Scouts LOVE Yi

by Atma Brother ONE on Mar 29, 2007 1:06 PM PDT in NBA Draft

In Chad Ford's chat this morning on ESPN.com he provided some info on where The Movement might go in this year's loaded NBA Draft:

James (OH): Where does Yi Jianlian go in the draft?

Chad Ford: He's the wildcard in the first half of the lottery. He may be a little under rated at the moment. The scouts that have seen him a lot LOVE him. I think he could go somewhere in the 3 to 8 range if Oden and Durant come out. If they both decided to stay in school, I actually think he'd get some consideration for the No. 1 pick. He reminds me a little of Bargnani.

To throw a little more gasoline on the fire, it's important to note that Warrior head front office man Chris Mullin was personally in China earlier this month to scout Yi at the CBA Finals between the Bayi Rockets and Guangdong Tigers. If it looks like Yi could be gone from the draft board way before the fresh off an amazing playoff run Golden State Warriors (fingers crossed!) get to make their pick, maybe Mullie will make a promise a la Andris Biedrins in the 2004 draft and Yi won't try out with any other teams. There's no better fit for Yi in the NBA than Nellie's Warriors and the Bay Area.

Regardless of whether or not the Warriors wind up in the lottery or not, the 2007 NBA Draft is going to be exciting. To Yi or not to Yi? To trade or not to trade? I'm predicting Mullie, Higgy, and Nellie will do something bold on June 28th 2007.

Air Yi's getting some love!

Even though the picking order hasn't been set, just for fun what's your 2007 NBA Mock Draft for the top 10 picks look like?

Here's mine:

Greg Oden (Ohio State)
Kevin Durant (Texas)
Brandon Wright (UNC)
Julian Wright (Kansas)
Al Horford (Florida)
Jeff Green (Georgetown)
Yi Jianlian (China)
Joakim Noah (Florida)
Corey Brewer (Florida)
Roy Hibbert (Georgetown)

Post yours in the comments.

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Comments

It would be nice

to see Yi slip down to the warriors, who are most likely looking at a pick in the low teens. Seems doubtful to me, with the Chad Ford hype (I mean, he was so firmly attached to Darko's jock, he brainwashed everyone and Darko went #2- before Melo, DWade and Bosh!)...(!!!!!!!!). I like seeing everyone hate on Noah because I think he would fit well with the Dubs, if he could slip that low. He lives on the glass and pulls offensive boards, which the Warriors desperately need.

by bozaframa on Mar 29, 2007 1:49 PM PDT reply actions

I like Noah too

He would be great on the Warriors because he can run the floor and board

Nelson hates traditional Big men

by Zig on Mar 29, 2007 3:04 PM PDT up reply actions

my opinion:

I don't think Yi is top-7 caliber, so IMO Chad Ford over-hyped him a little bit.

Pick 8~12 is most likely where Yi will land - That's still outside of the dubs draft spot so Mully and co have to get a little creative here if they really want him.

It would be nice to have Yi here since he will be a good fit to Nellie's system, but the ticket price will skyrocket and I won't be able to attend any games anymore.

by MightyReds2020 on Mar 29, 2007 1:58 PM PDT reply actions

It seems like every year

these relatively unknown tall foreign player keep moving up in the draft until they are in the top 5

It must be the the upside of the mystic. What is he is the next Dirk must be the thought process.

by Zig on Mar 29, 2007 3:07 PM PDT up reply actions

The Law...

I think Acie Law is going to be a top 10 pick. I think the guy is clutch, he is instant offense. Acie Law is Michael Redd and Nick Van Exel mixed, and that is not a bad thing. The guy is my favorite coming out in this draft, he was named to the all first team in the NCAA, and there is no way he slips past 10.

by gswrico on Mar 29, 2007 2:20 PM PDT reply actions

Too early to tell

I almost started doing a mock draft here, but man--there are just too many variables. Too many months between now and June 28. The ESPN Insider Hype Machine is just starting to gear up; we don't know who's declaring for the draft; we don't know the draft order; and we don't know what's gonna happen in the Final Four, which might actually factor heavily in the draft order (imagine if Hibbert outplays Oden--Big Hib's gonna move up at least 5 spots on every draft board! Not to mention Jeff Green, who might be a serious dark horse for that 3rd pick).

Hell, after all is said and done (and said again), Yi could go anywhere from #3 to #15.

I'm hoping that Corey Brewer has a bad Final Four and he drops to us. He's like Pietrus Plus: bigger, better defender, more versatile, and seemingly smarter. And since Pietrus might be gone in FA, Brewer'd be a nice replacement--especially if Barnes finds more money elsewhere.

by ivanbe on Mar 29, 2007 2:25 PM PDT reply actions

haven't seen too much Brewer...

..but on chad ford's podcast on espn.com, his special guest was, interestingly, critiquing yet praising Brewer as someone "lacks judgment sometimes" "almost cost them the game last week" "who can't dribble, has no jumpshot" but "is an unbelievable way of making plays and has top notch Defensive." So i guess you're comparison with Pietrus is pretty close. haha.

by dj fuzzylogic on Mar 29, 2007 3:44 PM PDT up reply actions

Is he a chinese POB?

Yi sounds pretty soft to me, not very heavy for his height and having trouble dominating the weak chinese games. I think we need a true big man more than a hyped foreigner? Drafting to please the demographics of the bay area is stupid, that crap went out right after Jackie Robinson proved it made no sense. Who would be the best true power forward
(no matter where he comes from) likely to be left for our draft spot?

by Skeptic con Urquell on Mar 29, 2007 3:28 PM PDT reply actions

Trade up before the draft

I think if Mully + management are serious about Yi, we should trade up in the draft. We could kill two birds with one stone: clear up some cap room, and pull in Yi.

My proposal is this: Should Yi end up in projected top 5, we trade:

One of our large contracts (Harrington would be my first priority, Jackson second)
Pietrus (After a sign and trade: he's a restricted FA right?)
and our 1st round draft pick

for:

Their first round draft pick
A solid backup point guard. Looking at the bottom five teams, they could possibly be: Chucky Atkins (Grizz), Tyronne Lue (Hawks), Earl Boykins! (Bucks), Sebastian Telfair (Celtics), or Jeff McInnis. I'm not to sure of the numbers, but I'm pretty sure everyone but possibly Chucky Atkins makes less than Al Harrington.

by Bill Curley 0wns j00 on Mar 29, 2007 6:24 PM PDT reply actions

way off

Al + Pietrus (sign-n-trade) totaled at least 10~12M. None of the players you mentioned earn even half of that.

by MightyReds2020 on Mar 30, 2007 9:17 AM PDT up reply actions

If POB becomes solid -- hopefully he does...

and there is no Noah or any other big we want. What if we trade down for Afflalo? I know with the barnes, pietrus and Kelena competition he isn't a major need but if we get him and he turns into a solid player we can save money by not signing any of those three OR if we signed one for safety and Afflalo turns into a good pick we can use whichever of the three we have for good trade bait.

What do you guys think?