章 113: James: Am I Wang Chong's Substitute?
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Wang Chong represented the Dream Team at the Athens Olympics, which stirred quite the reaction in China. Many fans understood his decision, after all, as a Chinese-American, there was nothing inherently wrong with him playing for the United States. However, the Chinese Basketball Association had a different perspective.
Since Wang Chong was willing to compete in international tournaments for the U.S., it suggested that he valued the honor of international competition. In that case, could he return to represent the Chinese men's basketball team?
Interviews with Chinese media showed that although Wang Chong grew up in the United States, he hadn't lost his connection to China. He spoke fluent Chinese and had a strong understanding of the country. He was nothing like those Chinese-Americans who had become fully Americanized, despite their Asian appearance.
From these interviews, the leaders of the Chinese Basketball Association saw hope.
When the Chinese men's basketball team traveled to Greece for the Olympics, the team leader was given an additional mission: build a good relationship with Wang Chong and explore whether he had any interest in serving his country.
With Yao Ming's help, they had dinner together several times.
Wang Chong noted the differences his identity made.
Normally, high-ranking officials from the Basketball Association treated the national team players with a certain level of politeness, but domestic players like Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi were never given this level of courtesy.
Yao Ming, despite being a global basketball star, was still exploited. Not only did he have to hand over a portion of his earnings, but he was also often required to participate in low-tier competitions in Asia and China.
As for Wang Zhizhi, he had been banned from playing for the national team simply because he wanted to focus on training in the U.S. He eventually had to apologize and pay a hefty price to resolve the issue.
In contrast, Wang Chong, still in his early twenties, found himself being toasted by the Basketball Association leaders during their dinners.
Wang Chong knew that it wasn't necessarily him they valued, but rather the opportunities he represented for their own advancement.
The Chinese men's basketball team was desperate for talent, especially players like Wang Chong, who was considered by many to be stronger than Yao Ming at this point in his career.
This wasn't an exaggeration. Yao Ming had only played two seasons in the NBA, averaging 17.5 points and 9 rebounds per game this season, a performance that was comparable to rookie Wang Chong's statistics.
Though Yao Ming had the honor of being an All-Star starter and a member of the All-NBA Third Team, Wang Chong had something Yao didn't — a championship ring.
Considering Wang Chong's age and the fact that he was already playing at a star level in his rookie season, even Yao Ming's fans had to admit that Wang Chong's potential was greater.
If the Chinese men's basketball team could secure Wang Chong, the team's future in the next three Olympics would be bright. The Basketball Association leaders who brought Wang Chong into the fold would undoubtedly see their careers flourish.
However, Wang Chong didn't agree right away. Even though he wanted to bring honor to his country, his decision to play for the U.S. Dream Team was solely because it was a task required by his "system." If not for that, he wouldn't have joined at all. Playing for China would actually be his preference, even without rewards.
But there was a major condition: he didn't want to be exploited like Yao Ming. If he were to play for the national team, it had to be on his terms, limited to major international tournaments like the Olympics and the World Championships.
He had already missed the 2004 Athens Olympics, so the next event he aimed for was the 2006 FIBA World Championship.
In Wang Chong's view, the 2006 World Championship was the best opportunity for China to achieve good results.
The U.S. Dream Team that year, Team 7, would not be as strong as the current Team 6. The main players for Team 7 would be LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Dwight Howard, with a young Chris Paul, Antawn Jamison, and Joe Johnson.
The final winner would be the Spanish team, while the U.S. would only secure third place, just like in 2004.
The U.S. men's basketball team only got serious after these successive failures, building a dominant Dream Team 8 for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, reclaiming the gold and their place atop world basketball.
But that's a story for another time.
Wang Chong's plan was to potentially switch his nationality and join China for the 2006 World Championship, not now.
Thus, when approached by the Basketball Association leaders, Wang Chong politely said he would consider their offer, but didn't commit.
Even this non-committal answer left the Basketball Association leaders satisfied. As long as there wasn't a direct refusal, they felt there was still a chance. It would now come down to what incentives and benefits they could offer Wang Chong.
What they misunderstood, though, was that Wang Chong didn't need much. He just needed them not to interfere or create problems when he returned to play for China.
However, if they wanted to offer benefits, Wang Chong certainly wouldn't refuse them.
The Olympic group stage began on August 21 and ended on August 29.
On August 21, the U.S. faced Puerto Rico in the first round.
In the original timeline, this was one of the worst games for the U.S. team in Athens. Despite Puerto Rico being a relatively unknown team, the U.S. played horribly and lost 73-92.
There were several reasons for this defeat. The first was that the U.S. underestimated their opponent. Puerto Rico wasn't a powerhouse, and the U.S. team played too casually.
The second reason was that the Dream Team 6 had little time to gel as a team. The two main guards, Iverson and Marbury, were both notorious for being ball hogs. Iverson, like Kobe Bryant, would take 30 shots in a game, even if he wasn't hitting them.
Marbury was known as a "lone wolf" due to his playing style and attitude.
Neither guard played with much teamwork. When they had the ball, they charged straight into the opponent's paint like they were on a solo mission.
While this strategy might work in the NBA, where individual talents can shine, FIBA's international rules allowed for a lot more help defense, making their style ineffective.
These issues contributed to the embarrassing 19-point loss to Puerto Rico, which became a laughingstock.
The U.S. also lost to Lithuania in the group stage, finishing with a record of 3-2, and barely made it into the knockout stage as the fourth seed in their group.
Before the game against Puerto Rico, head coach Larry Brown announced the starting lineup:
"Point guard: Stephon Marbury."
"Shooting guard: Allen Iverson."
"Small forward: Wang Chong."
"Power forward: Amar'e Stoudemire."
"Center: Tim Duncan."
The other positions were predictable, but when Wang Chong's name was called, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony exchanged glances.
Although there had been hints during practice and warm-up games, it still came as a surprise that Wang Chong would be starting.
Wade slapped Wang Chong on the back, genuinely happy for him.
But James and Anthony weren't as cheerful.
Both had already lost to Wang Chong several times during their rookie seasons, and now, in international play, they found themselves benched for him. The #1 and #3 picks of the 2003 draft, playing as substitutes to the #13 pick, Wang Chong!
But there was little they could do. Larry Brown, a legendary coach in the league, was known for his iron fist. If he didn't even tolerate Allen Iverson at his peak, he certainly wasn't going to be swayed by a bunch of rookies. For now, James and Anthony had no choice but to accept Brown's decision.
However, Brown made the critical mistake of underestimating the opposition. He gave no tactical instructions, expecting his players to win simply by relying on their individual talent.
This wasn't unreasonable. With the talent on Dream Team 6, even if everyone played selfishly, they could still outmatch 90% of the teams, including Puerto Rico.
As Wang Chong expected, the U.S. team played lazily at the start. The ball stayed mainly in the hands of Iverson and Marbury. But against Puerto Rico's zone defense, their drives to the basket were repeatedly thwarted.
Meanwhile, Puerto Rico played with great cohesion, using smart tactics to quickly establish a double-digit lead.
Wang Chong soon realized the Dream Team's problem: he wasn't getting the ball.
Iverson and Marbury weren't passing to him at all.
Even when Wang Chong set screens for them, they would drive straight to the rim, ignoring him completely.
When Wang Chong was with the Lakers, even Kobe Bryant knew to pass the ball when he was double-teamed.
This was one of the problems with international play. Players were more concerned with showing off their individual abilities than playing team basketball.
Fortunately, in the second quarter, Wang Chong finally got some touches.
Brown realized that the combination of Iverson and Marbury wasn't working, so he subbed in Wade.
Wade, having watched the first quarter from the bench, had a better understanding of Puerto Rico's defense.
Wade was also more willing to pass to Wang Chong. He knew that with Puerto Rico's big man camped in the paint, breaking through was difficult. But Wang Chong's shooting ability could dismantle the defense.
Wade had full confidence in Wang Chong's shot, so he passed the ball to him without hesitation.
As soon as Wang Chong had the ball, his demeanor changed. A quick dribble, a step back — swish! Wang Chong hit a three-pointer.
Puerto Rico's defenders weren't fast enough to keep up with him, and Wang Chong made them pay by draining three consecutive triples.
By the end of the half, Wang Chong had 15 points, and the U.S. cut the deficit to five.
Iverson and Marbury finally started passing the ball to Wang Chong as well.
But despite Wang Chong's efforts, the U.S. still trailed.
End of this chapter
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