Sources Say Bucks Closer To Signing Top Pick Yi Jianlian

Bucks Reportedly Moving Closer To Signing Yi Jianlian

The “buzz around the Las Vegas Summer League on Saturday was that [the] Bucks and top draft pick Yi Jianlian appeared to be inching closer to a marriage -- thanks in part to the possible intervention” of NBA Commissioner David Stern, according to SI.com’s Marty Burns.  An Eastern Conference GM said, “I've heard [Stern] wants to get this resolved. … I do know he has ways of getting what he wants."  Burns wrote, “If Stern were to get involved, he could wield considerable muscle.  He could help assuage Yi's representatives that their client will get fair exposure in terms of marketing, for example.  He also could talk to the Chinese government, since the NBA is heavily involved in promoting basketball in China and is planning to start a pro league there after the Olympics” (SI.com, 7/8).  In Milwaukee, Charles Gardner noted Yi had his “first face-to-face meeting" with Bucks officials Thursday in Las Vegas.  The one-hour meeting included Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak and GM Larry Harris, who “hand-delivered a letter” from Bucks Owner Herb Kohl inviting Yi and reps of his Chinese team, the Guangdong Tigers, to Milwaukee to “see the city and tour the Bucks' facilities.”  Harris said that he is “willing to go to China to meet with representatives of the league and the team.”  He added that a “further step would be direct talks” with Yi's agent, Dan Fegan, and his Chinese reps (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 7/7).