Here in the Philippines there really is no site (or person) really dedicated to the Asian hoops scene, which is why this series exists. Through this series of Asian Basketball Journals, I hope to address just that void. I believe that Asian basketball is such a vibrant source of stories, and I think this should be shared with hoop nuts here in the Philippines and beyond.
Like in previous posts, I won’t be going into a lot of detail. I’ll use mostly images and then just add captions to each one that will, hopefully, capture the essence of the latest developments in Asian hoops.
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| Action in the KBL and NBL continue to heat up even as the new CBA season is about to begin! |
Here are the highlights of these past few weeks in Asian hoops:
- The once-lowly Wonju Dongbu Promy continued its rise in the 2014-2015 KBL season even as perennial playoff teams Busan KT Sonic Boom and Changwon LG Sakers continued to sink.
- The Chiba Jets moved up to the top four of the NBL’s East Division, while the Hitachi Sunrockers, Toyota Alvark, and Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins retained their top spots. Also, the Aishin Seahorses remained unbeaten in four games.
- The 2014-2015 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) is about to begin! Let’s find out which players we should keep tabs on!
2014-2015 Korean Basketball League (KBL):
- Images from Jumpball.co.kr and BasketKorea.com.
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| Jang Jae-Seok and the Goyang Orions remain on top of the field with an 8-2 record. |
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| The great play of veteran center Kim Joo-Sung has enabled the Wonju Dongbu Promy to rise to a share of third in the team standings. |
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| After starting the season 1-3, Kim Min-Soo and the rest of the Seoul SK Knights are currently on a five-game winning streak. |
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| Kim Sun-Hyung just led the Seoul SK Knights past league-leader Goyang Orions, 79-67, with 15 points and 6 assists. |
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| Moon Kyung-Eun claps in appreciation as his team has regained great form after a slow start to the 2014-2015 season. |
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| Moon Tae-Young dropped 21 points on 8/16 FG shooting as the defending champion Ulsan Mobis Phoebus destroyed Busan KT Sonic Boom, 85-59. |
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| Even the presence of star forward Oh Se-Keun hasn't prevented former champion Anyang KGC from losing three of its last four games. |
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| Before their recent losing spell, Park Chan-Hee led Anyang KGC to its first win of the season over the Incheon ET Land Elephants a couple of weeks ago. |
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| Tony Akins and the rest of Busan KT Sonic Boom are surely missing the services of ace sniper Cho Sung-Min, who is projected to miss most of the season. |
2014-2015 Japanese National Basketball League (NBL):
- Images from NBL.or.jp.
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| National team mainstays Daiki Tanaka (L) and Ryota Sakurai (R) battled each other a couple of weeks ago, with both teams splitting their back-to-back series. |
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| Joji Takeuchi's heady play has helped the Hitachi Sunrockers stay at the top of the standings. Takeuchi is averaging 9 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal so far. |
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| Kosuke Kanamaru has cemented his place as Japan's best shooter. In his first five games, the NT sniper has connected on 54% of his threes and makes an average of 4 triples per game. |
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| Ryumo Ono and the Chiba Jets are waxing hot right now after winning four of their last five games. He had 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 triples in the Jets' latest win over the Toyota Alvark. |
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| Takahiro Kurihara skies for the rebound as the Toshiba Brave Thunders split their back-to-back against the Hitachi Sunrockers. The defending champs finally got their second win of the season at the expense of the Tsukuba Robots, 94-73. |
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| The returning Takumi Ishizaki has made his presence felt for the Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins, who are currently toting a 5-2 record. He scored 11 points in his first game back from Europe as the Dolphins beat the Wakayama Trians last week. |
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| Speaking of the Wakayama Trians, last season's runners-up have hit a snag, losing their last four games after starting the season 3-0. |
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| Yudai Maemura and the Kumamoto Volters continue their exercise in futility, sinking to 0-5 after getting plastered by the Hitachi Sunrockers, 109-75. |
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| National team stalwart Yusuke Okada is stuck on a floundering team as his Tsukuba Robots remain the league's worst team at 0-7. |
2014-2015 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA):
- Images from Osports.cn, sports.Sohu.com, and BasketballBuddha.com.
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| Naturalized Filipino Andray Blatche debuts in an Asian pro league this season as he plays for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. Together with ex-NBAer Jordan Crawford, Blatche is expected to lead Xinjiang in challenging for the title. |
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| The defending champion Beijing Ducks look confident after bringing back imports Stephon Marbury and Randolph Morris, and re-signing veteran Sun Yue. |
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| High-scorer Bobby Brown and Nigerian big man Ike Diogu are expected the be the bulwarks of the Dongguan Leopards for the 2014-2015 CBA season. |
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| The Foshan Long Lions will lean on three imports to pad their chances: Lebanese legend Fadi El-Khatib, American-Nigerian Josh Akognon, and Ukranian big man Viacheslav Kravtsov. |
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| Enigmatic former NBAer Metta World Peace joins the CBA as part of the Sichuan Blue Whales. Expect, well, a lot of weird things from the guy now dubbed as "Panda's Friend." |
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| Shanghai Sharks part-owner Yao Ming (center) brought in former NBAers Michael Beasley (L) and the returning Delonte West (R) to bolster his club's chances this season. |
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| After a stellar showing in the 2014 FIBA World Cup, Serbian center Miroslav Raduljica joins veteran guard Pooh Jeter in Shandong. With up-and-coming player Ding Yanyuhang, the Flaming Bulls are expected to be a serious contender. |
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| Yi Jianlian will be joined in Guangdong by imports Chris Daniels and Emmanuel Mudiay. Mudiay is a prep-to-pro guy who hails from Congo. He is tagged as a top prospect and potential #1 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. |
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