Jonas Kazlauskas announced the 16-man roster for the training camp, which will be cut down to 12 before the Asian Games. Apparently, Wang Shipeng, Zhu Fangyu, Yi Jianlian, Wang ZhiZhi, Li Nan, Mo Ke, Du Feng, Liu Wei, and Tang Zhengdong all have guaranteed roster spots–unless they get injured, they won't be cut. That leaves Zhang Jinsong, Hu Xuefeng, Zhang Quingpeng, Chen Jianghua, and the three Aoshen players (Sun Yue, Zhang Songtao, and Huo Nan) to fight it out for the last three spots. I think Sun Yue and Zhang Songtao will make it in without any problem. The last spot will be hotly contested, Chen Jianghua will be the last two to make it. Both Zhang Quingpeng and Hu Xuefeng have had a better season than Chen, but I still firmly believe (and I think Kazlauskas recognizes as well) that Chen is still one of the top-three point guards in China, despite being less than impressive in his debut season.
If these predictions comes true, then the roster will look something like this:
PG: Liu Wei, Sun Yue, Chen Jianghua
SG: Wang Shipeng, Li Nan,
SF: Zhu Fangyu, Du Feng
PF: Wang ZhiZhi, Mo Ke
C- Yi Jianlian, Tang Zhengdong
Although Kazlauskas will probably have Yi Jianlian and Wang ZhiZhi as his starting (very athletic) Twin Towers, I think Tang Zhengdong will be the first one off the bench. His role will be something like Bonzi Well's on the Rockets this coming season–he doesn't start, but he plays almost as much as the other starters. I think that there will be a three-man rotation at the power forward and center spot. Kazlauskas did the same in the World Championships, with Yi, Wang, and Yao.
While the big man rotation has been getting better and better, Zhang Songtao will be left out in the cold—again. Zhang has the talent to be a star for China, yet with the flux of big men, he is without an opportunity to improve.
Although on my depth chart I listed Chen as shooting guard, because he is a naturally a shooting guard, I think Kazlauskas will use him (when he's in the game) as the primary ball handler. But, like Zhang Songtao, he has several other competitors at his position, so minutes could be scarce. However, his one advantage over Zhang is that he is the team's best dribbler, so Kazlauskas will use him in the face of a dogged full-court press from the other team.
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4 comments:
Well, do you think Zhang Songtao will make it or not?
"I think Sun Yue and Zhang Songtao will make it in without any problem."
So, yes, obviously I do. In case you're confused by what I said later on, I think he'll make the team, but not get a lot of minutes behind Wang, Yi, and Tang.
Then you have 13 players in the roster.
Fixed my post. Thanks for pointing it out.
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