It's really difficult to find suitable foreign players, a common sentiment among the general managers of CBA clubs, who are almost constantly scouting for talent. This is related to the CBA's salary cap regulations, which stipulate that the total cannot exceed $4.5 million. With such a low price, it's certainly challenging to find appropriate foreign players. However, there have been successful cases of finding great value in unexpected places. Below, we'll discuss four foreign players who were very affordable but have performed like superstars.
Weatherspoon from Qingdao Men's Basketball averages 27.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game, with a shooting percentage as high as 52%. Weatherspoon was cut after playing only 23 games in Tianjin and had a poor performance last season in Guangsha. Qingdao originally had Powell, but Weatherspoon was a backup option. However, he has proven himself and become a superstar player.
Little Barry Brown from Guangsha Men's Basketball averages 25.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 2.1 steals per game, leading Guangsha to the top of the league! Guangsha has struggled to find suitable foreign players, but this season they finally met Brown. Brown previously had a poor performance in Beijing and played for Guangzhou last season.
Liaoning Men's Basketball was really in need of foreign players and found Wells! Wells has played for teams like Jiangsu, Guangsha, Qingdao, and Jilin before, being cut multiple times. No one expected him to become a superstar in Liaoning! Currently, he averages 24.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 56% and a three-point percentage of 48%, performing better than Fergie. Fergie is the most expensive foreign player in the league, yet Wells' contract is less than half of Fergie's.
Gillenwater is already 35 years old and was not favored by Shandong Men's Basketball, but this season he became a superstar in Guangdong Men's Basketball! He averages 27 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 53%. No one really believed in Gillenwater; he was originally the third foreign player for Guangdong but has now become a key player.
These four foreign players mentioned above all have relatively low salaries but have performed like superstars! As the saying goes, there are no strongest foreign players, only the most suitable ones. Besides their individual abilities, the team's system is also crucial for foreign players.