Photo. Jonathan MannionWho’s had a worse offseason than the Heat? First they lost Jason Kapono to Toronto. Then there were some very public swings-and-misses with Mo Williams and Grant Hill (not to mention Steve Blake). And the Heat didn’t even get a chance to make a run at Rashard Lewis, but it turns out there’s no way they had enough money to compete with Orlando anyway. Daequan Cook might be a good ballplayer down the road, but you wouldn’t call Miami’s draft haul a blockbuster. And the only upside to Dwyane Wade being on the shelf through the beginning of training camp is that he won’t be worn out from playing with Team USA. They’re not done, though. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel says the Heat are talking with Steve Francis‘ people, trying to fill that need at PG. On paper, Francis and D-Wade in the backcourt looks real good. If that paper was written up in ‘04. But today? Steve is at least an upgrade over J-Will … With Rashard coming in and Grant Hill going out, what is Orlando’s starting five looking like for next year? Obviously Dwight Howard’s at the five and Jameer’s at the point. After that, though, does Rashard play the three and Hedo Turkoglu play the two while Tony Battie plays the four? Or do you go with Rashard/Hedo at the three/four and J.J. Redick at the two? Initially, Rashard’s signing had some people thinking Hedo was gonna get traded, but according to the Portland Tribune, Orlando has no interest in trading him … The Tribune also says the Spurs are likely one of the teams most interested in Ime Udoka. Just what the rest of the League needs; another lock-down style defender in San Antonio. We saw games where Udoka personally gave LeBron problems in a Bruce Bowen-ish manner, and he’s not a liability offensively (8.4 ppg, 40% from three) … Udoka leaving might be the opening Travis Outlaw needs to do something in the League. The Blazers re-signed Outlaw (3 yrs, $12 million) yesterday. So far whenever we watch Outlaw, he’s done his thing when Portland is up by 20, down by 20, or it’s the end of the year and the games don’t matter. One of these days he’s gotta start making an impact in meaningful games … The latest on Yi Jianlian: the Beijing News quoted Chen Haitao, Yi’s coach with the Guangdong Tigers, saying Yi wouldn’t play for the Bucks because the team wasn’t “suitable for Yi’s growth.” The main concern is that Yi wouldn’t get a lot of tick with Andrew Bogut, Charlie V and Milwaukee’s other young bigs in the picture. “The national team and the Olympic Games are now our key considerations,” Chen said. “If [Yi] goes to a team where he can’t compete, that would be being irresponsible to the national team.” … Meanwhile, at least two Eastern Conference teams are said to be interested in Wang Zhizhi (isn’t anyone worried about his growth?). While all the attention was on Yi during Team China’s stint in the Vegas Summer League, Wang had a couple good games, including a 27-point, 7-board outing against the Grizzlies. He averaged 17 and 6 in China’s five games … The CBA’s Atlanta Krunk, who last we heard had hired Kenny Anderson as its coach, apparently signed AND 1’s Grayson “The Professor” Boucher to a deal … Did you hear about the rugby player who had a tooth lodged in his head? About three months back, Ben Czislowski of Australia’s Wynnum pro team had a head-first collision with Matt Austin of the Tweed Heads (yes, the Tweed Heads). After Czislowki recently developed an eye infection to go along with the pain in his head, doctors found he had Austin’s tooth still stuck in his dome … We’re out like naming a team the Krunk …
July 18th, 2007 at 4:57 am
Tom Callum says:
Thre Professor can dunk!
http://www.squidoo.com/TheAnd1Professor/
July 18th, 2007 at 6:14 am
Sam says:
The Bucks have promised Yi a starting spot. I can’t believe this fool and his reps are being such divas about it and the Comish hasn’t intervened. It’s making a mockery out of the draft and the NBA as a whole. I say ban his ass.
July 18th, 2007 at 8:24 am
Celts Fan says:
Amen Sam. This is a mockery. You don’t have the right to decide where you go out of the gate. Yi has to go through the process like everyone else. If anything, he’s the least proven commodity in the draft (top half of the first round anyway) so he should probably have less say. I still say Duke (last year’s “off year” Duke team) could beat the Guandong Tigers 9 times out of 10. If you don’t want to abide by the NBA process, forego millions of dollars and go back to China AND STAY THERE. If you pull this crap, there should be no, “don’t play professionally for a year and you can re=enter the draft.” If he doesn’t want to come, the Bucks should be able to hold his rights forever, leaving 2 choices. Spend your career in relative anonymity overseas (ala Arvydas Sabonis, who was supposedly a top-10 center of all time kind of BEAST in his pre-NBA prime, which no one will remember and can never be proven cuz he didn’t play against the best) or he can shut his mouth, play for the Bucks, cash his huge checks, and leave when he’s aloud to leave under the collective bargaining agreement. This system was in place before the draft and he chose to try to beat the system. David Stern needs to send a strong message here that no one is bigger than the league.
July 18th, 2007 at 8:28 am
Celts Fan says:
Not to mention, the Bucks seem to be a great fit for him. A good shooter to space the floor (Redd) with a sold scoring PG, a good defensive 3/4 (Villanueva) with Yi playing a big wing/PF (whatever Charlie isn’t playing), and The Blunder from Down Under at Center.
July 18th, 2007 at 9:47 am
Data says:
The fact of the matter remains that Yi is not gonna play for the bucks and it has nothing to do with the fact that he fears a lack of playing time. He won’t play there beacause he won’t be happy because of the non-existent chinese community. And i can’t say i blame him. He’s a guy who would be playing in a foreign country whith a completely different culture, which doesn’t speak his language and then he would be expected to perform in a high pressure environment. He made it perfectly clear that he did not want to play for the bucks. Not because he was trying to be a diva but because in order for him to be able to perform he’d have to be in a city that has a large chinese community so he wouldn’t feel isolated completely. What were the bucks thinking? Did they not learn anything from the steve francis vancouver situation? If a player says he doesn’t want to play for you don’t draft him. It’s bad management. In any other profession as an HR eeperson you would never hire somebody who in an interview said they did not want to work there. So why do it in the NBA were so much more is at stake?
July 18th, 2007 at 10:07 am
Sam says:
with the way the NBA is getting more and more internationalized, more people from different countries are going to be drafted in high spots each year. imagine if every player starts b****ing about how some certain city doesn’t have enough of a population of members from whatever country they are from? then you might as well just do away with the draft and just start sending players to the cities which have the largest number of their fellow country members.
i realize how yi may be concerned about being comfortable and all, but with however million dollars his rookie contract is, i’m sure he could more than sufficiently surround himself with enough chinese people if he wanted. it’s also true that this is well within his rights to not report to the team that drafted him and wait it out for another year to re-enter the draft, but the commish needs to do something before the draft starts to become a joke in this way every year.
July 18th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Jules says:
Charlie V is a terrible defender. He’s way to slow to guard 3’s and doesn’t have the mentality to dominate down low. A lineup of Mo, Redd, Yi, Charlie V, and Bogut would get scorched on the regular.
Need to have D-Mase or Bobby Simmons at the 3, to at least try to stop somebody.
July 18th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Austin Burton says:
The “regular” job market is different, though, because you don’t interview for jobs you don’t want. For example, Dime doesn’t just “draft” writers — they have to come to us wanting a job.
Here’s my thing with Yi, though: Why is everyone just OK with him and his people saying he doesn’t wanna play in Milwaukee because of the small (not non-existent) Chinese population? Any other player would be killed in the media for that. Imagine if Adam Morrison said “I don’t wannna play in Atlanta, there’s not enough White people”? What if Chris Paul said “I don’t wanna play in Utah, there’s not enough Black people”? Granted, you know that had to be a factor in Steve Francis not wanting to play in Vancouver, but he couldn’t just come out and say it. But for whatever reason, no one’s calling out Yi’s people in this situation.
No, there aren’t a lot of Chinese people in Milwaukee, but there are some. And I’m sure there’s a lot of friendly White, Black, Latino, etc. people in the city, too. Part of growing up (since Yi is only 19 or 22 depending on who you ask) is getting to know other types of people and diversifying your circle.
Besides, even if Yi was traded to a place like Golden State, it’s not like he’s gonna get an apartment in the mostly Chinese part of town; he’s gonna get some crib in a gated community no matter where he plays. And wherever he goes, with the tons of Chinese media that will be following him around everywhere, he’ll never be isolated in that regard.
July 18th, 2007 at 10:17 am
Keith says:
Has any of these situations ever worked out in favor of the team? At least he’s not pulling a Kobe and giving them only one team as an option to trade him to.
I don’t think Yi will play for the Bucks either, even if it means not being in the NBA this year. It may seem selfish, but for some players greater happiness is found in things other than more money or respect, which is all they’re giving up…and sometimes not even that.
July 18th, 2007 at 11:26 am
arno says:
Guys, I can’t believe the astounding silence over one of the biggest trades of the week : Luis Scola is gonna make a lot of noise in Houston. He’s got great footwork, a lot of moves, back or facing the basket, he will find Yao easily in the paint, he’s played more high stakes games than any other Rockets player and he’s not afraid of anyone. All in all, he probably is much better than Howard and a significant upgrade for a team that proved very dangerous when everyone on board is healthy.
July 18th, 2007 at 11:39 am
Bron42 says:
its not even about his happiness…they want money….they feel yi wont be as martketable there so they dont want him. remember yao’s first year where he still sucked and was soft but got voted to the allstar game ANYWAY. Thats what they want. For yi to be able to put up 5 ppgs…still have tons of jerseys sold and get his name out there no matter how he does. Has nothing to do with no chinese people cuz I’m pretty sure if the guy is THAT good, chinese people will move and for all we kno he could be the reason for some big growth in the population there. But no, it all comes down to money, thats why the teams he wanted to go to were like title contenders like the suns. Imagine if every pick oculd do this..Chris paul demanding to go to the spurs, or Greg oden demanding to go to the suns. Austin is completely right, everyone even here destroyed francis (when he wasn’t nearly as gay about demanding a trade and is a much more proven player) but no one says anything about YI, it this was an american player espn would be eatting him alive right now about how hes selfish and how spoiled our athletes are…gotta bash people equally.
July 18th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
IGP says:
Excellent point Austin! I was just going to type something along those lines…does Yi not like Black or White people? I’m from Vermont and I hate that this is a predominantly White community. However, every Black friend that I have not only feels comfortable here but loves it. The Chinese media will definitely follow Yi wherever he is. Suck it up Yi and stop being a whiny bitch.
July 18th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
djKianoosh says:
arno, you are on point.. Scola is going to be a very very active presence with Yao and TMac.. I think he’ll be able to play better with Yao at first than TMac, because I just have a sense that TMac is more of a 1-on-1 player than a guy who can find a cutter or play a 3-man type of offense. Though I can already imagine Scola providing a solid pick for TMac who then finds Yao down low, passes out of a double to Scola or a 3 point shooter. The passing (and movement) on that team is going to be critical. Will be fun to watch them develop…
July 18th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Amar says:
adding scola is great for houston, because they have another pro player to blame when yao doesn’t get out of the 1st round again . . .
July 18th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
JT$ says:
D-Wade & Stevie Francis would be a sick backcourt, certainly at least on paper, especially if both can remain healthy. But then the problems remain that they still actually have to sign him, which is a totally different debacle. Here’s a joke: How much of Stevie Francis $30Mil buyout from the Blazers does he pay D-Wade to wear # 3? Hahaha! The answer, sadly, all of it.
People hate on Yi but you really cant hate the playa, hear, you gotta hate the game. Every sport is set up for players like this to take advantage of the system, even tho in this case he has ZERO leverage. People forget John Elway did the same thing, so did Danny Ferry of all people. The Bucks are probably going to regret not drafting a different player because Yi’s trade value is dropping, so he is gonna have to take a paycut to play on a better team. Granted he’ll get more endorsments if he goes to LA, NY, CHI, or any other big market team, so obviously that’s not his or his people’s concern, they want him in the best position to suceed in the NBA. The Chinese government’s tie with the national team and it’s athletes makes it more difficult for the NBA or David Stern try to do anything about it. Plus the NBAPA would never allow that to happen, and the two sides would engage in a Apocalyptic lockout or something crazy like that.
July 18th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Celts Fan says:
Exactly!
July 18th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
smity says:
i think its important for people calling other people whiny bitches to not be whiny bitches about other people’s decisions to do whatever they’ve decided to do as men (and in this case, maybe yi only yielding under the influence of men with greater power than he has. i wont say that he doesnt not have a desire to play in milwaukee but maybe the possibility of him changing his decision is subject to the the wants and wishes of people around and above him first. remember when yao wasnt allowed to play in the summer leagues because of his government mandated obligations to the chinese national team which came first? ) the point is that if you’re whining about another being a “whiny bitch” then it may not occur to you that you’re being a whiny bitch as well…so just open your eyes, take a step back and relax…
July 18th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Bron42 says:
actually we didnt forget about john elway since i’ve mentioned it the past 5 articles lol…elway, eli manning(who ended up sucking compared to who he was traded for). I think the bucks should just take the hit and make him sit out..if yi REALLY wants to play in the nba he’ll handle his agents and make it happen.
Also, francis didn’t try to pay marbury to be #3 and took #1, so why would he spend it tryin to take wades number?
scola probably will take the blame, just like every guy on the rockets not named yao. And I don’t see why when healthy, wade and francis couldnt be abusive…francis has carried teams by himself to a extent and the heat are lookin for more fire power. they just gotta make sure to work off eachothers games. And they need to sign a shooter like lee humprhy or something.
July 18th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
SWAT says:
I was waiting for someone to comment on the Rockets trade…lol Bron and Amar you guys are cold blooded! I’m keeping the faith that this year will be the year that:
1)get out the first round
2)see Yao utilize what he learned from The Dream
3)get us back to Clutch City form and stop giving up leads in the 4th!
As far as the Yi commentary honestly the Bucks are shady for drafting him when he told them time and time again he didn’t wanna play for them. That’s almost on some Deebo type shit.
July 18th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
Celts Fan says:
That’s not Deebo though. It doesn’t matter who Yi wanted to play for, it’s who wanted Yi to play for them. Your choice is do you want to play in the NBA? If the answer’s yes, then you’ve made the decision that that’s what you want to do and to abide by their already established practices. You can’t let this happen. Elway got away w/ it cuz he had the leverage of being a high draft pick in baseball too (Yankees I think) so he legitimately could have played professional baseball instead. Still scummy, but a bit different because he actually had leverage and options. He openly said, “I’d rather play baseball than play in Baltimore.” Still scummy, but at least he had something. Yi’s just saying, “Trade me, I don’t want to play here.” Not much different, but a bit…
And too that idiot who said T-Mac can’t pass and is more of a 1 on 1 player, what were you watching last year? When Yao was healthy, he was averaging about 19ppg and 7 dimes…
July 18th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
Knickhopeful says:
Don’ be hating on Yi. You’ve gotta realise that pro atheletes are a major export for China. So, whether Yi is fit or not for the NBA, is actually not a issue- its blue sky (for the moment). Yi’s minders are doing everything Yao’s minders did a few years go (remember, it wasn’t that an easy process, particularly a US plane was shot down in China). The potential for Yi, as a money-making business is enormous given the upcoming Olympics. Nothing would make China feel more proud than have NBA-calibre Chinese National Team players showcase their skills on homecourt, but not at the expense of playing in a city where has a small Chinese population, getting no tick, and not getting NBA skills. China has really opened up to the West in the last decade, so you could understand why they are cautious. This situation is unlike Steve Francis and others- they had their agent and family looking out for them. In Yi’s case it is a whole national team staff (and presumably others, like Chinese business interests),so the decision to go to one team over the other is a little more complex. The worst case scenario is that Yi sits on the bench for the next year with the bucks, develops no NBA skills and is a bust for the Olympics. Yes, the media will follow Yi wherever he plays, but it be embarassing for China (given all the hype) if he is putting up 5.0pts, 2rbds, 11 minutes.The jury is still out on Yi’s skills- but this is the reality of the basketball business. Its a shame the Bucks drafted him and more of a shame they did not trade for him because this situation does not look like it will improve.
July 19th, 2007 at 12:50 am
Main0125 says:
Austin hit it perfectly. If Yi want’s to play in a well populated Chinese area…STAY IN CHINA and play basketball.
July 19th, 2007 at 1:27 am
Bron42 says:
in the game of basketball, you get whats the best player for your team…yi entered the draft, so he has no say..if he wanted to be picked by a certain team, then he should of sat his ass out till that team had a pick high enough to draft him..you can’t say…well i’m only playing if so and so drafts me cuz it cancels out THE WHOLE DRAFT if picks are shot callin. What stops melo from sayin screw denver i wanna go to a lakers on draft night? and then is every team supposed to back off just so the lakers can choose him a few picks lateR? no…you draft him, he suits up, and either proves hes worth it or catches a bus back to hongkong…simple as that. You enter the draft, you go where u get drafted..you cant bully a team into stuff…even francis didnt bully this much and everyone here said it made his career, so at this point, is yi a bitch no matter what he does?