Yao Benched in 91-77 Loss to Greece

Yao Ming, benched. There's something you don't hear about every day, especially when it's the Chinese National Team. Yao lost his cool, only playing 16 out of a possible 40 minutes. In the time he played, he had 16 points and 5 rebounds. Yao was angry and didn't talk to the media, but Titan Sports Weekly's Yang Yi managed a quick conversation. "I talked with him only a moment and what he said I could not print in the press," Yang said.

The coaching staff, led by Jonas Kazlauskas, decided to sit Yao to rest him up for the quarterfinals against Lituania. A win, however, would have gave China their best finish in men's basketball history of 6th place. If they lose to Lithuania in the quarterfinals, they will tie their best of 8th place, the last finish they had at the Olympics.

In a Channel NewsAsia article, Coach Kazlauskas defended the decison to bench him. "There was no reason to keep him on the court," Kazlauskas said. "Yao fought, he wants to play and wants to help us as much as possible, but he is a player and I am the coach. I make those decisions."

Also according to the article, Chinese sports media was raving about how Yao brought the team back twice after trailing by as much as 24 points. Kazlauskas wanted a fresh team going up against a Lithuanian team he knows well. "We played Lithuania when I was (China's) assistant coach in Athens 2004," he stated. "I know those guys, and this is my job, we have to do as best as possible."

If China loses to Lithuania, he has a right to be upset. When he was in the game against Greece, he was the game-changer. He's one of China's greatest athletes playing in his home country with the chance to finish the highest his country has finished in Olympic Basketball. Until then, Yao has to get over this dispute with his coach, move on, and go play with motivation.

He can't let his emotions with his coach get in the way of his country. If he doesn't settle it and let's it effect his game in the quarterfinal, it's his fault because he still had a chance to earn it. Now Yao faces a critical decison for his team. Let go of his emotions against his coach and play, or stay angry at his coach and not be at his best.

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_sports/view/369568/1/.html