I agree- the said problems for Yi could also be said for the other draft candidates. It's interesting because other than past game footages, DraftExpress probably does not have access to more precise measurements on Yi. The piece they had on Yahoo Sports listed Yi as an a "good but not elite athelete" who lacked an explosive first step. Almost all the other analyses list explosiveness as one of Yi's strengths. I think if Yi put on more weight and still maintain his atheletism (like he's doing now), then his explosiveness will become more apparent.
The problem with draftexpress I have is that as if they were the only one that had exclusive access to the 32 game vids. In fact, teams have their scouts eyed on this guy probably since 3, 4 years ago. Even the Bucks had its scout watch him over in China live games 20+ times. Of course what it said can fit into any draft prospect, pretty banal stuff. I am not saying Yi is as good as Yao because the kid is not. Yao was torching everybody in his way his final season in CBA, 40 pts at will, while Yi battled hard againist likes Tang Zhengdong. However, you've gotta see his upside, his unique ability for his size and his athletism. You cant measure him like his ready-contributor alreay. He certainly is not. Also, dont listen to GMs before draft too much, lot of their words are just smoke. You just have to see about it on the draft day.
I think my original hunch about Yi going to Boston is even more certain now. The smokescreens have caused his stock to 'drop' on various mock drafts, making Atlanta and Memphis more likely to pass on him, although I wouldn't put it past either to take him still over Horford or Conley. And have you ever noticed Yi wore GREEN in his official workout videos? Is that a wink wink to Boston or what?? Or rather did he get the wink wink from Ainge already?
yi is good enough to go third but I would put Horford over him. Yi has the potential to be a better player then Horford but is more risky. Horford will almost def. be a good player.
Found this article from the NY Times. If this kid can play he'll be bigger than Yao in this country. I see the kid possibly emigrating to the US, seems to really like American culture. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/25/sports/basketball/25nba.html The N.B.A. and China Hope They’ve Found the Next Yao Mark Avery for The New York Times Yi Jianlian, a 7-foot forward from China, is expected to be a lottery pick in the N.B.A. draft. Yi, listed as 19, has played five pro seasons in China. Yi Jianlian’s cellphone was singing. Yao Ming was the No. 1 pick in the 2002 N.B.A. draft. His success has helped pave the way for players like Yi Jianlian. Yi has held private workouts for several N.B.A. teams in recent months. During a telephone interview from Los Angeles, where Yi, a spry 7-footer from China, was preparing for Thursday’s N.B.A. draft, an R&B song burst into the air. “Tanya,” he said in English, when asked about his ring tone. “I downloaded it from the Internet.” And with that, Yi (pronounced Ee) continued talking about the increasing popularity of basketball in China — through an interpreter on a party line. Call it Generation Yi. Listening to hip-hop, now wearing Seven jeans and Sean John shirts and growing up playing pickup basketball in Shenzhen, Yi stands as a symbol of discovery that is rippling through the country. He comes to the United States at a time when the N.B.A., its players, agents and multiple shoe companies are trying to stake their claim in China’s growing economy as the nation prepares for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Yi played on China’s 2004 Olympic team, which finished eighth at Athens. He also played five years with his professional team, the Guangdong Tigers, before Chinese basketball officials approved his entering the draft. Yi is projected as a lottery pick, anywhere from the 3rd to 12th spot. “This fellow has a great touch,” said Del Harris, the former Dallas assistant who coached the Chinese team in Athens and caused controversy in the traditionalist culture by starting Yi as a rookie. “He’s got a really good 17-, 18-foot shot. He runs really well, can jump and has good timing. His shot-blocking is excellent.” While Yi’s physical, low-post game has been questioned, his athleticism as a power forward distinguishes him from the three previous Chinese imports, centers Wang Zhizhi, Mengke Bateer, and Yao Ming, Houston’s No. 1 pick (first over all) in 2002. “I expect a lot of Yi Jianlian,” said Xun Tianqu, 20, a Fudan University law student. “Although he is not as tall as Yao Ming, he is more active and much quicker.” Yi, sponsored by Nike since 2005, has a campaign starting today in China called “Doubt and Believe.” Although teams have scouted him in China, Yi is still a bit of a mystery in a draft headlined by college stars, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. The N.B.A. and the Chinese Basketball Association list his birthday as Oct. 27, 1987, making him 19. Basketball federations, though, have been known to change birthdates to keep players eligible for junior tournaments. “I was born that year and that date,” Yi said through his interpreter, Roy Lu, an agent with the William Morris Agency, which is handling Yi’s marketing. “There is nothing else to say.” Yi did not attend the predraft camp in Orlando, Fla., although another Chinese national team member, Sun Yue, a 6-9 swingman and potential second-round pick, did. Yi’s agent, Dan Fegan, limited teams’ access to Yi’s private workouts in Los Angeles. Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, the Lakers, the Clippers, Sacramento, Golden State and Philadelphia participated. Memphis, Milwaukee and Minnesota, with three of the top seven picks, did not. The Bucks’ general manager, Larry Harris, said Friday that his team was considering taking Yi with the sixth pick despite potential objections from Chinese basketball officials. They want Yi to play in a city with a large Chinese population and for him not to languish on the bench. Hai To Chan, the owner of the Guangdong Tigers, arrived in Los Angeles last week to oversee the draft. “We are happy to see our players to go out,” said Li Yuanwei, executive vice president and secretary general of the Chinese Basketball Association. “We don’t oppose it. The question though, is how to keep it in an orderly way. We don’t want our men to just sit there without access to opportunities of training and gaming.” For the N.B.A., the success of players like Yi is critical to the international growth of the game. The N.B.A. estimates 300 million people play organized basketball in China. With 1.3 billion people and a growing middle class, N.B.A. Commissioner David Stern wants to capitalize. He said that the N.B.A. was discussing forming a league with the Chinese Basketball Association after the Beijing Olympics. “It was time for us to be making a greater investment in China,” Stern said last week. “It was time to take advantage of the opportunities — from marketing, to new media, to retail, to merchandise, to television.” Currently, the N.B.A. is in discussions with the Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC and ESPN, to secure equity to incorporate its entities under the umbrella NBA China, according to a person with knowledge of negotiations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because no deal had been finalized. Deals are already being made. The players union signed a partnership with Citic Guoan Group, China’s largest state-run investment firm, to help players secure endorsements. Last week, Jeff Schwartz and his agency Excel Sports Management signed with Infront, a Swiss-based marketing company that represents the Chinese Basketball Association and China’s national team. Schwartz, who represented Wang, hopes his partnership will help him sign players and spur opportunities for his American clients like Jason Kidd and Paul Pierce. “Is it going to be one player every year or a couple of players every year? You don’t know where it’s going,” Schwartz said. “But it’s all happening now, and with coaches from America coming over, it’s only getting to a higher level.” Yao’s success has been the catalyst for players like Yi to develop, commercially and on the court. Unlike with Yao, the Chinese Basketball Association allowed Yi to come to the United States two months before the draft to acclimate. Yi had daily English lessons between workouts, interviews and appearances at movie premieres. Yi had already been in the United States for the 2002 Adidas ABCD Camp in New Jersey and the Pete Newell Big Man’s camp in Las Vegas in 2003. In China, people hope his Americanization helps the sport grow. Xu Jicheng, an analyst for the state-run CCTV said, “Yi’s success will make China’s basketball more professional.” Yi played down his influence on a new generation. “I wish I had the capability to do that,” he said. “In any case, if I either play in China or in the United States, I don’t want to let the fans down.” Xu Guangming contributed reporting from Shanghai.
Ford insider blog update There is a battle brewing: Yi Jianlian's camp vs. the Bucks and the Timberwolves. Yi's agent, Dan Fegan, has repeatedly refused to let Milwaukee or Minnesota come to Los Angeles to work Yi out. Neither team is in a big market, and neither city has a big Asian-American population. Furthermore, Yi isn't regarded as a great fit for either club. But if the Celtics pass on Yi at No. 5, I've been told by multiple sources that the Bucks and Wolves would consider drafting him anyway. The Bucks have Yi ranked just below Al Horford and Mike Conley. If they're gone, the Bucks have been working behind the scenes to get Yi, according to what I'm told. The same holds true for the Wolves. What would Yi do if the Bucks or Wolves drafted him? The word from his camp is that he'd likely demand a trade. Yi's contract is still owned by the Guangdong Tigers, so he has some leverage. The team owner, who supports how Fegan is handling the process, could refuse to release Yi if the Bucks or Timberwolves were to draft him. That could be a disaster for Milwaukee or Minnesota -- and a disaster for the NBA, which is courting China. Sources close to the Bucks and Wolves tell me they believe that it's all a smoke screen -- that Yi will happily come to any team that drafts him. I'm not so sure. I think the risk may be higher than the reward here.
Milwaukee would be a death sentence for the kid, they have Charlie Villaneuva who they just picked up his option, why would they want Yi. New York SF LA and Toronto are the towns he would have the most market impact and Boston has a real need for a player with his skills.
Lol are you kidding me, the Bucks and TWolves are willing to draft Yi based on video footages alone without even attending the workouts? They're setting themselves up to get bashed if Yi turns out bad.
Am I the only one gets disgusted by all the crap Yi's handlers is pulling here? They turned him to enemy #1 without him even step on the NBA court! Yi, good luck with your NBA career. Better than Yao? In your dream!
Got these latest photos of Yi Jianlian from tom.com. Coco Yi Xiaohe went to visit Yi Jianlian at his The Legacy at Westside apartment, interviewed and took pictures of him taking stroll in the UCLA campus, cooking at his own kitchen, as well as working out at the Home Depot Centre in Carson.....
i'd friggin trade battier and a future 1st rounder for Jianlian I don't care what anyones says 2 chinese stars on one team = $$ and W's
He's not 24. It is highly possible that he is 22, but he still has shown plenty of potential. I've read many articles that say that scouts/execs don't really care about how old he is.
if you look at the one at the kitchen, he's still too thin. can't believe he weighs 250 lbs. is is just me or Dirk looks bigger than him while both listed at 250 lbs?
Yi has like 3% body fat. Muscle weighs more than fat. One would assume Dirk would have more fat attributed to his weight since he's less athletic.
so he's born in 1985..which makes him 22..but i think seniors out of college at 22 would need to contribute to their team immediately
I agree- I would love to have this guy- take a chance! We would have a bad ass front court. What would it take to get him? A Draft day trade. Come on Morey - do a deal like we did to get Steve Francis- we did that with few assets.
