Reasons for Some Not Wanting Yi?

[DrReality]

Thank you Ex. The recurrent gripe on HS for years is that we have too many forwards. An Yi Ji and Wright are both forwards. They further clog the log jam of undersized pf and/or fives. Both these guys are going to take as long or longer than Marvin to come around and most of the posters here have been VERY IMPATIENT with his maturity. Need a true center.

[deester11]

Theres not a problem with knowing we need a center, my question is can you tell me which one is going to come in right away and make a difference?

Don't worry, I'll wait.

[exodus]

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And in your infinite wisdom who is the best person to take? Is it Conley because everyone says we need a PG? Everyone knows that, but BK has all but said that would be a veteran. By the way, terrible analogy of a donut and a danish!

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Conley is the highest rated pg and the Hawks badly need a pg. The Hawks turn it over too much and Conley takes great care of the ball. The Hawks don't run enough and Conley has great speed and can push the ball up the floor. it isn't a tough call.

Not to mention that the point is the second hardest position to fill.

BK said he has absolutely no clue who he will pick and i believe him. He already has 3 veteran pgs.

[deester11]

I'm not at all against Conley. At the risk of not being redundant at the Forward spot and knowing we need a definitely PG, I want him - doesn't mean I can't be intrigued by Yi. I've watched three games of Conley's at the most and that may not be enough to say he's our difference maker...he could be. I would have rather we didn'have to get him at 3. I take it Crit is not what you want at 11?

[exodus]

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I would have rather we didn'have to get him at 3. I take it Crit is not what you want at 11?

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The Hawks are a turnover prone team. Crit is a turnover prone pg. Sure he could very well get that under control but i would prefer the less risky option.

Conley shined in the tournament and Crit was just bad.

[Peoriabird]

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Conley shined in the tournament

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So did Noah last year

[pimp]

Everybody played well agaisnt team usa last year.

Carlos Arroyo looked like a 5 time allstar vs USA.

Anderson Varejao had 22 rebs VS USA

Daniel Santiago even looked like he had some game

[TexasPete]

Exodus, I feel your pain. In three days I have heard two posters say that Yi would be our Center. Lately, it seems there has been an influx of plainly basketball ignorant people.

Yi is an SF and we hardly need another one. Conley is incredibly athletic and is razor sharp mentally. He will grow within 2 years into the dominant PG in the East.

If we skip Conley and take another forward, do not let me catch somebody bitching about Conley, how we needed a PG and we passed on him.

All the last 6 months this board has wanted a great young PG and now that we have one in our sights they want another SF. And the worst part is that nobody has ever watched Yi play one game.

How can you really want a player who is from another part of the world that you have never seen? No disrespect, but that defines total ignorance. It's like marrying a woman that you have never seen or met, or even talked to...

Yeah, that makes sense.

[TroyMcClure]

None of these big men do it for me. I think Yi is more of a 4 on defense. That assesment coming from one viewing of his highlight tape.

Really, we suck so bad and we need to make a trade or two anyway...I say do it! Yi at 3 and Critt at 11.

Zaza - Shelden, Jones

Smith - Shelden, Jones, Yi

Marvin - Chilz, Yi

Joe - A.J., Chilz

Speedy - Critt, A.J.

Please don't trash me, it's like 2 in the morning, I haven't done homework on the draft and I just saw this video of Yi. Has anyone even seen this?

[deester11]

Basketball ignorance is proclaiming Yi a 3 (he's a 4 by most accounts). With the stellar job that BK has done so far, some of the posters on here could have done the same thing. Impart your knowledge if you will (I read these forums all the time and after Sheldon's pick chose not to post as much), but people can project.

I would think that we have to alleviate our logjam at the Forward position no matter who we target. It's a no-brainer to get a PG if we haven't traded for a vet as BK said himself.

[DavidSomerset]

Why do people refuse to accept these simple facts!

[Diesel]

I think the thing you can take away from highlight reels is how much he understands the game and how well he moves.

For a 7 footer, he moves pretty darn good.

I don't think any of us are experts on Yi... Nor should we pretend that us finding a highlight or us reading 1 source is the tell all on Yi. I think that like all players in the draft, none of them are ready for the level of competition in the NBA.. That includes Oden and especially Durant too. However, I think that the GM has to be able to figure out how long it will take a player to get ready. From what I have seen, Yi has been well coached. Now, Exodus brings up an article about Yi stating how he was handled by Wang? Did Exodus fail to mention that Wang has been a teammate of Yi's for the past 5 years? Stanley Roberts used to dominate Shaq... and continued to dominate Shaq 2 years into the pros.. Does that mean you pass on Shaq? Usually, your teammates,especially same position long term teammates are the ones that know the most about you. I wouldn't use that 1 explaination to discredit Yi. He has great potential and he's already shown a lot.

[exodus]

This from NBADraft.net

" Weaknesses: There is some concern as to what position he will play in the NBA: He lacks the upper body strength and the back to the basket moves at power forward and is a bit long and rangy for the three … Needs to improve his three point shooting to play minutes to be effective at SF … Despite his vast improvement, Jianlian needs to continue to develop his upper body strength … At this point of his career, he’s more comfortable facing the basket than with his back to the basket … Although he doesn’t shy away from physical contact he can get disrupted with rough post play … Struggles to maintain his position in the low post as opposing defenders tend to push him out … Defensively he will not be the huge shot blocking presence that he is in the China, due to his timing and the speed of the NBA game … Has a habit of putting the ball on the floor to achieve rhythm instead of keeping the ball high away from opposing guards …. Confidence can wavier in games when he’s struggling to score … Although listed as being born in 1987 many within China place him between 1985-1986 … Doesn’t always play defensive with great intensity, he won’t be able to get away with it in the NBA …"

Same story. He is a tweener forward who doesn't play good defense and isn't a low post scorer.

From Chad Ford

"But can he play?

Is Yi ready for NBA competition?

This is a more difficult question to answer.

I didn't see Yi do anything but drills in the two days I watched him. His workouts made clear that his athleticism and skill level are at the NBA level. But as I've learned from somewhat painful experience over the years, what a player does in a workout doesn't always translate to a 5-on-5 basketball game.

I've seen him play about a dozen games on tape from China. In some, he's been dominant. In others, he's been a little disappointing.

A number of NBA general managers and scouts flew to China to watch Yi's Guangdong Tigers play in the Chinese Basketball Association finals, and they came away with mixed feelings. He clearly did not play his best, and questions about his motor, aggressiveness and toughness have been raised.

That concern should be tempered by the fact that he's listed as 19 years old. However, some say he might be 21, and some say he's even older.

There's an ongoing question about what Yi's true age is, because there was a time when his birth year was listed as 1985 before later being listed as 1987."

Nobody hypes international players as much as Ford so when he expresses skepticism it is a major red flag.

[Diesel]

That's real nice, every player has weaknesses. That's not the point, moreover, you really shouldn't exaggerate the weaknesses too much...

For Example:

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Weaknesses: Does everything very well

but nothing out of this world ... On the small side. Lacks tremendous size and length at just 6-6 with a short wing span ... Lacks great body strength.

His body is solid but not overpowering ... Foot speed and quickness is strong but wont stand out on the next level ...

Defensively he is just average giving solid effort, but lacks the foot speed to be a lock down defender

...

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That's NBADraft.net's view of Brandon Roy (ROY)...

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Weaknesses: Does not possess the athleticism of new-age forwards like Corey Maggette, Shawn Marion, and Carmelo Anthony.

Although he has good lateral quickness, he doesn’t show the same speed attacking the basket. However, his solid footwork allows him to overcome this weakness to an extent.

Deng also needs to develop more range on his jump shot. He is not as comfortable shooting the ball outside of 19 feet. At his position, he will need to develop range all the way out to the NBA three-point line. He also tends to be too unselfish. As he develops, he must learn how to demand the ball when he is his team’s best option.

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That's NBAdraft.net view of Luol Deng.

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Speed is an issue as he’s not the quickest player on the court

… His thick body type can be much a weakness as a plus as it limits his mobility ... Lacks great open court speed and a quick first step ... Relies on strength and overall body size too much… Defending quicker players will be a problem… A good defender, but will has lateral foot speed be an issue? ... Can get caught trying to do too much at times and fires up shots instead of getting his teammates involved…

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That's NBADraft's view of Deron Williams.

Now, in your haste to point out all the negatives about Yi, how about the positives:

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ood ball handler who has no problem taking opposing defenders off the dribble … Great finisher around the basket as he is capable of making some impressive dunks on the break … Fundamentally sound player with a decent basketball IQ and court awareness … Rarely does Jianlian force the issue, instead he let’s the game come to him … Unlike many players his size, he is a great free throw shooter …Runs the floor especially well considering his size ... His perimeter shooting is very impressive as he can stretch the defense out to 18-20 feet comfortably … While he doesn’t own many back to the basket moves, Jianlian possesses a consistent turnaround jumper in the post … Does a great job of using his long body and athleticism to make an impact on the boards … Passes out of double teams well due to his court vision and awareness … Excels in an open court offense that promotes fast breaks thanks to his mobility and leaping ability … Rarely gets intimidated when physical play occurs … Although he has been on the NBA draft radar for quite some time, and may be a few years older than his listed age, he appears to still have considerable upside … Defensively he is a solid help defender due to his lateral quickness and wingspan … Possesses quick hands that can disrupt passing lanes …

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Point being you can't rely too much on either view a picture is still worth a 1000 words. Maybe more. I don't know how much a video is worth, but when I watch Yi, he shows a lot of knowledge about the game and he's an exciting player. Point blank. I think he has a future simply because he has great athleticism for his size and he has a good BBIQ.

[BusBoyIsBack]

Hoenstly I think people are being prejudice because he's Chinese.

If there was a black guy who could move and shoot like a small forward and had the size of a Center they would be highly praised.

But Yi is doubted. Some even question his athleticism which is really proof they are being prejudice assuming since he's CHinese he can't possibly be that athletic. But those moves don't lie. That mean clearly has some athleticism.

I don't care what Chad Ford or any other of these scouts say about his lack of motor, the fact that he was complimented by players like Lebron James and Elton Brand carries a lot more weight in my eyes.

We put these scouts on a pedestal but more often than not they are wrong than right.

Screw what they say about him give him the eye ball test. And maybe my eyes deceive me but I see ELITE athleticism for a 7 footer out of this guy.

[exodus]

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Point being you can't rely too much on either view a picture is still worth a 1000 words.

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Not when that picture is a 2 minute highlight clip. Nobody ever misses a shot in a highlight clip or gets abused on D.

[Diesel]

I wasn't counting how many buckets he hit, nor was I giving Style points.

What I said before and I restated now is that the CLips show that he is very fast and athletic for a 7 footer and he has very good recognition of the pick and roll and give and Go. It seems he has good BBIQ.

I didn't say he looked like a 20/10 player because he scored so easily on guys. That's ridiculous. I just believe that it's very rare to find 7 footers with his size, his athleticism, and his speed.

[exodus]

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What I said before and I restated now is that the CLips show that he is very fast and athletic for a 7 footer and he has very good recognition of the pick and roll and give and Go. It seems he has good BBIQ.

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Just like Darko and Skita.

[TexasPete]

I'll bet Darko and Skita has some great clips as well. I want to see the clips of him getting abused on defense.

Your right Busboy, its because he is Chinese that I don't want to just accept his clips as the final word.

If he was a black guy his clips would suffice.

[BusBoyIsBack]

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I wasn't counting how many buckets he hit, nor was I giving Style points.

What I said before and I restated now is that the CLips show that he is very fast and athletic for a 7 footer and he has very good recognition of the pick and roll and give and Go. It seems he has good BBIQ.

I didn't say he looked like a 20/10 player because he scored so easily on guys. That's ridiculous. I just believe that it's very rare to find 7 footers with his size, his athleticism, and his speed.

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Agreed. It's not like we're counting his field goal percentage. We are noticing the sheer athleticism in the clips.

For instance, by comparison go look at a video of Tiago Splitter.

Splitter doesn't look nearly as fluid as an athlete.

It's not about how he's dominating over the competition, it's about the way he moves for a big man that is noticeably above average.