"Joe showed the great athleticism we knew he had, and the ability to make shots," Skiles said of the Bucks' first-round pick in the June draft, the eighth overall selection. "There are a lot of things he's got to learn.

"Luc was one of the best overall individual defenders here, and he made some nice passes. Early in the week he had some easy ones around the basket that didn't go in for him. But he has a nice slashing game where he can cut to the basket."

"I now have -- like we did in Phoenix -- more of a veteran club and not so many young guys, especially in key positions,'' Skiles said. "I don't want to use the word 'freedom' here, but you can live with things a little easier because you're not -- theoretically -- trying to teach them to play the NBA game. You're just going into the concentrating on your schemes and all that stuff.''

If Jerry Colangelo had doubts that his vision would take, they began to evaporate in the fall of 2005, shortly after Milwaukee Bucks swingman Michael Redd walked into a Chicago hotel suite for an interview with Colangelo, the man appointed to reverse the slide in the global fortunes of U.S. basketball. Dressed in sweats and with a garment bag slung over his shoulder, Redd greeted the former Phoenix Suns owner, then asked to duck into the john. Moments later he emerged -- in a suit and tie.

My head was spinning a little bit. I was very, very young and immature. I was 19 years old. It just kind of hit me fast, I didn't really enjoy it like I should have. I think now, at the next Olympics, I'm going to be much more comfortable. In Athens I was still trying to get my stock lifted and to get drafted and all that type of stuff. Now I'm more comfortable so it'll be better to go in there a bit more relaxed.