Chinese center Menk Bateer has rejoined the Denver Nuggets and
could be on the court for Thursday's game against the Golden State
Warriors, state media said on Wednesday.
The 2.11-meter (6 feet 11 inch), 125-kg (275-pound) Bateer, who
spent training camp with the NBA team before returning to fulfill a
commitment with China's national side, was to have signed a
contract with the Nuggets on Tuesday, the official Beijing Youth
Daily said.
The paper gave no contract details.
Bateer was scheduled to leave for United States on February 22,
2002 but his trip was postponed for "procedural problems."
The 27-year-old is the second Chinese player to join the NBA,
following the Dallas Mavericks center Wang Zhizhi.
Bateer, who hails from the northern region of Inner Mongolia and
whose name in Mongolian means "eternal hero", joins a Nuggets squad
floundering in sixth place in Western Conference's Midwest
Division.
Coach Dan Issel was forced to resign in December after screaming an
ethnic slur at a Hispanic fan, and the team traded away guard Nick
van Exel and forward Raef Lafrentz last week in a seven-player deal
with the Mavericks.
Bateer was among the trio scouts dubbed the "Walking Great Wall" at
the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, along with Wang and highly-touted NBA
prospect Yao Ming of the Shanghai Sharks, expected to be one of the
top picks in the next NBA draft.
Bateer, who has spent his career with the Beijing Ducks of the
Chinese Basketball Association, has chosen to suit up with the
Nuggets with the number 27 on his jersey.
"First, it represents my age of 27, and two plus seven equals my
old number nine," he told the Beijing Morning Post.
He
added that in Chinese the numbers two and seven sound similar to
the words for son and wife. Bateer has a son and a daughter.
Bateer has established a fund in his name for Chinese fans to
donate money to build a school in his hometown in Inner Mongolia
based on his points and rebound totals in NBA games, according to
the popular tabloid Southern Sports.
"While I have achieved my dream, I still have one hope," he told
Southern Sports of his plans back home. "Many children there still
do not attend school and haven't studied."
(China
Daily February 27, 2002)