China will try to prove it's still a good team without NBA All-star center Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets, Lithuanian head coach Jonas Kazlauskas said in Doha on Wednesday.

"Without Yao, China is a different team, but we should prove that we are still a good team at the Doha Asian Games," Kazlauskas told Xinhua after China finished its first training session in Doha.

"It will be a good opportunity for the guys coming here to prove themselves," Kazlauskas added.

Arriving here Tuesday afternoon, the Chinese team featured former NBA player Wang Zhizhi and teenager star Yi Jianlian, who had announced for next year's NBA draft. Wang and Yi are expected to lead the Chinese to regain the men's basketball gold that they lost at the Busan Asian Games four years ago.

"I have good chemistry with Wang," said Asiad debutant Yi, who averaged 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game for defending champion Guangdong Hongyuan in this season's CBA league. "I am confident we can win the gold at Doha."

Wang Zhizhi, the 2.16-meter center/forward who missed the Busan Asian Games four years ago, thought the biggest obstacle on the Asian champion's way to claiming the title was itself.

"We have to make sure we perform to our best," said Wang. "And we also have to keep in mind that teams from Western Asia always do a very good job at home fields."

The Chinese side coming to Doha was very different from the one that suffered a stunning 102-100 over-time loss to South Korea in the final match of the Busan Asian Games.

Liu Wei, one of the only three Chinese players that had been to Busan, seemed to be much more cautious than his teammates.

"There are quite a few good teams in Asia, we have no easy opponents," said the 1.90-meter point guard. "We have to take every match very seriously."

China will play Kazakhstan on Saturday in its opening match of Group B, which also includes Lebanon, Japan, Chinese Taipei and Uzbekistan.

"It's a big game and it will be a challenge for our team. We have slight chance because they don't have Yao Ming in their team. So who knows?" said forward Yevgeniy Issakov of Kazakhstan, who advanced into the top 12 round as winner of the preliminary Group D.

Top four finishers from both pools of the second-round round-robin competitions will qualify for the quarterfinals.