Besides getting dunked on by Rudy Gay Friday (at the end of the above video, you can see Yi returning the favor), there's actually positive news to report on Bucks first-round pick Yi Jianlian - he finally spoke with Milwaukee officials, a potential sign that the two signs could avert disaster and work out a deal.
Baby steps, people. And based on the clip above, Yi's game somewhat resembles that of Dirk Nowitzki from inside 15 feet, except it's clear he'll be a better defensive player than Dirk (the block), and he's far more athletic (the dunk). I think Milwaukee should be bending over backward to appease Yi, who, paired with Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd, could form a very strong nucleus.Yi's solid showing followed his first face-to-face meeting with Bucks officials Thursday at the team's hotel in Las Vegas.
Harris and Krystkowiak represented the Bucks at a meeting that lasted about one hour, with Yi bringing an interpreter and the Bucks' officials bringing one of their own.
"We talked about the opportunity in Milwaukee," Harris said. "He was very respectful and, I thought, very engaging."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-07-2007 @ 1:45PM
mookie said...
"...except it's clear he'll be a better defensive player than Dirk (the block), and he's far more athletic (the dunk)..."
Were you watching a lot of Dirk when he was 19? Because if not, that's some interesting hyperbole. Don't get me wrong, that little vid really helped get me excited about Yi's game, but let's not make Walton-esque statements about him yet.
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7-07-2007 @ 9:36PM
B-ball fan 11 said...
Yi looks good a more althetic Dirk, Pair him with Mo Charlie, and Bogut and Reed that's not a bad starting five at all, espically with Boykins coming off the bench. Simmons can go back to the bench too.
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7-08-2007 @ 1:19AM
Miss Gossip said...
Very athletic for a 28-year-old! that dunk at the end was nastee.
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7-09-2007 @ 1:53AM
Jklicious99 said...
You're all comparing Yi to Dirk!?....You gotta be kidding me. I'll take the leagues MVP over that guy any day. At 7'0", I hope this guy could average at least one block a game...he better...Bucks should've never taken him, not when Brandon Wright(who is more athletic than Yi)was still available. Wake up Bucks fans....I know you want to see this franchise crawl out of the cellar as much as I do....but Larry Harris made a bad choice here.While I think Yi isn't gonna hurt the Bucks, I also don't believe he'll help carry them into the playoff picture.
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