The forums in China are just as "hot" as this one on Yao Ming. Here is an interesting common message there... All the fans there would be so excited if Yao gets the first pick. However, most of the fans are very ashamed of their government and the Shanghai Sharks (East Club) demanding so much out of Yao Ming's future contract with NBA and having a say on which team Yao Ming should join and who should be his agent, etc. They think Yao should have the rights to determine his own future. They think one way for Yao Ming to get out of all these is to become a US citizen as soon as possible. --My comments: (1) It's encouraging to read so many "anti-government" messages in an open forum in China, which does not seem to be censored at all. It's not your father's China any more. I see some hope there. (2) Another group of people who may benefit from Yao coming to Houston: Local immigration lawyers!
What Shanghai Sharks and CBA officials are doing is really sick. Last year they said they had the contract with Ming, and Ming had to play for them. Now Ming's contract is expired. I think Ming only has the obligation for Chinese national team, not Shanghai Sharks. I hope the fans at Shanghai can call or send emails to Shangahi Sharks club and express their opinions.
If that is true, then it is potentially a very important piece of information! The NBA CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) will only allow the Rockets to give the Sharks a max of $350,000 USD as a contract buyout. If there is no contract, then a big stumbling block may be eliminated. Possibly even the request for NBA players may not be a requirement!
I read in the sporting news that this was a hoax anyway. There is so much hype around this guy that who knows what is true. All I know is that we have the #1 in a year when everything is extremely cloudy. I hope the Rocket brass use this to their advantage and don't walk into a wall Hey thanks for the info windandsea this would be great news.
Please stop jumping the gun. Let the course be run. MIng in fact is still under contract with sharks. If you know a bit about Ming, swtiching the immigration status is not an option. By becoming an US citizen( in his playing time), he will loose his eligibility to playing for China, he will loose fan base in China, and Ultimately hurt his value in teh marketing/sponsorship deal. Folks, Ming will earn millions and millions just being who he is. IMO, sharks has every right to negotiate with Rox, just as Rox has every right to negotiate with Sharks, if hypothetically Sharks drafted Francis and CBA is a dominating L. The problem is not only culture difference, also that NBA want to be a monopoly on one hand, resrticting the fees to teh former club, on the other, wanting to reap the benefit of opening new market. Negotiation means give and take, shark have every right to make all kinds of demands and Rox has every right to counter. On another note, Yao ming didn't enter draft last year mainly because his parent didn't think he was ready. Be patient, China has sent many athletes to European soccor teams, they don't have problem in negotiating because FIFA allows transfer fee and protecting the athelete's right of playing for their national team. Now, NBA is different, but it doesn't mean everything should run according to American rule--at teh end of the day, they will find a compremise. Michecon
I went to China two summers ago. The thing that struck me about the people was that they were very cynical towards their government while at the same time they had an extreme pride in their country. They have way more pride in their country than the average american. They really need to let Ming play wherever he wants to!
By your comments, it sounds like you're either not mainland Chinese, or haven't been in China for a while. "Anti-government" messages as you call them, which are in fact mostly cynical rather than subversive, are not exactly a new development. You're right, it's different from 20 years ago, but it's not very different from 10 or 5 years ago. I also have a hard time believing a lot of Chinese fans are hoping Yao Ming changes citizenship. I think that's shameful if it's true, and I hope he doesn't. There was a report elsewhere that super-agent David Falk had asked Yao Ming if he might be interested in defecting (a short-cut to that US citizenship), and Yao Ming was basically appalled at the idea... he's proud of his heritage, citizenship, and nation... and he let Mr. Falk know in no uncertain terms. This is why he's dismissed David Falk as an agent out of hand. That's one reason I respect the hell out of the guy.
I just got my airline tickets for my 8th trip to China in the last two years. Damn! I am scheduled to be in Shenzhen (near Hong Kong), China on June 26. I hope the cables in my hotel room will work! heech: cynical, subversive, or whatever - most people in the US who have never been in China or can't read Chinese online don't know their existence. About changing citizenship: what the fans in China are saying is: if Chinese government/CBA/Shanghai East pushes too hard, they are pushing Yao Ming to go that route if necessary in the future. The fans are just complaining. That's all. Hey, You can still be proud of your heritage and nation being a US citizen. Defection however is something total different all together, especially for someone like Yao.
Isn't it great watching Chinese and Chinese-Americans argue in diversity like Americans. China is a great country, with great diversity. imo, our NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement is a communist doctrine that is causing as much grief in this as the Sharks. However, without that document which strips free will and redistributes the talent wealth to the weak teams like the Rockets (lol), Yao would be on the Knicks right now with a blank check in his pocket. There is a reason why George Steinbrenner doesn't own the Knicks. He hates Communist Bargaining Agreements...ummm, I mean, Collective Bargaining Agreements.
Translation from a message in a Chinese forum "The CBA is like a vampire sucking the blood out of the players... If I were Yao Ming, I would run into the American Embassy for political asylum like the North Korean... Strike back for your rights - like those NBA players a few years ago!" Fans are fans. No matter where they are and what languages they speak. They generally tend to like the players better than the "governing body."
Now that I absolutely believe. God knows I've said it myself many times. At the end of the day... Yao Ming *will* be in the NBA next year. Even if it's not with Houston, either Chicago or New York will take him (since they've already agreed to the Sharks' terms, informally). So to a certain degree, it's a moot point... I'm using this to force myself to remain relatively calm . I prefer Houston though, since it's just a better situation all around (in terms of city, ultimate competitiveness, playing in the West)... and the prestige of going #1 would also be great.
I don't give a frog's fat ass if he decides to become Bolivian, Canadien, Finnish or Greek. I just want to know if he's gonna be a pain in the ass to sign and if he is going to up and leave at the drop of a hat in the middle of the season.
I'm going to China from 7/14 -7/28. If I don't post here by 7/30, then I am probably detained. Call the US embassy if that happens.
