Yi Over Bosh, Pierce? No Way

[outacontrol music]

By John Hollinger
ESPN.com

Yi Over Bosh, Pierce? No Way

All-Star balloting results came out this week and they show the Nets' Yi Jianlian in third place among Eastern Conference forwards, just behind LeBron James and Kevin Garnett and ahead of Chris Bosh and Paul Pierce. This is something of an embarrassment for the league and its encouragement of international voting over the Internet, as Yi rather clearly doesn't belong in an All-Star Game -- he's averaging 11 points and six rebounds.

I'm sure the league will spin it positive and say, "Look, it's working -- the two best players are leading the vote." I take the opposite viewpoint -- it demonstrates someday soon the international vote will put a player in the All-Star Game who has absolutely, positively no business being there. We're not talking about marginal choices like we've seen from other fan votes in recent years, we're talking about a player you wouldn't consider even if they doubled the roster size. The fact Yi even has a chance of making it threatens to make a mockery of the entire fan-voting process.


Insider Gems

 

[in yo nostril]

they need to block the IP addresses from china apparently.

 

[avid boss]

i was looking at that at nba.com.. imagine if he was starting the all star game

 

[osh kosh bosh]

Bosh doesn't have the offensive tenacity to be an all star.

 

[owl troutwig]

There's a lot of people in China with computers whose internet should be disconnected

 

[yungmatt]

Doesnt matter....hell get 3rd place votes for forwards damn near every season. That still means he wont make the team

 

[vc3fan]

He will NOT make the team.

That is coming from a Nets fan.

You would think though that they are watching the same guy that has Devin Harris on his team and give him some more votes. It is a shame that the five of usNets fans can't get him in as a starter. He will most likely be a reserve but YI will maybe play in the rookie game.

 

[nublee]

Another reason why Bosh needs to come to New York

 

[JD617]

Originally Posted by yungmatt

Doesnt matter....hell get 3rd place votes for forwards damn near every season. That still means he wont make the team

You missed the point. If they don't change the rules, someone like him WILL make the team eventually. Those aren't 3rd place votes that he'sgetting.

 

[parada45]

He better not make the team.

 

[703 hwy]

 

[yungmatt]

Originally Posted by JD617

Originally Posted by yungmatt

Doesnt matter....hell get 3rd place votes for forwards damn near every season. That still means he wont make the team

You missed the point. If they don't change the rules, someone like him WILL make the team eventually. Those aren't 3rd place votes that he's getting.

[table][tr][td]Forwards[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Player[/td] [td]Votes[/td] [/tr][tr][td]LeBron James (Clev)[/td] [td]643,786[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Kevin Garnett (Bos)[/td] [td]495,514[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Yi Jianlian (NJ)[/td] [td]356,556[/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]Forwards[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Player[/td] [td]Votes[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Tim Duncan (SA)[/td] [td]442,203[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Amare Stoudemire (Pho)[/td] [td]370,470[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Carmelo Anthony (Den)[/td] [td]327,233[/td] [/tr][/table]

I dont think I missed anything

Those clearly look like 3rd place votes to me...On both sides

David Stern wont let something this bad happen now or in the future anyway

 

[hugebird]

What bad would happen again? The popular player with the most votes making it? Yeah, sounds like a catastrophe.

 

[JD617]

Originally Posted by yungmatt

Originally Posted by JD617

Originally Posted by yungmatt

Doesnt matter....hell get 3rd place votes for forwards damn near every season. That still means he wont make the team

You missed the point. If they don't change the rules, someone like him WILL make the team eventually. Those aren't 3rd place votes that he's getting.

[table][tr][td]Forwards[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Player[/td] [td]Votes[/td] [/tr][tr][td]LeBron James (Clev)[/td] [td]643,786[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Kevin Garnett (Bos)[/td] [td]495,514[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Yi Jianlian (NJ)[/td] [td]356,556[/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]Forwards[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Player[/td] [td]Votes[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Tim Duncan (SA)[/td] [td]442,203[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Amare Stoudemire (Pho)[/td] [td]370,470[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Carmelo Anthony (Den)[/td] [td]327,233[/td] [/tr][/table]

I dont think I missed anything

Those clearly look like 3rd place votes to me...On both sides

David Stern wont let something this bad happen now or in the future anyway

I know, but I meant it's not like they're giving him 3rd place votes, those are starting votes. You don't think it's possible for him orsomeone else who's not deserving to move up to second?

 

[caliwestcoast1]

Originally Posted by In Yo Nostril

they need to block the IP addresses from china apparently.

...there goes kobes votes and yaos too

...yi over bosh though

...yi over pierce is ok i dont think all-star games dont need any actors

j/k

 

[yungmatt]

^Anything is possible... But at the end of the day I cant really see Yi ever being the 2nd most popular PF in the east or west.

Chinese players as popular as Yao dont come along too often anyway so I dont really see it being a problem

 

[typerpinoy]

what really needs to happen is for the ballots to come out later in the season and for NBA execs to select what players to put on the ballot

 

[tuna629]

Originally Posted by caLiwestcoast1

Originally Posted by In Yo Nostril

they need to block the IP addresses from china apparently.

...there goes kobes votes and yaos too

...yi over bosh though

...yi over pierce is ok i dont think all-star games dont need any actors

j/k

Ive been observing this guy's posts for a while now ... this is the first time EVER that he did NOT capitalize the Ls ... thank God .. thatwas annoying ...

 

[marath0n]

Damn Chinese.

 

[davis]

Originally Posted by marath0n

Damn Chinese.

what's that supposed to mean?

.

 

[frankie calentino]

Originally Posted by hugebird

What bad would happen again? The popular player with the most votes making it? Yeah, sounds like a catastrophe.

Surely our Sunday evenings will be ruined when Yi is announced during the starting lineup and plays the same 15 minutes everyone else does. Don't foolyourselves, we hype the all star game up every year only to remember how overrated it is each and every time.

 

[brunotattaglia]

Do you guys understand what fan voting is? It's where a fan...votes.

 

[drunken cow]

^ Last year all star game without yao, tmac, kobe and made the game horrible.

 

[justhotkicks]

Originally Posted by yungmatt

Chinese players as popular as Yao dont come along too often anyway so I dont really see it being a problem

But it's still a problem. In 2003, Yao got the most votes and started over Shaq. Anyone who voted for Yao for the West was from China (or was a Kings fan).

Yao pre-allstar: 13.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.8 bpg
Shaq pre-allstar: 26.4 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.3 bpg

Amare Stoudemire, who is also categorized as a Center, was snubbed for Yao because of the overwhelming votes from China.

2004-2005

Yao pre-allstar: 18.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 0.8 apg, 1.8 bpg
Amare pre-allstar: 26.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.6 bpg

Imagine if KG never moved to the East. Yi would be starting.

Do you guys understand what fan voting is? It's where a fan...votes.

True, but voting is skewed. Some players in North America, like Bosh or Pierce, aren't as popular; their votes comes from fans of their teams or fans whoknow they are deserving. Yao and Yi have an entire country (the most populated, might I add) voting for them.

 

[m00dswing7]

LOL.