Fiba Asia Cup: fans think China’s men ‘all set up for failure’ with Zhou Qi missing
Head coach Guo Shiqiang concerned as absences, including the former Houston Rockets man, mount up
Fans of the China men’s basketball team should brace themselves for some bad results at the coming Fiba Asia Cup, with head coach Guo Shiqiang saying some of his best players were unavailable through injury.
Zhou Qi was among those not listed in the initial 14-man roster for the tournament in Saudi Arabia, with the towering centre undergoing some untimely rehabilitation in the United States.
Others missing from the squad included Zeng Fanbo, Zhang Zhenlin, Zhao Jiwei and Cui Yongxi, while Yang Hansen, who was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers at the NBA draft last month, has been given permission by the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) to skip the tournament.
“We have too many injury problems with the national team – more than seven players will miss the Asian Cup,” Guo said. “We have called up a lot of young players and don’t have many post players at our disposal.
“The shortcomings in rotation have to be made up by the 12 of us. It’s a team effort because that’s what basketball is all about.
“Missing a lot of experienced players is going to be tough for us, but also a good opportunity for the young players. If a few of them emerge for us, it will be a good thing for the team.”