I guess. They are 7-11 and seem to be going nowhere. What are they going to win paying RJ? I realize they aren't getting any top free agents, but I wonder if they really have any plan at all. In any event, they had to trade Yi (who they shouldn't have drafted in the first place), so the Nets got there just at the right time.
With a starting lineup of Harris, VC, RJ, Anderson and Lopez, the Nets would have been 15-0 enroute to an 82-0 season, to be follow by a 16-0 post season. On offense the Nets would be averaging close to 150 ppg and Ryan Anderson would be a 30/20 guy. Plus the Nets won't have to put up with Yi and his 50% shooting from the FT line. Beautiful.
The best difference between RJ and Vince, is that Vince has a superior leadership from the summer. He volunteerted to hold many activies for our Nets.
DING DING DING! We have a winner! I'm sorry everyone, but sometimes, decisions are not made for basketball reasons. As a lame duck team in NJ, the Nets organization realized there is only so much more revenue that could be generated by the current fan base - win or lose. Therefore, they decided to piggyback on the League's efforts to expend into China. As you know, the marketing outlets and sales potential are exponential. China is a country that is as ripe and ready for basketball as Japan was for baseball. Apart from the contract length and freeing up cap room for LeBron, it makes BOTTOM LINE REVENUE SENSE to have Yi as a Net. It really is that simple. If you clear your cookies and go to njnets.com, you'll have a choice of 2 Chinese language sites in addition to the English one. Think about how many more eyeballs that is. Increased interest means increases sales and revenue down the line. And think about carrying a Chinese fan base into the move to Brooklyn, where there are 3 Chinatowns a subway ride away from the Barclay's center... So to sum up, the Nets made this trade not to better the team, but to better the business. And you can't blame'em for it either. Don't criticize the Nets organization until you have to live in their shoes.
ok i understand the better business part but i really believe that kiki sees something special in Yi... hes goin to be a star type potential ^^
wow this retard shit again? Milwaukee must be really retarded to trade Yi to New Jersey, Those midwestern people are so stupid that they are just giving money away. Wang Zhizhi was such a cash cow that no NBA team even dare to keep him on the bench to milk the Chinese dollars. There are 1 billion chinese people, if Nets can sell one Yi jersey to every Chinese, it will become the wealthiest organization ever. Any None retarded people would see how flawed this dumb argument is. No NBA gm is basing their decision on the "business side". Your Jersey ain't selling anywhere if you can't play. NJ like Milwaukee, traded for Yi because they see talent in him, the Marketing side is secondary.
As far as the trade goes, There are a few aspect to it. Would the Nets do better this season? It would be really hard to judge. Nets had an awful record after the Kidd trade last season, would replacing the starting front court with 2 rookies make the difference? Perhaps. While Yi and Simmons individually might have nothing to do with Nets early season success, but changing shot distribution might. Simmons might have play poorly and Yi's been inconsistent, but they are averaging less shot combined than RJ last year. But really, I think Nets doing well this season is really a bonus for the trade. Would the Nets do better in long term? Absolutely. If Yi turn out to be great, then Nets made a really good investment. If he turns out to be average, he might still be a good trading piece. If he turns out to be a bust, Nets could simply dump him in 2010 and pick up some big name free agent. It's really win win for the nets.
furnace does have a point though. think- if the Nets didn't have this extra support coming from Chinese sales etc. etc. , then (especially in this frail economy) things may have been looking VERY bleak for the Nets financially.
wtf? why are you keep going down this path? I can tell you right now that Nets trading for Yi has nothing or very little to do with financial purposes. The money from televising and Jersey sales go to NBA and the teams share the profits equally. The other exposure is at most secondary. It's not like Bucks are a championship caliber team that they are trading away a cash cow for RJ to bring them to the promise land.
I'm not saying that's the only reason. We know why we got Yi- younger, more potential, less money than RJ etc. etc. But the Chinese revenue is a plus that would only have happened if the Nets got Yao. In other words, it's additional revenue that helps in the long run, especially with the planned moved to Brooklyn.
It's not just jersey sales and television. It's butts in seats. Barclay's center. Chinese businesses buying luxury boxes. Do the math.
True perhaps I was a bit dramatic. Kiki and Rod won't make a trade like that if the quality of players weren't close. Wang Zhi Zhi is a bad example because he just wasn't good. Yi has a chance to be good. The would not have done an RJ for Wang trade. However, what I am saying, is that if Yi was not Chinese, they might not have made the trade so readily. I am saying that Yi + Bobby Simmons <<<<< Richard Jefferson overall. However, the business and marketing aspects make it Yi + Bobbyy Simmons < Richard Jefferson overall. Yi also means more buts in seats in the tri state area because there are tons more Chinese people living here vs Milwaukee. As a season ticket holder, I can tell you first hand there are tons more Chinese people in the stands this year. Business might be a driving factor, but not enough to warrant a clearly bad trade. It is only enough to warrant a medium/tepid/could-go-either-way trade.
There is no denying that Yi bring attention to the Nets, and maybe put some Chinese butts in the arena. Myself included, was never a Nets fan before the trade. But I promise you winning basketball puts more people in the seats than having a chinese player on the court. If Izod center's been packed with Chinese people, then ok, maybe I can see your point. But last I heard from people on this board, it is quite empty and depressing. If nets were an exciting playoff team, there are going to be more people in the arena than having Yi on the court. No GM in their right mind would trade winning basketball for a few more chinese people in the arena.
disappointing that so much of this thread is wasted by those who refuse to stay on topic I am willing to opine that the Nets are better already due to the trade. Nets decided on a course of action which was to 1) create a new offense around Devin Harris 2) get bigger and 3) get shooters. RJ did not fit the plan. He may be better than Simmons but Simmons is playing a defined role well whereas RJ would demand a larger role which would make Devin and Vince less effective. Cmon NI, you can opine on this, you are better than that.
If Yi can consistently hit mid and long range jumpers, he does open up the lane for Devin Harris. The flaw with this overall drive and kick strategy, is that if Devin Harris gets injured, the Nets go down. This strategy is too dependent on one player. The trade fits the new strategy but does not make the Nets better. The other flaw is that as we all know, Yi has been anything but consistent. Devin Harris has been great since coming back from injury, but he's one paint attack away from the end of the Nets' season. Add to that his average of 35 mpg and you've gotta ask yourself, how long can he keep this up? If you want to ignore the business aspect of the Yi & Bobby for RJ trade, and concentrate on just the basketball aspect, then I would say this trade makes the Nets worse because it enables/encourages Lawrence Frank to go with the Devin Harris offense.
Yi has to learn to play better defense. Thats why i don't think he'll be a star until his 3rd year at least... The nets would be a better team if they kept RJ, but this team is just too damn exciting for me to complain... Oh yeah, go nets!!!
