well, he had 3 good games in a row now. i think some teams may regret passing him up. given the market and his skill set.
The comparisons to Garnett and Bosh are only going to go up. I'm going to make a bold prediction. Yi will get Rookie of the Year. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...=yhoo&type=lgns Rookie Yi impresses elder statesman Yao By Johnny Ludden, Yahoo! Sports November 10, 2007 HOUSTON – The photographers pressed against each other, two rows deep, nearly 20 in all. The Chinese dignitaries also had taken their places about 30 feet away, flanking the man of the evening, the Houston Rockets' towering center, Yao Ming. Together, they waited. This was supposed to be the standard NBA photo op: grip, grin, get out. But as a few minutes passed and the group continued to stand at midcourt, it became evident something was missing. Yao's co-star. Yi Jianlian, the Milwaukee Bucks' rookie forward and China's second-best basketball player, still was in the locker room. As a Bucks official hurried to fetch Yi, Yao continued to wait patiently. "A rookie," Yao would later say, a smile beginning to stretch across his face, "should not do that." Yi understandably still has a few things to learn about the NBA, and remembering to respect his elder statesman should be high on the list. But if Friday night was any indication, the 20-year-old will figure out everything soon enough. "I hate to say this," Yao said after watching Yi score 19 points and take nine rebounds in the Bucks' 104-88 loss to Houston, "but he may be better than me." That's certainly not the case yet. After totaling 28 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks on Friday, Yao is looking like a serious MVP candidate, provided he can stay healthy. Yi, however, didn't completely cede the stage in the first meeting between China's top two players, scoring 17 points in a second-half performance that not only should have entertained the estimated 200 million-plus viewers in China but also encouraged them about their national team's chances in the upcoming Beijing Olympics. "I certainly know all the people in China who were watching have a lot to be proud of," Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak said. Despite the loss, the Bucks also should have reason to smile. Yi has looked increasingly comfortable on the court. On Friday, he hoisted an air ball wide left on his first shot, but never lost confidence, coolly setting his feet and drilling a three-pointer to bring Milwaukee within two points midway through the final quarter. While Bucks officials had few questions about Yi's skills when they drafted him with the sixth overall pick, they didn't know he had as firm a grasp of the English language as he has shown. "I would be surprised if there are many rookies who have a more cerebral understanding of what's going on and a comfort level there," Krystkowiak said. "In that regard, he's not your typical rookie. I'm pleasantly surprised." Yi has been overmatched at times when the Bucks occasionally have assigned him to defend smaller forwards, but he has impressed scouts with his quickness and overall athleticism. His hands are soft, and his jump shot is even softer. "I think he's the most athletic 7-footer in the league," said Del Harris, the Dallas Mavericks' consultant who coached China's national team in the 2004 Olympics. "I don't think any 7-footer can beat him in a race. I don't think anybody can jump higher. It's one thing to jump, but if you're there too early or too late, it's no good." Yao said he knew Yi was headed to the NBA the first time he saw him play during China's training sessions leading up to the '04 Games. Harris, whose son Larry is the Bucks' general manager, initially envisioned Yi as a future second-round pick but said Yi quickly exceeded those expectations. Harris now predicts Yi and Yao, despite China's questionable guard corps, will lift the national team to a top-10 world ranking. "There's no better combination of four and five men in the world than those two," Del Harris said. "Nobody has a better four and five in the world, including the U.S. Olympic team." Amare Stoudemire and Dwight Howard might have something to say about Harris' breathless assessment. Regardless, Yao and Yi have given Chinese officials reason to be optimistic heading into the Olympics. "We already know what Yao can do," Jonas Kazlauskas, China's current national coach, said earlier this week from Lithuania. "But I've been very happy with how much Yi has improved. I can explain many things to him, and he repeats them immediately." Though Yao isn't close friends with Yi, he invited him, along with Harris, to his house Thursday night for dinner. Unlike the wisecracking Yao – asked if all the attention he has received from his countrymen has made it difficult to focus on basketball, Yao quipped, "Only when I'm asked questions like that" – Yi hasn't shown much personality. After Friday's game, Yi sat stone-faced on the podium while listening to Yao field questions. "You don't know what's going to come out of Yao's mouth and make you laugh," said Wang Meng, a reporter who covers Yao for China's Titan Sports publication. "But if you follow Yi for a long time, you'll know what kind of answers he'll give. You don't even have to ask the question. You can just write it down." While China's first two basketball imports, Wang ZhiZhi and Mengke Bateer, didn't successfully distinguish themselves in the NBA, Yi has been fortunate to follow Yao, whose massive popularity has made him an ambassador. Still, even Yao admitted the atmosphere surrounding Friday's game was "very special." The game was broadcast live on 19 networks and two web sites in China with a total audience expected to surpass 200 million viewers. In comparison, the Super Bowl is estimated to draw about 150 million watchers worldwide. The average audience during Sunday's much-hyped NFL battle between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts drew an audience of about 33.8 million. "If you open the book on Chinese basketball history," Wang said, "there will be a page written about all the things tonight."
You don't even have to ask the question. You can just write it down _____ Just like all of Wang Meng's articles.
To play this well, for a few games this early in the season, is pretty remarkable for a rookie. He's got all the tools, a sweet shot, the ability to drive, and hops to make a difference on both ends of the court. Looks like he's for real, and a future all star (even w/ out the Chinese vote). He definitely needs to bulk up in the next few years though, like Yao did. Unfortunately the Bucks are full of dribbling machines. At least Redd/Yi could be a decent duo.
Well compare Yao and what they were saying about him 5 games into the season his rookie year and what they are saying about Yi. Yi is going to be a good one. I found another article about Yao/Yi http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2007110910&prov=ap Houston 104, Milwaukee 88 Preview - Box Score - Recap - Highlights By CHRIS DUNCAN, AP Sports Writer November 10, 2007 HOUSTON (AP) -- Yao Ming thinks Yi Jianlian will be a better player than him some day. For now, Yao still is the king of basketball in China. Yao and Yi each had their share of highlights in the much-anticipated first matchup of the country's greatest player and its top rising star, and Yao's Houston Rockets beat Yi's Milwaukee Bucks 104-88 on Friday night. Yao, the five-time All-Star, had 28 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Yi, the 20-year-old rookie, had 19 points and nine rebounds. "His talent is unbelievable," Yao said. "You ask me how good he can be? I can't say that. But I think he'll be better than me." When asked why he thought Yi would surpass him in the future, Yao thought for a moment. "I'm older," Yao said with a smile. The game was an enormous event in China, where it started early Saturday morning. It was being broadcast on 19 television networks and NBA officials were expecting the largest-ever viewing audience for a game, well over 200 million. The duo did their best to forget about the magnitude of the game back home. "When I stepped on the court, I didn't think about that," Yao said. "All I saw was 18,000 fans here, that's it. I know that there are many in China, my family and my friends. But when I play on the court, I focus on basketball." As a bonus, those who tuned in also got to see plenty of Tracy McGrady, who had 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, and Michael Redd, who had 26 points for Milwaukee. The Bucks have lost eight straight games in Houston and haven't won there since 1999. But this one was more about Yao and Yi than the teams involved. McGrady shadowed Yi most of the game and walked away impressed. "He's pretty good," McGrady said. "He has a tremendous upside in this league." About 90 minutes before the game, Yao and Yi shook hands at midcourt and posed for about two dozen photographers, most of them Chinese. It was a staged photo opportunity, and Yao had to wait a few minutes before Yi came out of the Bucks locker room. "You know what?" Yao said afterward, with a kidding smile. "Rookies should not do that." The two slapped hands and smiled before the opening tip. When the ball went up, Yao inadvertently tapped it straight at Yi. Guarded by McGrady, Yi missed a shot from the wing. Yao got the ball down low on Houston's first possession and sank two free throws after getting fouled by Andrew Bogut. Yi guarded Chuck Hayes most of the game. Both players had impressive blocked shots early. There were a few embarrassing goofs, too. Yao missed an uncontested dunk with four minutes left in the first quarter. Yi shot an airball a minute later. Yao banked in a shot with 21.6 seconds left in the quarter, the first field goal by either star. The Bucks led 25-24 after one. With Yi resting on the bench, Milwaukee missed its first six shots of the second quarter during a 16-1 Rockets run. Yi returned with 8:54 left in the first half and was promptly called for goaltending when he leaped high to swat Shane Battier's shot. Yi ended Milwaukee's drought with his first field goal, swishing a jumper from the wing with 7:52 left in the half to cut Houston's lead to 40-28. AP - Nov 9, 10:11 pm EST More Photos But Yao looked better in the first half, scoring 14 with six rebounds and three assists to help Houston to a 50-41 lead. Yi shined in the third quarter to help the Bucks close to within six. He banked in a straight-on 3-pointer 40 seconds before halftime, drawing a disbelieving roll of the eyes from McGrady, then laid in an alley-oop pass from Redd. Yi sank another 3-pointer with 5:41 left in the third quarter to cut Houston's lead to 66-60. "He didn't score a lot in the first half," Yao said, "but he turned it around in the second half. He really helped his team stay in the game." With Yi on the bench again, the Bucks cut Houston's lead to three early in the fourth. Yao kept the Rockets ahead, flipping in a short jumper and hitting two free throws for an 82-77 lead. The two then hit three consecutive shots. Yi hit a running jumper with 8:26 remaining. Yao answered with another turnaround. Yi swished a 3-pointer to make it 84-82. Yi said he was never trying to match Yao's numbers. "I wasn't thinking about it in terms of Yi or Yao," Yi said. "It was the Rockets against the Bucks. I was concerned about the game." Bonzi Wells scored inside before McGrady hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put Houston up 89-82. Yi finally defended Yao near the 4-minute mark, but Wells scored twice to push the lead back into double digits and the Rockets stayed in control from there. Yao and Yi embraced at midcourt when the final horn sounded, saying little before walking in opposite directions. Notes Six continents were represented on the two benches -- Yao and Yi, from Asia; Dikembe Mutombo, from Africa (Zaire); Andrew Bogut, from Australia; Dan Gadzuric, from Europe (born in the Netherlands) and Luis Scola, from South America (Argentina), in addition to the 24 North American players on both rosters. ... Capitalizing on the heavy presence of the Chinese media at the game, the Rockets announced a partnership with Chinese shoe company Anta. ... Two of Yao's former coaches -- Rudy Tomjanovich and Del Harris -- chatted on press row before the game. Tomjanovich was the Rockets' coach for Yao's rookie season; Harris coached the Chinese national team at the 2004 Olympics.
Because he's a ball hog and takes the most shot every night. Who said that he will score 30 every night?
Yi looked spectacular last night 19 PTS on 7-12 shooting, and 9 rebounds. Very nice for a rookie adapting to the NBA I wouldnt mind seeing him in a Rockets jersey..in fact... http://games.espn.go.com/nba/featur...8~1781~2445&teams=10~10~15~15~15~15&te=&cash= A man can dream
I'll have to disagree with you here...Durant's game is sick. Plus Yi has a disadvantage with his guards IMO. Mo Williams (a point guard) took 15 shots yesterday (5-13); the only person that took more shots than Mo was Redd. Sure he had 9 dimes and 9 boards but I simply don't think that your point guard, unless he's someone like D. Will or CP3 should be taking that many shots. Furthermore, the backup PG, Charlie Bell was 1-8 with 1 assist.
Excellent game by Yi. He has a lot of talent and it's clear he's going to be very successful in the NBA. I want to see him play a few more times, especially in Feb/Mar/Apr to see how he handles the extended season.
So far my man Yi is averaging Yi 9.6 ppg 5.6 rpg 1.1 bpg shooting at a .429 clip all on 25.6 mpg. He's doing pretty decent for a rook. But Durant is getting a lot more minutes. I will have to concede that unless Yi gets more minutes, Durant will win Rookie of the year. Durant 20.1 ppg 4.4 rpg 1.1 bpg shooting at .407 clip on 34.4 mpg. If Yi could get 34.4 mpg and shot more, he'd be right up there with Durant.
I disagree, Yi isn't in Durant's zone yet even if he got the minutes, but I do think they are going to wear Kevin out if he remains the focus of the offense and plays such heavy minutes. In other words KD will start to fade at the end of the year and Yi's production will increase with fresher legs. We'll see...
If Reed stop shooting the ball so much (especailly over double team), and focus a bit more on Yi, they might actually win more game in the long run. Right now, its just sad seeing Yi setting all those screen and not getting rewarded. Hell, even buck fan think they focus should be on Yi and not reed.
Reed = Michael Redd? I haven't really watched a lot of Bucks basketball, but I do believe that Redd isn't their key to a championship. Redd is a good player and all, but he's just a tier below the real superstars at that position like Kobe, Tracy, Wade, and co. I don't think that Durant<Yi. The difference in quality of their teammates is like day and night.
Besides the Rockets game, I've seen bits and pieces of Yi and he's more of a wallflower than anything else. Part of it is his teammates don't look for him or to him like the Sonics look for Durant. But right now, he ain't close to KD. If the Bucks gave Yi another 9 mins/game, it might push him to 14-15 ppg. What I like about Durant is he's becoming more selective with his shots. The last 4 games he is 39/77 (50.6%), 27 ppg.
OMG Sacriledge!! http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports/2007-11/29/content_6287243.htm Bucks better than Rockets? By Luke T. Johnson (China Daily) Updated: 2007-11-29 09:19 We spend a lot of time in this space focusing on the exploits of individuals. But lost in our scrutiny of Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian are the ultimately more important performances of their respective teams. After all, teams win championships, and while individuals are part of what makes the NBA irresistible, the teams are what matter most. Milwaukee Bucks Yi Jianlian (L) of China and Houston Rockets' Yao Ming (R) battle for position in the fourth quarter of their NBA basketball game November 9, 2007. The Rockets beat the Bucks 104-88. [Agencies] One of the most surprising developments of this young NBA season, in terms Yi and Yao, is the fact that, on paper, the once-lowly Bucks appear to be a better team than the mighty Rockets, at least according to some of the latest power rankings. Power ranking looks beyond simple standings to gauge how teams compare with the rest of the league week-to-week. It is a highly subjective exercise and hardly matters at all in the grand scheme. Still, power rankings are a fun way to see how teams are doing. Any schmuck with a whiff of basketball knowledge can throw together a power ranking, but obviously some analysts' rankings command more respect than others. One of the more respected power-rankers is John Schuhmann of nba.com. His rankings are conducted quasi-scientifically, taking into account teams' overall records, the strength of schedules and other factors. The first thing Bucks' fans might notice in Schuhmann's rankings this week is Milwaukee's rapid ascent into the top 10, up eight spots to No 7 from last week's No 15 and leapfrogging the Rockets, who dropped from No 11 to No 12. The two teams faced opposite fates the past couple of weeks: Milwaukee won five in a row, including big wins over tough teams like the Cavs and Mavs, while Houston was mired in a six-game losing streak, which it finally snapped against Denver. If someone had suggested during the preseason that the Bucks would be leading their division (as they were until yesterday) or that Houston would be struggling for a playoff spot, he'd have been mocked. Of course, just as quickly as a team can ascend the power rankings, it can come crashing back to reality, as the Bucks did in a listless loss at home yesterday to pitiful Philadelphia, ranked No 27 out of 30. Some may say the Bucks are playing out of their league this year, but anchored by Yi's strong defense, they clearly have a shot at making the playoffs. The Rockets hit a rough stretch without Tracy McGrady. But now he's healthy and Yao and friends seem to be back on track. But unlike the Bucks out East, where any team with a pulse can make the playoffs, nothing is guaranteed for the Rockets in the West. With little use for power rankings in such a stacked conference, Houston's eyes need to be fixed on the real standings to stand any chance at all.
Yi,there is no doubt about his age.I really don't know why a lot of people were suspicious of his age.Even someone said he was older than Yao.crazy guy..
