According to the team reporter Guan Xin, Guangdong Southern Tigers' newly signed foreign player Les is upset because he cannot get on the court and will be cut by the club. Guangdong has officially offered a 1.97m forward named Bart from NBL Guangxi Weizhuang. Bart's playing style is similar to that of Weems, with excellent ball-handling ability. The only concern is whether he can adapt to the physicality of the CBA. However, since Bart is currently without a contract, Zhu Fangyu can definitely give him a try. After all, a foreign player who can score 30 or 40 points in the NBL is certainly stronger than Les.
In the view of many Guangdong fans, the trigger for Les' emotional outburst is Du Feng's coaching strategy. In an away game against Jilin Northeast Tigers with a lead of more than 40 points, Les only got 2 minutes of playing time. Anyone would feel unhappy about this. If Les is not capable, the club should not have spent money signing him. Since they did sign him, regardless of whether his monthly salary is 10,000or20,000, the club still has to pay for his travel, meals, and accommodation. Why not give him more time to play and prove himself? It would be better to let him play for a quarter and then cut him if he fails, rather than being benched with less than 10 minutes of total playing time.
According to previous information revealed by Xu Limin, Zhou Qi will return to play against Liaoning Flying Leopards. Zhou Qi had been resting for nearly two weeks due to influenza, during which Beijing Ducks suffered frequent losses. With the return of their starting center, facing a weakened Liaoning team, Beijing urgently needs to win their first game of the New Year in front of their home crowd to boost team morale. Currently, Beijing's problem lies with their foreign players, especially small forward Germain, whose long-range three-point shots are inconsistent. Germain lacks the ability to create scoring opportunities through dribbling, while Omot is proven to be ineffective under high-intensity defense. Solomon only shows his role as a stretch four when Zhou Qi is on the court. The obvious flaws of these three foreign players have led to the team's frequent struggles in key moments when no one can step up to score.
Zhejiang Chouzhou not only lost unexpectedly to Shenzhen Marco Polo, ending their 10-game winning streak, but their starting center Yu Jiahao also got injured during the game and will need to rest for two weeks. Zhejiang Chouzhou's ranking is not stable, and if Yu Jiahao and Wu Qian cannot play in the upcoming games, and Cheng Shaipeng has not returned to the team, it will be easy for them to drop out of the top 4 with their current lineup. Additionally, the performance of their small foreign player Simmons has been disastrous, and it is expected that Simmons will be replaced by the team after the second stage. Another foreign player on leave, Paris Bass, is also likely to be cut by the club.
According to Zhejiang media, Guangsha's new recruit Boban has arrived in China and will soon join the team. However, due to the need to adjust to the time difference and complete physical examination registration procedures, Boban will miss the game against Liaoning Flying Leopards. Standing at 2.24 meters tall, Boban excels in rim protection and also possesses mid-to-long-range shooting skills, providing important tactical support for Guangsha. When the game reaches critical moments, the combination of Boban and Hu Jinqiu can not only protect rebounds under the basket, but Boban's shooting ability can also help open up offensive space for the team. Paired with several quality domestic forwards, Guangsha's lineup is quite luxurious. The reason for signing Boban is twofold: firstly, after losing to Shanxi Fenjiu, the club management saw the problems in the team's current frontline; secondly, with Zhejiang Guangsha currently ranked first in the league, the club sees championship prospects and is investing heavily in foreign players.