How do New Jersy fans feel about Yi's commitments to Chinese National Team

[SportsTicker]

I don't think it's good for the Nets but we knew that he was from a fascist country when we traded for him.

Serbia threatened to draft Krstic in the army two years ago when he declined to play in the World Championships. I don't recall any huge outcry from people here about that. You want fascist? That's fascist.

--A year after being drafted by the Nets, Krstic played in Eurobasket03, broke his foot in training camp. He played in Eurobasket05 after joining the Nets. Also, Krstic committed to play in Eurobasket07, and would have played if it wasn't for his knee. He's committed to play in Eurobasket09 too. He could be a Net again by then.

--Nachbar played for Slovenia in the 2006 World championships in Japan. Not that it matters, but so did Serbia's Mile Ilic, who was about to join the Nets as a rookie.

--While still with the Nets, Kidd played for Team USA last summer in the Tournament of the Americas and made a commitment to play in the Olympics this summer. Few here had a problem with that. Most were happy for him.

--RJ, Kidd and KMart all played for the USA in the 2003 Tournament of the Americas, a 10-game tournament, along with a host of international stars, including VC, Ginobili, Varejao and Najera. Everyone was proud of their achievements.

--RJ played for Team USA in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, started every game, but played poorly.

Yet, Yi's training for the Olympics is a source of controversy and concern? Why? Maybe because he's Chinese...foreign, part of a different race, from a different political and cultural background. I can see no other reason for the opposition to his playing for his national team.

There have been studies showing that players who compete in the Olympics do better in their next NBA season than they had the season before. With year round training--thousands of reps in the weight room, thousands of jumpers in the gym--the addition of a few games may actually be a good thing. It adds competitive element to what must be a mundane discipline...and it keeps you off mopeds.

Yi didn't have a great Olympics, but after the first game and a half, he did well. He hit the biggest shot in Chinese basketball history against Germany, a super-clutch 18-footer, then pressured Nowitzki into a turnover on the subsequent possession. He wound up the fourth best rebounder in the Olympics.

Give him a break, in other words. What he has done and is doing is nothing different from what the other stars of the Nets have done in the past.

 

[BrooklynBound]

Serbia threatened to draft Krstic in the army two years ago when he declined to play in the World Championships. I don't recall any huge outcry from people here about that. You want fascist? That's fascist.

That's nice, NI. How does that disprove my point that China is fascist? I'm still right.

--A year after being drafted by the Nets, Krstic played in Eurobasket03, broke his foot in training camp. He played in Eurobasket05 after joining the Nets. Also, Krstic committed to play in Eurobasket07, and would have played if it wasn't for his knee. He's committed to play in Eurobasket09 too. He could be a Net again by then.

--Nachbar played for Slovenia in the 2006 World championships in Japan. Not that it matters, but so did Serbia's Mile Ilic, who was about to join the Nets as a rookie.

--While still with the Nets, Kidd played for Team USA last summer in the Tournament of the Americas and made a commitment to play in the Olympics this summer. Few here had a problem with that. Most were happy for him.

--RJ, Kidd and KMart all played for the USA in the 2003 Tournament of the Americas, a 10-game tournament, along with a host of international stars, including VC, Ginobili, Varejao and Najera. Everyone was proud of their achievements.

--RJ played for Team USA in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, started every game, but played poorly.

Awesome. That has nothing to do with my point. Where did I say that I was cool with them playing internationally but not Yi?

Yet, Yi's training for the Olympics is a source of controversy and concern? Why? Maybe because he's Chinese...foreign, part of a different race, from a different political and cultural background. I can see no other reason for the opposition to his playing for his national team.

It's concerning because I want players to rest in the off-season. To suggest that I feel this way towards Yi because he is foreign is completely without basis and is an irresponsible statement to make. Nice job.

There have been studies showing that players who compete in the Olympics do better in their next NBA season than they had the season before. With year round training--thousands of reps in the weight room, thousands of jumpers in the gym--the addition of a few games may actually be a good thing. It adds competitive element to what must be a mundane discipline...and it keeps you off mopeds.

Terrific. Show me this study.

Yi didn't have a great Olympics, but after the first game and a half, he did well. He hit the biggest shot in Chinese basketball history against Germany, a super-clutch 18-footer, then pressured Nowitzki into a turnover on the subsequent possession. He wound up the fourth best rebounder in the Olympics.

Sweet. Still doesn't invalidate my point about his performance with the Nets.

Give him a break, in other words. What he has done and is doing is nothing different from what the other stars of the Nets have done in the past.

I never said that what Yi did was anything different than what other Nets had previously done. Nice try but as usual, when you try to put words in my mouth, I will correct you.

 

[GMJ]

BB you're a complete joke. It's great how you continue to "force" other opinion posters to write their thoughts while supplying you substantial information when you have actions of never requiring such thoughts.

Oh, and to those that have been asked by BB to supply concrete articles: just know that he himself likes to go a year without substantiating his claims.

 

[BrooklynBound]

BB you're a complete joke. It's great how you continue to "force" other opinion posters to write their thoughts while supplying you substantial information when you have actions of never requiring such thoughts.

Oh, and to those that have been asked by BB to supply concrete articles: just know that he himself likes to go a year without substantiating his claims.

Attack the poster, not the post. Nice.

How has the information "supplied" refuted my post? Go ahead and break it down line by line. My only assertion is that China is fascist, and that if you think they aren't, good luck with that.

 

[J.S]

Attack the poster, not the post. Nice.

How has the information "supplied" refuted my post? Go ahead and break it down line by line. My only assertion is that China is fascist, and that if you think they aren't, good luck with that.

China is changing, globalization is a reality. In reguards to their nationalistic management of athletic talent, yes that is the the topic. You added nothing to the discussion, but managed to do it with insult and snarkyness. Great Job!

 

[networks]

I am the biggest opponent of NBA players playing in international competitions, but even I recognize why it's important for Yi to play for his national team.

I have no problem with it. (But if he were to miss it for some reason, I sure wouldn't cry over that!)

I am with Ghoti on this one.

If I was an NBA player, I wouldnt want to be part of the International competitions. Too much at stake financially. Better to get injured playing an NBA game then during the summer in an International one.

But that is ME. IMO If someone else wants to represent their country, who am I to say they SHOULDNT.

 

[BrooklynBound]

China is changing, globalization is a reality. In reguards to their nationalistic management of athletic talent, yes that is the the topic. You added nothing to the discussion, but managed to do it with insult and snarkyness. Great Job!

Of course globalization is a reality. My post never inferred anything to the contrary.

Who did I insult? I was being short with someone, but only in response to the some of the same.

 

[J.S]

Of course globalization is a reality. My post never inferred anything to the contrary.

Who did I insult? I was being short with someone, but only in response to the some of the same.

It seems like it can be very easy to pull apart a thoughtful well constructed post like NI's, that is if it's done with sarcastic snips. Secondly if you want to debate fine, but discourse is of course always preferred on this board.
Overall if you lack the tools of communication to discuss an idea, at least respect the time and effort that goes into a post.

(steps off soapbox)

 

[SportsTicker]

That's nice, NI. How does that disprove my point that China is fascist? I'm still right.



Awesome. That has nothing to do with my point. Where did I say that I was cool with them playing internationally but not Yi?


It's concerning because I want players to rest in the off-season. To suggest that I feel this way towards Yi because he is foreign is completely without basis and is an irresponsible statement to make. Nice job.


Terrific. Show me this study.


Sweet. Still doesn't invalidate my point about his performance with the Nets.



I never said that what Yi did was anything different than what other Nets had previously done. Nice try but as usual, when you try to put words in my mouth, I will correct you.

Aren't we a little pissy...and paranoid. You show your bias in your first line re China, then take it out on some kid who wants to play basketball. Your responses are needy. Re the study, try www.google.com. Quite handy. You are EXTREMELY tiresome and again not very honest.

 

[Astral]

Most aren't annoyed with Yi's playing on the national team, but with Yi playing for China EVERY year as long as he can hold a basketball.

NI, in your examples those players played there ONCE or twice at most. Look at what the Olympics are doing to Yao, or even look at Ginobili nowadays.

 

[BrooklynBound]

Aren't we a little pissy...and paranoid. You show your bias in your first line re China, then take it out on some kid who wants to play basketball. Your responses are needy. Re the study, try www.google.com. Quite handy. You are EXTREMELY tiresome and again not very honest.

What is my bias against China? I said the government is fascist. That's a fact, not a bias. Do you dispute their authoritarian nature?

Regarding the study, if it's so easy to find on google.com -- you'd be able to find it for me. If you're going to refer to a study, cite it.

Where did I take it out on Yi? Once again, you put words in my mouth -- and it's not going to fly.

What am I not honest about? Please provide specific examples.

 

[SportsTicker]

Most aren't annoyed with Yi's playing on the national team, but with Yi playing for China EVERY year as long as he can hold a basketball.

NI, in your examples those players played there ONCE or twice at most. Look at what the Olympics are doing to Yao, or even look at Ginobili nowadays.

Absolutely untrue. The best international players in the NBA have played multiple times for their homelands...Yao, Gasol, Ginobili, Kirilenko, Nowitzki, Parker for starters. And you can count James, Kidd and Anthony in that group as well. Same was true of Divac til he got up in years. Among younger NBA stars, Bogut has played every chance he got. Krstic played every year but two--once when he was injured, the other time when his contract year was up.

There is an underlying bias against the Chinese here. It is quite evident. You assume he doesn't want to play, that he is forced to play. Why assume that? Why not start with the position that he is a Chinese patriot who wants to represent his country every chance he gets? Why is he different than Gasol, who in spite of suffering a broken foot and almost ruining his career came back to play for Spain again?

Brooklyn Bound assumes that because he sees the Chinese government as fascist, everyone, including Yi, sees it as fascist and demanding. As I pointed out, and which he didn't get, Serbia has a RECORD of intimidation against its players. The one Chinese case, that of Wang Zhi Zhi, didn't approach the threats made against Krstic by the Serbs.

This is utter bullshit. Kids like to play for their country in the Olympics. It's not about politics. It's about representing your country. Some kids who don't live in the country they represent want to play in the Olympics...and I'm not just talking about Chris Kaman. Eight of the 12 players who wore Nigeria's colors in the World Championships two years ago were born in the US.

 

[BrooklynBound]

It seems like it can be very easy to pull apart a thoughtful well constructed post like NI's, that is if it's done with sarcastic snips. Secondly if you want to debate fine, but discourse is of course always preferred on this board.
Overall if you lack the tools of communication to discuss an idea, at least respect the time and effort that goes into a post.

(steps off soapbox)

If you have problems with the content with my posts, then feel free to refute them. I don't see the point in taking a general shot without attacking the specifics of my posts.

 

[BrooklynBound]

Absolutely untrue. The best international players in the NBA have played multiple times for their homelands...Yao, Gasol, Ginobili, Kirilenko, Nowitzki, Parker for starters. And you can count James, Kidd and Anthony in that group as well. Same was true of Divac til he got up in years. Among younger NBA stars, Bogut has played every chance he got. Krstic played every year but two--once when he was injured, the other time when his contract year was up.

There is an underlying bias against the Chinese here. It is quite evident. You assume he doesn't want to play, that he is forced to play. Why assume that? Why not start with the position that he is a Chinese patriot who wants to represent his country every chance he gets? Why is he different than Gasol, who in spite of suffering a broken foot and almost ruining his career came back to play for Spain again?

Brooklyn Bound assumes that because he sees the Chinese government as fascist, everyone, including Yi, sees it as fascist and demanding. As I pointed out, and which he didn't get, Serbia has a RECORD of intimidation against its players. The one Chinese case, that of Wang Zhi Zhi, didn't approach the threats made against Krstic by the Serbs.

This is utter bullshit. Kids like to play for their country in the Olympics. It's not about politics. It's about representing your country. Some kids who don't live in the country they represent want to play in the Olympics...and I'm not just talking about Chris Kaman. Eight of the 12 players who wore Nigeria's colors in the World Championships two years ago were born in the US.

How have I shown a bias against China? You still haven't answered that one.

Assumed the Chinese government is fascist? You think it's up for discussion? Sure, China is all about the civil rights. Got it.

 

[MisterMontross]

Yao so far has played for the Chinese national team every summer of his career in the NBA. Wang Zhi Zhi skipped a few years to stay here in the summer time to improve his game, but he was marked a traitor and belittled by most Chinese basketball fans in china and america. So it's obvious that Yi will likely have to play for the Chinese National Team during the summers for the rest of his career unless he wants all that negative publicity that comes attached with not playing. How do you fans feel about this?

It's the price of acquiring Yi.

 

[BrooklynBound]

It's the price of acquiring Yi.

Exactly -- that's all I've ever said. We knew what we were getting into. Of course I don't blame Yi, he can't control where he was born.

 

[isrus]

There is an underlying bias against the Chinese here. It is quite evident. You assume he doesn't want to play, that he is forced to play. Why assume that? Why not start with the position that he is a Chinese patriot who wants to represent his country every chance he gets? Why is he different than Gasol, who in spite of suffering a broken foot and almost ruining his career came back to play for Spain again?

That's a good point.

 

[SportsTicker]

How have I shown a bias against China? You still haven't answered that one.

Assumed the Chinese government is fascist? You think it's up for discussion? Sure, China is all about the civil rights. Got it.

It's quite obvious...please...it is so obvious it is insulting for you to ask me.

It is up for discussion, maybe not here, but it is up for discussion. You would have a hard time convincing the 1.3 billion people who live in China that it's fascist...whatever that pejorative label means in 2008. The Chinese government may not rule through the consent of the masses. You may not like the Chinese government. I may not like the Chinese government, but tell me this, is lifting 300 million people out of poverty in a single generation fascist, communist, capitalist, or simply one of the great achievements in human history? You may not want to accept that. The majority of Americans might want to accept it, but it is fact. You look at everything through American eyes.

Human rights mean different things to different people...and to a lot of people in China--which has had a LONG history of instability and foreign exploitation as well as horrific leaders, human rights are more likely to mean freedom from hunger and poverty than their right to protest.

Stop trying to ascribe your moralistic political leanings to a kid who just wants to play basketball and loves his country. You remind me of the western missionaries who went to China to convert everyone to Christianity.

 

[MisterMontross]

It's quite obvious...please...it is so obvious it is insulting for you to ask me.

It is up for discussion, maybe not here, but it is up for discussion. You would have a hard time convincing the 1.3 billion people who live in China that it's fascist...whatever that pejorative label means in 2008. The Chinese government may not rule through the consent of the masses. You may not like the Chinese government. I may not like the Chinese government, but tell me this, is lifting 300 million people out of poverty in a single generation fascist, communist, capitalist, or simply one of the great achievements in human history? You may not want to accept that. The majority of Americans might want to accept it, but it is fact. You look at everything through American eyes.

Human rights mean different things to different people...and to a lot of people in China--which has had a LONG history of instability and foreign exploitation as well as horrific leaders, human rights are more likely to mean freedom from hunger and poverty than their right to protest.

Stop trying to ascribe your moralistic political leanings to a kid who just wants to play basketball and loves his country. You remind me of the western missionaries who went to China to convert everyone to Christianity.

Does all that mean Yi doesn't have to play for the Chinese National Team in the summer of '09?

 

[BrooklynBound]

It's quite obvious...please...it is so obvious it is insulting for you to ask me.

Again, where? Show me the bias. Don't just refer to it, quote me.

It is up for discussion, maybe not here, but it is up for discussion. You would have a hard time convincing the 1.3 billion people who live in China that it's fascist...whatever that pejorative label means in 2008. The Chinese government may not rule through the consent of the masses. You may not like the Chinese government. I may not like the Chinese government, but tell me this, is lifting 300 million people out of poverty in a single generation fascist, communist, capitalist, or simply one of the great achievements in human history? You may not want to accept that. The majority of Americans might want to accept it, but it is fact. You look at everything through American eyes.

Human rights mean different things to different people...and to a lot of people in China--which has had a LONG history of instability and foreign exploitation as well as horrific leaders, human rights are more likely to mean freedom from hunger and poverty than their right to protest.

Opening up their economic policies has clearly benefited the people economically. But that's not what I was referring to. I was referring to their civil rights -- you know, the basic natural rights that we were all born with. Freedom of speech, religion. Yeah, all that good stuff.

They are notoriously terrible in this regard. This is not a bias, this is a fact. You may not like it, but it is what it is.

Stop trying to ascribe your moralistic political leanings to a kid who just wants to play basketball and loves his country. You remind me of the western missionaries who went to China to convert everyone to Christianity.

I'm not trying to convert anyone of anything. Nothing about my posts suggest that. I'm simply calling a spade a spade with regards to China's human rights.

Could you try to start small and go one post without putting words in my mouth? Quote what I actually say, not what you want me to say.