After a recent bad performance, Yi Jianlian went back to the Nets' practice facility and worked on his game with general manager Kiki Vandeweghe late into the night. The people in China hope they see that work pay off early Tuesday morning.
When the Nets host the Rockets tonight, Yi plays his third NBA game against countryman Yao Ming. Never mind the question about Yi's age, for now. The big question is: How many people will be glued to TV sets in China to see the prodigal sons battle in a game that will air at 8:30 a.m. there? Their two meetings last season, when Yi was a rookie with Milwaukee, reportedly drew more than 200 million and 250 million viewers respectively. Since Yi is playing better as a Net than he did with Milwaukee, more people could watch to see his improvement.
"It's a big game for China," Yi said. "Last season when I played the Rockets, lots of people watched the game. In China, right now Basketball is very popular. People love it."
This also is a big game for the Nets (13-13). They end their four-game homestand and need a win to get a split and avoid dropping below .500 for the first time since Nov. 25.
But it's a huge game for Yi and China.
Yao is more popular there and has established himself as a great center; Yi has been inconsistent if not perplexing, because he is skilled and talented yet often disappears. Yi is averaging 10.2 points, but has scored six points or fewer in four of his past five games.
There is a curiosity about Yi that spans two continents: Is this who he is as a player?
The Yi conundrum gains more steam as the controversy about his age sparks up. A Web site contends it has documentation that Yi is 24, not 21, which he and the Nets deny. If it is true, Yi's proverbial upside might not be as great.
But the Nets believe in Yi and aren't straying from their current plan of building around Devin Harris, rookie Brook Lopez and Yi, who was acquired in June in the Richard Jefferson trade.
After Yi shot 1-for-6 and scored two points in Wednesday's loss to Utah, he worked with Vandeweghe. The next game, he bounced back with 16 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Dallas.
"We think he's got a lot of promise," team president Rod Thorn said. "He's one of the hardest working players we have. That's a guy who wants to get better. He has a very good work ethic."
Yi looks at Yi-Yao III as another game. But the importance of it in China could give Yi added motivation.
"It's very interesting for the fans of China," he said. "They just love it. For me it feels like a regular game."
E-mail: iannazzone@northjersey.com
