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Friday, November 2, 2007

Yi Struggles in Second Game Against Bobcats

Yi Jianlian struggles in his second NBA game against the Charlotte Bobcats. Matching up against Emeka Ofakor, he was completely out played ending up with only 2points, 4reb, 1blk. He was out muscled inside and did not have the same shooting touch like last game. His subpar performance caused coach K to take him out in only 15mins of playing time. He's starting position is in jeopardy as Charlie Villaneuva had a good game coming off the bench.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Yi Jianlian Shines in First NBA Regular Season Appearance

Yi Jianlian had an efficient 9 points on 4/5 shooting. He's offense came exclusive from his midrange jump shot and was fouled every time he attempted to drive to the basket. He also led the Bucks in blocks and steals with 2 and 1 respective. Unfortunately he only lasted 26 solid minutes before fouling out but it was a satisfactory first perform!

NBA.com: Bucks at Magic Game Info


Sunday, October 7, 2007

Yi's First Scrimage with the Bucks

Yi Jianlian had a slow start after a stressful week of travel and added 10 points and 5 rebounds in 25mins in his first scrimmage with the Milwaukee yesterday.

Monday, September 3, 2007

China NT vs. Melbourne Tiger video highlights

http://www.56.com/u32/v_MTgwOTgzNjU.html

Game Highlights








Chinese get Easy Win Over the Melborne Tigers

CNT wins 69-56. The young group of players really struggle to hold onto a 23 point lead.

Yao finished with 12 or 14 points. He look much sharper and quicker out there, so hopefully his injury problems are behind him. He didn't really use the moves Hakeem taught him as I thought he would in a game like this. However the star was Yi who had 22 points I think. He really came into own in the 2nd half after defering to Yao in the first. I thought he gave an outstanding display of low post play. This is a sign of a player who is maturing and beginning to believe in himself.

The downside of the game was the perimeter players once again struggled. They still jack up too many ill advised shots despite having Yao an Yi on the team. Surely Mo Ke shouldn't be on the team any longer. Ding who had a few good games during the Stankovic cup continue to struggle. He is young and will learn from the experience but right now he looks terrible.

CNT will continue to struggle even with Yao unless the perimeter players improve.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

BREAKING NEWS!!!!! Bucks Sign Yi Jianlian To Multi-Year Contract


August 29, 2007 - The Milwaukee Bucks announced today that 2007 first round draft pick Yi Jianlian (EE jee-AHN-lee-AHN) has signed a multi-year contract. The Bucks 6th overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft, Yi Jianlian signed his contract in Hong Kong following a negotiating session with Mr. Chen Haitao, owner of the Guangdong Tigers. Bucks owner and team president Senator Herb Kohl, General Manager Larry Harris and Bucks Vice President Ron Walter were able to meet with Mr. Chen, as well as Yi and his family, as part of the process.


Yi Jianlian is expected to join the team for training camp that begins on Monday, October 1 at the Bucks Training Center in St. Francis, WI.

“There has been a genuine excitement throughout our city and state, as well as internationally, following our selection of Yi in the NBA Draft,” said Senator Herb Kohl. “We all anticipate Yi’s arrival and welcome him and his family to Milwaukee. We look forward to a successful relationship for many years to come.”

“We would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge and thank Mr. Chen for his assistance and support in the negotiating process,” Kohl added.

“We were thrilled to be able to draft Yi Jianlian in June and are equally excited to sign him to a NBA contract as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks,” said Harris. “We drafted Yi with the expectation that he would be a part of our franchise for a very long time and this is the first step in that process. Yi is a skilled and versatile young man who we have seen play numerous times over the last few years including this summer in the NBA Summer League. Our players and coaches look forward to working with Yi and I know our fans will enjoy watching him compete with the many talented, young players on our roster.”

NBA Commissioner David J. Stern commented, “We are happy that Yi will be playing with the Bucks to further develop his skill and his contribution to both the Chinese National Team and the NBA. This is another great example of cooperation between the CBA and the NBA and I want to congratulate the CBA, Mr. Chen, the Guangdong Tigers and the Milwaukee Bucks.”

A 6-11, 238-lbs. forward, Yi Jianlian has played professionally for the Guangdong Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) since 2002-03, when he was awarded Rookie of the Year honors. He has competed in the last five CBA Finals and won titles in 2004, 2005 and 2006, earning the Finals Most Valuable Player honors in 2006. In 2003-04, he averaged 9.7 points and 5.9 rebounds in 28 games, including his first CBA title. The following season in 53 contests, Yi improved his numbers to 16.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots on his way to a second consecutive CBA title. Yi led Guangdong to a third straight CBA title in 2005-06, averaging 20.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 52 games. Last season, Yi posted career-high averages with 24.9 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 30.7 minutes. He led Guangdong to a fifth straight appearance in the CBA Finals, but bowed to Bayi in five games (4-1).

This summer, Yi Jianlian and Team China Basketball played five games in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Yi averaged 12.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots in 28.0 minutes per game. He tallied a team-high 23 points vs. Memphis, and 20 points, including the game-winner, in Team China Basketball’s win over Cleveland.

Most recently in the Efes Pilsen World Cup in Izmir, Turkey, Yi averaged 23 points and 8 rebounds over three games against Poland (28 points, 10 rebounds), Serbia (17 points, 9 rebounds) and Latvia (24 points, 5 rebounds).

Yi competed for the Chinese National Team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

China NT European Tour





August 22nd: China lost to Poland 83-66 at the Efes Pilsen World Cup in Izmir, Turkey. Yi Jianlian was China's only truly effective player with 28 points on 11 of 19 shooting, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. Liu Xiaoyu played 15 minutes at point guard, scoring 2 points, dishing out 2 assists and committing 2 turnovers.

August 24th: China lost to Serbia today 96-76 in the Efes Pilsen World Cup in Izmir, Turkey. Sun Yue (206-G-85), seeing action at shooting guard, had his first good game of the China's European tour with 12 points on 5 of 7 shooting in 21 minutes. He had 2 assists, 2 steals and no turnovers. This begs the question of a possible Chen Jianghua/Sun Yue combination at SG/PG in the near future.

August 25th: China lost to Latvia 100-78 in the Efes Pilsen World Cup in Izmir, Turkey. Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue played well and Wang Zhizhi (214-C-79) had a good game offensively but once again China got almost nothing from its perimeter scorers, Wang Shipeng, Zhu Fangyu and Li Nan. Yi Jianlian showed some nice flashes against NBA center Andris Biedrin and held his own with 24pts/5rebs. He stats are quite skewed since he only played 26mins and had a minor knee injury.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Three Chinese Players headed for the NCAA

Three big men from China are expected to be playing for NCAA Division I teams next season -- Zhang Zhaoxu, formerly of Shandong, Ji Xiang. formerly of Shanghai, and Shang Ping, formerly of Beijing Aoshen. Zhang, who is going under the name Max Zhang, will be playing for the University of California at Berkeley in the Pac-10.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

China vs. Germany Highlights



China Loses to Germany 76-71 as Youngsters Get Opportunity

by Arthur Volbert - Aug 19, 2007

China lost to Germany 76 vs 71 in its second game in Mannheim, Germany tonight. Germany led 20-19 after one quarter, 35-31 at the half, but China forged ahead 61-57 after three quarters. China lost in the last 2 minutes when Dirk Nowitzki made a 3-pointer, and then caused Yi Jianlian to foul out. Nowitzki then made 2 jumpers to nip China at the finish.

China lost to Germany 76 vs 71 in its second game in Mannheim, Germany tonight. Germany led 20-19 after one quarter, 35-31 at the half, but China forged ahead 61-57 after three quarters.

China lost in the last 2 minutes when Dirk Nowitzki made a 3-pointer, and then caused Yi Jianlian to foul out. Nowitzki then made 2 jumpers to nip China at the finish.

Wang Zhizhi was the high scorer for China with 28 points. He hit all 8 of his 2-point shots and 3 of 8 3-pointers. Yi Jianlian scored 25 points, hitting 9 of 12 2-pointers and 7 of 8 free throws.

Liu Xiaoyu (192-G-89) played 23 minutes scoring 2 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, with 4 assists and 4 turnovers. Ding Jinhui played 15 minutes with 6 points and 2 rebounds. Wang Lei had 2 points and 2 rebounds in 13 minutes.

Sun Yue had 3 points, 2 assists and no turnovers in 14 minutes. Wang Shipeng scored 4 points in 33 minutes, Liu Wei scored 2 points in 17 minutes and Zhu Fangyu scored 1 point in 21 minutes. Li Nan and Mo Ke did not play as Coach Jonas Kauslauskas gave opportunities to his best younger players.

Dirk Nowitzki was the highest scorer on either team with 30 points.

Top Scorer of the Game

Dirk Nowitzki - 30 Points
Wang Zhi Zhi- 28 Points
Yi Jianlian- 25 Points

I guess some one should offer Wang Zhi Zhi another NBA contract and if ever the Bucks trade the 19 yrs.old phenom Yi Jianlian to the LA CLippers for Corey Maggete and some filler. I can see the Clipper offering a MLE to Wang Zhi Zhi to form a lethal Chinese Twin Tower in Los Angeles.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Complete Video Highlights of Yi Jianlian in the Stankovic Cup

China vs. NBDL

http://www.56.com/u39/v_MTYyMDgzOTY.html

China vs. New Zealand

http://www.56.com/u95/v_MTYxNjc0NDQ.html

China vs. Angola

http://www.56.com/u53/v_MTYxMjU0MjY.html

China vs. Venezuela

http://www.56.com/u15/v_MTYwMDE4MzY.html

China Takes Care of Business as Stankovic Cup Wraps Up




After a close win over Venezuela, China went on a two game losing streak against Slovenia(76-80) and Angola(68-63) when veteran Wang Zhizhi was out with a bad cold. Despite the losses Yi Jianlian was solid throughout the tournament. After crushing New Zealand 93-63, Team China finally come together and played one of the best games of the tournament blowing out the NBDL Ambassadors. Yi Jianlian had a monster game with 28points, 15 rebounds, a couple of blocks and finished the night on 10-13 shooting. This game showed his entire offensive and defensive repertoire as he used his quickness and refined foot work to dominant the NBDL bigs and constantly drew fouls and made the Americans pay at the line. Sun Yue proved to be equally impressive as he wrapped up the night with 12 points by slashing to the hoop at will and hitting several outside shots. He also had couple blocks and assists and shot 5-6 from the field. He send Team China to halftime with a last second steal and a heart throbbing three from half court. China went on to win 82-67

Yi Jianlian finished the Tournament averaging 18points and 10rebounds.

The most intriguing outcome for the American fans is a comment made by Yi Jianalian as the tournament drew to a close.

Sina Interview with Yi Jianlian

Sina : Can you predict Guangdong Hongyuan's performance next CBA season?
Yi: Guangdong still will have the capability to finish at the top. EVEN THOUGH I WON'T BE WITH THEM ANYMORE, Wang Shipeng, Zhu Fangyu and Du Feng are all veterans on the team etc. etc....


China vs. NBDL highlights

Yi Jianlian
http://www.56.com/u39/v_MTYyMDgzOTY.html?wl=1

Sun Yue
http://sports.sina.com.cn/k/bn/2007-08-02/21083342.shtml

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Stankovic Cup: China Edge Past Venezuela 64-62


China was able to pull out with a win at the closing moments of the game versus Venezuela without its star center Yao Ming. Yi Jianlian and Wang Zhizhi was at the center of the offense combining for 39 points.

Yi Jianlian: 4/9 FG, 18 points, 10/12 FT, 9 rebounds, 1 dunk, 1 block, 1 steal, 4 TO, 3 fouls, drew 7 fouls

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Beijing Street Ball

If kids from Beijing have handles like this and are playing in organized AND1 streetball tournaments, why do we still have a problem with guards that have no creativity and flare?? Maybe we should pick up this kids and give them a chance in the CBA. Maybe we can discover the next Skip to my Lou or Sebastian Telfair!



Thursday, July 19, 2007

The Franchise to Reunite with YAO!!




According to the Houston Chronicle and NBA.com. Steve Francis has decided to return to the Houston Rockets after passing up more lucrative offers from the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, and LA Clippers. This will be a great addition to the Rockets organization as his five year contribution to the Houston Rockets and hiss friendship with Yao Ming put the Houston team back into contention back in 2003-2004 season. The "Franchise" virtually completes the Rockets starting lineup as he finally fill the point guard spot thats has been one of the Rockets weaknesses. With T-Mac and the "Franchise" on the backcourt, Yao Ming in the low post and solid role players Shane Battier and Chuck Hayes, the Houston Rockets will have the most complete and most talented lineup in the early 90s.

A tribute to the Franchise!!

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Is Kobe 6'6'' or 6'4''




KB24 has always been listed at 6'6'' and even 6'7'' but standing side by side with the 6'3'' 3/4 D-Wade, he looks less than a half inch taller! A picture speaks a thousands words...

Guangdong may block Yi's Milwaukee move

THE Milwaukee Bucks' campaign to secure the services of reluctant power forward Yi Jianlian has suffered a blow after the player's Chinese club said it would block his move to the United States.

The 2.13-meter Yi, taken by Milwaukee with the sixth selection in the NBA draft last month, would "definitely not" play for Milwaukee, yesterday's Beijing News quoted Guangdong Tigers chief, Chen Haitao, as saying.

"This is not - as media reports have said - because Milwaukee, as a city with very few Chinese people, is not good for Yi's commercial development," Chen said.

"Rather we want to find a team suitable for Yi's growth. That's the root of the problem," he added.

Earlier in July, Yi's Chinese agent said the unsigned player was looking to trade to another club, despite pledges by Milwaukee officials to do whatever they could to make him feel at home.

Chen expressed concern that Yi would have trouble getting game time at the Bucks, whose squad boasts Australian 7-footer Andrew Bogut and a number of other tall young players.

"The national team and the Olympic Games are now our key considerations... If (Yi) goes to a team where he can't compete, that would be being irresponsible to the national team," Chen said.

A Sina.com report meanwhile said that Milwaukee general manager Larry Harris and another official will arrive in China next week for talks with the Guangdong Tigers and CBA officials.

"We're confident of Yi's ability as a player and that he has a future with us," a Bucks official was quoted as saying the Website.

Thursday, July 12, 2007


Only moments worthy of Highlights Team China

Sun Yue breaks defender's ankles and Wang Lei's power dunk





Wednesday, July 11, 2007

A Brand New Day and a Brand New Loss for Team China

The Chinese National Team met the New York Knicks at the Garden only to lose 88-65. Yi was no where to be found and missed all 6 attempts ending up with 3 points and 2 rebs. Sun Yue was also unable to connect even once and went 0-4. Although he did come out with 9 assists. This game was abysmal for Team China as they were unable to rebound. In fact not a single player was able to grab more the three boards for the Chinese National side. The star players were no where to be found and the role players could not get the shots they wanted. All in all this was another embarrassment for Team China.

visitor
88
1 2 3 4 T
Knicks 20 28 15 25 88
China 21 13 16 15 65


Knicks (2-0)
Field Goals Rebounds
pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a off def tot ast pf st to bs pts
N.Robinson G 25:39 3-9 1-5 4-5 2 0 2 4 1 1 3 0 11
C.Simmons G 13:48 2-5 1-2 1-1 0 1 1 2 3 0 2 0 6
R.Balkman F 24:45 3-6 0-0 4-8 4 3 7 2 3 5 4 2 10
W.Chandler F 21:02 3-7 2-3 0-2 1 4 5 3 3 0 1 1 8
R.Morris C 22:48 3-5 0-0 4-5 4 2 6 0 7 0 5 1 10
D.Nichols 16:46 4-7 3-5 3-3 0 1 1 3 0 0 1 0 14
B.Greene 15:25 3-7 0-1 2-2 1 6 7 1 3 1 0 0 8
K.Torbert 14:21 1-4 0-1 6-6 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 0 8
A.Beridel 11:01 0-1 0-0 0-2 0 1 1 2 2 0 1 0 0
A.Bougaieff 10:59 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 2
D.Page 10:28 4-5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 3 0 2 0 8
R.Wilmont 09:38 1-2 0-1 1-2 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 0 3
K.Butler 03:20 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
M.Collins - - -
Total 200 28-60 7-18 25-36 12 22 34 19 29 8 22 4 88
46.7% 38.9% 69.4% Team Rebs: 15 Total TO: 23
Team China Basketball (1-3)
Field Goals Rebounds
pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a off def tot ast pf st to bs pts
F.Zhu G 16:33 2-2 0-0 5-5 1 1 2 0 1 0 3 0 9
J.Yi G 24:21 0-6 0-0 3-4 1 1 2 1 9 0 5 0 3
X.Liu F 07:45 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
S.Wang F 31:07 5-10 0-0 3-3 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 0 13
Z.Wang C 18:44 5-9 1-3 3-3 0 3 3 0 6 1 5 1 14
Y.Sun 28:33 0-4 0-0 2-2 0 3 3 9 5 1 1 1 2
K.Mo 22:18 2-6 1-3 1-3 1 1 2 0 6 0 4 0 6
N.Li 18:11 5-7 3-4 0-0 0 3 3 0 3 0 2 0 13
P.Zhou 09:50 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 3 3 0 2 0 3 0 0
J.Ding 09:39 1-1 0-0 1-3 2 1 3 0 1 1 1 0 3
S.Zhang 04:58 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
Z.Wang 04:31 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 2
L.Wang 03:30 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
J.Chen - - -
W.Liu - - -
F.Du - - -
Total 200 21-50 5-10 18-23 5 18 23 11 40 3 29 2 65
42.0% 50.0% 78.3% Team Rebs: 5 Total TO: 29


Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Interviews with Yi and Sun after Win over Cavaliers


Q & A: Team China’s Yi and Sun
By Mo Wang
Posted Jul 10 2007 3:39PM


Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty
Yi and Sun helped Team China to an impressive victory Sunday.
LAS VEGAS, July 9, 2007 -- Yi Jianlian's turnaround jumper from the left corner with 0.4 seconds remaining lifted Team China Basketball to a thrilling 85-84 victory against the Cavaliers on Sunday at the NBA Summer League presented by adidas. NBA.com's Mo Wang caught up with the hero and his teammate Sun Yue, who was picked 40th at the 2007 Draft by the Lakers.

Wang: Talk about that winning jump shot.

Yi: It's about 18 seconds left, Coach Jonas (Kazlauskas) wants us to play a top pick and roll, and then cut into the paint to see if we can find a good chance. I say we did a very good job on both planning and execution. That last pass I got from my teammate (Zhu Fangyu) was great.

Wang: How exciting was yesterday's win over the Cavaliers?

Sun: It means a lot to us. Since we never beat any NBA teams before, it's like making history for Chinese basketball. This win is very good for improving our confidence, we will be more confident when we play our next game.

Wang: After playing three NBA Summer League games, which aspects do you think that Team China did well in and which aspects do you guys still need to work on?

Yi: Use (the game against the Cavs) for an example. I think we played very hard and we made great efforts - that's why we won the game. However, for the first two games, we didn't play very well. Sometimes we did OK and sometimes we played just not our best basketball. Plus, we had too many turnovers. If we can cut that down, I think we can play much better, just like last night.

Wang: Sun Yue, how do you think you played so far? If 100 is the full mark, how would you rate yourself?

Sun: Well, I just met with the national team again recently. Since I didn't play any games for a while, I didn't control the rhythm during the game very well. And I think it doesn't make a lot of sense to rate myself right now because this is not my best basketball. Our goal here is to try and get as much experience as we can and to learn from the NBA teams. To us, to participate in the NBA Summer League is a great help for preparing for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Wang: There is a lot of physical contact in the summer league, did you have any idea about this before you came here?

Yi: We played a lot of International games before so we know what American players' style is. American players are very strong and athletic. When you lose your position on the court, you will be very passive. So when we play against them, it's all about active. I think we will be fine if we use our bodies in the right way even though the American players are more physical than us.

Wang: Any return from your three-month physical training?

Yi: Three months is not a very long time, but I did gain some weight from the training. It has turned out well during the games. However, it's still not enough for me. I need to work more on my physical.

Wang: Any thoughts about playing against American players?

Sun: American players are very strong and athletic, so it's never easy to play against them. But since I played in the US for two years already, I am adapted to it. Moreover, just like what Yi said, you have to be more active and tougher on the court. American players are very active on offensive rebounds. That's something we need to improve on. Only if you have the desire, you can really achieve it.

Wang: What is your main goal for the rest of the summer league?

Yi: I need to work harder. You can't be satisfied by only one game. You have to try your best to get the second win and the third ... Through our effective training and hard work, I think we really improved recently. As long as we play our best basketball, we have a chance to win another game.

Wang: What is your main goal for the rest of the summer league?

Sun: Our goal is to try and win another game. After we won the game last night, we saw a big improvement from the team. Before, we didn't think we had a chance to win at all, so the goal was just getting more experience. But now it is different. We will try our best to win another game.

Wang: Which player(s) has left the biggest impression in the summer league?

Yi: Shannon Brown and Daniel Gibson from the Cleveland Cavaliers. They played very well.

Sun: Daniel Gibson. He played very good in the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs and showed everybody his value. Daniel is a good model to me and I watch his moves very closely. I want to be a good player like him.

Wang: Team China did much better on 3-point shots yesterday than the first two games, why?

Sun: I think we cooperated very well last night. When our big guys are being doubled, they passed the ball to an open teammate very quickly and that gave our shooters a better chance to shoot the 3-pointer. We know our big guys will do their best to grab the offensive rebounds and that makes our shooters more confident to shoot from outside. When you give confidence to each other, you have the best cooperation out there.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

China Finally Get a Win! Yi hits Game Winner!!

On the third installment of team China's action in the NBA summer league, China finally gets a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers 85-84. Yi didn't not have a great offensive game and didn't have a field goal until the third quarter. However, he lived off the freethrow line and went 14/17 from the charity stripe. He also excel on the defensive end with 3 blocks. At the end of the fourth quarter, Wang Zhizhi hit a huge three to put China on top. Within the next possession, Cav forward Matt Walsh responded with a great 30 footer that put the Cavs on top. The last possession of the game went to Yi as he backed down he way and turned around for a short pull-up jumper. The shot banked off the backboard and went in with 0.4 seconds left in the game. This was a great win for Team China is will surely boost the confidence of Yi Jianlian, Sun Yue and his fellow teammates.

Sacremento King Blow Out China 73-47

China showed no leadership,heart and willingness to win as they were trailing by as much as 30 in the second quarter and never made an effort to come back! Yi Jianlian did not have a good game with only 9 pts on 2/14 shooting and Sun Yue only had 5pts and 1 assist.
47
1 2 3 4 T
China 14 8 19 6 47
Kings 22 23 18 10 73
Recap | Play-By-Play
73

home

Team China Basketball (0-2)
Field Goals Rebounds
pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a off def tot ast pf st to bs pts
S.Wang G 22:17 2-6 0-0 2-4 0 4 4 1 1 0 1 0 6
W.Liu G 16:16 3-5 0-1 0-0 1 0 1 0 6 0 2 0 6
F.Zhu F 14:59 2-6 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 2 2 0 2 0 4
J.Yi F 33:38 2-14 0-0 5-6 2 5 7 2 4 3 5 1 9
Z.Wang C 21:56 2-4 1-1 5-5 1 6 7 2 5 1 2 1 10
P.Zhou 20:00 1-6 0-1 1-1 0 0 0 1 5 2 2 1 3
Y.Sun 18:18 2-8 1-4 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 5
J.Ding 15:00 0-2 0-0 0-0 2 3 5 2 5 1 1 0 0
X.Liu 11:11 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 2 4 1 5 0 0
L.Wang 10:10 0-1 0-1 1-2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1
K.Mo 09:26 1-4 1-4 0-0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 0 3
Z.Wang 06:49 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 0
N.Li - - -
J.Chen - - -
S.Zhang - - -
F.Du - - -
Total 200 15-57 3-12 14-18 8 21 29 13 38 9 25 3 47
26.3% 25.0% 77.8% Team Rebs: 8 Total TO: 26
Kings (1-0)
Field Goals Rebounds
pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a off def tot ast pf st to bs pts
D.Smith G 17:44 1-1 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 0 3 1 0 0 2
P.Jeter G 29:12 2-6 0-0 3-3 0 3 3 4 1 4 3 0 7
J.Williams F 33:03 7-10 0-0 3-8 7 4 11 0 4 0 5 1 17
F.Garcia F 34:16 6-18 0-2 8-11 0 6 6 4 6 2 5 1 20
S.Hawes C 34:25 9-14 0-1 1-1 1 6 7 1 7 1 7 0 19
M.Shakur 21:08 0-5 0-0 1-2 1 2 3 4 1 2 4 0 1
N.Caner-Medley 15:22 0-3 0-0 0-0 1 3 4 2 4 0 1 0 0
D.Watkins 12:32 2-5 0-0 3-3 2 3 5 0 0 0 0 1 7
D.Young 02:18 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
C.Trybanski - - -
K.Butler - - -
O.Lafayette - - -
C.Maraker - - -
. - - -
M.Wingate - - -
Q.Douby - - -
Total 200 27-62 0-3 19-28 13 29 42 15 27 10 25 3 73
43.5% .0% 67.9% Team Rebs: 11 Total TO: 25


Watch the full game here

King vs. China

Saturday, July 7, 2007

Memphis Grizzlies defeat Team China 86-77

Team China lose again in Las Vegas versus a team off the bench for the Memphis Grizzlies in the first summer leauge game for China. Rudy Gay on three occasions posterized Yi and China looked out hustled throughout the entire game. However Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue both had relatively good games. Yi scored 23pts and made the highlight reel with a powerful block that send the ball down the court. He got it back and slammed it home after faking up two defenders. Sun Yue had only 6pts but show some nifty passing and finishing the game with 9 assists. He also showed some great tenacity sprinting down court after a turnover to block an easy layup. To sum up this game, the Chinese draft prospects looked great but the rest of the Chinese team with the exception of Wang Zhizhi and Zhu Fangyu's were on a completely differnt level.

Here are the highlights:





Friday, July 6, 2007

China loses to Mavericks in Dallas


By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
esefko@dallasnews.com

The Mavericks need to get more athletic and stronger at their big positions and are gauging free-agent possibilities to that end.

But closer to home, a pair of players who may be battling for playing time next season were showing their stuff Tuesday night.

And in Pops Mensah-Bonsu's case, his stuffs, his blocks and his defense.

Mensah-Bonsu turned in the performance of the night as the Mavericks' summer-league team made its debut with a 105-100 victory over China's national team in an exhibition at Moody Coliseum.

Mensah-Bonsu has more than a clue about what will keep him on the Mavericks' roster next season. Offensive rebounding, defense and blocked shots are the keys.

The fact that he overshadowed rookie Nick Fazekas, who also plays power forward, doesn't hurt Mensah-Bonsu's standing.

"That's what they've told me to work on from the start," he said. "I have to be an active, energy guy. That's what I do. Offensive rebounding and defense."

And some scoring, too. Mensah-Bonsu had a string of highlights against China on his way to a team-high 24 points. Tops on the list was a catch of a missed Fazekas 3-pointer. He followed it with a monster slam-dunk on which he was fouled for a three-point play.

Of his 10 rebounds, eight came on the offensive end. Fazekas finished with 14 points and three rebounds.

One of the quality moments for the 6-9 Mensah-Bonsu came in the second quarter when he rejected Yi Jianlian, the No. 6 overall pick in last week's draft.

The nice-sized crowd at Moody Coliseum roared its approval.
Mavericks guard J.J. Barea drives past Wang Zhizhi of the Chinese National Team.
MIKE STONE / Special to DMN
Mavericks guard J.J. Barea drives past Wang Zhizhi of the Chinese National Team.

The Mavericks will be taking a good, long look at Mensah-Bonsu this summer, as well as point guard J.J. Barea. The team must decide in August whether to exercise options for next season on both. The decision on Barea must come by Aug. 1. For Mensah-Bonsu, it's Aug. 31.

If they are not guaranteed a second season, they will be come unrestricted free agents.

"I want to make it so there is no doubt in their mind," he said. "I don't want any gray area. I definitely want to be a Maverick next season."

Waiting on a decision: The Mavericks have hopes of signing free-agent P.J. Brown, but first they must wait for him to return from a family vacation.

After that, Brown's agent said Tuesday that the 6-11 center-forward will make a decision on whether he is retiring.

For now, the Mavericks are talking to a slew of agents every day but are waiting for situations to evolve.

"It's like a sailboat in a storm," said Donnie Nelson, president of basketball operations. "You don't always know which way the wind is going to blow."

The Mavericks are talking daily to Jeff Schwartz, the agent for Jerry Stackhouse, and the two sides are making slow progress, he said.

MAVERICKS 105, CHINA 100

CHINA – ZhiZhi 10-17 4-4 28, Fangyu 5-11 4-6 17, Jianlian 3-8 5-6 11, Ke 4-5 0-0 10, Wei 3-6 1-2 9, Lei 2-3 2-2 8, Shipeng 2-7 2-2 7, Jianghua 1-4 4-6 6, Zhengdong 0-1 2-2 2, Jimhui 1-2 0-0 2, Xiaoyu 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 31-65 24-30 100.

DALLAS – Mensah-Bonsu 8-14 8-10 24, Tucker 7-11 0-0 17, Fazekas 6-12 1-2 14, Bass 3-6 7-10 13, Barea 4-10 3-4 11, Ager 5-10 0-0 11, Terry 2-5 0-0 5, Diop 2-5 0-0 4, Gordon 1-4 0-0 2, Newson 1-1 0-0 2, Dos Santos 1-1 0-0 2, Green 0-0 0-0 0, Basden 0-1 0-2 0. Totals 40-80 19-28 105.

Halftime–Dallas 50-47. Third quarter–China 74-77. 3-point goals–China 14-32 (ZhiZhi 4-6, Fangyu 3-7, Lei 2-3, Ke 2-3, Wie 2-4, Shipeng 1-5, Zhengdong 0-1, Jianghua 0-1, Xiaoyu 0-1); Dallas 6-15 (Tucker 3-3, , Terry 1-2, Ager 1-3, , Fazekas 1-4, Barea 0-3). Rebounds–China 34 (Jianlian 10); Dallas 45 (Mensah-Bonsu 10). Assists–China 18 (Wei, Fangyu, ZhiZhi 3); Dallas 20 (Barea 8). Fouled out–None. Total fouls–China 26; Dallas 26.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Pre Draft Workout Video of Sun Yue


He measured at 6'9'' 217lbs and recorded a standing vertical of 32'' and a 3 step vertical of 34.5''. Sun showed some excellent lane agility and quickness though he did missed some ugly layoffs and three pointers that hit the front rim. However the Lakers must have believed that these mistakes are highly correctable and still picked Sun Yue for his potential.

Sun Yue Lakers Pre Draft Workout

Yao Expects Big Things With Adelman Coaching Rockets

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press Writer
Posted Jul 4 2007 11:23AM


SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- Yao Ming suspects things will work out well with Rick Adelman coaching the Houston Rockets. The star center says Adelman's up-tempo game reminds him of the way the Chinese national team plays.

Attending a Special Olympics event Wednesday in his hometown of Shanghai, Yao said he had several conversations in Houston with the former Sacramento Kings coach.

"Our exchanges were very good,'' Yao said. "I'm pretty familiar with his style. It's pretty much like the national team's.''

Hoping to end the team's recent history of postseason flops, Houston hired Adelman in May to replace Jeff Van Gundy, Yao's first and only other coach in the NBA.

Adelman, favors a fast-paced, high-scoring offense in contrast to Van Gundy's more methodical, defensive approach.

"It's a whole new situation, and I expect big things of next season,'' Yao said.

Yao felt an emotional impact with Van Gundy's departure. It was Van Gundy who had pushed hard to acquire Yao from his former team, the Shanghai Sharks.

"I spent four years with him so naturally the impact on me is relatively bigger,'' Yao said.

Earlier, Yao joined more than 1,000 athletes and volunteers at a suburban community center in creating tiles for a ceramic wall to promote the Special Olympics, which Shanghai is hosting from Oct. 2-11.

Yao was cheered when he entered the auditorium. He bantered on stage with a host before discussing the Special Olympics project with a ceramics specialist and an intellectually disabled athlete.

Yao also congratulated China's latest entrants to the NBA, Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue, who were drafted last week by Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Lakers. Yao urged Yi to concentrate on his game and let Yi's representatives handle attempts to work out a trade from the Bucks.

"The most important thing is to play well,'' Yao said. "A player's value is how he performs on the court.''

www.nba.com

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

USA U-19 Embarrasses Chinese National Team


On July 1st, the Chinese Men's National Team traveled to Dallas Texas for an exhibition against the under-19 USA youth team to train for the upcoming FIBA World Basketball Championship. Yao Ming was not able to play, however, to many people surprise, Yi Jianlian flew to Dallas to lead the team against their US counterparts. Wang Zhizhi returned to the training gym and revisited the old locker room that he shared a couple years ago with he's Maverick teammates Nowitzki and Nash. Facing a U-19 team that never played with each other before, the Chinese National Team was obliterated beyond imagination. China had all their key A-team players except Yao and physically bigger, more experienced than the US side which was a ragtag group of 17-18 year olds. This game serves to show that the Chinese side's total lack of aggression and attitude when faced with a inferior opposition. The US side had no Oden or Durant, but were still able to crush the Chinese team 91-75. This begs us to question just how NBA ready is Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue.

Official Basketball Box Score -- GAME TOTALS -- FINAL STATISTICS
China Senior National Team vs USA U19 World Championship
07/01/07 5:00 p.m. at Southern Methodist University
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: China Senior National Team 0-1

TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
10 Li Nan.............. * 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 9
14 Wang ZhiZhi......... * 2-7 0-2 4-6 2 3 5 4 8 1 4 2 1 21
23 Ding Jimhui......... * 1-1 0-0 6-8 3 5 8 2 8 1 2 1 0 29
5 Liu Wei............. * 3-9 1-5 5-5 1 3 4 1 12 3 3 0 1 29
7 Wang Shipeng........ * 2-5 2-2 0-0 0 1 1 2 6 0 4 0 0 19
11 Yi Jianlian......... 3-8 1-1 8-12 1 7 8 4 15 0 2 3 0 23
4 Tang Zhengdong...... 1-5 0-2 0-0 1 0 1 0 2 1 4 0 0 13
8 Zhu Fangyu.......... 5-9 4-7 6-6 1 1 2 2 20 4 0 0 1 30
18 Wang Zhongguang..... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
19 Chen Jianghua....... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3
20 Liu Xiaoyu.......... 1-2 1-2 1-2 1 0 1 1 4 0 2 0 0 7
25 Zhou Peng........... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 6
26 Zhang Song Tao...... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 6
TEAM................ 1 6 7
Totals.............. 18-48 9-21 30-39 11 27 38 20 75 11 24 6 3 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 0-0 0.0% 2nd Half: 18-48 37.5% Game: 37.5% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 0-0 0.0% 2nd Half: 9-21 42.9% Game: 42.9% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 0-0 0.0% 2nd Half: 30-39 76.9% Game: 76.9% 0,7

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: USA U19 World Championship 1-0

TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
4 Tajuan Porter....... * 6-9 5-7 3-3 0 1 1 2 20 4 0 0 1 19
7 Patrick Beverley.... * 1-6 0-3 1-2 1 2 3 3 3 1 2 0 0 17
11 Raymar Morgan....... * 4-8 0-0 3-4 0 4 4 3 11 3 0 0 0 27
13 Darrell Arthur...... * 3-5 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 5 6 0 1 3 0 19
14 Michael Beasley..... * 4-12 0-1 4-7 4 3 7 3 12 0 4 0 2 21
5 Stephen Curry....... 5-6 4-4 2-2 0 1 1 3 16 1 0 0 1 16
6 Jonny Flynn......... 0-1 0-0 1-2 1 0 1 2 1 1 2 0 1 12
8 Matt Bouldin........ 0-3 0-3 0-0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 11
9 David Lighty........ 2-4 0-1 0-0 1 0 1 1 4 0 2 0 1 10
10 Donte' Greene....... 2-5 2-4 0-0 0 4 4 4 6 2 0 0 0 15
12 Deon Thompson....... 2-7 0-0 1-2 2 4 6 2 5 0 1 0 3 18
15 DeAndre Jordan...... 3-4 0-0 1-4 2 0 2 1 7 0 0 1 0 15
TEAM................ 2 1 3 1
Totals.............. 32-70 11-24 16-26 14 21 35 30 91 12 14 4 10 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 0-0 0.0% 2nd Half: 32-70 45.7% Game: 45.7% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 0-0 0.0% 2nd Half: 11-24 45.8% Game: 45.8% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 0-0 0.0% 2nd Half: 16-26 61.5% Game: 61.5% 0,7

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials:

Technical fouls: China Senior National Team-None. USA U19 World Championship-None.

Score by Periods 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
China Senior National Team.... 13 21 13 28 - 75
USA U19 World Championship.... 24 23 19 25 - 91

Saturday, June 30, 2007

The Yi Controversy: Will he Stay in Milwaukee?


About 20 Chinese reporters were craning their necks to get a glimpse of a TV interview being conducted in the back hallways at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Some of them scrambled up on escalators for a better view, while an NBA security guard tried to clear the area and calm the frenzy, telling them, "This is all being broadcast on CCTV," a station in China.

The subject of the attention was the most intriguing and controversial pick in the entire 2007 draft, Chinese 7-footer Yi Jianlian, who had already conducted one press conference but had many more questions to answer. A half hour earlier he had been taken at No. 6 by Milwaukee, a market in which Yi's representatives had made it clear they did not want him to play due to its small Chinese population. The Bucks were intentionally not invited by Dan Fegan, Yi's agent, to watch Yi work out in Los Angeles, nor had they recently traveled to China to scout him (although the team said it had seen at least 20 of Yi's games since 2004).

And thus the Chinese contingent was stunned by the draft destination of its home country's next great basketball product after Yao Ming.

"He looked unhappy," one reporter from Guangdong said, referring to his lack of a smile as he met NBA commissioner David Stern on stage after the pick.

"We're all shocked. The Bucks were never in China," a reporter from Shanghai said.

"Yi said he didn't know anything about the team, the coach, the GM or the city," the reporter from Guangdong added.

Soon after the pick, rumors were flying about Yi's future in Milwaukee. A source in an opposing team's war room, who knew of Fegan's desire to avoid having his client land in the Minnesota or Milwaukee markets, speculated that "this could get messy." Would Yi -- who's been described as a Dirk Nowitzki-like big man and not a Yao clone -- demand a trade? Would he threaten to remain in China for another season? Or would he eventually come around to the Bucks, who disregarded Fegan's warnings because they had Yi ranked as the third-highest player on their draft board?

Yi can understand and speak basic English -- he had been taking language classes six days a week in L.A. -- and when I asked him before his press conference whether he liked Milwaukee, he gave a look that was less than glowing and then shrugged.

At his media session a few minutes later, Yi tempered some of the controversy by saying through an interpreter, "I'm not familiar with [Milwaukee], as well, but I'm happy to play with the team and I'm happy to play in the NBA."

A reporter pressed Yi further, wondering if he was "for sure" going to Milwaukee to play. "Yes, I think so," he replied.

It was positive, but it also wasn't a guarantee. Fegan was standing in a hallway nearby, and like Yi, did not appear overjoyed. He declined comment on whether Yi would accept the Milwaukee situation, saying only, "I need to talk to my client first."

Yi left MSG and boarded a chauffeured mini-bus slightly before 10:30 p.m.. His interpreter said he did not expect Yi to fly to Milwaukee for the traditional day-after-the-draft press conference, and indicated that at some point Yi would be traveling to meet the Chinese national team, which has a scrimmage scheduled against the United States on July 1 in Dallas.

Will things actually get messy for Milwaukee, or was this just a rocky start to a prosperous long-term frontcourt pairing of Yi and Andrew Bogut? The latter scenario is far more likely, but still, after making a bold move, the Bucks could not rest entirely easy on draft night.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writ...9/draft.scenes/

Friday, June 29, 2007

Sun Yue Video Highlights

Great Video Highlights off Sun Yue watch him do a 360 dunk that Kobe would be proud of and tons of blocks like Kirilenko's. The video ends with him stuffing Carmelo Anthony's attempted dunk last summer!


Post Draft Analysis on Yi Jianlian

Sun Yue goes to L.A. Lakers


Sun Yue exceeded all expectations last night as the #40 pick to the Lakers. No one thought he would be high in the second round, in fact most NBA thought he would be undrafted or among that last picked in the second round. At 6’9’’ 206lbs, Sun Yue is a very long and lanky. He refers himself as a “true point guard” and has a pass first, shoot second mentality which Kobe would love! He’s ABA stats are very impression and he recorded a near quadruple double once with 12pts 14rebs 12as 8blks. What position Phil Jackson will have him play is a big question. Phil might try to mold him into a Luke Walton or Mike Dunleavy type point forward with he’s great court vision however as a winger he most improve he’s shooting consistency. On the other hand he has the body and athleticism to develop into a Tayshuan Prince or even Andrei Kirilenko type defensive stopper. Sun’s 7 foot wingspan, lane agility and excellent timing on he’s blocks will help him tremendously on the defensive end. Which ever direction he decides to go the Lakers is definitely the place to be with Phil Jackson who loves to develop young players.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Yi Jianlian Goes to BUCKS!!!!


Yi Jianlian, a power forward from China, shakes hands with NBA chief David Stern after being drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks on June 29, 2007. [Xinhua] Yi was picked 6th by the Milwakee bucks after much speculation that he would fall lower in the first round. He had earlier showed signs of not wanting to get drafted by the Bucks with he's agent maneuvering to shake off the Bucks. However, tonight he was picked 6th that very team. Upon farther inspection the Bucks might not be a bad place for the young Chinese power forward to reach his potential. Albeit Milwakee is far away from any Chinatowns, it has developed some great new talents and is looking forward to great expectations with Yi. Milwakee has a solid young team with a great international center Andew Bogut and one of the best shooters in the league in Michael Redd. Yi is exactly what they've been looking for: a high energy, athletic forward to compliment Bogut and Redd.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Yi Jianlian's NBA Comparisons

1. Pau Gasol--NBAdraft.net & DraftExpress.com



Pau Gasol is much bigger and stronger than Yi some 20-30lbs heavier. not nearly as athletic and versatile as Yi but has a more polished post game. The only comparable trait is the mid-range shoot but Yi has a smoother touch and can extend out to the three point range if necessary.

2. Kevin Garnett--Various Articles



While on the first glance Yi's body is very similar to Kevin Garnett's, he has a much weaker upper body and a chiseled lower body which gives him his leaping ability. Jump shoot is similarly as both have limited three point range. Defense is where Yi is not even close to the level's of KG's, who is annually a top rebounder and shot blocker in the NBA. Passing, again he does not own the court vision that KG is blessed with. Even in dunking Yi and KG are not comparable, while both both players love to dunk, Yi prefers the two handed throw-downs as oppose to KG's 1 handed tomahawks. Yi has a great athletic body but is no where close to Kevin Garnett's. Garnett is the most perfect human specimen thats playing basketball today and Yi has a lot to learn from him.


3. Amare Stademare




Amare is a pure power and athletic big man, that dominants the league with the whole repetoire of post moves and fadeaway jump shoots. He is also a bulky defensive presence in the paint. Yi is a athletic and slashing foward. Only trait comparable is athleticism where Amare has a slight edge over Yi.









4. Dirk Nowitzki



Dirk is different in that he is a much better shooter from range and free throw line. Yi has a completely different game with with better ball handling, speed and quickness facing the basket. While Yi has a nice midrange, Dirk is one of the best jump shooters in the league.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Is Air Yi Programming himself for FAILURE or is he a Sly giant Reaching for MAX POTENTIAL



By Daniel Song


Recent event have cast some doubts on Yi’s ranking in the 2007 NBA Draft set to be unveiled in 3 days. Almost universally deemed a top 10 draft pick, there are several moves done by Yi’s agent Dan Fegan that defy what conventional agent would do for a high potential client. By not letting Yi get measurements in the Pre-draft camp and holding him back potential interest from the Bucks, one cannot help to wonder the logic of these recent moves. It might trigger some insecurity that team managers might have against Yi as the see these moves as a way of hiding something that might hinder his potential. However, Fegan might be going what he’s doing for a rational, profit-driven motive. The reason for Yi’s unwillingness to get drafted by the Bucks might have a simple, straightforward explanation. Yi seem happily settled into his California lifestyle as he rolls around town in his shiny SUV and playing pickup games at UCLA. And the large Asian community in Southern California is sure to make Yi into a marketing gem. Or maybe are already talks behind closed doors that we’ve been clueless about and that a team has already made Yi the future of their franchise a la Yao. Where ever he may land in 3 days is anyone guess. But one can be rest assured that he will land in a team that fits him well and will be able to nurture his boundless potential. The sky is the limit for this special 19 year old!

Sunday, June 24, 2007

2008 Chinese Olympic NT lineup

The future of basketball is bright as ever for China in the 2008 Olympics. We almost have all the pieces to the puzzle ready for the olympics. What do you think of this lineup

C: Yao Ming
PF: Wang Zhizhi
SF: Yi Jianlian
SG: Sun Yue
PG: Chen Jianghua

We have, as we had for the last 10 years a world class front court with Yao/Yi/Wang and now we finally have a decent backcourt to provide service to our front court. Even though i have Sun Yue as SG he will only match up defensively as a SG and play as PG. Chen will be playing Two guard provide great dribble penetration. And the new "Great Wall of China" will be bigger, stronger, and faster than the one we had with "Yao, Bateer, and Wang" I think this team has can land us in the Top 6-10 or maybe even better

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Yi Jianlian is an athletic MONSTER!!

China's next big thing
Athletic and possessing a sweet shot, Yi Jianlian follows Yao as the latest Chinese import in the NBA
Posted: Friday June 22, 2007 9:45AM; Updated: Friday June 22, 2007 3:45PM

By Chris Mannix, SI.com




It is a warm and sunny June afternoon in Los Angeles when Yi Jianlian shows up for a workout. There is little fanfare accompanying the arrival of China's latest U.S. export, just a dutiful manager trailing him through the double doors of L.A.'s Home Depot Center and a trainer patiently waiting for him on the other side. Ever since China first approved Yi's entrance into the NBA draft last November, people have wondered if Yi is the next Yao Ming.

The answer is an emphatic no. Though Yi will likely be the highest Chinese draft pick since Yao in 2002 -- Boston likely won't pass on him at No. 5, and should he slip to No. 10, Sacramento would almost select him -- he has very little in common with Asia's most famous import. It doesn't take much more than a look at him to figure that out.

With Nickelback's Far Away blaring in the background, Yi begins to warm up. Stretching is followed by wind sprints as Yi slowly begins to work up a sweat. He pauses when he spots a contingent from the Sacramento Kings, led by president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie, walk onto the floor. He approaches the group and exchanges handshakes as well as rudimentary greetings he has learned in the two months he has spent in the U.S. learning the English language. He accepts a pair of Kings shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt from Petrie with a smile, quickly slipping them on and adding them to what has already become an extensive collection of apparel. His body, particularly his muscular legs and a wispy upper half that fill out his 7-foot, 248-pound frame, bear a striking resemblance to Yao, who is 7-6. But that is where the comparisons end.

"He doesn't look 19, does he?" remarks an onlooker as Yi begins his warmup routine. Certainly not, as a 7-5 wingspan, a dead jump of 33 inches, a three-step leap of 37 inches and 3.5 percent body fat make Yi more man than child. In fact, no one is entirely sure how old Yi is. Reports have varied from his stated age of 19 (the Chinese national team roster lists his date of birth as Oct. 27, 1987) to as old as 22. But as Yi resumes his workout it becomes increasingly clear that his remarkable talent makes any questions about his age nearly irrelevant.


Under the watchful eye of trainer Jarin Akana, Yi begins his workout routine with a steady diet of perimeter jumpers. Alongside journeyman center Matt Knight, who has been recruited to be Yi's sparring partner these last two months, Yi fires up shot after shot with many (if not most) making a clean swishing sound as it meets the bottom of the net. He steps back behind the three-point line and continues to launch, each make furiously recorded by a member of the Sacramento staff. It's a sweet stroke that, when coupled with his size and athleticism, makes Yi's game reminiscent of that of 2006 top overall pick Andrea Bargnani. When asked by Akana to showcase his finishing skills, Yi catches the ball several feet behind the foul line, and in a graceful yet explosive motion takes one dribble and finishes with an emphatic dunk at the rim. No, Yi has no aversion to dunking.

"The thing I like about him is that he does all the basketball related stuff really well," says Petrie. "He's pretty good at everything. That's what you're looking for first in a player."

There is no question Yi is not the prototypical center Yao was when he made the leap to the NBA in 2002. "I see him as a power forward in the NBA," says trainer Joe Abunassar, who was hired last October by Yi's agent, Dan Fegan, to oversee Yi's physical development. "He's going to be a matchup problem. When he catches the ball 12-15 feet from the basket, he's going to be dangerous."

Says one high-ranking league executive, "He has the athleticism of a Kenyon Martin or Richard Jefferson. But his skills are more advanced than either of them when they were drafted."

Following the 60-minute workout Yi, his new shirt drenched with sweat, departs for the second stage of his audition: a debriefing with Kings officials who use the time to interview the prized prospect who has yet to be vetted by the American media. There, at a local restaurant, Yi will answer a barrage of questions ranging from his hobbies to his experiences with alcohol and marijuana. For China's next big thing, it's all part of the process.

Yi Jianlian likes America. Sitting (crammed may be a better word) at a corner table inside Westwood's chic Napa Valley Grille, Yi feasts on a peanut butter mousse chocolate torte, the kind of dessert most people would consider a guilty pleasure. "So good," says Yi. Though his stature suggests otherwise, Yi is still little more than an oversized kid. As an interview runs long, Yi grows fidgety and works out muscle cramps by pounding on his thighs.

In the two months he has spent in the United States, Yi has experienced a broad range of American culture. He has attended the movie premieres of Shrek the Third and Pirates of the Caribbean ("I like the party scene," he says) while showing an aptitude for navigating the complex Los Angeles roadways. "One time we finished practice and the guy that drove Yi here left with someone else," says Abunassar. "When I asked Yi how he was going to get home, he said he was going to drive himself. He told me exactly what roads he needed to take. I said to myself, how long has this kid been here?"

It is fair to say that Yi has embraced the American lifestyle faster than his Chinese predecessors, a fact that can be credited to his insistence on coming to the U.S. three months prior to the draft. In addition to driving regularly (he has a Chinese license and will apply for an American one once he figures out what state he is playing in), Yi has taken to American music ("Hip hop and R&B," he says) and has a firmer grasp of the language thanks to the hour-long English classes Fegan has set up for him five days a week. "And two hours on Saturday," adds Yi.


It's a way of life that is a far cry from what Yi left behind in China. Growing up in Shenzhen, a sweltering city in southern China near Hong Kong, Yi lived in a modest three-bedroom apartment with his parents, former team handball players who made their living as postal clerks. Yi first picked up a basketball when he was 12. "But I wasn't very good then," he says. By the end of grade school Yi had sprouted to 6-4 and was on the radar of the Chinese government, which enrolled him in one of its full-time sports schools. Despite raw physical tools-Chinese testing that included measuring the gaps between the bones of his hands indicated he would grow to be as tall as 6-9, Yi was hardly a physical specimen. Halfway through his first 400-meter run at the sports school, Yi stopped and gasped for air, unable to complete what was for the Chinese the most basic of exercises. "I didn't want to do it," says Yi. "I didn't want to be there anymore."

Yi elected to stick it out and would rise every morning at 8 for three and a half hours of classwork ("I didn't like any of my subjects," he says), which was followed by three hours of basketball drills. At night he would return to his dorm room, which was usually occupied by three or four roommates. "The worst part," says Yi. "Was that we only had one bathroom."

His obsession with the NBA, which began as a teenager when Yi would tune into the NBA games shown every week on Chinese television, grew stronger when Yi traveled to America with the national team in 2002 and took in a game between the Phoenix Suns and the New Jersey Nets. "I loved the atmosphere," says Yi. "The energy of the crowd was intense. It made me want to be out there." That same year Yi was the only Chinese player to participate in the Adidas ABCD camp.

By the end of that year, Yi had shown enough promise that he was given a spot with Guangdong Hongyuan, the top professional team in the Chinese Basketball Association. In five seasons in the CBA, Yi stepped out of the oversized shadows cast by China's "Great Wall of Centers," which includes Yao and former NBA backups Wang Zhizhi (who isn't really a center) and Mengke Bateer (who isn't really great). He quickly became a bona fide superstar in China, to the point where he is mobbed outside of hotels and stalked by rabid fans. In 2005, Yi led Guangdong to its third straight title, averaging 20.5 points and 9.6 rebounds. The team fell short of a fourth straight championship this season, losing in the title game, but Yi continued to distinguish himself, averaging 24 points (on 57 percent shooting) and 11 rebounds for the season.

China finally approved him for the draft last year after shooting down the idea in '06 citing a lack of preparation and "basketball skills, experience and physical stamina" that do not meet requirements to compete at an NBA level. In fact, the CBA is closely monitoring this year's NBA draft and may decide to pull Yi back if they believe the team that selects him is not a suitable one. Immediately Yi eagerly jumped into NBA training. Abunassar and his staff flew to China and spent an hour a day working with Yi on individual skills. "We had to be careful with him," says Abunassar. "He would practice with the national team two hours a day, twice a day. We didn't want to wear him out."

Abunassar also started Yi on a nutritional program that in the last six months has added 12 pounds of muscle to Yi's lanky frame. Abunassar made frequent trips back and forth to China and stayed in touch with Yi through phone calls and email. "This needed to be a long-term process," says Abunassar. "It wasn't just about gaining weight quickly. We wanted him to put it on and keep it on."

"I need to work on my upper body strength," admits Yi. "I need to be stronger to be able to deal with the physical play."

As the NBA draft approaches, Yi's potential success could signal the opening of an Asian pipeline to the NBA that has been growing in talent in recent years and eventually could becomes as fruitful as Europe and South America. Should he succeed, NBA teams may be more inclined to draft players out of the Pacific Rim.

"With the emphasis that is being put on basketball in China," says NBA commissioner David Stern. "I think it is fair to assume that there will be additional basketball talent in the Chinese population where 300 million people are playing basketball and as a matter of government policy the game is being promoted."

That kind of pressure would appear to be a lot of weight to be placed on one young man's narrow shoulders. In recent weeks Yi has placed two calls to Yao ("He talked to me about the playoffs and told me to work hard to prepare for the draft," Yi says) and has had dinner with Wang in Los Angeles. For the moment, however, the eyes of 1.3 billion Chinese -- as well as millions of Americans -- will be upon him.

At least until the next big thing comes along.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

CBA Dunk Contest

Here's a interest video clip that I dug up from several Chinese "youtubes" (the Chinese version is called Youku) Here we have the 2007 CBA All-Star Dunk Contest the order of dunkers is as follows:
1. Dong Junjiang
2. Xu Yong
3. La Mi La Na (not sure what he's english name is)

Second Round
1. Dong Junjiang
2. Xu Yong
3. La Mi Jia Na

The Clear winner is Xu Yong as he goes up for a scaled down version of the famous Vince Carter reverse 360! Only if he can throw it down with more authority and elevate a little bit higher...


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4 Nations Tournament

China "A" Team(more like B team without Yao and Yi)
Liu Wei 190cm 1980
Sun Yue 205cm 1985
Wang Zhongguang 193cm 1987
Chen Jianghua 188cm 1989
Li Nan 198cm 1976
Zhang Qingpeng 188cm 1985
Wang Shipeng 198cm 1983
Zhu Fangyu 201cm 1983
Mo Ke 210cm 1982
Zhou Peng 206cm 1989
Li Xiaoxu 204cm 1990
Zhang Songtao 215cm 1985
Ding Jinghui 204cm 1990
Wang Zhizhi 215cm 1977
Liu Xiaoyu 192cm 1989
Wang Lei 205cm 1986

Australia "B"
Ian Crosswhite 210cm 115kg 1982
Oscar Foreman 205cm 98kg 1982
Adam Gibson 188cm 93kg 1986
Russell Hinder 208cm 110kg 1979
Jacob Homes 202cm 101kg 1983
Joe Ingles 203cm 88kg 1987
Luke Kendall 193cm 90kg 1981
Daniel Kickert 208cm 115kg 1983
Alex Loughton 206cm 114kg 1983
Brad Robbins 186cm 90kg 1985
Damian Ryan 193cm 1979
Mark Worthington 202cm 95kg 1983

Italia "B"
Valerio Amoroso 204cm 1980
Michele Antonutti 202cm 1986
Paolo Barlera 216cm 1982
Marco Carra 180cm 1980
Daniele Cavaliero 188cm 1984
Tommaso Fantoni 203cm 1985
Luca Infante 204cm 1982
Giuliano Maresca 192cm 1981
Giuseppe Poeta 190cm 1985
Tomas Ress 208cm 1980
Guido Rosselli 198cm 1983
Rodolfo Valenti 196cm 1980
Luca Vitali 201cm 1986
Joel Zacchetti 208cm 1982

Croatia "B" (why so many players??)
Igor Sumic 186cm 1982
Damir Rancic 197cm 1983
Nino Primorac 195cm 1982
Luka Zoric 212cm 1984
Drago Pasalic 206cm 1984
Damir Makota 209cm 1985
Vedran Vukusic 203cm 1982
Ivan Novacic 202cm 1985
Luksa Andric 209cm 1985
Goran Vrbanc 194cm 1984
Marin Rozic 201cm 1983
Jure Lalic 211cm 1986
Rok Stipcevic 185cm 1986
Stanko Barac 216cm 1986
Hrvoje Peric 203cm 1985
Andrija Stipanovic 207cm 1986
Damjan Rudez 206cm 1986
Petar Cosic 183cm 1985
Petar Babic 191cm 1985
Nikola Garma 203cm 1985
Ljubo Samadan 206cm 1984
Krunoslav Rimac 193cm 1984
Darko Pezer 200cm 1987
Igor Salamun 182cm 1985
Ante Bilobrk 202cm 1982
Damjan Zunic 184cm 1987
Ivan Krolo 214cm 1983

SCORES

June 15
Australia 80 - Croatia 56
Win - Oscar Foreman 17Pts.
Loss - Drago Pasalic 19Pts.

Italy 74 - China 69
Win - Giuliano Maresca 21Pts.
Loss - Wang Zhizhi 30Pts, 10Reb.

June 16
Italy 70 - Croatia 68
Win - Giuseppe Poeta 15Pts.
Loss - Drago Pasalic 19Pts.

Australia 77 - China 66
Win - Damian Ryan 18Pts.
Loss - Zhou Peng 20Pts.

June 17
Australia 75 - Italy 54
Win - Mark Worthington 15Pts.
Loss - Tomas Ress 10Pts.

China 77 - Croatia 74
Win - Wang Zhizhi 27Pts, 9Reb.

June 19
Australia 82 - Croatia 79
Win - Mark Worthington 22Pts.

Italy 87 - China 79
Win - Luca Vitali 20Pts.
Loss - Wang Zhizhi 22Pts.

June 20
Italy 64 - Austrailia 63
Win - Giuliano Maresca 18Pts.
Loss - Joe Ingles 11Pts.

China 88 - Croatia 83
Win - Li Nan 23Pts.

June 21
Croatia 97 - Itlay 91
Win - Petar Babic 24Pts.
Loss - Giuliano Maresca 19Pts.

Australia 83 - China 71
Win - Russell Hinder 19Pts, 10Reb.
Loss - Liu Wei 22Pts.

__________________

CHEN JIANGHUA The Chinese Iverson

Sound like an oxymoron to you? Wait until you see this 18 year old in action

Here's Chen in the CBA


Chen in the ABCD camp in the USA


Chen vs. Korea in the U 18 Tournament

The Sun Also Rises (with apologies to Ernest Hemingway)

The 26th annual Pre-Draft Camp finished on June 1 with a trio of exciting games that earned this latest venture plaudits of the highest mark. Most NBA personnel were quick to tab the play among the best in the long history of the camp, which as everyone knows has spanned three decades since the first one in 1982.

The failure of some players to attend (some last minute pull outs) may have cost some cagers a shot at the first round, but there also were some spectacular performances which will be noted in the coming seasons.

It must be pointed out that the only two rookies getting appreciative minutes in this year�s playoffs (Daniel Gibson and Paul Millsap) were both selected in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft. Gibson, who had a 21-points surge in the final quarter of the Cavaliers winning game vs. Detroit, was selected 42nd and Millsap, who led NCAA Division I in rebounding the past three years, was picked 47th by Utah.

A number of players who pulled out of the Pre-Draft Camp a year ago on the advice of people who advised them not to play since they were first round picks slipped into the second round. I�m not going to mention their names, but check the rosters of the various teams � some did not even make it through an entire season.

Who Impressed in Orlando

One of the most impressive players in the recent camp was Yue Sun, a 6-9, 200-pound forward/guard from China who is eligible to be drafted this year since he has a 1985 birthday. International players are automatically eligible to be drafted in the year in which they turn 22 and Sun�s birthday is November 6 of this year. He is a very intriguing player who can even play one, two or three and showed in the shooting drills that he had one of the more perfect strokes in the camp. Last year, he played for the Beijin-Aoshen team in the American Basketball Association, a team that was originally based in mainland China. His season stats included a 13.5 ppg mark, .655 FG%, a 6.0 rebounds-per-game slate and 210 assists (7.0 apg) and a nearly three to one assist to turnover ratio. His court demeanor definitely caught the eye of NBA scouts and he suddenly was thrust into the NBA Draft picture. He has great range and a crossover dribble unlike some left-handers (it works and he can make the play off a transition game). He tired some in his final outing, but that was normal when you consider the amount of travel he must have experienced getting there.

He was not the only player to turn a few heads. Ohio State freshman Daequan Cook, who did not have the impressive frosh year predicted for him, waited until the final day to show his ability. He scored a game-high 22 points in an overtime loss, 93-92, finishing 9-of-15 from the field, 3-of-4 from 3, collecting two assists, two steals and one block. But it was his speed and quicks with the ball that brought back memories of his high school days.

Sun was a member of the winning No. 2 team that emerged undefeated in three games, a team that included Marist guard Jared Jordan, who also moved up the draft ladder, along with another senior, Stephane Lasme of UMASS, who led everyone with 13 blocks in three games along with 16 rebounds.

Another international player, 6-9 center Ali Traore, who played at La Havre (France) was a force inside for the winners, scoring 19 markers in the overtime win and shooting 18-for-27 from the field for a per game FG % of .773 � the top mark in the camp.

Best of the Rest

Others who sparkled were Coleman Collins (Virginia Tech), who did not play well this past season, but had a break-out camp, though his team lost all three games. Collins hit 19 of 35 field goal attempts (he was 7-for-8 from the field in the final game) for a .543% and a points-per-game average of 17.7, the best in the field. Originally a center, he showed he could play the three or four spot and he could slip into the Draft.

Others who played well enough to open some eyes here were Ryvon Covile (Detroit Mercy); Jermareo Davidson (Alabama); Aaron Gray (Pittsburgh); Zabian Dowdell (Virginia Tech); Jared Dudley (Boston College); Taurean Green (Florida); Trey Jackson (Jackson State); Joseph Jones (Texas A&M); Coby Karl (Boise State), who had 17 points in 18:55 minutes of playing time in game three, including a camp-high of 9-for-13 from the line; Carl Landry (Purdue); Lasme (UMASS); James Mays (Clemson); Dominic McGuire (Fresno State); Sammy Mejia (DePaul); Demetris Nichols (Syracuse); Blake Schilb (Loyola, IL); Renaldas Seibutis, a Lithuanian who played at Maroussi in Greece last year and as a 6-5 combo guard, he�ll draw interest especially after shooting .578 from the field; Ramon Sessions (Nevada); Sean Singletary (Virginia); Reyshawn Terry (UNC); Anthony Tolliver (Creighton); Darryl Watkins (Syracuse) and DeShaun Wood (Wright State), who was the MVP at the recent Portsmouth Invitational.

This does not mean that the others not mentioned are not considered prospects. Everyone here had their moments. Of the above, 17 were seniors and all three international players are draft eligible. What a great draft this will be.

More Hype on the Chinese basketball phenom from ESPN.com

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Five years ago, China's gentle giant, Yao Ming, came into the NBA surrounded by wonderment and mystery.

Fans on both sides of the Pacific couldn't get enough of Yao's smile, old-school charm and stereotype-smashing size.

He was unique -- we had never seen a ballplayer quite like this, a 7-5 center with refined skills. We had certainly never seen a player like this from China.

Even after watching Yao dominate in international competition, many NBA GMs and talent scouts weren't convinced. Yes, some thought Yao was the next Shaq. But others were thinking Michael Olowokandi.

Since then, Yao has gone on to become perhaps the best traditional center in the NBA. His game has improved steadily and remarkably every year. He is a cultural icon in both the U.S. and China.

With more than a billion people in the basketball-crazed nation of China, it seemed likely someone would follow in Yao's footsteps.

That time is now.

Yi Jianlian is here.

Yi is a top prospect and he's 7 feet tall, but he's not a center like Yao. In fact, as draft prospects go, he's more like Kevin Durant than he is like Greg Oden.

For the past few months, a number of NBA general managers and scouts who have followed Yi closely have said he's the third-best prospect in the draft. But for many others around the NBA, he remains a mystery.

Earlier this week, I spent two days with Yi, watching him in the gym and hanging out with him around town, to see for myself what had created such intrigue in NBA circles.

What did I find?

For better and for worse, but mostly for better, Yi represents a new generation of Chinese players more influenced by Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady than by Yao Ming.

CHINESE GUYS CAN JUMP

Several top draft prospects are working out in Los Angeles, including Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer of Florida and homegrown star Nick Young of USC.

But for the past four days in L.A., as I traveled from gym to gym, the chatter wasn't about two Gators or a Trojan.

Yi, who has been living in L.A. for the past month, has been making the rounds and earning awe and respect everywhere he goes.

"Have you seen the Yi kid yet?" Young's trainer Don MacLean said after I watched him work out Young and Jason Smith on Saturday. "That kid was amazing."

"The dude can play," Young chimed in. Then, with a wide grin, he proudly declared he had dunked on Yi in a workout. "When you see him play, you'll know how impressive that is."

Jianlian Yi #11

Paul Kane/Getty Images

Yi Jianlian is a 7-footer who can shoot it from 3-point range.

Different gym, same buzz.

At the Home Depot Center, trainer Joe Abunassar interrupted a discussion of the players he's training to say, "Wait until you see Yi. There isn't a drill I could come up with that Yi couldn't excel at."

Noah was giving love, too.

"Where did that guy come from?" Noah asked when I asked him about his workouts with Yi. "That's something to behold."

That "something to behold" walked into the Velodrome at the Home Depot Center at around 11 o'clock on Tuesday to unveil the mystery.

It was worth the wait.

After a brief warm-up, Yi began his shooting drills. He rarely missed. He got great elevation on his picture-perfect jump shot -- high release, elbow in, nothing but net from both inside and outside the 3-point line.

Nevada's Nick Fazekas, a draft prospect known for his shooting stroke, followed suit on the set shots, but started to lose ground to Yi once the players moved to shooting off the dribble. For Fazekas, the accuracy started to waver a bit. The needle didn't move for Yi.

And Noah? His shaky jumper found the basket, but his form looked even worse when he was matched up in shooting drills with Yi and Fazekas.

Yi handled the ballhandling drills with the same aplomb. He got low to the ground, showing impressive balance and control on spin moves to the basket.

Fazekas could do some of that too, but at a pace far slower than Yi. Noah kept up the pace with Yi, but without the consistency. Noah was all over the place, for both the good and the bad.

None of this came as a shock, given the basketball system in China. Yao likewise showed an amazing set of fundamental skills when he crossed the Pacific. Since he was 15 years old, said Yi, he's been put through five-hour daily practice sessions.

Noah, in contrast, said he taught himself how to shoot and never really knew there was anything funny about his shot until he exploded onto the scene as a sophomore at Florida.

As we saw again in the playoffs this year, for all his skill, Yao Ming lacks NBA speed, agility and explosiveness. Yi, on the other hand, is reputed to be a good athlete -- fast and bouncy. But until now, that rep has been based primarily on what he's shown against lesser players in China.

So what's he got? One way to find out was to see him next to Noah, a very athletic big man. Could Yi keep up?

It didn't take long to get the answer. After the shooting drills were over, Yi, Fazekas and Noah went through a drill in which they took the ball at the top of the key, cut right or left, were given one dribble and then had to finish around the basket.

While Fazekas labored to get to the rim from that distance, Noah had no problem, as expected. He finished every time with either a finger roll at the rim or a dunk.

Yi's performance was more surprising. I had to change angles to make sure it wasn't an optical illusion.

As Yi finished at the rim, his elbow was often at or just below the rim.

Yi Jianlian

Clive Rose/Getty Images for DAGOC

Yi can jump. Now the question is how high in terms of the draft?

His elbow.

Whether he kissed the ball high off the glass or finished with a dunk, his explosion off the floor was impressive. Not impressive like Tyrus Thomas, mind you. But for a 7-footer, he could really explode.

Yi continued to impress in full-court sprints, flying up and down the court. His pull-up shots around the basket looked nearly impossible to block, thanks to his impressive 7-foot, 4�-inch wingspan.

He also possesses great lower body strength, which should help him hold his position on the post. His upper body appeared to need work, but given his good frame and the progress he had already made in his daily workouts, it appeared that he was well on his way to filling out. At 246 pounds, Yi is nearing his prime playing weight.

Whether in the post, on the wing, or in the open floor, Yi looked as impressive in workout conditions as any elite NBA draft prospect I've come across in the last five years.

Purely in terms of talent and tools, I have no doubt he's the third-best prospect in the draft.

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.

What does Yi say? He points to a passport that says his birth year is 1987.

Regardless of his age, his production suggests he won't just be a workout wonder. He scored 24 points per game (on 57 percent shooting) and pulled down 11 rebounds per game this season in China.

That puts him in contrast to past draft prospects such as Nikoloz Tskitishvili. Before going fifth in the draft, Tskitishvili had barely played competitive basketball at all, and he was evaluated almost entirely on workouts. Yi has been playing and excelling, both in China and in international competition.

He impressed everyone with a 13-point, seven-rebound game against Team USA last year at the World Championship. But that was just one game.

That question -- can he play? -- remains a significant one. But there's another concern floating around, too.

IS HE READY?

Yao Ming's success in the NBA has been based, in large part, on his amazing mental toughness. The demands placed upon him, on the court and off, are unique and exhausting.

Can Yi handle the same stresses and strains, the weight of the world?

Yi already has the Chinese media camped at his doorstep. In China, 14-year-old girls scream for him on the streets. An entire nation is waiting to see if he can fill the footprints of a national icon.

It's heavy stuff.

Two days weren't enough to learn everything about Yi, but what I saw was an individual who amazed me with the speed with which he adapted to the U.S. and the NBA way of life. That process has taken years for Yao Ming.

Yi already conducts interviews and conversations in English, meaning he won't need an interpreter following him and translating his every utterance. He takes English classes every night to improve, but his skill is already pretty impressive.

Yi is already independent. He drives on his own in L.A., finds his own restaurants and hits the nightlife, including red-carpet walks for the movie premieres of "Spider-Man 3" and "Shrek The Third."

He listens to hip-hop music and jokes around with American players. He plays video games and dresses like a young star, with the requisite Sean John jeans and Jumpman shirt.

The decision by his agent, Dan Fegan, to bring Yi to the U.S. early so he could get acclimated before training camp should pay off big on the court, too. His daily workouts include lessons from NBA players and a former NBA assistant coach on what he can and can't get away with in the league.

When the 2007-08 season comes around, Yi will have a big head start in the acculturation process. He's already comfortable, it seems, with a life full of basketball, media appearances and travel.

He also has a sense of humility about the whole thing, with great respect for Yao. But he doesn't want to be Yao. He has his own game, his own style and his own dreams.

Now, if only Yi can land in a place as nurturing as Houston was to Yao.

If he can find the right home (as I discuss in today's blog entry), Yi has the potential to be every bit the star Yao is, both in America and abroad.

But if he doesn't land in the right place, all of his enormous basketball potential might not translate to NBA success.

That makes Yi the biggest risk/reward player in the 2007 NBA draft.

Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.

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