The Milwaukee Bucks must have anticipated a long, difficult series of negotiations to bring their firstround draft pick, Chinese star Yi Jianlian into the fold. So the remarks this week by the owner of Yi’s Chinese team, the Guangdong Tigers, should have come as little surprise.

Yi definitely would not be playing for the Bucks this season, the owner of the Tigers, Chen Haito, said in a statement. The stance reiterates Chinese officials’ previous position on the matter. Initially officials considered Milwaukee, a city with a rather small Chinese population, a poor fit for the 19-year-old power forward, but now they’re offering a different reason: The officials do not believe their star will get playing time sufficient enough to ready him for the Olympics in Beijing, in 2008. With a Bucks roster that already has some tall frontcourt players in 7-foot Andrew Bogut and 6-foot-10-inch Charlie Villanueva, Yi would be shortchanged, they argue.

Well, at least these Chinese officials have a sense of humor. I got a good laugh out of their rationale, and though Milwaukee’s front office declined to issue a clear response, I hope they were smiling to themselves.

The Chinese officials initial position about “Beertown” being ill suited to ease Yi’s acclimation, was at least factual albeit dubious. Was there a large German population in Dallas to ease Dirk Nowitzki’s American debut? Morever, even on a rookie NBA contract, you can support your own entourage if the spirit moves you. Yet, this latest claim is so full of holes that if it were a garment, a pack of hungry moths wouldn’t pass on it.

Bogut and Villanueva notwithstanding, the Bucks are a team that had so many problems in their frontcourt last season that Ruben Patterson played 2,500 minutes and Brian Skinner played 1,500. If the people who have seen Yi play most think he can’t find some burn in a situation like that one, then maybe they should blow off this whole NBA idea.

Although Yi has been sporadically impressive, he didn’t help his case much during the recently completed NBA Summer League action in Las Vegas. Playing against various amalgamations of rookies, draft picks, and young free agents, Yi mostly struggled, shooting a meager 25.5% from the field in five games (and let’s reiterate — he’s 6-feet-11-inches and was usually one of the tallest players on the floor). I’m further underwhelmed by his 22 total rebounds in 130 minutes of burn. That’s 6.77 rebounds per 40 minutes, or a little less than what Knicks swingman Jared Jeffries averaged last season.

If Chinese officials want Yi to be prepared for the big Olympics spotlight then all the more reason for Yi to get with his NBA team — and fast. He will need to work on translating his considerable athleticism to the NBA skill level. If he doesn’t, the Olympics could be one big disappointment for the Chinese national basketball team.

Meanwhile, the Bucks can and should just sit and wait. They have rights for a full year, and longer if Yi plays any professional ball overseas during the next season. Waiting a year doesn’t seem like a good option since Charlotte, Indianapolis, and Memphis — three teams that seem bound for the 2008 lottery — all have comparatively small Chinese populations and frontcourt players who could block Yi’s shot at starting immediately. Furthermore, the Chinese fans seem eager to see Yi play in the NBA. A Beijing-based newspaper, China Daily, published a poll of 9,000 respondents, 68% of whom supported Yi going to Milwaukee, as does the former coach of the Chinese national team.

This ploy by Yi and his handlers for a premature free agency seems likely to have the adverse effect of reflecting badly on Chinese hoops hopefuls. Yi hasn’t shown enough on the court to act like the next Danny Ferry or Steve Francis. And those situations didn’t have happy endings either.

Speaking of Francis, the former Knick guard is shopping for a new employer, having received $30 million to walk away from the Portland Trail Blazers. While he was never really the “franchise” player he envisioned himself as, he will make a nice pickup for some team. Even though he’s 30, a senior citizen by point guard standards, backcourt players who rebound as well as Francis does (six per 40 minutes during his career) tend to age gracefully and he’ll consider offers from Dallas, the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston, and Miami.

The Clippers can offer Francis the best chance of making an immediate impact since the team is thin at the point. Dallas would be the most interesting fit as the team needs another perimeter threat with Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse starting to decline, but Francis may fear getting lost in the shuffle there. With an overstaffed backcourt already, I don’t understand what Houston sees in Francis or vice versa. However, with Dwyane Wade out until the early part of the regular season, Miami will probably pursue Francis aggressively, which would make Pat Riley’s return to Madison Square Garden even more interesting.

mjohnson@nysun.com