Over the past few seasons, the strength of the Zhejiang duo has been evident to everyone, with both teams having reached the finals. This season, both Zhejiang and Guangsha have shown excellent judgment in selecting foreign players. However, while Guangsha is currently making significant reinforcements (having already signed Brown, Carlton, Knight, Boban, and recently acquired Nanali), Zhejiang, after finally finding a player who fits the team perfectly in Kobe Simmons, has now decided to cut him for cost-saving purposes.
The CBA official recently updated the foreign player registration information, and Zhejiang has cancelled the registration of Kobe Simmons. It is reported that Simmons' two-month guaranteed contract expired on the 8th, and if he was not cut, his contract would become fully guaranteed for the season. After consulting with the players, the coaching staff ultimately chose to part with him reluctantly. They are currently looking for other foreign guards and have already offered a deal to Daishen Nix.
Zhejiang Men's Basketball Team, which entered the finals two years ago, still has considerable competitiveness this season. In terms of domestic lineup, they have a group of talented players such as Yu Jiahao, Wu Qian, Cheng Shaipeng, Lu Wenbo, and Liu Zeyi. As for foreign players, York, Jones, Bass, and the departed Kobe Simmons could all be used as core foreign players in other mid-to-lower tier teams.
In the 17 games played for Zhejiang, Simmons averaged 17.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in 28.2 minutes per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 34.1%, ranking second in scoring for the team. Bass, who returned to the United States due to family reasons earlier and is the team's top scorer this season with an average of 18 points, is indeed inferior to Simmons in terms of offensive stability and outside shooting.
Now, by cutting the team's second-highest scorer and going to open a new "blind box," it is true that some money is saved, but whether or not they can find a capable small forward like Simmons who fits the team well is a big question mark. Compared to teams like Guangsha and Shanxi, who are aiming for the championship and have accumulated multiple foreign players, Zhejiang is instead trying to "cut costs" for the sake of saving money. If they do not reach the expected level this season, this "missing the forest for the trees" will undoubtedly be something the management must take responsibility for.
However, from another perspective, the frequent changes of foreign players in the CBA this season may largely be due to the management's desire to save money. Just think back to when Guangdong first cut Bazley and Shanghai cut Waters; if the CBA Association and the CBA Company really do nothing about it, the future prospects of the CBA attracting high-quality foreign players will likely become increasingly pessimistic.