The Yi Movement Gets Junkdafied

by Atma Brother ONE on Jun 10, 2007 10:14 AM PDT in Links Comment 49 comments

GSoM friend Marcus Thompson from the Contra Costa Times gave The Yi Movement a shout out on his blog Hoop Junkie. Is he feeling the movement? OF COURSE!

Golden State of Mind started The Yi Movement, a pretty cool catch phrase for hype to get Chinese center Yi Jianlian to the Bay. Word is the Warriors like Yi (Of course they do. Who doesn't?) and are trying to move up to get him (Of course they are).

Make sure to check out MT's post which touches on these topics and more:

If the Warriors want Yi, they need to move up into the top 10 of this year's draft.
Trading Jason Richardson or Al Harrington won't get you into the top 10.
The Phoenix Suns will be looking to trade Shawn Marion to move up in the draft.
If Yi falls below the 10th pick, the movement will probably be over.

Thanks to MT for spreading the word about The Yi Movement.

Would you trade Monta Ellis or Andris Biedrins to get Yi?

Track of the Day: Da Brat- "Funkdafied"

The Yi Movement:

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No.

by gizardwizzlizard on Jun 10, 2007 10:29 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Probably not.

But I'm not so sure about Harrington or Richardson. Was Harrington any better last year than this year? Yet he still drew interest and a big contract. Although the interest was primarily by Dumb (GS) and Dumber (Indy). Still, GMs get stupid about other teams' flawed players.

I also have this recurring nightmare that the Warriors get Yi and after 30 games of Darko-like production everyone here starts calling him Yileavy.

by bloodsweatndonuts on Jun 10, 2007 10:55 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

well...

monta yes

biedrins no

by djchuckdeez on Jun 10, 2007 11:37 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

whats your reason behind this?

by stevenro59 on Jun 10, 2007 2:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

No way

I'd love Yi on the Warriors, but I wouldn't move guys who we know can produce on the NBA level and are young for a guy who dominated shaky competition.

That said, I'd be fine with moving J-Rich to the Celtics for the #5 pick and Ratliff's deal to get him.

by dprodigy19 on Jun 10, 2007 12:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

YES!

Maybe not both, but at least one of them + some other things (18th pick and some random stuff).

by dj fuzzylogic on Jun 10, 2007 12:14 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Random stuff . . .

Like some of those leftover synthetic balls?

by bloodsweatndonuts on Jun 10, 2007 10:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

moving J-Rich to the Celtics for the #5 pick

Wait a minute! Why move Jason to get another outside shooting forward? Jason is NBA tested while YI is chinese national team trained, Yi plays like a short guy so don't view his height as an upgrade, it's actually a negative for his style of play, a shorter guy like Baron can take him easily. Why take a chance on another foreigner, we've already got a couple on the shelf ?
If we really want another tall thin guy we'd be better off drafing Noah, he seems more co-0rdinated, better court sense, better fit for team chemistry, faster on the break, etc. I like him. Also like Law and sean williams. We could try to get these guys without straining our payroll or dealing currently effective players.

by Skeptic con Urquell on Jun 10, 2007 1:08 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed BUT

I wouldn't move JR for the #5 pick either, but I'm curious what your reasoning behind this statement is:

Why take a chance on another foreigner, we've already got a couple on the shelf ?

That's like saying we already got a couple of Black players on the team, why draft another one?

Seems like faulty logic unless you meant something else.

by Atma Brother ONE on Jun 10, 2007 1:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's like saying we already got a couple

" of Black players on the team, why draft another one?'

Hi Atma, I like to keep things sinmple. It's a lot easier to evaluate guys who play over here either in college or already in the NBA. Adding a foreign cultural background and language barrier is just adding more trouble to the learning process. We've already got Zarko and that tall kosta or whatever his name is already on our shelf with little return. US players grow up watching our games and learning USA type ball so they are less trouble to develop . It's not as big a gamble to pick a guy who has grown up in our culture. I don't care what color they are. Just because many of them happen to be black is not my fault!
I don't follow the draft but I've looked at video of a few of the prospects and think Noah looks a lot more promising than YI if you really want a tall skinny guy? Compare their game videos (not their propaganda videos)and see what you think. Look at their hustle and positioning, Noah always seems to be in the right spot at the right time. If we did trade up then Conley might also be interesting at point guard, or Horford if we get high enough for YI? I don't think selling off some of our best players to get Yi would be smart, Just being Chinese doesn't make him Yao Ming!
I'd probably just sign the core guys we already have and add acie law or sean williams if we can't get Noah. and be ready to go next year right out of the gate.

by Skeptic con Urquell on Jun 10, 2007 2:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yi>Noah

There was an insider article about private workouts in LA with Yi, Noah and some other big man prospect. When they went head to head, Yi not only outplayed noah with his outside game, but also was quicker and more athletic than Noah. I would be careful when making statements like Noah> Yi. You just don't know.

by ThermoElectro on Jun 10, 2007 2:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

private workouts in LA

Workouts are not games. I'm going by the game videos on NBA draft site for Noah and the Yi video links posted on here. Maybe they run the videos at different speeds but Noah looks faster and a lot more active to me and seems to have good instincts. Even though they are about the same size Noah looks like he has the body control, of a smaller guy while Yi looks less co-ordinated like most big guys. Yi seems to hang on the rim and take a long time to recover from his dunks while Noah pops right off and gets moving back down court. I just like Noah's movement, anticipation, and game positioning better, He also seems to make his teammates better. You can judge for yourself. It seems to me that we could get Noah for less cost so the deal would be better for us.
Of course if Yi doesn't want to play for a lot of teams then maybe we could make him a cheap offer and say take it or leave it and come out ok but I don't like his attitude in that respect, I'd rather see a rookie willing to go whereever he's drafted and play hard for whoever takes him until he's a proven superstar and earn the Barry Bonds attitude. I don't like guys who try to bullshit their way to the top before playing even one game in the NBA.

by Skeptic con Urquell on Jun 10, 2007 4:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

oh my.

It's hard to judge players just off of highlight reels. Adonal Foyle looks like a superstar in highlight reels.
Saying we should not draft a foreign player is straight up ridiculous. Biedrins seems like he's fitting on the team just fine with Baron and SJax. I guess Dirk, Kirilenko, Parker, Yao Ming, and all the other International Superstars weren't worth the effort of getting over the "cultural barrier".
Yes only 1 player has come over from China and made it big over here. That's what, 1 out of 3? Do 1/3 of all the US collegiate players that get drafted turn into NBA Allstars?
It's not like Yi doesn't want to play on some teams, it's the Chinese government. It's out of his hands.
I don't see how he's trying to "bullshit his way to the top before even playing one game in the NBA". He isn't creating his own hype, buddy, it comes from the media. I guess according to you, Lebron James is the ultimate bullshitter by signing a $90 mil contract with Nike fresh out of highschool before stepping on the NBA hardwood.

by jlagace on Jun 10, 2007 5:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

you have no idea...

Yi didn't hype himself. The media did that. I don't recall him demanding "time " to do an article on him. If you listen to interviews, you'll realize that he's quite a humble guy and a little on the softspoken side, like how Yao was coming into the league.
When you say things like "barry bonds" attitude, it just proves that you know absolutely nothing about Yi. But hey, you'll just say it's a facade. The guy has a lot of respect for the players in the league from the way he talks. But then I'm assuming you don't speak chinese.

by ThermoElectro on Jun 10, 2007 7:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not so sure about those points

It's a lot easier to evaluate guys who play over here either in college or already in the NBA.
Again, you're really underestimating the international competition that Yi has faced. Whether it's a high schooler, a college senior, or a foreigner- it's really all a crapshoot when it comes to the NBA draft.

Adding a foreign cultural background and language barrier is just adding more trouble to the learning process.
If someone can ball, they can ball. That's like saying you don't want to bring in a foreign tech worker because you don't think they have the "proper" cultural background. People pick things up fast. That's the least of his worries. This is kind of logic that leads to "safe" picks like Todd Fuller over Kobe Bryant.

We've already got Zarko and that tall kosta or whatever his name is already on our shelf with little return. 
You're joking right? Did you just compare Yi a top prospect in this loaded 2k7 draft to a late first round pick in Zarko and a 2nd round talent in Kosta? That doesn't help your argument one bit.

US players grow up watching our games and learning USA type ball so they are less trouble to develop . It's not as big a gamble to pick a guy who has grown up in our culture. 
Wow that's a pretty big claim. I think you're putting way too much emphasis on cultural importance. According to your logic Mike Dunleavy should've gone #1 over Yao since he grew up in US culture. You draft the guy who can ball regardless of where he's from. Give him a good home and the rest will work itself out.

I don't care what color they are. Just because many of them happen to be black is not my fault! 
You really seem to from your anti-foreign sentiments.

I don't follow the draft but I've looked at video of a few of the prospects and think Noah looks a lot more promising than YI if you really want a tall skinny guy?
Huh? So you just admitted you don't follow the draft, but then you're so vehemently against taking Yi? That's a pretty strong stance to take on limited info.

Compare their game videos (not their propaganda videos)and see what you think. Look at their hustle and positioning, Noah always seems to be in the right spot at the right time.
Noah just screams big time bust to me. From the games I've seen him play Noah's just a slightly better Chris Anderson minus the drug issues. I can't think of one thing he improved in his game this past season in college. Team him up with Biedrins down low and you're setting yourself up for a offensive disaster. Neither guy can hit a 4 foot jumper.

If we did trade up then Conley might also be interesting at point guard, or Horford if we get high enough for YI? I don't think selling off some of our best players to get Yi would be smart, 
I'll be shocked if Horford doesn't go #3 or #4. I don't know if the Warriors have the ammo to pull that off. I'd love the Warriors to grad Horford though.

Trading up will probably require Biedrins or Monta. Would you do that for a PG prospect in Conley? I wouldn't. I really wasn't impressed with Conley at Ohio State to the extent that I'd give up Monta.

Also, I don't think anyone's in favor of moving BD, JR, or even Jax for Yi. Those are the Warriors' best players. Not Monta and Biedrins.

Just being Chinese doesn't make him Yao Ming!
Aw yes, the straw man argument. I've never heard anyone but you even make that argument. Anyone who compares Yi to Yao simply hasn't done their HW. There games are nothing alike.

I'd probably just sign the core guys we already have and add acie law or sean williams if we can't get Noah. and be ready to go next year right out of the gate.
Well, I guess we respectfully differ here. If the Warriors don't make a big improvement this offseason they're in danger of not even making next year's playoffs. The West is that loaded and it took the Warriors till the final day of the season to get in. I wouldn't bank on them defying the odds like that again just to get a playoff birth. Yi is just the first step in making a splash this offseason.

by Atma Brother ONE on Jun 10, 2007 7:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Actually, no.

"The Dunk"

by orangino on Jun 10, 2007 1:22 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

so wait

most people want to trade jrich and our draft pick for yi... HE'S not that GOOD. you want a chinise man to come to america and fit in with baron davis and stephan jackson, not going to happen.

only plus is asian community in the bay area

by stevenro59 on Jun 10, 2007 2:11 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Well

Another plus is that a lot of reputable NBA scouts think he's easily the third-best player in this draft. How do you know "HE'S not that GOOD?" Obviously he's a gamble, but the potential reward is huge. Worth JRich? From what I've read, I'd say probably yes, depending on what kind of contract and player we'd have to take back to even the books.

As for your racial concerns ... sigh. Are you worried they'll jack him for his lunch money? If the dude can play he'll fit right in. Whether he's Chinise or Japanise or Portuguise or Senegalise ain't got nothing to with it.

by Sleepy Freud on Jun 10, 2007 3:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

yi's good

but you have never seen him, only in videos, and if you take a chance on him over jrich, then your crazy.

dont tell me that race has nothing to do with it, because in the nba its all about race, but that wasnt my point, my point was that your the best player in china and your coming to america to see if you can play with the best... you have no clue what is going through his head... therefor we are taking a big chance on him. if you trade jrich for yi, then we would just get younger so you pick, trade a very good vet for someone we only know from youtube. ill take my chances on jrich.

p.s. only one person from china has succeeded in the nba. and yes that mean alot.

by stevenro59 on Jun 10, 2007 4:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Race has nothing to do with it.

by Sleepy Freud on Jun 10, 2007 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i hate to admit it

but it does. im not trying to diss you.

by stevenro59 on Jun 10, 2007 5:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well

Let's say the specific fact that he's Chinese has very little to do with how well he'll play, or how well he'll get along with BD and Jax. Certainly the fact that he's played most of his career against mediocre competition should be weighed when judging his potential as a player. As far as the social stuff: yeah, it's always hard to move to a new Ccountry, but one of the many positives that have been noted about Yi is how easily he seems to be acclimating to life in the American fast lane.

I do wonder whether he has the strength, defensive intensity, and inside game to hack it as an NBA 4. I just wouldn't fret about how well he'd get along with two of the coolest guys and most fiercely loyal teammates in the NBA.

by Sleepy Freud on Jun 10, 2007 5:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

weyt

No. It really doesn't. If you can ball, then you can play in the NBA. There's no color barrier there.

"I make love to pressure." -Stephen Jackson

by coma on Jun 10, 2007 9:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, we've seen j-rich

Lemme tell ya, he ain't that good.

Watch that Utah series or I dunno...the last few years? We know what J-rich: a limited, but exciting shooting guard.

There's a few things we already know about Yi: boy can shoot, he's gonna be a cash cow for Cohan, and he's got better footwork than Richardson already...

Yeah, that's right, I'll say it. Yi's already got better fundamentals than J-Rich.

And I haven't seen Yi get his ass picked by Paul Millsap, so I'll take that as an advantage, thank you.

by OptionZero on Jun 10, 2007 10:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

ugh

Yeah, I could sit here and make shit up all day too, OZ. Fact is you don't know any of that stuff to be true. You haven't seen Yi at length. You've seen him terrorize the chinese basketball community. So, please, for all of our sakes, STOP ACTING LIKE WHATEVER YOU BLAB IS TRUTH.

by coma on Jun 11, 2007 11:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

trading yi

i dont think yi is worth trading for, the biggest thing he has is mystery, and the hype does the rest of the talking. he's probably going to be a bust, he's already being labelled as soft, and that's playing in the chinese league, imagine playing against the stronger american players in the nba. the only thing i would give up would be either jrich or al harrington, and even then the team that had yi would have to give us a proven player on top of him as an insurance policy. that way we would create more cap space to resign monta and biedrins. only reason it would be worth trading jrich or harrington is because they are disposable pieces when you have as many talented guards as we do, we need one big guy who can produce right away, and hope for the best with yi.

by bigbenny11 on Jun 10, 2007 2:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

maybe

if you think about it, the warriors need to make some kind of move. they simply can't afford the big contracts of baron, jrich, al harrington and having to keep monta and biedrins with upcoming free agency. If the warriors maintain most of its roster while potentially losing players like matt barnes, chances are warriors are not going to be able to improve on this year's performance, maybe even do worse. might as well get some value for one of these expensive players a lottery draft pick with a potential and a temporary cheap price. and from a business standpoint, Yi for the bay area?? warriors need to seriously consider that. honestly biedrins is just an above average player, why not get some value off him after his hype this year in the warriors?

by linfengx on Jun 10, 2007 3:02 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

never...

if Monta and Biedrins are included in any trade, in my opinion it has to be for a (nearly) superstar player that could win us a championship.

by BlauGelb on Jun 10, 2007 3:04 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

bigbenny11

im not saying you are 100% wrong. for all those people saying Yi IS going to be a bust, think again. How much hype was Yao? Chinese league or not, a good player is a good player.

by linfengx on Jun 10, 2007 3:04 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

umm

Monta No
Biedrins Yes

Because biedrins doesnt have that great of an offensive game, and i think teams will start to be a lot smarter and start fouling him whenever he gets the ball.

"Intensity, Integrity, Intelligence" - Kurt Angle

by ballin on Jun 10, 2007 5:35 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I strongly disagree

Even if the defense starts to play hack-a-beans, there's no doubt in my mind Nellie adjusts to this effectively. We need Biedrins to patrol the paint and REBOUND - our biggest weakness last season. Getting rid of Biedrins is like taking 3 steps back! We need an athletic, hustling and rebounding PF to complement him.

www.TRACKjams.com

by MANUTEs BOLs on Jun 11, 2007 11:49 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wright

Honestly though, does it not make sense to grab Brandan Wright out of UNC if we make it up to the third pick? I mean Yi plays solid from what I have seen, but Wright is crazy athletic and runs the floor really well. Plus he has the body and upside to really take over down the road. Finally, for a 6-10 PF, he is athletic enough to really do something in the GS system right now and his defense is strong. Yi would be a nice choice, but if we were able to get up to the third, Wright seems like a better move.

by Tango Time on Jun 10, 2007 5:38 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

We gotta ask ourselves

Is Yi really ever going to bring more to the table than Al Harrington already does?

Everyone always discounts Al Harrington, but he played really well for the Warriors (except fell off in the postseason).

46% fg
41% 3pt
6.4 rpg
1.9 topg
17.0 ppg

That's clean efficient production right there, especially for a versatile big man that can space the floor well.

Would Yi really be an upgrade to Harrington? Yi's not going to shoot 41% from 3point. Is he going to get over 6.4rpg? Can he score 17ppg efficiently, or at all? Is he even going to be the defensive presence we need inside, or a big softy 7'0" like Dirk?

by jlagace on Jun 10, 2007 5:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Yi Jianlian

Yi Jianlian sounds like a very enticing player if we were able to trade up in the draft for him. One problem is that he doesn't fulfill a need in any of our positions. He's a very athletic player, but we have a lot of those on our team. Our team seriously needs to look at a dominant post player. Whether that be in the draft, free agency, or via trade, we have hella work to do. If we do trade up and draft Yi, we will simply have the same team like before minus the other players. It's just a lot better trying to draft a sleeper at this point. I do not want to risk messing up the team's current team chemistry. If we hadn't made the playoffs this season, then it's obvious we should trade up for Yi. Right now, I'd say keep our core players Baron, J-Rich, Monta, S-Jax, Biedrins, and Harrington. We should or would figure out what to do with either Barnes or Pietrus by draft time. It's obvious that we would want to let go of Sarunas and Foyle to make more salary cap space. We have such a good thing going on with Monta and J-Rich. Their athleticism and defense has inspired the team to play well enough to make the 2nd round. Once we have a healthy player for more than 3/4 of the season, there's no telling how high we will seed. The biggest issues other than the draft concern Nellie and both Baron's and Biedrins' contracts. Once we've decided what to do with those, we'll have a better picture of our team's immediate future.

by Phil T28 on Jun 10, 2007 6:17 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

to Phil T28^^

unfortunately the warriors NEED, i say again, NEED to be aggressive to improve this roster for next season simply because everyone else is getting better and more talented in the West. This team is a 42 win "at best" team. I highly doubt next year it will take 42 wins to make the 8 seed. Until the warriors get the right pieces, this perimeter oriented team will struggle through their epic win/loss streaks. Since SG is easy to fill, i'd say our most marketable chip is Richardson. If, and i highly doubt it, if we can trade Jrich for a top 10 pick, we should do it. Not only do we get some talent, we get Jrich's contract off the books so we can go after a FA in a couple of years.

Warriors, Stupidest franchise in the league. Purgatory is thy home.

by kenntoe on Jun 10, 2007 7:22 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I disagree...

The first time we really saw this team in its true form was March. That is a 48-50 win team. I mean this team won 42 games with major injuries to their best players, while only having Jax and Al for 3 months or whatever it was. Even if they lose Pietrus and Barnes, but keep the rest of their roster, I see them winning more than 42 games.

The Mookie Blaylock confusion maker.

by TheRealJoeSmith on Jun 10, 2007 10:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good Teams...

Are able to win 42 games even with injuries. IMO, this team overachieved down the stretch. The next step for this team is to win 50 games, but I just don't see that happening once injuries pile up.

If the W's don't make any major moves this offseason, they'll definitely need to make major moves next season.

by ThermoElectro on Jun 10, 2007 10:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

42 wins??

I still dont understand why every one keeps saying we desperatly need to get better. The way we finished the season is not a fluke. I mean its not like we stumbled into the playoffs by consistently winning half our games all year. Our record was abysmal, but we made the trade, gelled, and actually became a very good basketball team. Unorthodox...but good. I understand that with the prospective draft the West will be much tougher... but I just dont see us being this mediocre team that many people seem to be projecting us as. I concede that we do need one more piece to ascend to upper echelons of the league with the Suns, Spurs, Detroit, etc. But I dont think the Warriors need a blockbuster deal to win 48-49 games.

"We STILL believe..."

by Da City1 on Jun 10, 2007 9:03 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Thank you

I absolutely agree.

by Phil T28 on Jun 11, 2007 1:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

No question

The Warriors are definitely a better team after the trade, but not as good as we'd like to believe. We did go on that crazy run at the end, but overall we were still just 23-20 after the Indiana deal, injuries or not because being injury prone is something every squad has to deal with.

Are we better than our 42-40 record? Yes.

Are we one of the most exciting and entertaining teams in the NBA? I sure think so.

Are we good enough to contend for a championship and hang with teams like the Spurs and the Jazz in the playoffs? Not quite.

As sad as it sounds, the key to getting to that championship calibur status might be Foyle's expiring $10mil/yr contract a couple years from now. Just imagine what we could do with all that extra cap room right now..

by jlagace on Jun 11, 2007 3:45 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't follow the draft but I've looked at video

"and think Noah looks a lot more promising than YI if you really want a tall skinny guy?
Huh? So you just admitted you don't follow the draft, but then you're so vehemently against taking Yi? That's a pretty strong stance to take on limited info."

Hi Atma, Well that's what I do, I'm a surveyor so I've spent my whole life observing, measuring,classifying, and reporting my unprejudiced opinion of what I find.
As I said before Noah looks like a better deal based on the college game films I've seen, I knew nothing about noah till I looked thru the NBA draft site and after looking at his video I liked his game, I couldn't see anything that looked too negative about his play. Maybe I'm looking at some poor video of Yi but I dint get the same impression of him ,his stuff looked practiced, stiff and not spontaneous.
I may not be correct about Yi but I've certainly got a better chance than the folks who want to bring him here simply because the bay area asian community would like him! What's next, search out a gay guy for a movement because there's a big gay community in the bay area? I'm looking at Yi the same as any SF and don't see any sure improvement over the guys we'd have to give up to get Yi. We were playing damn good ball the last month so why break it up to please a segment of the local community? That seems disgusting to me. Remember I'm not the one who started a movemnent based on a certain players nationality so stop giving me crap for not liking him! Go get Yao and I'll be happy to welcome a chinese player to the warriors.

by Skeptic con Urquell on Jun 10, 2007 10:39 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

i think you're greatly exaggerating

the hype that we generate about YI. As all of us Warriors have, that is a sense of humor. How else did we get through those 13 some odd years? At any rate, its interesting that you assume that we appreciate Yi based on what YOU think we want, that is to appease the Asian community (as if we all think alike). I think your assumption that we want him just because he's Asian says more about your stereotypes about what Asians are like than anything at all. Using your logic, why do we continue to draft black players or white players? Is it just because we want to appease the black and white communities? C'mon, stop pulling the race card than you so vehemently tell us not to do (when we don't). You're assumption that he's played in mediocre leagues assumes that the CBA, ABA, NBDL, AND high school teams are far superior. Granted, the Chinese leagues aren't great, but if you've noticed, there have been a couple all-Asian teams in the ABA that have infact dominated the US competition. Again, you've pulled the race/nationality card...

by dj fuzzylogic on Jun 10, 2007 11:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

NO-ah

I'm not even going to respond to your ridiculous assertion that anyone is trying to break up a good thing just to appease the Asian community. You are the only person who I've seen even take that stance.

BUT I do think you should read up some more on Noah especially if you see his game as flawless:

I was talking to an NBA big man's coach and asked about Florida's Joakim Noah, whom the Bulls looked at Friday. "I see him as a mid- to low first-round pick," the coach said. That's not exactly where most of the mock drafts--which Noah generally scorns as uninformed--have the Florida center. The coach likened Noah to Mark Madsen, the Timberwolves reserve. And though Madsen is listed two inches shorter, they did have similar statistics in college with Madsen averaging 10.9 points and 7.9 rebounds in his Stanford career and Noah 12 points and 8.4 rebounds. "Their skill is energy," the coach said. If given the choice between Noah and Hawes, the coach said he'd want Hawes for his NBA potential. He likened Hawes to Clippers center Chris Kamen.

Unless he goes #18, I'd hate to see the Warriors move up and take Noah.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/cs-070610smith,1,3623168.column?coll =cs-bulls-headlines

by Atma Brother ONE on Jun 11, 2007 9:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That big man's coach is out of his mind

Either that or (more likely) he's deliberately talking down Noah so the Bulls can grab him at #9. Mark Madsen?? As I wrote in the Williams/Smith thread, Noah has Madsen's mad-dog energy, but that's where the similarities end. He's 7'0", fast, and athletic, while Mad-dog is 6'9", slow, and unathletic. These are not subtle distinctions.

For what it's worth, the guys at Draftexpress, who have seen both Yi and Noah play a ton more than any of us, are much higher on Noah. Yi has a higher upside, to be sure, but Noah seems like a much safer bet as a legit hard-nosed NBA 4. In his audioblog Jon Givony called Noah the third surest player in the draft. I think there's little doubt he could step in for us immediately as our "Biedrins #1B." He basically is Biedrins, with crazier hair and an uglier mug.

I'll repost the Draftexpress blurb on Noah from his May workout. Keep in mind that they can be quite critical when it's warranted.

In our mind obviously the most impressive player we've seen workout thus far, Joakim Noah went a long ways in reminding us why we liked him so much to begin with when we first began discussing his professional potential 18 months ago. The constant swirl of negativity around him coming from the direction of the general public caused us to forget that momentarily, but we're more certain than ever now that teams will be making a grave mistake if they decide to pass on him outside of the top few picks in the draft.

Showing that his reputation on the court is anything but an act, Noah was clearly the most intense player we've evaluated in the way he approached the workout. He attacked the hoop ferociously on every opportunity, punishing the rim with powerful one-handed slams accompanied by loud, primal grunts (much like a tennis player...). He showed big and incredibly soft hands catching and controlling anything and everything thrown his way, particularly in the two on two drills where Corey Brewer tossed a few difficult passes right around his knees. His length is particularly impressive in the way he finishes around the hoop with jump-hooks, giving him the opportunity to finish plays above the rim in almost every way imaginable, and with either hand.

As the workout wore on, we thought that fatigue might kick in, especially since Noah and the Florida boys have been "partying like rock stars" since the championship, in his words. He just got here last week as we were reminded on a few occasions. Regardless, Noah kept pushing forward harder and harder, finishing first by a large margin in the full-court sprinting drills and refusing to lose in anything competitive that was thrown his way. He just doesn't run out of energy no matter what...

Yeah, for now, put me marginally in the Noah-over-Yi camp. I hope that doesn't get me banned from the board... ;-)

by Sleepy Freud on Jun 11, 2007 5:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

you're obviously racist ;)

i'm totally joking

by dj fuzzylogic on Jun 11, 2007 7:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

HAHAHA

But honestly this is what makes the NBA draft so much fun. It's all just speculation and projections at this point. None of us really know who are going to be the real ballas in this draft class till 3-4 years from now.

by Atma Brother ONE on Jun 11, 2007 9:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Trading For Yi

Some comments:

Someone on the Yao Ming Mania website/message borad kept advocating trading Biendrins/#18 pick for a higher pick to get Yi. I kept telling the guy "NO". I would not trade Biendrins for Yi. Monta, I would be reluctant to trade as well.

I like Yi and would love to have him here. However, he is unproven. If the Warriors had not made the playoffs and gotten a chance to pick Yi, that would be ok. Right now, the Warriors are "alright" but not great. They definitely could improve. Mullin will need to find some creative ways this summer.

As far as Skeptic con Urquell comments go:

He sounds like he's all for drafting "US Made" players over those "exotic" foreigners because they learn easier. That's seriously taking away the time and effort players like Dirk, Yao, Gasol, and others who have spent their time in the US developing their games and adjusting the frantic pace of NBA life.

As far as the scouting and viewing of tapes. Well, we're all fans here. We're not going to see half of the stuff NBA scounts and GM's see.

Remember, Mullin and other GM's went to China to see Yi in person. What we think about Yi ultimately doesn't matter. Mullin/etc has got his opinions and will probably talk to Nellie.

by coach41 on Jun 10, 2007 11:04 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

response to Da city 1 and Skeptic con Urquell

the reason why we might just become "the mediocre team that people projected us to be" is because of the upcoming free-agencies. Matt barnes has made himself a lot of money, so has pietrus, through the play last season and postseason. Monta and Biedrins are still with the W with their cheapy draft pick contracts. Theres basically no way that we can have the WHOLE team back unless we want to risk being the next knicks.

by linfengx on Jun 10, 2007 11:13 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Actually

Without resigning Pietrus, Zarko, or Barnes, we'll still be about $11mil under the projected luxury tax level for the upcoming season. So if we really wanted to keep the team as it is (except Zarko), we could resign Pietrus, offer Barnes MLE money, extend Biedrins contract this offseason (Bird exception), and resign Ellis next offseason (Bird exception). And we could still barely be under the luxury tax threshold.

And then after next offseason, life for the Warriors will be alot easier because Adonal Foyle's $10mil/yr contract will be an expiring contract.

by jlagace on Jun 11, 2007 12:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs