Yi won't allow China to fall off
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E-mail China Daily, June 21, 2012
Yi Jianlian isn't buying it.
Though team officials have played down the Chinese basketball team's chances at the London Olympics in the post-Yao Ming era, the team's new backbone says he's ready to shoulder more of the load this summer.
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The free-agent forward, who played for NBA's Dallas Mavericks last season, led the squad to the FIBA Asian Championship title in September.
"Definitely, my role on the team has changed a lot," Yi said after the release of Nike Olympic outfits at Beijing's MasterCard Center on Saturday. "Four years ago, Yao was there to spearhead the team's offense, and I did more of the dirty work as a defender and rebounder.
"Now, I have to contribute more on scoring while protecting the rim as well."
Yao, the former Houston Rockets All-Star center, retired last July due to a serious foot injury, leaving a big void in the paint.
With another ex-NBA player, Wang Zhizhi, growing older, Yi has become the new face of the team and will have to come up big if his country expects a shot at advancing to the knockout stage in London.
"I was too immature to play big in 2004 (in the Athens Olympics)," Yi said. "I honed myself and grew a lot in 2008 and I will be in my prime in London. I don't want to leave any regrets this year."
Yi admitted the team's road is harder without Yao, but shrugged off the impact.
"We've been playing without Yao since 2009," the 24-year-old said. "We have gotten used to the system without him and we will get better."
Although he rarely came off the bench in Dallas, Yi remains the most prolific weapon in the Chinese arsenal, where inside scorers are rare.
He averaged 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 6.8 minutes in 30 games for the Mavericks, and said he won't worry about contract talks until the Olympics is over.
The 2.13-meter forward, known for his mobility and smooth shooting, rejoined the national team on Monday after practicing alone while China traveled to Australia for a three-game tour last week.
Yi has earned trust of his American coach.
"Guess who is back? Good news for Team China," national coach Bob Donewald wrote on his micro blog after Yi appeared in practice last week.
Donewald expects Yi's return will inspire the team after it lost all three games in Australia.
"He can play," Donewald said. "He didn't get a fair shake in Dallas. But that can happen in the NBA. It doesn't mean anything about Yi. It's just the circumstances.
"Yi is a big-time player. I am expecting great things from him this summer."
Since his NBA debut with the Milwaukee Bucks as the sixth overall pick in 2007, Yi has struggled through a lack of minutes and numerous injuries. He's spent most of his time on the bench with the Bucks, New Jersey Nets, Washington Wizards and Mavericks.
His international performances have been more convincing.
At the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, Yi was the only player to finish with more than 20 points and 10 rebounds a game as China was eliminated in the round of 16.
He followed up a strong performance last year with a superb showing in the Asia Championship, where he was named the MVP with 16.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.
China will play a six-game tournament against Montenegro, Serbia and Croatia in Jiangsu and Henan provinces beginning Friday. It will then go to Guangzhou for the annual Stankovic Continental Cup against Tunisia, Russia and Australia, which will be held from July 6-10.
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