Good write up from Rosen. But this apparently doesn't fit the facts right now. "As it is, Yi is far behind the average American-born rookie, so it will take 2-3 years before he'll be able to catch up." As it is, Yi is already among the top American-born rookie based on the stats alone.
I just love the NBA commercial methods: against Chicago, Red had 27 points ,9 rebounds, 5 assits and 3 steals, and at the frontpage: " Yi Shines in Milwaukee Debut. Yi Jianlian, the No. 6 pick in the draft, tallied 16 points and eight rebounds in his home debut for the Bucks as they took down the Bulls on Saturday." And not a single word about Red...
No offense or anything but, hype aside, the Bucks went down 10 in the second when Yi went out. They then went on a run in the end of the 2nd and for the 3rd quarter and built a solid lead when he came back. Whether you think the attention is unfair or not, he did basically pull them back by their shoe strings. As for Redd, I'm gonna go out and say it. He's one of the most overrated 2 guards in the league. Turnovers (though he did keep it down last night), forcing shots, dribble mania, not getting his teammates involved. He is basically Steve Francis without the hops, a with a better shot.
Are you kidding? Redd is one of the least turnover-prone two guards in the entire league. His career average in turnovers is 1.53. As for Yi, he played a pretty damn good game against the Bulls. 16 points, 8 rebounds (4 off), 2 blocks, 2 steals, 1 block. His defense looked pretty damn good, and he is insanely athletic.
Told you guys Yi Jian Lian is good. I'm not sure how high his ceiling is, but he's a solid starter to say the least. I wanted him to fall to the Rockets, realistically knowing it was just a pipe dream
Change it to "underrated ",for the several reasons like the one the guy that responded to your post wrote. Not that he is not almost everything you wrote, but there are a lot of other superstars who have the same "problems".It's quite a selfish league actually. The reason he usually gets less hype than others ,is because he plays fot the smallest market in the NBA. Even though , I think they did need to mention Red somehow.
Yi needs to show his consistency in the upcoming games. 12 pts, 7 rebs, 1.5 blocks would be considered a very successfull rookie year for him. He should join Dream's Big Men camp in upcoming summers to improve his low post game.
He also doesn't overdribble. When he puts the ball on the floor, he generally drives right to the basket (and can suffer from tunnel vision as a result). If you're going to criticize Redd, rip on him for his D.
Like I said, Yi has more potential than Yao Ming because he's physically superior. More atheletic, no stamina problems. THe only thing he lacks is strength, but that can be improved. Look at Yao Ming in his rookie year and now.
Um no. He's very prone to turning the ball over at the worst moments. For example, in the game vs. the Bobcats, with a minute left, the score was tied, he and Mo Williams took turns turning the ball over, which basically handed the game to the Cats (and don't get me started about Mo Williams' last possession, which was just hilarious). When you call somebody underrated, the first thing you'd want to do is make sure to spell his name properly. The first time I just assumed it was a typo. Gee, it makes it almost as if you never watch Redd's game. Also, Redd is NOT a superstar. He's a good player, a good shooter, has pretty good handles. He's also a ballhog, especially for his level of talent, and also just happen to can't play a lick of D. Funny thing is, despite the deer in the headlight look Yi had on the defensive end in his first two games, by his third, he already looks like one of the Bucks' best defensive players, if not THE BEST. A back court of Redd and Mo Williams NEVER gets his teammates involved. All of Yi's points that night all came from his own natural talents (running without the ball, shooting touch, athleticism). So yes, it could be that Redd isn't getting the props because he plays in a small market... or it could be because he ISN'T THAT GOOD.
It's generally better to judge a player by their performance over the course of the season (ideally several seasons), rather than a few cherry-picked examples that suit your argument.
Thing is though the center position doesnt require yao to have those superiorities. Yao is a mismatch for pretty much any center. He doesnt really need speed or to be athletic as much. Yi is going to face tougher competition because of his position. Guys that might be faster, jump higher, more athletic them him, etc.
Or his passing. Or his decision making. Dudes a chucker, as well as their Eastern Conference, less explosive Steve Francis AKA Mo Williams. Reason why they're bigs will never develop, because they'll never see the Ball. Granted Bogut will be primarily known as a defender and Rebounder by the time his career is done. also, LOL @ the thread title.
Look buddy, what I've described is exactly what happened last season... and the one before that. That's hardly cherry picking, it's anecdotal evidence. I could have easily cited other games. Don't believe me, ask some Bucks fans. I'm sure they'll tell you the same thing. Of course, what made it especially bad this season, as opposed to other seasons is that, this year, Michael Redd will have three (count 'em) top 6 pick 7 footers that will never develop. Beginning to see a trend somewhere?
