NBA Draft

[haplesshobo]

HAHAHAHAHA to the Bucks and Celtics. Karma's a bitch, and they got what they deserve for tanking on purpose to try to position themselves to get a high pick. You would have thought the Celtics would have learned that lesson in 97 when they tanked that year to try to get Duncan only to see that pick end up going to the Spurs.

This is probably the deepest draft in years, and the Celtics will still get a very good player. But, Oden and Durant would have been differnce makers like what Duncan did to the Spurs.

It'll be interesting to see how high Yi Jian Lian, the best Chinese prospect since Yo Ming, goes in this draft.

[proazn]

Yi is not going to Atlanta - black city with no asians. (China won't allow it)
Yi is not going to Memphis - small market (China won't allow it)

Yi is gonna go to the Celtics, so what are u laughing about?

[WillyWazza]

Well, Oden is surely going to become the number one pick.

Portland would instantly become much better defensively.

[proazn]

Yi might go to Golden State Warriors (many asians in the bay area). Warriors looking to trade up to get him.
Yi might go to Phoenix Suns (Yi's style would fit perfectly). Suns looking to trade up to Boston's spot.

[WillyWazza]

Yi is quite athletic.

[TB4000]

http://www.yahoo.com/s/613563

Apparantly the next Yao Ming. That's what they say.

[cloudzero]

Yi might go to Golden State Warriors (many asians in the bay area). Warriors looking to trade up to get him.
Yi might go to Phoenix Suns (Yi's style would fit perfectly). Suns looking to trade up to Boston's spot.

Suns have a solid team! Only weak spot is Raja Bell as SG. Yi won't fit.
GS maybe, cuz they need a PF.

[haplesshobo]

Yi is gonna go to the Celtics, so what are u laughing about?

I see Oden getting drafted cause you always build around the 7 foot center.

Durant, as the second pick, is a no-brainer. In a lot of ways, I like Durant better and think he could be the rare non-center who leads his team to championships the way MJ did.

Atlanta desperately needs a point guard, and Conley is one of the best PGs coming out of the draft in recent years although he needs to work on his shooting.

Who knows what Memphis will do, but they might take Horford.

And, then there's the Celtics at five, who could pick Yi. But, I don't know if it makes sense for the Celtics to draft a player who's going to need several years to develop and thereby waste Pierce's prime. Its kinda like the Lakers holding onto Bynum and wasting Kobe's talent in the meantime.

I could see the Celtics packaging this pick and some players (anybody other than Pierce or Jefferson) to a team to get a very good player that would automatically make Celtics legitimate eastern conf. championship contenders in a very weak, watered down eastern conf. But, Garnett has already nixed that trade. And, who would Golden State offer up to the Celtics? Not Baron Davis, who's the heart and soul of that team.

[mrazntre]

It's funny how they call Yi a mystery player, but he's been playing pro ball for a while now and all of the NBA teams have enough money to fly wherever they want to...

I think he'll be a lottery pick...i'm more interested in where and if Sun Yue will be drafted.

[haplesshobo]

It's funny how they call Yi a mystery player, but he's been playing pro ball for a while now and all of the NBA teams have enough money to fly wherever they want to...


I think the issue is that he was playing against inferior talent in China, and that makes it more difficult to guage how good he really is. You could test a player against high school players, but just because he dominated high school players doesn't mean he'll dominate in the NBA. If we were talking about Yi playing in the European leagues, where the talent level is higher and more competitive, I think we'd have a better idea of how good Yi really is.

[grimfan]

My take:

Suns: They need to win now, and Yi's gonna need a few seasons before he learns the NBA ropes, just like Yao did. Plus, the Suns have all the offense they need, and they could use more of a Noah type of defensive big man. And what about that Garnett deal?

Celtics: They're not going to win anytime soon, so they should just get the best player possible. If they think Yi is it, then they should go on ahead. Plus, it'd be cool having Yi as a Celtic because then I could watch him play a lot.

Bulls: They're young, so they can afford to wait for Yi to reach his potential. And they have Ben Wallace so they can have Yi be the soft, sweet-shooting big man, at least for a little while.

[haplesshobo]

Given how weak the East is, the Bulls and Celtics could be serious contenders in the East if they got the right player so I'm not sure if they want to use their pick on a project. The Bulls squandered last year, when they sat still instead of trading for that missing piece.

The KG to Suns is the most logical move. KG would push the Suns over that hump, and they'd probably win a championship. And, the Suns have the talent to swing a trade for KG without decimating their team in the process. (That's why the Lakers trading Kobe doesn't make sense- they wouldn't get anything equal in value or if they did, the team that traded for Kobe would lose so much talent that Kobe would end up a another so-so team). Sure, the Suns would be squandering their future, but Nash probably only has a window of one or two years left where he can play at that same level.

[cloudzero]

Given how weak the East is, the Bulls and Celtics could be serious contenders in the East if they got the right player so I'm not sure if they want to use their pick on a project. The Bulls squandered last year, when they sat still instead of trading for that missing piece.

The KG to Suns is the most logical move. KG would push the Suns over that hump, and they'd probably win a championship. And, the Suns have the talent to swing a trade for KG without decimating their team in the process. (That's why the Lakers trading Kobe doesn't make sense- they wouldn't get anything equal in value or if they did, the team that traded for Kobe would lose so much talent that Kobe would end up a another so-so team). Sure, the Suns would be squandering their future, but Nash probably only has a window of one or two years left where he can play at that same level.

Teams with good defense make it far. Thats why all the uptempo teams got knocked out pretty early. This includes GS, Nets, Suns, Lakers. Theres little gain in replacing Marion or Stoudamire with KG. They need to improve their defense.

[mrazntre]

I think the issue is that he was playing against inferior talent in China, and that makes it more difficult to guage how good he really is. You could test a player against high school players, but just because he dominated high school players doesn't mean he'll dominate in the NBA. If we were talking about Yi playing in the European leagues, where the talent level is higher and more competitive, I think we'd have a better idea of how good Yi really is.

True, but these scouts should be able to discern the talent because they've drafted kids out of high school, youngsters playing in lesser european leagues and such.

Anyhow, he's played a lot of international games with team China, so they should be able to gauge some sort of talent level.
Lakers drafted Sun YUE!!! w000t!!

[lethal]

Yi is not going to Atlanta - black city with no asians. (China won't allow it)
Yi is not going to Memphis - small market (China won't allow it)

Yi is gonna go to the Celtics, so what are u laughing about?

Completely excellent predictions.

[TB4000]

Joakim Noah ftw, nigga. Didn't get Kobe, but he'll do.

[haplesshobo]

Teams with good defense make it far. Thats why all the uptempo teams got knocked out pretty early. This includes GS, Nets, Suns, Lakers. Theres little gain in replacing Marion or Stoudamire with KG. They need to improve their defense.

Au contraire, cloudzero, but KG would be a signifigant upgrade on defense, esp if he replaces Soudamire. KG always gets a spot on the NBA's All-Defense team, so how can you say that trading for KG wouldn't improve their defense? Instead of trying to contain Duncan with Kurt Thomas, the Suns would know have the defensive tools of KG.

[cloudzero]

Au contraire, cloudzero, but KG would be a signifigant upgrade on defense, esp if he replaces Soudamire. KG always gets a spot on the NBA's All-Defense team, so how can you say that trading for KG wouldn't improve their defense? Instead of trying to contain Duncan with Kurt Thomas, the Suns would know have the defensive tools of KG.

I was thinking replacing Marion. Suns may not want KG for Stoudamire who was just a scorer. Anyways, NO ONE CAN STOP DUNCAN! Well they still need backcourt defense.

[mrazntre]

Joakim Noah ftw, nigga. Didn't get Kobe, but he'll do.

i like the player, but don't know how much of an impact he'll make. he's an offensive liability - like B.Wallace.

*shrug*

yi jianlian in Milwaukee. I wonder if he'll get traded to a major city? Looks like he loved Los Angeles (socal) during his stay out here so maybe he'll come to the Lakers or Clips? Tell you what, we'll give up Brian Cook and Luke Walton via sign and trade for him and sign and trade Charlie Bell. Good, good? right? right? right?

[mrazntre]

I was thinking replacing Marion. Suns may not want KG for Stoudamire who was just a scorer. Anyways, NO ONE CAN STOP DUNCAN! Well they still need backcourt defense.

as stupid as this might sound on the face of it, Kwame Brown did an exceptional job (considering he's a known bust) on Duncan during a few of the games in the past 2 years. Mind you, I'm saying this with the basis that Duncan (like kobe, tmac, etc) can score on anybody at anytime.

[Paradox]

i like the player, but don't know how much of an impact he'll make. he's an offensive liability - like B.Wallace.

*shrug*

yi jianlian in Milwaukee. I wonder if he'll get traded to a major city? Looks like he loved Los Angeles (socal) during his stay out here so maybe he'll come to the Lakers or Clips? Tell you what, we'll give up Brian Cook and Luke Walton via sign and trade for him and sign and trade Charlie Bell. Good, good? right? right? right?
The problem is Yi Jianlian is pretty old to be an NBA "rookie" plus he's not as much of a proven commodity yet. With that being said Milwaukee picking him was a big big mistake. It's a very non-asian city and I don't see how he would be comfortable there or generate the fanbase.

[haplesshobo]

I thought the Celtics were going to try to swing a trade for a veteran player, but Ray Allen? Allen is coming off two ankle surgeries, and he's getting old for a shooting guard.

Anyways, NO ONE CAN STOP DUNCAN! Well they still need backcourt defense.

Duncan cannot be stopped, only contained.

yi jianlian in Milwaukee. I wonder if he'll get traded to a major city? Looks like he loved Los Angeles (socal) during his stay out here so maybe he'll come to the Lakers or Clips? Tell you what, we'll give up Brian Cook and Luke Walton via sign and trade for him and sign and trade Charlie Bell.

I know Yi doesn't want to play in Mil., but is the Chinese gov. willing to piss off a US Senator to do that? I'd still rather see the Lakers try to trade for KG over Yi just for the over-under for number of games until KG snaps and goes Sprewell on Kobe.

[TB4000]

The problem is Yi Jianlian is pretty old to be an NBA "rookie" plus he's not as much of a proven commodity yet. With that being said Milwaukee picking him was a big big mistake. It's a very non-asian city and I don't see how he would be comfortable there or generate the fanbase.

Yao went to Houston, is that a big asian city? There are more asian people in cities around the country than just L.A. and NYC. =P

[Paradox]

Yao went to Houston, is that a big asian city? There are more asian people in cities around the country than just L.A. and NYC. =P
Milwaukee's asian population is notably sparse. Houston has always been known to have a pretty big asian population. Most of them were California transplants from the 80's and 90's.

[Paradox]

I know Yi doesn't want to play in Mil., but is the Chinese gov. willing to piss off a US Senator to do that? I'd still rather see the Lakers try to trade for KG over Yi just for the over-under for number of games until KG snaps and goes Sprewell on Kobe.
I really doubt China gives two flying shits what a piddly U.S. senator thinks. They are all about the money and pimping out Yi to a team where he will have the highest chance of becoming a commercial success.

[cloudzero]

At least Yi didn't end up in Memphis, a team that just lets the other team score so they can get the ball back to score themselves. I don't know about the Milwaukee either. They don't seem to have a good coaching staff if he stays there, he may not see a finals trophy in his career.

[WillyWazza]

Hmmm, Yi seems out of place in Milwaukee.

They've got enough big men already with Andrew Bogut, Charlie V, Brian Skinner (who is a free agent and is likely to get resigned since the organisation likes him), Dan Gadzuric (the coach of the Bucks LOVES him), Ersan Ilyanova or something.

I wonder if they'll trade one of their big men for a decent small forward to back up the oft-injured Bobby Simmons and to fill a spot in case they dont bring back Ruben Patterson.

[haplesshobo]

I really doubt China gives two flying shits what a piddly U.S. senator thinks. They are all about the money and pimping out Yi to a team where he will have the highest chance of becoming a commercial success.

Senator Kohl is a senator, and his vote will be important when its time to vote for bills in the Senate concerning Chinese-American relationships such as trade, Taiwan, etc... I think it would be a mistake to turn him into a potential enemy over this. Really, outside of LA and NYC, it really didn't matter where Yi played in terms of commercial success since he would be used by advertisers to sell goods to China. If you're in China, does it really matter if Yi plays in Mil. or in Boston or Denver? LeBron has still been annointed by Nike as somebody to build their marketing campaign even though he plays for a declining industrial eastern city like Cleavland.

[JesusIsmyFriend]

There was also Sun Yue picked at #40 by the Los Angeles Lakers.

[WillyWazza]

Sun Yue is a project player.

I doubt he'll have much of an impact in his first, few seasons.

[JesusIsmyFriend]

Sun Yue is a project player.

I doubt he'll have much of an impact in his first, few seasons.


It depends on what you think as impact. He's definitely not going to be a star, but if he gets the right training and PT...perhaps through the D-League, he might be able to contribute something. He was the only guard on the Chinese Team that knew how to get the ball to Yi Jianlian. I'd be happy if he just ended up as a decent role player off the bench...that's what Luke Walton is to the Lakers.

[haplesshobo]

And, then there's the Celtics at five, who could pick Yi. But, I don't know if it makes sense for the Celtics to draft a player who's going to need several years to develop and thereby waste Pierce's prime. Its kinda like the Lakers holding onto Bynum and wasting Kobe's talent in the meantime.

I could see the Celtics packaging this pick and some players (anybody other than Pierce or Jefferson) to a team to get a very good player that would automatically make Celtics legitimate eastern conf. championship contenders in a very weak, watered down eastern conf. But, Garnett has already nixed that trade.

So, Garnett reversed himself and now will get traded to the Celtics. Pierce, Garnett, and Allen all together on a team will be interesting to watch, and I think they could compliment each other. This is a good deal for the Celtics even though they gave up Jefferson who could become a NBA All-Star. Earlier, when they were trying to get Garnett, they would have had to give up Jefferson and the fifth pick. But, now, they were able to get Garnett and Allen for that.

Now, the Celtics will be favorites in the East, but will that be enough to actually win the NBA championship by beating a Western Conf team?

[haplesshobo]

Yi finally signed with the Bucks.

A hold out to force a trade never made sense cause China needed Yi to step up for the 2008 Olympics. If Yi had stayed behind, he would have never played against the best players in the world and further developed his game.

[cloudzero]

my prediction: bucks is a really bad defensive team so they have to keep up with opposing teams by scoring. with his shooting, size, and speed i think he will be a fantasy monster. but i dont think the bucks are going to get better. they need a new coaching staff. up-tempo teams are all a joke and mostly never get to a post season

[lethal]

up-tempo teams are all a joke and mostly never get to a post season

Suns? Mavs?

[JesusIsmyFriend]

Suns? Mavs?

and especially if u include the elite ones of the past such as Warriors, Kings, Lakers...

and last season's Raptors and Warriors. Rockets are also moving to a Up-tempo style, so that means Rockets will miss the playoffs again? Guess the joke was on him.

[cloudzero]

mavs and raptors werent up tempo last season, they tend to defend pretty well. uptempo teams are the ones that score like 120 and letting their opponents do the same.

last season, this is the rank of the teams and how much they let the opponents score

SAS 88.07
DET 89.10
MIA 90.67
CLE 91.87
HOU 92.00
LAC 93.70
DAL 94.40
PHI 95.17
UTH 95.33
CHI 95.70
ORL 96.47
NYK 97.70
TOR 98.93
IND 99.13
POR 99.40
BOS 99.60
NOK 99.73
NJN 99.83
ATL 100.30
SEA 101.00
MIN 101.27
CHA 101.77
LAL 102.93
DEN 103.00
SAC 103.07
MIL 103.60
WAS 104.10
PHO 104.43
MEM 107.83
GSW 108.43

its no coincidence that both teams in the nba finals were from the top 5 defensive teams. teams like suns, nuggets, warriors, wizards, lakers they all get knocked out pretty early in the playoffs. of course the other teams on the bottom of this spectrum never even come close

[mrazntre]

mavs and raptors werent up tempo last season, they tend to defend pretty well. uptempo teams are the ones that score like 120 and letting their opponents do the same.

last season, this is the rank of the teams and how much they let the opponents score

SAS 88.07
DET 89.10
MIA 90.67
CLE 91.87
HOU 92.00
LAC 93.70
DAL 94.40
PHI 95.17
UTH 95.33
CHI 95.70
ORL 96.47
NYK 97.70
TOR 98.93
IND 99.13
POR 99.40
BOS 99.60
NOK 99.73
NJN 99.83
ATL 100.30
SEA 101.00
MIN 101.27
CHA 101.77
LAL 102.93
DEN 103.00
SAC 103.07
MIL 103.60
WAS 104.10
PHO 104.43
MEM 107.83
GSW 108.43

its no coincidence that both teams in the nba finals were from the top 5 defensive teams. teams like suns, nuggets, warriors, wizards, lakers they all get knocked out pretty early in the playoffs. of course the other teams on the bottom of this spectrum never even come close

come close to getting knocked out early?

the blue ones are the teams that didn't make it to the playoffs. the red ones are the teams that didn't make it to or past the second round (excluding the bottom teams you mentioned)

[haplesshobo]

I hated to see Chicago getting the first pick this year and select Rose since I felt it was their own fault for missing out on the playoffs. They had a good core of young players where that team was expected to do much better, and their GM had stockpiled all those players to swing a trade that should have made them vaulted them to the top. But, when he had a chance to make a trade for a player like Gasol, he chocked and Gasol ended up going to the Lakers.

Yi ended up getting traded to NJ, but that trade was really about NJ freeing up cap space to make a run at LeBron when he becomes a free agent.

Au contraire, cloudzero, but KG would be a signifigant upgrade on defense, esp if he replaces Soudamire. KG always gets a spot on the NBA's All-Defense team, so how can you say that trading for KG wouldn't improve their defense? Instead of trying to contain Duncan with Kurt Thomas, the Suns would know have the defensive tools of KG.

And, as we saw with the Celtics, KG not only defensively upgraded his position but his entire team. KG's intensity rubbed off on his teammates and the rest of the team picked it up defensively. The Suns really blew it when they didn't make the trade for KG as they would have won the championship. Instead, they took a step back by trading for an aging, overweight Shaquille O'Neal.

[NegativeBeef]

I wish there was more Asian Americans getting involved with sports.

[Paradox]

I wish there was more Asian Americans getting involved with sports.

IMO, the reason why you don't see many is because of the tiny AA population. Also, most AA's are barely on the second generation. Not enough time to get past the recent immigrant hurdles yet. Also, AA's aren't tapped for sports in the U.S. due to stereotypes etc.. The U.S. is not exactly the healthiest place for AA development for sports. Look at China..who would have thought Asians would be sweeping weightlifting medals 20 years ago?

[cloudzero]

if they are to going keep drafting players from china, it is possible for a fob to speak perfect english? or how young do they have to first learn english?

[Paradox]

if they are to going keep drafting players from china, it is possible for a fob to speak perfect english? or how young do they have to first learn english?
Pretty much "never" except for basics until they get drafted. Why is that important?

[cloudzero]

cuz im tired of having yao ming talk to the media after the games. the accent perpetuate the stereotypes. its partially why its so hard for aa's to be perceived as american.

[nameless]

^Wait...you want Chinese nationals to speak unaccented English because you're worried ignorant Americans will keep on viewing Asian Americans as foreigners? If that's what you are saying, that's pretty stupid.

edit: Okay that was glib. I'll just add that your blame is misplaced and what you are asking only serves to placate the racists. I hope I'm just missing the sarcasm...

[BillBlythe]

IMO, the reason why you don't see many is because of the tiny AA population. Also, most AA's are barely on the second generation. Not enough time to get past the recent immigrant hurdles yet. Also, AA's aren't tapped for sports in the U.S. due to stereotypes etc.. The U.S. is not exactly the healthiest place for AA development for sports. Look at China..who would have thought Asians would be sweeping weightlifting medals 20 years ago?

what about soccer? excluding Asian Americans, we're about 2 billion strong and still not a single elite superstar. A couple of good players, just no one that stands out that much. I think when you bring population size into the equation like this, it makes things look so much worse.

the biggest riddle to me is why we don't see milestone athletes inspire younger generation asian americans. They blast onto the scene and then there's noone else to take their place.We had michael chang. Someone on YW said there was a filipino NFL player. We have Paul Kariya, but there doesn't seem to be anyone ready to take on the mantle. These are trail blazing Asian Americans but there isn't anyone to follow their trails.

Imagine what the ATP could look like if things were different, if Chang could have somehow inspire Asians and Asian Americans. But that didn't happen.

[nameless]

Is soccer really that big? In all seriousness, I thought table tennis was the big sport of China.

[Paradox]

what about soccer? excluding Asian Americans, we're about 2 billion strong and still not a single elite superstar. A couple of good players, just no one that stands out that much. I think when you bring population size into the equation like this, it makes things look so much worse.

As far as soccer as a whole, Chinese like to watch and talk about it more than play it. The real obsession is basketball and they like to play that but even then it hasn't become a developed past time like it is in the U.S.

I have noticed that one of the main reasons why China sucks at major team sports is because they don't have a developed amateur/collegiate level league that works as a feeder for the pros. China obviously has good athletes but the interest/money hasn't been focused towards this. From what i've read corruption at the local level plays a part. It's difficult to start anything at the local level when there are all sorts of restrictions.

On the other hand for Olympic sports there are tons of athletes being trained and selected at any early age. It's easier for them to focus on selecting a few athletes and training them up than to create a broader focus like you see in the U.S. The funny thing is China likes to focus on individual achievement in sports while the U.S. likes team sports. It seems to be such a contradiction in both countries when you consider the emphasis on a "communal" ethic in China and the "individuality" in the U.S.

This says a lot about other stuff going on subconsciously in both countries too but I think that's a bit complex to get into.


the biggest riddle to me is why we don't see milestone athletes inspire younger generation asian americans.
The AA population is just too small and uninterested. 3-4% is nothing man especially when you have loads of other issues to contend with. Becoming an athlete takes more than talent you really need to be encouraged or have an incentive early on. Personally, I think the U.S. is a terrible environment for cultivating sports in AA because of stereotyping and lack of opportunity.

[NegativeBeef]

IMO, the reason why you don't see many is because of the tiny AA population. Also, most AA's are barely on the second generation. Not enough time to get past the recent immigrant hurdles yet. Also, AA's aren't tapped for sports in the U.S. due to stereotypes etc.. The U.S. is not exactly the healthiest place for AA development for sports. Look at China..who would have thought Asians would be sweeping weightlifting medals 20 years ago?

Haven't Asians been in America for a very long time? How have we still not passed the 2nd generation?

[Paradox]

Haven't Asians been in America for a very long time? How have we still not passed the 2nd generation?

I've never met an AA past 2nd. There is a 3rd+ generation out there but they are rare.

[NegativeBeef]

I've noticed that too. What's up with that? Where are all the 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation AAs?

[Paradox]

I've noticed that too. What's up with that? Where are all the 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation AAs?
They're all in Hawaii.

[BillBlythe]

The AA population is just too small and uninterested. 3-4% is nothing man especially when you have loads of other issues to contend with. Becoming an athlete takes more than talent you really need to be encouraged or have an incentive early on. Personally, I think the U.S. is a terrible environment for cultivating sports in AA because of stereotyping and lack of opportunity.

when you say that the population is too small, what do you mean? Do you mean that there has to be more of us to produce as many elite athletes as other communities? Cause in terms of size, we're not THAT small, and some countries with even smaller populations than the Asian population in the U.S. are out producing us. Such as Serbia.

[cloudzero]

I have noticed that one of the main reasons why China sucks at major team sports is because they don't have a developed amateur/collegiate level league that works as a feeder for the pros. China obviously has good athletes but the interest/money hasn't been focused towards this. From what i've read corruption at the local level plays a part. It's difficult to start anything at the local level when there are all sorts of restrictions.

in the usa, athletic kids goto college, join a team, win, and get drafted into the big leagues.

china seems to be pretty obsessed with sports. look at project 119. why don't they do the same thing?

[tommyhtown]

Imagine what the ATP could look like if things were different, if Chang could have somehow inspire Asians and Asian Americans. But that didn't happen.


Chang did inspire me. However, I wasn't a world class tennis player. Also, there was a guy named Tommy Ho a few years after Chang. He was the youngest junior player to ever win USTA Championship under 18. A record that hasn't been broken ever since. Hampered by injuries, he retired from the tour early. He went on to graduate from Rice University, got a job with Goldman and Sachs, UBS Wealth Management, and now with Korn Ferry. Yes, I googled his name and found him on Linkedin.

I know this an NBA draft thread and I kinda got off track along with a few people. OK, so the Rockets traded our #1 draft pick, a guy from Syracuse, for Artest. Good trade in my opinion.

[haplesshobo]

Sun Yue is a project player.

I doubt he'll have much of an impact in his first, few seasons.

Sun Yue, the Laker's 2007 second round pick, had no impact last season because he never signed with the Lakers and hence did not play for them.

But, the Lakers recently signed Sun Yue but will convert him from point guard to shooting guard since the PG position is so crowded with Laker players like Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar, and Sasha "The Machine" V who is my favorite player. At shooting guard, the incomparable Kobe fills that role but Sun Yue could become Kobe's back-up and a valuable role player.