Oct 13, 2008 - 12:52 PM
0 shoutsBy Ian Parker PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer
LONDON (Ticker) -- It took a year longer than planned, but Yi Jianlian finally made it to somewhere he wanted to be.
The 7-footer from China gets a chance to make a fresh start in the NBA this season after being traded from Milwaukee to the New Jersey Nets.
Last summer, the Bucks drafted Yi with the sixth overall pick, even though his agent had made it clear that the 20-year-old wanted to play in a big-market city with a significant Asian population.
Protracted negotiations followed and Yi only agreed to head to Wisconsin after a delegation flew to China to talk him into it.
What followed was a largely frustrating season in which Yi showed flashes of his talent - earning Rookie of the Month honors in December - but was troubled by injury and fatigue from his commitments in China as they prepared to host the Olympics.
He returned averages of 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds but began to lose playing time to Charlie Villanueva toward the end of the season.
Off the court, Yi seemed isolated in Cream City.
Ask him for his favorite moment from his debut campaign, and he needs only a second to reply, saying, "The season's finish!"
Part of that is the affects of playing an 82-game schedule for the first time in his career, but it also speaks of the problems he had settling last season.
When the Nets offered their leading scorer, Richard Jefferson, for Yi and guard Bobby Simmons this summer, the Bucks took it, and Yi moved to the city of his marketers' dreams - New York.
With a Chinese community numbering around 650,000, Yi now has the chance to establish himself as a superstar with his new team.
"I feel pretty good, pretty comfortable in this team," Yi said. "I'm proud to play for New Jersey...The community has welcomed me. The first thing you see is a lot of Chinese people, a lot of Asian people in New York City."
The interest in Yi's acquisition has already sparked a rise in ticket sales, but Yi must deliver on the court if he is to fully deliver on his promise for the Nets.
He is part of a new-look, younger Nets team that will rely heavily on rookie Brook Lopez and guard Devin Harris - acquired in the deal that sent All-Star Jason Kidd to Dallas last year - to support Vince Carter.
"We have a lot of new players," Yi said. "A lot of young players, and all we can do is work hard and try to do our best. We'll be ready... We're all professional players. A lot of teams have new players every year but you all play in the league, you all play in the NBA, so you can pick it up."
With so many new pieces to assimilate, it's not yet clear how good this Nets team can be right away.
"I think this is a year where we people do not think much of us, but if we buy into that then we're fools," coach Lawrence Frank said. "It's starts with belief, trust and faith in yourself, in each other and what you do, and then we're just gonna stay together and work our tails off to be as good as we can possibly be."
Although Yi missed the start of practices following the Olympics with China, Frank has been impressed with what he has seen from his new forward so far.
"He's only had four practices because he was hurt initially, so he's a little bit behind, but we think he's got a very, very bright future in that he's got versatility in that he runs the floor, can really shoot it, and handles it well, so he's got a lot of different tools," he said.
Yi will need to toughen up some if he is every to dominate under the basket in the same way as his compatriot Yao Ming with the Houston Rockets, but he insists he wants to work on every aspect of his game right now.
"For me, everything is important," he said. "Playing fast, rebounding, helping your teammates and playing team basketball. You have five players on the court and seven players on the bench and you have to work together."
That will be easier for Yi to do with a more settled life off the court.
Life in New Jersey could suit Yi well, and his easy smile has returned.
"The first season is already past and it has taught me a lot of stuff about the teams and about the style in the NBA," he said. "It was a very good experience for me. Now I'm ready for the second season."
