China - Hoops in the Far East: A primer on China's basketball development

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Back at the All-Star break, Rockets center Yao Ming was asked about the state of Chinese basketball. Not just the national team that is anchored by Yao, but Chinese basketball in general, including the Chinese Basketball Association for which Yao once played. "I think there is progress. I think overall, the quality of the basketball is better," he said. "But, it has been awhile since I was playing in China day after day."

Indeed, Yao has been away from the CBA long enough to have lost some perspective on it. But, in the coming years, the league figures to grow in importance. As crises in older economies around the world deepen, belt-tightening already has seeped into the basketball universe, with some players having trouble getting paid in Europe and with the NBA taking out a loan to prop up half of its struggling teams. China, though, is on the uptick, which figures to give its league more sway in the future.

One coach realized this -- longtime NCAA assistant Jason Rabedeaux, who had been a right-hand man to both Kelvin Sampson and Tom Crean, in addition to being a head coach at UTEP. When Crean left Marquette for Indiana, though, Rabedeaux decided to look for a new challenge. China was the perfect opportunity, said his agent, Keith Kreiter of Edge Sports. "The level of basketball there is being raised all the time, and it's only going to get better. It was a perfect situation for Jason."

And so, last year, Rabedeaux left his wife and three kids in the Seattle area (they stay in touch daily via Skype) and took over the Jiangsu Dragons. He's led them to a 34-10 record and a guaranteed playoff spot as the Chinese season heads down the stretch. He's also the first American coach chosen to coach one of the All-Star teams.

SportingNews.com's Sean Deveney caught up with Rabedeaux to take the pulse of the CBA and find out more about what's in store for basketball in China.

Q: So, why China? Why not stay in the NCAA?
A: In April of last year, Tom Crean left to take over as head coach at Indiana University, replacing Kelvin Sampson. Having previously been an assistant under Coach Sampson at Washington State and Oklahoma, it was not the most opportune time for me to join Coach Crean at IU.
Buzz Williams hired a completely new staff at Marquette -- their success this year is a great source of pride, and certainly comes as no surprise. Thus, I was left to ponder and consider my options. Coaching professionally overseas had always been intriguing, and when the opportunity arose to coach in China, I jumped at it.

Q: How would you describe the quality of the league? Is there anything you can compare it to? Is it above the NBDL? Or our CBA?

A: The quality of Chinese basketball is improving daily. In a country of 1.3 billion people, basketball is by far the most popular sport. Playgrounds and gymnasiums are packed with young players. NBA stars are worshipped, and all Chinese Basketball Association games are televised nationally or regionally.
The CBA is extremely competitive. Eighteen teams play in two divisions -- North and South -- and each team is allowed two import players on their 12-man roster. The regular season is 50 games, and the 18 CBA cities cover the entire country.
The Chinese basketball player is evolving as well -- stronger, longer, more explosive and athletic. With increased exposure to American basketball and coaching, the Chinese basketball IQ is also improving. Work ethic and dedication is the least of China's concerns when it comes to their basketball evolution. It is common for CBA teams to practice twice a day in the middle of the season.
The very best Chinese players -- about 12-15 of them -- could play in both the CBA and NBDL. After that, you are looking at NCAA Division I-caliber players and athletes.
But the CBA offers challenges that players in the U.S. don't have to deal with. There's a 50-game schedule packed into 115 days. There's commercial air travel. There's unique and challenging food -- this is the real China, not Panda Express or P.F. Chang's. Certainly the language barrier, too. There are no Chinese words or phrases that are even remotely within the context of the English language. The translator is your best friend, and it doesn't take long for the Americans to sniff out Kentucky Fried Chicken or McDonald's when the dinner bell rings.

Q: For a long time Chinese basketball seemed to be focused on picking out the very tall players and focusing on them. But they'd been slow to realize they'd need point guards. Has that changed?

A: Basketball is no different than the real world when it comes to supply and demand. Productive height is a precious commodity to NBA teams, and the fact that China has been tapped is no surprise. In a country of 1.3 billion people, odds are that a few more 7-footers will be harvested here before anywhere else.
The Chinese guards are getting better, and Sun Yue (second-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers) is a great example. The Chinese as a whole are still well behind the Americans in their guard play, but it is simply a matter of time before more of China's basketball best are donning NBA uniforms. If for no other reason, the law of averages. Combine 1.3 billion people and a basketball court on every other corner, and it won't be long before China is producing point guards, small forwards and shooting guards that are capable of playing with the worlds best in the NBA.

Q: How much autonomy do you have as a coach? I've heard team owners sometimes can be excessively meddling.

A: Management does like to be hands-on. The Chinese take their basketball very, very seriously. While my general managers have not been as meddlesome as some, it is certainly not beyond them to offer suggestions, schedule team meetings or offer up last-minute advice sometimes seconds before tip off. Most of the CBA general managers and owners are graduates of the Steinbrenner School of Professional Sports Management. It is not their hobby or a tax write-off. It is their passion, and there is great pressure for their team to be successful.

Q: Who are some of the American ex-NBA or college players fans here would recognize?

A: Michael Harris (Houston Rockets), Donnell Harvey (Dallas Mavericks), Kirk Snyder (Utah Jazz), Lee Benson, Smush Parker (Los Angeles Lakers), David Harrison (Indiana Pacers), Dontae Jones (Boston Celtics) and Rodney White (Detroit Pistons) are a few of the Americans headlining in the CBA. All have had significant NBA experience. Bonzi (Wells) had a short 14-game CBA stint in the Far East, but was recently released by one of the more meddling owners.
Players enjoy China and the CBA simply because of the sheer number of games. In Europe, a team plays once, sometimes twice a week. The CBA offers four games every eight days. The regular season goes from Nov. 15 through March 20. The playoffs begin April 1, with the top eight teams advancing to postseason play.
When you factor in a 10-day break to celebrate the Chinese New Year, that amounts to 50 games in 115 days. All players, American or Chinese, prefer games over practice. So, for many import players, the schedule, while grueling and taxing, is a nice change of pace versus the European leagues.

Q: Is there a young player you've seen whom you expect to be a high NBA draft pick?

A: There is currently not a player in the CBA that is on the NBA's first- or second-round radar. The better players are too old (26-29), and the better younger players are simply not ready.

Q: More college teams have had success tapping Europe for players. Could you see that happening in China?

A: Tapping the Chinese market for NCAA prospects is a difficult venture, for two reasons. The best Chinese prospects are pulled out of school at an early age (the equivalent of American freshman or sophomores in high school) and placed within their respective training academies for year-round training and competition. Because of this, their English (and education) suffers. Second, this is communist China. Just as it is difficult for Cuban baseball players to join Major League Baseball, the same holds true for Chinese athletes. A Chinese athlete or citizen cannot just pick up and head for America.
The fact that China won more (gold) medals at the 2008 Olympics comes as no surprise, especially after living with and coaching the Chinese athlete on a daily basis for the past six months. China takes their athletic success very seriously, and intensive training begins at a very young age. There is enormous pressure for these athletes to succeed. The same holds true academically for Chinese students. These are brilliant and extremely driven people. It is no accident that China has enjoyed such great economic growth.