China looking to take next step in London

by UK American Sports Fans

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Having been knocked out in the quarter-finals in each of the last two Olympic Games, including, of course, in their own back yard four years ago, Team China will be looking to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time in London. With the sole Asian representatives entering the competition in 10th place in the FIBA rankings, that elusive semi-final place may prove to be a step too far yet again, but there is reason to be optimistic.

While the days of relying on Yao Ming are gone, the Chinese have a strong line-up capable of playing with the best teams in the world, although they also suffer from a lack of consistency. The team qualified for the Olympics, barely, by defeating Jordan 70-69 in the Asian Championships Final and the pre-Olympic warm-up games haven’t exactly raised the eyebrows of the serious medal contenders. A series tie in two games against Poland, ranked just inside the top 40, was hardly spectacular.

The Chinese were drawn in Group B, which, although it includes the weakest side in the competition, Great Britain, is arguably the closest and toughest group. While Spain, the second ranked team in the world, are expected to clinch top spot, four of the five teams ranked between 9th and 13th find themselves in this group meaning that one of these teams will be knocked out in the group stage.

The fact that they start off against Spain may be a blessing in disguise as they will know right from the off what level they are going to need to play at if they want to be in the medal matches, while finishing the group schedule with a game against hosts Great Britain could be crucial if they need a win to cement a place in the next round. In between, they face tough games against Russia, Australia and Brazil.

As for the roster, Yi Jianlin is the only current NBA star, with the rest playing domestically in the ever improving Chinese league (CBA) although the fact that names such as J.R. Smith and Stephon Marbury were among the leading scorers last season suggests the emergence of the CBA is more down to American imports than local talent. Below is a brief roster breakdown.

TEAM CHINA 2012 OLYMPIC ROSTER

4. Ding Jinhui (F) – The 22 year old, 6ft 8in, forward is expected to be the main back-up at the power forward position behind Yi Jianlin. Currently playing for Zhejiang, where he has been since 2006. He is coming off a year in which he averaged 11.3 PPG, hitting below 43% from two point range and below 60% from the free throw line.

5. Liu Wei (G) – The second oldest and second shortest member of the roster at 32 years old and 6ft 3in tall, Wei has been a valuable member of the Chinese squad for over a decade. A former teammate of Yao Ming, Liu has been with the Shanghai Sharks since 1997, although he did spend a pre-season with Sacramento in 2004 but was released before the season began. Coming off a 12.9 PPG season, along with 3.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists.

6. Yi Li (F) – Provisionally slated as the back-up short forward, Yi, at 6ft 8in, isn’t so short. The 24 year old is coming off a great CBA season with the Jiangsu Dragons, where he averaged 16.6 PPG, along with 4.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals. He averaged 20.8 minutes for his country in the 2011 Asian Championships and has spent his entire career with Jiangsu.

7. Wang Shipeng (G) – Most famous for nailing a winning 3 pointer at the buzzer against Slovenia in a 78-77 victory in the 2006 FIBA Championships that advanced China to the last 16, Wang will be competing in his second Olympics. The 29 year old, 6ft 6in is coming off a 27-5 season with the Guangdong Southern Tigers, good enough for the regular season championship, although they would lose 4-1 to Beijing in the play-off finals. Wang played in 43 games last season, averaging just over 27 minutes while recording 11.6 PPG. Another poor free-throw shooter.

8. Zhu Fangyu (F) – A teammate of Wang and a fellow 29 year old, Zhu was instrumental in Guangdong’s fine season, averaging 16.9 PPG and hitting 82% of his free-throws. The 6ft 7in forward was the leading Chinese scorer for the Dragons last season, behind former NBA players Aaron Brooks and James Singleton and is expected to make the starting five in the Olympics.

9. Sun Yue (F) – The greatest stat about Sun is that he has an NBA ring despite scoring just six points in the league. The 26 year old, 6ft 9in Sun was a second round draft pick by the Lakers in 2007, having caught the eye with impressive displays for the Beijing Olympians. He played 10 games in the 2008/09 NBA season, totalling 28 minutes and six points. Oddly, the Olympians don’t play in any affiliated league, having been kicked out of the CBA in 2004. While this means that Sun spends his time playing invitational games, there is no doubting his importance to the Chinese team.

10. Zhang Zhaoxu (C) – The tallest member of the squad at 7ft 3in, the 24 year old will play second fiddle at centre to the other seven footer on the roster, Wang Zhizhi. Zhang averaged 10.6 points in 36 games last season for Shanghai, but was second in rebounds with 8.1.Previously played college at the University of California, he has just finished his second season as a pro.

11. Yi Jianlin (F) – The unquestioned focal point of the team, post-Yao, Yi ended last season with the Dallas Mavericks and has also played for Milwaukee and New Jersey. The 6ft 11in power forward was the 6th overall draft pick in 2007 and has largely been an NBA bust, averaging 7.9 points and 22.2 minutes in five seasons. He joined Guangdong during the lockout, scoring 50 points in three games, having previously played over 200 games for the Southern Tigers. Despite officially being listed as 24 years old, it is believed he is actually three years older. A four time CBA champion and All-Star.

12. Guo Ailun (G) – Guo is the youngest member of the squad, at just 18, but has international experience. The Liaoning Dinosaurs point guard was a surprise call-up for the 2010 FIBA Championships, having averaged 22.4 PPG earlier that year in the U-17 World Championships. In his two years as a pro he has averaged 9.5 PPG.

13. Chen Jianghua (G) – The 23 year old who is generously listed as 6ft 2in is included in the squad despite not being a particularly crucial cog in the Guangdong wheel last season. He averaged just 16.8 minutes and 6.3 points in his 37 games. As a youngster, however, there was interest from NBA teams although they were scared away due to the uncertainty of his age. He is blessed with tremendous speed and first came to prominence in 2003 thanks to a front page article about him in The New York Times.

14. Wang Zhizhi (C) – Wang is expected to be the starting centre for the Chinese team, and, at 33 years old and 7ft 1in he is the oldest member of the roster. In between two spells with the Bayi Rockets (1995-2001 and 2006-present), Wang played for the Mavericks, Clippers and Heat, but struggled to make any real impact in the NBA. He averaged 4.4 points in 9.9 minutes over his five year NBA career. Last year for the Rockets, the veteran averaged 17.6 points and 6.2 rebounds, as well as being an 82.4% free-throw shooter.

15. Zhou Peng (F) – Not to be confused with the Olympic kayaker of the same name, Zhou is a 22 year old, 6ft 9in small forward who has spent eight years with the Guangdong Southern Tigers, winning three championships. Last season he ranked third in points for Chinese members of the Southern Tigers, behind international teammates Wang Shipeng and Zhu Fangyu. He averaged 11 points in 43 games and led the team from the free-throw line, nailing over 86% of his throws.