Milwaukee Bucks Sign Yi Jianlian
Posted on August 29th, 2007 by
After a few months of wondering what would happen with Yi Jianlian, it finally looks like he has decided to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks. Originally not interested in playing in a city which had a small asian population, the 6′11 Chinese power forward said that he would only play in Chicago, or Golden State. It’s reported that there was some monetary compensation involved in the deal to his former team, the Guangdong Tigers.
Herb Kohl, the Bucker owner, had some positive things to say about the 19 year old prospect:
“He impressed us,” Kohl said. “There’s going to be no question about his character, about his work ethic, about his desire to do good for himself and his team and his country.”
“It sort of cemented the relationship in a human and social sort of way,” Kohl said. “He has wonderful parents, which is not surprising because he’s a wonderful guy. And we sit here very pleased and happy.”
“When it came down to it, it was not a question of our city or of the composition of our city in terms of its diversity, but rather a question almost entirely of is he going to have a full chance and full opportunity to play and develop and grow in Milwaukee,” Kohl said. “When they became confident that that was the case, they then thawed in terms of their reluctance, put aside their doubts and said, ‘OK, we’re prepared to sign on.”‘
