Bill Simmons:Yi=Biggest Rookie Bust

Mags FTW · Post #1 » by **Mags FTW** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:09 pm

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/st ... ons/080416
It's in the little box at the end of the column.

I think he just flat out wants Yi to fail, and here's why. Boston would've taken him with the #5 pick if they hadn't traded it for Ray Ray. If Boston fails to win a title with the Big 3 and Yi turns out to be something special it will look like the C's made a mistake(albeit a small one).

Biggest bust? Jesus. His stats aren't that much worse than guys picked ahead of him (Conley, Green) and if we are going to name a short-term bust don't you have to give it to Oden by default?

europa · Post #2 » by **europa** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:13 pm

Talking about this season only and not projecting how good they'll be but I think Yi and Brewer were easily the biggest disappointments in last year's draft. Again, that's talking only about their rookie performances and not speculating how good they may be in the future.

LUKE23 · Post #3 » by **LUKE23** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:15 pm

It was easily Brewer. Yi on his first half alone cannot be considered a rookie bust. Simmons doesn't have a clue, as usual.

rilamann · Post #4 » by **rilamann** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:17 pm

Mags FTW wrote:http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080416
It's in the little box at the end of the column.

I think he just flat out wants Yi to fail, and here's why. Boston would've taken him with the #5 pick if they hadn't traded it for Ray Ray. If Boston fails to win a title with the Big 3 and Yi turns out to be something special it will look like the C's made a mistake(albeit a small one).

Biggest bust? Jesus. His stats aren't that much worse than guys picked ahead of him (Conley, Green) and if we are going to name a short-term bust don't you have to give it to Oden by default?

Yea what a joke and even if Yi doesnt turn out to be that great its foolish to call anyone a bust after only their rookie season.

You know many NBA stars we could probably come up with who had not so great rookie seasons or up and down rookie seasons like Yi had.

With that thinking Steve Nash was the biggest bust in 1996 and Dirk was the biggest bust in 1998.Yi had a better rookie season that either of those 2 guys did and both guys (Nash & Dirk) have won leauge MVPs.

Not saying that I nessacarily think Yi will ever win MVP just making the point its foolish to write someone off as a bust after thier rookie season.

Ecspecially when that player has the talent and physical ability that Yi has.

LUKE23 · Post #5 » by **LUKE23** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:22 pm

He was 8th in rookie scoring and 6th in rookie rebounding, from everything I can gather (can't find rookie stats sorted), and that is with a pretty bad second half. People just tend to have the most recent thing on their minds instead of looking at the big picture.

Post #6 » by **paulpressey25** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:23 pm

The Chairman is a bigger bust than Brewer......There was a clear dropoff in talent after pick #6 (actually I'd say #5 but Green went higher than thought).

Yi had tons of hype....had Chad Ford calling him a raw talent on par with Durant and Oden.....had his handlers demanding what market he go to.....

All that points to first year bust. Long-term bust....not sure.

Post #7 » by **ReasonablySober** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:25 pm

Yi was supposed to be a major project and had he not had that run of excellent games early nobody would even be mentioning the words bust. He was almost hurt by his early season success.

Corey Brewer on the other hand was supposed to be at least somewhat NBA ready.

LUKE23 · Post #8 » by **LUKE23** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:26 pm

paulpressey25 wrote:The Chairman is a bigger bust than Brewer......There was a clear dropoff in talent after pick #6 (actually I'd say #5 but Green went higher than thought).

Yi had tons of hype....had Chad Ford calling him a raw talent on par with Durant and Oden.....had his handlers demanding what market he go to.....

All that points to first year bust. Long-term bust....not sure.

I don't understand how you can call him a first-year bust, first of all what does that mean, secondly even with a bad second half he was top ten in scoring and rebounding.

You have to look at the year in total. The first half doesn't get wiped away because of the second half.

I'll say it again, if we drafted a normal college player at 6, and he didn't have the issues coming in that Yi did, and he put up the EXACT same season Yi just did, there wouldn't be nearly as many fans being negative about him right now. That is the truth.

Post #9 » by **ReasonablySober** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:29 pm

He had a couple nice months. In December he put up 12/6.6 with an assist and a block on 50% shooting in 30 minutes a night. I like that as a sign of good things to come.

rilamann · Post #10 » by **rilamann** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:39 pm

Oh so Simmons was calling Yi a ''first year bust'',never heard the term first year bust before and like Luke said what the hell does that realy mean?

bango_the_buck · Post #11 » by **bango_the_buck** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:40 pm

Yi had a great start to his rookie season and had the media, fans, and coaches raving about his skill and potential. Heck, even Barkley said if he were starting a new franchise, he would like to have Yi from this years draft class. Then, he hits the rookie wall (because he's been playing basketball non-stop for about a year) and injures his shoulder and wrist (on his shooting hand), and sprains his ankle and knee, and all of a sudden he's the biggest bust in the draft. Okay. :roll:

SupremeHustle · Post #12 » by **SupremeHustle** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:41 pm

I think Yi shows a lot of promise.

http://www.last.fm/user/DPF55 · Post #13 » by **Buck You** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:43 pm

If you were expecting Yi to make a huge impact in his rookie year then I guess you'd be disappointed. But I didn't expect him to that big of an impact. He is a young kid who has no muscle getting accumulated to a new environment. It's amazing he had the games he did.

Post #14 » by **paulpressey25** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:47 pm

DrugBust wrote:He had a couple nice months. In December he put up 12/6.6 with an assist and a block on 50% shooting in 30 minutes a night. I like that as a sign of good things to come.

I can't deny that. But Channing Frye did the same, never to be heard from again......usually the top rookies end up being the guys who start to "get it" and peak at the end of a season.

You could argue that teams figured out how to bother him after his first run through the league.

I never saw the guy as this huge project. If he was 18, sure. But he's 23.

He'll be a much better player next year by vitue of getting this experience and being stronger.....I just think his potential ceiling came down massively this season from Dirk to Donyell Marshall.

LUKE23 · Post #15 » by **LUKE23** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:50 pm

paulpressey25 wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

I can't deny that. But Channing Frye did the same, never to be heard from again......usually the top rookies end up being the guys who start to "get it" and peak at the end of a season.

You could argue that teams figured out how to bother him after his first run through the league.

I never saw the guy as this huge project. If he was 18, sure. But he's 23.

He'll be a much better player next year by vitue of getting this experience and being stronger.....I just think his potential ceiling came down massively this season from Dirk to Donyell Marshall.

How many people realistically thought he was going to be Dirk? To me, even expecting that at all is as ridiculous as thinking he can now be no better than Donyell.

The are WAY too many absolutes being thrown around by Bucks fans right now with really nothing to back them up. You have to give him at least one more year, jesus H.

If this was Horford no one would be saying a thing, no matter what his second half was like.

SupremeHustle · Post #16 » by **SupremeHustle** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:51 pm

paulpressey25 wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

I just think his potential ceiling came down massively this season from Dirk to Donyell Marshall.

That's generous. Unless you really meant Donny Marshall.

jerrod · Post #17 » by **jerrod** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:56 pm

did you guys see how brewer singlehandedly sent that bucks game into overtime?

now that's how you end a season, i see a breakout year next season for sure

what?

europa · Post #18 » by **europa** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:56 pm

LUKE23 wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

How many people realistically thought he was going to be Dirk?

Plenty of people in this forum hyped Yi up as being a potential superstar. We don't know how good he'll be. If the Bucks are lucky, he'll make a Dirk-esque leap in his second season. But there's no question he was heavily hyped after the draft and regardless of how you view him going forward, I think it's justified to call his rookie season a disappointment and arguably a major disappointment based on how awful he was in the second half of the season. He didn't just regress, he was one of the worst players in the entire league.

SupremeHustle · Post #19 » by **SupremeHustle** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:58 pm

Luke, even when Yi was going well he was getting his off of open 20 ft jump shots. We saw a dunk off the dribble once in a blue, but that's not enough for a 7 footer with no post game.

But maybe the Bucks drafted him for his defense, though.

I'm pulling for Yi but the kid's got a long, long way to go.

Post #20 » by **paulpressey25** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:01 pm

europa wrote:-= He didn't just regress, he was one of the worst players in the entire league.

That's exactly it.....

Luke, I'm fine giving him another year....that's great.....but that is a different issue. The question on the table was biggest rookie bust.

In looking at that, you have to be intellectually honest and say that based on expectations and hype he was indeed the biggest bust for his first season.....