dont underestimate the bucks, bogut, villaneuva, healthy bobby simmons and michael redd and the most important is that they have a legit shot at signing chauncy billups who also expressed interest in going there last yr. Now add Yi to the mix and with the market he will bring plus his potential, this could be one heck of a team in the east and assuming they also have mo williams to sign. Their offseason will certainly be better than the rockets' and their No. 26 pick...
Players should honor the draft and play for the team that selects them. Let him prove himself, and then he can go where he wants to. He should feel priviledged to able to come to the NBA, foreign or not.
Yi will get planty of playing time in Milwaukee, that's good for him. Nike got burnt but they are evil anyways so they deserve it.
You know the owner of the Bucks is a former US SENATOR. so any crap from Yi's end won't work. you don't see Andrew Bogut complain there aren't any Australians in Milwakee.
what are you talking about? This has nothing to do with Yi. The Chinese government, the CBA, and his agent are just acting like douchebags and manipulating the process. I suppose using that logic, that it would be fair to blame Yao for all the contract negotiations and threats by the Chinese before the rockets drafted him.
Bullxxx like you never have a clue. It's nothing related with Chinese gov. It's his ex-CBA team, his agent (Dan Fegan), and Yi himself, these three parties, want Yi to play in a big market city.
Yi is different from any other foreign players. Andrew Bogus and Andreas Bargniani didn't have much value promotion wise anyway. Yi on the other hand is from China. The is nothing more important than China as far as the NBA marketing department is concerned. Yi ideally should be put in a big market to capitalize on his huge marketing potential. Today this single act by Milwaukee just costed NBA and a lot of sponsors of NBA (Nike, ESPN, blablabla) many many millions of dollars lost. Anyway, it is not Milwaukee's fault. They are smart because they will make extra money by holding on to Yi, just that they are doing it at the expense of NBA and the other sponsors. The real culprits are Atlanta and Boston. Yes they drafted based on their needs, but that's so short sighted. A few years from now, they might be feeling pretty dumb if Yi generates more money than the whole ball team is worth. Yi woulda sell 10million jerseys in China easily. A Yi Celtics jersey is many times more attractive than a Yi Bucks jersey. That's the way it is.
Yes Battier and Ist Round Draft pick- His talent is better than out three draft picks put together!!!
I hope Yi gets fat from all the beer and cheese. That'll teach the Chinese the horrors of Americanization.
all this money generating hinges on Yi not turning out to be another Wang Zhizhi caliber player, who happened to dominate him in the CBA final a couple months ago and clear is the better player than Yi at this stage. Bucks' front court is loaded with better talents in Charlie V, Bogut and Gadzuric how do they find any minutes for Yi? This just doesn't make any sense.
It would be nice seeing Yi in a Rox uni.. I'd definitely take that chance and give any players they want (with the exception of 111). Battier + Biggio + Lidge + Head + Rafe + future 1st round.
The integrity of the NBA draft and the freedom of teams to choose whichever player they feel will help their team the most (regardless of external pressure from "sponsors" and agents) is 100 times more important than Yi's marketing potential. Nothing against Yi, but because Dan Fegan prevented him from working out for the Bucks, I'm very glad they took him anyway. The day agents and "sponsors" are allowed to corrupt the draft into semi-free agency will be the day I quit the NBA cold turkey in disgust. "That's the way it is".
Happy Yi make trade to be Rox. Yi and Yao play with eachother all night long! Make fun happy play time and win big game for joy. Yay to be dunking on foes with glory of China!
