The player in the CBA playoffs with the most NBA potential may be Bayi's 6-11 center, Mo Ke (209-C-82). Sean Deveney, the online columnist for The Sporting News and Yahoo! recently stated that sources told him that Mo might be a first-round selection in the 2004 NBA draft. Deveney says that Mo is still growing. China has listed Mo at 208 cm most years he has been in the league, including this season, but we list him as 209 cm which is how he was listed last season. As it is unlikely that Mo has shriveled a centemeter, it is quite possible that he is taller than listed. For example, Tang Zhengdong is listed at 213 cm this year, the same height as when he joined the league. But on the Junior National Team he was listed at 216 cm which is likely his current height. Deveney says that as Mo is in the army -- Bayi is an army team -- NBA clubs may have trouble getting him out of his military obligations. But Mo is a soldier the way some American players are college students. He is in the army to play basketball -- who needs a 6-11 soldier? I do not think the situation with Wang Zhizhi will hinder the ability to get Mo overseas. The Chinese are beginning to realize that they will have a steady stream of talented tall players, who can improve their play through international competition, whereas they once felt Wang was unique. The Chinese will write any National Team obligations into Mo's first contract, as they did with Yao Ming's.
NBA scouts have been watching 6-10 Chinese PF Mo Ke, a pretty good shooter who moves well and can pass the ball. Mo is 21 and automatically draft eligible this year, but he plays for Bayi, the official team of the Chinese army. That happens to be the team that C Wang Zhizhi played for before he skipped out on returning to China and his army duties in the summer of 2002. Mo seems to be paying a price for Wang's actions, and any chance he has of being drafted in the first round effectively has been squashed by Bayi. "They have a death grip on the kid," says one league source. "After what happened with Wang, they're going to make it very difficult for Mo to leave."
have you seen this guy http://nbadraft.net/profiles/ivanchiriaev.asp he is 7-1 and a shooting guard with point guard handles
I'll give you another name of interest. Blake Stepp. He is a senior at Gonzaga, and his coach says he could be as good as any point guard ever at Gonzaga. Of course, you do remember another pg from Gonzaga. As a matter of fact, Stockton has been working with Stepp the last several summers. He is 6'4" and shoots a deep three-ball. Unless he blows up in the tournament, he should go late first or maybe early second round. Know any teams looking for a big pg with a good jumper from three-point range?
Here is a little update on Stepp. Last night, he had 24 points in a win over San Diego. All 3-balls. Now has the school record for 3's.
