Last game: Jan 20, Milwaukee Bucks 113 – Toronto Raptors 107
Next game: @ Toronto Raptors, Jan 22 7:00pm ET

Brandon Jennings looks like a stud point guard, its time the Bucks traded Redd and Bogut and started fresh, building the franchise around him.

Brandon Jennings is the foundation, he has Milwaukee fans pumped for basketball again and lots of gms kicking themselves.

The Bucks took some major hits in the offseason while cutting payroll. The Bucks must be banking on Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd staying healthy this season but after the pair missed 95 games last season due to injuries… im not. The Bucks drafted a quick point guard in the draft, Brandon Jennings and drafted a scoring guard to come off the bench in Jodie Meeks. The Bucks big free agent signing was Hakim Warrick and he should provide some quickness and athletic ability to the frontline. This season will be huge for Joe Alexander, its time to see if he can actually hoop or not, and if he will be about of what Milwaukee hopes will be a brighter future.

Key Additions: Hakim Warrick, Brandon Jennings, Jodie Meeks, Kurt Thomas, Carlos Delfino

Key Subtractions: Richard Jefferson, Ramon Sessions, Charlie Villanueva

Projected Starting Lineup: Andrew Bogut/ Hakim Warrick/ Luc Richard Mbah a Moute/ Michael Redd/ Brandon Jennings

-Bennice

Forward Charlie Villanueva had a career season during the 2008-09 season and how did the Bucks reward him? They didn’t. They didn’t even throw a qualifying offer his way or even discuss the possibility of re-signing him. Instead, they let him take his 16 PPG elsewhere, Detroit to be exact. According to a report on CBSSports.com, an explanation was given to as why the Bucks did not even offer a qualifying offer. “The Bucks front office conducted at least two dozen discussions on whether or not to extend a qualifying offer to Charlie Vllanueva, a person with knowledge of the situation said. The person said matching Villanueva’s offers as a restricted free agent, or possibly keeping him on the one-year tender for about $4.7 million would have eliminated the flexibility general manager John Hammond had just achieved by trading Richard Jefferson, who was due $29.2 million over the next two seasons.”

With Villanueva gone, Richard Jefferson being traded to the Spurs and the Bucks obviously in rebuilding mode, what’s next for Michael Redd? A rumor has surfaced on the internet that the Bucks would consider trading him to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Eric Dampier’s expiring contract. But then again, it’s only a rumor and there is no telling to where it originated from. All that is known as that the Bucks have a ton of work to do and with the addition of Brandon Jennings, who knows what is next for Ramon Sessions, who is too a free agent.

When the Bucks acquired Richard Jefferson in the off-season, expectations began to mount. The duo of Jefferson and Redd was suppose to lead the Bucks into the post-season, then injuries began to happen. Bogut went down and the Bucks lost their man in the middle, but it didn’t completely ruin their season as as they stayed in contention for a post-season berth up until March. That’s when Michael Redd then went down and so did playoff hopes for the Bucks. Now the question of whether or not they can bounce back from those injuries and pick up where they left off at when healthy in the 2008-09 season. The only upside of having a disappointing seadon due to injuries is the fact that you are rewarded a lottery pick in the process.

Milwaukee will be selecting 10th overall and they could look to go big as with Bogut’s ability to come back and contribute up in limbo, they cannot afford to be without someone who can do damage in the paint. A guy like DaJaun Blair could be a nice pick-up for them as he gives that added muscle in the paint and someone who can and will scrap and is not easily overpowered. Even if Bogut does come back and performs exceptationally well, Blair could be that force in the paint that the Bucks could use off of the bench.

By: Dustin Chapman

Transactions

• Pre-Draft: Traded Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons to New Jersey for Richard Jefferson.

• Selected Joe Alexander 8th overall.

• Selected Luc Richard Mbah a Moute 37th overall.

To kick off the day, Milwaukee did the impossible… something we haven’t seen them do in quite some time – make a good move on draft day. Bobby Simmons and the underachieving Yi Jianlian for a legitimate second option in Richard Jefferson – very nice. Jefferson should complement Redd nicely, and potentially push the Bucks back up in the playoff discussion if they can stay healthy.

As for the #8 pick, Joe Alexander was pegged as a lock for Milwaukee before the Jefferson trade. Once the trade went down, people wondered what direction they would go in. Even with Jerryd Bayless and Brook Lopez still on the board, the Bucks stuck with their guy Alexander. Questions regarding his fit are legitimate, although his versatility and athleticism allows him to play both forward positions. Even so, it’s uncertain why Milwaukee didn’t fill more of a need here at 8 after already bringing in a big time small forward in Richard Jefferson.

Mbah a Moute was a solid pick as well, as his length and defensive ability will keep him employed for a while. But as Chad Ford put it – “where will all of these small forwards play?” Scot Skiles is going to have to diversify his rotation.

Grade: B

Jim Paschke of Bucks.com reports that Bucks forward Yi Jianlian tallied 26 points for the Chinese National Team in a victory over Croatia on Monday.

Yi Jianlian’s return to basketball exploded on Monday in China’s third straight victory over Croatia.

The Bucks power forward erupted for 26 points with strong play under and around the basket. As in game one, China scored its first points on a pair of free throws by Yi.

After trailing 14-13 at the end of the first quarter, Croatia opened the second period with a 9-0 run to lead 22-13. Later, Yi drew two straight fouls, and hit all four free throws to pull China with 4 at 26-22. Yi then went to work with several baskets in the paint and gave China a 30-29 lead. China led 33-31 at the half.

Early in the third quarter, Yi attacked the basket scoring 7 straight points to lead 40-31. China took a commanding 53-30 lead after three quarters and held off Croatia to win 80-76.

Yi will lead China against Lithuania next Sunday and Tuesday, before a pair of games with Australia.

Yi also racked up eight points and seven boards in June 11th’s matchup with Croatia.

Let’s hope that there is plenty more where that came from, and that Yi integrates that “around the basket” work into his game next season. God knows that he failed to do that, for the most part, in his rookie campaign.

.

Posted By: Dustin Chapman

The Milwaukee Bucks began their pre-draft workout process on Friday, as they brought in Joe Alexander (West Virginia), Stanley Burrell (Xavier), Donte Greene (Syracuse), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (UCLA), Anthony Randolph (LSU), Brian Roberts (Dayton), and Walter Sharpe (UAB). Bucks.com caught up with each of them for brief post-workout interviews:

Joe Alexander (West Virginia)

Q: If you were drafted by Milwaukee, how would your abilities fit in with the Bucks roster?

A: I think my skills would fit in very well with this roster because I can play the 3. I play hard and I think one of the skills that coach Skiles values is players who play physical, guys who are willing to be physical on defense, especially in the post and that’s what I do.

Q: Draft Express.com has compared you to a “super athletic” Matt Harpring, what are your thoughts on that comparison?

A: I like the comparison because I’ve always liked the way he plays. He seems like he fiends for contact and so do I… And yes I’m super athletic. (laughs)

Q: How did Bob Huggins help your game at West Virginia

A: He showed me how to play in the post, which I had never done before. I had been a guard all my life. He taught me a lot of the mental aspects of the game that I hadn’t known before.

Q: Any chance that if you get into the NBA’s dunk contest as a rookie you can put something together with you head-butting the rim like you did recently at a workout?

A: I already have some ridiculous dunks in store. (laughs)

*Joe didn’t want to let too much out so we promised him that we’d start creating a buzz for him on Bucks.com.

Q: You’ve lived in Taiwan, Beijing and Hong Kong – how have those experiences affected you and what are you looking for in your next basketball home?

A: Those experiences have given me a more worldly view and I think I was forced to grow up a little faster than other kids, having moved around. If my next home is in Milwaukee, I’ll enjoy it here.

Stanley Burrell (Xavier)

Q: If drafted by the Bucks, how do you see your skills fitting in with their roster?

A: They’d fit in real well. It feels good to kind of have that release from school where you can show the things you can do besides playing defense. I can make plays, I can make shots, I kind of had the handcuffs on at Xavier where I was the defensive guy. It’s great to be free to show some of my skills on the offensive end. Hopefully, they like what they see.

Q: How do you see your game translating to the NBA?

A: Just being more of a playmaker and a guy who can make shots if the key players are being double teamed. Mainly just coming in every night and playing that consistent defense and being a good guy on and off the court with a high character.

Q: Who would emerge in a one-on-one tournament out of the Xavier Atlantic 10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year winners – Stanley Burrell, James Posey or David West?

D-West, he’s a legitimate all-star right now and he’s really making a name for himself. Posey is the quintessential guy off the bench for any team to come in and give good minutes. Those guys are already established and I’m still trying to make a name for myself so I can’t put my name up there like that.

Q: Xavier ended West Virginia’s season in the tournament, did you get the opportunity to remind Joe Alexander about that?

We talked about it today. He was talking about the final shot he made, I thought he was going to end our season. We gave up an “and one” to him. It was a great game and we were fortunate to come out on top. But we lost in the next round to (Luc Richard) Mbah a Moute and UCLA. (gesturing over to Luc Richard sitting behind him – Joe Alexander, sitting nearby, also added a few comments about the West Virginia/Xavier game)

Q: Can you tell us a little about your electronic media major and what you’d do with that outside of basketball?

A: That’s one of the best things about school was developing those connections and good relationships with other people. It would be great once basketball is over to be able to utilize some of those connections that I have and see if I can get on somewhere. A lot of the local news places offered me internships during the year but I wanted to focus on basketball and see how far I can go with that.

Donte Greene (Syracuse)

Q: If you were drafted by Milwaukee, how would your abilities fit in with the Bucks roster?

A: My abilities would fit in great here. I feel like I could get a lot of open shots off of Michael Redd and he could get a couple more better looks by teams not being able to really key in on two shooters. Myself being on the perimeter with Michael Redd is definitely a plus. It also opens the floor for Andrew Bogut – allowing him to work more in the post and it also allows Yi to be more of a slasher. I would help everybody out on the team in general.

Q: What was the USA Basketball U19 World Championships like and did it help your game?

A: It was good preparation for college ball as well as for life after basketball. It’s tough over there playing overseas. To most of those players overseas it’s their life. We love the game but it has a whole different meaning to those guys. The game is definitely a lot more physical at times and can be faster. It definitely toughing me up and got me ready for college.

Q: Who is your favorite NBA player to come out of Syracuse?

A: The right thing for me to say is Carmelo Anthony, but I’m going with John Wallace or Derrick Coleman. Those guys were definitely strong forwards who lead their teams with great leadership. Carmelo is in there, but definitely John and Derrick.

Q: You were born in Munich, how much time did you spend there and would you like to go back abroad?

A: I spent altogether about four or five years, I was born there and lived there until I was three and then moved back between the ages of 12 and 13. It is defiantly different than the United States. Life over there is a lot slower and more laid back. I would love to go back to Germany. I have dual citizenship in Germany, so maybe after a couple of years in the league I will be able to go back over there a buy me a house.

Q: What’s your can’t miss movie of the summer?

A: Hannock starring Will Smith.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (UCLA)

Q: If you were drafted by Milwaukee, how would your abilities fit in with the Bucks roster?

A: I’d fit in perfect. I think they’re going to bring in some defensive minded players and I think I bring that to the table. I can defend at my position at a high level and I can rebound the ball well for my position. I come from a winning program, so I’d like to bring that mentality to the team and fit right in.

Q: Do you think long runs in the NCAA tournament are the best preparation to transition to the NBA?

A: I don’t think you can definitely make that transition, just going to 30-some games to 82 is hard. It’s more than double and the intensity and expectations are higher. But playing in the tournament and Final Four is definitely a help in getting there.

Q: Your numbers seemed to go up in the final two months of the season, what was the reason for the increase?

A: I had been hurt through the middle in the season and every time I’d come back I’d be up and down. When I’d get back to my level I’d get hurt again. Finally toward the end of the season and tournament I had to get it done and help my team win and I was finally getting healthy again.

Q: We’ve read that you’re a prince in your village of Bafia in Cameroon, can you tell us more about that?

A: My dad is the chief of my village, that makes me and my brothers and sisters princes and princesses. It’s kind of cool.

Q: How often have you been back to Cameroon?

A: I went back twice for the first time in four years last summer. I went once for vacation and another time to play with the national team. I miss it a lot, but I’m hoping to go back more often in the years to come.

Anthony Randolph (LSU)

Q: If you were drafted by Milwaukee, how would your abilities fit in with the Bucks roster?

A: I think it would work out good because Yi is a great shooter and a versatile player. It’s the same with Bogut, he’s a great passer. I think I’d fit in well with those guys.

Q: The Bucks have lacked shot blocking in recent years, do you think a front line including Bogut, Yi and yourself could turn the club into a top shot blocking group?

A: If you ask anybody, I love blocking shots. That’s my thing. If you watch my college film, I get hyped up to block shots. That’s what I think I’m best at right now.

Q: How much time did you spend in Germany and have you gone back overseas?

A: I was there for about a year and a half, I haven’t been back overseas.

Q: You listed pool as one of your hobbies, would you be able to come in and be the top Bucks player straight out of the draft?

A: Oh no. I’m good on certain days, you know sometimes the ball bounces right on the pool table, but not always. It depends on the day.

Q: Are you sticking with Glen Davis and the Celtics in the finals or are you going with the Lakers?

A: You’re always pulling for one of your fellow alumni, but with the Lakers, Kobe is a best. He’s on a mission.

Brian Roberts (Dayton)

Q: If you were drafted by Milwaukee, how would your abilities fit in with the Bucks roster?

A: I think I would come in and do the little things to help the team anyway I can. They have a good backcourt here. I would want to fit in right away and learn as much as possible from guys like Mo Williams and Charlie Bell. Those would be the kind of guys I would look up to and mimic.

Q: What was your experience with the Orlando draft camp like and can you talk about the competition between the players there?

A: It was a great atmosphere to play in. Guys were out there battling and trying to impress every NBA team who was there. Competition was in the air. Guys were fighting and battling and it was a good week for me and I enjoyed it.

Q: Do you agree with some analysts comparing you to Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson?

A: I’ve heard that. His ability to shoot the ball is evident in his performance so far in his NBA career. I feel I can do some of those same things. He has a great fit in Cleveland being able to play off of Lebron and knock down shots. I’m just looking for some of those same opportunities.

Q: Outside of basketball, what are your summer plans? Any summer movies you want to catch?

A: To continue to workout and work hard – I’m training down at IMG right now. Hopefully I can get on a summer league team and perform as well as I can.

And I’m really looking forward to the Hancock movie with Will Smith.

Walter Sharpe (UAB)

Q: If you were drafted by Milwaukee, how would your abilities fit in with the Bucks roster?

A: I am a very unselfish player who loves to pass the ball. I think I would fit in great here.

Q: How many workouts have you been to and what was today’s like?

A: This was my first workout so far and it was pretty tough. It’s going to give me a better idea of what to expect in my future workouts.

Q: What did you learn from Mike Davis at UAB?

A: I learned how to play more of a slow pace game and the spread offense. I also learned how to play the post a little better.

Q: In late November last season you had a stretch where you were nearly averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds – what were the keys to your success over that time?

A: I worked on a lot of post moves and hook shots. Like I said, we played a spread offense, which gave me a chance to isolate and play my post game.

.

Posted By: Dustin Chapman

You may or may not have already learned that new Bucks head coach Scot Skiles has verbally agreed to hire former Indiana Hoosiers coach Kelvin Sampson as one of his assistants. You also may have also heard rumors that Jim Boylan, who acted as Chicago’s interim head coach following Skiles’ departure this past December, would tag along as well. As of today, the Milwaukee Bucks have officially filled out their coaching staff, which is headlined by the aforementioned duo of Sampson and Boylan.

MILWAUKEE — Former Chicago Bulls coach Jim Boylan and former Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson were two of four assistants hired Wednesday by Milwaukee Bucks head coach Scott Skiles.

Skiles also hired former NBA players Lionel Hollins and Joe Wolf.

“I’m excited to be able to assemble this strong coaching staff in Milwaukee,” Skiles said in a statement. “Jim, Lionel, Kelvin and Joe all bring experience to the Bucks bench, as well as diverse coaching skills.”

ESPN.com reported on May 2 that Sampson had agreed to join Skiles’ staff.

Sampson brings some baggage to his NBA job.

He resigned as Hoosiers coach on Feb. 22 and accepted a $750,000 buyout after an NCAA report charged him with five major NCAA rules violations.

Sampson took the Indiana job in March 2006 and two months later was penalized by the NCAA for making 577 impermissible phone calls between 2000 and 2004 while coaching Oklahoma.

The second wave of charges emerged last October when a university investigation found Sampson and his staff made more than 100 impermissible calls while still under recruiting restrictions. Sampson also was said to have participated in at least 10 three-way calls, another violation of the NCAA’s punishment.

At the time, Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan called the violations secondary, imposing a one-year extension of the NCAA’s recruiting restrictions and pulling a $500,000 raise for Sampson. The Hoosiers also took away one scholarship for the 2008-09 season.

However, an NCAA report released Feb. 13 by Indiana said Sampson provided false and misleading information to investigators from the university and the NCAA, failed to meet the “generally recognized high standard of honesty” expected in college sports, and failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance.

Sampson has since been replaced at Indiana by Marquette coach Tom Crean.

Boylan played at Marquette, winning an NCAA title in 1977, and spent four seasons on the Bulls’ staff. After Skiles was fired as head coach in December, Boylan replaced him on an interim basis for the remaining 56 games.

Hollins, a 10-year NBA veteran, has been an assistant coach with Phoenix; an assistant and interim head coach with Vancouver; and an assistant with Arizona State. He was drafted sixth by Portland in 1975 and voted to the All-Rookie First Team. He won a title with the Trail Blazers in 1977.

Wolf averaged 4.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in his 11 seasons in the NBA, including the 1996-97 season with the Bucks.

Bill Peterson has been retained from last season’s coaching staff.

Posted By: Dustin Chapman

By: Dustin Chapman

Milwaukee has already begun the internal implosion by recently firing General Manager Larry Harris and head coach Larry Krystowiak, who lasted just one year. Replacing Krystowiak is former Chicago Bulls head coach Scott Skiles, who was fired this past season himself. Skiles may very well be the no-nonsense coach that the Bucks need to kick the butts of their players and motivate them to play night in and night out. That, perhaps, has been Milwaukee’s biggest problem of recent seasons. It seems as though they are in “tank mode” at all times, and very seldom show any form of desire to win on a given night.

It’d be nice to see Skiles get this group to show up mentally, but the front office needs to make an effort to help him out. Bottom line, this roster is extremely unbalanced and does not have what it takes to make big steps in a positive direction as currently constructed.

First of all, their cast of big men are made of marshmallows. From Andrew Bogut to Charlie Villaneuva to Yi Jianlian, the Bucks are interiorly speaking one of the least intimidating teams. If this organization ever feels as though they have a chance to bring in a bruiser of any kind, they need to pounce on the opportunity.

Another ironic anecdote about this roster’s instability involves the point guard position. For the past two years, Milwaukee has been in dire need of a true playmaker… an initiator, a reliable guard to set up the offense and get the team into sets. The ironic part is that they had just that in 2006. T.J. Ford represents exactly what Milwaukee is begging for from the point guard position, but Larry Harris ruined those possibilities by shipping him to Toronto for Charlie Villanueva, who hasn’t lived up to expectations. Milwaukee’s current point guard is Mo Williams, who is a more viable fantasy basketball option than a real-life starting point guard. He can put up numbers in a hurry, but he has shown that he is completely incapable of running an offense. When the ball is in his hands, there is very little flow and the offense stagnates. For a team looking to improve their playoff hopes, they need someone that can ignite the offense.

Late-blooming second round rookie Ramon Sessions showed promising signs of potentially being that type of guy, however. As a starter in Milwaukee’s final seven games of the 2007-2008 season, Sessions held averages of 13.1 points, 13.6 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game. His most notable effort came on April 14th’s home finale, where the former Nevada star dropped 20 points and 24 assists. It may be a bit premature, but it’s more than clear that Sessions knows how to move the ball and set up the offense. It’ll be interesting to see if he can enter his sophomore year with the same confidence level and production rate.

Regardless, it’s going to take a lot of work to fix this franchise and bring it back up to respectability. It is evident, however, that this current cast of unmotivated, soft players will not be the ones to get it done. As previously stated, the Bucks have made changes in the front office and on the bench, but it’s time for a “fire sale.” Let’s hope the Bucks’ new GM, whoever it may be, can take this team in the right direction. God knows Larry Harris did everything but that.