- Charles Gardner reports that Andrew Bogut has set a mid-July deadline for signing an extension.
"He’s happy with the direction of the team," Bauman said. "Getting a disciplinarian in Scott Skiles will help, and he’s very pleased they were able to get a former all-star to fill the small forward spot. Defensively, he (Jefferson) is really strong, to go with his offensive prowess.
Bogut's mentioned a few times his wish to have a physical power forward next to him, which makes sense given that type of guy could do some of the defensive dirty work for Bogut. But while Alexander will likely be capable of providing minutes at the PF spot, something tells me Joe won't exactly be the solution Bogut's looking for.
"I spoke to Andrew right after the draft, and he was intrigued by Joe Alexander. John Hammond said he can play the 4, and to get a hard-nosed guy at the 4, he’s going to be a good complement to Andrew’s abilities."
As for Bogut's contract, this will no doubt be an interesting negotiation. Bogut would probably like to get a deal done and dusted, especially given the number of players from the 2004 draft class who perhaps foolishly turned down lucrative extensions last summer (I'm look at you, Ben Gordon). Then again, if any of those guys sign for big money in the next week it could complicate the Bucks' attempts to sign Bogut to a reasonable deal (think $55 to $60 million over five years...wait, is that really "reasonable"?). Emeka Okafor, Andris Biedrins, Luol Deng, Josh Smith and Andre Iguodala are the guys worth keeping an eye on. Okafor is probably the most relevant given his numbers are similar to Bogut's and he turned down a reported five year, $60-65 million extension last summer (whoops). Since they're all restricted free agents and the only teams with cap space appear to be Philly and Memphis, a number of those guys could end up getting far less money than they turned down a year ago. The Bucks will have to hope Bogut is more risk averse than his predecessors.
- Rod Thorn tells Fred Kerber of the New York Post that Richard Jefferson wasn't thrilled with the deal that sent him to Milwaukee.
"He didn't seem very happy," said Thorn, who emphasized yesterday he had not yet spoken to Jefferson. "I spoke to his agent, I called him, texted him. I like Richard. He was here for a long time and I'm sure he still expected to be here. Unless you are the one pushing for it, it's always difficult when you are traded. You are going to a new place, have new teammates. It's hard at first."
Should we be surprised that Jefferson isn't doing backflips about having to pack up and move to Wisconsin? No, probably not. And it's also important to put Thorn's comments into context--Jefferson had hoped to stay in New Jersey, so there's no reason for him to be particularly enthusiastic towards the guy who just traded him away. I'm not sure if HoopsWorld has any info beyond the Post story, but they're also emphasizing that Jefferson's displeasure is with Thorn, not the Bucks. Welcome to Milwaukee, Richard.
- Gardner also reports that 37th overall pick Luc Richard Mbah a Moute will be formally introduced at the Cousins Center Tuesday.
- Mbah a Moute, fellow rook Joe Alexander, Ramon Sessions and D-Leaguer Trey Johnson are among those expected to play for the Bucks' summer league team in Vegas, which runs from July 12-20. Here's the schedule (all times central):
- July 12 - Memphis 9:00
- July 15 - Detroit 5:00
- July 17 - Denver 9:30
- July 19 - Minnesota 7:30
- July 20 - Cleveland 5:30
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Tuesday Notes: Bogut talks, RJ doesn't, summer league schedule
By
Frank Madden
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