The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) will intervene in the
stalemate between Guangdong star Yi Jianlian and NBA outfit the
Milwaukee Bucks after the franchise's general manager snubbed Yi's
camp, CBA chief Li Yuanwei has confirmed.
Bucks General Manager Larry Harris exacerbated the dispute by
failing to appear at the Stankovic Cup currently being contested in
Guangzhou to personally negotiate the deal.
"I will go to the United States in the coming days to help Yi
solve the problem," CBA director Li said.
"I will have a talk with Yi at the Stankovic Cup to see what he
thinks.
"The Bucks side didn't send their officials to China this time
as they promised, so I will take some time to get this
resolved."
Li's announcement came after his counterpart David Stern, the
NBA commissioner who's currently besieged by a betting scandal
surrounding a referee, announced a possible intervention.
Yi was the sixth player chosen in the 2007 draft, but his
management has baulked at the 2.12m power forward's assignment to
Milwaukee because of the city's limited fan base, particularly its
dearth of ethnic Chinese fans.
A deadlock endures a month after the draft as the Bucks keep
their cards close, saying little other than expressing hope Yi will
sign.
The mood in the Lake Michigan city is that the Bucks have the
upper hand in the dispute.
"Yi isn't going back to China to waste a year he could be using
in the NBA to prepare for the 2008 Beijing Olympics," the Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel opined.
Media from both sides believe Yi's boss Chen Haitao, chief of
the Guangdong Tigers, is the main barrier between his charge and
the franchise, and that agent Dan Fegan is the one pushing for a
trade before his client has even set foot on the court.
Chen, who is thought to be worried about the amount of court
time Yi can expect in Milwaukee, denied responsibility.
He complained to Sohu.com that the Bucks had not contacted
him.
"Their owner knows the cell phone numbers of the whole Team of
Yi, but they have not called us, so I just don't understand what it
means; even more so, I have no way of judging what they want to do
in the case," he said.
Harris's broken promise to visit China has prompted a rush of
complaints from Chinese fans.
"Obviously, he is a liar, he didn't honor his commitment," Liu
Yijun, a 23-year-old basketball fan, told the China Daily at the
Tianhe Gymnasium, venue of the Stankovic Cup.
"I think it's time for him to show some sincerity, rather than
sitting on a chair and reading the translation of Chinese
newspapers."
However, a number of big names have urged Yi to end the turmoil
and suit up for the Bucks, among them former International
Basketball Federation President Carl Men Ky Ching.
"Yi should sign with the team which really wants him," he
reasoned.
"His camp should not think too much about money and market.
"Why did Yao Ming make such a tremendous impact with the Houston
Rockets? Because the team takes him seriously - that's the No. 1
thing in the NBA."
If Yi decides the Bucks aren't for him, he will be forced to sit
out the entire 2007-08 season before joining next year's draft,
unless of course he can secure a trade.
Sitting out is an unlikely option considering the importance of
preparing well for the national team's Olympic quest in 2008.
Given the Bucks won 28 and lost 54 matches last year, earning
minutes should not be a problem for a player of Yi's caliber.
The team in fact has a glaring hole at power forward: incumbent
Charlie Villenueva, who is recovering from a serious injury, is
more comfortable at small forward.
Yi averaged 24.9 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.8 block shots a
game last season for the Guangdong Southern Tigers, where he helped
the team win three China Basketball Association (CBA) championships
in five years.
He is now playing with the national team at the Stankovic Cup in
Macao.
(China Daily July 31, 2007)