JS: Looking at the second round
We've talked a bit about the Bucks' emphasis on drafting NBA-ready talent, and Billy McKinney reiterates it in Tom Enlund's latest piece over at the JS.
McKinney said that the Bucks would not be looking for a project in the second round of this draft but rather a player that could step in and contribute right away.“I’ve always believed that regardless of where you are drafted in the NBA, you have to come in with a sense of urgency,” said McKinney. “Mbah a Moute started for us and he was a second-round pick. When we’re looking at players, we have a sense of urgency.
“We had some success this year as a playoff team and we know the expectations of what we want to achieve internally (next season) are higher, as they are with our fan base. We feel like a pro coming in here, there’s a message we want to send out. There’s time for development but you have to develop within the context of the game as well. Not just in practice.”
The cynic might call that sort of attitude short-sighted, but I think it's probably more nuanced than simply trying to "win now" at the expense of developing long-term talent. NBA teams aren't the best at baby-sitting, and it's hard to blame the Bucks for preferring self-motivated players who can learn quickly and need minimal coddling. And while you might assume that kind of attitude would bias the Bucks toward more experienced players, that really hasn't been the case in John Hammond's first two drafts. The Bucks drafted two juniors in 2008 and a 19-year old and a junior in 2009.
Bucksketball: Youth or Experience?
Speaking of which, Jeremy has a good read on the merits of upside vs. experience in the second round.
Not only are underclassmen likely to stick around a while longer, but they also average 3.84 minutes more per game than seniors drafted in the second round and have a PER that is 1.22 points higher. Freshmen, with a very small sample size of just Trevor Ariza, DeAndre Jordan and Bill Walker have all fared especially well, with each of those three being members of their respective teams rotation by the end of the season.
Herald Sun: Bogut rehabbing at home
Some news from Down Under as Andrew works to get his right arm back in order:
"But it's a frustrating time because I'd much rather be in full training and shooting and doing those things. The finger has healed up pretty well and I've got full movement in my wrist.
"It's just my elbow now. I'm trying to straighten it out which is still a bit of a problem. Because they said it was such a high-energy dislocation it can take months so hopefully we're only another month away from getting it straight and then building strength again."
Not exactly what you'd want to hear about his elbow, but fortunately there's still a few months before camp opens. Fingers crossed.
ESPN: Mock Draft 4.0 sees Henry in Milwaukee
Chad Ford's latest mock has the Bucks taking Kansas wing Xavier Henry over Patrick Patterson (22), James Anderson (17) and Hassan Whiteside (16). Interesting how Ford continues to have Patterson slipping into the 20s--would the Bucks really pass on him at that spot?
Of the players left on the board, Henry looks to be, by far, the best value. He's being looked at as high as No. 6 by the Warriors, No. 8 by the Clippers, No. 9 by the Jazz and No. 10 by the Pacers.
If he slides past all four, he'd be a great addition in Milwaukee. The Bucks need his 3-point shooting.
Ford: Inside team metrics
Ford also has an interesting Insider article on internal metrics that some teams are using to grade draft prospects. He managed to coax top ten rankings from three GMs that are each using their own type of statistical ranking systems and then aggregated them into a "consensus" list.
There are a few other things to note. The first is that, by statistical measurements at least, it looks like Greg Monroe should be going higher than No. 9 -- where we have him projected in our mock draft right now. The same holds true for Henry, whom we currently have at No. 15. The love also keeps on coming for Luke Babbitt, who I believe is now seriously in the discussion for Utah at No. 9.One guy who isn't getting any love is Ekpe Udoh. That's because Udoh is already 23 years old, and virtually all of the stat gurus view that as a problem. Players who are older than 22 when they are drafted have terrible track records in the NBA. That works against him in virtually every formula out there.
SLAM: Paul George, No. 15
SLAM is running a mock draft this week and I thought Adam Fleischer did a really nice job breaking down the Bucks' current situation and making the case for George. It's pretty long but here's a sample:
At this spot, and with this roster, I wanted to go with either a two, a big man, or the best available if such a player was blatantly looking back at me from my draft board. I’m comfortable saying that Paul George fills two of those criteria, in that he’s a shooting guard and, in my eyes, at this stage, the best available player.I think he smoothly combines upside for the future with talent at this moment. George is long, athletic, and a good shooter. With Jennings getting to the cup and Bogut being a beast down low, that should open up plenty of opportunities for guys on the squad to take and hit open shots. He also has the ability to rebound from the guard spot, which is a luxury in any situation, but especially ours, considering how small Brandon is.
NBADraft.net: State of the Cap
Josh Redetzke takes a look at the Bucks' current roster and their offseason options--not a lot of analysis related to the cap, but still a good read.