windandsea, heech, netdummy...and anyone else who follows this much more closely than the majority of us, I'd like to discuss this pressing topic. A Houston Chronicle journalist--Lopez--is researching this topic and his article comes out tomorrow. I hope he does more than recycles Wang ZhiZhi stuff. I've found a lot of information in the last few days, and I'm convinced that the Govt does not really get too involved. But I am basing this on not too much information. More info would be great. I like a more thorough discussion of this based on research rather than supposition and hearsay. I'll start by summarizing what I've discovered with multiple "first print" articles, not rehashed articles. For instance, the "hold him hostage" thing seems out there. Wang ZhiZhi signed his first NBA contract two days after our spy plane collided with the Chinese fighter. Wang ZhiZhi was traveling to play his first NBA game during that fiasco was unfolding, when our pilots were held hostage. That sounds like a time for govt intervention to me. I don't think the Chinese Govt worries too much about bball players. I read an article that drafting Wang in 1999 took his team by surprise, and they thought we were trying to steal him. That was probably not the right way for us to draft the 1st Chinese player...especially a star player. After that social miscue of ours, we have established NBA branch offices in China and the General Manager of the Shanghai Sharks runs one of them, at least they have the same name--Bai Li. These offices are small steps to discuss building a market for bball in China. Li Yaomin and Bai Li have discussed how they want NBA help for training their players and coaches, and the branch seem to be part of us helping with capitalizing on their market. I also found out that the CBA head office is run by a Communist Govt official, but he is young and treats it merely as a job..."I'd rather be painting Chinese Landscapes." His job seems to be to steer the league to profitability and revenue sharing. That is *exactly* David Sterns job. There seems like a cultural clash here in terminology, but, overall, the jobs seem similar. This head official doesn't regard the team owners/management as very wise businessman, and they are trying to get better business men involved...hence, they allowed the first Taiwanese sports franchise of any kind to join a Chinese league. This is owned by a SINA.com. It is the SINA team. The Sharks are owned by a media mogul--David Chu. So, how much is Communism politics and how much is China trying to make the CBA profitable and is merely worried about losing its stars and fan interest of their fledgeling league drying up. The owners have money at stake, and these entreprenuers surely don't like bad investments or losing control of what makes them money. As Will said in another thread, the US is losing our star soccer players to Europe, and we wanted compensation. Everything I read about Wang and Yao when they were withheld from summer leagues and the draft last year, respectively, was because the CBA owners were most worried about the popularity of the league as well as having concerns for whether Yao was ready. They also were worried about the success of their playoffs. Li Yaomin and Bai Li repeatedly talked about how Yao would go to the NBA, but were concerned about him being too young. What I can't find is anything about the National Team, and whether or not these NBA branch offices are working on way to get the Asian Games played during NBA off-season. The CBA seems fine with compensation via revenue sharing, but the National Team??? thanks for any input....I don't really want to rehash arguments. imo, this is the most important topic of the next month, and I want more information from all our new friends who can read Chinese.
Let me be the first to give this thread an emphatic *BUMP* The thing that scares me is that in 1986, the Portland Trail Blazers drafted a legendary European player named Arvydas Sabonis. They got him... a decade later.
You're asking if a communist government gets too involved with regulating its businesses? I think the question answers itself. If its communism then its pretty much the maximum amount of control over businesses you can have. So, if you think Europe is too involved in its businesses then yes, China is WAY too involved in this Ming thing. (lol, Ming thing) I know China is trying to open up a lot of its markets (which ironically hurts us because Ming would help them be more profitable so they don't want him to go), but I think ultimately the prestige is going to help them. If people that are in the CBA market realize that its producing players that can compete in the NBA (Ming) then they'll be more likely to see the CBA as viable professional basketball. Obviously they'll have to keep sending players over to the NBA to show that they're basketball is good (like Europe), which means ultimately the CBA would be a proving ground for young players (basically the NCAA....which is what Europe is turning into except its spoken of as a business and the NCAA is a 'hidden' business for colleges). If they think that the CBA is going to be the place for professional basketball anytime soon then that's their first problem, but they can grow and it can be profitable as the Euro leagues are even though they loose a lot of their young talent.
China wants a market economy, but they like govt control/regulation, as well. Kinda silly, no? I do think there is a cultural clash on how they word things. They've been centralized and paternalistic way before communism came. Aside from all that economics stuff, it is kinda off topic. I mean, Chinese hate the fact the govt made the "Yao Rule" to redistribute 50% of his earnings, but that isn't going to stop him from playing. I'd like to concentrate on things that will stop him from living up to our Uniform Player Contracts which require participation in camps and all games. btw: zero said that the NBA Office in Shanghai did not get set up as planned. Here's the article I read from the People's Daily: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200103/07/eng20010307_64350.html
heypee, you are right it's never as bad as it seems until the message is played like the children's game "telephone" and ends up over here. i am american-chinese, lived in asia half my life and played ball since i was in middle school with chinese colleges (our high school sponsored some) the disparity between a chinese newspaper in chinese and an english translated new york times version paper is incredibly different. i should have posted before on the "if you've seen ming play, post here thread" since i've seen about 3 whole seasons of the guy play but i actually did that long ago ... but i suppose there are tons of indirect things about yao ming and the govt that also should be mentioned - in the end we've heard enough of his playing abilities and it will be game time that determines him success or failure no disrespect to the other "from china posters" but they - as i am - are just comparable and diverse to the normal american posters here. they are not necessarily spokespersons for the entire china and it is more likely than not - that a disgruntled citizen about the govt would escape to the internet and write about it than one who believes in it. heypee, you are on to something and i'm glad you research and just don't buy into hype. it is a mixture of both to be unconclusive. the govt peeks its nose into everything as a remnant mechanism of former controls but it doesn't mean they are truly concerned or appoint people who really know/care about it. in chinese newspapers, yaoming was reported as not joining the NBA last year not due to "the govt" but more so "his parents felt he was not prepared and mature enough for the US and the NBA" as well as "military and team obligations" in china, military obligations are mandatory for every male and and a lot of the restrictions for wang and yao were due to military enlistments and fulfillment of their draft obligations supposedly. which view is truly the correct one? who knows. but i'm glad people sometimes try to find out instead of buying into impulse and hearsay the clause for the govt may simply be to pull soldiers back in case of war time etc or other political issues. there are tons of disgruntled people in china bout the government because a large portion of china is poor and everyone wants to be better off. yao ming probably doesn't feel like a slave or abused, so people please stop saying he is being treated like one. there are cultural differences most of you will probably never understand (i don't mean that as insulting but it is acute and fair) and i hope "due dilligence" is used to come to any good conclusion yourself
