Shock, Horror! Yi Jianlian Signs with the Bucks!
August 31st 2007 05:26
It wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that when Yi Jianlian was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the sixth pick, that we would never see him playing his basketball there. In fact, the odds of Yi suiting up for the Bucks were so remote, that a safer bet would have been Tupac and Elvis coming back from the dead to perform a duet together. That’s how bad it got.
The initial signs weren’t encouraging, with the Yi and Chinese camps making noises that hell would freeze over before we’d see him in Milwaukee. Well, that’s if the Chinese Communists actually believed in hell.
Herb Kohl, the owner of the Bucks, begged and prodded for Yi to visit the town and just give his city and team a chance. ‘No, dice’ was the answer.
So, the most curious draft prospect was left in limbo and the rest of the basketball loving public continued to wonder what would be of Yi.
Then, a funny thing happened. Jianlian’s camp asked if Kohl would fly over to Hong Kong to meet his young prospect, with the Bucks owner catching the first available flight to China. It was a modest gesture, but one that showed to the player and his minders that the Bucks had his best interests at heart.
Chen Haitao, the owner of Yi’s Chinese team, the Guandong Tigers, was the one that made the request for Kohl to come to China and was suitably impressed: “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.” (Deveney, Sporting News, 2007)
It had been roughly 60 days when the Bucks threw a spanner in the works on draft night by going against all expectations and acquiring the rights of Yi. The Chinese government, and Yi’s agent, all wanted their man play in a city that either had a big Asian-American population,
or was just a big city overall. In fact, Yi’s camp was so intent that Milwaukee wouldn’t be a destination that they did everything in their power to deny the Bucks a chance to get a look at Jianlian.
However, anyone who has ever chased someone in trying to acquire their affections would be familiar with the fact that the more one gets rebuffed, the more we desire said, person. If the Bucks organisation took on human form, there might be charges of stalking being thrown their way!
But there is a happy ending for all involved, with Yi quickly signing a standard form rookie contract, while the Bucks made the right noises.
What does this mean now for both parties? Well, we can safely assume that the promise of significant playing time was on the table in ensuring Jianlian’s signature.
Yi’s holdout has worked out for him in guaranteeing him significant minutes, but the Bucks frontcourt is loaded with a young nucleus, and you can bet that Charlie Villanueva won’t be giving up his power forward spot that easily.
On the flipside, the Chinese want Yi to develop quickly, so he can help out with national team duties, and he won’t be getting experience by getting splinters on his ass from sitting on the bench. Representing China is the pinnacle for athletes hailing from that nation, especially with the Olympics in Beijing next year.
The final word should go to the man of the moment, who isn’t under any illusions that things will be easy in the NBA: “Today's agreement means I finally, formally enter the door of the NBA…This will be a great challenge for me. I know I will have a lot of opportunities, but also a lot of difficulties. But I'll do my best.” (Fly, AP, 2007)
Today’s video is a highlights package of Yi Jianlian against NBA opposition. Albeit, summer league ‘players’.
The initial signs weren’t encouraging, with the Yi and Chinese camps making noises that hell would freeze over before we’d see him in Milwaukee. Well, that’s if the Chinese Communists actually believed in hell.
Herb Kohl, the owner of the Bucks, begged and prodded for Yi to visit the town and just give his city and team a chance. ‘No, dice’ was the answer.
So, the most curious draft prospect was left in limbo and the rest of the basketball loving public continued to wonder what would be of Yi.
Then, a funny thing happened. Jianlian’s camp asked if Kohl would fly over to Hong Kong to meet his young prospect, with the Bucks owner catching the first available flight to China. It was a modest gesture, but one that showed to the player and his minders that the Bucks had his best interests at heart.
Chen Haitao, the owner of Yi’s Chinese team, the Guandong Tigers, was the one that made the request for Kohl to come to China and was suitably impressed: “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.” (Deveney, Sporting News, 2007)
It had been roughly 60 days when the Bucks threw a spanner in the works on draft night by going against all expectations and acquiring the rights of Yi. The Chinese government, and Yi’s agent, all wanted their man play in a city that either had a big Asian-American population,
Yi Jianlian is smiling all the way to the bank! (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
However, anyone who has ever chased someone in trying to acquire their affections would be familiar with the fact that the more one gets rebuffed, the more we desire said, person. If the Bucks organisation took on human form, there might be charges of stalking being thrown their way!
But there is a happy ending for all involved, with Yi quickly signing a standard form rookie contract, while the Bucks made the right noises.
What does this mean now for both parties? Well, we can safely assume that the promise of significant playing time was on the table in ensuring Jianlian’s signature.
Yi’s holdout has worked out for him in guaranteeing him significant minutes, but the Bucks frontcourt is loaded with a young nucleus, and you can bet that Charlie Villanueva won’t be giving up his power forward spot that easily.
On the flipside, the Chinese want Yi to develop quickly, so he can help out with national team duties, and he won’t be getting experience by getting splinters on his ass from sitting on the bench. Representing China is the pinnacle for athletes hailing from that nation, especially with the Olympics in Beijing next year.
The final word should go to the man of the moment, who isn’t under any illusions that things will be easy in the NBA: “Today's agreement means I finally, formally enter the door of the NBA…This will be a great challenge for me. I know I will have a lot of opportunities, but also a lot of difficulties. But I'll do my best.” (Fly, AP, 2007)
Today’s video is a highlights package of Yi Jianlian against NBA opposition. Albeit, summer league ‘players’.
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