Yao Ming said in an interview: It's so boring here. There aren't any electrical appliances in the dorm. No TV, no telephone, no place to play video games. Another boring thing is he cannot find his rival on the court. China abused Kuwait, Hong Kong and Taipei in row. Yao Ming didn't have many chances to present his best show. For example, at the game with Hong Kong, Yao Ming played almost 20 minutes and only got 6 points and 8 rebounds. He said "everybody in my team just took a shoot and made it. I had nothing to do on the court. My only task was defence. Hong Kong only scored 13 points when I was on the court." He is still looking forward to meeting that 7'9 Ri guy at North Korea. He said "I will cheer for him when North Korea plays with Hong Kong and Kazakhstan". North Korea has lost to South Korea. But it still has chance to enter the semi-final if it beats Hong Kong and Kazakhstan. Then it will meet China. Yao Ming also found the center of Philippines is a good post player. That guy is 6'9 and 250 pounds. He had good stats so far in the AG. Ming is looking forward to "fighting" with him at next Tuesday. OK. Let's see what he is doing there. Attending the raising-flag ceremony. Training and playing. Interivew, interview and interview. (The reporters in Asia cannot face me.)
WindandSea, is the Asian Games the biggest sports event in Asia? If not, what IS Yao doing there? Who is it that they want to beat so bad, cause to me it looks like they're the equivelant of the 92' Dream Team in this tournament and missing Yao would only mean they would win by 30 points. I bet Yao can't wait til Oct. 14th.
It is just me or does the theme to gilligan's island start to play in your head when you read this part.
It is the biggest sports event in Asia. But China had grabed 58 gold medals in 4 days. Do they really need that gold medal of Men Basketball? Sigh.
It seems he's taking a rest there. How come there's no electrical appliances in Busan dormitory? It's a big city in S. Korea. Guess he doesn't have many things to do but to sleep.
Why don't they need it? Why does the USA need the WBC title when they already declare the NBA championship as the world championship?
Chinese CBA then should be claimed as 'Continental Basketball Association (Of Asia)'.....then we don't need a basketball championship from the Asian Games.
Well, since it's their version of the Superbowl I'll cut them some slack. BUT, if they can easily win without him, why subject him to unneeded/unwanted labor when he could be preparing for the biggest challenge of his life (basketball)???
The Asian Games are like the Olympics of Asia.If China wins the basketball competition they can qualify for the Olympic Games.
The problem is China cannot eadily win every team without Yao Ming, especially when they meet South Korea.
Good question Truth. From China's perspective: 1. It never hurts to be best prepared. No one knows when setbacks will come. See Dream Team 5. 2. If you let Yao go, Bateer will be gone as well following the same cause. China isn't going to compete without centers, who happen to be their two best players. 3. After getting their a$$ whooped in the WBC, it's imperative for China to claim that "Ok, we suck on the world stage, but we're still No.1 in Asia." 4. Asian games are qualifiers for the Olympics. 5. Training camp doesn't make or break a player. China isn't gonna place a gold medal below a training camp. In short, China won't do anything to lessen her chances in the Asian Games. Even Yao isn't vital in these games he's regarded as a safety belt. So Yao gets no green light now.
I fully understand what you're saying, I guess I'm kinda upset at how people can control other people's lives in China, especially a good person like Yao. I guess this is some of the "baggage" that comes along with dealing with the Chinese gov't. I'll get over it, I have no choice, Yao doesn't either.
This photo reminds me of something -- after Wang Zhizhi's first season with the Mavs, he immediately left the US to play in some sorta Asian JV tourney in Japan. After winning his fifth (I think) CBA title with Bayi, Wang played the last 5 regular season games with the Mavs, then watched from the bench the frenzied atmosphere of the Mavs upsetting Utah in round 1 of the playoffs. Then he took in the SA/Dallas series in the cavernous, rocking Alamo Dome - his eyes wide absorbing the greatest league on earth in front of packed, raucous crowds. Within a week of the Mavs ousting, Wang was playing crap ball for the Chinese NT in front of 250 people in some rotten gym in Japan. His stats reeked and the wonderful Wang Fei roasted him in the press for his poor energy. Yao Ming will experience a similar off-season let down after enjoying the energy and competition of the NBA. Man, I just don't see how this guy doesn't end up within a year or two wondering what life would be like free of the CBA's clutches. Windandsea - I imagine Panda will understand how the Chinese NT qualifies for the Olympics about the same time you understand that the Mavericks are powerless to physically delivery human beings to their masters overseas, no matter WHAT was expected from the agreement between the Mavs and the CBA.
To me the obvious question is how much is Yao going to think he's dreaming after a few practices with the Rockets, and cashes his first check and happens into Best-Buy, Circuit City (or whatever), and finds time to check out some of the high-end car dealerships that are conveniently within a 5 mile radius of Compaq Center. By all accounts he's a gymrat and coming to the NBA has been his dream for several years. He's probably going to think Rudy's insane because he's a player's coach, and he probably will be unprepared for the light beaming from Steve's and Cat's eyes after a few days of practice. He might think them insane also. To me, these are the same side of the coin; inevitabilities. We have watched kids that have come into the NBA as an overall #1 over the last decade or so knowing full well that barring injury they knew they were going to be wealthy soon. Yao had no such assurances and even his fractionalized NBA income is going to be a shock to his system, even if he has prepared himself to somewhat ignore it. He just turned 22 and as we speak he's in a dormroom without electricity? I believe this young man's head will not be turned nearly to the extent we as Americans are used to. But, if he is as dedicated to the game as we believe, and if you watched the WBCs, and if you can imagine a 22 year-old phenom coming from China to a major U.S. city as the #1 overall pick, I don't see how he's not one of the happiest people on the planet once he gets here. If all the criticism the Rudy and his Rockets teammates can dish out can't make him comfortable, he can always find comfort in the press, American or Chinese to content his hunger. Then he can relate to the stuff said about C-Webb, Francis and KG now, look at how Kidd and Bibby were viewed a year ago, and take solace from the stuff said about MJ @ 25. All in all I think he's going to be happy.
Exactly, declan. I've been saying the same thing for awhile now from time to time. And what Franz Kafka said about what happened to Wang at the end of that season is exactly the kind of offseason problems I've been trying to get a clear read on for a long while. I know they are two different people and Wang has the PRC Army as a complication (although I don't completely understand what that entails), but the rather "open-ended" offseason obligations for Yao concern all of us deeply. It's strange that he's about to sign his contract and report to the Rockets (we assume) and it's still unknown what those "obligations" are. Unknown by this BBS. Now that IS strange.
http://www.internationalgames.net/asian.htm This link says that the Asian Games are sanctioned by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) http://www.niharonline.com/sports/olympics/india.php In search of the elusive medal 'Will India get a medal?" As the curtains go up on the last Olympics of the old millennium (or the first of the new, whichever way you look at it), this is the question everybody, everywhere is asking. A nation of one billion people await with bated breath as the torch is lit to signal the start of the 27th modern Olympic Games in Sydney to see if our hockey team can finally transpire all those dreams and expectations into reality and land a medal; if Leander Paes can once again transcend himself and his physical condition and win yet another medal in the company of the redoubtable Mahesh Bhupathi; if our women weightlifters can do us proud after winning laurels all over the continent these last few years. Never in recent times have expectations been so high from our hockey team. And why not, one may say. They won the Asian Games gold medal to qualify directly for the Olympics, recently won a four-nation tournament also involving strong Olympic contenders Australia in Perth, and have pieced together a very strong team to challenge the best in the world. The team has been training in Australia for well over a month now and has been in top physical condition as they prepare with the single objective of realising a nation's dreams of a gold in a sport in which they were once upon a time undisputed kings. - By Staff Writer Copyright (C) 1999 Nihar Infoway Ltd. All rights reserved. See Disclaimer. I can't find direct proof that Asian Games are an Olympic qualifier for Basketball, but I think these are enough to support my claim. The Olympics qualification process is not simple and they don't give out any details on it on their official website. Asian Men's championship is not an exclusive qualifier for the Olympics.
That's some good points. However, Yao and Wang can always feel good when they play against Arvydas Sabonis. The one who could be a great player in NBA history ended up as another Shawn Bradley type of player - come and go without leaving marks- after been held up for 8 years by Soviet Union and wasted his prime. BTW, weren't you the one who said Yao is worse than Bradley after the Turkey tournament? I'm wondering what's your stance now.
