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 trade 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 game 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.
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I really feel sorry for the Bucks organization. I want to think this is a bluff, but this has been going on for a long time now. Milwaukee was warned not to draft Yi, but did so. If I wanted Yi on my team, I would have done the same thing. You play for who drafts you. That is how the NBA works. You can't pick and choose. If Yi goes back to China, I hope I never hear of him again. He can spend the rest of his already promising career dominating a weak basketball league, or he can play for the best league in the world and become the best player he can be.
If I was in his situation, I wouldn't care at all where I was going to play. It doesn't matter if there aren't enough Chinese in Milwaukee or if he won't get playing time straight away. Deal with it.
He isn't a star, he doesn't have a say in all this. He hasn't accomplished anything. This whole thing really makes me angry. I hope the Bucks don't fold and trade Yi. Make him sit out a year of international basketball if he wants to be free of having his rights owned by Milwaukee. Let him return to the NBA with a severly tarnished image.
To Yi, his handlers, the Chinese government, whoever is causing this whole fiasco - Deal with it. Yi was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks and will remain a Milwaukee Buck until his contract is up.
To the Bucks organization - Good job on drafting him. If you want him, you can have him, that's the whole point in the draft. Make him stay here or sit out a year.
Seriously, what an ass.
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