Mavs v. China Summer League

The Mavs summer league team beat Yi's Chinese National Team (sans Yao) last night 105-100. Yi scored 11 points (10 in the first half) on 3-9 shooting with 3 turnovers in 31 minutes, but did add 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. He was pushed around on both ends by the Mavs' Pops Mensah-Bonsu. Some of his highlights are above.

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Yao Ming talked to the Chinese press about the Yi situation, noting the difficult adjustment he faced when the Rockets drafted him in 2002.

Houston Rockets center Yao Ming voiced his concern about Yi in Beijing yesterday, saying: "Yi might feel a bit lonely in this situation."

"I felt the same when I first landed in Houston," Yao said, who has been with the Rockets for almost five years. "Yi's business relationship with his agency might be more complicated than we expected. But I'm not in a position to give any advice to him about dealing with the agency."

Yao also said his national teammate will have to learn how to communicate with others once he settles down in the United States.

"He has to learn how to get his ideas understood by his US team, which is a key step to help him find his place in the world's most competitive league," Yao, who is in Beijing for Olympic promotion activities, said when quizzed by journalists about Yi.

"I believe every Chinese player in NBA wants to learn something with hard work and humble attitudes," the 2.26-meter Rockets center said.

"But the most important part is that he should have the guts to express his ideas and know what he is good at rather than following everything he is told to do."