Drafting sixth overall in the first round last month, the Bucks didn't shy away from selecting 19-year-old Yi Jianlian of China because they felt that although Yi's agent Dan Fegan did not allow Milwaukee to see the seven-foot forward in a workout, he was the best player remaining on the board.

Yi Jianlian of China, the Bucks top pick in last month's draft, will eventually sign with Milwaukee despite attempts by his agent to force a trade, writes Snapper Jones of MSNBC.com.

There was a reason Fegan kept the Bucks at bay: Both he and the China Basketball Association want Yi to play in a larger city with a bigger ethnic Chinese population. There are only about 27,500 Asian Americans in Milwaukee.

So a standoff has ensued with the Bucks having managed only one meeting with Yi, who has finished play in the NBA's summer league, and who is out of the country for the rest of the summer. Fegan is reportedly seeking to work out a trade that would get Yi to a bigger market. The agent can work the phones all he wants, but this is a standoff he's not winning.

The Bucks will hold firm and Yi will wind up wearing their uniform. They'll eventually sign him, and he will be ready for training camp which starts in 12 weeks. What Fegan is either forgetting or ignoring is that NBA franchises are past the days when they let a player they have drafted -- or more specifically the agent for that player -- railroad them into dealing away their top pick just because he would rather play somewhere else.

Majority say play in Milwaukee

The longer this stalemate lasts, the bigger the risk that it paints a negative portrait of what Yi is all about. He can't be happy about that. On draft night, Yi publicly declared he'd "be happy" to play in Milwaukee, but it seems those with influence over him want to change his mind about that.

The pressure may be building for Yi to make it clear to Fegan and the China Basketball Association that he wants to end the impasse and get a deal done with the Bucks. Reports say that in China state media and Internet chatrooms are showing a growing public sentiment for Yi to go to Milwaukee. Criticism of Fegan is also growing. A popular website in China posted quotes from the former coach of the Chinese National Team, who warned, "Fegan will hamper Yi's future." The coach also said, "I don't think Yi refused to join the Bucks -- it's Fegan who doesn't want him to join."

And the same website conducted an online poll that drew more than 9,000 respondents, 68 percent of whom wanted Yi to sign with the Bucks. Fegan can elect not to pay much attention to which way the wind is blowing with Yi in his homeland, but that wouldn't be a wise thing to do.

Milwaukee is a city very supportive of the Bucks. Fans there embrace all of the team's players. Yi may fall in love with Milwaukee, and he has a chance to thrive there.

Another factor to be considered by Yi is whether it's in the best interests of the Chinese National Team for him to sign with the Bucks and get a year of NBA experience under his belt before he and the rest of Team China take part in the Beijing Olympics next summer.

Beware of a possible King-sized mistake

How about Yi to the Kings? Well, a published report in Sacramento says the city and team would be a well-liked destination for Yi. After all Sacramento's a warm-weather city, it boasts a solid fan base for the Kings, and it's not very far from the Bay Area, which is a major Asian market.

There's a lot still to be determined about the makeup of next season's Kings. Ron Artest and Mike Bibby could both be dealt. But one of the moves already made was to bring in Reggie Theus as the Kings' new coach. Theus hopes to have his club play an uptempo game, and Yi could be a fit for that style of play as he is mobile and has a smooth shot.

For the Kings to acquire Yi for any reason other than what he could give them on the court would be a mistake. If Sacramento truly has an interest in Yi it should be because it feels he can help the team get back to being a winner. Sure there's probably the temptation to go after him for marketing purposes given the city's diverse population, but that temptation should be ignored. Bringing in players for their marketability is the wrong way to go about putting together a team.

And Milwaukee has to keep reminding itself that it selected Yi because of what he might be able to do for the Bucks in the future. Teams can come calling with offers and Milwaukee will have to listen, but the Bucks would be foolish to move Yi just because after the draft things between the franchise and its top pick have not started out like a match made in heaven.

First impressions from Las Vegas

Yi's play with the Chinese National Team in the NBA Summer League had some eye-opening moments to it, but over all it was nothing to write home about in part because his teammates did him no favors with their inability to get him the ball. That's nothing new in the way Team China plays -- just ask Yao Ming from his court experiences with his countrymen.

However, after watching three of Yi's games in Las Vegas (site of the summer league) Bucks general manager Larry Harris came away having clearly seen the potential of his top draft pick. Harris made a point of saying Yi showed him something with a low-post game where he had no problem getting inside and doing his share of banging.

Dave Babcock, the Bucks' director of player personnel, had a message for those still dealing out doubts that Yi was the best player around when Milwaukee drafted at No. 6 in the first round. Babcock said the Bucks didn't want to act like they know-it-all, but what they saw of Yi in Las Vegas confirmed to them what they felt they already knew about the seven-footer -- that he was without a doubt the best player available at No. 6.