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Hear Yi, hear Yi! Yi Jianlian, China's hottest player since Yao Ming, is ready to take his great leap  into the NBA.

Yi, nicknamed 'Little Yao' in the Chinese media, despite standing 2.1 metres tall,  has been the centre of attention on the courts here, not only for his hapless opponents, but  Portland Trailblazers talent scout Jason Fillipi.

Last month the Guangdong Tigers formally announced  Yi would enter the 2007 NBA draft. It will be interesting to see where he lines up - some mock draft boards have him  in the top five, others in the top 10.

Whatever the outcome, the left-handed Yi is not having it all his own way here. One of his chief critics has been China's Lithuanian coach Jonas Kazlauskas, who is quick to point out any perceived faults when his star under-performs.

Early in the preliminary round China beat Uzbekistan 91-68, yet Yi and the rest of his teammates were given a severe ripping by Kazlauskas.

'He [Yi] needs to understand it's not enough to be very talented. He needs to fight for every ball, for every step, for every position. I am not happy with how he played,' said Kazlauskas.

Yi scored 21 points in that game - six-for-10 from the floor  and nine free throws in 10 attempts. He also had eight rebounds. For some players, this might represent a pretty fair night's work. Not for Yi. Kazlauskas' blast seems to have done the trick as Yi has improved in every game and produced strong performances.

In the semi-final against Jordan, which China won 86-58, Yi netted 17 points and 10 rebounds. Only fellow-centre Wang Zhizhi, the first Chinese to play in the NBA, scored more.

Yi has been earmarked for stardom ever since Time magazine did a cover article on him in 2003, labelling him as 'the next Yao Ming'. He wears size 18 shoes like Yao, and there is speculation that he, too, can soon match the Houston Rockets star.

Yao, himself, believes Yi will eventually surpass him.

'I think that little Yi will one day be better than me. I'm not talking nonsense. If he can continue to develop in the right way, he will be able to surpass my achievements. Look at his build, his jumping ability. I don't have all that,' Yao said. Yao has a point. Yi dunks better than a doughnut. Despite his height and weight - 104 kilograms  - he is superbly athletic. It is this aspect that has NBA scouts salivating.

With the Olympics coming up, China are keen to win medals in the showpiece events - like athletics, in the pool, and in team sports like soccer and basketball. While they have a long road ahead when it comes to football, Yao and Yi have a realistic chance of challenging the world's best on the basketball court.

The pair played together in Athens when China reached the quarter-finals. But two years ago, Yi was a raw youngster. He is still unpolished, and this is why the China Basketball Association has given him the green light to play in the NBA in the hope that his offensive game will be refined in time for Beijing.

Yao, 26, is one of the dominant centres in the NBA. Into his fifth season, Yao is averaging 25.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.0 blocked shots and has ignited the Rockets to one of their best starts in recent times. He can seize control of a game at will. He can pass, he has the offence and defence. He has the whole package.

This is what Chinese basketball hopes a season in the NBA will do for Yi as they look forward to a gold medal at the Olympics.

Number of the Day: 19

This is the official age of Yi. But some say he is older - even 22. The CBA apparently disguised his real age as they didn't want to release him too early to the NBA. Thankfully they have realised this could be counter-productive to his development as a player.



'Little Yao' shows he's more than ready to make splash in the NBA