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Chinese Basketball On The Rise
Soon you'll seen fundamentally sound Chinese hoopsters in the NBA.
]
[The Oregonian]
Is future of NBA half a world away?
Sunday, November 1 1998
--------------------------------------------
By Steve Brandon of The Oregonian staff
The Trail Blazers have been looking for a
shooter since the days of Jim Naismith. OK,
only since the days of Jim Paxson. n
Maybe before long the Blazers will find
their treasure in the land where Marco Polo
found his.
According to former Blazers general manager
Bucky Buckwalter and former point guard
Darnell Valentine, team president Bob
Whitsitt would be wise to launch a scouting
expedition to China.
"China has some NBA quality players,
definitely," Valentine said after playing
[GO] this month on the Thakral XNBA Legends team
that went 1-3 against the host Chinese
Questions? nationals. "They are strong, disciplined,
Suggestions? fundamentally sound, and shoot extremely
Send us your well, even the three-pointers."
Feedback
Copyright 1998 Hmmm, that doesn't sound like a scouting
Oregon Live ® report on a lot of today's NBA players.
"The Chinese shooters were particularly
impressive," Buckwalter said. "We've kind
of lost that art, with the idea that you
have to dunk everything and make the
spectacular play. I would be surprised if
in the next two or three years you don't
see someone from China in the NBA."
Government restrictions are in place,
similar to the ones that kept Buckwalter
from getting his draft pick, Arvydas
Sabonis, out of the Soviet Union a decade
ago.
"But that is being worked out, so that the
Chinese could come here to learn then go
back and play on their national team,"
Buckwalter said. "China is eager to become
a world power in basketball. In five years,
they will be one of the top teams."
Also look for NBA teams to sign a big man
or two from China, a country of more than
1.2 billion (more than one-fifth of the
world population).
"The Chinese had a 7-foot-1 center, only 18
or 19 years old, who more than held his own
against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Moses
Malone," Buckwalter said. "And another kid,
about 7-4 and supposedly better, didn't
play."
Making amends: The Blazers have taken steps
to appease disgruntled Rose Garden
suiteholders.
By contract, the Blazers only have to
provide suiteholders 100 events a year, and
because an appearance by the Rugrats counts
the same as a visit by the Bulls, the Rose
Garden would have 100 events even without
NBA games.
Some suiteholders were upset that they
hadn't been offered refunds when, by NBA
mandate, certain season-ticket holders were
promised their money back, plus 6 percent
interest, for missed games.
A few days ago, the Blazers notified
suiteholders that for every home game not
played they will receive either a cash
refund, or credit plus 6 percent interest,
for ¼4th of 50 percent the annual rent. The
69 suites cost $65,000 to $135,000 a year.
A typical refund or credit would be close
to $1,000 for each game not played.
Notes: The Blazers will move into their
Tualatin training site this week. They
won't say how much the facility cost, but
its 34,000 square feet include offices, a
"war room" for the draft, two basketball
courts, two locker rooms, a weight room and
therapy pools. . . . A paternity suit
against center Kelvin Cato will go to trial
Nov. 24 in Story County (Iowa) District
Court. Miisha-Crystal F. Donaldson claims
Cato is the father of 1-year-old Xavier
Donaldson, and she is seeking child support
and money for pregnancy costs. Cato is
asking for joint custody. . . .
Assistant coach Bill Musselman says no one
has contacted him about this, but already
he is said to be one of three candidates to
coach Minnesota's WNBA team when it debuts
next season. Musselman, the first coach of
the Minnesota Timberwolves, deserves to be
considered for another NBA head coaching
job. Fortunately for him, he hasn't heard
from the Los Angeles Clippers, who are
expected to hire Jim Brewer for $200,000,
about $500,000 less than what the Blazers
reportedly are paying new assistant Tim
Grgurich. . . .
Jerome Kersey would be a nice addition to
the Blazers, but Bucks coach George Karl,
who coached Kersey in Seattle last season,
wants him in Milwaukee. The Los Angeles
Lakers also might be interested in Kersey.
. . .
C.J. Bruton, a 6-2 point guard whose NBA
rights belong to the Blazers, has been the
player of the week the first two weeks of
the season in Australia. Bruton scored 37
and 38 points in back-to-back wins for the
Wollongong Hawks. His performance (and
26-for-47 shooting, including a 15-footer
that sent one game into overtime) had New
York Knicks scout Tim Shea praising him as
an NBA-caliber player. Bruton, 22, can get
out of his Wollongong contract, reportedly
worth $130,000 this season, if he is
offered an NBA contract. But he probably
will finish the season in Australia, then
try to crack the Blazers' roster with good
showings next summer or in Portland's 1999
fall camp.