<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">BEIJING (Reuters) - China's best young basketball prospect Yi Jianlian is a step closer to his NBA dream after the Guangdong Tigers cleared him to enter the 2007 draft, local media reported on Friday. The 2.11-meter (6 ft 11.06 in) teenager was touted for the 2006 draft but blocked by Guangdong after the China Basketball Association (CBA) voiced concerns about players missing national games while warming benches for NBA teams. "We did not let Yi join the 2006 draft because it was not the best timing for him," Guangdong general manager, Chen Haitao, told the China Daily. "But now he is different and getting stronger mentally and physically. I think next year will be a big chance for him, so for us, it's time to let him go." Yi, 19, still faces the hurdle of securing permission from the CBA to be exempted from the rule barring Chinese players from entering the NBA draft before their 22nd birthday. CBA vice-president Hu Jiashi said the league supported players going overseas to play at the highest level as long as they had plenty of time on court. "If he is going to be stuck on the bench, it would be better if he stayed at home," he said.</div> Link
Why does he have to wait for their permission? Who cares what they say? What would happen if he just declared anyway?
<div class="quote_poster">NTC187 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Why does he have to wait for their permission? Who cares what they say? What would happen if he just declared anyway?</div> He would be barred from returning to the Chinese National Team. Also, if I'm not wrong, his contract with Guangdong was signed with the clause that he can't declare for the NBA Draft before he's 22. Therefore, there might be legal repercussions if he doesn't get the Chinese Basketball Association's permission.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Scouts and league executives generally believe that the 2007 draft will be the strongest since '03, with Ohio State's Greg Oden and Florida's Joakim Noah expected to be the top picks. The class quietly added another potential big name this week, when it became known that the Chinese Basketball Association will permit phenom Yi Jianlian to enter the draft. Yi has been a sensation in the Far East for years and is already Nike's top Chinese pitchman. He's very athletic and 6-foot-11, drawing comparisons to Kevin Garnett. His does need development, which led Yao Ming to encourage China to let him come to the NBA to develop before the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The real question is just how old Yi is. During the summer's world championships, he told members of Team USA that he was 18, but some believe that he might be as old as 22. The Chinese have changed his birthday on the national team's roster in the past. The other international player scouts are waiting on is Marco Belinelli of Italy. The sweet-shooting guard has indicated in the past that he's in no hurry to leave Europe, but he'll probably be a top 10 pick when he does.</div> Source
the reason y some ppl believe he's above twenty is because in china, they believe that ur 1 when ur born and stuff like that. china has a long history
They are totally stupid!! LOL I actually didn't know that. Who's that SG that's like 6'8 and that's Chinese?
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">the reason y some ppl believe he's above twenty is because in china, they believe that ur 1 when ur born and stuff like that. china has a long history</div> Uhh, since when? I have a bunch of relatives and such over there, and to be honest, I've never heard of that before.
<div class="quote_poster">CLos Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">They are totally stupid!! LOL I actually didn't know that. Who's that SG that's like 6'8 and that's Chinese?</div> Why are the Chinese stupid? Just because they have a different opinion than you about birth doesn't mean that they are stupid.
<div class="quote_poster">Brian Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Why are the Chinese stupid? Just because they have a different opinion than you about birth doesn't mean that they are stupid.</div> I specifically put LOL I was joking about the whole thing. Come one be realistic. Anyways, there's some 6'8 SG from China. I forgot his name. Can anybody please help me remember it?
<div class="quote_poster">AznxBaller Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Uhh, since when? I have a bunch of relatives and such over there, and to be honest, I've never heard of that before.</div> I've heard of it, and thats how it is in Korea too I believe.
<div class="quote_poster">CLos Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">They are totally stupid!! LOL I actually didn't know that. Who's that SG that's like 6'8 and that's Chinese?</div> if u mean by the first chinese player to ever play in the nba, who played with the mavs, its wang zhi zhi
I kind of agree with China's approach on not letting Yi go sooner. If he's not ready, he's not ready. Coaches will find this out. Even Mavs assistant coach Harris knows he is not ready. Yao Ming was a different case because he already knew most of the nba big man moves and he was labeled a smart player who just needed conditioning and especially strength conditioning. Yi is probably athletic enough to handle the quickness of the nba, if he is as freakishly athletic as they describe. But doe he have skills? English will be a barrier, so he needs to be somewhat hands off from coaching as a player. This means he needs to be smart like a vet like Chris Paul. But I don't think he will be like that. He could be very slow to unlearn bad habits and learn new good ones. He also needs to get stronger it looks like, unless he is like Kevin Garnett or Andrei Kirlenko type strength and balance. In the olympics, it looked like he did okay, but he wasn't noticeable at all except for a few dunks where he hung on the rim and some plays where he swatted some shots. It could be just that the rest of the Chinese national team sucks because they have no good guards on their team. They got all height, but no quickness and no strength to post up. It's like with Yao, get him bigger in the weight room, get him teammates that can find him, let him rest during the offseason, get him more American nutrition, and watch him dominate. Yi kind of reminds me of the Warriors' Biedrins for some reason.
<div class="quote_poster">CLos Wrote</div><div class="quote_post"> Anyways, there's some 6'8 SG from China. I forgot his name. Can anybody please help me remember it?</div> Sun Yue, he's the 6'8" combo guard your talking about. Yi Jianlian should be a lotto pick IMO He's got amazing talent for a player his size and I can see him being a Bosh type player.
<div class="quote_poster">J_Ray Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Sun Yue, he's the 6'8" combo guard your talking about. Yi Jianlian should be a lotto pick IMO He's got amazing talent for a player his size and I can see him being a Bosh type player.</div> tht bald guy or the guy with a lil bit of hair? i thought sun yue played small forward....................
About the age thing. Most chinese freinds I have do have two birthdays. One of their birthdays is the date everyone in America is familiar with, which is the day you're born. Their other birthday is based on this: <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">East Asian age reckoning is a concept used in East Asian countries originating in China. Several East Asian cultures, such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese, share a traditional way of counting a person's age. Newborns start at one year old, and each passing of a New Year, rather than the birthday, adds one year to the person's age. This system is still widely used in China and is used officially in Korea. However, its use is less common in other countries.</div> It is sort of a strange way to count age. If a kid is born the day before New Years, he'll be 2 years old within 3 days of being born.
