This Offseason

Right now, the Warriors are slated to pick 9th, and if they keep sucking a$$ they'll probably move up a few notches, lol. But at 9th, Chad Ford has them taking Yi Jianlian.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">

Birthday:10/27/1987
NBA Postionower Forward
Class:N/A
Ht:7-0
Wt:230
Int Team:Guangdong Tigers
Hometown:Shenzhen, China
High School:Shen Zhen City


NBA Comparison: Pau Gasol

Strengths: Good ball handler who has no problem taking opposing defenders off the dribble ? Great finisher around the basket as he is capable of making some impressive dunks on the break ? Fundamentally sound player with a decent basketball IQ and court awareness ? Rarely does Jianlian force the issue, instead he let?s the game come to him ? Unlike many players his size, he is a great free throw shooter ?Runs the floor especially well considering his size ... His perimeter shooting is very impressive as he can stretch the defense out to 18-20 feet comfortably ? While he doesn?t own many back to the basket moves, Jianlian possesses a consistent turnaround jumper in the post ? Does a great job of using his long body and athleticism to make an impact on the boards ? Passes out of double teams well due to his court vision and awareness ? Excels in an open court offense that promotes fast breaks thanks to his mobility and leaping ability ? Rarely gets intimidated when physical play occurs ? Although he has been on the NBA draft radar for quite some time, and may be a few years older than his listed age, he appears to still have considerable upside ? Defensively he is a solid help defender due to his lateral quickness and wingspan ? Possesses quick hands that can disrupt passing lanes ?

Weaknesses: There is some concern as to what position he will play in the NBA: He lacks the upper body strength and the back to the basket moves at power forward and is a bit long and rangy for the three ? Needs to improve his three point shooting to play minutes to be effective at SF ? Despite his vast improvement, Jianlian needs to continue to develop his upper body strength ? At this point of his career, he?s more comfortable facing the basket than with his back to the basket ? Although he doesn?t shy away from physical contact he can get disrupted with rough post play ? Struggles to maintain his position in the low post as opposing defenders tend to push him out ? Defensively he will not be the huge shot blocking presence that he is in the China, due to his timing and the speed of the NBA game ? Has a habit of putting the ball on the floor to achieve rhythm instead of keeping the ball high away from opposing guards ?. Confidence can wavier in games when he?s struggling to score ? Although listed as being born in 1987 many within China place him between 1985-1986 ? Doesn?t always play defensive with great intensity, he won?t be able to get away with it in the NBA ?

Matthew Maurer - 12/4/2006

Strengths: The next big prospect from China after Yao Ming ... A 7 footer with the agility and coordination of a much smaller player, plus explosiveness rarely found in Asian players ... Has an American style of game, very quick and athletic ... Loves the transition game and gets a lot of highlight dunks ... In the CBA, Yi has made a solid transition from prospect to star player becoming the MVP of his CBA champion Guangdong Tigers team ... Smart player, makes good decisions showing improvement on the offensive end of the floor ... Can face the basket from 12-15 feet and get by bigger players off the dribble as well as knock down shots out to 18 feet with consistency ... Has good shooting mechanics and overall fundamentals ... Seems to have modeled his fadeaway jumpshot after Dirk Nowitzki, and though it's not as accurate, it is extremely tough to defend ... Has good touch around the basket and shows good creativity on the drive ... Plays with solid aggressiveness, competitive player with a high level of energy and intensity ... Grabs rebounds well using his leaping ability ... Solid defensively as a shot blocker, with good timing and possesses good lateral quickness ... Has a fiery side(unlike Yao), if he gets elbowed he will get payback. But by no means is he a hothead or looking for trouble, he's just a competitior ...

Weaknesses: He's a tweener, but a "good tweener" ... Doesn't fit a position perfectly as he's more of a finesse player and too big to play the 3 position, but his combination of size and versatility makes him a very intriguing ... At times can be too laid back on the floor, so raising his intensity level is important ... Has good shooting mechanics but has a slow release... Could become a good shooter but probably never a great shooter ... His hands are a little weak, making it easier for opponents to poke the ball away (Yao Ming has the same problem) ... Needs to continue to gain upper body and arm strength, without losing any quickness ... If he adds additional strength, he will be able to fight for rebounds better ...He has no problems now, but it will be an adjustment to the speed and strength of the NBA ... Also like Yao the adjustment to a much longer season will take time ... The general consensus in China is that he is actually born in 1984 or 1985, meaning he wouldn't enter the NBA until he's actually 25 years of age if he stays in China until his 1987 draft year ... His game has matured to where he needs better competition to push him. He is a superior athlete in China, and lacks a great competition level, so his game is deteriorating to an extent staying in China in such crucial development years ...

Notes: Averaged: 20.5 PPG, 57.41 FG %, 75.08 FT%, 9.6 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 1.2 APG, 2.0 SPG in the 2005-06 season. Flirted with the idea of declaring for the NBA draft, but chose to stay with his Guangdong Tigers team and Chinese Olympic team. Has proven himself against American players in junior competitions (playing well at the ABCD camp in New Jersey) ... Did not perform well at the 2005 Hoops Summit game ...</div>

Video Clip

What do you guys think? He looks good because we get some size at the PF, and he seems like a prototype for Nellie -- can shoot, athletic, tall, etc. Would help Beans in the paint, hopefully, and we could move Harrington to SF or just trade him. Any thoughts?

 

Wow... that music is quite queer.

anyway, he's definitely an interesting prospect, I still need to see more though

 

LMAO at the music. where the hell did they get the idea to use that for the video? hahahaha

 

I don't know...I've never watched this guy play but that video didn't seem that impressive to me

 

Yeah, they should make a JRich video with that Bett Midler "Fly" tune ... "Did you ever know that you're my hero?"

Seriously, there's other videos, this one was just included with that article (forgot to post the source, found here: Source Link)

But this guy looks like he can be a protytpe in Nellie's system. 7-feet, can run the floor, shoot, drive, handle it well, isn't overpowering but makes up for it in quickness.

I mean, I'd rather have an enforcer power guy, but Neliie won't go for that. He LOVES his tweeners, lol. So this guy Yi looks like a good fit for Nellie ball, especially at 7 feet.

 

Yi looks like a really interestnig prospect. But dang in that video that music is so out of place for a basketball video. Play some Trapt, Linkin Park or 50 cent at least. Something aggressive and not so... (unpolitically correct word)

 

First, I want the Warriors to win the lotto and draft Greg Oden.

That's a long shot, but you cannot discount getting lucky when you have a chance.

After that, it seems like the Warriors will pick around the 9th spot again. If Chad Ford is right, then I wouldn't mind getting Yi Jianlian as a second option.

My first pick would be Julian Wright, but he may go higher and there may be some question whether he comes out because he promised his mother he would graduate college in three years.

 

<div class="quote_poster">jason voorhees Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">First, I want the Warriors to win the lotto and draft Greg Oden.

That's a long shot, but you cannot discount getting lucky when you have a chance.
</div>

The chances of the Warriors winning the lottery are the same as the chances of the Warriors making the playoffs... zero.

 

Never tell me the odds AnimeFan. Never tell me the odds. It's winning that counts.

 

How about rent a PF if we can't get one for next season?

Ron Artest should come cheap. I'd take a chance on him. He's got one year remaining on his current contract for next season and a player's option after that (likely will opt out). He should be on his best behavior just like his frist season with the Kings and because it'll likely be his contract year.

Distressed by Artest
Team's postseason drive hits a major roadblock
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Tuesday, March 6, 2007

The buzz regarding Las Vegas and all the hypothetical talk of the Kings' exodus from Sacramento had quieted once All-Star Weekend passed. The off-court troubles of coach Eric Musselman were behind them, too. The dog saga at Ron Artest's home was old material.

And not only had the negative Kings news seemed to end, the team was vying for a playoff spot and its youngest star, Kevin Martin, became the first Kings player in two years to be named Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday.

Not so fast.

Artest's arrest on a domestic-violence charge led to his indefinite removal from the team and served as the latest and potentially most serious incident in a season already filled with disruptions. And after hearing from Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie in the morning that Artest would not take part in team activities for an undetermined period of time, Artest's teammates and Musselman were left to ponder the playoff push without their small forward.

"When I heard, I think I was more hoping that it's not what people think it is," said swingman John Salmons, who had not spoken to Artest since the incident. "You never know what goes on in people's homes. ... There's no judging, none of that going on.

"We're just being as supportive as possible."

Small forward Corliss Williamson said the team's decision to remove Artest was the right one for his teammate.

"He needs all his focus and attention on his situation at home and not to have basketball," Williamson said. "At the end of the day, when you put the ball down, the most important thing in life is your home. It's a situation he has to deal with."

According to Musselman, Salmons will start in Artest's absence.

"Ron has been playing at an all-league level lately, so a player of (his) caliber is tough to replace," Musselman wrote in an e-mail. "Our guys have responded very well during our recent successes, and we expect them to play with the same level of effort and intensity (tonight) vs. Indiana."

They have had trial runs, going 4-4 in games without Artest this season. He missed four games because of a back injury, three with knee soreness and a Feb. 25 game at Indiana from which he left the team to fly from Chicago to New York and deal with "family issues," he told The Bee then.

Whether these issues might have cost him the season remains to be seen, as Petrie said there is "no time set" on the length of his removal from the team with pay, and he will be arraigned March 22. There is no immediate gauge on how this shifts the team's offseason plans.

The incident inevitably will lower Artest's trade value, and his troubles might shift the Kings' priorities after they tried so hard to deal Mike Bibby before the recent trade deadline. Artest was on the trading block earlier this season, yet the Kings appeared to be content with him as his play improved.

Artest -- who did not respond to an e-mail requesting comment -- has one season left on his contract that will pay him $7.8 million, with a player option for the 2008-09 season that, if exercised, would pay him $8.45 million.

When injuries or personal reasons didn't take him away from the floor, Artest had been playing his best basketball of the season. He averaged 22.4 points per game in February, with the Kings improving slightly while winning seven of 13 games in the month. Artest's solid play continued last weekend when he scored 19 and 23 points, respectively, in victories over the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers.

The can't-miss irony is in tonight's opponent, as the Indiana Pacers know all too well the player who remains known as the league's most controversial.

"I hadn't heard of anything that was really bad, let's put it that way." said Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh, contacted in his downtown Sacramento hotel room. "I felt like he wouldn't have a big incident. I was thinking related to basketball, because that's what we had with Ronnie."

 

Hopefully the NBA comes to realize how much the refs suck for the Warriors this season and decide to give the team a few more ping pong balls in the lottery, which could equate to a higher pick, haha...probably not though. Then again hopefully the Warriors have 0 ping pong balls in the lottery, that would be even nicer!

 

<div class="quote_poster">Clif25 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Hopefully the NBA comes to realize how much the refs suck for the Warriors this season and decide to give the team a few more ping pong balls in the lottery, which could equate to a higher pick, haha...probably not though. Then again hopefully the Warriors have 0 ping pong balls in the lottery, that would be even nicer!</div>

That's a good idea. Does anybody want Oden, though? I'm more in favor of Kevin Durant. To me this is like the same situation as Paul vs. Marvin Williams or Andrew Bogut. I thought Paul should have been consensus #1 overall in that year. But I guess people are so desperate for size because it has greater impact in the league vs. small players. I mean I would take Oden if I was #2, but I think at this stage Durant looks like the #1 overall type of guy. He's probably more nba ready than Oden is. And maybe Oden is the type of guy that needs another year of college to truly dominate.

But guys, if I want nba ready and with high upside, I take a guy like Chris Paul which in this draft is Kevin Durant.

 

Yes I would take Oden. Because he could turn into the greatest center in the history of the game. He just has SO much potential. But it will never happen, so let's talk 9th pick

 

CR2, I would love to hear your argument as to why Paul would correlate to Durant more than Oden. I would say that Durant fits into the Bogut/Williams mold because he plays a role of scoring away from the basket at the 4/5 positions. Oden to me is a prototypical All-star center, where Paul is the prototypical All-star point guard. Oden has post moves, a resemblance of rebounding dominance, and can dominate the defensive end in the NBA right now. I'd say that is similar to Paul's entrance into the league, his ability to make others better and turn a franchise around.

 

Durant is 6' 10" 220 lbs.

Oden is 7'0" 280 lbs.

They both have so much promise, and obviously they play different positions, but I would say you have to go with size here. especially if you're the Warriors. With Durant, you could have a future all-star, but how would he fit in the roster? Would he be an immediate starter, or project?

With Oden, you immediately have your franchise center for the next 10 years. Put Biedrins at the PF and make him develop a jumpshot. You now have the most intimidating frontcourt in the NBA. Oden may or may not ever become a "hall of famer," but he's an instant cornerstone at center for years to come.

Now, let's drop the #1 pick talk because we ARE NOT getting it!

 

Say the Hawks win the lottery, Oden comes out and Durant doesn't. Brandan Wright comes out, Hawes comes out, Julian Wright doesn't.

Would you guys trade Ellis and a reasonable high pick (say #6, #7) for the #1 pick, Oden?

I might be crazy, but I would think that Atlanta would do that. They got a full roster except for a point guard, they have JJ handling the point guard duties, so a smallish SG would fit great with their team, have Marvin Williams and Josh Smith at the 3/4 with Zaza/Shelden at the 5, and Childress playing a fantastic bench player, as well as whoever they pick at 6/7. That sounds like a great team to me.

Us, we have our 4/5 locked up for a while, we still have holes at 3 and maybe 1 if Baron continues to get injured, but I would think with Oden's and Biedrins' improvement, we would get alot more open shots for our gunners, making them more effective. Baron/Jrich/Jackson/Biedrins/Oden.

I think Oden has the resemblance of a jumpshot, enough for nellie to take a risk on him. He wanted Shaq when he was in NY, and was willing to trade Ewing for him.

 

At this point, I will throw Ellis, reasonable pick, POB or any light contract (since that's probably what they want), and future pick to get Oden. Heck, I still think we will get a bargain deal for Oden with that package...

 

Who would do Biedrins + Pick + Filler/POB for Oden? Just curious...