Read a couple of articles indicating that CD's next target is to sign Yi Jianlian no matter what, and has asked Yao as the go between. I am not sure whether Yi can be borderline great. He was awful at the Olympics. However, CD said that he is always correct in evaluating talents (really?) and wants Yi badly.
Sounds fishy. I've never heard CD saying anything like that either publicly or privately - that he has one target for sure and that he is always right. And if he did say that, Bryce Drew, Mirsad Turcan, and a host of other players would prove him wrong.
it would probably take a 1st or 2nd overall pick in the draft in a couple years to get that guy. so, well....pipedream.
CD using Yao as a go between won't help at all. Yi is projected to be a top 3 pick. I don't see how the Rox would be able to land him at all. Case closed.
Never say never. If Yi is indeed the real deal, and he really wants to play for the Rockets, he can claim that he will only play for Houston, and let CD work out a deal (trade) at the draft day.
i doubt somebody would draft him "high" then deal him to the rockets for anything other than future picks... the rox have nothing to offer and they're not going to give up anybody outside the names lue, gaines, weatherspoon, padgett, etc... (you get the point) to get an unproven chines kid that is not 7'6". Yao was unproven but he's also 7'6"...
source? It just doesn't sound right. I have been watching Yi for a while now. This kid is a talent but nothing worth getting too excited about YET. His age(17), if true, is his biggest asset right now. Even if he is 20, he still has the potential to become someone like say Swift. His face and body looks like he's 16 though. This kid is an incredible athlete, no doubt. But he is RAW. He picked up a basketball for the first time only five years ago. Even if Yi wants to come to the Rockets, there is no possible way to get him here. I don't see the Rockets being in the lottery anytime soon, and he is projected to be a #1 pick by many. We can't really trade for him, unless we want to use Yao or Tmac. So, it's pretty safe to say that he is not coming to the Rockets. The worse case scenario is that this kid gets drafted by the Lakers, it should be the year Yao's rookie contract is up.....I can just picture the rumors.
I remember Del Harris comparing him to Stromile Swift and Theo Ratliff in terms of build and athleticsm.
I'd say that there is a 99.9% chance that Yao will already be locked up to a contract extension by next summer.
yi has dropped from being the #2 pick on nbadraft.net mock 2006 draft to like #12. http://www.nbadraft.net/index.asp?content=mock2006 IMO, i think he's overhyped..i'm cheering for him but he hasn't proven a thing.
In the same article(s) as what a7999 read, there are a couple other things that CD "said". He said he is not looking at Championship this year. He is only looking at second round or third round of playoff. In addition, one of the reasons why he traded SF is because SF is already 28 and TMAC is only 25.
Read an interview of CD on Sina.com. There is a paragraph related to NBA globalisation. Mains points of the paragraph concerning YI: -there are no scouts 25 years ago -today, 5 scouts works for the rockets: 2 in Europe, 1 in South America mainly in Argentina and 1 in Asia focused on China -Yi Jianlian is currently the "closest" chinese player to the nba -CD paid a lot of attention to Yi but think it will be very difficult to land him in Houston unless Rockets get the number 1 pick -He would sign him immediately if Yi is a free agent
I guess we do have a chance to get him here then. The Olympic games must have dropped his stock by a lot! It really wasn't fair to see a teenager going up against men. He was so raw, he had no idea what he was doing. I remember Yao scream at him many times to shoot. If anything, getting him here will help Yao out. I firmly believe Yao needs a close group of friends.
Isn't he not even a starter in the CBA yet? Why the hell everybody think he can be a top 10 draft? I think he at best is a late first rounder. One thing people have to realize is that Yao only become the #1 pick because he has already dominate the league in his country. This kid have not prove nothing at all yet, he is just a project, and no project should ever be in the top 5 picks, haven't we learned anything from Bulls and Wizards yet?
He is on a good team in China right now. The kid could be something in my opinion. You dont see many atheletic guys of his size, and most of them are playing in the NBA right now. Draft pick position doesnt matter, a talent is talent. I hope Houston can land on him.
