I'm Huston fans from China. So devious that yi signs with bucks ,he can do nothing and nothing he can do but his agent. May he good luck in the coming season.
I see they gave Yi number 11. Is that so their Asian number 11 can go up against our Asian number 11? Maybe its so they can copy and capitilize off Yao's famed number 11...
That's a valid point and one I wasn't aware of. I had no idea that it was Del Harris who had given them a scouting report nor that Larry Harris is the son of Del Harris. That changes my perspective somewhat, but not entirely. Well, I'm not arguing that Yi is a bad player. I'm not arguing that he doesn't deserve to go 6th. What I'm arguing is that no matter how good he can be he can't do them any good if he doesn't play for them - he had stated he wouldn't play for them - we have an example of a foreign player who was drafted in the lottery and opted not to come to the NBA ever - thus I think it irresponsible for them to disregard that fact and draft Yi anyway. That's my argument and I think it's completely reasonable. In fact, I think Yi WILL be a good player and perhaps a star. And that is why Wang Zhi Zhi, Mengke Bateer or Sun Yue wouldn't do. Scrubs don't bring in the bucks. Not after Yao, anyway. Yi has to be successful for those Chinese dollars to start rolling in, so obviously Milwaukee feels Yi is very likely to succeed in the NBA. I don't question that. Again, my problem with picking Yi isn't about Yi as a player, it's about the fact there was such a strong chance he wouldn't be THEIR player but they picked him anyway. Look, I don't mind you disagreeing with me. I don't even mind you suggesting that I'm being absurd - but I don't appreciate the mocking tone and the rolled eyes. I've been posting on this board for years. I've always been respectful and courteous to you and, while I'm sure there have been some exceptions, I think I'm generally respectful and courteous to all posters. I certainly try to be. I may not be Clutch, Jeff, DoD, NIKEstrad, aelliott, et al. but I would like to think that in the years I've been posting and contributing to this board I've earned at least enough respect to not be openly mocked and/or get the roll eyes from fellow long time posters. As for this thread - I'm done with it. I feel I've adequately defended my position and made my view on the matter clear. I'm perfectly content to remain in the minority, or for that matter, be the entirety of the minority.
I'm not trying to mock you , and I don't think Sam was either...but I will say this. How do you know that the Bucks picked him b/c of the money from the Chinese market? Perhaps...just perhaps...they chose him because in a draft where there were few "sure things", they chose a player with a tremendous upside...which we all seem to agree on (Yi's upside) I guess I just think that when you have the opportunity to live out your dream and play in the NBA and to make millions of dollars playing a f*cking GAME, you should respect the fact that when you make yourself available for a DRAFT, any team can choose you. Francis was ripped apart for his maneuver and so was Kobe. Why get so defensive when Yi does the same thing??? I know you said you were done posting in this thread and that is fine, but think about it...
Where you are most certainly being unreasonable is playing mind-reader of the Bucks. Why do you say they "disregarded" anything about Yi? Have you ever heard of the term "calculated risk"? It's a daily concept in the business world. Looking at the facts of Yi's situation, the Bucks figured he would sign and they were right. You say there was a "strong chance" he wasn't going to play for them. The Bucks thought otherwise. Who was right? Turns out they weren't "irresponsible" after all. End of story. (I don't mean to mock your opinion at all. I just disagree very strongly). Not to you personally, but it seems like some here resent that the Bucks got their man. Oh well, that's the NBA draft for you. Now let's see if he can play at this level.
Yeah there's no way a professional NBA Team should cower to the demands of a draftee. Take it into consideration the draftee's wishes however ultimately they need to do what's best for the team. If it was up to the players then pretty much all Domestic/International Players will say they'll prefer to go to the Lakers or Knicks or Heat etc etc. Let's say Bucks get #6 pick again next year and the top 13 players all say that they don't want to play for the Bucks? Should they trade out of the lottery because no one wants to play for them? How about all the top 32 players say they don't want to play for the Bucks, should they just give up trade their 2008 pick for a 2009 pick? I mean why not just have all the players get together and have them decide on what team they want to play ? IMO I'm happy that he signed. Definitely interested to see if he's any good. I think he'll be "ok" and might be a tweener like Joe Smith. Anyway, there really wasn't any chance he was going to sit out an entire year of playing basketball with the 2008 Olympics in China. Cheers
you know the bucks organization wants the fans to thinks he will be the next yao ming, but i think yi wants to wear #9. i guess since the bucks were so quick to try to give him boykin's jersey #, then the earl is not in their plans.
Sealing the deal: Yi assured rotation role with Bucks Now that Yi Jianlian has signed with the Milwaukee Bucks, there is no doubt he will play for them -- a lot. Owner Herb Kohl apparently has guaranteed it. Yi Jianlian NBAE via Getty Images Kohl publicly downplayed his role in last week's signing of Yi, the Chinese star Milwaukee selected No. 6 in June's draft against Yi's wishes, but only personal guarantees by Kohl on how Yi will be handled ended the stalemate, a source intimately familiar with the negotiations said. Those guarantees, according to the source, include Yi averaging more than 20 minutes per game and possibly as many as 25. Only such an assurance by Kohl eased concerns that with coach Larry Krystkowiak facing his first full season and GM Larry Harris under pressure to win now to keep his job, Yi would spend much of his rookie year on the bench. Considering the dynamics, it's a reasonable concern. Kohl is not happy that his team was never in the hunt to make the playoffs last season with a $60 million payroll. Harris has to be hoping that Bobby Simmons and Dan Gadzuric will warrant their fat, long contracts and that Charlie Villanueva will justify he was worth acquiring from Toronto for T.J. Ford (Harris did not immediately return a phone call asking for comment). All three are capable of playing power forward in the Bucks' small-ball style. And Krystkowiak, an unexpected choice to get his first crack at an NBA head coaching job, has to feel beholden to Harris and eager to win. Kohl is not likely to be shy about pushing both Harris and Krystkowiak to make good on his assurances after going to the wall to win Yi and his representatives over. First, it's all the rage these days. NBA owners are increasingly involved directly in basketball matters, most publicly Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks) and Joe and Gavin Maloof (Sacramento Kings). Kohl also put his reputation on the line with anybody and everybody connected to basketball in China, which could create far-reaching benefits and consequences for a U.S. senator, considering China's growing political and marketing presence in the world. Kohl wrote a letter to Guangdong Tigers owner Chen Haitao, invited agent Dan Fegan to a dinner meeting in Washington, D.C., and then flew to Asia to meet with Haitao, various Chinese sports ministry officials and Yi and his parents. While Harris and several other Bucks officials made the trip as well, the source said the vital negotiations occurred exclusively between Kohl and Haitao. Count both the failure of Wang Zhizhi, whose game Yi resembles far more than Rockets center Yao Ming, and the looming of next summer's Olympics in Beijing as the motivation behind the Chinese to get Kohl's assurances. Haitao and the Chinese officials consider it paramount that Yi develop as rapidly as possible and play for a quality team, the source said. They are well-versed in the disparate tales of, say, Toronto's Andrea Bargnani staying in the rotation despite struggling early on and former Piston Darko Milicic, who barely played as a rookie. Although concerns about Milwaukee's small-market size, cold climate and lack of a significant Chinese population were also raised when Yi initially balked at being drafted by the Bucks, those topics were hardly addressed in the negotiations. (Yi's weather issues are born of the fact that the Tigers are based in the southern city of Guangzhou; also, he spent the three months leading up to the draft in Los Angeles.) So what happens if Yi doesn't get the minutes promised? Kohl, the source said, has assured Yi he can come to him directly to discuss going elsewhere. There's always the chance that minutes won't be an issue. Yi could make it a no-brainer to keep him on the floor. Perhaps the Bucks will flourish with a healthy Michael Redd dropping nearly 20 pounds and center Andrew Bogut entering his third season, which is about when most big men learn the NBA ropes. But it won't be hard to know if Yi feels compelled to bust a move to Kohl's office. It'll be written all over the stat sheet. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=bucher_ric&page=YiDeal Unbelievable what this guy commanded.
Finally someone responded to tinman, he has been trying so hard to get a reply in this thread I'm not too surprised that Bucks caved into the playtime thing, I hope Yi plays well so neither party (him and the Bucks) get embarrassed
its not trying. its people understanding what that meant. since 90% of the Yi thread readers know nothing of Maxwell, Ralph Sampson, Barkley, Kenny, and other Rockets of legend, I knew my reference would hit one of the faithful and pure Rocket fans.
you think it's that high? it might be, but that would be shocking to me...or, really, I guess, just make me feel quite old...
i'm not saying for the Board, i'm just saying for the Thread. Seriously, US based Rockets fans don't give a flying free t shirt shot from Clutch the Bear about Yi. the only reason this has controversy is the Yi pretty much dissed the entire Midwest population.
What did Charles Barkley ever do for the rockets? Better Yet, what did Charles ever do for the Nba? Some of you will never understand or appreciate the foreign player and the charisma that he brings to the game. Carlitos, El Amigo, Herrera did more for the NBA than charles ever did. Herrera opened doors for the latin american player, while Barkley threw people through doors. La leyenda, Camarada Herrera I like Yi and I wish him the best.
