This is in relation to the Yi Jian Li for Sean Williams trade in the "If YOU were the Nets GM" thread. Stemming from Lurk's great post: <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Lurk182 @ Apr 5 2008, 09:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I'll jump in with something completely different. . . First, what ails the Nets? Thorn and Frank and most people here keep saying we need shooters. But what does that mean? We always seem (lately) to wind up going after guys that can shoot but don't do anything else (House, Boki, Padgett, now Ager. . .). I fail to see how that gets us closer to being *very* good. Maybe as a final piece to the puzzle this is fine, but not at the level of need we are building frmo right now. IMHO, our biggest problem on offense is that our bigs do not have enough scoring power. Except when Krly is on his game (rare lately), we are playing 3-on-5 on offense. Boone and eventually Smokey are good 5th option type players on offense - and maybe Smokey will turn into a 4th option. But I think the #1 goal ought to be changing our current rotation of valuable defensive-minded bigs into a unit with more punch. And we ought to be thinking long-term, not quick-fix. After we address that issue, we can go to work on the bench, the complementary players, etc. Second, I agree with those who have pointed out that now is not the time to trade VC or RJ . There is no market for them You have to wait until they are in the final 1 or 2 years of their contracts. Until then, they are going to be our mainstays. That doesn't mean we build around them for the long run, but I just don't think trading them right now is going to be fruitful. So. . . Let's assume we get the 10th and 20th (and 40th) picks in the draft. What are we going to get at #10? DE and nbadraft suggest the best players left at that point will be another complementary big - maybe Kevin Love or DeAndre Jordan. Alternatively, a 2 might drop, like Mayo or Westbrook. I would look to trade this pick. My suggestion (bracing to duck the rotten vegetables): trade Smokey, Ager and the #10 to Milwaukee for Yi. I think Yi would fit in much better in the NY area and be able to bloom here. I think we've only seen the tip of his potential, which is to be a #2 scorer on a very good team and a good help defender. Would Milwaukee go for it? I don't know. They are replacing the GM who drafted him, though. At #20 I love CDR. DE and nbadraft seem to disagree on his upside, but I see another Kerry Kittles developing. Or maybe a cross between Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. At #40 I have no idea. Those picks rarely amount to anything, though. As for the rest of the roster, I would: re-sign Diop for 3-4 years, sign the QO for Nenad to get another 1-year look at him, and bring in another crusty veteran as a deep back-up at the 1 (or just re-sign Armstrong). Finally, I'd add that shooter. Boki is fine if he gives us a discount . Otherwise, how about Siskauskas from Russia? My 2008-9 roster: Harris - Bandit - Armstrong Carter - CDR RJ - Siskauskas - Hassell Boone - Yi - Swift Krly - Diop</div>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Claud @ Apr 5 2008, 10:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (GMJigga @ Apr 5 2008, 10:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Claud @ Apr 5 2008, 10:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Can i ask you a question without you getting offended? Are you asian?</div> Why, do you overrate players that are of your race? What a ridiculous, asinine assumption. edit: ok so you don't like the move, but assume its because of racial bias? WTF you wouldn't be saying this if the player in question was white or black. </div> Yeah people do that actually, im spanish from madrid and spanish people would take calderon or gasol over kobe any time of the day. </div> I wouldn't
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs @ Apr 7 2008, 12:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>This is in relation to the Yi Jian Li for Sean Williams trade in the "If YOU were the Nets GM" thread. Stemming from Lurk's great post:</div> Did you think the post was great because it was well written or because you liked the trade proposal?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cpawfan @ Apr 6 2008, 03:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Claud @ Apr 6 2008, 02:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cpawfan @ Apr 6 2008, 08:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Claud @ Apr 5 2008, 11:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Can i ask you a question without you getting offended? Are you asian?</div> Why does it matter if he is Japanese or Korean or ...? </div> Because brother he proposed a trade very one sided in favor of the other team. Sean Williams, 1st round pick and Agger for YI of the bucks. So i either A assumed he was a bucks fan, and when he wasnt, i assumed he was asian. Apparently my mistake. </div> So you believe that Japanese and Korean citizens are rooting for Yi just because he is Asian? </div> Mostly chinese yes, because they want him to good. i remember when gasol came and calderon and i cheered for those guy. I still do because i am patriotic and want the best for people that came from the same place i did.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (dino33 @ Apr 6 2008, 08:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>rather saying people have nationality bias, I rather you say people have FAN BIAS. I mean look at Arenas, he almost got into the all-star game without playing any games this year..... He was like 3rd in gaurds in the East.. lol.. That was bias. And he is American. everytime you say "people overseas... people overseas" What? does it matter? so youre saying people overseas are more likely to be biased?... almost everybody is biased towards their favourite player. Not just nationality wise. Why isnt Wang Zhi Zhi an all-star?</div> Thats why i stated before that i am talking about basketbal. nothing else. Not biased, but{ the fans} since they dont live in the states, and dont watch most of the teams they cheer for their own.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs @ Apr 7 2008, 12:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>This is in relation to the Yi Jian Li for Sean Williams trade in the "If YOU were the Nets GM" thread. Stemming from Lurk's great post: <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Lurk182 @ Apr 5 2008, 09:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I'll jump in with something completely different. . . First, what ails the Nets? Thorn and Frank and most people here keep saying we need shooters. But what does that mean? We always seem (lately) to wind up going after guys that can shoot but don't do anything else (House, Boki, Padgett, now Ager. . .). I fail to see how that gets us closer to being *very* good. Maybe as a final piece to the puzzle this is fine, but not at the level of need we are building frmo right now. IMHO, our biggest problem on offense is that our bigs do not have enough scoring power. Except when Krly is on his game (rare lately), we are playing 3-on-5 on offense. Boone and eventually Smokey are good 5th option type players on offense - and maybe Smokey will turn into a 4th option. But I think the #1 goal ought to be changing our current rotation of valuable defensive-minded bigs into a unit with more punch. And we ought to be thinking long-term, not quick-fix. After we address that issue, we can go to work on the bench, the complementary players, etc. Second, I agree with those who have pointed out that now is not the time to trade VC or RJ . There is no market for them You have to wait until they are in the final 1 or 2 years of their contracts. Until then, they are going to be our mainstays. That doesn't mean we build around them for the long run, but I just don't think trading them right now is going to be fruitful. So. . . Let's assume we get the 10th and 20th (and 40th) picks in the draft. What are we going to get at #10? DE and nbadraft suggest the best players left at that point will be another complementary big - maybe Kevin Love or DeAndre Jordan. Alternatively, a 2 might drop, like Mayo or Westbrook. I would look to trade this pick. My suggestion (bracing to duck the rotten vegetables): trade Smokey, Ager and the #10 to Milwaukee for Yi. I think Yi would fit in much better in the NY area and be able to bloom here. I think we've only seen the tip of his potential, which is to be a #2 scorer on a very good team and a good help defender. Would Milwaukee go for it? I don't know. They are replacing the GM who drafted him, though. At #20 I love CDR. DE and nbadraft seem to disagree on his upside, but I see another Kerry Kittles developing. Or maybe a cross between Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. At #40 I have no idea. Those picks rarely amount to anything, though. As for the rest of the roster, I would: re-sign Diop for 3-4 years, sign the QO for Nenad to get another 1-year look at him, and bring in another crusty veteran as a deep back-up at the 1 (or just re-sign Armstrong). Finally, I'd add that shooter. Boki is fine if he gives us a discount . Otherwise, how about Siskauskas from Russia? My 2008-9 roster: Harris - Bandit - Armstrong Carter - CDR RJ - Siskauskas - Hassell Boone - Yi - Swift Krly - Diop</div> </div> So you would do this trade Pegs?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Claud @ Apr 7 2008, 07:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cpawfan @ Apr 6 2008, 03:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Claud @ Apr 6 2008, 02:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cpawfan @ Apr 6 2008, 08:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Claud @ Apr 5 2008, 11:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Can i ask you a question without you getting offended? Are you asian?</div> Why does it matter if he is Japanese or Korean or ...? </div> Because brother he proposed a trade very one sided in favor of the other team. Sean Williams, 1st round pick and Agger for YI of the bucks. So i either A assumed he was a bucks fan, and when he wasnt, i assumed he was asian. Apparently my mistake. </div> So you believe that Japanese and Korean citizens are rooting for Yi just because he is Asian? </div> Mostly chinese yes, because they want him to good. i remember when gasol came and calderon and i cheered for those guy. I still do because i am patriotic and want the best for people that came from the same place i did. </div> You didn't answer my question
Claud, let me just say this, for your clarification: Chinese people and Japanese people are different. Oh, and you said "rather have" not root for. TOTALLY different.
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/ESPNSports/story?...6060&page=1 Yao-ouch! Star's Injury Dashes China's Olympics Hopes Why Basketball Phenom Yao Ming's Injury Hurts China So Deeply At 7-foot-6 inches, Yao Ming is undoubtedly huge. But in his native China, he is larger than life. News that he is suffering a stress injury in his foot which will end his NBA season has sent shockwaves through China. "This is an earthquake for fans," said Beijing sports reporter Sunny Zhang. Yao is the face of the Beijing Olympics, the center of the Chinese sports world, and a national treasure. Even the thought that he may not recover in time to represent China at the Games has the country on edge. The Chinese Basketball Association convened an urgent meeting to discuss alternative plans, but officials are hopeful their star center will be in the starting lineup come August 8. At a news conference Bai Xilin, manager of the Chinese national team said, "We will overcome the difficulties and continue to do well in our preparation training for the Beijing Olympics." The Chinese blogosphere was flooded with comments from worried fans and Yao supporters. "I would rather lose my job or girlfriend," read one blog, "than lose Yao Ming from the Olympics." Another blogger lamented, "This is the winter of Chinese basketball." One sports newspaper pointed the finger at the Houston Rockets for overplaying Yao. (In Houston, some fans turned the tables and insinuated that the Chinese pressured Yao to sit out the season so he could rest up for the Games). But none seemed more disappointed than the gentle giant himself. At a Houston news conference, Yao said, "If I cannot play in the Olympics for my country this time, it will be the biggest loss in my career to right now." At a popular Beijing sports bar, the Goose & Duck, Yao supporter Li Ang said, "He is an idol for many young people in China. Many Chinese consider Yao Ming's injury a big blow." The NBA enjoyed popularity in China long before Yao Ming came onto the scene, but the All-Star center has inspired a generation of young basketball hopefuls. "Yao Ming in many ways is a little Johnny Appleseed and a little Tiger Woods and a little Michael Jordan," says ABC sports analyst Christine Brennan. "Put all that together and that's what this man means to China." Sunny Zhang says it goes beyond sport. "He is a national hero. His success overseas is encouraging to many Chinese people," she says. "His injury worries us because it would be like a fallen hero." All the worry may end up being premature. Doctors say Yao likely faces a three to four month recovery after surgery, which would give him time to recover for the Olympics. Some have even suggested that the injury may be a blessing in disguise because Yao will have more time to rest before the Games than he would have had he finished the season with the Rockets. Yao said at the Rockets news conference that he doesn't even want to think about how disappointed his Chinese fans would be if he had to sit out the games in his home country. The hopes of a nation of 1.3 billion are pinned on him, but Yao said when his injury was announced to his team, "it was quiet. Like nobody was there, and you just feel alone."
http://www.nba.com/news/chinajerseys.html Kobe Bryant has Top-Selling Jersey in China Posted Mar 20 2007 9:54AM China’s Yao Ming Ranks Sixth in Jersey Sales NEW YORK, March 20, 2007 – Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers has taken over as the top selling NBA jersey in China. Bryant, who also has the top selling jersey in the U.S. this year, was ranked fourth last season in China. Bryant is followed by Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson and Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady, who visited China this summer with adidas. Rounding out the top five is Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat and LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, both of whom also visited China this past summer as part of USA Basketball’s Senior National Team training. China’s Yao Ming, from the Houston Rockets, ranks sixth on the list, down from third last year. The rankings are based on sales from retail stores throughout China from the start of the 2006-07 season through the All-Star break. adidas, who signed an 11-year partnership with the NBA last April, is the official provider of NBA jerseys in China. <pre> 2006-07 Top Selling Jerseys in China 2005-06 Top Selling Jerseys in China 1) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers 1) Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets 2) Allen Iverson, Nuggets/76ers 2) Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers 3) Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets 3) Yao Ming, Houston Rockets 4) Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat 4) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers 5) LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers 5) LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers 6) Yao Ming, Houston Rockets 6) Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets 7) Kevin Garnett, Minnesota T'wolves 7) Kevin Garnett, Minnesota T'wolves 8) Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs 8) Shaquille O'Neal, Miami Heat 9) Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets 9) Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns 10) Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards 10) Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat </pre> More than 400 million NBA products were sold in over 20,000 retail locations throughout China and retail sales this year are expected to increase by more than 50%. The NBA and adidas, one of the league’s 16 marketing partners in China, are working together to open ten NBA Stores in the country by the end of the year. With 300 million people playing basketball, 83% of people ages 15-24 saying they’re NBA fans and 20% of traffic to NBA.com coming from China, basketball is rapidly growing in popularity. The league is now offering NBA broadcasts on 51 television stations, up from 32 last year.
http://i.a.cnn.net/si/pr/subs/siexclusive/.../p1_ginobli.jpg Ginobili took bows in Bahia Blanca after the Spurs won it all in 2003, but now he keeps himself under wraps. Darren Carroll/SI SI Exclusive By Chris Ballard -- In San Antonio he is known for his clutch shooting, creative passing and slicing drives to the basket. Sure, some young girls might rhapsodize about his smile and his expressive brown eyes, but for the most part the public cares only about his play for the hometown Spurs. In his native Argentina, however, Manu Ginobili long ago ceased being merely a talented shooting guard. There, he is not only the country's finest basketball player and an Olympic hero, but -- in a country wracked by economic turmoil -- he is also living, dribbling proof that anything is possible. Even his fellow members of the Argentine national team call him the One and Neo, nods to the destiny-bound hero of The Matrix. It is a heavy burden, being a national icon, especially for an introspective 27-year-old whose idea of a good time is watching HBO movies while fooling around on his laptop. Ginobili didn't sign up for all this: for thousands of crazed fans waiting for his autograph in Buenos Aires, for paparazzi dogging his footsteps, for threats against his family, for reporters calling his parents so often that, as his father says, "every time we hang up the phone, it just rings again." When the NBA season begins this week, he will resume the privileged life of a multimillionaire professional athlete in the U.S. But head 5,400 miles south to his hometown, and you begin to grasp the price he pays for his success. To understand how a basketball star can emerge in fútbol-mad Argentina, one must go 350 miles southwest of Buenos Aires to Bahía Blanca, a sleepy city of 290,000 surrounded by lush pampas as far as the eye can see. Here, and only here, soccer is second. The ground here, as La Nueva Provincia sportswriter Enrique Nocent puts it, is "planted with basketball hoops." There are 20 basketball clubs in town, each comprising eight age divisions, and it seems that everyone -- including the mayor, a former first-division star -- is a player. If the game courses through the veins of Bahía Blanca, then the heart beats inside the Bahiense del Norte gym. Walk past the paddleball courts and the small office crammed with trophies, and you see a giant banner that reads DE BAHIENSE AL MUNDO -- From Bahiense to the World -- festooned with photos of the club's 10 international players. There, past the images of Leandro Ginobili and Sebastián Ginobili, and just before Olympians Alejandro Montecchia and Pepe Sánchez, is Manu Ginobili. Unlike the rest, however, he is looking not up but down and to the side, as if to duck the camera's gaze. The angle puts into relief his most prominent feature, the one that earned him the nickname, as a boy, of Narigón. Big Nose. On this cool September evening 150 locals sit on the white stone bleachers watching the city's championship game in the top men's division. Back when Manu's dad, Jorge, played point guard, this was a humble concrete court under the stars. Now it is a raised wood floor in a cavernous gymnasium. As the men play, pushing the ball upcourt, draining soft threes and making backdoor cuts -- a scaled-down version of the team-first style that won Olympic gold -- the gym's most famous alumnus watches. Or at least, a fist-pumping, 15-foot-high image of him does, from a billboard that reads ESTADIO MANU GINOBILI. The real Manu is only a block and a half away at his parents' house, but he will not come to the final tonight. It is, he says, too difficult for him to go out in public. It began in August 2002, after the national team upset the U.S. at the world championships in Indianapolis and finished second to Yugoslavia. Ginobili came home to find he had gone from local hero to, as his former coach and good friend Gabriel Colamarino puts it, "one of the Rolling Stones." After a press conference at the Municipal Theater downtown, the 6'6" Ginobili stood on the balcony, reluctantly waving to the throng choking the street. "It was awkward," he says in fluent English. "I felt like I was running for president." His popularity soared even higher after the Spurs won the 2003 title. Ginobili averaged 7.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in his rookie season, winning converts Stateside with his headlong energy and rococo spin moves. "The fans in the United States, they are, well, more polite," says Ginobili. "The fans in Argentina can get wild, crazy. If you meet people in a restaurant, it is fine, but when they get in groups, woooo" -- he shakes his head -- "it gets dangerous." This summer Ginobili experienced something of a personal triple crown: domestic, economic and professional success. In July he married Marianela Orono, the daughter of a former Argentine basketball star and the only woman he ever seriously dated. They tried to have a small, private ceremony, but the media crashed the affair. "Some of them got in," says Manu's mother, Raquel, dismissing the incident with a wave of her hand. "One photographer came disguised as an orchestra member." Next came the contract. After averaging 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists as a starter last season, Ginobili signed a six-year, $52 million deal with the Spurs in July, making him the highest-paid Argentine athlete. But that financial security also amounted to an open invitation for extortion. With the economy in tatters since the devaluation of the peso in 2001, and with the legal system compromised by corruption and an inability to prosecute kidnappers, Argentina has become a hotbed of that crime -- a problem throughout Latin America, where an estimated 75% of the world's abductions take place. In September, the mother of Detroit Tigers pitcher Ugueth Urbina was kidnapped in Venezuela; at week's end she was still missing. In July police intercepted a phone call between members of a kidnapping ring and learned that Ginobili's father was on a list of targets. At the time Manu and his parents were on vacation in the Patagonian Andes. "The police called here and spoke to one of my brothers," says Manu. "At the beginning there was a lot of security. Federal police were at the house, and they followed my parents and my brothers to make them feel safe. You have to be careful. You never know." He shrugs. "There is not a moment where you can say, It's enough, no more security, everything come back to normal." This was not how it was supposed to be, the youngest son watching out for his family. Manu says he considered taking his parents to the U.S. "for about 10 minutes before I came to my senses." He knew their roots were too strong to pull up; they'd lived in the same modest home for the past 34 years. So every night between 7:30 and 9:30, Jorge and Raquel, accompanied by their genial 9-year-old collie, Otoño (Autumn), can still be found working at Bahiense. Asked if they would move, Raquel shakes her head emphatically. "No, no, no, no," she says. "We are not going to change our lives." In August, after installing an alarm system and hiring security for his parents -- Manu says he does not worry about his own safety because "I'm the one who has to pay the ransom" -- he left for Athens. What happened next has already become a gilded national memory: First he led Argentina to an upset of the U.S., then to an 84-69 gold medal victory over Italy. The TV ratings jumped from 6.6 for the U.S. game to 14.0 for the final, a figure nearly unheard of for sports in Argentina. Even at the aptly named Locos Por El Fútbol, a Buenos Aires sports bar across from the cemetery in which Eva Perón is buried, 300 people turned out to watch the final on 27 TVs. "It was a very nervous silence, and waiters couldn't even move between the tables," says Abel Barrios, 31, who was the bartender that night. "Then people would suddenly go crazy. Whenever they would score, everyone would shout out, 'Gol!'" Later that day the nation's soccer team beat Paraguay 1-0 in the final, making it two gold medals within 12 hours for a country that hadn't won one at the Summer Games in 52 years. But Argentina expects to be good at soccer, which has been a source of pride ever since the team took Olympic silver in 1928 (and the World Cup in '78 and '86). A hoops championship -- that was something else. Which is why the celebrations for the soccer gold medal, while raucous, didn't compare with those that erupted after the basketball team prevailed. Once upon a time Ginobili was just the skinny brother of Leandro and Sebastián, seven and five years older, respectively. When Manu was three, a local coach, Oscar Sánchez, taught him how to dribble with his eyes up and his off arm out to shield the ball. He did it all day, every day. He tagged along everywhere; Fabian Horvath, who coached Leandro and Sebastián, says he had to give young Manu a ball to dribble during the older boys' practice or the kid would hincharme las pelotas -- which translates literally as "swell my balls" but colloquially as "bust" them. Enthusiasm didn't necessarily translate into success, however. At 15 Ginobili didn't even make the city All-Star team; Pepe Sánchez -- who has since had only cups of café in the NBA -- was the junior national team star. "Nobody," says Colamarino, "thought Manu would be this good." What he was, in essence, was every scrawny American teenager circa 1986. He stayed up late to watch the NBA Finals and was obsessed with Michael Jordan, watching Come Fly with Me and Michael Jordan's Playground over and over. A life-sized Jordan poster from the U.S. still hangs in his bedroom. Then the growth spurt kicked in. He sprouted three inches in a year, and soon enough he was driving and finishing with a thunderous volcado, just like his idol. Previously, he'd been purely a shooter. "My first year professionally, my coach said, 'You see this line -- don't ever go past it,'" Ginobili says, referring to the three-point arc. "I was 6'3" and 160 pounds. I was skinny as hell." Stronger and taller, he signed to play in Italy in 1998. He spent two seasons with Basket Viola Reggio Calabria before starring for Virtus Kinder Bologna. Established as a star in Europe, he signed with the Spurs in July 2002, and ever since there's been an outbreak of black-and-silver jerseys in Argentina. Ginobili's number 20 is available for 99 pesos ($33) in the souvenir shops of Buenos Aires. It's worn at Bahiense del Norte by the little boys and kids like 15-year-old Agustín Juanpataoro, who, with his shaggy hair and matchstick biceps, looks much like Ginobili did at his age. "We all try to play like him," Juanpataoro says. "He is basketball in Argentina." What does he mean to the country? It depends on whom you ask. Keep in mind that Buenos Aires is in many respects a European city grafted onto South America, from the Parisian architecture to the late-night culture (dinners at 11 p.m.) to the emphasis on soccer. Some 60,000 fans turn out for matches between Boca Juniors and River Plate, Buenos Aires adversaries that make the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry seem tame. A recent survey by the daily Clarín asked whether Ginobili ranks with the nation's five great sporting legends: Formula One driver Juan Fangio, soccer star Diego Maradona, golfer Roberto de Vicenzo, boxer Carlos Monzón and tennis champ Guillermo Vilas. The readers said not yet -- he needed to win more titles -- but as Juan Carlos Meschini of TYC Sports channel notes, "That he is even mentioned in the same breath is indicative of his stature." ESPN Latin America now broadcasts two games a week during the NBA season and more during the playoffs, and the future looks bright: There are two more Argentine players in the league this season -- Carlos Delfino with the Pistons and Andrés Nocioni with the Bulls -- but it is Ginobili, the chosen one, who leads the way. Says Leo Montero, host of NBA Magic on TV and a good friend of Sánchez's and Ginobili's, "Pepe always jokes that if the plane crashes and you are sitting next to Manu, everyone else may die, but you will be all right." Despite a reputation for arrogance -- old joke: How does an Argentine commit suicide? He jumps off his ego -- Argentines are also said to be acutely insecure. That's why Buenos Aires has become a haven for medical tourism (read: cheap plastic surgery) and a bastion of eating disorders, and it is renowned for having as many therapists per capita as any major metropolis. Imagine the effect on the national psyche if the success of this basketball team turned out not to be the climax of something great, but the beginning. If Argentina can sustain its success in basketball, that most foreign of sports, then maybe it can compete in other modern arenas. Maybe it can rise again. That is in the future, though. For now, on this crisp September day in Bahía Blanca, Ginobili is enjoying the present. Sitting on his parents' couch, he talks about the Olympics, rising regularly to answer the door. In the kitchen his mother cooks and his wife chats on a cellphone. Even though Ginobili had a two-story brick house built in a gated community across town, he is more often at his parents' place. "I want to enjoy my time here, which means spending time with my family and my friends, late-night dinners, talking to 4 a.m.," Ginobili says. "The only way to do that is at my home, my friends' home. That is why I don't go out." Here Manu can be one of the family, falling into familiar routines. For him it is an escape -- from the media demands, from the eager fans, from the security men parked outside. For just a little while longer, before he heads back to San Antonio for another season, he can be just Manu. The expectations of a nation will have to wait. Issue date: November 8, 2004
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cpawfan @ Apr 7 2008, 08:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Claud @ Apr 7 2008, 07:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cpawfan @ Apr 6 2008, 03:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Claud @ Apr 6 2008, 02:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cpawfan @ Apr 6 2008, 08:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Claud @ Apr 5 2008, 11:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Can i ask you a question without you getting offended? Are you asian?</div> Why does it matter if he is Japanese or Korean or ...? </div> Because brother he proposed a trade very one sided in favor of the other team. Sean Williams, 1st round pick and Agger for YI of the bucks. So i either A assumed he was a bucks fan, and when he wasnt, i assumed he was asian. Apparently my mistake. </div> So you believe that Japanese and Korean citizens are rooting for Yi just because he is Asian? </div> Mostly chinese yes, because they want him to good. i remember when gasol came and calderon and i cheered for those guy. I still do because i am patriotic and want the best for people that came from the same place i did. </div> You didn't answer my question </div> Sorry i thought i did, but yes i do mostly chinese because he was born there. I dont know abotu japanese.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Joey FistPump @ Apr 7 2008, 06:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs @ Apr 7 2008, 12:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>This is in relation to the Yi Jian Li for Sean Williams trade in the "If YOU were the Nets GM" thread. Stemming from Lurk's great post:</div> Did you think the post was great because it was well written or because you liked the trade proposal? </div> It was well-written and provided alot of insight. No, I would not do the trade. Yi isn't the player I'd go for, but Lurk had the right idea IMO.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs @ Apr 8 2008, 12:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Joey FistPump @ Apr 7 2008, 06:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs @ Apr 7 2008, 12:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>This is in relation to the Yi Jian Li for Sean Williams trade in the "If YOU were the Nets GM" thread. Stemming from Lurk's great post:</div> Did you think the post was great because it was well written or because you liked the trade proposal? </div> It was well-written and provided alot of insight. No, I would not do the trade. Yi isn't the player I'd go for, but Lurk had the right idea IMO. </div> Thanks. I will agree that it was an excellent post from that standpoint.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Apr 7 2008, 10:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>http://www.nba.com/news/chinajerseys.html Kobe Bryant has Top-Selling Jersey in China Posted Mar 20 2007 9:54AM China’s Yao Ming Ranks Sixth in Jersey Sales NEW YORK, March 20, 2007 – Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers has taken over as the top selling NBA jersey in China. Bryant, who also has the top selling jersey in the U.S. this year, was ranked fourth last season in China. Bryant is followed by Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson and Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady, who visited China this summer with adidas. Rounding out the top five is Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat and LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, both of whom also visited China this past summer as part of USA Basketball’s Senior National Team training. China’s Yao Ming, from the Houston Rockets, ranks sixth on the list, down from third last year. The rankings are based on sales from retail stores throughout China from the start of the 2006-07 season through the All-Star break. adidas, who signed an 11-year partnership with the NBA last April, is the official provider of NBA jerseys in China. <pre> 2006-07 Top Selling Jerseys in China 2005-06 Top Selling Jerseys in China 1) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers 1) Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets 2) Allen Iverson, Nuggets/76ers 2) Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers 3) Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets 3) Yao Ming, Houston Rockets 4) Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat 4) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers 5) LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers 5) LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers 6) Yao Ming, Houston Rockets 6) Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets 7) Kevin Garnett, Minnesota T'wolves 7) Kevin Garnett, Minnesota T'wolves 8) Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs 8) Shaquille O'Neal, Miami Heat 9) Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets 9) Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns 10) Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards 10) Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat </pre> More than 400 million NBA products were sold in over 20,000 retail locations throughout China and retail sales this year are expected to increase by more than 50%. The NBA and adidas, one of the league’s 16 marketing partners in China, are working together to open ten NBA Stores in the country by the end of the year. With 300 million people playing basketball, 83% of people ages 15-24 saying they’re NBA fans and 20% of traffic to NBA.com coming from China, basketball is rapidly growing in popularity. The league is now offering NBA broadcasts on 51 television stations, up from 32 last year.</div> sorry to jump in here, but the reason Yao's jersey sales have been down is because EVERYONE in the country has already bought the man's jersey. I would bet his jersey was number one, by significant numbers, for 3 or 4 years then went down because everyone has already bought it.
Also, to add to Cmoney/Denny, Kobe's on top partly because of the number change. I'm sure every Laker fan has a number 8 jersey, and now that he's 24, they need to get the update.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Cmoney707 @ Apr 13 2008, 12:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Apr 7 2008, 10:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>http://www.nba.com/news/chinajerseys.html Kobe Bryant has Top-Selling Jersey in China Posted Mar 20 2007 9:54AM China’s Yao Ming Ranks Sixth in Jersey Sales NEW YORK, March 20, 2007 – Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers has taken over as the top selling NBA jersey in China. Bryant, who also has the top selling jersey in the U.S. this year, was ranked fourth last season in China. Bryant is followed by Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson and Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady, who visited China this summer with adidas. Rounding out the top five is Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat and LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, both of whom also visited China this past summer as part of USA Basketball’s Senior National Team training. China’s Yao Ming, from the Houston Rockets, ranks sixth on the list, down from third last year. The rankings are based on sales from retail stores throughout China from the start of the 2006-07 season through the All-Star break. adidas, who signed an 11-year partnership with the NBA last April, is the official provider of NBA jerseys in China. <pre> 2006-07 Top Selling Jerseys in China 2005-06 Top Selling Jerseys in China 1) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers 1) Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets 2) Allen Iverson, Nuggets/76ers 2) Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers 3) Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets 3) Yao Ming, Houston Rockets 4) Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat 4) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers 5) LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers 5) LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers 6) Yao Ming, Houston Rockets 6) Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets 7) Kevin Garnett, Minnesota T'wolves 7) Kevin Garnett, Minnesota T'wolves 8) Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs 8) Shaquille O'Neal, Miami Heat 9) Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets 9) Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns 10) Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards 10) Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat </pre> More than 400 million NBA products were sold in over 20,000 retail locations throughout China and retail sales this year are expected to increase by more than 50%. The NBA and adidas, one of the league’s 16 marketing partners in China, are working together to open ten NBA Stores in the country by the end of the year. With 300 million people playing basketball, 83% of people ages 15-24 saying they’re NBA fans and 20% of traffic to NBA.com coming from China, basketball is rapidly growing in popularity. The league is now offering NBA broadcasts on 51 television stations, up from 32 last year.</div> sorry to jump in here, but the reason Yao's jersey sales have been down is because EVERYONE in the country has already bought the man's jersey. I would bet his jersey was number one, by significant numbers, for 3 or 4 years then went down because everyone has already bought it. </div> Damn, stop saying everybody in the country bought his Jersey. wtf... None of my friends have his Jersey, I dont have his Jersey and Yes, again I live in China.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (dino33 @ Apr 14 2008, 08:52 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Cmoney707 @ Apr 13 2008, 12:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Apr 7 2008, 10:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>http://www.nba.com/news/chinajerseys.html Kobe Bryant has Top-Selling Jersey in China Posted Mar 20 2007 9:54AM China’s Yao Ming Ranks Sixth in Jersey Sales NEW YORK, March 20, 2007 – Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers has taken over as the top selling NBA jersey in China. Bryant, who also has the top selling jersey in the U.S. this year, was ranked fourth last season in China. Bryant is followed by Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson and Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady, who visited China this summer with adidas. Rounding out the top five is Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat and LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, both of whom also visited China this past summer as part of USA Basketball’s Senior National Team training. China’s Yao Ming, from the Houston Rockets, ranks sixth on the list, down from third last year. The rankings are based on sales from retail stores throughout China from the start of the 2006-07 season through the All-Star break. adidas, who signed an 11-year partnership with the NBA last April, is the official provider of NBA jerseys in China. <pre> 2006-07 Top Selling Jerseys in China 2005-06 Top Selling Jerseys in China 1) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers 1) Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets 2) Allen Iverson, Nuggets/76ers 2) Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers 3) Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets 3) Yao Ming, Houston Rockets 4) Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat 4) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers 5) LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers 5) LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers 6) Yao Ming, Houston Rockets 6) Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets 7) Kevin Garnett, Minnesota T'wolves 7) Kevin Garnett, Minnesota T'wolves 8) Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs 8) Shaquille O'Neal, Miami Heat 9) Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets 9) Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns 10) Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards 10) Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat </pre> More than 400 million NBA products were sold in over 20,000 retail locations throughout China and retail sales this year are expected to increase by more than 50%. The NBA and adidas, one of the league’s 16 marketing partners in China, are working together to open ten NBA Stores in the country by the end of the year. With 300 million people playing basketball, 83% of people ages 15-24 saying they’re NBA fans and 20% of traffic to NBA.com coming from China, basketball is rapidly growing in popularity. The league is now offering NBA broadcasts on 51 television stations, up from 32 last year.</div> sorry to jump in here, but the reason Yao's jersey sales have been down is because EVERYONE in the country has already bought the man's jersey. I would bet his jersey was number one, by significant numbers, for 3 or 4 years then went down because everyone has already bought it. </div> Damn, stop saying everybody in the country bought his Jersey. wtf... None of my friends have his Jersey, I dont have his Jersey and Yes, again I live in China. </div> I was using a figure of speech. My point was this: if someone has the number 1 jersey sales consistantly for years then eventually people will stop buying the jersey because either 1. they already have it 2. they don't want something that everyone else has. Now this point can be disproven if you show me that Yao's jersey was not number 1 by a large margin for years. If that is the case then I am wrong, but if in fact Yao was number 1 for a long time then it would only make sense.
