1 billion people

[Test]

I am wondering how country with 1000000000 people has only few players in the NBA ond none in Euroleague?

[yaofan]

I am wondering how country with 1000000000 people has only few players in the NBA ond none in Euroleague?

take a sociology class and you might understand...it's all about infrastructure and the system rather than population. China's basketball development program is in its infancy compared to European countries. There will be an explosion of Chinese players within the next 15-20 years, and then it will only get bigger. Ask yourself why the CNT has a Euro coach.....because there are still very few native CHinese who truly understand the game. The talent is there no doubt....it's about molding that talent.

[anthoang]

it is because 999,999,998 of them are playing in China.

[Test]

But it is a shame - China have 1.000.000.000 people and we have only 3.000.000 people to choose. It is 333(!) TIMES more and we still kick China ass, and will after 10 and 20 years

[CigaretteBurns]

But it is a shame - China have 1.000.000.000 people and we have only 3.000.000 people to choose. It is 333(!) TIMES more and we still kick China ass, and will after 10 and 20 years

Unlikely. With so many tall and athletic players, China will likely be a basketball superpower very soon. Heck, the Chinese National Team already has the best big men. Shame the guards suck.

[yaofan]

But it is a shame - China have 1.000.000.000 people and we have only 3.000.000 people to choose. It is 333(!) TIMES more and we still kick China ass, and will after 10 and 20 years

Who is the best Lithuanian player in the NBA right now? Exactly.


We are witnessing a downward trend in the quality of players from Lith relative to the world, while China's players are improving rapidly. That's why I suggest taking a sociology course so you understand paradigm shift in populations and performances. Lith has been very impressive in the past given its population, so was Croatia, Serbia, etc...and they still have perhaps the best training and professional systems available outside the US, but as emerging countries like China, Africa, Brazil (it's already there) start ramping up, they will become the powerhouses. Of the emerging countries, China is the furthest along, thus players like Yao Ming and Yi YianLian.

[LuDux]

Who is the best Lithuanian player in the NBA right now? Exactly.

Please explain

We are witnessing a downward trend in the quality of players from Lith relative to the world,

Nonsense

while China's players are improving rapidly.

Agreed

[mvblair]

We are witnessing a downward trend in the quality of players from Lith relative to the world

I disagree totally. I think that for the most part, Lithuanians are, on the whole, better than in the past. Sure, there is no longer a Sabonis or Marciulionis, but those two players are exceptions. Their national team is deeper, stronger, and quicker.

That's why I suggest taking a sociology course so you understand paradigm shift in populations and performances. Lith has been very impressive in the past given its population, so was Croatia, Serbia, etc...and they still have perhaps the best training and professional systems available outside the US, but as emerging countries like China, Africa, Brazil (it's already there) start ramping up, they will become the powerhouses. Of the emerging countries, China is the furthest along, thus players like Yao Ming and Yi YianLian.

Yes, I agree that China is soon going to become a basketball powerhouse. In fact, I think they already are. When they beat Serbia in Athens, I think they arrived.

[bobo81]

A better question - why do you guys have a horrible football team? You're telling me there are no stars out of the 1 billion Chinese players?

[yaofan]

what's with the CHina animosity by some of you...I'm guessing maybe it's that you're 12 yrs old or have the maturity level of one.

If you really want to get into how good a nation is at sports, the best way to do it is to count Gold Medals in the Olympics.

[bobo81]

My question is serious. I just don't understand...

[mvblair]

My question is serious. I just don't understand...

My guess is that soccer hasn't really been taken seriously by men in China. As yaofan suggested, the Chinese have concentrated on other sports for most of th 20th century. The Chinese artistic-athletic programs (diving, figure skating, gymnastics, etc) are always on the top of the Olympic tables and they've got good weightlifters, precision shooters, and so forth. The team games (except for badminton), just haven't been valued that much. And keep in mind that China has only been competing in international sports since 1984 (probably because of politics and Mao's isolationist policies). That's only 23 years of international competition. It's hard to start a sports league at the YMCA, so it's probably pretty difficult to get one going in an entire nation.

[TchatoLT]

Unlikely. With so many tall and athletic players, China will likely be a basketball superpower very soon. Heck, the Chinese National Team already has the best big men. Shame the guards suck.

That's the whole point. They always have these 7"3 "talents" but they don't have one single good guard. You cannot win a basketball game without a balanced team.

I see no proof of any trends that China is going to be better than Lithuania in 20 years. So they have a bunch of centers who haven't proven anything yet? China has only two good players who have proven that they really can compete on the big stage and how many does Lithuania have? I won't even talk about the guards, too unfair.

[TchatoLT]

Yes, I agree that China is soon going to become a basketball powerhouse. In fact, I think they already are. When they beat Serbia in Athens, I think they arrived.

Hahahahahah by beating Serbia they became a powerhouse? So Israel and Nigeria are also powerhouses?

[jxuusa]

Good job on stating the plainly obvious, China needs better guards, welcome to the present.

I was just looking around and gathered some stats on Lithuania-born vs. China-born players. The Lituanian players I looked at were Arvydas Sabonis, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Linas Kleiza, and Darius Songaila, 3 of which are still active. The Chinese players were Wang Zhizhi, Mengke Bateer, Tom Meschery, Yao Ming, and Yi Jianlian, only two of which are still active.

On comparing career stats, the Lithaunan players averaged 9.38 PPG, 4.66 RPG, 1.60 APG, 0.63 BPG, and 1.41 TO. The Chinese 10.0 PPG, 5.36 RPG, 1.27 APG, 0.82 BPG, and 1.40 TO.

I'd think you would agree that these statlines are pretty much on par with each other. You guys have superb guards who perform well on the international level, but not as well in the NBA. In the NBA your guards are pretty insufficient, putting up maybe 6 points and 2 assists at most. The only Lithuanians who really succeed in the NBA are the big men like Sabonis and Ilgauskas. The same with the Chinese, their guards are not great, but their big men are the ones that thrive in the NBA enviornment. Wang played a big role for several years on the Mavs, while Yao is the #1/#2 center in the NBA, and Yi is starting for the Bucks and is the 2nd best rookie this year. At this rate China is developing fast, and guards Sun Yue and Chen Jianghua, as well as several Chinese players currently playing in USA Division 1 are tearing it up and have their foot in the door of the NBA.

Plus, none of your guys has got a NBA Championship ring, and Yao alone more or less matches all of your player's All-Star appearances.

[zuma169]

Philippine guards would eat Chinese guards ALIVE!!! (even though we are small)

[PRSURF]

Carlos Arroyo and Ayuso, and now Barea

[sime0n]

Good job on stating the plainly obvious, China needs better guards, welcome to the present.

I was just looking around and gathered some stats on Lithuania-born vs. China-born players. The Lituanian players I looked at were Arvydas Sabonis, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Linas Kleiza, and Darius Songaila, 3 of which are still active. The Chinese players were Wang Zhizhi, Mengke Bateer, Tom Meschery, Yao Ming, and Yi Jianlian, only two of which are still active.

On comparing career stats, the Lithaunan players averaged 9.38 PPG, 4.66 RPG, 1.60 APG, 0.63 BPG, and 1.41 TO. The Chinese 10.0 PPG, 5.36 RPG, 1.27 APG, 0.82 BPG, and 1.40 TO.

I'd think you would agree that these statlines are pretty much on par with each other. You guys have superb guards who perform well on the international level, but not as well in the NBA. In the NBA your guards are pretty insufficient, putting up maybe 6 points and 2 assists at most. The only Lithuanians who really succeed in the NBA are the big men like Sabonis and Ilgauskas. The same with the Chinese, their guards are not great, but their big men are the ones that thrive in the NBA enviornment. Wang played a big role for several years on the Mavs, while Yao is the #1/#2 center in the NBA, and Yi is starting for the Bucks and is the 2nd best rookie this year. At this rate China is developing fast, and guards Sun Yue and Chen Jianghua, as well as several Chinese players currently playing in USA Division 1 are tearing it up and have their foot in the door of the NBA.

Plus, none of your guys has got a NBA Championship ring, and Yao alone more or less matches all of your player's All-Star appearances.

i think saying wang zhizhi played a big role is a bit of an overstatement...

[Phantim3dx]

i think saying wang zhizhi played a big role is a bit of an overstatement...

ditto simeon.

on another note, why does china's football team suck so badly...well in the land of china, according to my chinese friends "if you want to be happy you watch cctv news, if you want to be sad you watch china football team"

i never saw such a perfected form of satire/sarcasm in my life for a joke. i had to give them mianzi(面子）and down a glass of bai jiu(白酒）when we were drinking.

most chinese arent stupid and hate the party, this statement was a reference that only in a commie controlled country can you have good news and never bad, but if you want bad news to balance it out you watch the china natl football team

[sinobball]

on another note, why does china's football team suck so badly...well in the land of china, according to my chinese friends "if you want to be happy you watch cctv news, if you want to be sad you watch china football team"

That must have been the joke in the 80's... because by 90's the team has already become a laughing stock like Britney Spears in America... by the new century, who still cares about the team?

An old joke went like this

A Chinese, a Japanese and a Korean football fan went to heaven to seek God.

The Korean fan asked, "My Lord, when will Korea hoist the World Cup?"

God thought for a moment, then replied "Not for another 100 years."

The Korean fan bursted into tears: "I can't live to see that day!"

Then the Japanese fan asked when Japan will win the World Cup.

"Not for another 200 years."

The Japanese fans started to cry: "I can't live to see that day!"

Finally the Chinese fan asked God when China can win the Football World Cup.

God thought for a while, then began to sob: "I can't live to see that day!"