Michael Cheng won’t play a second of basketball over the next two weeks and isn’t a member of the New Orleans coaching staff either, but he may have the most difficult job of anyone affiliated with the Pelicans at NBA Summer League. That’s because Cheng is responsible for rapidly translating the English of coaches and teammates to Chinese forward He Tianju. Under the circumstances, it’s no easy task.
“If Coach (Alvin) Gentry was coaching (the Pelicans’ summer-league team), my job is easy, because he speaks at a normal speed,” explained a smiling Cheng, the assistant manager for He’s pro team in China, the Liaoning Flying Tigers.