Chinese preparation before big events

[by Mark Nilrad] - Taking a break from my regular "Remember Because…" series, I'm posting a few news items that aren't long enough to warrant their own article, but are certainly noteworthy. But cover your eyes and look away if you aren't interested in domestic Chinese news.

"38 from 17 equals 12, and a medal. That probably sounds a bit awkward (and mathematically impossible). Actually, it is. However, with the most important sporting event in China's long history fast approaching, China is hoping the above formula will equal their first Olympic medal in basketball. Impossible, some would say, but evidently the authorities in charge think not. To explain it more clearly, they've chosen 38 players from 17 teams (16 teams from the CBA, and the Beijing Aoshen Olympians, a former Chinese team that plays in the ABA), and split them into an A group and a B group ("varsity" and "junior varsity", if you want), with 16 and 22 players on the teams, respectively. While the senior team plays the big boys from the Euroleague and the NBA, the "jayvee" will be competing in the Asian Championships. For those who want the full list, here it is:

A Team
Chen Jianghua
Du Feng
Gong Songlin
Han Shuo
Huo Nan
Li Nan
Li Xiaoxu
Liu Wei
Mo Ke
Sun Yue
Tang Zhengdong
Wang Shipeng
Wang Yong
Wang Zhizhi
Wang Zhongguang
Yang Ming
Yao Ming
Yi Jianlian
Zhang Qingpeng
Zhang Songtao
Zhou Peng
Zhu Fangyu

B Team
Chen Chen
Chen Lei
Bian Qiang
Ding Jinghui
Gu Liye
Hu Ke
Li Ke
Li Wei
Liu Xiangtao
Liu Xiaoyu
Luo Zhi
Wang Bo
Wang Lei
Yang Chao
Yi Li
Zhang Kai

"It is pretty safe bet that Jerry Colangelo will not make any of the NBA stars that condescend to play for their country wake up at 4:30 in the morning to salute their flag. However, continuing with their unconventional preparations, the national basketball team recently finished four days of military training, and an early morning wake up call was on their to-do list (not their to-do list, actually. More like their forced-to-do list). When asked of the necessity of this training, the vice president of the CBA, Hu Jiashi, said they should learn from the training of the Bayi Rockets, the army team. Bayi - or August 1st, as their name translates literally - recently won the CBA title, so perhaps he has a point. On the other hand, this training was also conducted before the 2006 World Championships, in which China finished 15th. Whatever their effectiveness, I think US players needn't worry about their own beauty sleep.

"Light bulbs flashing and cameras rolling signified the end of the Chinese dream for Yi Jianlian, and the start of his American dream. As he flew away to America in a blaze of glory (almost, anyway, as he lost in CBA finals) to begin his NBA journey, a former player in that same league came home with less than a flurry of cameras clicking. After a year's recovery and rehab from an injury in Europe, Mengke Bateer, the least celebrated of the "Great Wall" that made it to the NBA (Yao Ming, obviously, and Wang ZhiZhi were the other two), arrived in China on the 10th, and although the fans weren't crowding around him in the airport, the CBA teams are, and at least five teams are rumored to be pursuing him, with more probably knocking on his door. Despite being reminded of the word "glacial" when you see him play, he is probably the strongest player in China, and that alone will make him a 27/12 player in the CBA. Sadly, it's a reflection of the level of play in China.