Getting to know Yi

Intriguing Chinese star soon could be recognizable as a Celtic draftee

June 24, 2007|Shira Springer, Globe Staff

CARSON, Calif. -- Dispelling a fraction of the mystery that still surrounds him days before the NBA draft, Yi Jianlian conducts a rare interview before his morning workout at the Home Depot Center. He glances over his shoulder at the basketball court behind him where other players preparing for professional careers skip back and forth. Yi wants to join the action, and those charged with conditioning the power forward for the NBA want the talk to end and the workout to begin.

After some subtle prodding by Yi's father, the interview concludes, and what happens next proves as demystifying as any bilingual conversation with the power forward. Warming up, Yi moves with a fluidity that makes it easy to forget that he goes 7 feet, 248 pounds . He launches shots from 12 feet in front of the basket with textbook form and a high release point that has made NBA evaluators salivate. His shot looks unblockable. In another drill, he spins around a defender and drives toward the basket for a dunk with quickness that would be impressive for a guard.

Since arriving in the United States two months ago, Yi has spent six days a week learning English and preparing to play in the NBA with drills and weightlifting. He has been getting acclimated to American culture while also meeting with representatives of lottery teams, under the guidance of agent Dan Fegan.

According to league and team sources, the Celtics are very interested in selecting Yi with the fifth pick in Thursday's draft, if Danny Ainge does not trade it. Ainge and coach Doc Rivers watched Yi work out at the Home Depot Center 18 days ago and talked at length with the prospect.

While Ainge asserts, "There are 30 teams that know exactly who Yi is," geography, cultural differences, and the strictures of Chinese basketball have conspired to keep Yi a largely unknown player outside international and NBA scout ing circles.

At first glimpse, his combination of size, agility, and quickness leads to comparisons to Andrea Bargnani, Pau Gasol, and Tyson Chandler.

"I'm ready for the NBA," says Yi, in Mandarin, through a translator. "If I was not ready for it, I wouldn't be in the draft.

"When I finished my last game in China, I felt I was ready for the NBA and I flew here to prepare. The target has been set and the plan has been made. A lot of people made the plan. I was one of them."

Despite the confidence of Yi and his advisers, the big question remains how skills primarily developed with the Guangdong Tigers and the Chinese national team will translate to the NBA. Scouts who have watched Yi overseas see great potential.