In the just-concluded 2023-2024 CBA finals, the Liaoning men's basketball team once again lifted the championship trophy. But the giants have exposed some worrisome problems in the process, the most notable of which is the decline in foreign player Moreland's form.
As an important pillar of the Liaoning men's basketball team, Moreland has helped the team win consecutive championships in the past two seasons and built a good reputation. However, in the recent playoff campaign, the "thorny" foreign player from the United States has shown a worrying slump.
Faced with such a foreign aid who has a sluggish performance on the court and is also quite controversial in life, the Liaoning men's basketball team obviously needs to make some adjustments. After all, in the upcoming new season, the CBA's foreign aid policy will also change, and the team must carefully weigh whether to continue to retain Moreland.
Therefore, for the Liaoning men's basketball team, it may be time to consider giving up Moreland and instead introducing more stable and reliable foreign aid talents. And in this context, a new foreign aid candidate is gradually emerging - the big foreign aid of the Shenzhen men's basketball team, Salinjie.
In an interview, Liaoning men's basketball coach Yang Ming publicly said that the team is considering bringing in Sallinger. The Puerto Rican foreign player had an outstanding season last season. With his excellent scoring ability and excellent rebounding performance, he has become an important pillar of the Shenzhen men's basketball team's offense and defense.
It is understood that on the way to the finals, the Shenzhen men's basketball team barely reached the top four by relying on Sallinger's performance. This fact also makes people see that if this big foreign aid is lost, the strength of Shenzhen's local tyrant team will be greatly reduced.
For the Liaoning men's basketball team, the introduction of Sallinger can undoubtedly inject new vitality into their offense and defense. The Puerto Rican player's scoring ability and rebounding performance far surpassed Moreland, who currently plays for Liaoning.
In addition, the adjustment of the CBA's foreign aid policy has also created an opportunity for Liaoning to introduce Sallinger. After the start of the new season, the team will have to carefully consider whether to continue to retain a "problem foreign player" like Moreland. In contrast, Sallinger, who has excellent statistical performance, will undoubtedly become a more secure choice.
Of course, if the Liaoning men's basketball team wants to introduce Sallinger, it also needs to pay a considerable price. In the eyes of the Shenzhen men's basketball team, Sallinger is undoubtedly an indispensable key player in their lineup. If they want to poach him, Liaoning must come up with a considerable offer.
But we believe that Yang Ming and his team should be ready for this. After all, if Sallinger can be successfully signed, this will undoubtedly become the key move for the Liaoning men's basketball team to hit the third consecutive championship next season.
While introducing new foreign aid, the Liaoning men's basketball team also needs to properly handle the relationship with Moreland. As a player who has played a key role in the past two seasons, Moreland's departure has not been easy.
The team obviously needs to give him a certain amount of respect, but also communicate with him patiently, understand his current form and mentality, and give him the right opportunity to adjust. After all, a good defensive big man is not easy to find, and if Moreland can regain his form, it will still be of great use to the team.
But if Moreland's condition still can't be significantly improved, the Liaoning men's basketball team must also be prepared to give up decisively. In the upcoming new season, they need a squad that can really fight for the title and cannot be tied down by the emotional and form problems of individual players.
Overall, the Liaoning men's basketball team is facing a key turning point this summer. Moreland's future fortunes, as well as the introduction of new foreign signings, will have a direct impact on the performance of the giant team next season.
If they can decisively adjust and bring in high-quality foreign players like Sallinger, I believe that the Liaoning men's basketball team will continue to be the hegemon of the CBA league next season. After all, only with a truly strong lineup and core can you have a long-term dominance in the fierce competition.
For Shenzhen, a local tyrant team, the loss of Sallinger undoubtedly means a sharp decline in strength. Although they have many famous players, Sallinger's outstanding performance on both offensive and defensive ends is undoubtedly a key factor in Shenzhen's ability to reach the finals.
If this big foreign aid is really poached to join Liaoning, then the strength of the Shenzhen men's basketball team may suffer a heavy blow. After all, there is no other player in the squad who can fully compensate for Sallinger's absence. This is undoubtedly an even worse blow to a local tyrant team that is trying to challenge the Liaoning Dynasty.
It is worth mentioning that Sallinger himself has also shown a strong interest in joining the Liaoning men's basketball team. In an interview, he admitted that he was very excited to work with a top coach like Yang Ming and was looking forward to playing for a championship team.
This will undoubtedly give the Liaoning men's basketball team a great advantage in the introduction of Sallinger. After all, for a top foreign player, being able to join a championship-contending team is undoubtedly the best choice of his career. In contrast, staying in a slightly inferior Shenzhen men's basketball team, Sallinger's development prospects are limited to a certain extent.
Therefore, we have reason to believe that as long as the Liaoning men's basketball team makes a sufficiently attractive offer, the possibility of Sallinger joining the Liaoning basketball team is very high. This will undoubtedly become Liaoning's biggest "killer feature" in the new season's journey.
This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Shenzhen men's basketball team, which was forced to lose Sallinger. As the "local tyrant team" in Chinese basketball, Shenzhen has always been the biggest opponent in the championship with Liaoning. But if the Puerto Rican big man is lost, their advantage on both the offensive and defensive ends will be greatly diminished.
Not to mention, under the adjustment of the CBA foreign aid policy in the new season, the Shenzhen men's basketball team may also face a lot of difficulties if it wants to introduce an equally outstanding foreign aid again. After all, the number of foreign players in the CBA league will shrink further, and the competition between teams will undoubtedly become more intense.
It is also based on this consideration that we expect that the Shenzhen men's basketball team will be difficult to maintain its previous strength in the new season. As a "local tyrant team" in the CBA, if they lose key foreign aid, it may be difficult for them to occupy a dominant position in the playoffs again.
And this is undoubtedly a big opportunity for the Liaoning men's basketball team, which has always monopolized the CBA arena. With the addition of high-quality foreign players like Sallinger, coupled with the stability of the team's internal core lineup, they are likely to have a strong performance of three consecutive championships in the new season.
Overall, this summer, the Liaoning men's basketball team will face a key choice. Whether to continue to retain Moreland, who is in a slump, or decisively bring in high-quality foreign players like Sallinger.
I believe that no matter what the team ultimately decides, they need to take all aspects into account. After all, only with a truly strong lineup can the Liaoning men's basketball team continue to maintain a high level of performance in the new season and continue to dominate the CBA arena.
For the Shenzhen men's basketball team, if they really can't retain key foreign players like Sallinger, then their situation in the new season may be very difficult. Whether this "local tyrant team" can remain competitive in the next tournament will be one of the focuses of the entire CBA league.
In short, in this summer, the CBA basketball circle is bound to make a new wave. The question of Moreland's whereabouts and whether the Liaoning team can bring in Sallinger will be the focus of attention of all parties. We'll have to wait and see if this giant team can continue to be the king in the new season.