LINK Deal done Yi finally signs with Bucks By CHARLES F. GARDNER cgardner@journalsentinel.com Posted: Aug. 29, 2007 Yes, Yi Jianlian is following Yao Ming as China's latest import to the National Basketball Association. And the 7-foot power forward indeed will be playing for the Milwaukee Bucks. After Bucks owner Herb Kohl made a trip to Hong Kong to conduct personal negotiations with Yi's representatives, the young Chinese star signed a multiyear deal with the Bucks, ending a saga that began on draft night when he was selected with the sixth overall pick by Milwaukee. The Bucks announced the signing at 2:15 a.m Milwaukee time (3:15 p.m. in Hong Kong). Kohl, Bucks general manager Larry Harris and team vice president Ron Walter met with Yi, Chinese Basketball Association officials and Guangdong Tigers owner Chen Haitao on Wednesday in Hong Kong. "We all anticipate Yi's arrival and welcome him and his family to Milwaukee," Kohl said. "We look forward to a successful relationship for many years to come." Yi and his representatives initially had balked at signing with the Bucks and requested a trade to another NBA team, preferably one in a major market or with a large Asian American population. Prior to the draft, agent Dan Fegan had warned the Bucks not to select Yi and had not allowed Bucks officials to conduct a private workout of the Chinese player at his Los Angeles training base. But the Bucks insisted throughout the summer that they did not intend to trade Yi, and their hand was strengthened when they were able to sign their own free agent point guard, Mo Williams, to a six-year, $52 million contract. That lessened the chances they would be inclined to deal Yi, who had gained fame in China for his play with the Guangdong team. He appeared in the last five CBA finals with the Tigers and led them to titles in 2004, 2005 and 2006. "We drafted Yi with the expectation he would be part of our franchise for a very long time, and this is the first step in that process," Harris said. "Yi is a skilled and versatile young man who we have seen play numerous times over the last few years." Yi has spent most of his summer with the Chinese national team, which recently finished playing in a tournament in Turkey. He averaged 23 points and eight rebounds in three games in the tournament, playing against Poland, Serbia and Latvia. Bucks officials were able to watch Yi play with his national team in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in early July, and Harris and Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak had a one-hour meeting with the Chinese player there. Yi impressed NBA observers in Las Vegas, and his clutch shot in the final seconds against the Cleveland Cavaliers summer team gave China its only victory in five games. Earlier this summer, Sen. Kohl wrote a letter inviting Yi, his family and his representatives to visit Milwaukee. Chen had said that playing time would be an issue in whether Yi would sign with the Bucks, and that was expected to be a topic of discussion at the meetings in Hong Kong. Chinese officials wanted assurances that Yi would play enough in his rookie season in the NBA to prepare him well for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The Bucks have an opening at power forward, which was considered their most pressing need entering the draft. But the Bucks do have a number of frontcourt players who will be vying for time this season, including 6-foot-11 forward Charlie Villanueva, who was acquired in a trade last summer but was limited to 39 games due to injuries. In a statement, NBA Commissioner David Stern said, "We are happy that Yi will be playing with the Bucks to further develop his skill and his contribution to both the Chinese national team and the NBA. This is another great example of cooperation between the CBA and the NBA." The Bucks said that Yi would be in Milwaukee for the start of training camp on Oct. 1, but it was unclear if he would be making a visit at an earlier date.
I can't help but say: HA-HA!!! In a more serious sense, Milwaukee front court is HUGE. They've got 3 young 7 footers with skills that don't overlap too much.
i heard the bucks paid something to the guangdong tigers, not sure but what im sure of is they really tried to sweeten the deal
Not surprised this finally got done. It's good Yi signed now instead of at the last minute. I wonder if all of the flak will make him a target of other players in the upcoming season. My guess is no. I hope he earns a spot in their rotation from the start and has a good rookie season.
Oh wow, I forgot about that kid. It's been so long that anyone cared about him that I forgot what he looked like. Well best of wishes of him down there.. maybe they'll get some national TV time so people would care.
Bogut - Gadzuric - Voskuhl Villanueva - Yi - Markota Mason - Simmons - Noel Redd - Storey Williams - Greer A decent lineup, but pretty poor depth. They can't afford any backcourt injuries or they're done. Charlie V's both a tweener and an underachiever, so as Yi develops, they can have him (CV) split time at the 3 and 4, and have Mason split time at the 2 and 3. Personally, I think Yi's going to take several months at least to transition into the pro game. He's got less strength than Yao did and will have a tough time adjusting to the speed and physicality of the league. I figure a best case scenario is a rookie year like Bargnani's. With a more halfcourt oriented game instead of Toronto's pseudo-European style, that might be a tall order. Evan
Good luck to Yi...althought I must say it's hard to figure out what the Bucks are trying to accomplish up there.
The more I read about this kid, the less I like him. It says that he also signed with the Bucks b/c the owner had to promise that he would get a lot of PT??? So if he sucks (which he might, as it's a tough transition to the NBA), he is promised that he will play regardless so he will be better in the Olympics??? So glad he isn't a Rocket. What a team player
I'm surprised to see this and a little disappointed. I was really hoping the Milwaukee management would get bitten on the ass for their greed.
Still I think ya have to think about it like a player holdout in contract negotiations. Like any player in football/baseball/basketball.
Yi sounds like a whining lil biatch. PT is something that's earned. Another V-Span in my eyes. For his sake, I seriously hope he lives up to the hype.
