Woelfel: Assistant coaches may be leaving
Gery Woelfel writes that Kelvin Sampson (head coach in Detroit?) and Jim Boylan (lead assistant in Phoenix?) could both be leaving for greener pastures this week. On the flip side, Beno Udrih's agent says his client is warming to the idea of Wisconsin.
"I think there was a little bit of a shock to the system when he learned about the trade,'' said Marc Cornstein, Udrih's agent. "But once he digested it and heard how he fits into their plans and where Milwaukee is going as a team, I think he was pretty excited about it.''
Sactown Royalty: Beno - The Lost Year
Speaking of Udrih, be sure to check out this terrific story about his generosity off the court in Sacramento. Great read.
St. Cloud Times: Joe Alexander back in Milwaukee (h/t Ridiculous Upside)
The Joe Alexander era didn't last long in Milwaukee, but that doesn't mean he left on bad (or at least irreconcilable) terms. Via the St. Cloud Times comes word that Alexander and former Badger Brian Butch were among the free agents working out in Milwaukee last week, a mere 16 months after the former #8 overall pick was traded to Chicago as part of the John Salmons deal that helped ignite the Bucks' 2010 playoff run.
Alexander played just 29 minutes in Chicago and didn't last past the preseason in New Orleans a year ago, but he bounced back by establishing himself as one of the D-League's best players, notching 20.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 3.1 apg, and 1.4 bpg in 41 mpg for the Texas Legends. It's probably not worth reading too much into Alexander's visit, and Scott from RU notes that Alexander has worked out for four other teams in the past week. Whatever happens, I have to admit: I'm rooting for Joe to figure things out.
JS: Which role suits Jon Leuer?
Charles Gardner takes a look at what the future may hold for the Bucks' new second round pick, beginning with the guy whose opinion probably matters most: Scott Skiles.
"Ersan [Ilyasova] can stretch the floor, but he also rebounds, takes charges, he does other things."There's some guys where that's all they do is stretch the floor, but they give up things on the other end and things like that. Jon's a guy who has enough mobility and enough skill to do more than that."
I had Ersan pegged as the Buck most likely to be dealt heading into draft night,and it figures that the presence of Leuer might further encourage the Bucks to use Ilyasova as a trade chip. It's not to say that Leuer could simply replace Ilyasova's production--though he's never discovered the consistency to be a full-time starter, Ersan's ability to rebound, bury jumpers and work on the defensive end means he could plug into virtually any rotation in the league. But the Bucks' logjam at the four and Ilyasova's rumored interest in returning to Europe in 2012 make him the best combination of useful and disposable on the roster. The Bucks could still use a legit center to back up Andrew Bogut and another wing scorer (preferably with some range), so we'll see if the Bucks can parlay Ilyasova and/or one of the Bucks' backup PGs (likely Shaun Livingston or Keyon Dooling) into a useful piece, or perhaps as part of a bigger deal.
Courtside Analyst: At the moment, the Bucks have a 39 win roster
Ty's numbers show the Bucks doing little to escape their usual mediocrity next season.
Ridiculous Upside: Larry Sanders, Jeff McInnis And Doug Christie coaching at D-League tryouts