- John Hammond and company are hopefully enjoying just how utterly clueless we all are as to what the Bucks will do between now and the draft. As a fan it can be a bit frustrating, but in the long-term it's probably for the best that the Bucks are keeping things close to the vest. Not surprisingly, Tom Enlund blogs that Hammond is keeping all his options open. Perhaps most interestingly, Enlund notes that the Bucks' workout scheduled for Friday--which might have included Kevin Love and Brandon Rush among others--could be canceled with the Bucks instead having Monday and Tuesday workouts instead.
- With the draft now just a week away, the Bucks have really only seen two guys that are considered to be legitimate options at their current spot in the lottery: Joe Alexander and Anthony Randolph. Not surprisingly, most of the speculation about the Bucks' pick centers around those two players, but you have to wonder if the Bucks really like one or both guys that much, or whether they're simply having problems getting some of the other possible picks to come in for a workout. Chad Ford has Alexander going eighth and reports that the Bucks have not been able to schedule a workout with Danilo Gallinari. Gallinari initially had his sights set on only the Knicks and Nets, but since then he's worked out for the Clips and Grizz and has a workout scheduled with the Timberwolves as well. Kevin Love seems very likely to go no later than fifth to Memphis, and the current mocks also suggest that both Eric Gordon and Russell Westbrook will go before the Bucks pick, but you'd think the Bucks would still very much want to see those guys in person.
- Speaking of Ford, he sees the Bucks as among the teams most likely to be wheeling and dealing on draft night.
New GM John Hammond is determined to make the Bucks a winner now. He has a roster full of young, unproven players and one valuable veteran -- Michael Redd.
I think it's more likely that the Bucks package No. 8 along with several other players on their roster to get another veteran to play alongside Andrew Bogut. I think Redd, Mo Williams and Charlie Villanueva are all available and Hammond is looking for players, not cap space. They could be an interesting mover and shaker in the draft. - Gery Woelfel reports that Herb Kohl has kept his sense of humor. When asked what would happen to the Bucks in the event that he were to pass away, the 73-year old senator didn't hesitate:
"It’s in my will; the next (owner) has to keep it here," Kohl said.
I then asked Kohl who, in his will, was designated to assume the Bucks’ reins. He looked at me, smiled and pronounced, "You."
"Me?" I retorted with a smile that was every bit as broad as his.
Kohl then smiled one more time before walking away. - No real inside info here, but Barry Jackson at the Miami Herald speculates that the Heat might look to swap Udonis Haslem for Mo Williams if Pat Riley bites the bullet and takes Michael Beasley. This
- I'm sure there's nothing here that Ty hasn't already covered, but Erich Doerr at DX crunches the winscores for all the top prospects. As you might guess, the numbers look great for Beasley and Love, while Rose is less impressive considering his status as the likely top pick. Beyond that, most of the lottery prospects look like projects based on their uninspiring metrics--Mayo, Randolph, Augustin, Westbrook, Bayless and Gordon all fare poorly. Alexander looks slightly better. Obviously the relative youth of draft prospects nowadays doesn't make this sort of analysis any easier.
- With Alexander emerging as the most likely pick for the Bucks, I've been cruising around for information on his other workouts. In Phoenix, VP of Basketball Ops David Griffin saw Alexander competing with Chase Budinger (who eventually withdrew from the draft) and Nicolas Batum:
"Joe is much more raw probably, probably more of a tweener than the other two...just spectacular athletically around the rim."
Griffin, who interviewed with the Bucks back in April for the GM gig, further addressed Alexander's athleticism:"Boy, he's a freak athlete. He can really, really jump, and he gets so high on his jumpshot I almost think it throws him off-balance. He shoots a lot better as he gets tired within a drill. But he's special as a competitor, he's an unbelievably tough kid. Someone's going to be very happy with him."
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