Does Net fan actually care about Yi's play, other than how he performs for Nets in games that actually mean something, NBA-wise?
I cant say that I "care" for him now... but he sure is growing on me. But im sure in a couple of years he'll be a fan favorite a la Nenad Krsitc AKA Curly.
Technically we shouldn't care. However, Yi gets slammed by the media when he plays poorly and people trash him calling him "bust". We end up caring, there's no way to hide Yi. He's a media magnet.
haha well I'll be damned. Welcome to S2, Montross! Send myself or Pegs a PM if you have any questions about the site. That's an interesting question you pose, as I'm not sure what capacity Yi can involve himself in that's both outside of the Nets and within the NBA. However, I'd say that most of us (perhaps all) are interested to see how he does over the summer as we get to know what kind of player he is. Still, it's been my opinion that you can only get so much from Olympic play, and have to take those boxscores with a pretty serious grain of salt. It's much better to watch the games, and luckily this is available to us.
He's a Net. It's the first time many of us have seen him play. Some of us are curious at his skill level. We are not shut-ins. So we shouldn't watch, I guess. We should all sit in darkened rooms until the end of October. By that logic, we shouldn't care about summer league or pre-season or even training camp. Similarly, I would watch if Julius Hodge's workouts with Vince Carter at the New York Athletic Club were televised. I'm a Nets fan.
Well...it's not that I really care that much, but I am interested to see how he is doing/getting to see some more of his game. I can't say that I watched too much of him in last years regular season, and the youtube clips are only going to show the good stuff.
It isn't everyday that a prospect like Yi, or any Net for that matter, gets to compete on the greatest worldwide athletic stage in history. BTW, welcome to S2 Mr. Montross.
Because there's a distinct likelihood that Yi will be important to our team in the near future, and that his development may have a great impact on future seasons. Welcome to S2, MisterMontross.
I won't lie, while I think Olympic performance is meaningless (although no where near as meaningless as the summer league), I have been keeping tabs on Yi. I understand why others are very interested, but they should take the Olympic performances with a grain of salt.
Like I've been telling Rory though, this guy is gonna be better than Rory thinks, haha. I've been watching Yi play during the Olympics and Rory's right, take it with a grain of salt. But what I really like are his rebounding numbers, especially against Spain, and his activeness on D. He had to guard Dirk during the China Germany game and was pretty pesky and let's not forget, Dirk was a former MVP. He's very long and has great lateral movement for someone as large as he is but he IS 7 foot, so don't expect him to move like Kobe. He is, however, way more athletic than I thought before watching the Olympics.
you know its funny when Yi has a poor performance, or at least a performance up to standards by some on this board they trash him, yet when he show his skills and gets alot of boards and plays defense, these same people tell us its only the olympics and we should take it with a grain of salt. Interesting how some people want it both ways. They just can't be wrong about anything. But in my humble opinion if a player has a good game against Spain , and Germany where he is playing against nba all stars it should be taken as a good sign. And, in that light a weak performance against the dream team, well it appears everybody both international players and nba players seem to have a tough time against them. So take that with a grain of salt. btw, i'm on record as being excited that Yi is a net.... oh yeah, go nets!!!
i have love how he has played so far... i mean he has moments where he seems lost but hes freakin 20 yrs old... im 25 and at my job i look and feel lost at times... cmon man.. kid looks and feels real to me!! im excited... i cant freakin wait...
Don't get me wrong, (if and) when Yi plays for the Nets in the regular season, I am hoping he will be a great addition to the team. When the games count, Yi's performance will be of interest to me, and actually mean something.
Theoretically, ok. However in this case you've got too look at Yi's value off the court. In a way it doesn't matter how well he plays, Yi is one of the most important players to the Nets.