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.
- According to the latest mocks, the universal assumption is that Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Jerryd Bayless and Eric Gordon will be gone when the Bucks pick eighth. Gordon's perhaps the most surprising name in that group, but pretty much everyone expects either the Knicks or Clips to select him.
- Brook Lopez appears to be slipping, but that seems to make sense given his so-so athleticism and mediocre rebounding. We'll add him to our poll since there's a good chance he's available at #8 (that's not an endorsement, though).
- The Bucks worked out Randolph, Joe Alexander and Donte Greene on June 6. The session was closed to the media, but the grouping does suggest the Bucks envision Randolph as a possible small forward, which has been something of a question.
- There weren't any earth-shattering revelations from the Orlando pre-draft physicals/combine results. Love isn't long (6'11.25" wingspan) but tested better athletically than expected (35" vertical). Randolph is skinny (197 lbs) but long (7'3" wingspan). Eric Gordon is short (8'3" standing reach) but also explosive (40" vertical) and long (6'9" wingspan). Russell Westbrook has great size for the PG spot (8'4" standing reach) and should have the length to guard many SGs, too (6'8" wingspan). And Alexander is the all-around physical freak that he was rumored to be.
- Alexander might be the guy making the most progress over the last month. Everyone knew he was a ferocious dunker, but he didn't really break out until this past spring, when he averaged 23.9 ppg and 8.1 rpg in the final nine games of the season. Considering he's only been playing organized ball for about five years, his delayed development is somewhat understandable, but he's still a bit older than most of the other lotto candidates (he turns 22 in December). My major concern is whether he'll ever be able to be an efficient scorer at the next level. Even during his hot streak he shot only .458 from the field and he was never much of a threat from the college three point line. He makes up for that a bit by getting to the line (where he shoots 81%), and with his size and athleticism he can certainly get his shot whenever he wants it. Now it's a matter of developing consistency with it. For his part, Alexander contends that his ballhandling and three point shooting are much better than people think. There's also no doubt that his impeccable work ethic and toughness would mesh well with Scott Skiles. But is he a top ten pick?
- Gery Woelfel reports Love and Brandon Rush will be among those working out next week. It's been reported that Love is a favorite of Minnesota (#3), where he'll work out against DeAndre Jordan among others on Tuesday. He also worked out for both Memphis (#5) and New York (#6) last week. At this point I don't expect Love to be available when the Bucks pick, but we'll keep him in the poll for now.
- We took a closer look at the enigmatic Anthony Randolph last week.
- A week ago, Danilo Gallinari said the Knicks and Nets were his preferred destinations, raising concerns that he might stay in Italy next season if another team chose him. However, after working out for both teams Gallinari is backing off his stance a bit. It's unclear if that will be enough of an assurance for a team like the Bucks, who as of now don't have Gallinari on their workout calendar.
- Donte Greene wasn't in our first poll either and no one expects him to crack the top ten right now, but we'll add him to our poll since the Bucks worked him out.