Li YaoMing talks about Houston's Shanghai visits. http://sports.sohu.com/92/77/sports_news164497792.shtml <b><font size=+2>I think he leaks some important information about their talks </font></b> Can someone translate, please?
About 'send Houston players to Shanghai': Li said, "actually we hope to accquire two players from Hoston - not from the current roster, but some candidate players Houston may recommend from the summer league and practice games. They are players 'out of the door' of Hoston, meaning Houston doesn't need them. For examle, they many rcommend Olajuwa with foot injuries (lovethisgametoo: seems that he does not Olajuwa is in Toroto), and (lovethisgametoo: another player I don't know how to translate ) to Shahghai. to be continued...
About talks with Houston: Li said, "It is the first formal talks/meeting between us and it was a very friendly one. We focused on Yao Ming deal, touching some topics of substance/importance. This talk is a mutual-undertanding and an equal one. But I don't want to touch talks details here, because we didn't sign anything, and it would be not good for me to leaked out the details which could change. I now think Houston is very sincere to get Ming. At the beginning we would not let them come <b> because they contacted secretly/privately (lovethisgameto: ?? ) with Yao's so-called agent (Eric Zhang) and it impressed us that he was the man who has the final word. Now Houston finally understands, and they only talk to us, (not Eric Zhang). </b> (Lovethisgametoo: it is a game of face !!)
About the draft, Li said, " I wouldn't like to comment on which team Yao shoud go. It's Houston's right to draft him the top pick. But I don't know much about their team and their city. I said from the very beginnig that I hope the team drafting yao shouldn't just use him, but need to train him, too. In the first two years, they need to train him at least 60%, and use hime 40% (lovethisgame: hard to understand? me too.) You cannot only use him without train him."
Yao couldn't have lucked into a better team to draft him, then, considering that the Rockets staff helped mold Hakeem Olajuwon from a raw, athletically gifted player into a polished, all-around hall of fame superstar.
about Davis Stern: Li said, "Days ago Stern commented publicly on a journal and he actually attacked me personally. He said, it is me who said that any team drafting Yao must send two current players to ShangHai, and need to build a BB arena for Shanghai. I think there are some journalists trying to sow discord, if he (stern) didn't actually talked so. If he did talk so, there must be someone trying to instigate the tension, then Stern was anraged to make such comments. It also could because that Stern has prejudice to us. He also said that if I know how to spell Sabonus.....this is really to say that I don't know basketball at all. I hope Stern will apologize to me publicly for his comments, because I have never bad mouthed NBA for year. NBA needs to expend to the world, and Yao will be a bridge to expand NBA to the Asian markent. He should cherish this chance, but why he has to defile me like that?
about Ming's salary, How to allocate Ming's salary has nothing to do with Rockets, and we will make a deal with Ming. About whether Yao will go to 6/26 draft in person, it is not our business, rather it should be decided by the National team.
I'll do my best. (Some parts are.. uh.. interesting.) Eastern team (aka Shanghai Sharks) vice-president Li Yaomin, after meeting with the Houston Rockets delegation, expressed satisfaction with the talks. But as he participated in an interview with this reporter, he raised an issue that NBA Commissioner (David) Stern had irresponsibily offered personal attacks at Li, and must apologize to him. REGARDING NEGOTIATIONS Our negotiations are occuring in a friendly atmosphere. Since this is our first official meeting, the central topic was the matter of Yao Ming's transfer. The negotiations were carried on mutually equal terms, and we discussed issues of substance. But the exact contents of the negotiations can't be revealed publically, because nothing has been signed as of yet, and just in case things change later, it will not be good. I think the Rockets are very sincere. At first we did not want them to come because they had had contacts with Yao Ming's so-called agent (Eric Zhang) in private, as if whatever he said counted. Now, the Rockets team are clear that they should only negotiate with us. REGARDING YAO MING Regarding Yao Ming leaving the Eastern team (Shanghai Sharks), to tell the truth we do not want this. But each individual has his own goals, and Yao Ming's childhood dream has been to play in the NBA. And since he used all his energy to win a national championship for the Sharks, the front door for him to leave has been left open. That is to say, he used his own strength to open the front door, and now we support him to go. Speaking from the heart, once he leaves the Sharks, he will take away Shanghai and the CBA's business opportunity, and to our basketball (program) is a loss; this is why our proposal for compensation is fair and legitimate. REGARDING THE DRAFT As far as which team Yao Ming should go to, I'm not going to comment any more. If someone uses their first draft pick to select him, then this is their right. But I do not know the team that selects him, and I do not know their city. That's why in the beginning I said, I hope his team will not just use (exploit?) him for the first two years, but will train (develop) him; training should at least be 60%, and using him 40%. They can't just use him, but not develop him. REGARDING APOLOGY A few days ago, (NBA Commissioner) David Stern publically commented in a magazine, issuing personal attacks at him. He said that I, Li Yaomin, had said in the past that the team that selects Yao Ming must send two players to the Shanghai Sharks, and must help the Sharks construct a basketball arena. I believe, number one, if he did not say such a thing, then it is the reporter provoking things. Number two, if he did say such a thing, and the reporter is just quoting him, then someone else is definitely trying to provoke things, and enraged David Stern, causing him to say such things. Number three, there's a possibility that he himself has such prejudiced views of me. David Stern also said later: I don't know whether Li Yaomin knows how to spell Sabonis's name? At that time, after a number of years Sabonis still went to the NBA; Yao Ming will definitely come to the NBA to play ball. The way he says this, isn't he clearly saying that I don't understand basketball? Therefore, I hope he can publically apologize to me, because all of these I've never said anything negative toward the NBA. NBA wants to announce to the world, Yao Ming is a bridge, and he will help break open the Asian market. Well, he should place importance on this opportunity, why does he need to instead come back and insult me? REGARDING FOREIGN ASSISTANCE Actually all I hoped for was to take two of their players for pre-season and summer league tournament, and I did not expect to touch NBA league players, but instead those "outside the game". For instance Olajuwon's has a hurt foot, or 'Ben-wu' (not sure which player he's referring to.. name rendered phonetically), if they can't play at the NBA level, then they can recommend them to us. If Yao Ming joins this team, they just need to introduce such players, not necessarily trade them. REGARDING ARENA I've already said that the NBA has been developing for fifty-sixy years, while we've only had six or seven. In terms of experience in competition, we are far inferior to them. They already have great marketing experience (I think), and if Yao Ming goes to them, their marketing can extend to China. They may recommend business to us, and treat as a partner by investing in Shanghai, and help us construct a NBA-standard basketball arena, for instance the Panasonic East stadium. They may take 50% ownership of the building, and we'd take 49%. They'd retain right of management over the building, and we'd get the right of use. The NBA will also need such arenas in Shanghai, so that when they send teams to China, they can play a basketball game in an arena that is up to standard. During our discussions with the Rockets, they asked an on-site young lady (official sent by the NBA), and she believed this wouldn't be a problem. REGARDING SALARY Yao Ming's salary has nothing to do with the Rockets; this is something we will discuss with Yao Ming. The issue of whether Yao Ming goes to New York for the draft, we have no say. This is a national team issue, and as long as they let him go it's ok.
The "Ben-wu" he refers to is David Benoit, who played for them last year. He used to play for the Jazz
I think you can glance back through history and find that more cultures in the history of the world are obsessed with 'face' than those who aren't. Examples include 1.) that guy who recently killed his friend in Japan for not using the honorific '-san', 2.) gangsta' rappers in the US worrying whether anybody's 'dissin' them, 3.) the example set forth in many European languages, which include an honorific formal form (for instance the use of the capitalised third person 'Sie' in German), as well as 4.) The entire history in general of Europe between about 400AD, and 1800AD, during which honor and ones place in society were such prominant themes of culture. Furthermore I think your Confucius comment is at best veiled in the sort of glib steriotypical views that resulted in the recient backlash regarding a new line of Abercrombe and Fitch t-shirts. Though whoever thought up those shirts most likely didn't intend to be disrespectful, they just didn't get it. Feel free to read The Annalects Of Confucus, which you basically make fun of by your comments, and see if that's really 'what Confucus say'.
Most road blocks seems to be cleared this was previously posted by lovethisgametoo in a seperate thread, but i thought its important enought to post again thread link http://bbs.clutchcity.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35293 article link http://sports.sohu.com/92/77/sports_news164497792.shtml i read the article myself and found it to be very positive, and love this game's translation was actually pretty good so im not gonna translate the whole article, just state key points. So now's here's what we know, if the Rockets draft Ming, he will be released to the Rockets, end of question. They were only mad that the rockets talked with erik zhang(slap in shark's face i guess) but are much better after the meeting with rox represenatives and believe they are sincere(good sign, but i wonder what the rox did to grease the wheels, i know there must've been some wink wink deals The two players they want aren't NBA players, just players that are the ones in NBDL that could be recommended to play there, nothing is really forced. He doesn't say that a stadium must be required, but simply that if yao ming is in NBA, shanghai would be a huge basketball market, and that they can recommend investers to invest in such a project, much like the panasonic sports stadium, the investor can have controlling share, 51% and the right to operate, sharks can have the right to use. The salary negotiations are between ming and sharks. Not the rockets, or what ever team that drafts him. Nothing the rockets should care about. They want Ming to come to US and they feel Ming earned it. therefore not gonna stop him. However, they believe it is justify to ask for some sort of compensation (not sure if the $350,000 allowed by NBA satisfies them, but with the pressure from the chinese basketball authorities and the NBA's unwillingness to change the ruels, it would have to do). Unlike what most NBA fans believe, they would not be mad if Ming doesn't get many PT initially, infact, they prefer the rockets develope him more than playing him. They actually prefer 60% developement, 40% use or playing him. Much like what NBA teams typically do with projects. After reading that article i feel most road blocks are cleared. I really believe that some under the table deals went on over there but if it gets Yao Ming in a rox uniform will its all good
I was thinking we would probably play him about 20-24 minutes a game to begin with, work him in over a year or more, let him develop. He also has his overseas commitment, so we don't want to wear him down. Cato and Mo Taylor can have the rest of the minutes.
That's probably a good sign. Since Ming won't be available to the Rockets until mid October, I think, which is already starting the pre-season then that means that Ming will missout on all of training camp and our summer camps which are VERY important to new players coming into the system. Because of this Ming will be behind and thus his playing time will be curtailed. It might take him half a season just to be "in synch" with the rest of offense. I am sure they will throw him out there, but will do it slowly. I am sure Cato will be the starter to start the season and may continue to start for the whole year. We'll see. If the Chinese believe that the most important thing for us to do is to "develop" Ming then they have to realize that A LOT of that development will come during "off season" programs where Ming can spend a lot of times practicing, because during the regular season there just isn't enough time to practice and then only time to improve your game is "on the run" playing during games. Chris
