Yi Jianlian NOT going to the Bucks

[WC Iz Active]

china sucks

[Real American]

Fuck Yi. How many people would kill to get a chance to play in the NBA? And that arrogant faggot is refusing to play because he doesn't like the city.

I don't blame Milwaukee, you can't let players dictate who drafts them.

[Sparegeez]

Watch him get injured and not be able to play well anymore. hahahahaha

[7even]

People might die over this.

[Sanford - V. President of the Dangerous Crew Movement]

china sucks

LOL

[The Watcher]

so how would it work if the Bucks didnt trade him, his Chinese team blocked his move.. would that mean he could never play in the NBA unless it was for the Bucks?

[Sanford - V. President of the Dangerous Crew Movement]

so how would it work if the Bucks didnt trade him, his Chinese team blocked his move.. would that mean he could never play in the NBA unless it was for the Bucks?

if thats true, he has to be the dumbest china men alive.

[.:DaYg0sTyLz:.]

Its not him its all the politics and shit in China , he doesnt care where he plays but everyone around him including his agent doesnt want him to play for the bucks, the owner of the team he played for in China even went as far as to suggest "If he plays for the bucks his career could be over before it started" these dudes really dont want him playing there but its not like hes some cocky asshole or anything like that ,its the people around him, its different in China with chinese players playing in the NBA

So he's basically their bitch am I correct?

Basketball in China is HUGE, but their players dont exactly lead the same style of spoiled, greedy life that a lot of NBA players do. However, they do generate a ton of money for the country and the franchise they play for. Why would it be a surprise for a country/franchise to try and restrict their top players from costantly leaving the country and playing in the U.S. If the roles were reversed, please believe the NBA, NBA franchises and whoever else needed to, would step in to keep all of our star players from leaving the U.S. to play overseas.

[.:DaYg0sTyLz:.]

.. would that mean he could never play in the NBA unless it was for the Bucks?

every NBA players nightmare...

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Yi Still Headed to Milwaukee?

By Preetom Bhattacharya
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Jul 24, 2007, 06:00 

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Milwaukee Bucks general manager Larry Harris is staying upbeat about the prospects of signing first-round draft pick Yi Jianlian. The 7-foot power forward is currently with the Chinese national team, which is preparing for the Stankovic Cup, opening this weekend in China. "I believe he (Yi) will be in a Bucks uniform," Harris said in comments made during a news conference to introduce new Bucks small forward Desmond Mason, who was signed to a two-year contract. "We haven't found one player yet that has not enjoyed Milwaukee once they got here."
 
 

[.:DaYg0sTyLz:.]

The Bucks should thank Yi. Whens the last time they got this much attention?

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

An inside look at how the Yi deal was done

August 29, 2007

You had to do some reading between the lines at the Bucks' press conference held this morning to announce the signing of forward Yi Jianlian to a standard rookie contract. But the press conference, featuring owner Sen. Herb Kohl and general manager Larry Harris, left two things clear. One is that Kohl's involvement was the key to getting the deal, signed surprisingly quickly Wednesday morning in Hong Kong, finished. The other is that the Bucks will now be under pressure to put Yi on the floor.

Kohl, of course, downplayed his role in the negotiations. But there's no question that Chen Haitao, the owner of Yi's Chinese team (the Guangdong Tigers), was impressed by Kohl's involvement. About 10 days ago, Kohl said, Chen asked Kohl, "May I make a request?" Chen then asked if Kohl would come to Hong Kong. As first reported in this space yesterday, Kohl headed for Hong Kong on Tuesday.

 
"They were very appreciative of the efforts we made to come here," Kohl said. "To get on a plane and come halfway across the world ... that indicates our commitment to Yi."

Kohl spread credit to Harris and the rest of the Bucks organization. But, Yi's agent, Dan Fegan, reached by phone in Hong Kong this morning (which is evening in Hong Kong), confirmed Kohl's importance to the process. "The senator made his commitment known to Yi and to the owner of Yi's team," Fegan said. "In the end, that made the difference, the fact that he was so personally committed."

The other aspect of Yi's arrival is his development. Make no mistake, when Kohl and Harris speak of development -- which they did often -- they mean giving Yi playing time. "The major concern was whether he would get a full opportunity to develop his skills with the Bucks," Harris said. "The question was whether he would get the opportunity to play and grow in Milwaukee. We made it clear this would happen."

That brings us back to the assertions made here yesterday, which are that Yi's mini-holdout has worked out nicely for him, because he has guaranteed himself playing time in the Bucks' crowded frontcourt situation. If he had simply signed a rookie contract in early July, it might have been easy for him to get lost in the shuffle as a rookie. But now, he will be watched closely by Kohl, along with a gaggle of Chinese media members. If he is not getting a playing opportunity, you can bet there will be plenty of folks who notice and who move to change it.

Harris was asked directly if Yi had been promised playing time. He skirted the question, but brought up a salient point: "There's a lot on his shoulders with his country and the Olympics and everything else."

That's something that doesn't really register with NBA fans. There's much more at stake for Yi than whether he plays 8 minutes per game or 25 minutes per game this year. To NBA fans, Yi should just be happy to have the opportunity to play in the league and has no right to complain about playing time before he even shows up for his first training camp. But equally important to Yi is his national team. There is a lot of pressure on him to develop into a top-flight player quickly, so that he can help the Chinese team in the Beijing Olympics next summer. He's not going to do that on the bench.

For American fans, it might look like Yi simply held out and pouted until he got what he wanted. But remember, in our culture, the national team is not nearly important as it is in other countries -- especially China, especially with the Beijing Games coming. Yi put his ability to contribute to his national team ahead of his NBA career, which, again, is a concept most fans here can't grasp. He's taken criticism, but it worked out for him and his national team.

The Bucks understood that, and though there is no formal agreement on playing time, Yi has all but assured himself minutes, even if he makes rookie mistakes.

That's the final piece of this drawn-out story -- how many rookie mistakes will Yi make? How will Yi play? Those who watched the Chinese team play in the Las Vegas summer league know that he looked terrible, though he was playing on a bad, disjointed team. There have been plenty of voices questioning whether Yi has the strength and toughness to handle the NBA.

But many talent evaluators around the league felt that Yi was the third-best talent in this year's stacked draft. Until an hour before the draft started, Yi was certain he would be drafted No. 5 by Boston, but then the Celtics dealt their pick to Seattle. That's the only reason he was not a top-5 pick.

The Bucks, of course, took him, setting up this whole contract saga. That, at least, has been resolved.