It's settled! Yang Hansheng will not participate in the Asian Cup! Today's players are much happier!

Should Yang Hansheng participate in the Asian Cup?

Amid the enthusiastic attention from fans, the Chinese Basketball Association officially announced yesterday afternoon: he will not play.

Yang Hansheng is not participating in the Asian Cup because he will attend two short training camps starting on August 11 with the Trail Blazers, specifically designed for rookies and players needing development.

This schedule conflicts with the timing of the Asian Cup (from August 5 to 17).

After discussions and considering public opinion, the association agreed that Yang Hansheng would not participate in the national team training and matches for the 2025 Men's Asian Cup.

Under the official announcement from the Basketball Association, I saw many voices of praise:

For example: "The Chinese Basketball Association has finally made progress! This is great!"

"Everyone is working for the betterment of Chinese basketball, keep it up!"

"Keeping up with the times, open and inclusive, the Basketball Association deserves praise!"

......

From the association's perspective, this choice indeed requires great determination and courage.

This summer, there seems to be no good news at the national level, the U-series defeats, and the women's team losing to Japan at home...

As the most watched men's basketball team, they naturally bear a lot of pressure.

The Asian Cup is unrelated to Olympic qualifications, we all understand this, but putting ourselves in their shoes: the association leaders also need to report upwards and provide explanations.

If we understand a bit more, we can grasp this matter; if not, perhaps you haven't worked before.

Therefore, I hope that friends who see this post from Emperor Ge do not make such foolish comments after a loss in the Asian Cup:

“If Yang Hansheng were here, we wouldn’t have lost!”

“You see, this is the consequence of not inviting Yang Hansheng!”

I understand the current internet environment very well; there will definitely be self-media commentators making such remarks... After a loss, all kinds of comments will emerge.

It’s very likely that those praising the Basketball Association now and those criticizing it later are the same group of people.

Public opinion, after all, always favors the unplayed.

However, never think that the road you didn’t take is filled with flowers.

As an ordinary fan, I do not wish to see Yang Hansheng play in this Asian Cup.

I've mentioned the reasons before:

1. The players are already very tired.

After the Qingdao team finished the season in April, they went to the U.S. for specialized training in early May, had numerous tryouts in June, and participated in the NBA Summer League in July... If they also play in the Asian Cup in August, NBA teams will basically start large-scale training sessions in September to prepare for the new season.

2. The Asian Cup is now a rather trivial event.

If, like before, the Asian Cup champion qualified directly for the Olympics, he would definitely participate.

Now... it doesn’t matter.

Winning is certainly important; Chinese basketball lacks victories, but from a certain perspective, the joy of winning feels too cheap.

For instance, last night's warm-up game where we easily defeated Venezuela, what’s so great about that...

3. Realistically speaking, Yang Hansheng's abilities are not yet at that level.

With him, can we beat Australia?

Although he performed well in the Summer League, giving Chinese fans much excitement, his abilities still do not reach the level of being a key player in the national team.

Can he produce offensive plays like Hu Jinqiu? That would also be a struggle...

At 20 years old, he should focus on developing his skills; his real stage should be the 2027 World Cup.

He will have more time to adapt to the NBA and life in America through training and cultural understanding, which is much more important.

He has more time to learn English well.

Finally, through the agreement of the Basketball Association for Yang Hansheng not to play in the Asian Cup, I would like to say a few broader points.

Our society's encouragement of individual pursuits has become increasingly prominent in policy direction, cultural dissemination, and public awareness in recent years, emphasizing personal unique value, self-realization, and non-utilitarian growth.

If we still hold onto old mindsets and public concepts, once elevated to a certain height, no one can withstand it.

If it were back in the day, a simple comment like: “Yang Hansheng doesn’t have a collective consciousness...” would immediately lead him to return; the same applies to you and me.

The era is different now.

Do not always place considerations of the “whole” in opposition to the “individual.”

The “whole” never ceases to exist simply because of the emphasis on the “individual”; awakened individuals are the engines of collective progress.

From this perspective, today’s athletes are indeed a happier generation.

Therefore, I hope that the “individual” Yang Hansheng becomes even better after joining the NBA.

The Chinese men's basketball team needs a stronger version of him.