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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Yi Jianlian: Requests release from Lakers
Yi asked the Lakers for his release from the team and will be formally waived Monday, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports.The Lakers brought in Yi on an incentive-laden, non-guaranteed deal for training camp with the hope that he'd give the team some outside shooting from the backup center spot, but the former lottery pick apparently wasn't satisfied with that role. It didn't help matters that Yi struggled to a 36.8 percent shooting mark from the field over 12.2 minutes per game in his five exhibition appearances, which hurt his chances of opening the season in a rotation role. Yi, who last played in the NBA in 2011-12 with the Mavericks, will presumably head back to his native China to continue his career. His removal from the roster will improve Thomas Robinson's chances of making the club.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Lakers' Yi Jianlian: Solid effort off bench Tuesday
Yi Jianlian tallied four points (1-3 FG, 2-2 FT) and four rebounds over 13 minutes in Tuesday's 109-106 preseason loss to the Blazers.Jianlian saw another small bump in playing time Tuesday and turned a solid effort relative to his slight time on the court. The seven-footer has been serviceable to date in the exhibition slate and looks to have a lock on a roster spot, despite his contract not being fully guaranteed. He'll likely see time at both frontcourt spots off the bench, though he probably won't receive enough minutes to make an impact in most fantasy formats.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Lakers' Yi Jianlian: Favorite to land backup center role
Yi Jianlian has been seeing time during training camp practices as the Los Angeles Lakers' backup center behind starter Timofey Mozgov, Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet reports.Though he's seven feet tall, Jianlian lacks the rim-protecting ability most teams value at the center spot, but he could provide the Lakers with an interesting weapon on the offensive end. The 28-year-old possesses a reliable stroke from the outside, which could aid the Lakers with their floor spacing when Julius Randle is on the floor working the low block. While Jianlian looks like an increasingly safe bet to make the roster despite his contract not being fully guaranteed, he still figures to see fewer than 20 minutes per game behind Mozgov, which will limit his fantasy production.