<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'> MILWAUKEE -- Anyone who is familiar with Las Vegas knows that if you visit there, 24-7-365, you will find a show, an audience to go with it, and neon lights to direct you to the next one. </p> Back in July, Tony Brown was a captivated spectator at a Vegas show. The one he was watching may have seemed a long way from the spotlights, the glitz and the glitter, but it was actually making its 10-day run pretty closeby. </p> And he didn't miss a single act. </p> Brown, who had become a Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach a little more than a month earlier, was in high-roller country directing the Bucks' entry in the Las Vegas Summer League. And when the Bucks weren't playing or practicing, Brown hunkered down on a bleacher seat and directed his focus toward the franchise's 2007 NBA Lottery pick, Yi Jianlian. </p> Before Yi even launched his first shot, he had become part of a historic venture. His Chinese National Team became the first international contigent to perform in the Vegas league, which annually gives National Basketball Association teams the opportunity to road-test their rookies, their younger veterans and whatever promising wanna-bes they have taken along for the ride. </p> Brown made it clear that he didn't simply stumble upon Yi's games as a diversion from coaching the Bucks squad. </p> "We watched him play each of his four games," said Brown, obviously a man on a mission. </p> Everyone in the Milwaukee organization was elated to hear the news of Aug. 29, when the Bucks signed the 6-foot-11-inch, 244-pound Yi to a multiyear contract. Brown had the utmost confidence in the Bucks brass and scouting department back when the team drafted Yi, but seeing exactly what the team was getting made him a true believer. </p> And he took a very good look. </p> "Oh yeah, I did," Brown said. "And I was very happy and very pleased with what I saw. This kid has unbelievable skill level. Obviously his size is great, and his athleticism. I think he'll be a great addition to our team." </p> Yi was the Chinese Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year in 2002-03, and he helped lead the Guangdong Tigers to three CBA championships. His team lost in the CBA Finals last year, when he averaged 24.9 points and 11.5 rebounds a game. </p> Unlike most of his 2007 NBA Draft contemporaries, who were products of highly visible collegiate basketball programs, Yi has not yet been featured on American television, so he is a bit of a mystery man to Milwaukee fans. </p> When asked to present a profile of Yi, Brown offered some rave reviews. </p> "Well, you're probably going to see him be one of the best mobile big men to come into the league in a long time," he said. "I think the Bucks already have one in Andrew Bogut. And with the addition of Yi and what he brings to the table, it makes our team very mobile in the forecourt."</div></p> Source: Bucks.com</p>
