After a long, drawn out saga (which I outlined in a recent column), Yi Jianlian finally agreed to terms with the Milwaukee Bucks.
[Team owner, Senator Herb] 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.
Mum was the word for almost the entire month of August. Frankly, I’m embarrassed at the lack of coverage that my hometown newspaper, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, has given to the standoff. The last bit of news that the newspaper provided was on the first of the month.
Regardless, it will be interesting to see how Yi’s career plays out. Considering the drama around the signing, what is the likelihood that he’s going to re-sign once his rookie contract is up? The Bucks’ brass obviously feels that once Yi joins the community, he’ll be happy in Milwaukee, but I have my doubts. It’s difficult enough to make the transition from living in China to living in the U.S., and it’s even more difficult to move to a city with a very small Chinese population. Yao Ming made a smooth transition to Houston, but he seems like a more thoughtful and disciplined person than Yi.
On the court, Jianlian should have ample opportunity to improve his game. The Bucks have a hole at power forward and they drafted Yi to fill it. Charlie Villanueva is also in the picture, but he’s more of a small forward, so it’s conceivable that the Bucks could start a front line of 6’11” Villanueva, 7-foot Jianlian, and 7-foot Andrew Bogut. It may take time, however, for Yi to adjust to the NBA game, as the level of competition in China simply doesn’t compare.
Still, it’s nice to see this deal get done.
