In a Milwaukee Bucks' 93-88 pre-season win over Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, Chinese player Yi Jianlian's debut for the team ended with unexpected disappointment.

 

 

Yi Jianlian takes a deep breath on the bench during the Chicago Bulls game on Wednesday, October 10, 2007.

 

The 7-foot-6 power forward played for only 16 minutes and walked off the court with a series of poor records: three points, two interceptions, a block and six fouls.

 

Yi stepped into the court with 59 seconds remaining in the first quarter, in front of the exultant local supporters. But these were not able to encourage Yi, who had three foul records by the half time.

 

"I know there are many with high hopes for me, I feel a great pressure", Yi said after the match.

 

The player's performance turned for the better after the break, scoring a three-pointer, his only score in the game, minutes into the second half.

 

But three more fouls later forced an early end to his first game appearance.

 

"I must try to get rid of bad manners in defense, beware of my actions to avoid unnecessary fouls," said Yi, who also promised to adapt himself to the special rules in the NBA games as soon as possible.

 

(CRI October 11, 2007)