Can Qiao Shuai still do it? Zhao Jiwei said he was "late," but perhaps the Chinese men's basketball team didn't match him
After the World Cup, the sports authorities have already criticized the World Cup performance of the Chinese Basketball Association and the men's basketball team in their conclusions, and now that the Asian Games on the doorstep have failed to win the championship, Jordjevic's coaching prospects are even less optimistic. The contract between the Chinese Basketball Association and Jordjevic has not expired, and if the contract is terminated early, then who will replace it is also a very difficult issue.
Not long ago, in the men's basketball World Cup, the Chinese men's basketball team lost to the host Philippine men's basketball team by 21 points, and that game also completely missed the Paris Olympics. After 32 days, the Chinese men's basketball team experienced the "darkest moment" again at home, and they were reversed by the Philippine second team in the final moments of the Asian Games semifinals, losing by one point and losing the opportunity to compete for gold. This is an unacceptable result for Chinese basketball people and fans. So, the Chinese men's basketball team has been hit continuously, what is the problem? Is it the players who can't do it, or the coach who can't?
After the game, a reporter asked coach Jordjevic, who is responsible for the defeat of this game? He said: "As the head coach of the team, I am definitely the first person responsible. But at this time, the captain Zhao Jiwei, who was sitting next to him, raised his arm and said: "The responsibility lies with the players, not the coaches." The Chinese men's basketball team should not blame only the coach for the loss, it is our players' lack of execution on the court. The coach really wants us to be good, but there are some things we don't understand or do right now. But coaches know what world basketball is like and what a strong team looks like. ”
According to the reporter of Beijing Youth Daily, Zhao Jiwei once said about Qiao Shuai with people around him: "If Jordjevic can come to the Chinese men's basketball team two years earlier, I guarantee that the Chinese men's basketball team will be able to enter the Olympic Games." "At present, Chinese basketball is seriously derailed from world basketball, and from this point of view, the Chinese men's basketball team needs a coach like Jordjevic. But the fact that he has led his team to painful defeats in two major competitions in more than a month also indicates that Jordjevic will be in this position.
After the World Cup, the sports authorities have already criticized the World Cup performance of the Chinese Basketball Association and the men's basketball team in their conclusions, and now that the Asian Games on the doorstep have failed to win the championship, Jordjevic's coaching prospects are even less optimistic. The contract between the Chinese Basketball Association and Jordjevic has not expired, and if the contract is terminated early, who will replace it is also a very difficult issue - domestic coaches may maintain some competitiveness in Asia in the short term, but it is difficult to say whether it can narrow the gap with world basketball. Coupled with the hard conditions that national team coaches can only work full-time, this makes it more difficult for domestic coaches to take over the national team.
If you hire another foreign coach, no matter who comes, the Chinese men's basketball team is bound to do it all over again, including mutual familiarity and understanding, etc., and the tacit understanding that was hard to accumulate before is gone. Although the Chinese men's basketball team will not have the pressure of major competition results in the next one or two years, such a process will definitely make the Chinese men's basketball team lose its vitality again.
The story of the Chinese Basketball Association and Jorjevic must be told from the beginning. According to the reporter of Beijing Youth Daily, the Chinese Basketball Association originally hoped to renew the contract with former coach Du Feng, and it was a multi-year extension. However, due to some objective factors, this matter has not been completed. Since then, in a short period of time, the basketball association quickly contacted some foreign coaches through contacts and resources, including some NBA coaches.
But after weighing all factors, including price-performance ratio, the Chinese men's basketball team decided to hire Serbian coach Jordjevic. Giordjevic previously coached the Serbian national team for six years, where he won an Olympic silver medal. Initially, Jordjevic wanted to sign a one-year contract with the Chinese Basketball Association, but after many communications from Yao, he eventually agreed to sign a longer contract.
After taking office, Giordević's main task was to scout the players, because his knowledge of Chinese players was really limited. He has been seen on the sidelines of the league from all sides of the league, both during the pandemic and when he resumed home and away games in the second half of last season. Relevant people once praised Jordjevic's professionalism: "He really wanted to lead this team, he went out early in the morning to watch the game, and came back at 11 or 12 pm, almost every day." ”
But after all, there is a lack of understanding of Chinese basketball, and Jordjevic has caused controversy from the outside world since the formation of the first phase of training. One detail that few people know is that there was some discussion about Zhao Jiwei's selection at the beginning. Qiao Shuai emphasized the tallness of players in the same position, and the short Zhao Jiwei did not meet such selection criteria, and it was the strong recommendation of the Chinese coach at that time that changed the matter.
When Qiao Shuai first coached the Chinese men's basketball team, his bold use of newcomers was indeed impressive. The most typical example is that Choi Yonghee, who was in the rookie season at the time, was mentioned as the starting position by Jorjevic. At that time, the outside world evaluated him generally positively. However, when Djordjevic crossed out Allen Guo's name from the second training list, controversy came. In this training, the Chinese men's basketball team is preparing for the World Cup and Asian Games. The outside world commented that only Jorjevic did not bring Allen Guo in such an important competition.
All the effects must be tested by actual combat. The performance of the Chinese men's basketball team in the world is far from what people expected. Jordjevic's choice of personnel and the use of defensive strategy have caused great controversy and doubts from the outside world. After a crushing defeat to the Philippines in the final qualifying match, doubts about Qiao Shuai reached a climax.
After the World Cup, many people still think that it is mainly due to the big gap between the Chinese men's basketball team and the world level, and in the Asian Games at the doorstep, the Chinese team has no big problem winning the championship, after all, the main players of the Japanese team and the Philippines team are not coming.
In fact, the Chinese men's basketball team has been very smooth in the past few games before the semifinals of the Asian Games, and many aspects have also seen positive improvements, such as the team's atmosphere, cohesion and fighting spirit have improved compared to the World Cup. After Zhao Jiwei became captain, he played an active role both on and off the court, and the assistant coaches of the men's basketball team, who did not make their voices during the World Cup, also had more communication with Qiao Shuai at the Asian Games.
But what most people didn't expect was that the Philippine team became the "hurdle" that the Chinese men's basketball team could not get through. The Chinese men's basketball team experienced a rollercoaster ride, leading the opponent by 20 points at most, but was thrown too many three-pointers by the opponent in the final quarter, and finally lost by an incredible one-pointer. This also once again confirms that the current Chinese men's basketball team cannot fight a tough battle. Especially in the critical moments of being chased in the fourth quarter, even if Qiao Shuai called a timeout to arrange, it had no effect, and continued to lose points until it was reversed. People who have seen this game are asking: What is the Chinese men's basketball team doing in the last two minutes? Does Qiao Shuai still have control and ability to adjust the team?
It's not hard to say after the game that you take responsibility for the team's loss, both by the coach and by the players. But the question is how to be responsible?
Now it seems that Jordjevic and the Chinese men's basketball team, even though he may be a high-level coach, appeared at the wrong time period. As Zhao Jiwei said, if Qiao Shuai had coached the Chinese men's basketball team a year or two earlier, perhaps the team would be very different now. But there is no if, two consecutive tournaments have such a tragic ending, I am afraid that some pressure is unbearable by the Chinese Basketball Association, and this may directly determine the fate of Jordjevic's coaching of the Chinese men's basketball team.
Even if Qiao Shuai "has eaten and seen", but don't forget that he brought the Serbian national team before, what level of those players still need to say? Now he faces Chinese players, perhaps like a university professor teaching junior high school students, and often cannot find an entry point. This requires the Chinese Basketball Association to clarify its thinking, whether to invite famous coaches with world vision or to use practical coaches who can shape the characteristics of Chinese men's basketball. If this point is chaotic, then tossing for half a day is likely to continue to slide into the abyss.
Text/Beiqing Sports Song Xiang