The CBA (Chinese Basketball Association) wrapped up its '05-'06 season with the Guangdong Southern Tigers taking the chip for the third straight time beating the Bayi Rockets, the last team to chip three straight. I watched a couple of these games via NBA TV--my first real taste of China's top level of comp... and man... it was ugly. It was like watching a middle school game, when you're sitting on edge just waiting for them to do something right. I'm actually not as offended anymore by Charles Barkley's remark that all Chinese people sucked at basketball.
Disclaimer: The Tigers are the youngest team in the CBA (at an average age of 22.7 years) and younger than any NBA team. So, the middle school thing kinda fits and makes sense, but what about the rest of the CBA?
On that note, 19-year-old Tigers star, Yi Jianlian (7'0" 230 lbs.), already touted as the next Yao Ming has passed on the NBA draft, declaring that he has not yet reached an NBA standard, which has apparently been part of a growing concern for Chinese basketball officials that want their players to get burn no matter where they go. He's already got Yao's endorsement.
But he's right about passing. Yi's athletic, but he got that Stromile Swift lost puppy dog look a little too often in the games we watched. The occasional resemblance was chilling.
Our boy Sun Yue, on the other hand, thinks one year in the ABA (yes, the American Basketball Association) is enough and has apparently declared for the NBA Draft. This is according to Asia-Basket who says they caught the news of NBAdraft.net... but they don't sound so convinced:
Past players drafted for marketing purposes... Manute Bol, Muggsy Bogues, Gheorge Muresan... they didn't do so bad. But we actually can't find the story on NBAdraft.net so we don't even know if its true. I guess we'll look into it. Maybe.
Wang Zhi-Zhi goes home.
Disclaimer: The Tigers are the youngest team in the CBA (at an average age of 22.7 years) and younger than any NBA team. So, the middle school thing kinda fits and makes sense, but what about the rest of the CBA?
On that note, 19-year-old Tigers star, Yi Jianlian (7'0" 230 lbs.), already touted as the next Yao Ming has passed on the NBA draft, declaring that he has not yet reached an NBA standard, which has apparently been part of a growing concern for Chinese basketball officials that want their players to get burn no matter where they go. He's already got Yao's endorsement.But he's right about passing. Yi's athletic, but he got that Stromile Swift lost puppy dog look a little too often in the games we watched. The occasional resemblance was chilling.
Our boy Sun Yue, on the other hand, thinks one year in the ABA (yes, the American Basketball Association) is enough and has apparently declared for the NBA Draft. This is according to Asia-Basket who says they caught the news of NBAdraft.net... but they don't sound so convinced:Sun's size, agility, ballhandling and defensive skills intrigue NBA scouts, but his shooting ability and shot selection are suspect... If he cannot learn to shoot better under defensive pressure, Sun does not have an NBA position... Sun benefit[s] in that [he] can be marketed in China.
So a team which sees no other true prospects in their late pick could select Sun to sit at the end of their bench for a season for marketing purposes, hoping that [he] will improve. (from Asia-Basket's Arthur Volbert)
Past players drafted for marketing purposes... Manute Bol, Muggsy Bogues, Gheorge Muresan... they didn't do so bad. But we actually can't find the story on NBAdraft.net so we don't even know if its true. I guess we'll look into it. Maybe.Wang Zhi-Zhi goes home.
Posts
6 comments:
: )
If you think Yi Jianlian is 18, I got a bridge in Brooklyn I can sell ya.
what's probably more relevant is why china wants me to believe he's 18... or 19 as written. but tell me more about this bridge in brooklyn.
so they can play older athletes against younger competition in age group international comps.
see if you can find some photos of the Chinese kids who came to Houston for the Junior NBA thing during the all-star game.
These kids were shaving on a daily basis and towered at least a head over any of their US "age group"
It's fairly common practice that Chinese athletes are listed 1-2 years younger than they are (Yao Ming being a very big exception).
Heck, even DaZhi was listed at 21 when he was actually drafted at 22.
hey, maybe it's that non-christian calendar year... or maybe it's just the learning curve.
a lot of coaches of asian aau teams stateside have done the same thing... sadly, they don't usually look much better. and neither do the chinese. we asians still have a ways to go covering that learning curve, but we're getting there.
as for the shaving... that's just aberrant... i don't know twelve asian men that have to shave daily.
Goodness, there's so much effective information here!
Post a Comment