There is a story that is bubbling under the surface of the NBA draft that not many people are talking about for some odd reason. It is a story that could completely change the order at the top of the draft, as well as cause a great deal of controversy. So what is this story? The story is that it appears that Yi Jianlian and the Chinese government might be pulling an Eli Manning. To explain, here are some qoutes that show the situation pretty clearly.
From SI.com:
"China finally approved him for the draft last year after shooting down the idea in '06 citing a lack of preparation and "basketball skills, experience and physical stamina" that do not meet requirements to compete at an NBA level. In fact, the CBA is closely monitoring this year's NBA draft and may decide to pull Yi back if they believe the team that selects him is not a suitable one."
From The Journal Times:
"...Dan Fegan, Yi’s agent, and the Chinese government want to get him placed in a large market, preferably with a large Chinese population."
And finally from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
"The Milwaukee Bucks won't get a first-hand view of Yi, whose camp has declined a workout request by the team. Bucks director of player personnel Dave Babcock wanted to go to Los Angeles to take a closer look but was rebuffed by Yi's agent, Dan Fegan."
A reaction to Yi refusing a workout with the Bucks might be that he has received a promise from a team picking above the Bucks' #6 pick. This logic is thwarted however, by the fact that Yi held a workout earlier this week for the 76ers, who hold the #12 pick. The implications are obvious; Yi is trying to pick which teams he will go to and if a team that he (and the Chinese government) do not approve of selects him he is going to at least threaten to go back to China, probably to force a trade. Even the threat of such an action would likely be enough to scare off the Bucks, since the chance of losing a chance at gaining a player from this year's deep crop of lottery talent could be crippling for the Bucks for years to come. This entire situation brings to mind the 2005 Draft, where the Orlando Magic selected Fran Vazquez with the #11 selection only to have Vazquez announce he would be staying in Europe. Vazquez won't be suiting up with the Magic anytime before the 2009-2010 season, and the Magic missed out on players such as Sean May, Gerald Green, and Hakim Warrick who were picked soon afterwards. The Bucks would be wise to avoid drafting Yi and experiencing a similar scenario.
