The CBA league is down to just 21 rounds of regular season games, with the current standings showing Zhejiang Guangsha in first place, Shanxi in second, Shandong in third, Zhejiang Chouzhou in fourth, Liaoning and Xinjiang in fifth and sixth respectively. Despite Xinjiang being ranked behind Liaoning, they have one more win and have played one fewer game. As a result, the best head coach for the new season is likely to come from these six teams. Originally, Liu Wei, the head coach of Xinjiang, was the most likely candidate for this honor, as he is the only one among them who is coaching a CBA team for the first time. However, a remark of "Let him shoot! Let the SB shoot!" may have cost him his eligibility for the award.
Although there have been changes in the number of foreign players used in the new season, teams still need the support of domestic players to remain competitive in the long run. It has been proven that teams with strong overall strength in domestic players still have the potential to compete for the championship title in the new season. While it is not yet possible to confidently predict the championship outcome for the new season, teams that are currently in the top six of the league, such as Zhejiang Guangsha, Shanxi, Shandong (although Shandong may be slightly lacking in overall strength, but if injuries can be controlled well, they still have a chance), Zhejiang Chouzhou, Xinjiang, and Liaoning, are capable of competing for the championship after the halfway point of the season. Additionally, Beijing BAIC could become a strong contender for the championship if all their players are healthy. Other teams like Guangdong, Shanghai, and Beikong may also have a chance if they can further enhance their performance through the introduction of foreign players in the later stages, but the opportunities are limited as they have fallen far behind the current top four teams in the league, making it difficult to catch up in just 20 rounds of games. It is even more challenging to make significant improvements in a short period of time. Therefore, the top seven teams are the most hopeful contenders for the championship.
The selection of the best head coach is also likely to come from these seven teams. Here, we reiterate the selection criteria for the best head coach:
- Coaches of the top 6 teams in the regular season are eligible for the selection, excluding coaches who are not on-site command coaches.
- Coaches must have led their teams to participate in at least 28 regular season games (inclusive) to be eligible for the selection.
- Coaches must demonstrate good sportsmanship and professional qualities during the games, without being penalized by the organizing unit for violating the rules and discipline of the league.
- If any of the head coaches of the top 6 teams in the regular season do not meet the minimum number of coaching games or lose their eligibility due to violations of the rules and discipline, candidates will be selected according to the ranking of the regular season teams.
Beijing BAIC is currently ranked seventh, but their overall record is expected to improve in the next 20 rounds of games with the return of Zhou Qi and the arrival of the fourth foreign player. However, Beijing BAIC's foreign player, Omore, was penalized in the new season, which was the first penalty in the first stage of the competition. In the game against Ningbo on October 15th, Omore did not wear the team uniform as required and was penalized. The CBA league has strict regulations that require players to wear uniforms designated by the CBA league. As a result, Omore was unable to play in the previous game. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the CBA league, so everyone must wear jerseys with the 30th anniversary logo. However, Omore did not bring the jersey to the court and instead wore the preseason jersey. The CBA league fined Omore 20,000 yuan today, and additional penalties will be imposed if he violates the rules again. It is unclear whether this penalty will affect Xu Limin's eligibility for the best head coach award.
Yang Ming, the coach of Liaoning, is also eligible to compete, but due to an incident in the game against Tongxi where spectators threw beverage cups at the referees and disrupted the game, violating CBA regulations and causing a negative impact on the league's image, Liaoning and the Shenyang division were warned and had 50,000 yuan deducted from their league funds. Additionally, the Shenyang division lost its eligibility for the excellent division award for the 2024-2025 CBA season. It is uncertain whether this will affect Yang Ming's eligibility for the best head coach award, and if so, he will lose the opportunity again. Moreover, the CBA company ordered Liaoning and the Shenyang division to rectify the situation, improve safety checks during games, and guide civilized viewing to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Similarly affected is the game between Shanxi and Xinjiang, where the negative impact arose from the ejection of Qi Lin from Xinjiang and Guo Dewen, the small foreign player from Shanxi, after exchanging trash talk. When the opposing players were leaving the court and entering the player's tunnel, an extremely irrational fan from Xinjiang threw a cup of water at the players, which was captured by fans at the scene and quickly spread on the internet. Subsequently, the CBA league made a heavy penalty, with Qi Lin being suspended for three games and fined 100,000 yuan, and Guo Dewen being suspended for two games and fined 50,000 yuan. Together, they were suspended for a total of five games and fined 150,000 yuan. Coaches cannot escape responsibility either, as they are held accountable whenever conflicts occur on the court involving their players, believing that they have not managed their players well. Therefore, both head coaches Pan Jiang and Liu Wei were also fined 10,000 yuan each.
This penalty could potentially disqualify Liu Wei from the best head coach selection. Unexpectedly, during the game against Shandong, Liu Wei expressed dissatisfaction with Dehao's defense and shouted, "Let him shoot! Let the SB shoot!" which was captured by the camera, possibly ending his chances of winning the best head coach award.
Pan Jiang, who was implicated and penalized, may also be affected. Therefore, the best head coach for the new season is likely to emerge from Wang Bo of Zhejiang Guangsha, Wang Shilong of Zhejiang Chouzhou, and Qiu Biao of Shandong. If Pan Jiang of Shanxi is not personally responsible for the implications, he may still have a chance to continue participating in the best head coach selection.