CBA Update: Guangdong Lose 81-89 to Shenzhen, Zhao Jiwei Supports Hu Mingxuan, Shandong Did Not Sign Omot

The Chinese women's basketball team is currently competing in the Women's Basketball World Cup, while the Chinese men's basketball team is also about to begin its Asian Games campaign. Domestic fans have mainly been focusing on the national teams during this period. There are also three latest CBA updates: first, Guangdong lost 81-89 to Shenzhen in a warm-up game, with Xu Jie having a poor performance; second, Zhao Jiwei liked a video to support national team teammate Hu Mingxuan; and third, Shandong did not sign foreign player Omot.

Guangdong will play several warm-up games recently, with opponents including Shenzhen and two overseas teams. The first warm-up game against Shenzhen ended on the evening of the 4th. It was the CBA debut for Guangdong's new head coach Yakovlevic, and Guangdong ultimately lost 81-89. Both teams focused on preparation, with many young players receiving significant playing time. The game remained close and was only decided in the final moments.

In this game, Guangdong's most impressive player was young interior player Wang Hongze, who scored a game-high 24 points. Chen Jiazheng also had a notable performance with 14 points. Xu Jie struggled in the game, as he was repeatedly beaten one-on-one by Sun Haoqin while defending him, exposing some clear issues on defense. Yang Yi also performed well; as long as he does not shoot three-pointers, his attacking and playmaking abilities are still quite good. Zhang Haojia was considered by fans to be the worst performer in the game, with issues including missed open three-pointers, defensive lapses, traveling violations, and passing mistakes.

Although the game between China and Lebanon ended several days ago, discussion about the match has continued. Recently, a fan posted criticism of Zhao Jiwei on a basketball forum because a fan had posted a video on social media showing Hu Mingxuan's late-game foul, and Zhao Jiwei liked it. The fan believed this meant Zhao Jiwei was undermining Hu Mingxuan, which sparked heated discussion among fans.

It should be noted that the title of the video was 'Really Giving Them a Chance'. Based on the situation in the game at that time, the fan who posted the video was likely suggesting that the refereeing decisions were unfair and that Hu Mingxuan had not committed a foul. Zhao Jiwei's like of the video was supporting the blogger's viewpoint, meaning he was backing the idea that Hu Mingxuan had not committed a foul. However, some fans used Zhao Jiwei's action to make accusations that he was undermining Hu Mingxuan, which was inappropriate.

During this offseason, Shandong strengthened its domestic player roster. Zhu Mingzhen, Yang Wenxue, and Wang Lanqin all had good performances in the Qingdao stop of the summer league. Regarding foreign players, in addition to signing big man Faye, media personality 'Qiu Quan Zhao Tan Chang' previously revealed that Shandong would sign former Beijing player Omot, which caused dissatisfaction among Shandong fans. However, there has been a new development recently. According to a post by Xu Kaihua, chief editor of the sports news department of Shandong Radio and Television Sports Channel, 'Shandong will announce a new foreign player next week, and it should not be Omot.'

To be fair, Omot did not perform particularly well during his first two seasons with Beijing, so it is understandable that Shandong fans did not want the team to sign him. Some fans even asked the team to publicly disclose its foreign player budget. However, Shandong fans can now feel more reassured, as Shandong should not sign Omot. With Shandong's current roster, if the team signs several strong foreign players, it could still have a chance to reach the top four in the new season.