NBA Draft: The Great "Tall" of China

Discussion in 'NBA General' started by Shapecity, May 10, 2005.

  1. Shapecity

    Shapecity S2/JBB Teamster Staff Member Administrator

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2003
    Messages:
    45,018
    Likes Received:
    57
    Trophy Points:
    48
    NBA Draft: The Great "Tall" of China

    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">He stands 7-foot-8, weighs 360 pounds, wears a size 6XL jersey and seems to be the reason camera phones were invented whenever he ventures out in public.
    He arrived in the United States only three months ago and already is the star of a reality television project, tentatively titled "The Great Tall of China."

    He has the story to be basketball's Sidd Finch, George Plimpton's mythical pitcher from the pages of Sports Illustrated, as well as the next Yao Ming, all at only 21 years of age.

    The only question is whether Sun Ming Ming can be made into an NBA player ... and whether any team might take a gamble on him even if he can't.

    "The general consensus is he's probably a year or a year-and-a-half away," said Ventura-based agent Charles Bonsignore, who first spotted Sun two years ago when his Chinese junior national team played in Los Angeles. "But he's going to need to do it in the NBA. It's about finding the right team for him to develop because the upside could be enormous."

    If he sounds like the stuff of fiction, Sun is very much flesh and blood. With no first-division team in his home, Heilongjiang province, near the Russian border, Sun is the first player China has allowed to leave without a pro contract and train in the United States.

    He spent five weeks working out in Greensboro, N.C., and is eligible for the June 28 NBA draft. Scouts from Utah, Washington, Indiana, Toronto, Milwaukee and Charlotte traveled to see him, and Sun auditioned April 29 for the Lakers on his way back to China.

    "He's a big project," Lakers assistant general manager Ronnie Lester said. "He has a ways to go."

    Utah scout Troy Weaver said he thought Sun probably was an NBA player, depending on what system he would play in and how much he improved in the next year. Sun has played organized basketball for only 7 years and has done virtually no strength training.

    "He has a good shooting touch and a decent feel for the game," Weaver added. "He doesn't have great lift off the floor. He really has to improve his footwork as far as moving side to side and getting up and down the court."

    If nothing else, Sun already has been good for one of the lines of the year in the NBA. One scout, who perhaps had seen too many small forwards, sized up Sun to Bonsignore by saying, "He's not really a long 7-8."

    Keep in mind that Sun's hands make it look as if he's playing with a softball. He can dunk without leaving the ground and might be the tallest living person on the planet. (The Guinness Book of World Records says a 7-foot-8 Tunisian man currently holds that distinction.)</div>

    Source
     
  2. iverson_3_nba

    iverson_3_nba JBB JustBBall Member

    Joined:
    May 8, 2005
    Messages:
    10
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    1
    Are you kidding me? 7-8 guiness book of record i dun think so the tallest man alive is 8-1 and i dun think he can beat Yao Ming , never anyday and never anywhere.
    he might be a gigantic monster but since he's bigger it'll be tougher to fun and do all the normal things lol
    it's be pretty exiting 2 see him play (dunk without jumping) crazy!!!
    from los angala, calee?
    why woundn't jeff van gudy pick sun man? double the trouble, double the height
    HE'LL NEVER BE BETTER THAN YAO THE MING
     
  3. REREM

    REREM JBB JustBBall Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2005
    Messages:
    1,637
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    36
    He doesn't need a lot of finesse. Running the floor and staying healthy may be issues,and yet he should have a role as a part time player.
     
  4. Moo2K4

    Moo2K4 NBA West Producer

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2003
    Messages:
    11,768
    Likes Received:
    34
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Location:
    Alburnett, Iowa
    <div class="quote_poster">Quoting iverson_3_nba:</div><div class="quote_post">Are you kidding me? 7-8 guiness book of record i dun think so the tallest man alive is 8-1 and i dun think he can beat Yao Ming , never anyday and never anywhere.
    he might be a gigantic monster but since he's bigger it'll be tougher to fun and do all the normal things lol
    it's be pretty exiting 2 see him play (dunk without jumping) crazy!!!
    from los angala, calee?
    why woundn't jeff van gudy pick sun man? double the trouble, double the height
    HE'LL NEVER BE BETTER THAN YAO THE MING</div>

    Have you any clue as to what you're talking about? The kid is 19 I believe. He has the potential and the height to be good. His main issues are his conditioning and healt, but at that height, that would be expected. You can't say he won't be better than Yao yet. Yao for one, isn't even that great. He's good, this is true, but not great. Yao has been a slight disappointment in the eyes of many I think. He was supposed to be the next Shaq, if not better, and he hasn't even come close. Yao is not on that high of a level. At this point, I'd be putting him no higher than 3rd when ranking centers, with Shaq a mile ahead and Amare a little ahead. Sun could good. He could be better than Yao. But to judge him before you see him is simply stupid.
     
  5. JWohl

    JWohl JBB Lovin the BCS

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2004
    Messages:
    1,531
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    36
    hmmmm

    <div class="quote_poster">Quoting iverson_3_nba:</div><div class="quote_post">Are you kidding me? 7-8 guiness book of record i dun think so the tallest man alive is 8-1 and i dun think he can beat Yao Ming , never anyday and never anywhere.
    he might be a gigantic monster but since he's bigger it'll be tougher to fun and do all the normal things lol
    it's be pretty exiting 2 see him play (dunk without jumping) crazy!!!
    from los angala, calee?
    why woundn't jeff van gudy pick sun man? double the trouble, double the height
    HE'LL NEVER BE BETTER THAN YAO THE MING</div>

    how can you say this? Have you ever seen him play? you are judging him strictly on his height and you have nothing backing up the argument the he will never be better than Yao. This kid has great potential, he is huge and has only played BBall for 7 years so he has tons of room to develop. Before you judge somebody you should find out where they come from.
     

Share This Page