Link didn't work for me, but here the story:
Chinese 'Magic' intrigues Mavericks
11:48 AM CDT on Wednesday, June 27, 2007
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]
Some nicknames are overused and unfair. The next Michael Jordan, for instance.
And then there's this one: the Chinese Magic Johnson.
It's equal parts unfair and unheard of.
To think of an NBA prospect coming from the land of Yao Ming with a syrupy game built around a pass-first mentality, it strains the limit of the credibility scale.
But Sun Yue is 22 years old, 6-9 and coming off a season in which he averaged 10.5 assists for a Chinese professional team that relocated in midseason to Los Angeles and played in the American Basketball Association.
He's grateful for the comparisons to the Magician, but he doesn't put too much stock in them.
"I have a different style," said Sun on Tuesday after a workout for the Mavericks. "Yes, I'm like him because I pass more than score. Maybe I play kind of like him, but he was a superstar."
Sun is the sort of player the Mavericks are hoping slips to the No. 34 pick in Thursday's draft. But with the way he has blossomed since arriving in America, the Mavericks aren't certain the 216-pounder will last past the first round.
"He's definitely a pass-first guy and a pretty interesting story," Donnie Nelson, the Mavericks president of basketball operations said. "He grew up in China and was signed by a pro team when he was 14. When he hit Orlando, he raised a lot of eyebrows. He was a small forward the first day. And by the third day, he was a point guard."
Orlando would be the predraft camp held earlier this month. Paul Coughter, an international coach for more than three decades, was coach of the Lebanon national team before things went awry in that country. He is head coach of the Beijing Aoshen Basketball Club, which relocated to Los Angeles last season.
Sun Yue
AP
Sun Yue
Sun learned enough English to get by, but Coughter said there are some challenges with the language for his player.
"Sometimes, slang challenges him and some technical terms," Coughter said. "Otherwise, he's fine, unless you ask him to rebound. Then he doesn't understand."
Obviously, Sun has a sense of humor to go with his well-rounded game.
He also has a social life that, while it may not be in Tony Parker's stratosphere, is certainly impressive. Sun's girlfriend is one of the top models in China.
When Sun arrived to the predraft camp, he wasn't on anybody's mock draft. Now, he has the potential to be a late first-round pick. He certainly will be scooped up in the first half of the second round. The Mavericks pick 34th, 50th and 60th.
"This year for me is very important," Sun said. "I'm 22, and for me, the question is ready or not, it's about the NBA. I think I'm ready."
Sun's arrival will be accompanied by that of Chinese player, 7-footer Yi Jianlian, who is expected to be taken in the top seven of the draft. Yao Ming remains the most celebrated player in the NBA from China.
"Yao's of course a superstar right now," Sun said. "And Yi is a world star, too. They help me out a lot and tell me what I should do. I always try to pass to them when we work out together."
Sounds like the perfect game plan for a budding Magic man.