The Nets will face Chinese center Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets for two games in October in Beijing and Guangzhou, China.
The Rockets and Nets will tip off on Oct. 13 in Beijing at the 17,012-seat Wukesong Arena, and will meet again on Oct. 16 at the 17,773-seat Guangzhou International Sports Arena. This will be the third consecutive year the NBA will play a game at the state-of-the-art Wukesong Arena, home to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“This event will give our great fans in China an authentic NBA experience with two live games in state-of-the-art arenas,” said NBA China CEO Tim Chen. “We will work closely with the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), the local basketball associations, and all of our partners in China to create events and basketball development programs that will reach fans well beyond the games.”
“We would like to welcome both NBA teams, the Rockets and Nets, to Beijing and Guangzhou. China has been successful in cultivating basketball talent and we are committed to working with the NBA to create more youth basketball development and coaching programs,” said Chinese Basketball Association Executive Vice President and Secretary General Xin Lancheng. “We hope these programs foster cultural exchange, increase basketball participation, and elevate the next generation of Chinese basketball players to even greater levels.”
The Rockets roster includes Yao, Aaron Brooks, winner of the 2009-10 NBA Most Improved Player Award, guard Kevin Martin, and former NBA champion Trevor Ariza. Rockets owner Leslie Alexander, who played an integral role in making the inaugural NBA China Games happen in 2004, is bringing his team back to compete in their second NBA China Games.
The Nets roster currently features NBA All-Star Devin Harris; Derrick Favors, the third overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft; and center Brook Lopez, who was named to the NBA All-Rookie first team in 2009.
The Nets recently named Avery Johnson – the 2005-06 NBA Coach of the Year and an NBA Champion as a player with the San Antonio Spurs – as their new head coach. Under new owner Mikhail Prokhorov, the Nets will be competing in NBA China Games for the first time. Prokhorov is the first majority owner of an NBA team from outside North America.
D’Antoni to miss worlds with back injury
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — U.S. assistant coach Mike D’Antoni will miss the world championships because of a back injury and be replaced by Toronto Raptors coach Jay Triano.
D’Antoni, the Knicks coach, will continue working with the Americans when they train next week in New York, but won’t join them in Europe and instead will rest the back before the NBA season begins.
D’Antoni’s absence, first reported by ESPN.com, is another blow to a U.S. team that already has been weakened by player withdrawals. The Americans have implemented some of D’Antoni’s offensive schemes while he worked under Mike Krzyzewski over the last four years.
“We’ll miss Mike on our trip, he’s been a big part of this program, but we know he’ll be with us in spirit. We all realize this is what is best for him and we hope that he’s feeling better soon,” USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said in a statement.
D’Antoni was occasionally troubled by back pain during the NBA season and said he realized after the Americans’ training camp last month in Las Vegas that he needed time to rest.
The Americans are scheduled to travel to Spain and Greece before the world championships begin Aug. 28 in Turkey. D’Antoni would then have little time to rest before having to return to Europe, with the Knicks playing preseason games in Italy and France.
“I regret not being able to be with the team through the world championship. I wish them the best of luck and I look forward to continuing to work with USA Basketball,” said D’Antoni, who is committed to serving on Krzyzewski’s staff through the 2012 Olympics.
Triano is an experienced international coach who coached Canada from 1998-2004. He started working with USA Basketball in 2007, coaching the select teams that scrimmaged against the national team. He also ran the Americans’ minicamp last summer.
“I’ve had the chance to work with a lot of these players over the past few years coaching the USA select teams and I’m looking forward to taking the court with them and Coach K in Istanbul,” Triano said.
The U.S. team will resume training next Tuesday in New York.
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