China
Yi agent seeks trade but NBA Bucks want Chinese star
(AFP)
Updated: 2007-07-02 08:42
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But the Bucks vow they did not pick Yi on Thursday just to make a trade deal even as a standoff appears set with Yi's representatives.
"Our agent team had meetings to study this case immediately after the draft. We feel that the Bucks are not the best fit for Yi Jianlian," Yi's agent Zhao Gang said.
"Our team will make contact with other teams who have watched Yi's training and games to see if there is any possibility of a trade."
Milwaukee selected Yi despite not having a special workout to view Yi in part because Bucks general manager Larry Harris is the son of Del Harris, who coached Yi on China's 2004 Athens Olympics squad.
The Chinese men finished eighth at Athens, the nation's best Olympic result, with the elder Harris making Yi a starter and saying he could follow the NBA stardom path taken by Chinese center Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets.
Yi averaged 24.9 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots a game last season for the Guandong Southern Tigers, who lost to Bayi in the finals this year as they sought a fourth consecutive Chinese basketball crown.
"Yi's selection at six has proved his capabilities and value," Zhao said.
Yi said after the draft he expected to play in Milwaukee this coming season and Harris clung to the comment, downplaying the idea of a holdout or negotiating nightmare.
"You saw in his own way, he's excited about playing in the NBA next year," Harris said. "He's our property. He put his name in the draft and we took him. So we certainly plan on him being here and being in uniform next year."
No matter what happens with the Bucks, Yi's agents seem to lack the ultimate power of saying Yi will stay in China rather than play in Milwaukee.
Yi, whose agents wanted him to land in an NBA city with a large Chinese-heritage population, will not be returning to the Chinese league, according to Liu HongJiang, deputy general manager of the Guandong club.
"Though the final result of the negotiations and communications are uncertain, I can guarantee that whatever the outcome is it could not be so bad that Yi will be back to play in the CBA," he said.
The Bucks could entertain trade offers for 7-foot power forward Yi, who skipped a trip to Milwaukee to join China's national team to train in Dallas. But they snubbed trade offers for their pick from rivals who wanted Yi as well.
Golden State coach Don Nelson highly praised Yi after watching him at a workout in Los Angeles and the Bucks watched Yi at the Asian Games at Qatar last December.
"Rest assured we know him," Harris said. "We felt comfortable that we did not have to go out to LA to confirm or deny. We had our own feelings about what Yi was going to be as a player. We had hours of film, hours of discussion, and when it all came down to it, he was the best player for us at six."
Milwaukee already has Australian star Andrew Bogut and Charlie Villanueva handling the inside work but Harris, in the final year of his contract with the Bucks, might keep them all or trade one of the others to make room for Yi.
Philadelphia 76ers general manager Billy King tried to make a draft-night deal to land Yi and has said he intends to continue trying to make a deal for a big man, likely either Yi or Chicago pick Joakim Noah.
"We had a lot of discussion with Philadelphia as well as other discussions," Harris said. "At the end of the day, we really felt, instead of moving back and doing some other things, this was the best decision for us."
A front-line with Bogut at center and planked by Yi would make the Bucks formidable as they try to work their way back into the NBA playoffs.
"He fits perfect," Bucks player personnel director Dave Babcock said. "He can stretch the defense. He'll rebound. He runs the floor. He can really pass it. He needs to get stronger in the upper body but how much better is he going to be when he does? He and Bogut can play off each other. It's a good fit."
Yi would also be a formidable marketing force, bringing global exposure and huge souvenir sales for the Bucks.
"I don't know if I comprehend the magnitude of it," Harris said. "The Bucks will be global now. I'm sure they will try to televise as many games as they can (in China). Chinese basketball is huge and it's growing.
"To have one of their countrymen who can play, and is young and can be here a long time, I don't know how that's not a windfall for us."
Yi was impressive for China at last year's world championships in Japan and will hone his skills when China plays in Las Vegas this month as part of the NBA's off-season workout sessions.
Yi's transition to the NBA should be smoother than that of Yao.
"Yao had a tough time initially, but Yao did not speak English," Babcock said. "This kid has spent a lot of time in the States, at camps. There will be a learning curve, but it won't be as extreme as Yao."
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