Fujian to release Patrick O’Bryant, Shanxi adds Jamal Sampson

An anonymous source speaking exclusively to NiuBBall.com said that center Patrick O’Bryant, who played four years in the NBA with Golden State, Boston and Toronto, will be released by Fujian SBS imminently and will return to the United States by the end of the week.

The move comes just two days before Fujian’s season opener on Friday against Zhejiang Guangsha.

Originally signed to bring the team some size and athleticism up front, coaches became fed up with O’Byrant’s poor performances in pre-season, as well as with his overall indifference and lack of effort in practice.  Several published stories in China have reported that much to the coaching staff’s frustration, the seven footer had become almost completely unwilling to play under the basket against more physical opponents in both intrasquad and pre-season contests, preferring instead to stand out on the perimeter as a catch-and-shoot player.

Said the source, “He just doesn’t really want to be there.”