Agent: Yi Looking For Trade - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

Windmill360 · 07-03-2007, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Agent: Bucks Draft Pick Yi Looking For Trade

July 3, 2007 - 9:25 am

Sports Illustrated -
Yi Jianlian's Chinese agent says he's talking to other teams about a possible trade away from Milwaukee.

Yi, the Bucks' top pick, has refused to talk about the prospect of playing for Milwaukee after he was picked sixth overall in last week's NBA draft.

However, Yi's agent Zhao Gang was quoted as telling the official China Daily newspaper that he was already in contact with other franchises that have expressed an interest in the 19-year-old power forward.

"His representatives and I won't sit here and do nothing just because he was picked by Milwaukee," Zhao was quoted as saying.

"We are considering Yi's future at the Bucks and are looking at trade possibilities," Zhao said.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ml?eref=si_nba

Pongo · 07-03-2007, 02:26 PM

Yi hasn't even played one single minute in the NBA yet he wants to be traded.
don't like this at all...
"His representatives and I won't sit here and do nothing just because he was picked by Milwaukee[...]" if i was a bucks fan i'd really be mad at him

MavsX · 07-03-2007, 02:28 PM

i don't see it as a big deal, i am sure he is not the only one to do this.

Anyone have anybody that is famous that said no to a team after being drafted?

EricaLubarsky · 07-03-2007, 02:31 PM

Thank god Dirk's people didnt stop him from being traded away from little-Germany on draft day

mary · 07-03-2007, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MavsX

i don't see it as a big deal, i am sure he is not the only one to do this.

Anyone have anybody that is famous that said no to a team after being drafted?

Not that its an excuse, but I had heard that Milwaukee knew beforehand that Yi did not want to be drafted by the Bucks.

My memory is fuzzy, but didn't Kobe do something similar with Charlotte?

u2sarajevo · 07-03-2007, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MavsX

i don't see it as a big deal, i am sure he is not the only one to do this.

Anyone have anybody that is famous that said no to a team after being drafted?

John horse-face Elway

And never liked or rooted for him because of it. It was a sad day in my life when he won the Super Bowl.

edit: And Eli "my family hadn't done anything prior to me being drafted" Manning did close to the same thing....

jthig32 · 07-03-2007, 02:51 PM

Steve Francis did it to the Grizzlies.

Flacolaco · 07-03-2007, 03:36 PM

I wouldn't want that kind of attitude on my team.

rabbitproof · 07-03-2007, 03:39 PM

Don't see it as a big deal. Just like teams want certain players on their team, players want to play on certain teams. This may burn him but if he's willing to risk it - go for it, man.

Do what you have to do be successful.

alby · 07-03-2007, 04:51 PM

It's more on China than Yi. I can gurantee that.

MavsX · 07-03-2007, 06:42 PM

yes, eli manning. Thats who i was thinking of. Thanks

Supposedly the bucks asked a few times to watch him practice and asked to have him come to the bucks place and workout for them, and his agent denied all requests, maybe that should have told them something.

Male30Dan · 07-03-2007, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by u2sarajevo

John horse-face Elway

And never liked or rooted for him because of it. It was a sad day in my life when he won the Super Bowl.

edit: And Eli "my family hadn't done anything prior to me being drafted" Manning did close to the same thing....

Just for the record, this man is likely the best QB in the history of the game, (if not, definitely top 3). It is a shame you dislike such a great QB.

Henry_VIII · 07-03-2007, 09:20 PM

Sorry. I feel no sympathy for Yi. If you don't like how the draft works and the possibility of ending up in a "non-asian" market, then don't enter it. The draft is meant to build up teams to compete, not satisfy random player desires.
If I'm the Bucks, I put the pressure on Yi's agent to work a deal to get a better player in exchange for Yi's rights. If they can't then he better get ready to suit up or sit out and lose a year of his career.
The point being Yi should be serving the needs of the Bucks not vice versa.

Mavs Rule · 07-03-2007, 10:26 PM

Didn't Kiki do it to us (the mavs), when he was the top pick, so we picked Aguirre(?) instead?

KFunk · 07-03-2007, 10:47 PM

I think it's really freakin lame what he/his agent are trying to pull. Man up, take your exorbitant entry level pay and stop being a little bitch

nah-vit-ski · 07-03-2007, 11:07 PM

Good post on Yi here - http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/...ian-steve-fra/

Still though I'd be pissed if he were doing this to the Mavs

Tokey41 · 07-04-2007, 12:41 AM

This Yi kid is giving foreign players a bad name by making such a big deal out of this... you don't get to pick what team you play on when you enter the freakin' draft! His agent seems like an asshole with that quote: "His representatives and I won't sit here and do nothing just because he was picked by Milwaukee," Zhao was quoted as saying. He's lucky he was picked at all considering he wasn't even man enough to play against any human competition in workouts... he sure dominated those chairs though. That just seems really odd to me, but anyway the point is its a very poor start to his career being such a whiny little bitch and i'm surprised so many teams had an interest in him.

It's this kind of attitude that pisses me off in sports. Can you imagine if Oden said something like "I don't want to play in Portland or Seatle... I want to play in Atlanta." What would Portland and Seatle do? Of course they would still draft Oden and Durant in some order because thats what best for the franchise. I hope this kind of mentality doesn't spread, players need to realize they don't make the decisions they just play the game.

EricaLubarsky · 07-04-2007, 04:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tokey41

This Yi kid is giving foreign players a bad name by making such a big deal out of this... you don't get to pick what team you play on when you enter the freakin' draft! His agent seems like an asshole with that quote: "His representatives and I won't sit here and do nothing just because he was picked by Milwaukee," Zhao was quoted as saying. He's lucky he was picked at all considering he wasn't even man enough to play against any human competition in workouts... he sure dominated those chairs though. That just seems really odd to me, but anyway the point is its a very poor start to his career being such a whiny little bitch and i'm surprised so many teams had an interest in him.

It's this kind of attitude that pisses me off in sports. Can you imagine if Oden said something like "I don't want to play in Portland or Seatle... I want to play in Atlanta." What would Portland and Seatle do? Of course they would still draft Oden and Durant in some order because thats what best for the franchise. I hope this kind of mentality doesn't spread, players need to realize they don't make the decisions they just play the game.

What if Oden said he wanted to play for San Antonio only? What if he refused to even wear a uniform unless it was for the Spurs? It would make the whole lottery thing kinda pointless wouldnt it?

And beside that it really diminishes the trade value of Yi. When a player publicly announces he wants out, it's a given that teams dont have to offer full value because what happens if Milwaukee doesn't accept? They get publicly ridiculed and get no value for a player that is set to earn a couple of million.

I'd say that publicly demanding a trade should be an infraction against the NBA. Depending on the circumstances they could be fined, suspended, or even permanently banned from the NBA depending on the severity of the situation.

antoinewalker · 07-04-2007, 08:26 PM

i like how yi never worked out for the bucks and never planned on going there yet the bucks still chose him trying to reap the benefits of his chinese market value.

bobatundi · 07-04-2007, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Male26Dan

Just for the record, this man is likely the best QB in the history of the game, (if not, definitely top 3). It is a shame you dislike such a great QB.

Eli Manning isn't really that good, Dan.

jthig32 · 07-04-2007, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Male26Dan

Just for the record, this man is likely the best QB in the history of the game, (if not, definitely top 3). It is a shame you dislike such a great QB.

So because someone is great you're supposed to like them? That's strange.

slowmo · 07-04-2007, 10:12 PM

Jimmy Jackson did it to the mav's but ultimately ended up playing anyway for them. Yi has not choice in the matter. His handlers are running the show. If we let the Chinese dictate where they want their players to play on draft night it sets a very dangerous precident. I think Stern will tell him to sign and play or you are not allowd in the NBA. Simple as that. I feel sorry for Yi actually. The only choice he has is to pull a Wang ZHI ZHI and buck the Chinese system but then you see what that will do to him. Wonder if Donnie had second thought on Wang after watching him light up Mav's Lite.

MFFL · 07-04-2007, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mavs Rule

Didn't Kiki do it to us (the mavs), when he was the top pick, so we picked Aguirre(?) instead?

Kiki was our first draft pick EVER and refused to play for us. He eventually forced us to trade him to Denver

dude1394 · 07-04-2007, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowmo

Jimmy Jackson did it to the mav's but ultimately ended up playing anyway for them. Yi has not choice in the matter. His handlers are running the show. If we let the Chinese dictate where they want their players to play on draft night it sets a very dangerous precident. I think Stern will tell him to sign and play or you are not allowd in the NBA. Simple as that. I feel sorry for Yi actually. The only choice he has is to pull a Wang ZHI ZHI and buck the Chinese system but then you see what that will do to him. Wonder if Donnie had second thought on Wang after watching him light up Mav's Lite.

I think the mavs had to let wang go because he was going to damage their relationship with the chinese because he refused to go back when they wanted.

pkdumas · 07-05-2007, 12:18 AM

If the Spurs drafted me, I would demand a trade.

Subliminal012 · 07-05-2007, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pkdumas

If the Spurs drafted me, I would demand a trade.

Why you don't like winning championships in contrast to getting booted by an eighth seed.

antoinewalker · 07-06-2007, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Subliminal012

Why you don't like winning championships in contrast to getting booted by an eighth seed.

lol, ouch.

dirt_dobber · 07-06-2007, 09:12 AM

Didn't Steve Francis do the same re: playing for (then) Vancover Grizzlies

kingmalaki · 07-07-2007, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tokey41

This Yi kid is giving foreign players a bad name by making such a big deal out of this... you don't get to pick what team you play on when you enter the freakin' draft! His agent seems like an asshole with that quote: "His representatives and I won't sit here and do nothing just because he was picked by Milwaukee," Zhao was quoted as saying. He's lucky he was picked at all considering he wasn't even man enough to play against any human competition in workouts... he sure dominated those chairs though. That just seems really odd to me, but anyway the point is its a very poor start to his career being such a whiny little bitch and i'm surprised so many teams had an interest in him.

It's this kind of attitude that pisses me off in sports. Can you imagine if Oden said something like "I don't want to play in Portland or Seatle... I want to play in Atlanta." What would Portland and Seatle do? Of course they would still draft Oden and Durant in some order because thats what best for the franchise. I hope this kind of mentality doesn't spread, players need to realize they don't make the decisions they just play the game.

How is he giving foreign players a bad name? This kind of thing doesn't happen often, but off the top of my head I recall a few high profile americans doing the same thing (Elway, E.Manning, Francis, Kobe).

If Oden did the same thing I wouldn't have an issue with it at all. According to the draft rules if you don't like where you are picked you have the right to sit out for a year, miss out on a million plus, and enter the draft again the following season. If dude is willing to pass on some serious cheese to be in a place he likes then more power to him. Draft pick does not = slave. If you don't like where you are picked you have the right to not play ball....

Tokey41 · 07-07-2007, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingmalaki

How is he giving foreign players a bad name? This kind of thing doesn't happen often, but off the top of my head I recall a few high profile americans doing the same thing (Elway, E.Manning, Francis, Kobe).

If Oden did the same thing I wouldn't have an issue with it at all. According to the draft rules if you don't like where you are picked you have the right to sit out for a year, miss out on a million plus, and enter the draft again the following season. If dude is willing to pass on some serious cheese to be in a place he likes then more power to him. Draft pick does not = slave. If you don't like where you are picked you have the right to not play ball....

This dosn't happen too often in the NBA and as far as I know hasn't in quite a while. The thing that immediately popped into my head when I heard about him not wanting to play for certain teams was he must feel he deserves special treatment. I mean first he refuses to play against anyone in a one on one drill instead only choosing to display his skills against inanimate objects and then he openly demands not to play on certain teams. It's not doing him any favors thats for sure, and with those two things in mind (and that he hasn't even played a single NBA game yet) I wouldn't want that kind of player on my team... what if he starts demanding more things or refuses to play with certain teammates or even travel to certain cities? It's ridiculous.

And that is quite possibly the stupidest thing i've ever heard. As Erica pointed out it kind of diffutes the purpose of the draft in the first place. You don't get to pick your team, and what happens if you sit out that year and then get drafted the next year by another team you don't like? Where does it end? If Oden openly demanded to play in say Dallas do you really think every other team is going to let him slide to pick #34? Players just need to shut up and play and the league would be a much better place. In a sense it's Ron Artests problem and it's also Yi's problem, and i'm hoping it doesn't become a league wide problem in drafts to come.

ty · 07-07-2007, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tokey41

This dosn't happen too often in the NBA and as far as I know hasn't in quite a while. The thing that immediately popped into my head when I heard about him not wanting to play for certain teams was he must feel he deserves special treatment. I mean first he refuses to play against anyone in a one on one drill instead only choosing to display his skills against inanimate objects and then he openly demands not to play on certain teams. It's not doing him any favors thats for sure, and with those two things in mind (and that he hasn't even played a single NBA game yet) I wouldn't want that kind of player on my team... what if he starts demanding more things or refuses to play with certain teammates or even travel to certain cities? It's ridiculous.

And that is quite possibly the stupidest thing i've ever heard. As Erica pointed out it kind of diffutes the purpose of the draft in the first place. You don't get to pick your team, and what happens if you sit out that year and then get drafted the next year by another team you don't like? Where does it end? If Oden openly demanded to play in say Dallas do you really think every other team is going to let him slide to pick #34? Players just need to shut up and play and the league would be a much better place. In a sense it's Ron Artests problem and it's also Yi's problem, and i'm hoping it doesn't become a league wide problem in drafts to come.

The thing you're not understanding is that this is a cultural issue. Greg Oden is not from China. The decisions of Greg Oden's life do not revolve around the Chinese Government's liking. There are many restrictions that the country puts upon its players whether they like it or not.

You will notice that Yi barely does any of the talking. His agents make the decisions for him. I can assure you that if Yao Ming was drafted by Milwaukee a couple years back, the same situation would be occuring.

Don't hate the player, hate the game =/

chumdawg · 07-07-2007, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tokey41

And that is quite possibly the stupidest thing i've ever heard. As Erica pointed out it kind of diffutes the purpose of the draft in the first place. You don't get to pick your team, and what happens if you sit out that year and then get drafted the next year by another team you don't like? Where does it end?

You are thinking too narrowly--or rather, seeing things too much from one side. Where does it end, you ask? It ends when the players exercises the leverage he has. You would seem to imply that by entering the draft the player signs a contractual agreement to play for whomever drafted him. That is not the case. If the player has other options, the draft was just an exercise--and one that should have been fully contemplated by the franchise who drafted the player.

As a simple case in point, consider the rule that says a player can retain his collegiate eligibility so long as he does not sign an agent. If that player is drafted in a slot that he does not like, he can back out and go back to college ball as long as he has not hired an agent. He is most certainly not contractually tied to the team drafting him in this case.

So, would a team think twice about drafting a player who could go back to college and be lost to them forever? Well, if they are smart they would.

In this case Yi can go back to China and try the NBA again if he desires. Did Milwaukee know this when they drafted him? They should have. The idea that Milwaukee somehow dictates his destination is flat-out wrong. The kid can do whatever he wants to do.

Of course, Milwaukee is calling his bluff, more or less. But if he carries it out, Milwaukee just wasted the #6 pick in the draft. That would not end up looking too good for them.

It will probably be useful to get past the idea of the NBA draft as a one-way street where teams conscript whoever they wish. There is another side to the deal. Teams can dismiss that at their own peril, perhaps.

Quote:

If Oden openly demanded to play in say Dallas do you really think every other team is going to let him slide to pick #34?

No, I doubt they would. Someone would call his bluff. But if Oden was serious about playing for Dallas (or some larger set of teams) and no one else, Oden could certainly make that happen if he had enough wherewithal to to refuse to report to the team that drafted him.

Quote:

Players just need to shut up and play and the league would be a much better place. In a sense it's Ron Artests problem and it's also Yi's problem, and i'm hoping it doesn't become a league wide problem in drafts to come.

Players need to shut up and play, eh? That is NEVER going to be the only option available to them. It's a free market economy, in every way. If a kid is willing to accept the consequences of his actions, he is free to carry out any actions he desires.

Why would you wish it to be any different?

dude1394 · 07-08-2007, 12:04 AM

In general I agree chum, the player can provide his services or not and should maximize his revenue.

I'm not sure about going back to china and retrying the NBA again. I think milwaukee retains his NBA rights forever.

chumdawg · 07-08-2007, 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dude1394

In general I agree chum, the player can provide his services or not and should maximize his revenue.

I'm not sure about going back to china and retrying the NBA again. I think milwaukee retains his NBA rights forever.

I'm not totally up on the rules, so that may be the case (that Milwaukee retains his rights forever). I think I recall that if a collegiate player declares but doesn't hire an agent, he retains his collegiate eligibility and can enter the draft fresh next year. But that may not apply here, since we aren't talking about a collegiate player. You are probably right, but the guy does still retain at least a modicum of leverage, since he can either play for Milwaukee or not play for Milwaukee.

I, for one, don't shed any tears for Milwaukee. When a guy basically tells you: "Don't draft me, or else there will be consequences," and you draft him anyway, you have thrown down the gauntlet. And you should be prepared for what comes.

Personally, I hope Milwaukee never gets him and no one else does either. God knows that he would give the Mavericks fits if he finds his way into the Western Conference. The kid is going to be a flat-out stud, if he plays here.

alby · 07-08-2007, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chumdawg

I, for one, don't shed any tears for Milwaukee. When a guy basically tells you: "Don't draft me, or else there will be consequences," and you draft him anyway, you have thrown down the gauntlet. And you should be prepared for what comes.

Exactly. Chinese officials had already informed Milwaukee what was going to happen if the Bucks decided to choose Yi, yet they still drafted him even after the fact. They knew everything going in, but I guess they felt that their storied franchise and huge market would sway the Chinese government in allowing Yi to play there.

Once again, the decision ultimately does not fall on Yi. As sad as it may sound, the truth of the matter is that he is merely a marketing tool being used by his home country's government to further their role in the globalizing of the NBA as well as their status worldwide. Those who have followed Chinese basketball have known about Yi for a few years now, he has had the talent to enter the draft in each of the previous 3 seasons. However, the government milked Yao for as long as they could before "releasing" Yi to go over to America to play basketball. It's so much more than just basketball, we haven't even begun to scratch the surface.

Henry_VIII · 07-09-2007, 12:30 AM

When the game becomes nothing more than marketing and sponsorships, then it is time to relabel it from sport to "reality tv". If the NBA is to remain a sport the "globalization" and marketing must come second to teams trying to build up to compete. end-of-story.

chumdawg · 07-09-2007, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Henry_VIII

When the game becomes nothing more than marketing and sponsorships, then it is time to relabel it from sport to "reality tv". If the NBA is to remain a sport the "globalization" and marketing must come second to teams trying to build up to compete. end-of-story.

Is there any discernable difference between "sport" and "reality TV"? There is none that I am aware of. Sport is real, right?

ty · 07-09-2007, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chumdawg

Is there any discernable difference between "sport" and "reality TV"? There is none that I am aware of. Sport is real, right?

Manu Ginobili's flops and Dwayne Wade's foul calls aren't real.

alby · 07-09-2007, 12:48 AM

The NBA became a marketing business ever since David Stern started to send players all over the world to popularize his league (after the 1992 Dream Team). We live in an age of endorsements and advertising--the Chinese government see it as another opportunity for them to "showcase" their home grown talents which would be done best in a big market. Honestly, if Yi was drafted by a big market that didn't have a large Asian population (ie Miami), I personally believe he would have joined the team with no problems. However, when you are talking about Milwaukee, it is a very small market with a very small Asian population not only in the city but in the entire region. How many Asians do you think live in the Midwest compared to the Northeast or West Coast?

ty · 07-09-2007, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Henry_VIII

When the game becomes nothing more than marketing and sponsorships, then it is time to relabel it from sport to "reality tv". If the NBA is to remain a sport the "globalization" and marketing must come second to teams trying to build up to compete. end-of-story.

Without marketing and sponsorships, there would be no NBA.

On that note...there would be no "many things".