With the injuries, Sun Yue gets his opportunity

For the Lakers, a void has to be filled because of injuries. And that means even a rookie such as Sun Yue has to be Sun got the call from Lakers Coach Phil Jackson on Wednesday night, but it was not a shining moment for the 6-foot-9 guard from China. It was not so much that he didn't score. It was more about how uneasy he looked on the court against the Golden State Warriors. "For me, every game on the court I feel more better, more comfortable," Sun said. "I might not be getting used to the whole system...read full article

Sun Yue has Mononucleusis

Sun Yue tested positive for mononucleosis, delaying the start of his Lakers career for an indefinite period.

Sun, 22, appeared to be in good spirits while meeting with media members Wednesday afternoon but was taken to a Los Angeles-area hospital a few hours later. He will not be ready for the start of training camp Tuesday, and there is no date for his return."It varies on the severity of it and the individual," Lakers spokesman John Black said Thursday. "We simply don't know."

Sun skipped an unofficial practice with Lakers teammates Wednesday morning because he felt lethargic, which he attributed to jet lag after arriving in Los Angeles from China a few days earlier.

Mononucleosis can require several weeks of recovery, if not longer. Sun will rest this weekend and visit team doctor John Moe on Monday, Black said. If Sun is not considered contagious at that time, he can sit in on...read full article

Sun Yue's Press Conference Signing

Here are some highlights from Sun's meeting with the media. Watch the video to see the full press conference.

Sun introduced himself as a 6-9 point guard.

His nickname is "Q-Tip" but doesn't mind being called "Q".

The transition shouldn't be that difficult because he was in America in 2005 with his previous team, Aoshen. The competition will be better, but culturally it shouldn't be a problem.

Sun talked to Kobe after China played Team USA in the Beijing Olympics. Kobe just said "see you in training camp." He was able to meet some of his new teammates on Sunday when he came to meet with GM Mitch Kupchak, but Kobe is the only one that he's played against.

On his goals for this year: "Just try to practice hard and do everything that the coach wants. That's my goal for the first year because I am a rookie and I can't ask for too much."

On what his biggest adjustment will be: "I think it's (my) body because my body is too skinny for (the) NBA."

When asked about his strengths as a basketball player, Sun answered very humbly saying that he wasn't spectacular at anything, but also doesn't have many deficiencies.

"I think I'm an average player. I do all the things on the basketball court. I like to do all the things on the basketball court. When I (play) defense, when I pass the ball, when I block, I enjoy it because basketball has made my life so happy. I'm average. Not one skill that's very, very good, but no one skill that's very, very bad."

The guy he's looking forward to playing against the most: LeBron James. "I like his style of play. He's very unselfish."

As mentioned in a previous article, Sun will have a driver when he's in Los Angeles. "I know how to drive. I have a Chinese drivers license, but that doesn't work here. I don't think I have the time to go to learn how to drive in America."

On the LA traffic: "2005 when I came here I saw that if you want to go to the supermarket, thirty minutes. If you want to go shopping, one hour-thirty minutes."

To catch more from Sun, watch his full press conference. 

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Mitch Kupchak Interview about Sun Yue

Q: What has been the process in bringing Sun over to the Lakers?

MK: We drafted him a year ago and our feeling at that time was that because we had 2 picks in the second round, the other being Marc Gasol, we felt that if we drafted players who were not from our country we could encourage them to play internationally because we really didn't have room on our roster in 2007-08 and if we would have drafted an American player, he probably would have come to camp and we probably would have had to cut him, even if he was pretty good. So we wanted to draft guys that we could encourage to stay in Europe or in Sun's case, in China, to play, because our roster wasn't flexible enough and in Sun's case we thought he needed another year of play. As it turns out, Marc Gasol had another year of play also and he blossomed as a player; he really had a good year in Europe. We also knew that we would have room this year on our...read full article

There's no magic in Sun Yue

Lakers guard Sun Yue said he doesn't want to be referred to as "China's Magic Johnson" but if he has to have a nickname "The Monkey King" is fine.  "I don't want to be called the next Magic Johnson," Sun told the China Daily of the nickname giving him by the Chinese Press.  "He was a great player, and he has everything you could ever ask for in a coach but I don't think I am going to pattern my game after him in my rookie year," he said of Magic Johnson, a part-owner of the Lakers.  Sun was signed by Los Angeles Lakers to a multi-year contract after he helped China to an 8th place finish at the Beijing Olympics.  He averaged 6.8 points and 2.5 assists at the Games.  "Monkey King is a legendary simian hero of the Chinese Buddhist literary classic "Journey to the West."  "If they want to name me after the fighting Buddhist master then I guess that will make me a bit more literary," Sun said "For the fans to already have these kinds of plans (to name me monkey king) is really great support for me."

Janis Carr, OCregister.com

"Don't call me Magic...call me Monkey King"

Okay...The Lakers acquired Sun Yue from China in the summer and everyone kept calling him the Magic Johnson of China.  I've seen him play and he's pretty good but I don't think I would compare him with the great Magic Johnson.  We'll see though.  And wussup with the nickname he calls himself.  I don't know if  got his name from that one movie with Jet Li and Jackie Chan...oh...The Forbidden Kingdom but I don't like it.  He should take it as a compliment that he's called the Magic Johnson of China and leave it as that.  I hope he can jump like a monkey though and dunk over Paul Pierce on Christmas Day.

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