Apparently, Milwaukee general manager Larry Harris expected the NBA fanbase to bow before his strong-willed onions after picking Yi Jianlian #6 overall in Thursday's draft. Instead, many are questioning the obviously risky and possibly franchise-debilitating decision.And Harris is getting defensive.
"I guess having a father that coached him is irrelevant. I guess that doesn't matter, and he's been coaching for 50 years. [...] I can tell you this. There isn't any other GM in the league talking about Yi, who ever coached him, other than my father. I think I have a leg up on some people. But what I don't want to get misconstrued out there is, I've never seen the guy, and I woke up (Thursday) and drafted him. It's just not the case."Harris is referring to his father Del, who coached Yi in the 2004 Olympics. Larry obviously thought he was calling Yi's bluff on draft day, but surprise -- Jianlian was not bluffing.
You want to know how we can tell Yi is in the position of power here? Bucks officials are practically begging Yi to come home to Wisconsin. It'd be sad if the stakes weren't so high.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-02-2007 @ 1:30PM
TwoNuse said...
I wonder if Sam Smith, who always wants teams to call players bluffs (i.e. Kevin Garnett not wanting to go to Boston) will work to get Milwaukee compensation if they get nothing out of the 6th pick.
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7-02-2007 @ 1:42PM
Gongshow said...
Enough of this crap with spoiled NBA players not playing for the teams that draft them, trade for them, etc. The players should be severely penalized by the league if they do so. Suck it up, be grateful that you're in the NBA, and if you're still not happy after your contract expires then become a free agent and go somewhere else.
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7-02-2007 @ 3:43PM
point 23 said...
Why isn't the media bashing Yi for this, like they would, oh, say...Steve Francis? Why was Stevie Franchise everything that was wrong with young athletes when he pulled this crap, but the Bucks are just ignorant morons for drafting Yi? I mean, Yi has an entire government helping him hold out...how is this not the worst "holdout" ever?
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7-02-2007 @ 5:04PM
JAY BIRD said...
IF THIS YOUNG MAN DOES NOT WANT TO PLAY WITH THE MILWAUKEE BUCKS, THEN LET HIM GO BACK TO THE CBA. THE NBA WILL STILL BE THE PREMIER PRO BASKETBALL LEAGUE IN THE WORLD, AND YI CAN ALWAYS WONDER HOW HE COULD HAVE STACKED UP AGAINST THE WORLD'S BEST.
THIS IS JUST BEYOND RIDICULOUS, I'M SO TIRED OF THIS KIND OF CRAP. IF I WAS STILL YOUNG ENOUGH TO FOOT WITH THE HOUNDS, I'D JUST FORGET ABOUT THESE EGOTISTICAL DUDES AND JUST PLAY THE GAME-AT LEAST ON THE PLAYGROUND I'D HAVE A CHANCE TO PUT THESE TYPES OF INDIVIDUALS IN THEIR PLACE FOR A MINUTE.YI, YOU ARE LUCKY THAT THE FATES HAVE ALIGNED JUST RIGHT AND GIVEN YOU THE CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE! DON'T BLOW IT.
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7-02-2007 @ 5:08PM
stanfordfan said...
I don't care whether or not Del Harris coached Yi. If the guy, his handlers, and his government all advise the Bucks to not draft him, perhaps the Bucks shouldn't have drafted him. Great power forward talent still available for the Bucks draft pick besides Yi, including Wright and Noah. I don't know whether Larry Harris just isn't very smart, or if his ego is too big for the job. Bad decision all the way around, and he is going to look very stupid when this all plays out. As I see it, Yi, not Harris, has all the leverage at this time.
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7-02-2007 @ 5:21PM
stanfordfan said...
I don't care whether or not Del Harris coached Yi before. If the player, his agent, his Chinese handlers, and representatives of the Chinese government advise the Bucks to not draft Yi, perhaps Harris should not have drafted him. After all, Wright and Noah were available as excellent power forward prospects for that pick. Plenty of precedents for high-profile players using their leverage to influence the draft - Elway and Eli Manning come to mind - and it always seems to work out for the player. This all suggests that Larry Harris is either not smart enough or has much too big of an ego for his job.
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