Yao and Wang to form China's 'Walking Great Wall'
(AFP)
Updated: 2006-07-18 22:58
The former star with the mainland Bayi Rockets was kicked off the national
side after he refused to play for China as he pursued a four-year NBA career
with the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat.
But with the 2008 Beijing Olympics approaching the team has again sought his
services in the hopes that China can win its first-ever Olympic basketball
medal.
"The thing that really has excited me, is that he (Wang) has scored at least
20 points every game," the Basketball Pioneers newspaper quoted Yao as saying.
"The key is whether he can adjust his game when I come back.
"When I return, the offense and the defense are going to be set up around me,
so Big Wang is going to have to adjust to a new role, from being the main
offensive player to a player with more of a supporting role."
For China's Lithuanian coach Jonas Kazlauskas, it is crucial to get Yao and
Wang on the practice court together so that a strategy can be worked out.
"We will set up a strategy that fits both of them, this is for sure. But as
Yao Ming must train by himself for the coming weeks, there is still not a lot of
time to have him work with Wang Zhizhi," Kazlauskas told journalists.
Team manager Gong said Yao is expected to fully recover by early August and
should see action in an eight nation tournament in Nanjing city beginning on
August 11.
If his recovery is quicker he may see action against the US national team in
southern Guangzhou city on August 7.
Meanwhile, China will play seven warm up matches in the next two weeks in
tournaments in France and Spain beginning on July 21. Yao will not be travelling
with the team.
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