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Is it just me or is this a stupid idea? It is exhausting, not to mention stressful, to travel to the Far East. It will take a week for them t re-adjust after they come home. I could see doing this in the pre-season but for the first two regular season games?
Cavs might play in China
NBA eager to showcase James in games in Asia
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter
OAKLAND, CALIF - The Cavaliers are pretty tired of the far west these days, but next season they might get a shot at the Far East.
The Cavs are in talks to open next season in China against the Houston Rockets, several league officials said.
There are still details to be ironed out and a deal and an official announcement could still be months away, but the league and major sponsors appear to be pushing for it to happen.
If everything works out, the Cavs and Rockets would likely play their first two games of the season against each other in different Chinese cities.
Basketball is booming in China, especially leading up to the 2008 Olympics, and the world is in a race to attract the potentially massive fan base. The Cavs have an enormous worldwide draw with LeBron James. Their Web site has gotten hits from 182 different countries.
Of course, James' main sponsor, Nike, has invested millions in promoting him in China, and he's becoming very popular in Asia. Nike even has a Chinese-only model of his latest shoe design, which debuted in December when a Cavs game was broadcast live in China.
James will also likely take part in exhibitions in China and Korea with the U.S. national team leading up to this summer's World Championships in Japan.
The Rockets' connection is obvious. Yao Ming is one of China's biggest celebrities, and his biggest sponsor and a major NBA sponsor, Reebok, uses him heavily there to promote its products.
The NBA started its foray into China in 1979, when the Washington Bullets played two exhibition games against the Chinese National Team. In 1989, the first NBA games were shown there on television. Several years ago, the league opened an office in Beijing and has developed Chinese Web sites and a magazine. The reason can be easily explained.
When Yao made his pro debut, 289 million households in China watched the game. Marketing studies have indicated that as much as 58 percent of 15- to 24-year-olds are interested in the NBA. The market is extraordinary.
The Rockets played the Sacramento Kings in exhibition games in Shanghi, Yao's hometown, and Beijing prior to last season.
This would be the next step in the process and also bring three worldwide superstars in James, Yao and Tracy McGrady.
The league has been itching to promote the Cavs internationally for some time. The two sides were in talks to send the Cavs to Europe for training camp and exhibitions with European teams in October, but the Cavs ultimately decided to pass when they couldn't agree on a location. In the wake, these talks have emerged and have gotten more serious.
Playing regular-season games in Asia is nothing new for the NBA -- there have been six regular-season games in Japan since 1990. The last time was in 2003, when the Seattle SuperSonics and Los Angeles Clippers opened the regular season with two games just outside Toyko.
Dribbles
The latest batch of All-Star voting has been released. James is second in the Eastern Conference in total votes to Shaquille O'Neal with 1,827,008. Voting ends Sunday. James likely will be named as a starter at forward on Feb. 2.... Martynas Andriuskevicius has left the Cavs and will likely join the NBADL's Arkansas RimRockers in the next few days.... The Cavs signed forward Zendon Hamilton to a second 10-day contract Friday. He did not play in the five games during his first 10-day contract.... Members of the U.S. military and college students with valid ID can get tickets to Cavs home games over the next six weeks for just $15. For more details, call 800-820-CAVS or visit www.cavs.com.
Cavs might play in China
NBA eager to showcase James in games in Asia
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter
OAKLAND, CALIF - The Cavaliers are pretty tired of the far west these days, but next season they might get a shot at the Far East.
The Cavs are in talks to open next season in China against the Houston Rockets, several league officials said.
There are still details to be ironed out and a deal and an official announcement could still be months away, but the league and major sponsors appear to be pushing for it to happen.
If everything works out, the Cavs and Rockets would likely play their first two games of the season against each other in different Chinese cities.
Basketball is booming in China, especially leading up to the 2008 Olympics, and the world is in a race to attract the potentially massive fan base. The Cavs have an enormous worldwide draw with LeBron James. Their Web site has gotten hits from 182 different countries.
Of course, James' main sponsor, Nike, has invested millions in promoting him in China, and he's becoming very popular in Asia. Nike even has a Chinese-only model of his latest shoe design, which debuted in December when a Cavs game was broadcast live in China.
James will also likely take part in exhibitions in China and Korea with the U.S. national team leading up to this summer's World Championships in Japan.
The Rockets' connection is obvious. Yao Ming is one of China's biggest celebrities, and his biggest sponsor and a major NBA sponsor, Reebok, uses him heavily there to promote its products.
The NBA started its foray into China in 1979, when the Washington Bullets played two exhibition games against the Chinese National Team. In 1989, the first NBA games were shown there on television. Several years ago, the league opened an office in Beijing and has developed Chinese Web sites and a magazine. The reason can be easily explained.
When Yao made his pro debut, 289 million households in China watched the game. Marketing studies have indicated that as much as 58 percent of 15- to 24-year-olds are interested in the NBA. The market is extraordinary.
The Rockets played the Sacramento Kings in exhibition games in Shanghi, Yao's hometown, and Beijing prior to last season.
This would be the next step in the process and also bring three worldwide superstars in James, Yao and Tracy McGrady.
The league has been itching to promote the Cavs internationally for some time. The two sides were in talks to send the Cavs to Europe for training camp and exhibitions with European teams in October, but the Cavs ultimately decided to pass when they couldn't agree on a location. In the wake, these talks have emerged and have gotten more serious.
Playing regular-season games in Asia is nothing new for the NBA -- there have been six regular-season games in Japan since 1990. The last time was in 2003, when the Seattle SuperSonics and Los Angeles Clippers opened the regular season with two games just outside Toyko.
Dribbles
The latest batch of All-Star voting has been released. James is second in the Eastern Conference in total votes to Shaquille O'Neal with 1,827,008. Voting ends Sunday. James likely will be named as a starter at forward on Feb. 2.... Martynas Andriuskevicius has left the Cavs and will likely join the NBADL's Arkansas RimRockers in the next few days.... The Cavs signed forward Zendon Hamilton to a second 10-day contract Friday. He did not play in the five games during his first 10-day contract.... Members of the U.S. military and college students with valid ID can get tickets to Cavs home games over the next six weeks for just $15. For more details, call 800-820-CAVS or visit www.cavs.com.
