During his September 18 to October 28 US trip, Liu Wei (R)
experienced so much that he'd never experienced before: training in
remote mountains, playing basketball with international star Chris
Webber and participating in the NBA preseason games in his hometown
-- everything was new.
But Liu's NBA dream came to a sudden end when the Sacramento
Kings said they would not sign him on October 23. This bad news was
not a surprise to him or to most basketball fans.
The Kings informed Liu of the decision after a preseason game
against New Orleans Hornets in which they won 92:87 -- with Liu Wei
on the bench.
Liu took part in three of six Kings' games during his trial with
the team, including two in China against the Houston Rockets. His
performances, with only 1 assist, 2 points, 4 rebounds plus 6 fouls
as well as 6 unforced errors in 34 minutes on court, were not
enough to persuade them to sign.
So why had they listed Liu, a 25-year-old free agent, in their
lineup when they already boasted several gifted guards, including
Mike Bibby and Bobby Jackson? One retired player from the Chinese
men's basketball team explained that it was simply to help promote
the NBA in China.
Although the Chinese men's basketball team was invincible in
Asia for much of the last decade, successfully clinching a place
among the world top eight several times, a recurring problem was a
lack of talented guards. Even A Dijiang, Li Xiaoyong and other
former top players could not make it into the American game, so how
could a newcomer realize his NBA dream?
Recently, the NBA began to attach more importance to Asian
audiences and wanted to minimize cultural differences by using
domestic stars. The contract between the Phoenix Suns and Japanese
guard Yuta Tabuse and the fabulous preseason games in China were
both moves made to develop Asian markets.
The Rockets had Yao Ming and the Kings also needed an East Asian
player to gain popularity. Then Liu Wei, Yao's close buddy and
former teammate in Shanghai Dongfang, came into view.
Li Yaomin, head coach of the Shanghai Dongfang, said: "I've
known it since the beginning. Liu Wei's training for the Kings was
definitely a commercial promotion. Anyway, I told Liu that being
fired is not a bad thing as he can see the difference between
himself and the NBA players."
Analyzing his failure to go further in the NBA, Liu attributed
his exit to the competence gap, "Especially in fields like strength
and adaptability, which I have had to improve all along."
Liu also admitted the Kings are not short-guarded, but he still
believed that the NBA journey was a useful experience for him. "I
had said before training that I was going there to learn, and I
really improved both in my mental and physical performance."
Only three days after Liu Wei's dismissal, center Menk Bateer
met the same fate as the New York Knicks surrendered him just
before the start of the new season.
With the Knicks, Bateer had scored two points in 10 minutes
during three preseason appearances. Before this the 30-year-old had
appeared in 46 career games over three years for Denver, San
Antonio, Toronto and Orlando.
For some audiences, Bateer's departure was harder to accept.
Some explained it with his unfamiliarity with NBA teams and
difficulties dealing with a new language and ways of
communicating.
But more seem to think otherwise: according to an online survey
by sina.com, over 90 percent of nearly 4,000 respondents agreed
that Liu's and Bateer's exits were mainly due to their poor
performances.
As for Bateer's future in the NBA, his manager Xia Song is
pretty optimistic. "Bateer still
has opportunities in the new season. So far five teams have shown
interest."
And if he still cannot get signed? Xia's planned for this too:
"In case he's still unemployed, I can manage him playing the NBA
development league, as a short-term plan. Actually, it's very easy
for him to play in the European associations with an annual salary
exceeding 200,000 euros. The point is he doesn't want to
leave."
NBA is something of a heaven for global audiences thanks to
high-end marketing and excellent basketball; but it can be hell for
players with its sex scandals, drug problems and other troubles.
For Menk Bateer, an unemployed player with a championship ring on
his finger, NBA is currently limbo.
(China.org.cn by Li Xiao, November 5, 2004)
