Franks probably getting tired of talking about Yi all the time haha

I think Yi could average 15 and 7 this year.

Our problem is that we don’t know what or how much is written about Yi and the Nets in the Chinese press. The Chinese media have a big contingent tracking Yi, a level of interest likely to rise this year with Yao out for the season and Sun Yue unlikely to find a spot in the NBA. These are guys who are full time employees of Chinese newspapers, websites, TV outlets who live in New Jersey.

Problem is that so little of it gets translated (and not a lot of it is easy to find in any case.) Franks has done these telephone interviews in English several times, but we’ve only been able to find them a few times.

Having Yi work from the post is great news. Not so much for Yi but from a strategic standpoint. The coach seems to think that working from the post will be part of the game plan and hopefully the priority. If Yi has the ability to be effective from the post on offense then that same ability could mean he has to ability to guard the post which imo is more important. The Nets are smart enough to recognize the problem with Yi was the need to make him stronger which will build his confidence and make him a more consistent positive factor. For Yi or anybody else once you show your opponent that you have the ability to score at the rim then your outside shot becomes more effective if it’s your strength which it is for Yi.

"Frank: Nets to Use Yi in Low Post, on the Break and on Bench." “They are making me play him!” “All I want for xmas is a real PF.” “Kiki: Defend? Who cares? You have 4 other defenders – that’s enough.”

Hopefully he’ll be able to post up the way Jason Collins did, in the Nets tradition of a dominant frontcourt rotation!

@ johonny

jason collins…wow. lets not get disrespectful here.

This seems to suit a seven footer perfectly. He’s too big to be taking jump shots outside and stuff. He should take off screens or when he’s open. i’m gonna go out on a limb and say he’s gonna average 16 & 10. yeah i said it. SIXTEEN AND TEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

20 days till camp opens. We are really hitting the bottom of the barrel with some of these stories. The fact remains that YI needs to be a better player for us to flirt with the 35 win mark. But he is just one of six or seven players who are key to our success or failure this season. AND KIKI AND THORN still need to make some roster moves. I don’t want to go into the season with at least 5 of these players still on the roster, but don’t think we will be able to move more than one or two of these stiffs or extras. Hey Sean: Men’s Wearhouse is having a big sized suit sale, and you are going to need lots of new suits, since you will be sitting on the sidelines this season! What a waste of talent…

Yi Jianlian makes Keith Van Horn look like Karl Malone.

@ Isaac;
   Karl Malone made Keith Van Horn look like Yi. Fortunatly for Yi, Karl Malone doesn’t play anymore. In fact most power forwards these days play more like Van Horn and Yi. That’s why I’m amazed about people knocking Yi and his lack of physical play. Alot of big men in the NBA today play like Yi. The only difference is that we don’t see them day in and day out.

Before Brook, here are the only good post-up big men the Nets have had:

Todd MacCulloch
DC
The G Man

anyone else?
I can’t remember Buck having much in post moves.

@johnfried

“The G Man”?

Is that Armon “The Hammer” Gilliam or Chris Gatling? :)

They were both black holes but good post players.

@Mike

The other difference is they are productive and can defend. Bosh, KG, Brand, Lee, that’s the competition in the Atlantic. Yi comes up way short on all those. KVH was no exactly a top flight starter, KMart started. RJ ultimately took his job at the three. KVH was a 3 at 4 who couldn’t defend either. Most teams I look at have real PF’s; maybe not great, but better than Yi.

What’s so wrong with this? They want to implement their mobile, athletic and long legit 7 footer into the offense by getting him out on a fast break and/or posting up early on in the shot clock before the defense gets set up. Sounds like a great plan to me.

He’s not going to be the focal point of the offense by any means. Let’s all just relax and enjoy futzing around with the ESPN trade machine trying to find ways to free up some guard minutes and a possible use of the VC trade exception for the next few weeks.

@ Geo;
  If we could get a Bosh, Garnett, etc., I would agree with you. Those players are hard to acquire. That is why the Nets haven’t had a good/great PF in years. Mean while you play with what you got. Maybe with Yi’s increased bulk and better post moves things will improve at PF. Maybe Bosh will become available later on this season, if Toronto decides he won’t be signing with them. I think the Nets management are aware of all this. Give the Nets management a bit more time. A year from now many of are questions will be answered, one way or another. Then we can become Judge, Jury and Hangman if need be.

at whoop dee:

The G-Man would be referring to Mike Gminski. Although I like your suggestions of both Gilliam and Gatling – both good post-players that played for the Nets (although gatling clearly wanted no part of playing here even though it’s his home state). As for Yi, we can only hope the Nets give up on this poor marketing ploy and trade him for anything – maybe for a decent assistant coach.

@ Whoop

G-man was Mike Gminski

@johnfried – Darryl? (I sure wouldnt want to defend against him)

Frank sounds excited in the interview…
the again…this is an interview done by the chinese.
which is basically an interview with a knife to your throat.

Yi in low post will be a disgraceful short-lived experiment.

G Man was Gminski. Darryl, Gatling and Armon Hammer were all good post players too….Forgot about them. I hope Yi is 1/2 as good as any of them in the post.

This is a great idea