Yi to the Wizards for Ross

[mikhailjordan]

The problem with Yi has never been toughness or effort but rather his understanding of the game is lacking...

His defensive awareness is pretty much nonexistent

Regardless it's a good trade for you guys, but hopefully the Wizards don't make the same mistake the Nets did in pigeonholing Yi into being strictly a jump-shooter (like they did his first year with the Nets) or strictly a post-up player (like they tried to do last year)... The whole enamor with the guy is that he can put the ball on the floor and do some everything, why the Nets never embraced that concept is beyond me...

[Bingosan]

Yi can't defend,rebound,block shots or play with any intensity. He'll hit the occasional jumper. I seriously don't get why the Wizards are so eager to help out rival eastern conference teams to put together great teams. Out of the big time FAs there are 4 guys out west (Stoudamire,Boozer,Gay and Nowitzki). After the last two Wizard moves I believe it is very likely that all of them end up in the east.

In a worst case scenario the Wizards are looking at the prospect of playing 5 juggernaut teams the next 5-10 years in the east. And that IMO isn't worth picking up a trashy player like Yi and a mediocre player like Hinrich.

Chicago,New Jersey in addition to New York,Miami have big time capspace and there are 9 significant free agents available (Wade,James,Bosh,Johnson,Stoudamire,Boozer,Lee,Nowitzki,Gay)---even if a Nowitzki or Gay stay with their team it is very possible that 4 of these teams end up with two terrific players--thus creating 4 juggernaut teams next to Orlando. That'd make it 5 teams which the Wizards IMO are gonna have a difficult time competing against the next 5-7 years.

[Benjammin]

And who cares about the fact that Blatche broke his foot? This team isn't going anywhere this year anyway, and Yi certainly isn't going to be the difference maker in that. There's no way to defend this deal if at least one pick doesn't come back to the Wizards. As fishercob just pointed out it costs us cap space that we can't use in other deals, and it gives the Nets cap space they can use potentially very well. So without a pick or two this is a completely pathetic deal.

[jholmbe1]

Like the deal. I don't think Yi will ever be anything special but he is a better player than Ross. We get $3 mil back from NJ so money wise it is essentially a wash. Either Chairman Yi lives up to his potential (unlikely) or we trade him and his expiring contract at the trade deadline (likely). good move

FALSE.

This trade eats up another $3M of cap room, and inhibits our ability to make other deals down the road. If we are not getting some sort of pick from NJ this is a terrible, awful, indefensible deal.

Well even if we take on some salary for this year he is still a chip to be used before the trade deadline when teams want expiring contracts before the strike.

Also, are we really going to be upset that we traded a player who averaged 1.8 points and .9 boards for a player that averaged 12 points and 7.2 boards a game?

[dopeismarcus]

PG-Wall/Hinrich
SG-Arenas/Young
SF-Thornton/Booker
PF-Blatche/Yi
C-McGee/N'diaye

meh

Were you really expecting something else? I think people got their hopes artificially up with all the pretend scenarios being talked about in the moths since the blowup in February. But guess what? Real life isn't like internet message boards. Blame Ernie if you want, but the problem is the delusions of granduer that have been floating around this place for too long.

Bottom line - this team stinks and will continue to stink next season. And since the owner is okay with that, I don't see any reason why we should be shocked and hyper-reactive when stop-gap moves like this are made.

P.S. - This probably doesn't happen IMO if Blatche doesn't break his foot.

overreact much? all i did was post the lineup so far. i know this team is in rebuilding mode.

[Bingosan]

Like the deal. I don't think Yi will ever be anything special but he is a better player than Ross. We get $3 mil back from NJ so money wise it is essentially a wash. Either Chairman Yi lives up to his potential (unlikely) or we trade him and his expiring contract at the trade deadline (likely). good move

FALSE.

This trade eats up another $3M of cap room, and inhibits our ability to make other deals down the road. If we are not getting some sort of pick from NJ this is a terrible, awful, indefensible deal.

Well even if we take on some salary for this year he is still a chip to be used before the trade deadline when teams want expiring contracts before the strike.

Also, are we really going to be upset that we traded a player who averaged 1.8 points and .9 boards for a player that averaged 12 points and 7.2 boards a game?

7 rebounds for a PF in over 30minutes is a terrible number. Him and Blatche have the same weaknesses really. Yi is like a super porr version of Blatche.

[Hoopalotta]

You know there's going to be some pocketing of mad loot by ownership through endorsements in the Hunan province. I'm sure that came into the considerations here.

I expect Nick Young's "Noodles" nickname will go over well. Earl Boykins missed a huge payday by just one year as I reckon folks would have loved him. Possible plush toys made in his likeness, I'd think.

[fishercob]

Like the deal. I don't think Yi will ever be anything special but he is a better player than Ross. We get $3 mil back from NJ so money wise it is essentially a wash. Either Chairman Yi lives up to his potential (unlikely) or we trade him and his expiring contract at the trade deadline (likely). good move

FALSE.

This trade eats up another $3M of cap room, and inhibits our ability to make other deals down the road. If we are not getting some sort of pick from NJ this is a terrible, awful, indefensible deal.

Well even if we take on some salary for this year he is still a chip to be used before the trade deadline when teams want expiring contracts before the strike.

Also, are we really going to be upset that we traded a player who averaged 1.8 points and .9 boards for a player that averaged 12 points and 7.2 boards a game?

Expirings only help if we take back longer term salary. This eats badly in our ability to be flexible. Can someone locate Dat and CCJ? I worry one is on a ledge and the other is loading up a truck with fertilizer...

[bej6789]

I'm not sure what major FA moves people were expecting, but Leonsis has gone on record saying that big time FA's at the wrong time cripple a franchise for years to come. During his early years with the Capitals, he gambled and lost with the Jagr signing -- so the draft is the way he'll build this team just as he did the caps as well.

As for the trade, I'm not sure how you can classify it as great or terrible -- I'm guessing it will have no bearing on the season whatsoever. It's not like the front office is sitting here saying "Oh crap now that we did this we can't sign a FA"... what it means is they never planned on going all out for the FA's everyone wants in the first place. I'm guessing the logic behind this trade is that Saunders will utilize Wall's dribble drive game like Cal did in Kentucky -- so naturally you find bigs who have a jumpshot who can space the paint. What does that mean? Guys like Yi and Blatche are perfect fits.

[Hoopalotta]

chadfordinsider RT @kpelton Trevor Booker, Yi and Andray Blatche. The Wizards will have the most eclectic group of power forwards in NBA history.

[Ed Wood]

Like the deal. I don't think Yi will ever be anything special but he is a better player than Ross. We get $3 mil back from NJ so money wise it is essentially a wash. Either Chairman Yi lives up to his potential (unlikely) or we trade him and his expiring contract at the trade deadline (likely). good move

FALSE.

This trade eats up another $3M of cap room, and inhibits our ability to make other deals down the road. If we are not getting some sort of pick from NJ this is a terrible, awful, indefensible deal.

Well even if we take on some salary for this year he is still a chip to be used before the trade deadline when teams want expiring contracts before the strike.

Also, are we really going to be upset that we traded a player who averaged 1.8 points and .9 boards for a player that averaged 12 points and 7.2 boards a game?

The issue, as I think we haters collectively see it, is that the team has lapsed in it's resolve to faithfully execute a BOYD deal. Ernie hauled the cart up to Jersey to see if the Nets had any ripe uh, deals, to offer and took the probably dead Mr. Jianlian off of their hands because there wasn't a doctor around and nobody was 100% sure he was actually dead. We, being amateur hoop physicians, are pretty sure that he's really dead. And now we just let somebody give us a dead guy for nothing.

Edit: Okay we gave them a dead guy too but their dead guy was a lot bigger and they were about to have company over and had nowhere to put him.

[miller31time]

Seems like a waste of time to me. Yi sort of....sucks. He's a finesse big man who can't defend worth'a lick. He doesn't battle for rebounds and he's a streaky scorer.

There have to be better uses of a BOYD strategy than Yi Jianlian.

It's not the end of the world as he has an expiring contract but not remotely inspiring either.

[Severn Hoos]

We, being amateur hoop physicians, are pretty sure that he's really dead. And now we just let somebody give us a dead guy for nothing.

Scene 2


MORTICIAN: Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
CUSTOMER: Here's one -- nine pence.
DEAD PERSON: I'm not dead!
MORTICIAN: What?
CUSTOMER: Nothing -- here's your nine pence.
DEAD PERSON: I'm not dead!
MORTICIAN: Here -- he says he's not dead!
CUSTOMER: Yes, he is.
DEAD PERSON: I'm not!
MORTICIAN: He isn't.
CUSTOMER: Well, he will be soon, he's very ill.
DEAD PERSON: I'm getting better!
CUSTOMER: No, you're not -- you'll be stone dead in a moment.
MORTICIAN: Oh, I can't take him like that -- it's against regulations.
DEAD PERSON: I don't want to go in the cart!
CUSTOMER: Oh, don't be such a baby.
MORTICIAN: I can't take him...
DEAD PERSON: I feel fine!
CUSTOMER: Oh, do us a favor...
MORTICIAN: I can't.
CUSTOMER: Well, can you hang around a couple of minutes? He won't be long.
MORTICIAN: Naaah, I got to go on to Robinson's -- they've lost nine today.
CUSTOMER: Well, when is your next round?
MORTICIAN: Thursday.
DEAD PERSON: I think I'll go for a walk.
CUSTOMER: You're not fooling anyone y'know. Look, isn't there something you can do?
DEAD PERSON: I feel happy... I feel happy.
[whop]
CUSTOMER: Ah, thanks very much.
MORTICIAN: Not at all. See you on Thursday.
CUSTOMER: Right.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grbSQ6O6kbs

[Hoopalotta]

In a worst case scenario the Wizards are looking at the prospect of playing 5 juggernaut teams the next 5-10 years in the east.

How about no.

Look, I think this deal was about making money with a free contract on a player who's on the top 10 endorsements list. This isn't really about basketball, if you ask me. I'd expect they're aiming for a Chinese beachhead.

[fishercob]

I should be given $3M cash in this deal for having to listen to Phil Chenier try to pronounce "Jianlian" for a full season. He rhymes it with "Neon Deion."

[fishercob]

In a worst case scenario the Wizards are looking at the prospect of playing 5 juggernaut teams the next 5-10 years in the east.

How about no.

Look, I think this deal was about making money with a free contract on a player who's on the top 10 endorsements list. This isn't really about basketball, if you ask me. I'd expect they're aiming for a Chinese beachhead.

Hm, well if that's the case then that couldn't possible suck any worse. Might as well call a press conference so you can flip the fan base the bird. Will they be lowering my ticket prices with with all this new found endorsement money? This absolutely sucks.

[verbal8]

Seems like a waste of time to me. Yi sort of....sucks. He's a finesse big man who can't defend worth'a lick. He doesn't battle for rebounds and he's a streaky scorer.

There have to be better uses of a BOYD strategy than Yi Jianlian.

It's not the end of the world as he has an expiring contract but not remotely inspiring either.

The really annoying thing is there was a true BOYD target on the Nets - Kris Humphries. At the very least he should have netted a future 2nd. It would have been the same cap space if we didn't ship off Ross. I think having Humphries would have been great for the first 10 to 20 games of the season. And then the Wizards could ship him out or buy him out to free up playing time for Booker T and Blatche.
Now the playing time at PF has to be split between 3 players that the Wizards are trying to develop.

[mohammed10]

Not a bad deal if it happens, even moreso if Seraphin is not coming over this year.

As you can tell, we finally have an owner who knows a thing or two about marketing. With Sun Yue on the Summer League squad, and now this. Yao planning on opting out, wonder what that could mean.

Edit: NM on Yao, Wiretap says not opting out.

Not to mention the Wiz play in

...wait for it....

Chinatown!

[jimij]

In a worst case scenario the Wizards are looking at the prospect of playing 5 juggernaut teams the next 5-10 years in the east.

How about no.

Look, I think this deal was about making money with a free contract on a player who's on the top 10 endorsements list. This isn't really about basketball, if you ask me. I'd expect they're aiming for a Chinese beachhead.

This is exactly what my first reaction was. It seems like a Susan O'Malley move to me made as much for off the court marketing possibilities more so than for anything that Yi can do on the court. It does eat up our cap space a little bit but overall there's far worse uses of the money IMO. I think Yi's at least worth a flyer since the cash is equal (even if the cap hold is not).

Don't love but I can live with it. Much rather have him for one year than Beasley.

[mohammed10]

Awww c'mon Wood. We are giving up Quinton "Stinkin" Ross for Yi. You can't tell me this isn't a great trade for the Wiz considering we're giving up a guy who should be mowing my lawn right about now.