Yi wants to play PF.

[oiatlhawksfan]

Quote:

---

"There is no reason to be nervous," Yi says in Mandarin. "I know what I've been learning, what I've been working on. How hard (the jump is) depends on yourself. I think if you work hard enough, you'll be fine."

While Yao took several years to adjust to the American lifestyle, Yi's acculturation has been quick. Home for now is a luxury apartment near UCLA a few doors down from his parents, Yi Jingliu and Mai Meiling -- former handball players turned postal workers -- who will remain in town through the draft.

"My game is power forward," Yi says in English. "I guess I'm tall, but I can run and get down and shoot the ball and sometimes post inside. I'm working on post moves. I'm getting stronger."

Yi went on to lead his team to three straight championships and averaged 24.9 points, 11.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in his recently completed fourth season with the Guangdong Tigers.

---

This is making me want Gasol alot more, since josh and Marvin are the 2 fowards.

[BusBoyIsBack]

Acie Law

Joe Johnson

Josh Smith

Yi Jianlian

Shelden Williams

What's the problem?

[TroyMcClure]

Quote:

---

This is making me want Gasol alot more, since josh and Marvin are the 2 fowards.

---

It should make you want Marvin less. I'm not high on Gasol. I would rather resist the temptation and try to make a better trade down the road.

[BHayley]

Quote:

---

Acie Law

Joe Johnson

Josh Smith

Yi Jianlian

Shelden Williams

What's the problem?

---

Now that is a ridiculous lineup!

I feel bad about Marvin though. Would we trade him?

[Lascar78]

Quote:

---

Acie Law

Joe Johnson

Josh Smith

Yi Jianlian

Shelden Williams

What's the problem?

---

We have no center and our PF will get manhandled by any PF in the league. And there's no room for Marvin. Other than that, it's fine.

[exodus]

I am glad he wants to play the 4 because he definitely needs to motivation to hit the weight room. He will get pushed around badly at the 4 without some serious lifting.

[BusBoyIsBack]

Quote:

---

We have no center and our PF will get manhandled by any PF in the league. And there's no room for Marvin. Other than that, it's fine.

---

Name the PFs in the east that will manhandle a 7'0 245 pound guy who moves like a SF.

I don't think Shelden would get manhandled either.

Even if he didn't get stronger this off-season he's got plenty of strength and size to hold his own at the 5.

[exodus]

Quote:

---

Name the PFs in the east that will manhandle a 7'0 245 pound guy who moves like a SF.

---

We don't have the chance to draft a player like that.

If you are talking about which PFs who would manhandle Yi (who is probably 230) i would say almost all of them.

[BusBoyIsBack]

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

Name the PFs in the east that will manhandle a 7'0 245 pound guy who moves like a SF.

---

We don't have the chance to draft a player like that.

If you are talking about which PFs who would manhandle Yi (who is probably 230) i would say almost all of them.

---

Yi has been been weighed quite a few times recently and it has never been below the 240s.

I don't know where you people get this 220-230 nonsense from regarding Yi.

The man has some weight on him. It's lean muscle so it doesn't look like he's jacked but the strength is deceptively there like a KG.

[Lascar78]

Quote:

---

Name the PFs in the east that will manhandle a 7'0 245 pound guy who moves like a SF.

---

First of all, believe it or not, we actually play against the East and the West.

Secondly, height is irrelevant in how weak he is and how easily strong players will push him around, and I don't think he's 245. Which is why he won't work out against any prospects. This ain't the CBA. But to answer your question, I think that any starting PF in the East will easily push Yi around next year. I can't think of a single starting PF in the East that wouldn't.

[Johnnybravo4]

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

Acie Law

Joe Johnson

Josh Smith

Yi Jianlian

Shelden Williams

What's the problem?

---

We have no center and our PF will get manhandled by any PF in the league. And there's no room for Marvin. Other than that, it's fine.

---

This may not be the gist of your post but it seems as if people are still thinking that getting Yi and getting a center are mutually exclusive propositions. Unless you want Hawes then we have to get our C through FA.

[BusBoyIsBack]

Quote:

---

Secondly, height is irrelevant in how weak he is and how easily strong players will push him around, and I don't think he's 245. Which is why he won't work out against any prospects. This ain't the CBA. But to answer your question, I think that any starting PF in the East will easily push Yi around next year. I can't think of a single starting PF in the East that wouldn't.

---

You are talking POWER FORWARD and not center right?

You do realize that some of the best POWER FORWARDS in the east are guys that hardly look like the old school PFs that would push somebody around?

Are Chris Bosh and Antawn Jamison guys known for their great strength?

Because those were the best two PFs in the east last year.

The guy listed as 3rd in Jermaine O'Neal and it looks like he's headed west bound.

Then you have Gerald Wallace who is by no means a guy who will push someone around.

The biggest PFs in the East are Howard and Kristic and both of those guys log a whole lot of minutes at C instead of PF.

Im sorry but I don't see a conference with guys the size of Chris Bosh pushing Yi around.

[BusBoyIsBack]

And you're right you have to go up against more than the East so let's list the top guys listed in scoring under the PF category and let's look at their sizes:

Dirk Nowitzki- 7'0 245

Zach Randolph- 6'9 258

Chris Bosh- 6'10 230

Kevin Garnett- 6'11 220

Carlos Boozer- 6'9 258

Pau Gasol- 7'0 260

elton Brand- 6'8 254

Amare Stoudemire- 6'10 245

Tim Duncan- 6'11 260

Antawn Jamison- 6'9 235

Jermaine O'neal- 6'11 260

Gerald Wallace- 6'7 220

Dwight Howard- 6'11 265

Mehmet Okur- 6'11 249

Shawn Marion- 6'7 228

Al Harrington- 6'9 245

Wow whaddya know a whole lot of guys under 7 feet. In fact the overwhelming majority. Actually Gasol may be the only legit 7 footer.

Oh and the guy listed at the top in Dirk Nowitzki? Yeah he's pretty good.

His 7'0 245 pound frame doesn't seem to be a problem.

Wonder what Yi is listed at:

http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/...layerId%3d18866

Well whaddya know!

[Lascar78]

Chris Bosh, Antawn Jamison, and Jermaine O'Neal will manhandle Yi in the post next year. MANHANDLE him. Chris Bosh would probably be the only debatable one, but even then I think Yi would get used. It's not just weight, it's strength. Yi shies away from contact for a reason. He is weak. Quick and skilled, but weak.

As for Gerald Wallace, he's a SF.

Have you watched Yi videos? He can't back down guys who look like they're about 6'8" if they're in good shape (read: not chinese scrubs).

[Lascar78]

THIS JUST IN: STRENGTH IS NOT DETERMINED BY SIZE

If it was, Martynas Andriuskevicius would be tearing the league up.

Nobody said he's too short to play PF. Also, is it that hard to use the URL feature?

[BusBoyIsBack]

Quote:

---

Chris Bosh, Antawn Jamison, and Jermaine O'Neal will manhandle Yi in the post next year. MANHANDLE him. Chris Bosh would probably be the only debatable one, but even then I think Yi would get used. It's not just weight, it's strength. Yi shies away from contact for a reason. He is weak. Quick and skilled, but weak.

As for Gerald Wallace, he's a SF.

Have you watched Yi videos? He can't back down guys who look like they're about 6'8" if they're in good shape (read: not chinese scrubs).

---

Why back down guys when you can blow by them or elevate over them?

That's what the NBA LEAGUE MVP did.

Jamison manhandling someone at that size is laughable.

[Lascar78]

Dirk has never blown by anyone in his life.

If you are agreeing that he can't post anyone up but has potential as a perimeter player, then I agree. Then you are talking about a lineup with no post player and a 6'9" center. Good luck with that. Dallas has Erick Dampier and Desagna Diop to make up for Dirk. And Dirk only elevated from an all-star to an MVP-caliber player when he bulked up enough and toughened up enough to actually play some D and start posting people up.

Not to mention the comparison is retarded because Dirk is arguably the best shooter in all of basketball, worldwide, whereas Yi is a 7 footer who has decent range and can shoot international 3s decently (see Marvin Williams). If Yi really had Dirk's jumper people would be going nuts over him.

[BusBoyIsBack]

Quote:

---

Dirk has never blown by anyone in his life.

If you are agreeing that he can't post anyone up but has potential as a perimeter player, then I agree. Then you are talking about a lineup with no post player and a 6'9" center. Good luck with that. Dallas has Erick Dampier and Desagna Diop to make up for Dirk, and Dirk elevated from an all-star to an MVP-caliber player when he bulked up enough and toughened up enough to actually play some D and start posting people up.

---

Am I agreeing he can't post people up? Hell no.

I agree he has to work on his post moves and add a baby hook.

His Rasheed-like fadeaway is what I call a legit post game.

Dirk did take his game to another level when he started to attack the basket, but he would be even more dominant if he did it more often.

Yi actually has a tendency to attack the basket and unlike Dirk who has to pull up for a jumper when he can't completely blow by the defender, Yi can finish above the rim

This kid has superstar potential.

Sure he does need to add strength but not nearly as much as Brandan Wright. Yi gets 10 pounds of muscle and he's good to go.

[MoonKnight]

While we still know little about Yi it does appear that he is a 3/4 combo and clearly not a 5. It appears Yi is more akin to Bargs/Dirk than Gasol/JO who are both 4/5 combos. While I have certainly not ruled out drafting Yi with the 3rd overall pick I just don't want him drafted with the idea that he an answer to our center issues.

[BusBoyIsBack]

Quote:

---

While we still know little about Yi it does appear that he is a 3/4 combo and clearly not a 5. It appears Yi is more akin to Bargs/Dirk than Gasol/JO who are both 4/5 combos. While I have certainly not ruled out drafting Yi with the 3rd overall pick I just don't want him drafted with the idea that he an answer to our center issues.

---

That doesn't mean that at all.

Gasol was listed as a 3/4 coming into the league and now everyone wants him to be our 5.