Kelly, the chief scout of the Toronto Raptors in the NBA who used to be a trainer of the defunct Presto team in the PBA and for a while an analyst of the TV crew covering the country’s premier pro league in the mid-90s, visited the country a few days back.
Married to a Filipina, Kelly decided to stop over in Manila to attend an affair of his in-laws and visit some friends in the PBA after a mission to scout upcoming Chinese basketball star Yao Ming in Shanghai.
He dropped by at the Araneta Coliseum last Sunday and was able to see the Hapee Philippine Team in action against the Purefoods Hotdogs.
Kelly had kind words for the Philippine team but he had kinder words for the Chinese national squad.
Candidly, Kelly told The STAR the Philippines would have a chance beating China in a one-game duel only if the Filipinos catch the Chinese in their off-night.
"The Filipinos are strong physically but the Chinese are tall. Yao Ming will be a big problem not only for the Filipinos but for everybody (in the Asian Games). Then there’s Wang Zhizhi who’s been improving by the day (with Dallas Mavericks in the NBA)," said Kelly.
Observing how Yao played in the ongoing Chinese pro league, Kelly said he won’t be surprised if the 7-foot-4 Chinese behemoth emerges among the top picks in the next NBA draft.
"He (Yao) plays well. He has good moves and is surely a potential talent," said Kelly.
Kelly said he didn’t get to see the whole Chinese team in action in his trip since the squad starts training only in May. But the American coach said he had seen the Chinese up against the Dallas Mavericks in an exhibition game a few months back.
Kelly said the Chinese are so good that he thinks the Filipinos don’t have a chance of beating them if they play a series of games. — Nelson Beltran