JS: Leuer impresses Skiles in debut with Bucks
And then there were 15. The Bucks officially filled their last remaining roster spot on Thursday with the signing of 40th overall pick Jon Leuer. After opting out of his contract with German team Fraport Skyliners last week, the former Wisconsin star had been waiting on official clearance from FIBA to sign his contract and start practicing with the Bucks. Apparently he didn't miss much.
"He's a smart player," coach Scott Skiles said. "He's got good defensive instincts. Obviously playing where he did in college, he's been well-coached."Watching his team in Frankfurt, you could tell they were well-prepared. And he's a smart player, anyway. You wouldn't have been able to watch practice and pick him out as the guy who just showed up today.
"He got involved with everything; he's been watching closely and he was good today."
Does this mean our dreams of seeing the Bucks sign a real live backup center are once again history? Possibly. There aren't any obvious cuts on the roster right now, but it's not to say that a smaller deal involving someone like Ersan Ilyasova or Jon Brockman (I'm picking on the PFs for a reason) couldn't open up a roster spot (a la the Dooling trade) or bring in a backup big on its own. In the meantime, Joel Przybilla seems content to chill at home with his family over the holidays, which means the Bucks likely have a few weeks to test drive the current roster before they would have to make a decision on trying to bring Przybilla back.
Indy Cornrows: Michael Redd visits with Pacers
Michael Redd was Indianapolis this week to meet with the Pacers, who along with the Knicks, Wizards and Celtics are rumored to be interested in the one-time Bucks captain.
Woelfel: Gooden looking like a different person
Yes, Drew Gooden is skinny again. And Scott Skiles is hoping some of his new acquisitions will help the Bucks forget about their offensive woes of a year ago.
Bucks coach Scott Skiles said the team's defensive schemes are "the same'' but said he has tweaked the offense, primarily to take advantage of the offensive skills of Stephen Jackson, Mike Dunleavy and Beno Udrih, three key offseason acquisitions.
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Ian Segovia looks at the Bucks' P&R options. Personally: Jennings' tendency to ignore everything but his own shot in pick and roll situations often drove me nuts last year.
We're Bucked: Power Forwards and More Power Forwards for the Milwaukee Bucks
K.L. Chouinard wants to talk to you about Power Forwards.
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