The Bratwurst - Milwaukee Bucks Blog

Alright, I gotta admit, I’m kind of psyched for the Bucks to take Yi Jianlian … because it meant I get to use that headline.

Seriously, this has to be one of the most bizarre picks I’ve ever seen.  Larry Harris stakes his job on a pick that refused to work out for him?  A pick who may be as many as 4 years older than he claims?  What’s next, the Brewers add Danny Almonte as a middle reliever?

Lets look at this pick from a mathematical perspective.  Yi is an offensive-minded “4″ who apparently has 3 point range and doesn’t play much defense or rebound.  He’s probably 22.  He’s Charlie Villanueva.  What are the odds that Yi will be a bust? Lets charitably say 20%.  What are the odds he will be an All-Star?  Once again, lets charitably say 20%.  So there’s a 60% chance he will be an okay NBA player.  Therefore there is an 80% chance that he will not be better than Charlie V!

Look, I’m not just writing here to pick away at a guy I’ve never seen play.  I’m a Bucks season ticket holder.  I want them to do well. But this pick ….. Wait, at this very moment, as I type this, I just realized the true genius of this move.

Drafting Yi (assuming the Chinese government doesn’t pull him back) will be a financial windfall for the Bucks.  Jersey sales.  International television rights.  Logo usage rights.  The Bucks had the 3rd lowest revenue of any NBA team last year and are desperate to sell more season tickets this year.  Well, they just drafted a whole new revenue stream.

One that will significantly improve the financial standing of the Bucks and just may keep them in Milwaukee once Herb Kohl sells the team.

The business opportunities from drafting Yi were enough that Atlanta almost took him — even though he’d be a horrible fit for them.  Say he’s worth an extra $20 million in jersey sales and whatnot.  That stuff isn’t included in basketball related income – the numbers that teams use when they go crying to city councils about how they need a new stadium – it goes straight to ownerships’ pocket.  That completely changes the financial picture for the Bucks, and when Kohl sells the team he will then probably be able to pick an ownership group that is willing to keep the team in Milwaukee and continue dealing with the Bradley Center Sports and Entertainment Corporation over their lease in exchange for the cash flow that results from having Yi.

What’s awesome about this whole thing is that Senator Kohl might have to use diplomatic channels to get the Chinese authorities to allow Yi to come to Milwaukee (since he didn’t go to one of his preferred markets).  Imagine that: “Okay, so you let Yi play, we guarantee him 30 mpg and for every point he averages we agree to eliminate tariffs on one ton of raw steel imports.”

Thanks Senator! You saved the NBA in Milwaukee!

At least, I hope that’s the logic.  Because otherwise, this is a pretty strange pick.  Not going to call it a bad pick before seeing him play, but a strange pick.