Yi coming into his own in Mil?

[jaybird2001wi]

I have been watching the news lately about the Bucks upcoming season and have noticed that our once-embattled first-round pick has been one of the most involved people in regards to "PR photo ops." I seem to remember him walking around Milwaukee neighborhoods with the fire department as part of "Fire Safety Week" early on and then recently he was spotted handing out books to schoolchildren for yet another community event.

I just looked at some of the blogs on jsonline.com and here is one quote that kind of confuses me:

 

His next assignment - other than catching up on his sleep - will be finding out a bit more about his new home.

"I want to go out and explore a little bit and get a sense of the city," Yi said. "When I got to the city last night, on the freeway I saw the big electronic billboard, and my picture was on it. It was a big surprise to me and I felt excited.

"It's a beautiful city - you've got a lake, a river. It seems comfortable here."

I don't know if Yi was just being a total lackey for his agent, Dan Fegan, during negotiations, but it seems like he may be coming into his own or at least has some interest in Milwaukee.

Maybe Desmond Mason can give him a nice tour of the City, since Mason is the only Buck that voluntarily lived in Milwaukee year-round.

I also think the whole "Asian demographic" was a moot point from the get-go. Although there isn't much of an Asian population in Southeast Wisconsin, I think the Northern Wisconsin Hmong community could latch onto Yi, thus creating a little more marketing efforts in Northern Wisconsin.

I also noticed in the "Welcome to the States, Yi" deal at Chicago's O'Hare airport that there was a large contingent of Asian fans greeting him.

If Yi is fascinated by Lake Michigan and our river(s), maybe this will encourage him to stay a little longer once the season ends so he can enjoy some of the activities in the spring.

[trwi7]

I don't know if Yi was just being a total lackey for his agent, Dan Fegan, during negotiations, but it seems like he may be coming into his own or at least has some interest in Milwaukee.

 

Bingo. He didn't even get to choose his agent so he just went along with his CBA team, Fegan etc.

[yoshii8]

Its good to see him adjust so well to Milwaukee. He seems to be a really likeable person w/ a lot of superstar qualities. I also think he is going to be a very good basketball player, he has a good understanding of the game, and he seems quite advanced for a 19 year old. I think eventually him Redd, and Bogut could be a very solid threesome in this league, possibly even championship caliber.

[JJHardy7]

A couple of thoughts on Yi...

 

1. He needs to prove he can play in the NBA before I'll get too worried about him staying long-term.

2. This concerns me the most -- there are reports out there that Yi is not 19. That he is 21 or 22. This is a huge difference and I really hope the Bucks have some proof or confidence that he's 19.

3. He's going to be a PR machine for the Bucks. If all goes well in Milwaukee, he could help the Bucks get the money for a new arena.

4. From what I've heard in training camp his defense is just awful. He's not going to be much more of a scoring 4 -- which doesn't quite work out in the NBA. So he'll have to get better.

5. I don't really think he cared where he was going to play. He was just a puppet. They probably told him you won't make money in Milwaukee or be noticed and that's all he knew. I don't think for a guy coming from his country it will really matter where he plays. They'll watch him no matter what team he is on.

[molitor fan]

I went to the recent game in Green Bay, and came back with my own impressions:

 

First, Yi has the most pure talent of anyone on the Bucks roster. The guy is an athletic freak.

 

Yi made a move that is viewable on realgm.com that was amazing - the whole arena just gasped when he made it. The guy has amazing leaping ability, and made a block that showed off what will eventually be excellent defensive skills. That said, he is not there yet, and he will make many mistakes...the guy is by no means a finished product....but would i rather have him or Oden at this stage, especially given Oden's knee issues? It is Yi by a long, long shot. I have no doubt that given the right coaching, this guy will be an all-star within the years of his Bucks contract.

 

Also, he seems like such a nice guy. Yi just gives off an aura of kindness and innocence, grinning as he is slapping hi-5's with kids as he leaves the court.

 

Now Charlie Villanueva on the other hand......Yuck

[trwi7]

Here's the link to the move molitorfan is talking about.

 

http://realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=719063

[JJHardy7]

Is Yi actually going to be able to be a PF though? I just don't see him fitting that role at all. I know he can leap and block shots, but he's nowhere near ready to play defense in the post. He's going to have to put on a lot of weight -- even more than Ming had to or the Bucks need to move him to SF.

 

I think Yi will be a good to even a great player, but there's going to be a transition period -- especially with the team we already have in place. I really wish we could've moved CV and I had high hopes for him when we traded Ford, but he just looks like a different player. Yi may be forced to play the 4 this year and hopefully he holds up.

[trwi7]

He's 7 feet 246 pounds. No way will he be able to stay with small forwards.

[brettac1]

He looks super smooth off the dribble. Wow. Kind of wishing I had gone to the GB game, I had gone to the last two, but didn't feel like it this year.

[JJHardy7]

I don't think he's 246. I've seen his weight listed anywhere from 225 - 240s -- number variance just like his age. If he's as quick as he's looked at times, he'll be able to play the 3. Unless the Bucks make some big time defensive improvements it won't really matter if he gets burned a few times playing that position. Milwaukee was one of the worst rebounding teams in the league last year and starting Yi at 4 doesn't really improve that in my opinion. It'd be nice to have a Scott Williams (in his Bucks days) to eat some minutes at the 4 since we have plenty of scorers on this team.

[Dmiles23]

If Yi is going to play 3, who do you recommend to play the 4? You want Danny G playing the 4? Ruffin? Who cares what his weight is at this point? He is already the team's best shot blocker, so why put him on the perimeter? And how many teams have 2 players that actually get the ball in the post significantly? Face it, Yi and Villanueva will both play the 4, and both of them will have some problems on D. And you can always look at it from the other direction. If Yi is defending a big bruiser, the bruiser will have to try to defend him on the other end.

[trwi7]

I don't think he's 246.

The Bucks weighed him, he's 246 with 3.4% body fat and taller than Bogut in shoes.

[JJHardy7]

Is there a link or anything for this? I'm not doubting you, but living in Tennessee I don't get any Bucks coverage down here. Did he gain that much muscle since the draft? I still don't think he'll be ready or should he be counted on to be a starting 4 this year. There aren't a lot of great centers out there, but there are a lot of PFs who will abuse him. It probably wouldn't be a huge deal if Bogut was/develops into a defensive presence instead of the biggest flopper in the league -- I admit this even though I'm a huge Bogut fan.

 

Also, being 246 doesn't mean he can't be a 3. His game is that of a 3...not a 4.

[trwi7]

http://my.journaltimes.com/post/woelfel-world-of-sports/bucks_yi_measures_up.html

 

It would be Charlie who plays the 3 if either one since Charlie tends to drift towards the perimeter while Yi is fine taking it to the basket.

[Oldcity]

From interviews and various reports, it seems pretty clear he isn't 19. I guess I don't really see the big deal if he is 22. It's not like that would be solely responsible for him not becoming a good player.

[JJHardy7]

From what I've read from the scouts it's a huge deal. If he is 22, his ceiling will not be all that high and he most likely won't grow. Many scouts -- those who thought/think he is 19 -- believed he was going to get bigger height wise and weight wise from talking to doctors. That's a huge deal. The scouts also believe he could be a good player -- but it could take time to develop him and the fact that he is/was 19 would mean if he's developed at 22 or 23 he still would have many years to play. If he's developed at 26, it's not as great as an investment.

[JJHardy7]

Did anyone go or watch (I'm not sure if it was on tv in Wisconsin) to the game last night? Yi had a double double and my question is were they tough rebounds (aka not a rebound that bounces out to the 3 point line, but a rebound due to inside position)? Corey Brewer put up 27 points...something tells me he's going to fit very well in the NBA as far as a scorer/slasher.

[molitor fan]

JJ, my suggestion is that you go to the link given above - realgm.com - and explore. A number of your questions will be answered, and there is a current multi-page thread discussing the game by people that were there. If it was being shown that his game need major work developmentally, the fact that he is 22 in all probability would have merit. However it is becoming apparent that the tools are in place, and he is in need of repetition and game refinement. Thus, to me, whether he is 19 or 22 is sompletely irrelevent.

[trwi7]

Did anyone go or watch (I'm not sure if it was on tv in Wisconsin) to the game last night? Yi had a double double and my question is were they tough rebounds (aka not a rebound that bounces out to the 3 point line, but a rebound due to inside position)? Corey Brewer put up 27 points...something tells me he's going to fit very well in the NBA as far as a scorer/slasher.

 

There were some tough rebounds. He got right in there and just grabbed some and put them back, he had some good outlet passes which led to easy baskets. He's a very active player even without the ball, always moving, setting screens, getting himself into good position.

[JJHardy7]

I could go to that website, but I trust the opinions on those that have posted in this forum so far. Like any sport, who gives you the information is the key when you can't see it yourself. Yi is a perfect example of this. I know a few scouts in the NBA -- through friends -- and their opinions are so varied on this guy. We're really just going to have to wait and see how it pans out, but it's better than Tractor Traylor already. I do think it's too early to say his skills are in place. The NBA pre-season is worse than the NFL pre-season. You have starters going against soon to be cut players all the time in the NBA - especially with how much the starters played in the last game. I guess a good question to ask here...What are your expectations for Yi this year?

[kgbaseball]

I don't think expecting 10 points and 4-5 boards this year is out of reach.

 

I'm really interested to see how good he is defensively; the success of this team depends on how good they are defensively.

[bobbledude25]

He looked pretty good last night when I saw him. 15pts, 12 boards, great outside shooter, put back dunks. I was impressed.