enough time for rehabs. And now, I am in the best shape of my life.” Bang added, though, that there is no extra pressure just because this is his last crack at the NBA. Still, he said with a grin, “It’d be awesome to play in the NBA.” For Bang, a new path to the NBA has opened up. This will be the fourth season of the affiliation system between the NBA and the D-League. Each of the 16 D-League teams is affiliated with a maximum of two NBA teams. Anaheim is affiliated with the Atlanta Hawks and the Los Angeles Clippers. Under this system, Bang can join the NBA by signing a 10-day contract with the affiliated teams. A 10-day contract lasts 10 days, or three games, whichever comes later. A team can only sign a player to two 10-day deals and those contracts may or may not be consecutive. After the second 10-day contract expires, the team can only retain the player by signing him for the remainder of the season. The unsigned player becomes a free agent. Ten-day contracts are available starting Jan. 5, or the first business day thereafter, each season. However, the affiliation system is also a double-edged sword for Bang. First and second-year NBA players from the affiliated teams can also be assigned to the D-League club and take the roster spots away from the incumbents. But Bang chose to look on the more positive side. “The affiliation system means there will be more NBA scouts on hand to watch the D-League,” he said. “That means more exposure for us. I heard some NBA players are leaving for Europe and the NBA is growing more open to international players. I’ve got to pounce on that opportunity.” Bang has been a supremely confident, if not cocky, player, depending on whether you’re his teammate or not. After draining his three-point shots, Bang likes to raise the last three fingers on both hands, with the thumbs and index fingers forming circles. Though he is not a gifted on-the-ball defensive player, Bang has turned it up a notch in crucial games, to the surprise of opponents and observers. Bang said he has learned to be more confident by watching NBA games and his favorite players. “I like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul,” Bang said of the NBA All-Stars who helped the U.S. team win the gold at the Beijing Olympics. “They all have flaws as players but they make up for them with tremendous confidence. I’ve got so much to learn from them.” As for himself, Bang said he is most confident in his shooting abilities. “Shooting will help me stand out in the crowd,” he said. “As long as I can be on the same level with others on the defensive end, I think my shooting skills will make the difference.” By Yoo Jee-ho Staff Reporter [jeeho@joongang.co.kr] |
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