Hopefully Menke Bateer and Wang Zhi Zhi will play for the NT so that Yao will not have to log heavy minutes.
One safe bet with regard to NT training or anything related with the Chinese Basketball Association: expect the WORST. It might not be right every time, but it is fairly close.
If they are going to play, why are they over here for the summer leagues instead of training in China?
Well I think a lot of us would like to see the matches solely because Yao will be playing. He is and will be an integral part of the Houston Rockets in the years to come. Personally I wanna see how he is doing after two months training in China.
But WHO had annouced the ending of SARS epidemic already this month. It make no sense at all to use SARS as an excuse.
Wang is said to be "hopeful" of rejoining the team, while I believe Bateer is scheduled to return following the summer league (although I'm not sure of his situation).
unmentioned is the unmentionable, though. The "i" word. That is why the NBA mandates that no summer league games can extend past Sept 1st. Scrimmage is a lot different than competition. Hell, an overexuberant teammate could "i" him.
If Zhongguo play good basketball, than they will win everygame and Yao don't need to play that many mins, if Zhonguo LOSE, then, I want Yao to play the whole game without any rest, this is just embrasse to zhongguo, and DON'T LET YAO COME BACK TO HOUSTION UNTIL HE GETS CHINA BEAT KOREAN AND JAPAN TEAM.
This is absolute bull****. The Rockets should be furious. I'd seriously start thinking about trading Yao Ming if this kind of crap is going to be a common thing.
It seems to me some posters here have the misconception that China has delayed the tournament. Can they do it? No, I dont think so. It is the Asian Basketball Association.
from Hey Partner: Hey P, you're shaming here seems harsh. The "t" and "u" words along with the very recent "l" word have been running amok here. Where has your reproach been? Damn, over 14,000 posts and you insist on being relevant. I have a very different vision now than last year when Yao was drafted and I was directed here. Yao was what I expected as a rookie, and the chemistry problems too. Along with him missing some camp time. But this year with the coaching change I did not believe would happen. Arrgh. It's been said Van Gundy's going to China. Well now he'd better bring diagrams, videos (from all available sources) and his famed sense of urgency along with his workaholic **s. Bad news, indeed. It seems at such cross-purposes for what the Chinese authorities really want to accomplish with their program before they host the summer Olympics. Bateer staying here to play in the summer league so it improves his chances to get a roster spot in the NBA makes sense from a profile standpoint. But to hinder their greatest (and most willing) asset's development to enhance their profile in China seems ridiculous. Probably $$$s are talking, maybe they're counting on severe home cooking from the horrible IOC appointed refs when the time comes. It's just so wrong-headed. FlyingDragon, I realize the Chinese authorities haven't been watching basketball for 35 years like many here have. I understand your sentiments, believe me. If Yao knocks 50 guys down in the Olympics (even if 12 are from the USA team) I'll chuckle and get a warm fuzzy feeling. But the USA, of course, will remain my team. So I don't believe my allegiance to the Rockets is totally blinding me. Beating Korea and Japan won't do Chinese basketball any more good for the program any more than Yao getting us to the in the playoffs last year would. I want championships where the best basketball is played - wherever. And shame on you Hey P for allowing yourself to invoke double entendre about the "i" word. Very bad juju.
hey, keep it quiet, the karma gods are listening. My point is that most "I"s are days or weeks. Those are riskable in July/August, but not Sept 26th. I think this is not really what is happening. Yao Ming *wanted* to go home. The media was way to much, and he needed to be where he was comfortable. He missed the food; his bike; the smell, everything. I don't think it is right to compare Bateer to Yao. What seems to be happening to me is that Yao went back on his own and is training under the Rockets' regimen plan, and working out with the NT team. Who else should he be working out with, if he wants to be in China? Bateer seems different. He seems to not be exhausted; not needing to get away from the US, and he definitely will play in the Asian Games. I just think the NT knows that serious practice for the Asian Games can commence after the Summer Leagues, and that Yao is there on his own choice. look at it this way...Steve Francis did not play in the Summer Leagues in his 2nd year, did he? Would we really have had Yao Ming play? He's not missing much here, and he's not going to get overly tired out versus his CBA schedule and multiple tournament schedule last year. But, he is going to miss official system training with JVG and Francis will be spinning his wheels waiting for Yao to arrive.
I think China actually wants the tournament to be held as planned as much as we do. What's a better way to show the rest of the world that SARS is history and everything has been back to normal?
