Skyforce Top Choice Chooses China

The NBA is the ultimate achievement for the professional basketball player.  If that plan falls through, then getting a lucrative contract comes next.  Quincy Douby most likely still has NBA aspirations, but he will earn a pretty penny playing for the Shanghai Sharks in China.

The guard from Rutgers and former first round draft choice of the Sacramento Kings left the Sioux Falls Skyforce on Sunday after being courted by the Chinese Basketball League.  He played for Zhejiang last year and scored 75 points in a single game back in January.  Douby had previously landed a salary of $2 million in China, so most likely the offer to return to the Far East was in that range.

Douby is following a familiar route.  Guard Donald Sloan left Sioux Falls for Guangdong in China during the second half of last season.  Sloan helped the Southern Tigers win the CBL title and parlayed that into a role with the Indiana Pacers this season.

Will the move work the same way for Douby?  It’s doubtful unless he can gain more confidence in administering the offense.  According to Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel newspaper, the Heat wanted Douby to “develop a comfort level” at point guard.  By doing so would increase potential of getting a call-up to the NBA.

In the brief time that he was with the Skyforce, Douby was a catalyst on both offense and defense.  He poured in 41 points and grabbed 9 steals in the two games against Reno.  Fortunately the ‘Force have enough talent in place to withstand the blow of losing Douby.  In 2010, Cheikh Samb was the Skyforce top draft choice and pulled a no-show.  That season eventually spun out of control and became the team’s worst all-time.

The post-Douby Skyforce era will resume with a couple of games on Friday and Saturday against the Iowa Energy.  As of late Wednesday the team’s active roster stood at nine players.