Big Deal

KCC and SK carried out a big trade in which Jeon Hee-chul and Cho Seong-won were exchanged for each other in the Korean professional basketball league.

Both teams stated that they accomplished the 2-for-2 trade in which KCC sent Jeon Hee-chul and Hong Sa-boong to SK and received Cho Seong-won and Kang Joon-goo in exchange on December 3.

“Air Borne” Jeon Hee-chul was selected as an all-star player for the 2002-2003 season and is a well-known star of KCC who brings many adoring female fans to the games as does Lee Sang-min. Cho Seong-won, known as “Kangaroo Shooter,” is an excellent shooter who received both the MVP title and the most three points made award during the 2000-2001 season for LG.

The two teams decided to trade them since their performances have been worse than what was expected from them.

Jeon Hee-chul, viewed as being defensively passive in the post area despite his good outside jumper, expected to bounce back this season. However, he took a step back with an injury to his knee right after the start of the season and fell into a slump again. Jeon Hee-chul averaged 10 points per game last season, but this season, he has only averaged 5.9 points per game.

Cho Seong-won averaged 15.7 points a game last season, but he has only averaged 12 points per game this season. There has been a rumor that he was in trouble with the team management because of his displeasure regarding his lack of playing time. This trade sends him back to his original team as his professional debut was for Hyundai which was the predecessor of KCC in 1997.

This trade was requested by KCC in the beginning. KCC, attempting to win a championship, needs an outstanding outside shooter and expects Cho Seong-won to play this role. SK hopes that the post play can be strengthened with the help from Jeon Hee-chul.

Meanwhile, Hong Sa-boong was traded to SK only two months after being drafted by KCC. Kang Joon-goo, a guard from Hanyang University, joined KCC as the 16th player selected overall in last year’s draft.

Won-Hong Lee bluesky@donga.com