Bill Simmons’ annual NBA Draft Diary on ESPN.com had this to say about Yi Jianlian going to the Bucks:
I’m starting to come around on Yi — the thought of him shoveling out his car in minus-10 degree weather in January while fighting back tears and screaming, “Why????? Why?????” in Chinese is delightful for some reason. Too bad they’ll trade him. If the Chinese government can torture Jack Bauer for two years, it can definitely break the Bucks.
Yi refused to travel to Milwaukee or meet with team representatives after the draft, instead he flew to Las Vegas to take part in exhibition games with the Chinese National Team. Word is that his people are desperately trying to force the Bucks into a trade. Nice. Fellow China-based hoops enthusiast Postive Solutions has a nice breakdown of Yi’s non-Milwaukee options.