Wang Zhi Zhi player profile from FIBA.Com (long read)

[dude1394]

Pretty interesting Article on the Wangster. This guys has seen some of the post moves that we have seen glimpses of.



Da-Zhi (Big Zhi): Wang Zhizhi destined for greatness.

By Matt Jung

Little known fact. According to Nietszche, there are two kinds of people in the world: the botched and the bungled, and those destined for greatness. My dad the philosophy professor told me that. When I first saw Da-Zhi play in 1997, in a cool Al-Jazira stadium in the middle of the white hot desert in Saudi Arabia, I saw one who has been destined for greatness. In an article I wrote for FIBA Monthly following that event, I described the Chinese team as a bunch of sequoyas who lumbered through warmups looking slow. But it was not a lack of speed; rather, it was the sheer size of these Eastern giants that gave the illusion of slow-mo. And Wang Zhizhi was at the center of it.
Wang Zhizhi (China)


Ironically, China's size was their undoing in that event - the last time (until last year, of course) the national team competed for a World Championship berth. It was their undoing in two ways: in one respect, they had a difficult time guarding speed. At the same time, they were so big that their size demanded teams to play zone on them, and they got used to it. So when South Korea manned up in the semi-finals, Team China appeared as if it did not remember how to play man offense. Most importantly, the China guards neglected to pass the ball to Wang Zhizhi, who was being guarded by 6'5 Chun Hee Chul, a pesky defender but a mere flyspeck in the shadow of Wang. When Wang did receive an occasional pass, it was clear he was mortal. Not quite sure what to do against a smaller player, he resorted to a then-pristine medium range game. The seven-footer shooting 12 footers instead of cramming the ball down players' throats. Team China lost that game, failed to qualify for the 1998 Worlds, and returned to the Mainland disgraced, as East-Asian rivals Japan and South Korea were off to Greece.

In retrospect, the loss was probably one of the best things that could have occurred for the development of basketball in China, and for Wang Zhizhi himself. The Government, having recognized that the program was underachieving, immediately took steps to make the sport a priority so that there would be no question as to whether China would qualify for the 2000 Olympics. But there is only so much Big Government can do to make sure Big Basketball wins. The real onus must always be thrust onto the players. Wang made sure that he did what it took to tighten up his game in preparation for Sydney 2000. And, there was another place he was thinking about going.

Competing against NBA players in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, the then spindly 7-footer took some lumps but played all right - at the tender age of 18. What he possessed was footwork, good raw instincts and timing, and a soft touch. What he needed to set himself apart was power, confidence, muscle, and what every 7-footer thinks he has but not necessarily does, 3-point range. Following the Korea loss, the lefty went back to the drawing board and began developing a savvy inside game: an up & under move, a little baseline spin, excellent use of the backboard, and a deadly medium range shooting touch. Packing in a zone defense on Wang was no longer an option, because he became as deadly shooting a 12 foot bank shot as he was dunking the ball. In 1998, while Japan and Korea were preparing for the Worlds, China was preparing for the Asian Games (Asia's continental athletic championships, if you will). One of China's tune-ups in preparation for this was a four-game exhibition series in China against a team of former NBA stars including Tom Chambers, Kiki Vandeweghe, Alex English, Alton Lister, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and coached by the one and only Oscar Robertson. In tight games featuring extremely shady officiating, no one could argue Wang Zhizhi's coming-of-age. Inside and out, Wang dominated the recently-departed NBA stars, most of whom were old enough to be his father. Alex English, the NBA's greatest scorer of the 1980s and the consummate basketball ambassador at the event in China, seemed convinced Wang was an NBA player-in-waiting. The Chinese army star had himself the respect of some of the NBA's greatest and China went on to whip nemesis South Korea in the Asian Games finale in November of 1998. A year later, China would power its way through the field and Korea again, this time in the qualifiers for Sydney 2000 in Fukuoka, Japan where Wang was moved to the power forward spot alongside new buddy Yao Ming, then 7'5 and 18 years old. Here he was able to display the art of shooting, dropping 15 footer one after the other as teams doubled down on big Yao.


Wang Zhizhi (China)

The Olympics have come and gone. For Wang it was his second Olympiad, and there will be more to come. Now comes a more important time for the kid. In 2001, his Chinese club team, the Bayi Rockets (aka. the Army team), finally released Wang to take his game abroad after the young man was drafted by the NBA's Dallas Mavericks in 2000. His domination of the China pro league complete (Wang was among the scoring leaders every year and led the CBA in blocked shots his first four seasons with Bayi; he was also named MVP of the 1999-2000 season there), he set out to prove to Americans that a.) Chinese people are NOT short, and b.) Chinese people can play sports other than table tennis. Joining an international cast of ballplayers in Dallas - from the likes of Mexico, Germany, Canada, and the US - Wang knocked down the first 20-footer he took, and the his legacy in the States began. Destined for greatness? Indeed.

Coming home. Shanghai hosted the Asian zone qualifier for the 2002 Worlds, and although Yao Ming (who was anointed in 2001 by ESPN, The Magazine, as the future of basketball) received MVP honors, it was clear who China's premiere player was. It should be said that statistically, Wang Zhizhi pretty much owned the entire event from the China team standpoint, and stepped up his leadership ability as well, while Yao Ming was lucky to have had the event staged in his hometown Shanghai (which explains the MVP award despite Wang's dominance). Inside and out, Wang was the man offensively and defensively. China cruised through the Asian qualifier once again. Things have settled down since 1997, the year China did not qualify for the Worlds. They will be there this year, anchored by the middle man, an NBA veteran and the walking past, present and future of China basketball - Wang Zhizhi.

Matt Jung resides in Hong Kong and can be contacted at mjfor3@yahoo.com

[Usually Lurkin]

from hoopsworld:

Dallas - The Mavericks have put out the first word that it may be possible for restricted free agent center Wang Zhizhi to return to their roster this season since his defiance of orders from China earlier this summer to return home and join their national team. A sign-and-trade is still a possibility also but he might just be back in Dallas after all.

any one else hear this/ see this anywhere else?

It'd be great to keep wang: his is the only jersey I own. And I would like to see him used as something other than a three point specialist.

[pepperfletch]

Usually, you and I both have been focusing on Wang for sometiem. I think he will be here and HEAVEN FORBID finally get the minutes to develop! I think he COULD be the most improved Mav for next season...Lets cross our fingers...

GO WANG...

[Usually Lurkin]

I agree, pepper.

My Wang curiosity is piqued. I really want to see what he can do with extended training around the basket. I'm almost to the point of saying if he's not going to get the pt here, then put the energy into a sign and trade with a team that will play him - I just want to see what he can do.

We saw him drive a couple of times last year, and spin a couple times as well - but he was unable to finish. That might be a lack of familiarity and comfort underneath with the big nasty NBA players.

Then again, we saw Bruno Sundov spin/and drive once or twice in warmups, too - and he finished with dunks.