And it doesn't matter how much success a coach has had. He still faces a group of players who can be resentful of a foreigner trying to impose his own system on a sport they've spent a lifetime learning differently. "I think there was 'This guy knows basketball, but you don't get it,'" Goorjian said. "Living, training, the amount of training, when to turn it on, when to turn it off, what's good for us. More foreign (head coaches) have been in here than me, and they've been served up and spit out, so it's not like 'This is the first guy, this is the saving grace.' They've seen that, done that, (it) ain't worked."

Even Harris, who came to China with a glittering resume, wasn't universally accepted. However, having such an impressive background earned him some leeway as he worked to gain the respect of his new team and its fans. "Naturally there were those who preferred a native coach, as they have a right to do," Harris wrote. "There was never any question of credibility. That is why I was chosen. No one chooses a national coach, native or foreign, unless there is some reason for credibility."

Donewald, who still coaches the Chinese national team, was replaced by the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in December and the parting of ways turned ugly. He was sued by the team, which claimed he coaxed one of the players into faking an injury in protest at the termination.

"We have situations where, in this particular (basketball) culture, if you've got a coach that the players don't like, they may not respond to him, and if they know it's easier to fire one coach than get rid of the whole team, then . . ." Cleamons said.

The bottom line is that a coach must find ways to earn players' trust, especially in an environment in which mutiny lurks as a possibility. "Players have to believe in what you're trying to do and that you're the person that can lead them," Cleamons said. "You're the one who's making decisions, and you're the one that someone in authority has said that they want to lead, and so the trust issue is huge at any level."

Will they return?

Goorjian feels comfortable with the Leopards. He credits the commitment shown by the team's owner with building toward lasting success, styling it on the model used by soccer's Manchester United. The plan is to build an infrastructure that will lead to consistent long-term excellence. Cleamons signed a one-year deal and now the season is over, he will see how things shake out.

"I'm having a good time," Cleamons said. "My China experience, as I call it, has been enjoyable. I like the passion for the game over here, I think that it's a basketball league and culture that is definitely on the rise. I think that basketball in China is here to stay, and on the Asian continent, I think that it's a place that in the next years, the sky's the limit."

Sun Xiaochen contributed to this story.

The seven-game CBA finals will begin at the MasterCard Center in Beijing on Wednesday.