Be bold! Discuss the issues with Gong Luming leading the team! At the same time, we must also acknowledge his strengths!

In the third and fourth place playoff of the Women's Asian Cup, the Chinese women's basketball team won a decisive victory over South Korea with a score of 101-66, securing third place in this year's tournament. On the podium, many players were in tears.

For the young players, these tears might represent the regret and reluctance of missing out on the championship.

For the veterans, it may signify the sadness of their last dance with the national team.

Nevertheless, the team's journey must continue. There are still the World Cup and the Olympic cycle for 2028 ahead.

I hope that in major competitions, we will experience tears of joy.

So, what should we talk about today?

Although I am a small blogger with limited basketball knowledge, I still believe that Chinese basketball communicators need to convey a more objective voice for the sport in this country to improve.

Let's take the Chinese women's basketball team's loss as an example:How should everyone view Coach Gong Luming correctly?

There are two aspects to consider.

“Gong Luming is fine!” This statement seems to promote unity, but it is not something I can say.

Because his issues are objectively present.

To be precise, these are issues that an experienced coach might face; every veteran coach encounters them.

The drawbacks of veteran coaches: stubbornness and empiricism.

Adhering to a tactical philosophy is fundamental for a coach, but refusing to optimize can become a fatal shortcoming.

I mentioned before when writing about Thibodeau that changing a person is very difficult, especially when their old methods have previously been successful.

If you can't tolerate his player choices, then let him step down. (As expected, the Knicks made a change.)

You will find that, whether in the NBA or CBA, the coaching staff has rapidly become younger in recent years.

Why? The "game version" is constantly changing, and younger people are better at adapting to new things.

Finding a balance between “stubbornness” and “flexibility” is definitely key for veteran coaches to extend their careers.

A positive example is Rick Carlisle, born in 1959.

As Kidd said, Carlisle's core advantage is: “He can play in different ways and has excellent adaptability when the lineup changes..”

He is a veteran coach but recognized the importance of three-point shooting and pace early on, thus embracing the trend of "fast-paced offense and defense," leading the Pacers to achieve historically high offensive efficiency in the NBA...

This is what it means to embrace the times.

The ability to “adapt to trends” is primarily reflected in the flexibility of the tactical system, a keen grasp of basketball development trends, and adjustment strategies for different lineups.

Even a strong figure like Popovich must embrace the era, right? He initially hated three-point shooting...

On this point, Coach Gong, born in 1957, has coaching issues.

Let me put it plainly:

If the match against Japan were a life-and-death battle in the World Cup or Olympics, I might be bolder and more radical while watching live, perhaps even pulling the plug when the game was in full swing...

The implication is:They exploded in the first quarter, how could Coach Gong remain indifferent and not call a timeout? Is he waiting for a power outage during the Shenzhen typhoon...?

Even if he called a timeout and said nothing, that is still a coaching behavior, commonly known as “disruption.”

Then, look at the shots made by the center; were they given by our defensive setup?

Were we all retreating? Did we allow screens to go unchallenged?

How could they not shoot like Clarkson... the past is vivid in memory.

Domestic traditional coaches often stubbornly believe that shooting cannot determine the outcome of a game; almost all traditional coaches think this way, especially those who have not experienced the small-ball era.

That's why you hear veteran coaches say things like “our team doesn’t need Curry,” which is quite a joke.

However,I still hope Coach Gong can be given more time and not be so quick to call for his dismissal.

His coaching feel this time is akin to how I felt after a summer without playing basketball, returning to school to play again on September 1: rusty.

He stepped down from the men's national team coaching position in 2017 and has been away from the front line for many years.

Finding the feel for coaching takes time, and it’s normal to not react quickly.

It’s been 8 years, and the world of basketball has undergone tremendous changes.

The clash between modern basketball and the concepts of the 1990s is particularly evident in this match against Japan, which means Coach Gong needs to adapt to the new changes.

Let’s give him time.

From another perspective: since the limitations of veteran coaches are obvious, why does the Chinese women's basketball team still invite him back?

Coach Gong has his strengths.

Simply put, it is the stability and cohesion brought by his experience.

In February of this year, the first sentence of the official announcement from the Basketball Association stated:

To prepare for the 2025-2028 Los Angeles Olympic cycle, we will comprehensively strengthen team management and continuously improve training...

This is not an empty statement.

The underlying meaning is that there have been some issues with team management.

My impression of the Paris Olympics is:This team seems less united than before.

After winning the World Cup silver medal, the players' mentality will definitely change. Additionally, in the women's basketball situation, good players are mostly concentrated in 2-3 domestic clubs, as those in the know understand...

This is also a major factor in Zheng Wei's departure...When people’s hearts are scattered, it becomes difficult to lead the team.

When faced with problems, Gong Luming.

Coach Gong served as the head coach of the Chinese women's basketball team from late 1999 to February 2005, nurturing the "golden generation" of women's basketball, and has rich experience in women's basketball work.

This time, he is back to save the day.

During the team's transition, he will undoubtedly play the role of the "bad guy." This is a problem that young coaches or foreign coaches cannot resolve.

While recognizing shortcomings, we must also acknowledge others' strengths.

However, we must understand that the global landscape of women's basketball has changed.

The competitive environment is different, and the playing style has changed...

Diligent practice is undoubtedly important, and the three principles passed down by the older generation are also necessary.

However, how do we solve the relationship between training and competition?

I have always paid attention to Dong Lu's football youth training program.

One theory he proposed resonates with me deeply:Competition is still too important; there is a huge gap between our training and the competitions we face.

The intensity, the scenarios faced, the speed of transition, and the players' psychology are all different.

It's like going to war; we are still practicing "close combat," but once the fight starts, you'll find there’s no such thing as close combat.

If Yang Hanshen and Li Yue Ru had stayed in China, they would never have developed their three-point shooting skills.

The disconnect between training and competition is a significant issue in Chinese football and basketball.

It feels like this: you might write excellent English essays, have a great vocabulary, score over 140 on exams, but when you meet a foreigner, even saying hello becomes a problem...

Meanwhile, your neighbor's child, who grew up in an English-speaking environment, may not score as well on tests but can converse fluently with foreigners.

This is especially true for the Chinese women's basketball team; there is hardly any competition domestically, and there are no opponents like the center to practice against... and even less competition environment.

Finally, returning to the role of the head coach:How to improve the collaboration between the old and the new is a brand new topic.

To put it in a way that is not very basketball-related:We need to achieve a balance between experience inheritance and innovation-driven development.

By the way, this article seems to provide essay material for middle and high school friends... haha.