Yi Jianlian signed with the Bucks after meeting with Bucks officials in Hong Kong. (Getty Images)

The Milwaukee Bucks announced on Wednesday, August 29, that they had signed 2007 first round draft pick Yi Jianlian to a multi-year contract. Several hours after the signing was announced, team owner Senator Herb Kohl, General Manager Larry Harris and Vice President Ron Walter joined a teleconference call live from Hong Kong to speak with members of the media.

Opening statement by Senator Kohl:
We had a very successful trip here. We got here yesterday, late afternoon, and we came with the hope – but not the certainty – that we would be able to sign a contract with Yi. This positive feeling that we came with was the result of extensive conversations we had with Dan Fegan (his agent), Yi as well as Mr. Chen, who is the owner of the professional team that Yi plays for (here in China). There’s been a dialogue going on regularly in an attempt to satisfy Yi that he would have a great opportunity in Milwaukee to further his career. Today was a very productive day. We had a business session this morning and went over the questions that we had gone over many times, but now face to face. The result is that we did sign a contract from Yi. We had a great dinner tonight with Yi and his folks. And now we’re having a press conference. It was a great dinner. It sort of cemented the relationship in a human and social sort of way. He has wonderful parents, which is not surprising because he’s a wonderful guy. And we sit here very pleased and happy.

What certainty did you have when leaving Milwaukee that you could get a deal done?
Larry Harris: There was a lot of dialogue as the Senator talked about, but there was no certainty. We were confident and they knew where we stood as far as our commitment to Mr. Yi and his development to us as well.

When will Yi arrive in Milwaukee?
Larry Harris: Certainly, Charles, that was one of the major points that we talked about. I will say this – certainly, Mr. Yi and his representatives want him in Milwaukee as soon as possible. And that’s something we’re continuing to work with and hopefully he’ll be here as soon as possible.

Senator Herb Kohl: But we’re expecting that this will be done on or somewhat before October 1 when practice starts.

What changed on their end to get this deal done?
Senator Herb Kohl: Their major concern was that Yi would have equal opportunity to develop his skills with the Bucks. When that came down to it, it was not a question of our city or of the composition of our city in terms of its diversity, but rather a question almost entirely of is he going to have a full chance and full opportunity to play and develop and grow in Milwaukee. And over the course of the past month to six weeks, we dialogued with them and made it clear that this would happen. They came to believe that what we were saying was in fact true, that he would have this opportunity. When they became confident that that was the case, they then thawed in terms of their reluctance, put aside their doubts and said, “Okay, we’re prepared to sign on.”

Did you think your stature as a government official had a role in the negotiations at all?
Senator Herb Kohl: It’s a question that’s relevant, but no. We came here as representatives and officials of the Bucks. I must say, they were very appreciative – all of them – in the effort that we made in coming here. That to them was an indication of our commitment to Yi. You know, when you get on a plane and go halfway around the world at the invitation of the team owner, Mr. Chen, you’re not doing that for any other reason except for that you really are committed to the individual, in this case Yi, and his career. Mr. Chen and Yi and his parents, I think I’m confident in saying were very impressed with our willingness to literally go the last mile, which was to come here, to satisfy them that Milwaukee is the right place for Yi.

When did Mr. Chen extend the invitation to you?
Senator Herb Kohl: About ten days ago. I don’t know exactly, but about ten days ago we got on the phone with him and at that point he was comfortable enough in saying to us, “May I make a request.” And we said, “Sure. What’s your request?” He said, “Would you do us the honor of traveling to Hong Kong so that we can continue and hopefully finalize our dialogue.” And when he said that, we of course instantly said “yes” and here we are.

What was your role in buying out his contract with the Guangdong Tigers?
Larry Harris: In terms of anything else, I can tell you that it’s a standard NBA contract as far as being a first round pick, what all other first round picks sign. But as far as that, I would say that it basically remains between ourselves and Mr. Chen at this point.

But you had to have a negotiation before you could get to the point where you gave him an NBA contract, correct?
Senator Herb Kohl: What has happened is that we signed an NBA contract today, a standard NBA contract. There was, as there almost always is with international players, a monetary consideration, which is somewhat standard. We’ve done it with other players from other countries before. And it was in that modest range of what you’d pay to get a player released from a foreign team. But as Larry said, what we signed today was a standard NBA contract, not any different from what we signed with our other draft picks.

Was there any promise of playing time made to Yi? What was the agreement that got him to move to say he wanted to be with the Bucks?
Larry Harris: As we stated all along, we were very confident that we were going to bring him to Milwaukee. As we stated week after week, we knew this was going to be a process. We wanted to make sure that he made the right decision and that it was his decision. Certainly, from our standpoint, we are very committed to making him the best player that he can be. We made that very clear. We’ve very confident with our coaching staff and with the ability that they have to make him the player that he wants to be. You’re talking about a young man that obviously has a lot on his shoulders, not only for himself but for his country and with the Olympics being in Beijing. We understand those situations as well. But with Coach Krystkowiak and his staff and everyone else, we’re going to do what we can to make him the player that he wants to be and the player that we think he can be.

How big of a piece is he?
Larry Harris: We felt that he was a big piece to what we were going to become when we drafted him. I give the Senator a lot of credit as well as the rest of our organization for standing behind the pick and being very committed that this took place. We felt very fortunate for him at numbers six to still be available. Having seen him in Las Vegas and continuing to follow him since he’s left Las Vegas and talking to him over the last 24 hours, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s going to become the player that he wants to become. I think the Senator made it very clear to him, his representatives and his family, that there’s no doubt in our mind that this kid is a special person and a special player and we’re going to do everything we can and we’re committed to making sure he becomes the player that he wants to be.

Are you done making any moves now that you have Yi signed? And towards that, can you comment on the status of Charlie Bell?
Larry Harris: You always want to make sure you get your draft picks taken care of. As far as where we’re going with our front line, certainly we have a lot of versatility on that front line now. As far as the health of our team, we’re confident that both Charlie Villanueva and Bobby Simmons are going to be healthy come October 1.

As far as Charlie Bell, continuing dialogue there and anticipating getting him done and that he’ll be part of a roster when camp opens. It’s been a very long summer, but one that we really feel (has been good). What we’ve talked about for probably six months now is putting together the kind of team – the kind of continuity – that we’re talking about. The health of our team took a little bit of a step back this past season, but barring any major injuries or whatever may come about this next season – we don’t anticipate any of that – we feel like we have a lot of depth and not only to we have a chance of being good this upcoming season, but we have pieces in place to be good for a number of years. And I think that’s one of the things we’ve identified. I’ve said along about Detroit, San Antonio and Dallas and some other teams – the teams that are good year in and year out have that consistency and continuity and we really feel that we have that.

Did Commissioner Stern play any role in this at all?
Senator Herb Kohl: He’s been encouraging to us. We have kept him fully abreast of what we were doing. He had a strong interest in this particular draft pick, a draft pick from China. Aside from keeping him abreast of what we were doing, he didn’t provide assistance beyond that. But he’s very pleased, obviously. When we got him signed today, Mr. Stern was very elated.

There’s been some confusion about his age. Is he 19 or 22?
Larry Harris: I would say this – Obviously, FIBA keeps their records and that’s what we go off of. He’s listed as 19 and it’s been a question that’s been out there. But as far as we’re concerned, we have to go off of the documents we have and he’s 19 years old. Being with him today, he’s a fine young man and that’s what we’re going with.

Should we expect a contingent of Chinese media to be following Yi this season?
Larry Harris: I would say today there was a following here and there were a select few people that were involved in this. I would expect that. I can tell you just from the people we met today that there were a lot of people asking a lot about Milwaukee, a lot about the city, and a number of them said they were going to come over at some point. I would anticipate that it not only be in Milwaukee but wherever we go on the road. This is a global game and certainly with the number of people that are in China and the interest that they have, I would anticipate that there will be a gathering or a following wherever we go – not only in Milwaukee.

Senator Herb Kohl: And we’ll have our games all over China this year because of Yi. Our exposure is going to go up by a lot as a result of adding Yi to our roster.

Senator Kohl, what impressed you about Yi tonight during dinner?
Senator Herb Kohl: He’s a really solid guy. It wasn’t hard to figure that out when we met his parents. They’re equally solid people, down-to-earth, honest, hardworking with really good values. That’s what they transmitted to Yi. He’s a basic person. Expects to come to work hard and train hard and give his very best. There are no issues of any sort that we will find with him other than that he comes to work everyday to want to do a good job and he applies himself – he’s that type of person. He impressed us. There’s going to be no question about his character and his work ethic and his desire to do good for himself and his team and his country. It’s not hard to figure that out – we met his parents.

Could negotiations have gone any easier if they Beijing Olympics weren’t around the corner and if they weren’t so concerned about his development as a player?
Larry Harris: I think his intentions all along were to play in the NBA. I think that’s the thing that resonated the most with myself, my staff and the rest of our organization – his excitement in really wanting to become the best player that he can be. From a countryman standpoint, he certainly wants to accelerate the process and really become the best that he can be because this is a big thing next year in Beijing. As a matter of fact, when we landed in Hong Kong, I reference to Senator Kohl that they already had a countdown to the Beijing games in Hong Kong. It’s certainly big over here in Asia. It is a big thing and he is a big part of that success for their team. Having said that, I know that he wanted to play against the best and be involved with the best players in the world and certainly that was going to be something that was going to take place in Milwaukee.

Does this validate the pick that some may have questioned?
Larry Harris: You know what, I don’t know if validates is the right word. There are a lot of emotions that come into play, especially when you’re dealing with an international player – things that go through a players mind and things that he anticipates that may happen. A lot of things were said leading up to the draft. I think like anything, you never want to respond initially to some of the things you hear and some of the things that may take place. But again, I give a lot of credit to Senator Kohl, the rest of our organization, the coaching staff, to the commitment that all of us made that we were going to make the pick and truly believe that he was the best player. I think that you make better decisions when you end up taking the best player. And we really feel all along that we got the best player at six. Time will tell. His family so strong that when the rest of our organization and fans get to meet this guy, they’ll see he has tremendous character and he wants to do the best for himself, his family and his country. When you have those kind of expectations and burden on you, he’s able to shoulder all of that. I think we’re going to get the best of this player and I’m excited to see how he will fit and what he will do with the rest of our team.

Did Yi’s parents make any indication that they would be thinking about moving to Milwaukee to support Yi?
Larry Harris: That’s a good question. As a matter of fact, probably about 10 or 15 minutes into the dinner, I asked them how many times they would visit Milwaukee. And Jianlian quickly interjected and said “a lot” and “more and more”. I would anticipate that they will be there quite a bit. His family is very important to him and really having that stabling (parent) behind him is very important. I know that his family is very important to him and I would anticipate that, it may not be right away, but when they do come it will be for quite some time.

What was Yi’s group apprehensive about in joining the Milwaukee Bucks?
Larry Harris: It wasn’t apprehension about Milwaukee. It was about getting to play in his first year with a team and being productive and getting an opportunity to play through some of the things that rookies go through – to be a productive player and to really develop as a player and to know that whoever drafted him was going to commit to playing him, commit to making him the best player he can be, training him and putting him in a position that, come next year when the Olympic games come about, that he’s another player along with Yao (Ming) and some others that they can count on.

So it wasn’t apprehension or hesitation about market size or Milwaukee itself, is that correct?
Larry Harris: I think Senator Kohl made that clear that it really didn’t have to do with Milwaukee or the size of Milwaukee, or all of the things that have been thrown out there a various amount of times. It was more just the ability to develop as a player and a chance to play and be a productive player in his first year.

Do you have a sense as to the impact on the global business marketing of the Bucks brand because of this?
Ron Walter: I think that’s just beginning to play out and we’re working closely with the NBA – they have an office in Beijing – and I think that with the significance, there’s no way for us to measure. It’s something we’re very excited about and something that the NBA is very excited about and I think it’s something that the business community in Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin will be very excited about.

The NBA did have a representative here from their Beijing office and we will be working very closely with him as we move forward. They’re already planning to put a number of Bucks games, regular season games, on television here in China, whether it’s 24, 30 or 20, we don’t know the exact number, but it will be a significant number of games on television in China this year.

Could you say what your role has been in all of this for last couple of weeks?
Herb Kohl: It was a team effort. Everybody in the organization – John Steinmiller, Ron Walter, Larry Harris and myself – have been working on this thing on a daily basis, each of us our own bit and piece. As well as another person who’s on the call, Mike Burr. It was truly a team effort. I wouldn’t say one person was most instrumental. I would say that all of working together and all of us doing our little bit made up a very strong whole. Working together we got something done.