# Yi Jianlian To Enter Draft



## U Reach I Teach (Nov 11, 2004)

http://nbadraft.net/draftbuzz054.asp


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## Cambridgeshire (Jan 15, 2005)

If he were an American prospect, he would go early-mid, but, because he would be entering the league in more-or-less the same state as Yao, when he entered, Yi is high risk for any team, not called the Houston Rockets. With that in mind, Yi may very well drop to early 2nd round, where the Rockets could pick him up. Yao would be the perfect mentor and guide for Yi into the American and NBA life; with Yao, Yi has his best chance to become a solid player in this league. On the Rockets, he has the potential to be the complimentary PF to Yao, or at at least a spark-plug backup PF. He would make Swift expandable.


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

Whoa big news if true. Good year for him to come out as it doesn't appear all too strong. I don't see him lasting much past the lotto. 6'11 with very good athleticism usually warrants a pretty high pick. Crazy.


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## tha supes (Aug 12, 2003)

If he does come out, I'd be shocked to see him in the 2nd round.


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## iverson101 (Mar 4, 2006)

I hope he does come out, I'm tired of reading all these rumors about how amazing he is on here.


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## mo76 (Jun 13, 2003)

He looks to have a small wingspan, like Yao. Am I right? How much is that going to hurt his draft position if at all?


PS

I hate how this dude hangs on the rim for like 10 seconds every time he dunks. I cant wait for this guy to get to the NBA and get punished. LOL:naughty:


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## Gilgamesh (Dec 23, 2005)

From what I have seen from this guy and I haven't seen that much he has the _potential_ to be a lottery pick and today's draft is all about _potential_. 

Yi is very mobile for his size with good range. His athleticism might be a little bit overrated though because his athleticism stands out in an unathletic league. Kind of like Pietrus. He will certainly be punished in the NBA with his lack of size. I also don't think he has a real position in the NBA but many people said that about Bosh and he bulked up like crazy over the summer when he got drafted.

I think Yi has Tim Thomas' like potential when Thomas was at Nova.


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## kisstherim (Jul 15, 2004)

In the mock draft of Nbadraft.net, they project that the New Jersey Nets will take him. 

Vince/RJ/Yi? Whew!

http://www.nbadraft.net/


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## On Thre3 (Nov 26, 2003)

trust me on this. Yi will NOT fall to the second round, even if he has bad workouts. His marketing potential may be greater than that of Yao(this all depends on how well he does). He doesnt even have to play better than yao to do this either.


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## Team Mao (Dec 17, 2005)

Houston Rockets will select him with their lotto pick. David Stern will be furious because he sees so much marketing potential in having Yi in another city. 
The Chinese government will then buy the Houston Rockets, change the name to the Red Guards. They will then sign Tang Zhengdong to backup Yao, Liu Wei to play point guard and Mo Ke to be the versatile big who can drain 3s like its nobody's business. Basically it will be like everything else the Chinese government does- a huge failure and embarassment. Wait, my party leader says I need to change that to great success and show Chinese domination over bourgeois capitalist pigs of America.


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## DANNY (Aug 9, 2005)

He needs to add some muscle. 



or fat..


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## bronx43 (Dec 9, 2005)

On Thre3 said:


> trust me on this.  Yi will NOT fall to the second round, even if he has bad workouts. His marketing potential may be greater than that of Yao(this all depends on how well he does). He doesnt even have to play better than yao to do this either.


I don't think his marketing potential can be greater than Yao's. Yao was the first GOOD player to come out of China. Even if Yi turns out solid, he's walking on a treaded trail. His "spectacular athleticism" is enough to wow Chinese crowds, but will be yawn-inducing here in the NBA.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

bronx43 said:


> I don't think his marketing potential can be greater than Yao's. Yao was the first GOOD player to come out of China. Even if Yi turns out solid, he's walking on a treaded trail. His "spectacular athleticism" is enough to wow Chinese crowds, but will be yawn-inducing here in the NBA.


Doubtful. You don't think the novelty of an athletic Chinese player on the wing will be a big draw? Of course it will be, because we haven't seen it before (not from my perspective, but from a casual fan perspective).


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

nah, Yi's not gonna be nearly a big as draw as Yao. Here are the reasons:

1) Yao's a giant at 7'5" or 7'6"
2) Yao dominated the CBA before coming to the NBA
3) Yao was drafted #1 overall
4) Yao was dubbed as Shaq's rival first year into the league
5) Yao is great with the media and a role model to millions around the world (mainly China)
6) Yao is actually good (very good), versus every other Asian player who's played in the NBA

Darko would be a good comparison to Yi before coming into this league. Everyone knows the kid has a lot of potential and plays differently than what's typical of a Euro/Chinese, but can he actually succeed in the NBA?


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## bronx43 (Dec 9, 2005)

HKF said:


> Doubtful. You don't think the novelty of an athletic Chinese player on the wing will be a big draw? Of course it will be, because we haven't seen it before (not from my perspective, but from a casual fan perspective).


He'll be a big draw, but we're comparing him to Yao Ming, whose rookie year was studded with NBC televised prime time basketball advertising on "Yao versus Shaq."


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## mo76 (Jun 13, 2003)

Yao Mania said:


> nah, Yi's not gonna be nearly a big as draw as Yao. Here are the reasons:
> 
> 1) Yao's a giant at 7'5" or 7'6"
> 2) Yao dominated the CBA before coming to the NBA
> ...



:clap:

best post i have seen in a while.

Repped


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## Gilgamesh (Dec 23, 2005)

Not to mention when Yao entered in the NBA he was almost a novelty act.

A 7'6 chinese import in the NBA with an outside game and good mobility for a man his size. Something nobody really saw in the NBA before.

Yi doesn't have that novelty that would push his marketing potential like it did for Yao.


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## DANNY (Aug 9, 2005)

Yao Mania said:


> nah, Yi's not gonna be nearly a big as draw as Yao. Here are the reasons:
> 
> 1) Yao's a giant at 7'5" or 7'6"
> 2) Yao dominated the CBA before coming to the NBA
> ...


From what I have read, Yi doesn't have much of an offensive game. It's going to take him alot longer to become a solid basketball player than Darko. That might scare some teams away to draft him in the lottery but he's a good gamble for a team with a low pick since an elite team wouldn't mind waiting 3~4 years. If the Clippers can get him in the 2nd rounder (highly doubtful) he would be the steal of the draft. Not only because he's a 7 footer with potential but it would help the Clippers expand their fanbase in LA.


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## Nimreitz (May 13, 2003)

dannyM said:


> He needs to add some muscle.
> 
> 
> 
> or fat..


I've seen that picture for 3 years now. I don't think Yi will ever be any good, but you can't use this picture against him, it's old.

Wow, so Yi is entering the draft. That's odd, because I thought with the new CBA they didn't allow 17/18 year olds to declare


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## On Thre3 (Nov 26, 2003)

dannyM said:


> He needs to add some muscle.
> 
> 
> 
> or fat..


thats a very old picture, hes gotten a lot bigger since then.


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## HB (May 1, 2004)

If he falls into the low 20s, that might just be the perfect situation for him. He wont be in any dire needs to perform off the bat. He can take his sweet time to adjust to the game


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## MightyReds2020 (Jul 19, 2002)

I think some of you are underrating Yi's athleticism a little bit, and thus underrating his draft prospects. Yi may not have Swift's athleticism (few have, in fact) but he is awfully close and he has few inches on Swift.

Yi is certainly raw offensively, but teams have gotten away from 'drafting for need' philosophy for years now, especially if you are talking about high lottery picks, where teams are much likely to bank on the 'P' word against anything else.

All it takes is one team to fell in love with Yi, and Yi does have some tremendous upsides - (a) He is really a nice prospect physical wise and, (b) The Chinese market is huge.


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## mo76 (Jun 13, 2003)

MightyReds2020 said:


> I think some of you are underrating Yi's athleticism a little bit, and thus underrating his draft prospects. Yi may not have Swift's athleticism (few have, in fact) but he is awfully close and he has few inches on Swift.
> 
> Yi is certainly raw offensively, but teams have gotten away from 'drafting for need' philosophy for years now, especially if you are talking about high lottery picks, where teams are much likely to bank on the 'P' word against anything else.
> 
> All it takes is one team to fell in love with Yi, and Yi does have some tremendous upsides - (a) He is really a nice prospect physical wise and, (b) The Chinese market is huge.


Its plain to see that this guy has good athletisism for his size. Not on the elite level of guys like swift, bosh, Kmart ect. but good.
It is also plain to see (from the clips and stuff i heard on this board) that the guy has a very limited offensive game. So he is an unpolished athlete. There are tons of guys like that in the NCAA. What seperates guys like bosh is there offensive game, and from what ive seen of Yi leads me to beleive he doesnt have much of one. Guys a project at best. Certainly not a lottery pick. So why is he the most talked about player on bbb.net? This is the last im talking about the guy. ****!!!!


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## Mr. Hobbes (Jul 1, 2005)

Because Adam Morrison and LaMarcus Aldridge are boring prospects.


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## MemphisX (Sep 11, 2002)

Finally, watched some clips from the clip thread. Wasn't going to waste my time on a player who was not in the draft.

All I am goin to say is this: Whether he is 19 or 21, he is not going to fall out of the lottery. 7', athletic, and productive (regardless of level of play). I mean, is there really that big of difference between Yi and Cedric Simmons in terms of risk? Now add in the fact that Yi will be a much more marketable player....that equals lottery pick. I see him going to Golden State.


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## kisstherim (Jul 15, 2004)

Here is a pretty good "scout report" on Yi by a Mod of Hoopchina (the biggest bball site in China):



> Yi Jianlian
> 
> Home Town:Shenzhen,Guangdong,China
> Club:Guangdong Tigers
> ...


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## mo76 (Jun 13, 2003)

kisstherim said:


> Here is a pretty good "scout report" on Yi by a Mod of Hoopchina (the biggest bball site in China):


I think its pretty biased. The scouting report on nbadraft.net is a joke. It lists his year of birth as 1987-84. LOL. So what, he was born twice. It says hes going to grow 4 more inches and that "by the time he declares for the NBA he should be the consensus #1. So this guys gonna grow 4 inches and develop an offensive game in 3 months. WOW. Impressive. Im suprized it doesnt say the guys immortal. Who writes this ****. Seriously.
This guys hype machine rivals that of Darko.


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## kisstherim (Jul 15, 2004)

eerr, just got the news:

Yi NOT to enter NBA draft this year 



> However, the young star says he is not eligible for the NBA draft because he feels he is still too young for the NBA.
> 
> Yi Jianlian compares his situation with that of Yao Ming, China's top basketball star, saying he is still lack of international experience.


 :brokenhea 

anyway, I agree that he needs one more year in the CBA that way he can have a better comprehension and won't be a bust


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## Quasi-Quasar (Jul 18, 2002)

kisstherim said:


> eerr, just got the news:
> 
> Yi NOT to enter NBA draft this year
> 
> ...


Next thing you know, he'll be "born" in 2006


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## Nimreitz (May 13, 2003)

Yi Jianlian is going to be a very embarassing name to bring up for some people in 3 years. And I'm talking about on the scale of Ivan Chiriaev.

The Yi nbadraft.net profile was likely written 2 to 3 years ago. They aren't always the most updated site with their scouting reports.


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

Nimreitz said:


> Yi Jianlian is going to be a very embarassing name to bring up for some people in 3 years. And I'm talking about on the scale of Ivan Chiriaev.
> 
> The Yi nbadraft.net profile was likely written 2 to 3 years ago. They aren't always the most updated site with their scouting reports.


And you're saying this based on....?

The nbadraft.net profile IS outdated. He's better and stronger than he was 2-3 yrs ago. I don't remember Ivan Chiriaev leading his league team to consecutive championships and being a starter for his national team.


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## Demiloy (Nov 4, 2005)

> thats a very old picture, hes gotten a lot bigger since then.


He has, but not a whole lot. He still can't handle guys like Jason Dixon (if you don't know who he is, I don't blame you).



> anyway, I agree that he needs one more year in the CBA that way he can have a better comprehension and won't be a bust


Actually, it would be better if he was drafted this year, and went to a Euro-league, or maybe the NBDL to develop for a year. But, it seems the CBA officials want him to go to the NBA directly.



> eerr, just got the news:
> 
> Yi NOT to enter NBA draft this year


I don't think that it's very accurate. After all, why would the CBA and the Guangdong Tigers announce they would let Yi go if he didn't want to go in the first place?


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## kisstherim (Jul 15, 2004)

Demiloy said:


> Actually, it would be better if he was drafted this year, and went to a Euro-league, or maybe the NBDL to develop for a year. But, it seems the CBA officials want him to go to the NBA directly.


agreed, that's the best scenario I can imagine. However it's not likely to happen considering the CBA policies.


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## aNgelo5 (Oct 24, 2005)

this kid looks like he is athletic... but he does look like he needs to add some more muscle, he looks like a high flying type big man.. thats what the NBA needs!


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## chn353 (Mar 12, 2006)

yi can speak chinese to yao and they can secretly laugh at ryan bowen, david wesley, stromile swift, juwan howard and keith bogans.. 

thats if rockets draft him


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## On Thre3 (Nov 26, 2003)

kisstherim said:


> eerr, just got the news:
> 
> Yi NOT to enter NBA draft this year
> 
> ...



the cba is doing nothing but deterring his growth. He needs to up the competition if he wants to get better. The NBA is too big a jump.


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## MightyReds2020 (Jul 19, 2002)

mo76 said:


> Its plain to see that this guy has good athletisism for his size. Not on the elite level of guys like swift, bosh, Kmart ect. but good.
> It is also plain to see (from the clips and stuff i heard on this board) that the guy has a very limited offensive game. So he is an unpolished athlete. There are tons of guys like that in the NCAA. What seperates guys like bosh is there offensive game, and from what ive seen of Yi leads me to beleive he doesnt have much of one. Guys a project at best. Certainly not a lottery pick. So why is he the most talked about player on bbb.net? This is the last im talking about the guy. ****!!!!


Again, you are selling Yi short. Or actually I should say that you are overrating the bigs in NCAA. There, in fact, are NOT many 7-footers who can run and jump like Yi in the college level. Seriously, outside of LaMarcus Aldrige and Josh McRoberts, Yi is as good a propect as any other lanky bigs in the draft this year.


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## Nimreitz (May 13, 2003)

Um... Tyrus Thomas?


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## ThatBlazerGuy (May 1, 2003)

This kid has definate potential. Some upper body strength and a few years of learning and he could be a legit starter. Never an all-start though IMO.


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## Demiloy (Nov 4, 2005)

Translated by cmbchwang from YMM



> http://sports.sohu.com/20060419/n242893748.shtml
> 
> The source of this article is Beijing Evening News. My summary will focus on the interview with Hu Jiashi, the deputy director of Basketball Management Center (a body of CBA, I guess).
> 
> ...


So, apparently, the article saying Yi did not want to go was false.


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## kisstherim (Jul 15, 2004)

Demiloy said:


> Translated by cmbchwang from YMM
> 
> 
> 
> So, apparently, the article saying Yi did not want to go was false.


well, this source is not very reliable either. In the interview yesterday when his team finally won in the CBA finals, Yi said "No way" when asked if he would enter this year's NBA draft, he added that all he wanted was just to win another championship for his team. So who knows what the heck was really going on


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## MightyReds2020 (Jul 19, 2002)

Nimreitz said:


> Um... Tyrus Thomas?


OK, I'll give you that, but, hmmm, who else?


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## mysterio (May 20, 2003)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6fy2gNWEIg&search=Yi

Here's a funny little Yi Jianlian Nike commercial I thought y'all might enjoy.


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## Mr. Hobbes (Jul 1, 2005)

This guy will be a huge steal if he falls to the 2nd round. I think he's like Andray Blatche- a potential KG type with too many doubts. And I'm still pissed the Sonics picked Gelebale over Blatche.


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## KrispyKreme23 (Dec 22, 2003)

I guarantee this guy will be out of the league within 5 years if he is drafted. He is too ***** to play any defense against the pathetic players in the Chinese Basketball Association and he is too ***** to make any move on offense involving body contact. He is an athletic 7 fter who is skinny and will NEVER put on muscle because he is too scared to use it.


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