If Yi falls to #10 Kings will take him reports ESPN Insider
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draf...page=Yi-Conundrum&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos1
Can Yi play at the NBA level? That's a good question
By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
(
Archive)
Updated: June 21, 2007
Every player in the draft has a certain risk-reward quotient.
Greg Oden's risk factor went up a point or two this week when word trickled in that his
physical from the predraft camp in Orlando was red-flagged with concerns about the long-term health of his wrist and a bulging disk in his back. This could certainly give Portland pause before drafting him No. 1.
Meanwhile,
Kevin Durant caused an uproar several weeks ago when he tested as the
worst athlete in the draft. No one believes Durant is a bad athlete, but the test results raised questions about his preparation for the draft.
For the teams drafting just below Portland and Seattle, one of the biggest risk-reward questions regards a player some see as the best talent in the draft not named Oden or Durant:
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Image
Yi was well-received during a Venice Beach boardwalk stroll last month.
Chinese forward
Yi Jianlian looks great in workouts, but can he play in the NBA?
That question has been on the minds of several NBA general mangers as they consider using a lottery pick to draft Yi. With a little more than a week to go before the draft, teams are trying to decide whether Yi is the next international star or just a workout wonder.
A month ago in L.A., I watched Yi work out, and
he was very impressive -- in fact, Yi's workout ranked right up there with Oden's among the very best I've seen this year.
Yi has size, athleticism and skill. He measures 7-foot-1 in shoes, with a 7-foot-4¼ wingspan, huge hands and a 38-inch vertical jump. He runs up and down the floor well and is very quick laterally. And he's adding muscle (he's up to 248 pounds).
He's an exceptional shooter from midrange and he's beginning to develop range from the NBA 3-point line. He has a good handle and knows how to put the ball on the floor to get to the rim. He has excellent footwork in the paint and a strong work ethic.
In short, in two days of workouts, it was clear that his athleticism and skills are at the NBA level. From a pure talent standpoint, only Oden and Durant appear to have more upside.
But as we've all seen over the years, what a player does in a workout doesn't always translate to a five-on-five basketball game.
The Celtics, Hawks, Bulls, Kings, Clippers, Lakers, Warriors and Sixers have already watched Yi go through the same workout I saw. They have offered similar praise and raised similar concerns.
Since seeing Yi in L.A., I've been doing more digging on him -- watching more game footage and talking to more scouts. I even got a former teammate of Yi's, American Jason Dixon, on the phone. The picture they paint is one of both untapped potential and uncertainty.
Is Yi The Real Deal?
It really depends on whom you ask. Since I wrote my first story on Yi, I've been flooded with e-mails and a few phone calls from skeptics. While everyone agrees that Yi is an interesting prospect and one of the elite players in China, some think he is being vastly overrated by NBA teams.
Why?
The two common concerns I am hearing are about his age and about his lack of toughness and overall basketball IQ.
The Hawks were the second team to see Yi. They have enough interest at No. 3 that they've requested Yi fly to Atlanta to meet the owners. The word is that Al Horford is likely their target at No. 3, but it seems enough of the Hawks' brass were impressed with Yi to give him a longer look.Danny Ainge insists that Yi may be the third-most talented player in the draft and is getting strong consideration from the Celtics at No. 5 -- but he also is looking at several other players and potentially trading the pick. Ainge sounds like he thinks Yi may be the top talent at No. 5, but he's concerned enough about some of the question marks that he may opt for a more proven product, such as Florida's
Corey Brewer or Georgetown's
Jeff Green.
The Bulls would take a long look at him at No. 9, but they also have an affinity for Joakim Noah and would likely select him ahead of Yi if he were still on the board.
The Kings may be his backstop. One source in Sacramento told me they are high enough on Yi that he would be a lock at No. 10 if he fell that far.
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Posted Jun 8th 2007 1:22PM by Brett Edwards
