FanHouse Larry Harris

After dismissing Larry Harris from the role of general manager yesterday, Herb Kohl spoke to the press about Harris' limitations, or at least the implied notion that Kohl did not give Harris much leeway for making roster related transactional moves. Specifically, Kohl stated that he did veto a Zach Randolph to Milwaukee deal; but also said that he and Harris were on the same page all along.

"Larry has no difficulty or animosity with me over the right I had to say, 'Let's not do the Zach Randolph trade,' " Kohl said. "He would not bring that up to you as any point of contention. He would say, 'Yes, he had the right to do that, whether I agree or not.' "

Nothing smells finer on an early Thursday morning than a little politician double talk. Am I right? What Kohl essentially is saying, at least to me, is that he told Harris he was not going to trade for Randolph (purportedly for Charlie Bell, Dan Gadzuric and Bobby Simmons). And Harris won't contend that Kohl's veto power was outside any scope of normal behavior. Go figure.

Kohl's also discussed his reasoning for not wanting Z-Bo, which, not so shockingly, came down to character issues. Bear in mind that Randolph has a large contract and has had personal issues on/off court, but at least he's better than Gadzuric and Simmons combined.

The Bucks are on their way to the fourth straight finish in the Central Division basement, and considering GM Larry Harris entered the season as a lame duck general manager, the players weren't shocked at all when he was given his pink slip yesterday afternoon. In fact, the opposite was true: they were actually expecting it to happen sometime soon. From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

"It wasn't surprising," [Bobby] Simmons said during a phone interview on Wednesday. "We pretty much figured something was going to happen the way things were going. Usually you would see him (Harris) at games, but after a while, you didn't see him at all.

It's obvious the team has been contemplating this move for a while -- owner Herb Kohl basically cut Harris off at the knees when he vetoed a proposed deal at the deadline that would have sent Simmons, Dan Gadzuric and Charlie Bell to the Knicks for Zach Randolph and Fred Jones. For what it's worth, though, Kohl hates the idea that he might be considered a "meddling" owner:

"You know, quote, meddling owner. Mark Cuban," Kohl said. "I'm not Mark Cuban. I honestly believe I'm not a meddling type of a manager, whether it be in basketball or whether it was in the food stores or department stores or as a senator. Most everybody who has worked for me over the years has said - while there were things about me they don't like - it wouldn't be they didn't have the latitude to do their jobs."

Most everybody, of course, but those whom he'd already decided to fire months ago.

Milwaukee's long, international nightmare is over: Yi Jianlian ended his standoff with the Bucks and signed his rookie contract. From the team's press release:

The Bucks 6th overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft, Yi Jianlian signed his contract in Hong Kong following a negotiating session with Mr. Chen Haitao, owner of the Guangdong Tigers. Bucks owner and team president Senator Herb Kohl, General Manager Larry Harris and Bucks Vice President Ron Walter were able to meet with Mr. Chen, as well as Yi and his family, as part of the process.

[...] "There has been a genuine excitement throughout our city and state, as well as internationally, following our selection of Yi in the NBA Draft," said Senator Herb Kohl. "We all anticipate Yi's arrival and welcome him and his family to Milwaukee. We look forward to a successful relationship for many years to come."

"We would be remiss if we didn't acknowledge and thank Mr. Chen for his assistance and support in the negotiating process," Kohl added.

I'm curious to find out what exactly transpired to make the deal happen -- NBA rookie contracts are traditionally cookie-cutter affairs considering the salaries are almost entirely determined by the draft slot. Did the Bucks agree to make some sort of payment to Yi's former team? (Would such a tactic even be allowed under NBA rules?) Or did Yi's camp simply need personal assurances that Milwaukee was committed to making Yi's life comfortable and showcasing him in a featured role? I have no clue, but I'm guessing we'll find out the answer sometime in the near future.

Previously on FanHouse:
Chinese Paper Says Guandong Will Prevent Yi From Joining Milwaukee
Yi Jianlian Cannot Hear You, Milwaukee

Back during the 2000-05 season, Desmond Mason was the Bucks' second-leading scorer, and the high-flying swingman was considered a fan favorite. When he was traded to the Hornets, though, it seemed like he burned his bridges to ever return, singling out GM Larry Harris. But now that he's a free agent, he's singing a different tune:

In a radio interview at the time of the deal, Mason called Harris "a snake in the grass" and said he "flat out lied to my face" about the chances of being traded.

But that seems like so much ancient history to both sides now.

"That's absolutely behind us," [Mason's agent Roger] Montgomery said. "If we do return, we're looking forward to finishing what he (Mason) started. He was a fan favorite.

"We barely remember that even happened."

For what it's worth, it seems to be "forgive and forget" in Milwaukee's front office, as well -- in the same article, Harris says, "We've had good discussions and are optimistic it's heading in the right direction." For a personnel standpoint, bringing Mason in makes sense -- the team could use some insurance at the small forward spot considering Bobby Simmons missed all of last year. Plus, he's Michael Redd's good friend, which isn't a surprise since Redd knows Mason will never steal a shot from him.

Previously on FanHouse:
Desmond Mason Brings His Game Into the Studio

As with all Yi Jianlian news, this should be taken with a pound of salt. Nonetheless: The Beijing Times reports that Yi's Chinese club team -- the Guangdong Tigers -- will block the forward from joining the Bucks.

"This is not -- as media reports have said -- because Milwaukee, as a city with very few Chinese people, is not good for Yi's commercial development," [Guangdong boss] Chen [Haitao] said. "Rather we want to find a team suitable for Yi's growth. That's the root of the problem."

I fail to see how Milwaukee isn't a great opportunity in terms of Yi's basketball growth. Places like Los Angeles and San Francisco might be better for Yi's financial growth or social growth, but I can't think of another roster where he'd get more playing time than Milwaukee's.

Unfortunately, Larry Harris will eventually be forced to blink. Yi holds all the cards here.

Previously on FanHouse:
There's Hope! Bucks Brass Meets With Yi

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.

The camp of Yi Jianlian has a brilliant strategy: Don't make a sound, and hope Milwaukee forgets all about that little draft thing.

Jianlian's agent Dan Fegan didn't answer calls from Bucks officials or local media on Friday, says the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Charles F. Gardner. Bucks general manager Larry Harris hasn't been able to schedule a meeting with Yi yet, and the draftee will being training and competing with the Chinese national team through the next two weeks. Harris tells the J-S he's going to try to catch up with Jianlian in Dallas or Las Vegas sometime this month.

To repeat, here's our situation: Player tells team 'Don't draft me.' Team drafts player. Team tries to meet with player. Player pretends team does not exist. Team stalks player. (It sounds like most of my romatic adventures in high school, actually.)

We avoided a northern Sino invasion, but this standoff could seriously set the China-NBA relationship back 10 years. It was cake and Patty Dukes til now -- either Milwaukee or Yi, depending on your perspective, just peed in the punchbowl.