A three-day stop in Hong Kong to schmooze, shop, sell some sneakers and generally detox from Guangzhou was added on as well. And just like that the American team left China, bound for South Korea and their ultimate destination of Japan for the World Championships.

China, meanwhile, went back to work to prepare for a warm-up tournament in Nanjing before their Japan campaign. And, judging by their performance against the US, there is much work to do.

While this is a very talented US team, featuring a number of top NBA players like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony, they are a young group in search of cohesion. Yet they demolished China 119-73, a scoreline which flattered the hosts. Granted, not having their best player, the towering Yao Ming, as well as the rehabilitated Wang Zhizhi in the line-up hurt China's chances.

But only the dinosaurs who run the China Basketball Association (CBA) could believe that their team would have been 46 points better with those two on the floor. They would have lost regardless and the problem hardly lies with the players.

The CBA is an antiquated, feudal body that thinks just because it brought back Wang the team will be medal contenders in 2008. But this programme needs more than two years to produce a medal and the CBA people have nobody to blame but themselves. Watching the Chinese players shoot around before the game was like watching the light of morning rise up over Guangzhou.

Dull, grey, lifeless; the players seemed to be saying: 'The sun doesn't shine in China anymore, so why should we?'

If there are a more uninspiring crew of basketball players anywhere, they are probably being fitted with dirt-nap tuxedos by the local undertaker.

The capacity crowd at Guangzhou Gymnasium knew it too. With the cheapest seats listed at 900 yuan and the best seats going for more than 4,000 yuan, these people paid good money to see more than just LeBron dunking a few times. They wanted to cheer on the homeboys as well and, until a 17 year-old rabbit of a point guard was inserted into the game, they had nothing to holler about.

Chen Jianghua is the most distinctive basketball talent in China, maybe in all of Asia. In a country that has never produced a world-class point guard able to create and improvise, this young man is a godsend. But of course the CBA does not see it that way.

According to them, he is trouble because he did not like some of his youth coaches while growing up.

If you had seen some of those coaches in action, you would understand why. Chen plays with passion and clearly enjoys himself on the court, two things the CBA loathes. But more importantly, the CBA has had a difficult time controlling him so they kept him off the national team.

China's coach, Lithuanian Jonas Kazlauskas, pleaded to have the youngster on the roster and got his way. Making his China debut, Chen brought down the house on a cross-over dribble by faking out NBA all-star Gilbert Arenas.

Chen, a local lad who plays with the nearby Guangdong Tigers, was clearly a crowd favourite and single-handedly made the game interesting before US coach Mike Krzyzewski brought on NBA rookie of the year Chris Paul to guard him. But Chen held his own and is taller and quicker than Paul. As quick as he was in, though, he was out again until the crowd started chanting his name and Kazlauskas had to put him back in.

Chen played only 16 of 40 minutes, and even that was more than the CBA wanted. After all, what if this kid becomes popular? Chen is young, he's hungry, he's exuberant, and in a few years he will be impossible to guard.

It's up to you China. You give this kid the ball and you may have a chance at a medal in 2008. This is the future of China basketball and while the Yaos and Wangs will no doubt play a pivotal role in Beijing, there will be no medal unless young Mr Chen is running the show. It's time to let a little sun shine on your basketball programme.