Translation of the article content into English:
The phenomenon of seniority ranking in Liaoning men's basketball team has become increasingly obvious, and everyone's thoughts have changed after Guo Ailun's departure.
This season's regular season has already completed 30 rounds, which is about two-thirds of the schedule. Liaoning men's basketball team has a record of 20 wins and 10 losses. Looking at the overall performance from the past few seasons, this is definitely not an ideal result.
Some fans might say that issues such as foreign player recruitment and player injuries have led to poor team performance, but these are also part of the team's overall performance. Having money counts as a strength, luck counts as a strength, and the management's vision in selecting foreign players is also a strength. Ultimately, everything should be judged by the results. Judging from the current results, Liaoning men's basketball team is indeed not doing well.
Objectively speaking, this result can be understood because the team previously achieved a three-peat, leaving no more room for improvement. Continuing to win championships would only match last season's achievements. Moreover, the nerves of the entire team were tense for three years. After achieving the three-peat, there is bound to be a mental slackening, so a decline in form is highly likely.
Another phenomenon that has become increasingly evident, or perhaps a side effect of the aforementioned three-peat, is the issue of seniority ranking. This phenomenon has always existed, but this season it has come to the forefront. When discussing seniority ranking, it does not refer to problems within the locker room, as there are still Han Dejun and Li Xiaoxu exerting influence, whose seniority can override everything. However, some players' thoughts have indeed changed due to this!
There is a most obvious example of seniority ranking. It was during the second championship of the three-peat, specifically the final game of the finals against Zhejiang Chouzhou. Coach Yang Ming allowed five of the most experienced players to take the court in the final moments to enjoy the championship moment, including Cong Mingchen, whose contributions were not particularly outstanding. This is the most typical example of seniority ranking!
This leads to a problem where older, more experienced players develop a strong sense of superiority. Regardless of their performance, coaches will not overly reprimand them, and they also have stable playing time. On the other hand, capable players who want to stand out do not get many opportunities, and if they fail to seize the opportunities given, they will be criticized. Additionally, there are the mid-career players who are gradually gaining seniority and a certain degree of say, and their thoughts are also changing!
Here is another example with Yan Shouqi! In last night's game against Qingdao men's basketball team, Yan Shouqi showed dissatisfaction. During a crucial timeout in the fourth quarter, everyone was gathered around Yang Ming to discuss tactics, including the newly arrived foreign player Weber, who was studying diligently. However, Yan Shouqi ran off to sulk on his own, and Yu Zechen seemed to call out to him, but Yan Shouqi did not respond. Crucially, Yang Ming did not show any signs of blame afterward, indicating that Yan Shouqi's seniority ranking is now quite high.
In addition to the above, there is another reason why everyone's thoughts have changed this season, which is the departure of Guo Ailun. When the most troublesome member of a team leaves, either another troublesome member steps up to fill the void, or everyone starts to cause trouble together. Those who have worked before may have experienced this!
Judging from the current situation of some players, the simplest thought is that as long as they don't go too far like Guo Ailen, they are considered kind! Therefore, how to solve this dilemma is a challenge that the club management needs to address, and it is also the most difficult problem to solve. However, a real solution is expected to come during the offseason after the end of the season. Let's look forward to it!