Chinese team blocks Bucks from Yi

[jaybird2001wi]

Looks like the Chinese Government hates the Bucks too. The Bucks have been given no choice in this matter now. This is what is wrong with any sport dealing with international players because it seems like the governments there fight to the teeth to get what they want.

 

BEIJING -- The Milwaukee Bucks' campaign to secure the services of reluctant power forward Yi Jianlian has suffered a blow after the player's Chinese club said it would block his move to the United States.

 

 

Yi, taken by Milwaukee with the sixth selection in the NBA draft last month, would "definitely not" play for Milwaukee, Tuesday's Beijing News quoted Guangdong Tigers chief, Chen Haitao, as saying.

 

 

"This is not -- as media reports have said -- because Milwaukee, as a city with very few Chinese people, is not good for Yi's commercial development," Chen said.

 

 

"Rather we want to find a team suitable for Yi's growth. That's the root of the problem," he added.

 

 

Earlier in July, Yi's Chinese agent said the unsigned player was looking to be traded to another club, despite pledges by Milwaukee officials to do whatever they could to make him feel at home.

 

 

Chen expressed concern that Yi would have trouble getting playing time with the Bucks, whose squad boasts Australian 7-footer Andrew Bogut and a number of other tall young players.

 

 

"The national team and the Olympic Games are now our key considerations ... If [Yi] goes to a team where he can't compete, that would be being irresponsible to the national team," Chen said.

[gregmag]

Well, the Bucks' owner happens to be a U.S. Senator. Without making any judgment about whether screwing a country over his private business dealings would be ethical -- okay, obviously it wouldn't be -- I wonder whether a phone call to the ambassador could change the landscape.

 

On a more serious note, does anybody have actual knowledge of the consequences for Yi if he doesn't come to the U.S.? I thought I heard that, if he plays for his team in China, he can't reenter the draft, but if he sits out the year he can. Is any part of that accurate?

 

Greg.

[JoeHova]

Quote:

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if he plays for his team in China, he can't reenter the draft, but if he sits out the year he can. Is any part of that accurate?

---

 

That is correct.

 

Word is that the guy who made these comments is not actually in charge of the team, so this may all be just more of the same posturing from Yi's camp rather than some official word.

[JoeH33]

This is getting ridiculous. Whats next? Is next year's version of (Kevin Durant) going to refuse to play for the team who drafted him unless they trade him to the (Suns/Spurs)? This seems like a dangerous precident to set.

[qrk10000]

It is almost getting to point where the only way I think Yi is going to play in the NBA next year is if he tells his national team, his agents, and maybe even his country to back off. He has so many third parties "looking out for him" that it doesn't even seem like he has much of a say anymore. I hope for his sake that he is able to do what we wants to do and not strictly what others are telling him to do but that appears to be more and more doubtful now.

 

That being said, this representative from the Chinese national team is ridiculous. How in the world is this not a good opportunity for him? We are incredibly weak at power forward so this is a golden opportunity for him to come in and get a lot of minutes. Plus, he is in a relatively weak conference with few dominant power forwards (i.e. Zach Randolph, Chris Bosh, Jermaine O'Neal, Emeka Okafur, and Dwight Howard: 5 out of 15 teams), so he should have a good chance to develop without being destroyed by his opponents.

 

What's next? Are we are going to hear a report that now the real reason Yi won't be in Milwaukee is not because the lack of Chinese-American citizens, not because Milwaukee is not a good fit for him, but rather because Andrew Bogut hurt his feelings at the olympics and he won't play until an apology is issued? Bah.

[BillScottCanRake]

This is being talked about in the Draft thread. Because there are already comments there, please move feel free to copy and paste your comments to that thread, which has now been renamed.

 

p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...7415.topic

 

Thanks.