• The Bucks dip from 16th to 21st in Marc Stein's latest power rankings... just think what will happen once the games actually start.
• That's still better than 23rd, which is where the Bucks rank in Marty Burns' SI.com preseason power rankings, a spot ahead of opening night foe, Chicago.
• SI.com's Milwaukee scouting report assumes the Bucks are fine offensively, thus enabling Skiles to focus on the defensive end. I hope it's that simple, but last year proved a group of capable offensive individuals doesn't guarantee points.
  
• After bringing the ball up the court for five NBA squads, and now having coached three more teams, Scott Skiles is pretty well acclimated to the league, and to pressure. That's good, because SI.com's Ian Thompson includes Skiles among eight coaches facing a big challenge.
• Charley Rosen of FoxSports.com classifies Skiles as a honeymooner. 

  As long as the Bucks are relatively successful, Scott Skiles' manic style will be tolerated by the players. But if the losses start to add up, it won't be long before this will be Milwaukee's latest and most aggravated season of discontent.

• Dime reports Richard Jefferson and Andres Nocioni aren't exactly amiable.
• Halloween is Friday. Brett's post-preseason season preview is scary, is from The Bratwurst, and is now.

  The Bucks were only outrebounded by their opponents by a slim margin (39.9 per game vs. 40.15) and forced more turnovers than their opponents (16.71 vs. 18.58). Some of the defensive weakness can probably be attributed to Andrew Bogut only playing 5 games, but that underscores this teams’ biggest problem: since there is no banger big man behind Bogut, if he misses more than a handful of games this season, this team is sunk.

• Freijie lives not. The Bucks waive Matt Freije, North Dakotan/preseason entertainer/BrewHoop favorite.
  
• The Knicks waive Dan Grunfeld, former Nicolet high school hooper, and son of former Bucks GM Ernie Grunfield. Seth at Posting and Toasting wishes Dan the best in his endeavors, wherever they may take him.
• Via NQTC, tomorrow the Bucks face Chicago, coached by Christian Bale Vinny Del Negro.
• Following strong games against the Lakers and Clippers, Ersan Ilyasova delivered one of Euroleague Game's 1 finest performances, going for 18 points and 12 boards in 23 minutes off the bench in Regal FC Barcelona's 82-54 win over SLUC Nancy in Euroleague play on October 23.  If that wasn't good enough, he followed it up this weekend with 18 points and 15 boards performance in Barca's 89-73 win over Zaragoza.  Check out video highlights of Ersan throwing down a pair of alley-oops.
  
• Draft Express predicts Olympiakos, Josh Childress' new team, will win the Greek League. Childress is receiveiving passes from former Buck point guard, Lynn Grear.
• Marcus Haislip, he of the 13th overall pick by the Bucks back in 2002, is hitting threes and stuff, in Euroleague, reports Ball in Europe. Haislip notched 13 points and seven rebounds in Unicaja's win over Le Mans on October 22.
  
• While we're on an international kick, NBADraft.net's never-too-early mock has the Bucks taking Brandon Jennings, the point guard who spurned Point Guard University (Arizona) for Italy's Pallacanestro Virtus Roma.
  

Michael Redd and Team USA will face the Turkish National team today in Macau (7 am CT, ESPN2). The Turkish squad features former (and future?) Buck Ersan Ilyasova, along with the NBA's reigning "Most Improved player" Hedo Turkoglu and 2008 second round draft picks Omar Asik (Chicago) and Semi Erden (Boston).

Many Bucks fans have kept close tabs on Ilyasova since his departure from the team last summer, and although the 6-10 forward has opted to spend another season in Spain, don't think the Bucks have forgotten about him.  Ilyasova spent much of his summer working out in Milwaukee at the Cousins center and "boy did he look good," according to Director of Player Personnel Dave Babcock.

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