History always repeats itself. Please take a look of these "old" news and learn more about Shanghai Sharks, CBA and Ming's issue. These are news of last year. 1. 04/2001 Coach Li Says Time to Go to NBA Li Qiuping, head coach of the Shanghai Sharks, said it is the right time for the Chinese best players, like Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi, to join America's National Basketball Association (NBA). After Sunday's CBA league finals when Sharks having astonished the champions Bayi Rockets 116-105, Li said "The Chinese Mobile Great Wall" are good enough for the world best basketball league, NBA. "Yao Ming is better than Shaquil O'Neal (Lakers' center) in skill," Li said of the 7-5 feet Yao. "He's so young and he can move and pass and handle it. Watch his jumps. Nobody at his age of that height can do them like him." The 20-year-old Yao was the cover profile of December's ESPN magazine and ESPN analysts dubbed him as the player who "has a chance to alter the way the game of basketball is played". And for the 7-1 feet Wang, who was drafted last year by the Dallas Mavericks but did not join NBA when the Rockets refused to release him, Li said he should go to NBA as soon as possible. "He's 23 years old and is flexible, he must go to NBA now." "Rockets won the title every season. There is no stimulation in the domestic league for Wang. If he goes to NBA where there are many better players, he could take another step up in a very short period of time," Li said. Yao and Wang raised the eyebrows in the Sydney Olympics in September when China put up a hard time to U.S. in the opening game. U.S. coach Larry Brown said of Yao after the game, "In four years, he could be one of the best players in the world." Wang is the first Asian basketball player that was drafted by a NBA team. 2. 05/08/2001 Door for Yao Ming to Enter NBA Draft Still Open BEIJING, May 8 (Xinhuanet) -- The chance for Chinese Basketball center Yao Ming to join this summer's NBA draft is still there. Shanghai Sharks general manager Li Yaomin denied Tuesday that the local club would not give the green light to the 2.25-meter star to join the draft of America's National Basketball Association (NBA). "I've never said Yao Ming would not go to the NBA for the summer draft this June," Li said. "I am afraid that some Chinese newspapers have quoted my previous words," he added. The Shanghai club is planning to hold a news conference on Friday. "I'd like to see the reactions of those who keeping guessing that Yao would not go to the NBA next season when they hear on Friday that the club announces Yao's availability to June's selection," Li said. Yao, 21, won the MVP honors in both the regular season and playoffs in China's first division basketball league ended last April. If Yao goes to NBA, he will be the second Chinese player to join NBA. China's Wang Zhizhi, who went to the Dallas Mavericks last month, became the first Asian player in the NBA. Many NBA teams had showed their interest to the 21-year-old sensation, saying they would select him on their first right if he is available in June's draft. Yao is traveling with the Chinese national team in China, playing a three-game series with an All-Star team from America's International Basketball League (IBL). Yao and his teamates lead the Series 2-0 after Monday's second game which China won 109-87. 3. 05/17/2001 Yao Ming Not Give Up Hope to NBA Chinese center Yao Ming is still hoping to join America's National Basketball Association ( NBA) though his club Shanghai Sharks denied his possibility to play in NBA next season. "I'll deliver my best games in the East Asian Games as so much my club wanted me to serve for the national team and for Shanghai first before I go to NBA," said Yao, who was in Osaka for the EAG with the Chinese national basketball team. The Sharks had renounced Yao's availability for June's NBA draft on Friday as they listed a couple of reasons not releasing the most promising basketball player in China. One of the reasons is that the 20-year-old has an over-loaded schedule for the national team in EAG and World University Games, as well as for Shanghai in the 9th National Games. "I don't have much to say because the decision is the decision. What I should do now is to focus on the Games," Yao told Xinhua at the Kaisen airport on Thursday. When asked about the possibility to enter NBA's draft in 2002, Yao said, " I really don't know what will happen in a year. That is not what I should think over." Yao acknowledged that one of the officials of America's Nike Shanghai branch is handling most of the agent affair for him. The 2.25-meter pivot had himself in the center of speculation after Chinese Wang Zhizhi, who was drafted by NBA's Dallas Mavericks in 1999, broke the iceberg to enter NBA last month, becoming the first Asian player in NBA. Many critics predicted he would have be the No.1 selection in June's draft if Shanghai had announced his availability to NBA's team. 4. 06/2001 Yao Ming Says No New Plan to NBA in American Journey Chinese basketball talent Yao Ming said he would be simple minded during the American journey with the Chinese national team, which will leave on Friday's morning. "The American journey has nothing to do with the possibility for me to go to NBA, and I have no plan to meet any agent there," said Yao, who led Shanghai Sharks to the finals of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) last season. "go to Dallas just for better training." The Sharks denied to release Yao to the June's draft of NBA last month, in hope of Yao winning the CBA championship next season for Shanghai. Dallas Mavericks will hold training sessions for Chinese national team and are arranging 6-7 matches for China's team with American free agents and a summer team of Mavericks. The Chinese team will stay for two weeks in Dallas before they come back for the Asian Basketball Championships, which to start on July 20 in Shanghai.
I honestly don't think that is such an outrageous statement. He said he better than Shaq in skill. What skills does Shaq really have? Eating Nestle's Crunch bars? Making Burker King commercials? Doing monosyllabic interviews? Shaq's range = his arm's length. Shaq is dominant and coordinated but he doesn't have very many skills. Dunking is not a skill when you are 7 feet tall. I mean if you have to get one yard, William the Refrigerator Perry would be a better choice than Emmitt Smith. But who really has better skills?
BTW = By the Way IMO = In my opinion IMHO = In my humble opinion FWIW = For what it's worth IIRC = If I recall correctly ROTFLMAO = rolling on the floor, laughing my ass off.
BTW - by the way. IMO - in my opinion. And thanks for posting the articles, a nice read. Will be interesting to see what unfolds here.
Thanks, Woofer and Mfclark. Now I can understand more at here. I just felt funny when I read those old news. I cannot image if this happens again this year: 04/2002 GM of Shanghai Sharks said that Yao Ming is available for 2002 NBA draft. 05/02/2002 Yao Ming had a work out at Chicago. 05/19/2002 Rockets won the lottery and expressed interest to Ming. 05/22/2002 GM of Shanghai Sharks angried that Rockets did not contract them directly and denied that Ming's cousin is his agent. 05/31/2002 The negotiation between Rockets and Sharks is very difficult. 06/20/2002 Sharks announced that they will keep Ming to go for another campionship of CBA. 06/26/2002 JW became the #1 pick in draft. 06/27/2002 Ming didn't give any opinion about the draft and asked the reporter from ESPN:"Will I be eligible for the draft of 2003?"
The cool thing is, windandsea, that Ming is eligible this year b/c of his age. He'll be drafted, regardless of what the Sharks say. He might not be drafted #1 if there are issues, but he'll definitely be drafted.
If no team can meet the requirements of Shanghai Sharks, or Sharks doesn't want Ming to play for a certain team, like Rockets, can Ming still be drafted this year?
yeah, he'll be drafted without his current team's permission, just because he's 'of age' (22). Now, were the Sharks to protest, they could obviously keep him from joining the club that drafts him for some time; his 'rights' however, we'll be decided as far as the nba is concerned, in a few weeks.
