• Bob Wolfley at the JS comes through with some quotes from a John Hammond interview with Fox Sports Radio this afternoon. Yesterday we broke down the Randolph vs. Alexander debate, and with everyone predicting the Bucks will choose Alexander, Hammond is saying all kinds of nice things about Randolph.

  "We like him very much. He's a tough one because some people have said, and it's really kind of hard to argue, if they say the top tier of this draft is (Derrick) Rose-(Michael) Beasley 1-2. . .Some people say, and time will tell, maybe three or four years down the line from now, maybe the next best player could be a guy like Anthony Randolph. He's 6-10, handles the ball, passes it. Very, very skilled guy, just extremely thin right now. But, boy, in time he could be a special player. That would be a tough decision if he's looking you in the eye with the eighth pick."

  The good news is that you can interpret it pretty much anyway you want. If you like Randolph, then clearly this is Hammond glowing about a guy that he likes--and perhaps trying to butter up Bucks fans for what could be an unpopular pick. If you like Joe Alexander, then you can say Hammond is simply talking up the guy he doesn't want so as to throw other teams off the scent.
• The Bucks had eleven prospects at the Cousins Center on Tuesday for another day of workouts, with Alabama PF (and Bratwurst favorite) Richard Hendrix probably the most notable name in the group. Plenty of Wisconsin connections as well, as Mike Taylor, Brian Butch and Draelon Burns were also in the house.
  
• If you're looking to emotionally prepare yourself for a Joe Alexander pick, check out video from his ESPN appearance, where he's asked about the Bucks and says pleasant things about Milwaukee. TrueHoop also has an interesting read by Todd Gallagher on Alexander's development into a lotto pick. Having watched Alexander since his days as a freshman scrub, Gallagher points to Alexander's Big East Tourney performance as indicative of the stunning progress he's made:
  

  Because of Hasheem Thabeet and UConn's massive frontline, which congested the lane and led the NCAA in blocks once again, Alexander broke out a series of latter year MJ moves. Jab step, one dribble, jump shot. Post up, square up, elevate.

  This is a very mature way of playing the game and there aren't many college players who have the physical ability and are refined enough to do it. It's certainly a departure from when Alexander was a stringbean newbie who had no concept of how he was being defended and wanted to beat everyone off of the dribble through a series of hideous And-1 moves.

  And he's a killer. When he talked trash about Duke after beating them in the NCAA tournament, that was the Joe Alexander WVU fans saw the entire second half of last year. Maybe that's from Huggins, maybe that's inborn, but the guy is not going to be intimidated.

• The Sonics, Grizzlies, Knicks, Blazers and Suns probably head the list of teams that could affect the Bucks' draft strategies should they keep the 8th pick. Seattle has long been assumed to be taking one of the guards, but now they're also being connected with Brook Lopez (for some reason).  That would push one of the guards or Kevin Love down to the Bucks, something that no one seems to be talking much about. Would the Bucks really pick Alexander or Randolph ahead of Love, Jerry Bayless, Russell Westbrook, or Eric Gordon?
  
  In the absence of any trades, Memphis is still the most likely destination for Love, though Gordon and Danilo Gallinari have also gotten mentions.  New York has been touted as a possible destination for pretty much everyone, including Alexander. That's probably more of a longshot, though it'd be more likely if the Knicks could swing a deal for Memphis' pick.
  
  And though they both pick behind the Bucks, the Suns (15th) and Blazers (13th) both reportedly like Alexander and may be willing to trade up to get him. The Suns could take Alexander ahead of the Bucks' pick if they were to pull off a rumored trade for the Clippers' 7th pick. Or maybe not.
  
• Then again, maybe the Bucks won't be picking anyone in the first round on Thursday. If you follow RealGM then you've probably noticed the discussion about a supposed deal that could go down on draft night; for a good recap, start here. The basics are that it wouldn't include Bogut or Yi, probably can't involve Mo because he's BYC, and would likely involve dealing the 8th pick as part of a package for a veteran player.  Wichmae is the poster who started it all with a trail of hints, his every word spurring Greenspan-ian levels of scrutiny. I won't pretend to know if there's anything to it but I've met Wichmae, so I can attest to him being a real person and a good dude. He certainly doesn't have a reputation for rumor-mongering, but who knows what's really going on with the Bucks right now.
• Charles Gardner blogs that Dwyane Wade likes O.J. Mayo and alludes to the possibility of the Bucks using Charlie Villanueva or even (gasp!) Yi Jianlian to swap picks with Minnesota for the purpose of drafting Mayo. What about Sessions as bait?  I'm kinda surprised this got its own blog entry, as the Bucks were rumored to be interested in Mayo last week but couldn't get into a private workout with him. In general this seems like something of a longshot,  but maybe Gardner has an inkling that something could still go down and wants to cover his bases?  I'm Ron Burgundy?
• Ty serves up his list of mixed-bag prospects, which includes Alexander.

  He only had 3 positive Win Contribution performances out of the 10 and those all happened to come against the lowest ranked among the "10 Best" -- Oklahoma (32nd ranked), Winthrop (27th ranked), and Notre Dame (42nd ranked). If you look at his performances against the highest ranked -- Georgetown and Louisville -- both are very poor. Thus, Alexander scares the hell out of me.

• Yi Jianlian scored 26 points (8/15 fg, 10/11 ft) along with five boards  and two blocks in 26 minutes as China once again defeated Lithuania's B team 110-92
• Truman Reed at Bucks.com opens up his history book and wonders: will number eight be great?
• The Bucks had their annual "media appreciation game," unfortunately our invite got lost in the mail.
  

The Bucks had a slew of 2nd round prospects in town on Monday, but Tom Enlund blogs that the most interesting visitor was Joe Alexander, who met with Bucks officials less than three weeks after his June 6 workout with Anthony Randolph and Donte Greene in Milwaukee. With the paucity of workouts for first rounders, the Bucks don't look like a team terribly intent on staying in the first round at all, but between their supposed interest in O.J. Mayo and the Alexander vs. Randolph talk, the Bucks continue to keep us on edge.

"We wanted to have another conversation with him," said Skiles. "There were just some other things that we wanted to ask him. We got an opportunity to visit with him last time and there are some things that we want to talk to him about."

Skiles said that LSU forward Anthony Randolph, another player who has linked to the Bucks and worked out here with Alexander, had not been back for a second visit.

So what gives? As much as Alexander has become the mock favorite of late, I think J.D. Mo could be on to something when he argues that Randolph was the favorite of the Bucks' brass after that workout.

As the media straggled into the court area at the Cousins Center and the players reached for the gatorade on the sidelines, Bucks assistant Joe Wolf strode up to Randolph and the two 6'10"ers exchanged an emphatic high five. I'd say things went very well for Randolph in Milwaukee. In the post workout interviews, which you can watch here at sportsbubbler.com, Randolph declared himself the best player on the floor. I don't think there is much doubt about this in the Bucks camp.

Of course, with the workout closed to the media no one outside the organization actually saw how Alexander and Randolph stacked up head-to-head.  Not surprisingly the Bucks haven't been much help on that topic, though John Hammond at least named some names today on ESPN radio. Per Bob Wolfley:

"I think in our grouping you can probably put a young, small forward out of LSU, Anthony Randolph," Hammond said. "You could probably put another small forward like (junior) Joe Alexander from West Virginia. There is a chance someone could slip in this draft. Maybe one of the smalls slip. I'm not not sure who that would be. I don't want to put a name on that. Could a guy like Russell Westbrook from UCLA be available at that eighth pick? There's going to be a good player there we are going to feel good about on draft night."

Given the questions about whether Randolph might be no more than a long-term project at the power forward position, the key term there might be Hammond's reference to Randolph as a "small forward." If the Bucks see Randolph as a three then that means a) he fulfills a need rather than adding to the logjam of young-but-unproven fours and b) it adds some credence to the theory that Hammond might liken Randolph to Tayshaun Prince, another lean, versatile small forward who had a lot to do with the success of Hammond's teams in Detroit. And while Alexander was talking to the Bucks' braintrust today, Randolph was talking to Gary & Cliff on WSSP, pegging himself as a small forward for the time being while also acknowledging that most teams see him as a "project."

But if the Bucks like Randolph so much, why bring Alexander back? For one, Randolph's stock has been taking a hit lately, as Chad Ford (who's been touting Randolph as a "top five talent" for weeks) and Jonathan Givony have been among those raising questions about Randolph's workout performances and general makeup. Givony wrote yesterday:

Randolph is not helping himself reportedly with the way he’s working out, being very average so far according to numerous people who’ve watched him, looking "laid back" or even "out of shape." Compounding the problem is that he may have recently hurt his shoulder.

Givony reports today that Randolph's shoulder is fine, but that his "workouts continue to underwhelm many onlookers, to the point that it has clearly affected his confidence." With everything we know about Skiles and Hammond, the question marks about Randolph would appear to be major issues, especially when you consider that Alexander doesn't bring the same baggage. And as we mentioned yesterday, a number of statistical analyses have also almost universally panned Randolph. He looks more respectable in John Hollinger's ratings as a small forward than a power forward, but he's not lotto-caliber in either despite the fact that his youth is factored into the system. And of course we should mention that Ty's metrics hate Randolph, too. It's difficult to say whether the Bucks would put any weight into external "buzz" given they've worked Alexander and Randolph out privately, but from an outsider perspective, picking Randolph isn't nearly as popular a choice as it appeared to be a few short weeks ago. Then again, maybe a team like the Knicks secretly loves Randolph and the Bucks are preparing for him to be gone.

Bringing in Alexander on Monday could be an acknowledgement of that fact, especially given the Bucks didn't go out of their way to advertise Alexander's presence. Herb Kohl's Senate calendar was open yesterday, so it could have been a final chance to get Kohl's seal of approval, though Kohl was also at Alexander's workout. Or it could be merely a smokescreen designed to bait a team like the Blazers, who reportedly covet Alexander and hold the 13th pick in the first round.

What's odd is that Alexander doesn't really seem like the type who needs to be interviewed extensively to understand what he's about. Normally that's the type of thing you reserve for guys with sketchier backgrounds, but Alexander's work ethic, drive and focus are well-documented. If Alexander disappoints, it won't have anything to do with his attitude, as Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski's terrific profile of Alexander suggests.

"It wasn’t like I was putting in 12 hours a day there," he said. "But it was really a product of my mentality toward what I’m doing in life. Why do I need to go home? What am I going to do there? Watch TV? I had nothing else going in my life. Nothing else mattered. At night, I just need someplace soft to sleep. And the couch in the locker room was fine."

If it's not Alexander or Randolph, then what? It's difficult to say what offers the Bucks might be debating to move down, up or out of the first round entirely, but the other real x-factor is who among the top prospects might fall outside the top seven, which Hammond alluded to in his interview. There's fresh buzz that Brook Lopez (Seattle) and Danilo Gallinari (Knicks) are getting looks in the top six, which would mean that one or more players who have thus far refused to work out for the Bucks could be available. The hyper-productive Kevin Love and the Russell Westbrook are the names at the top of my list, with Eric Gordon and even Jerryd Bayless two more guys who could drop despite refusing workouts with teams outside the top seven. All four have generally been rated ahead of Alexander and Randolph for a while. The only thing we know for sure? Things will probably change tomorrow.

• As we discussed on Friday, the Bucks are having trouble scheduling workouts for a number of the top prospects expected to be available when the Bucks pick eighth on Thursday night. Tom Enlund writes that there's not much they can do about it now:

  "It's part of the draft process today that agents, players and family members of the players are making decisions together as to exactly what teams they will visit," said Hammond. "And within that comes the maneuvering by the agents of trying to protect their player's value.
  
  "So if they have a guy slotted 1 through 5, they're going to hold their stance on saying that's where they're at. If they start visiting teams at 8, 9 or 10, the word is going to be out that the player is slipping or something's wrong, or he had a bad workout, and now he's had to work out for teams out of his range. So it's just a big political maneuvering."

  Enlund reports that the Bucks will likely only see some later-first round and second-round candidates today and tomorrow, meaning that the Bucks will go into the draft without having seen Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon, or Danilo Gallinari. Of course, it won't really matter if they trade out of the first round entirely.
  
• Michael Hunt talks about the difficulty John Hammond may face in overhauling the Bucks' roster.

  It would seem, then, that the Bucks’ priority for the draft Thursday night should be sorting out their roster mess over making a first-round pick. It’s unlikely they’ll get anyone who will offer immediate help at No. 8, so it might be more sensible to package the pick as an incentive to move at least one of their bad contracts.
  
  Easier said than done, but that’s why they hired Hammond away from Detroit to sort out the disorder.
  
  "Everything’s in play," Hammond said recently. "Was, still is and probably will remain that way probably right up until draft day. We’re going to explore every option that we can to improve our team, and, as we said, potentially maybe even move the pick."

• The JS chimes in on Ersan Ilyasova being back in Brewtown.

  Ilyasova still owns a home in Mequon so he is back in town and, since the Bucks still own his rights, he has been working out at the team's training facility. But since he has the opportunity to make more money in Spain, he will probably be headed back there next season. "He's here and his family is here and he's working out," said general manager John Hammond. "At some point he'll be making a decision to either go back to Spain and play or maybe to remain in the NBA."

• Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News speaks vaguely about the Bucks' supposed interest in Anthony Randolph:

  The Bucks are sending out strong signals that they like LSU's Anthony Randolph at No. 8. A legitimate 6-10, Randolph has been called a cross between Tayshaun Prince and Odom. But West Virginia small forward Joe Alexander, a hard-nosed worker, is seen as a better fit with new coach Scott Skiles.

• That seems to contradict the general sentiment about Randolph, who seems to be dropping as more and more research is done on him. For one, John Hollinger adds to the increasing mountain of statistical evidence that paints a gloomy-at-best picture of Randolph's future.

  He can block shots, and the fact his team was such a mess probably didn't help his numbers any, but gambling on Randolph with a high first-round pick looks like the basketball equivalent of hitting on 19 in blackjack. Hey, maybe the dealer throws out a 2 and everyone thinks you're a genius, but chances are you're going to bust.
  
  It appears he's going to be drafted in the middle of the first round at worst, but even that appears to be a terrible mistake -- there is no track record whatsoever of a player rated this poorly achieving pro success.

  Yikes! Then there's word from Chad Ford that Randolph's head could also be a question mark.

  LSU forward Anthony Randolph's lack of strength has hurt him in workouts. While teams say he's got unbelievable upside, they also think they're going to have to wait for him to develop. He also hasn't tested great on some of the non-basketball related tests they give -- everything from personality to psych testing for leadership ability.

  Good times! So yeah, mark me down as fully aboard the Joe Alexander bandwagon (assuming Kevin Love is off the board).
• In other draft news, Jonathan Givony writes that the Sonics could surprise by picking Brook Lopez fourth.

  Is Jerryd Bayless as much of a lock at 4 as everyone thinks? A number of NBA teams we’ve spoken with don’t think that’s the case. Almost everyone at this point in fact has Brook Lopez slated be picked by Seattle, with Bayless dropping slightly to the Knicks at #6. If Lopez doesn’t go 3rd, 4th of 5th, he will be taken by a team that did not work him out, as he only agreed to be seen by those three teams.

  This pick would stink of need from a Seattle perspective, but given it'd have a nice trickle down effect for the Bucks, let's hope it happens. Lopez infiltrating the top seven means that at least one among Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook or Eric Gordon would be available at eight.
  
• Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer somewhat inadvertently provides a big reason why a Redd-to-Cleveland deal might never happen.

  Because NBA rules say Varejao can't be traded until Dec. 5 without his approval, that means the new team will probably have to sign Varejao to an extension in order for his agent to OK the trade. So the Cavs must: 1) Find a team that needs Varejao; 2) Get the team to give value in return; and 3) get Varejao to agree to the trade, and possibly sign him to a new deal. It's not impossible, but it is complicated.

  Would the Bucks be willing to sign Andy to a big deal (doubtful IMO), and would he accept a trade to the Bucks if they don't (also doubtful IMO)? I also wouldn't expect Dan Fegan to be thrilled about his client being traded to a team where he'd be competing for minutes with Yi Jianlian--another client of Fegan's. For what it's worth, Pluto still thinks the Cavs should try to package Varejao and Wally Szczerbiak for Redd. I'm seeing it as increasingly unlikely.
• China beat Lithuania's B team 87-70. Yi Jianlian started 0/7 in the first half but rebounded to make 6/9 fg in the second and finished with 15 points and seven boards in 21 minutes.
  
• The Bucks are holding their annual draft party at Summerfest.

It's now been two weeks since the Bucks worked out Joe Alexander, Anthony Randolph and Donte Greene, and since then only a group of potential second rounders has made the trek to the Cousins Center for workouts. Like last week, today's workout--which Gery Woelfel reported might have featured Kevin Love and Brandon Rush--has been canceled, though we'll likely see some players stop by early next week before the draft on Thursday.

Still, on the surface it appears the Bucks are falling victim to both draft posturing and their own small-market, also-ran status. As we saw last year with Yi Jianlian, the Bucks don't need to work a guy out to take him in the lottery, but there's no doubt that they'd prefer to kick the tires on a player before using a high draft pick on him. As a result, it's a bit disappointing that the Bucks have been unable to bring Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon and Danilo Gallinari in for a closer look, but it also doesn't guarantee that they won't end up in green and red next year. At the very least you'd expect the Bucks to bring in some more guys just to obscure their true intentions with the pick, but it's also very possible they trade up, down or out of the draft entirely. As John Hammond has noted a number of times, all options are on the table.

The lack of players being worked out might suggest that trading down is less likely at this stage and could also hint at the Bucks' interest in using the pick in a package for a veteran player. The Bucks should have no problem convincing players projected for the mid- to late-first round to work out for them, so if the Bucks might be picking lower in the first round, why aren't they working any of those guys out? Obviously it's a different story with top-tier prospects like O.J. Mayo, who typically refuse to work out for teams picking well below their projection. Similarly, the general lack of workouts for potential first rounders could be construed as an indication that the Bucks aren't going to make a pick in the first round at all, instead using it in a package for a veteran.  But even if that was true you'd expect them to do their homework just in case they do keep the pick.  As a result, you have to think the Bucks are to some extent having troubles getting guys to come in for workouts.

Continue reading this post »

Three weeks ago, you told us Kevin Love was the guy. Among possible Bucks' lottery selections, Love gathered 23% of your votes, edging Eric Gordon (18%), Danilo Gallinari (13%) and Anthony Randolph (12%).  Read the full post for a summary of what's happened since then.

Continue reading this post »

• It seems like ever since Yi Jianlian was drafted, the good people at ESPN have been talking about getting him out of Milwaukee. Fortunately the latest rumor from Chad Ford is not that Yi wants out but that the Warriors are still very interested in the guy they were hoping to get last year when they traded Jason Richardson to the Bobcats for the eighth pick.

  While Wright played well for the Warriors toward the end of the season, they still covet Yi, according to sources. If the Warriors were to offer Wright and the No. 14 pick for Yi, that might be too much for the Bucks to pass on. The team is in rebuilding mode and might be ready to accept a two-for-one deal.

  Wright rarely got off the bench last year, but to his credit put up a rather exceptional 17.29 PER in just 376 minutes (in contrast, Yi was at just 11.28). He was mostly a garbage time guy, playing in just 15 games that were decided by 10 or fewer points. More importantly, at 6'10" and only a shade over 200 pounds, it's unclear if he'll ever have the body to be an effective PF.  I prefer Yi to Wright, but even so Wright AND the 14th pick is a lot of value considering how little Yi's accomplished so far.
  
  Of course, there's probably a reason why Golden State would be eager to package Wright with another lottery pick in spite of Yi's tumultuous first season. That reason might be Don Nelson, who was reportedly very high on Yi last year and barely let Wright get off the bench--perhaps to the chagrin of GM Chris Mullin. Personally I'd like to see Yi get at least another season in Milwaukee, though if Kevin Love slipped to the Bucks at eight I'd be willing to reconsider.  Check out GSoM for discussion from the Warrior viewpoint.
  
• Speaking of the Warriors, Wright and Love, the San Jose Mercury News' Tim Kawakami blogs that Mullin might be willing to give up Wright for a chance at the UCLA big man.

  I’d trade Wright–painful as that might be for Mullin–to get a shot at Love. I would. I’d want something more back than just the 8th pick from Milwaukee to do it, but I’d do something like that.
  
  I’m told the Warriors will not be trading Wright, period, this summer, but Mullin also said on the record twice last year that he wouldn’t be trading Jason Richardson… then he traded Jason Richardson for Wright.

  I'm not sure why the Bucks would prefer Wright to Love in the first place to be honest. Kawakami also notes that John Hammond could be more interested in Golden State's $9.9 million trade exception, which could be used to ship out a bad contract (he says Bobby Simmons, I prefer Dan Gadzuric) as part of a swap of the 8th and 14th picks.
• ESPN analyst (and UW grad) Andy Katz profiles West Virginia forward Joe Alexander, who isn't about to speak ill of a potential lottery suitor:

  "I really like Milwaukee, and I think I'd be a good fit for them," said Alexander, who said West Virginia coach Bob Huggins told him to find a spot that fits so that he can get the playing time to be productive. "When I look at the way I played at the end of the season, I look at that as my game now. It wasn't just a fluke. I know what I can do. I can play with anybody at any time and have enough skills to go with anyone. I think I can make an immediate impact."

  I'm not sure Alexander would be a good value at eight, but you gotta love his insane athleticism and killer work ethic. Katz's article suggests he had a workout with the Bucks on Wednesday, but Alexander was actually in New York that day. According to Gery Woelfel, he will be in Milwaukee on Sunday to work out along with Syracuse's Donte Greene.
• According to HoopsHype, Xavier guard Stanley Burrell (no, not that Stanley Burrell) will be working out in Milwaukee tomorrow. A 6'3" combo guard, Burrell earned Atlantic Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors and was named to multiple national all-defensive teams as a senior last year. Of course, he doesn't have much to offer on the offensive end (9.7 ppg and 3.8 apg on .391/.393/.823 shooting), which is why he's getting next to no attention. Strangely, he averaged over 12 ppg in each of his first three years before slumping to single digits last year on a very good Xavier team. In Orlando he showed great size (6'6.5" wingspan) and strength (21 reps of 185 lbs) for the PG position, but whether he can run an offense with a vague degree of competence seems to be another question.

  The first thing you notice about him is his chiseled frame—clearly indicating the amount of time he’s spent in the weight room. Beyond his strength, he looks very fundamentally sound, mature, and is also a very good shooter. Defensively, he is off the charts as you would expect considering his status as Atlantic-10 Defensive Player of the Year. He might have been the hardest working player here in the various drills, and seemed very genuine in the way he cheered his teammates on. He’s a confident guy, and also very well spoken. As a very undersized shooting guard, without incredible ball-skills or athleticism to compensate, it’s probably going to be tough for him to make the NBA. But it’s not tough to envision him finding a lot of success overseas, and continuing to improve over the next few years thanks to his work ethic.

  Sounds very Charlie Bell-ish to me.
• The Bratwurst writes Wright/14th pick for Yi probably makes the Bucks better next year, but the long term is more complicated. Also check out Brett's defensive IPM rankings, which are pretty cool. Between that and Ty's defensive win score stats, Bucks fans have no shortage of number crunching being done for their fave team.  It also means I feel no obligation to do this sort of thing myself (thanks, guys).
• I didn't hear it myself, but apparently Gery Woelfel mentioned on WSSP that a team ahead of the Bucks in the lottery could be interested in packaging their lottery pick for Michael Redd. Memphis should have zero interest in a veteran, high-priced guy like Redd, while New York would seem an unlikely destination given they're supposedly trying to clear cap space for the summer of 2010 when LeBron, Wade and company are free agents. The Clips make a lot more sense given they are in desperate need of a shooter and are possibly losing Corey Maggette this summer. In the longer term it's probably easier to just pick Indiana Eric Gordon and save their money for someone else, but with Brand and Kaman in their prime the Clips could throw caution to the wind and gamble on a more proven commodity like Redd. Not likely, but possible--and it's the best chance we've got of bringing Bradley Center favorite Tim Thomas back to Milwaukee.  Awkward!
  
• While it might seem like Milwaukee's history with Chinese basketball began at the 2007 draft, Don Walker reports that the Beijing Ducks discovered Milwaukee way back in 2005--well before anyone Wisconsinite knew the name Yi Jianlian. They're now back in Milwaukee for a month of training with US coaches.

• Gery Woelfel writes that the Bucks have scheduled a joint workout for Donte Greene and Joe Alexander on June 8. Woelfel earlier mentioned that LSU's Anthony Randolph has also said he will work out for the Bucks, but it's unclear if he'll also be in Milwaukee on the 8th. The mock drafts currently have Alexander likely going in the late lottery while Greene is projected as more of a mid-first rounder. Both are currently ranked behind both Italy's Danilo Gallinari and Randolph as small forward prospects, though at a skinny 6'11" Randolph could be stuck between the 3 and 4 positions. Woelfel writes that Greene has some decent role models:
  

  "It’s a little bit of Tracy McGrady and a little bit of Rashard Lewis,’’ said Greene, who was born in Munich, Germany and moved to the United States when he was three.
  
  Alexander was also born in a foreign country, Taiwan, and has lived in various places. From age 10 to 16, Alexander and his family lived in Beijing, China, where he learned to speak Mandarin.
  
  Alexander said he would welcome the opportunity to join the Bucks and converse in Mandarin with power forward Yi Jianlian, who hails from China.
  
  "Yi and I would be tight,’’ Alexander said.

  Both guys have a ton of physical talent, but Greene had major issues with shot selection at Syracuse while Alexander's a tremendous leaper who has only played five years of organized basketball. Woelfel reports Green measured at 6'9"/6'9.5" with and without shoes while Alexander was 6'8"/6'9". Given Greene and Alexander's current projections, you could speculate that the Bucks might be covering themselves a bit in case they find a deal to trade down into the mid-first round.
• Woelfel also brings news that Kevin Love would happily wear the green and red.

  "What’s wrong with Milwaukee?’’ Love shot back defiantly. "I’d love it there. It would be great.’’

  Love said he's not only receptive to residing in Milwaukee, but he believes he would fit in quite nicely with the Bucks’ other young frontcourt players.

  "I used to watch (Andrew) Bogut in college and I know Yi (Jianlian) is there, too,’’ Love said. "I feel like I could play alongside them as well.

  "I think Milwaukee would be a great place for me.’’

  Woelfel noted on Thursday that the Bucks are apparently fans of Love as well. But will Love even be around when the Bucks pick? Stay tuned.
• One of the interesting stories in Orlando is Milwaukee native Mike Taylor,  whom Woelfel reports will also get a workout with the Bucks. Taylor played last season in the D-League after getting kicked out of Iowa State following a promising first season in Ames (16 ppg, 4.5 apg, 4.1 rpg but just .376 fg% and an awful 5.4 to/game). A possible second rounder, Taylor would be the first player to be drafted after playing in the NBA's minor league. Last season, the explosive 6'2" guard led Idaho to the D-League title game and finished second in the D-League dunk contest.
  
• Chad Ford reports that Stanford big man Brook Lopez might be slipping out of the top ten, which from a Bucks perspective could have an unpleasant ripple effect in the mid-lottery. Though he's been rumored as high as #3 to Minnesota and has the makings of a solid pro, Lopez's mediocre rebounding and scoring efficiency don't make him make a very compelling pick for a Bucks team that already has Andrew Bogut at center
  
  If Lopez and Texas A&M project DeAndre Jordan slip out of the top seven, that leaves Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, and Jerryd Bayless as near-locks to be gone before the Bucks select. So who's left? Randolph, Love, Eric Gordon, Danilo Gallinari and Russell Westbrook have all been tabbed as possible picks inside the top eight, so the Bucks are guaranteed that at least two of them will be available. The Grizzlies (5th) and Knicks (6th) are probably the toughest to predict right now, while the Clippers are widely expected to take a guard 7th. Either way, I'll be rooting for Lopez and Jordan to go before the Bucks pick in order to provide more choice at eight.
• Don Walker is doing some detective work on the Bucks' finances.

  Nevertheless, the Bucks' most recent team payroll was $62.5 million, roughly $11.5 million less than revenue. Of course, there are other costs Kohl incurs, including payroll for the front office, team expenses, training, etc. All of those expenses, none of which are publicly known, could easily exceed team revenue.

  For reference, Forbes estimated in December that the Bucks had an operating income of $1.7 million last year. Operating income excludes interest payments and taxes, so it shouldn't be confused with net profit.
• Yi Jianlian and Yao Ming missed the Chinese national team's 92-88 exhibition wins over the Memphis Tigers on Friday. No additional word on Yi's progress in recovering from the knee and wrist injuries that derailed the latter half of his rookie year.
• New Bucks' assistant Kelvin Sampson left Oklahoma amid controversy two years ago, but his son Kellen Sampson is headed back to OU as a grad assistant. Kellen played four years at OU as a walk-on before working as a grad assistant for his dad last year at Indiana.

Up until now there's been a void of actual information regarding who the Bucks might like at the eighth spot in the June 26 draft, as no one seems to have any clue which direction John Hammond might go. Thankfully Gery Woelfel has been working the phones and is naming some names:

While Bucks officials have been coy about whom they'll work out at their training facility in St. Francis, it's generally assumed forwards Anthony Randolph of Louisiana State and Kevin Love of UCLA and guards Eric Gordon of Indiana and Russell Westbrook of UCLA will be among them.

There have been some whispers the Bucks are keenly interested in the highly-skilled and highly-motivated Love - even though they already have two talented young power forwards on their roster in Yi Jianlian and Charlie Villanueva.

The Bucks are apparently enamored with Love's mental and physical toughness.

We should probably start by noting that the draft is still four weeks away, which is a long time given that prospects can't work out for teams until next week and GMs are by nature rather fickle creatures. Still, there's nothing better than rumor and innuendo at this time of year, so let's cast aside our skepticism for a moment and consider the case for Love. While his athleticism and conditioning have long been questioned, Love's skills and basketball IQ are almost unheard of for a 19-year old big man. And though scouts will insist he doesn't have the superstar potential of Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley, his productivity at UCLA was simply stellar. Love led the nation in pace-adjusted rebounding per 40 minutes while scoring 17.5 ppg with a true shooting percentage of 66%--better than any other lottery-projected prospect. Not only does he score inside at a high clip, but he's also shown solid range on his jumper (.354 from three) while also converting from the line at a high rate (.767).  And that's not even mentioning his accuracy from 94 feet. So it shouldn't be too surprising that Love was the leading vote-getter in our lottery poll last week.

The real question is whether Love's body will ever catch up to his brain. Chad Ford reported last week that Love looks to be in great shape thanks to the work he's doing with trainer extraordinaire Joe Abunassar. He's already lost 13 pounds and appears more explosive without the added weight, which is exactly what scouts and GMs will want to hear. The next test comes this week in Orlando when Love's measurements, leaping ability and quickness will be put under the microscope. If Love tests well in Orlando then the Bucks' interest will likely be academic, as logic would suggest someone will roll the dice on Love before the Bucks get a chance. Jonathan Givony at DraftExpress reported yesterday that Kevin McHale is already a big fan of Love and could take him when Minnesota picks fifth. That's not to say there's any type of consensus though, as current mock drafts have Love going everywhere from 3rd  to 14th.

As for the Bucks, Charlie Villanueva's expected departure will likely leave them short up front, and there's no such thing as having too many good big men. While Love won't ever be a defensive force, his rebounding, shooting and overall court savvy could still make him a very good complement to Andrew Bogut. The main question is whether he can hold is own defensively, as his lateral movement and lack of lift could cause him trouble. Love should however benefit from the NBA's trend towards smaller, more skillful centers, as he will be able to play the pivot at times in spite of probably being about 6'9". Nevertheless, if Love is to become a quality big man he'll need to use all his savvy and skill to outwit the superior athletes he'll frequently face on both ends.

Selecting Love would also no doubt raise major questions about Yi Jianlian's future in Milwaukee. Hammond has thus far sounded extremely positive about Yi's future, but he's far from a proven NBA commodity. There's also the possibility that agent Dan Fegan might try to push the Bucks for a trade, the likelihood of which would certainly increase should the Bucks bring in some high-profile PF competition like Love.

• Charles Gardner reports the Bucks are sending a full contingent to the Orlando pre-draft camp this week. Hammond will be joined by assistant GM Jeff Weltman and director of player personnel Dave Babcock in addition to Scott Skiles and the rest of the Bucks' coaching staff. Aside from kicking the tires on draft prospects and watching guys who might be available when the Bucks pick in the second round (37th overall), Hammond will also have a chance to talk trade with reps from the 29 other teams.
  
• Chad Ford's latest mock draft has the Bucks nabbing UCLA combo guard Russell Westbrook:

  It's tough to project the Bucks right now. New GM John Hammond is ready to make changes, but where does he start? Their biggest need is at small forward, but this is probably too high for Donte Greene or Joe Alexander.
  
  One thing Hammond wants to emphasize is defense, and Westbrook could be an excellent addition. He can play both guard positions and be a Leandro Barbosa-type scoring threat.

  Westbrook is still somewhat raw offensively, having played the point sparingly at UCLA in addition to needing to improve his shooting range and half-court play in general. But he also ranks as the best perimeter defender in the draft (along with Kansas' Mario Chalmers) and his top-shelf athleticism should allow him to contribute immediately as his offensive game catches up.
  
  Overall, Westbrook's size, athleticism and style would seem to be a good fit for the Bucks. Not only was perimeter defense a huge problem for the Bucks last year, but John Hammond and Scott Skiles had success with bigger, defensive-minded PGs in Detroit and Chicago, respectively. Then again, just because the Bucks need to improve their defense doesn't necessarily mean they should reach for Westbrook if a player like Chalmers could provide better value in the late first or early second. I'm a big fan of Westbrook's, but there's no doubt he's a ways from being a finished product.
  
• Thankfully, NBA.com is once again keeping track of all the mock drafts in one place. As you might guess there's definitely no consensus pick at number eight, as Danilo Gallinari (3), Kevin Love (2), DeAndre Jordan (2), Eric Gordon, Westbrook, Anthony Randolph and Joe Alexander are all getting votes right now.
• While virtually all the big names are skipping the actual basketball-playing portion of the camp, the most interesting thing to watch for are official measurements of the top prospects--the so-called "physical only" participants. The guys I'm most curious about are Love and Gordon. Love's reportedly lost weight since UCLA's final four run, which could help allay some fears about his average athleticism (though you never want to read too much into the physical testing data).  It would also be a big blow if he measured shorter than 6'9", which is what he was listed at in college and would put him as an average-sized PF in the NBA. 
  
  Gordon meanwhile doesn't look like a guy capable of playing point in the NBA, so measuring at 6'4" or better would provide some assurances than he's big enough to play off guard in the NBA. He was listed at 6'3" or 6'4" in college, and measuring shorter than that certainly won't help his cause, especially given the Ben Gordon experience in Chicago.
• Some of the prominent names who won't be in Orlando at all: Danilo Gallinari, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Marreese Speights, Kosta Koufos, Chase Budinger, Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, and Bill Walker. If you're curious about the guys who did actually come to play, check out the always intrepid Jonathan Givony's day one wrap-up.
• The Bleacher Report writes that Scott Skiles' ugly brand of basketball is just what Milwaukee needs.  It's a pretty good read on the Bucks' situation, though it somewhat unfairly labels Skiles' teams as playing a boring, grind-it-out style. Skiles' Bulls teams weren't very efficient offensively, but they ranked 7th, 11th, 5th, and 6th in pace from 2003 to 2007. So while defense will be emphasized next year, don't expect the Bucks to be walking it up the court.