ESPN to Yi Jianlian: Be like Mike Marcus

ESPN.com's David Thorpe recently published a look at the NBA's 2008 rookie class, suggesting for each one an NBA veteran they should study in order to maximize their potential. And according to Thope, China's Yi Jianlian (易建联), that reluctant Milwaukee Buck, had better start working on his tattoo collection. The veteran he should emulate is Marcus Camby (without all the injuries, we assume).

Here is what Thorpe says:

Yi is a gifted player, maybe the second-purest talent in this class. But I think he oftentimes sees himself as a shooter/scorer, when he could really be a rebounding threat right now if he chose to focus on that. Camby shows up to every game expecting to grab 15-plus rebounds. It's an attitude with him -- he owns the paint and doesn't need to weigh 275 pounds to do it. Yi has long arms, great hands and a superior feel for rebounding, just like Camby. All he needs is the attitude.

Yi currently is No. 19 on ESPN.com's list of the top 50 rookies of 2008.

Now, only one burning question remains: Who is older? Camby or Yi?