IS this true?

[Diesel]

"Joe Johnson has vouched for Yi after seeing him play live during the Olympics. Bernie stated that Yi went for 15pts and 7 rebounds against Dwight Howard and company during the Olympic Games last summer."

[BHayley]

Yes. This was stated when Bernie was on 680 three weeks or so ago.

[macdaddy]

Here are quotes from August 2006 from the USA team:

Elton Brand

Quote:

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The young guy (Yi Jianlian), he?s a pretty solid player. I don?t know what team he is on here or what league he is in, but he?s going to be a very good player.

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LeBron James

Quote:

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On Yi Jianlian:

I like Yi's game. Yi is very impressive. I met him last year when I came here. I think he is very good. He has a chance to be in the NBA some day if he keeps working hard on his game. I think Yi was the most impressive guy.

---

web page

[macdaddy]

Box Score

[Dragitoff]

Quote:

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Box Score

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I'd love for us to get Yi, but let's not get too enamoured with Box Scores. Remember how Carlos Arroyo lit the US up a few years ago? International competition is a different game than the NBA so it doesn't always translate well. Again, remember I love Yi.

[macdaddy]

Plus China got trounced in that game so you don't know how hard the US was defending.

[Diesel]

Although, I would love to have Arroyo too..

I think If JJ wants Yi here, then we should get Yi. Period. People talk so much about who Yi has worked out against, well, he worked out against Team USA and he impressed many of them and our guy JJ said, we ought to get him...

What more do you need?

JJ played against him and has "vouched" for him. We ought to get him.

[DavidSomerset]

Check out our big men's stat's in this game!!!

Howard: 2 for 3

Brad Miller: 5 for 5

Elton Brand: 5 for 7

Chris Bosh: 4 for 5

Combined FG % of our big men: 16 for 20, or 80%!!!

Yea, Yi can play C RIGHT NOW!!!

[Nicholasp27]

did yi play center in those games?

or did YAO?

[DavidSomerset]

Quote:

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did yi play center in those games?

or did YAO?

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Yi was the biggest player in China's line-up...They played 3 guards and 2 forwards, therefore he was responsible for covering our big men.

What a GREAT job he did!!! He could definitely play C in the NBA with defense like that!!!

[Diesel]

However, nobody has argued that Yi can play Center for weeks around here??

Yi is a Pf and maybe after a few years, he will upgrade to Center.

Still... Yi scored more against the compilation of AMERICA's Best than Horford would ever do. Horford is a 13 ppg player... and let's not talk about how 1 good prospect does against Horford. Al Thornton for example 28/9 against the defensive stylings of Horford.

When you consider that there were several great players (LBJ, MELLO, AI, HOWARD, Brand) on the court TOGETHER when Yi was playing, there is nothing embarrassing about his performance... No Center or Forward could stop the compilation of TEAM USA.

[DavidSomerset]

How did he do against them in that game defensively?

We already have our PF (Josh Smith), we have absolutely no need whatsoever for another one.

That's why I'm leery of Horford as well, I doubt he can play C...If he can though, I'm all for him.

[DavidSomerset]

If Yi's 14 points and 9 rebounds in 30 minutes really impressed you that much, let's look at how some other country's players did against the US.

Puerto Rico- Daniel Santiago, C, had 12 points in 24 minutes

Lithuana- Ksistof Lavrinovic, C, had 26 points in 23 minutes

If Yi had a "spectacular" game, I guess Lavrinovic is the next Shaquille O'Neal isn't he!!?!?!!?

I mean, he had 26 points versus the BEST America has...

Lavrinovic for the #3 pick, woo hoo!!!

[TexasPete]

The good international teams are now beating us with regularity. This is not the Dream Team anymore. We had a 50 point lead in that game and it just shows how WEAK the Chinese are in basketball. Him scoring 24 ppg in a weak ass league like the CBA is meaningless.

The Chinese do not play good basketball, maybe they will someday, but they do not now. If he was Brazil, Greece, Argentina, or Spains big gun then you have something.

The team that picks Yi is going to have to be patient because he is not ready. He can't go from the CBA to the NBA without a huge adjustment.

We need help now. I want nothing to do with Yi. There are some on this board who have this romanticized view of how he is this great player now and how is going to be Dirk...total BS. Dirk is Dirk, very few guys do what he has done. Too bad people now use him as a comparison because he is a long way from being that kind of player.

[Diesel]

What do you really know about Lavrinovic?

He could be a very strong prospect also. I'm not under the illusion that TEAM USA is the end all and be all in International play. We've been beat a few times... We've lost our superiority. In ssome cases, we've looked down right bad.

If we were to exam the fact, maybe it turns out that if he were in this draft, maybe Lavrinovic would be top 10?

Really, what do you know?

Is this just your arrogance making a fool of you?

[DavidSomerset]

I know he is a 28 year old scrub who will NEVER, EVER see the NBA.

And if someone like that can put up 26 points in less minutes than Yi put up 14 points, then that tells me you really can't look into Yi's stat's against us IN ONE GAME to figure out very much about him.

Like I said, using that logic (his stats in one game), then Lavrinovic would be a star in the NBA.

Yi has potential, but please don't crow about how amazing he's going to be because he scored 14 points against team USA.

And also, as I pointed out, he got absolutely railroaded on defense.

[Diesel]

But do you know why he will never see the NBA?

It has nothing to do with Basketball.. His rights were picked up a long time ago by Toronto.

[TexasPete]

The Yi situation just proves how hype works. The way his agent is handling this, like he is Lebron or something, making teams come out to see him. The way this board has romanticized him as the next Dirk is looney.

Truly nuts. This guy plays in one of the worst basketball countries in the world and is riding Yao's coattails.

Yi is a LONG WAY from being anything remotely special in the NBA. Oh yeah, and we really need another forward, especially one who can't defend.

[Nicholasp27]

i do believe gasol came into the league as a sf/pf and much lighter than he is now

he is now the #1 pick of the board for our future center

not saying yi can/will play center...just that it's not out of the realm of possibilities in the future

[Diesel]

First Horford.

He's got an NBA body and that's about it. He's not a good scorer, he's not a good defender. He didn't play much competition at his position... But somehow, the talking heads are saying that he's a great NBA prospect??? IF Horford got to the pros and averaged 10 points per game, it would be amazing. He's definitely the second coming of Dale Davis and that's AT BEST.

Second MCJ.

People have talked up Tony Parker and Chris Paul... But have you really noted that this guy can't shoot. He's 6'0 170. He may be fast, but that's about all. He's had the luxury of playing with one of the most talented teams put together AND one of the most dominate big men in the game. If Critt or Law had OSU, they would have won a championship.

MCJ will be the second coming of Brevin Knight. When you are small and can't shoot, it leads to injuries.

I guess, JJ has joined in on the conspiracy to get Yi. I mean after playing him first hand, JJ vouched for him... He should be our pick.