- 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.
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.
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. - 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.’’
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.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.’’
- 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.
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