The Nets would rather lose 3 million back then, why did they force themselves to send Yi Jianlian away? You may not believe it if you say it

2007 was a year full of hope for Chinese basketball. Yi Jianlian entered the NBA after Yao Ming and was selected by the Bucks with the sixth pick, starting his dream journey. However, UAE was traded to the Nets after only one season with the Bucks.

I thought I could show my skills at the Nets, but I didn't expect that a year later, the Nets would "reversely operate" and exchange UAE's 3 million cash for Quinton Ross. This operation is puzzling. Ali Lian is backed by the domestic market and is young and talented. Why did the Nets send him away? Let’s explore it carefully today.

The situation of Alien is not ideal when he first entered the Bucks. At that time, Reed, the Bucks boss, had a very high ball use rate and was the absolute core of the team. UAE could only play tactics around him, which greatly restricted UAE's performance. Coach Skeles' tactical system is also incompatible with Ah Lian's style. He requires power forwards to act as blue-collar roles in the inside cover and rebounding. However, Ah Lian was weak at that time and lacked strength to compete, making it difficult to adapt to such a style of play. He averaged only 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game throughout the rookie season.

I thought that if we switch to the Nets, UAE could usher in a turning point. However, the Nets had three giants, Carter, Kidd and Jefferson, and their offensive firepower was strong. However, UAE's style of playing was more space-oriented inside, requiring ball rights and space. In the Nets' three giants' combat system, the ball rights were highly concentrated, so it was difficult for UAE to get enough shot rights. During the Nets period, although Ali Lian's average data increased to 12 points and 5.3 rebounds, his offensive efficiency was not ideal, with only 41.6% shooting percentage and 30.6% three-point shooting percentage. Problems such as insufficient strength, unstable shooting, and single offensive methods were exposed. Moreover, Alien has a restrained temper and poor English, has poor communication with coaches and teammates, and it is difficult to integrate into the team culture, which further exacerbates his marginalization.

In fact, there are two main reasons why the Nets gave up on UAE. First of all, the NBA league was still the era when the inside was the king. At that time, Lopez, Humphries and others were already inside the Nets. In contrast, Ali Lian is at a disadvantage in terms of inside confrontation, defensive awareness, and frame protection ability. He cannot provide substantial help to the team's inside, nor can he be reused by the coach. In contrast, Quinton Ross, as a role player, has a positive defensive attitude and a strong fighting spirit, which can inject vitality into the team. Although the Nets spent 3 million yuan in cash on this deal, in the long run, they have gotten rid of Alien's "burden" and obtained a practical player.

Secondly, Ali Lian suffered minor injuries during the Nets, and injuries such as sprains of ankle and fractures repeatedly came, and his condition was still unstable, which made the Nets question his future development. Moreover, UAE's rookie contract was about to end at that time, and the Nets had no intention of renewing the contract with him at all, so it was the best choice to trade it to save salary space. After the transaction, the Nets only paid Rose $1.14 million in annual salary, which greatly reduced the salary pressure. The Nets management calculated the calculation very clearly.

Conversely, Quinton Ross, as a role player, has a positive defensive attitude and a strong fighting spirit, and can inject vitality into the team. Although the Nets have 3 million yuan in cash in this deal, in the long run, they have gotten rid of Ali Lian's "burden" and obtained a practical player.

Looking back at this deal, although there are regrets, it also reveals the cruelty and reality of the NBA league. For the Nets, whether it was for tactical considerations, salary optimization, or team planning, this deal was reasonable in the general environment at that time. Yu Yi Jianlian said that being traded this time was undoubtedly a major setback in his career, but it also prompted him to constantly reflect and grow, and accumulate experience for subsequent development.