Brandan Wright vs. Yi Jianlian

[gsw5]

Who is the better player? prospect? trade value? Who would you rather have on your team

[A.J.]

Yi is the best player. Wright needs tome to develop.

[Time for Change]

Wright to all four questions.

[raps4life~]

Wright to all four questions.

[BROWN]

Wright to all four questions.

[conleyorbust]

Who is the better player? prospect? trade value? Who would you rather have on your team

They were both upside picks, Yi proved he could play some but wasn't overwhelming and Wright didn't get enough action to prove anything.

At this point Yi is the better player. Wright may be the better prospect long term but he has more questions. Yi has the higher trade value because of his rarer skill-set and mass-marketing appeal. As far as my team, the Hawks, we need a backup big that can do what both can do. I guess I'd go with Yi because he can stretch the floor a little for Smith and Horford to do their work inside.

Wasn't a big fan of either before the draft.

[Smills91]

Yi shown more than Wright has so far.

[GQ Hot Dog]

They're pretty different players. Yi has better ball skills but is a little ponderous. Yi should develop into a good half-court PF but he needs to get tougher. Wright on the other hand should develop into a very good open court PF a la Shawn Marion. The one thing you have to like about Wright is his quickness, length and athleticism give him a higher ceiling than Yi. Yi might prove to be more of a center than a forward considering the way the league has been going and how Bargnani has been going. Bargnani imo is very similar to Yi and I remember when Bargnani came into the league people were saying he was more SF than PF. Now he may be more C than PF and that is going to be Yi's legacy. Wright is SF more than PF now but will become the standard PF in the future.

[Relentless88]

I'll take Brandon Wright, he's going to be pretty good.

[skones]

Who is the better player? Yi
prospect? Wright
trade value? Yi

[GQ Hot Dog]

Who is the better player? Yi
prospect? Wright
trade value? Yi

I'm not so sure you can say Yi has more trade value. To who would be the question. I'm guessing many NBA front offices value Wright more than Yi. That could be a question of potential but trade value is based on many factors.

[skones]

-= original quote snipped =-

I'm not so sure you can say Yi has more trade value. To who would be the question. I'm guessing many NBA front offices value Wright more than Yi. That could be a question of potential but trade value is based on many factors.

Nobody in their right mind would claim Wright has more trade value than Yi at this point in time. If you think otherwise you're just being naive and delusional. Wright did nothing during his rookie season to make himself worth more than Yi. He wasn't a more intriguing player during last years draft and he won't be during this years. On top of that the millions of dollars via marketing that come along with Yi topple the scale in Yi's favor.

[Milwaukee'sBEST]

-= original quote snipped =-



Nobody in their right mind would claim Wright has more trade value than Yi at this point in time. If you think otherwise you're just being naive and delusional. Wright did nothing during his rookie season to make himself worth more than Yi. He wasn't a more intriguing player during last years draft and he won't be during this years. On top of that the millions of dollars via marketing that come along with Yi topple the scale in Yi's favor.

[GQ Hot Dog]

Nobody in their right mind would claim Wright has more trade value than Yi at this point in time. If you think otherwise you're just being naive and delusional. Wright did nothing during his rookie season to make himself worth more than Yi. He wasn't a more intriguing player during last years draft and he won't be during this years. On top of that the millions of dollars via marketing that come along with Yi topple the scale in Yi's favor.

The marketing thing I didn't even take into account and I won't argue it, except maybe Charlotte where I suspect Wright would be more popular with the fans. What about Texas which has a massive population but not a huge Chinese population. What about Indiana? I'm sure there are other avenues at marketing Yi that wouldn't depend on where he was but regardless I wasn't talking about marketing at all. If that is the basis of your belief that Yi has more trade value than Wright than you're welcome to your opinion.

My point was Yi is not a player that would fit on every team and Wright might be a better fit for those teams. Wright is a very athletic, long, quick forward. Yi is a skilled, tall not terribly athletic forward, center in waiting. They are very different sorts of players.

You would have to ask every coach or GM in the league who they would rather have and I don't have the time to do that but if you suggest that every one would rather have Yi than Wright than you are deluding yourself. Ask fans who they would rather have, many would say Wright and that's a clue to what GMs and coaches think.

[HoopsGuru25]

Wright looked very impressive in one stretch where he was getting minutes but Yi got got off to a very good start as well. The question really depends on how old Yi is...if they are both 20 I'd take Yi because he already has 30-40 pounds on Wright and a much better jumpshot. If Yi is 23 then obviously you take Wright.

[FNQ]

Wright impacted the game when Nelson allowed him to... if Nellie knew what to do with an actual post presence, this thread would be a laugh.

Wright's the better player now getting less time... Who's the better prospect? Depends on what you mean... I think there's an infinite more of a chance that Wright becomes a better player... but I think Yi's ceiling could be higher if he learns to put some IQ and other skills with his frame.

But the "athletic" tag dropped off pretty fast as Yi looks pretty regular in the NBA.

And FWIW - I'd much rather have Wright, who despite being thinner had no problem establishing position and holding others back with great balance, lower body strength, and positioning... offensively he's much quicker and uses his great leaping and wingspan to make his shots virtually uncontestable.

Yi probably has more trade value around the league, due to marketing, but that doesn't mean trading Wright for Yi is a good option... If Yi were coming from some Euro country and played a year in NCAA, there's no way he's drafted 6 and there's no question about any of the 4 questions...

Age doesn't matter. Yi's a big time project and needs to adapt and get a lot more experience (and flip on a light switch) to be what pro-Yi people hoped he'd be... instead he's becoming the sporadically effective perimeter PF they were told. Nearly 70% of his shots came off of jumpers, and nearly all of them were created for him. If he doesnt start knocking down those jumpers at a significantly higher rate, he'll just be a role player.

[XuDa]

But the "athletic" tag dropped off pretty fast as Yi looks pretty regular in the NBA.

Nah. He's the most athletic seven footer in the NBA by a pretty good margin.

"I think he's the most athletic 7-footer in the league," said Del Harris, the Dallas Mavericks' consultant who coached China's national team in the 2004 Olympics. "I don't think any 7-footer can beat him in a race. I don't think anybody can jump higher. It's one thing to jump, but if you're there too early or too late, it's no good."

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=A ... &type=lgns

According to the DX measurements database, Yi has the highest vertical leap and lowest bodyfat % ever recorded for a seven foot player. http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-dra ... s=0&sort=9

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-dra ... s=0&sort=7

To answer the OP question: Wright produced more in his rookie season on a per minute basis, but Yi has more potential. I'd rather have Yi on my team, and Yi has more trade value.

[FNQ]

a) He's not 7' tall

b) Steven Hunter and Jason Smith are around the same height and jump. Doing good in a gym by yourself does not mean your athleticism can translate to the NBA.

c) Ironic how he's so fast, looked so regular in the NBA, and didn't test his agility, speed, or strength. It's almost as if some diabolical political machine tried to highlight his base strengths and shield everyone from the rest. Weird...

[thegreatblaze]

Nah. He's the most athletic seven footer in the NBA by a pretty good margin.

"I think he's the most athletic 7-footer in the league," said Del Harris, the Dallas Mavericks' consultant who coached China's national team in the 2004 Olympics. "I don't think any 7-footer can beat him in a race. I don't think anybody can jump higher. It's one thing to jump, but if you're there too early or too late, it's no good."

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=A ... &type=lgns

According to the DX measurements database, Yi has the highest vertical leap and lowest bodyfat % ever recorded for a seven foot player. http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-dra ... s=0&sort=9

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-dra ... s=0&sort=7

To answer the OP question: Wright produced more in his rookie season on a per minute basis, but Yi has more potential. I'd rather have Yi on my team, and Yi has more trade value.

Sorry, but I have a hard time believing that Yi is the most athletic 7-footer in the NBA.

[microfib4thewin]

Yi has more exposure during his rookie season. Wright didn't even play until the end of the season. As to who will become a better player? Who knows, but saying Wright is the better player right now is homer talk.