MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks are back. Well, at least
one of them was.

Guard Beno Udrih showed up to work out and shoot baskets Thursday,
the first day team facilities were reopened to players as the NBA
lockout heads toward an apparent resolution. Steve Novak, a former
Marquette star who most recently played for San Antonio, also was
shooting at the Bucks’ facility.

If a tentative agreement between owners and players is ratified as
expected, training camps could begin Dec. 9.

Bucks general manager John Hammond said the team’s front office has
been filled with a sense of excitement since the deal came
together.

“I think immediately, you could kind of feel that in your gut: Here
we go, we’re getting ready to get started again,” Hammond said. “I
think as each step progresses, that will continue.”

Restrictions on contact between team officials and players remain
in place for now, but Hammond said teams are free to begin talking
to agents.

“We can talk and we’re having conversations, just like I’m sure
every other team is in the league,” Hammond said.

The Bucks have 12 players under contract, and Hammond pulled off
what is expected to be his biggest move of the offseason before the
lockout started.

Coming off a season where the Bucks generally played good defense
but struggled to score, Milwaukee made a three-way trade on draft
day to acquire Stephen Jackson, Udrih, guard Shaun Livingston and
the rights to first-round pick Tobias Harris.

“Our roster is somewhat set, but we still have work to do,” Hammond
said.

Hammond said the Bucks intend to bring back defensive stopper Luc
Richard Mbah a Moute, who is a restricted free agent.

“We appreciate Luc and what he’s done for us as an organization,
and what he stands for,” Hammond said. “We have every intention of
bringing Luc back.”

Hammond also was looking forward to the potential pairing of Udrih
and Brandon Jennings in the backcourt. But he seemed most excited
about the possibility of a strong bounce-back season from injured
center Andrew Bogut.

“I believe this about Andrew: Andrew’s going to come back and have
a really good year,” Hammond said. “People still don’t realize that
Andrew has not had an opportunity to work the last two
summers.”

The Bucks are coming off a disappointing season filled with
injuries, but Hammond said he isn’t concerned that a compressed NBA
season will take a toll on players’ health.

“”That question is probably going to be asked more about our team
more than any because of what we went through last year, the
injured (players) that we had,” Hammond said. “I look at that and
say it was an anomaly. I’ve never been around a team that’s gone
through that before and I don’t expect that to happen again. I
expect us to have a good season and a healthy season.”

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks are back. Well, at least one of them was.

Guard Beno Udrih showed up to work out and shoot baskets Thursday, the first day team facilities were reopened to players as the NBA lockout heads toward an apparent resolution.

Steve Novak, a former Marquette star who most recently played for San Antonio, also was shooting at the Bucks’ facility.

If a tentative agreement between owners and players is ratified as expected, training camps could begin Dec. 9.

Bucks general manager John Hammond said the team’s front office has been filled with a sense of excitement since the deal came together.

“I think immediately, you could kind of feel that in your gut: Here we go, we’re getting ready to get started again,” Hammond said. “I think as each step progresses, that will continue.”

Restrictions on contact between team officials and players remain in place for now, but Hammond said teams are free to begin talking to agents.

“We can talk and we’re having conversations, just like I’m sure every other team is in the league,” Hammond said.

The Bucks have 12 players under contract, and Hammond pulled off what is expected to be his biggest move of the offseason before the lockout started.

Coming off a season where the Bucks generally played good defense but struggled to score, Milwaukee made a three-way trade on draft day to acquire Stephen Jackson, Udrih, guard Shaun Livingston and the rights to first-round pick Tobias Harris.

“Our roster is somewhat set, but we still have work to do,” Hammond said.

Hammond said the Bucks intend to bring back defensive stopper Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who is a restricted free agent.

“We appreciate Luc and what he’s done for us as an organization, and what he stands for,” Hammond said. “We have every intention of bringing Luc back.”

Hammond also was looking forward to the potential pairing of Udrih and Brandon Jennings in the backcourt. But he seemed most excited about the possibility of a strong bounce-back season from injured center Andrew Bogut.

“I believe this about Andrew: Andrew’s going to come back and have a really good year,” Hammond said. “People still don’t realize that Andrew has not had an opportunity to work the last two summers.”

The Bucks are coming off a disappointing season filled with injuries, but Hammond said he isn’t concerned that a compressed NBA season will take a toll on players’ health.

“That question is probably going to be asked more about our team more than any because of what we went through last year, the injured (players) that we had,” Hammond said. “I look at that and say it was an anomaly. I’ve never been around a team that’s gone through that before and I don’t expect that to happen again. I expect us to have a good season and a healthy season.”

When an NBA team loses 277 games due to injury, as the Milwaukee
Bucks did last season, there is a tendency to write off the season
as an aberration and bring back the same once-promising group for
another try.

However, no matter how short-handed the Bucks were during one of
the more disappointing seasons in their history, no one in good
conscience could blame their fall from Central Division contender
to the NBA draft lottery entirely on injuries.

We all saw enough to know better.

Enough offensive futility. Enough failed chemistry. Enough
bricks to build a new arena in Milwaukee.

When the clanking stopped, the Bucks were the lowest-scoring and
worst-shooting team in the NBA. Too often, shots from the perimeter
weren’t just a lob, they were an adventure.

We dredge up these unpleasant memories because the NBA holds its
draft tonight and the Bucks, by virtue of their 35-47 record, have
the 10th pick in the first round. A glance at the roster shows the
Bucks need a wing scorer, a backup point guard and a backup center,
probably in that order. However, general manager John Hammond is
keeping his options open, at least publicly.

“We haven’t tried to limit ourselves by position,” Hammond said
this week. “We’re still in the decision-making process we’ve been
in, to acquire the best player on the board.”

Hopefully, that’s nothing more than draft-speak because Hammond
should be entering this draft with only one item on his agenda: The
Bucks need a perimeter shooter, and they need one who can play
right now.

They don’t need a big-man project. They don’t need a wing player
who can get to the rim. They don’t even need a defender. They need
someone who can shoot the ball from the outside.

 And since the rest of the team has matured to the point where
it should be a playoff contender for the next few years, they need
a shooter who can contribute immediately.

Hammond has only himself to blame for painting the team into
this corner. After watching the Bucks get to the free-throw line
only on rare occasions during the 2009-10 season, his goal last
year was to add slashers to the offensive mix.

So during the off-season Hammond added Corey Maggette, Chris
Douglas-Roberts and Keyon Dooling on the perimeter. Unfortunately,
none of them proved to be a particularly good outside shooter. And
with Luke Ridnour moving on in free agency, John Salmons having an
off-year shooting and Brandon Jennings making little or no progress
with his shot, the Bucks struggled against defenses that dared them
to shoot from the outside.

Of course, center Andrew Bogut was severely limited by a
surgically repaired right elbow that was slow to heal, but it still
was obvious the Bucks need to spread the floor to make him more
effective on the low block. The only way they can do that is by
surrounding Bogut with shooters, not slashers.

Anything can happen on draft night, including a trade out of the
10th spot, but various predictions have the Bucks selecting from
among the following group at 10: shooting guards Alec Burks of
Colorado, Klay Thompson of Washington State and Marshon Brooks of
Providence; point guard Jimmer Fredette of Brigham Young, small
forward Jordan Hamilton of Texas and power forwards Marcus Morris
of Kansas, Tristan Thompson of Texas and Donatas Motiejunas of
Lithuania.

Some think the athletic Burks will be their pick and others
think a power forward such as Morris or Tristan Thompson could be
the man. But Burks is more of a slasher than a shooter and power
forward became less of a need when the Bucks made a qualifying
offer to restricted free agent Luc Mbah a Moute Tuesday. Motiejunas
is a 7-footer with 3-point range, but he’s a project.

Of the group that could be available to the Bucks, only three —
Thompson, Fredette and Hamilton — shoot the ball with ease from
beyond the 3-point line and appear ready to contribute the minute
they walk onto an NBA floor. Thompson and Hamilton are big enough
to play shooting guard or small forward, which would allow them to
spell Salmons and Carlos Delfino. Fredette might have trouble
guarding anyone but he shoots so well he could be an effective
combo guard off the bench like Ridnour was two seasons ago.

If the Bucks are serious about returning to the playoffs this
season, they will select one of those three shooters with their
first-round pick.

Contact Tom Oates at toates@madison.com or 608-252-6172.

MILWAUKEE (AP)—Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings(notes) will miss four to six weeks as he recovers from surgery to repair a fracture in his left foot.

General manager John Hammond said Monday that the 21-year-old Jennings was examined after Saturday’s 95-86 loss to Utah.

Jennings broke the long bone on the outside of his left foot that connects to the little toe, one of the most common bones to break in the foot. He earlier said he first felt pain in a loss to San Antonio, but kept playing and also played 30 minutes against the Jazz.

“I think it shows you a lot about Brandon, the people who haven’t had a chance to watch him in his first year and a quarter, I don’t think anyone is going to question his competitive spirit,” Hammond said.

Jennings had started every game since being picked 10th overall in 2009, a string of 107 regular-season games and seven in the postseason. He’d been averaging 17.9 points per game and 5.5 assists in 25 games this year.

Jennings said earlier in the week that he hurt himself on a drive to the basket against the Spurs when he came down awkwardly on his knee and it put pressure on his ankle. Against the Jazz, he went 3 of 7 from the field and finished with six points, four assists and three rebounds.

“We know we can trust him and we know he’s going to be a guy who’s going to come back as soon as he’s capable and ready,” Hammond said. “We know he’s tough enough to handle the assignment.”

Jennings seemed like he was in good spirits, too, for his surgery. He posted pictures of himself in the hospital online, including his wristband for admission and some of the hospital clothing he’d be wearing.

The Bucks have two other point guards in Keyon Dooling(notes) and Earl Boykins(notes).

Dooling will take Jennings’ spot in the lineup when Milwaukee begins a three-game road trip in Portland on Monday night. Other stops include the Lakers on Tuesday and Sacramento on Thursday.

“Most teams try to have three point guards and this is one of the reasons why,” Hammond said. “It’s a combination that we’ll move forward with.”

Forwards Corey Maggette(notes) and Carlos Delfino(notes) are also not on this trip after both have had symptoms of concussions. Maggette fell and hit his head against Utah, while Delfino sustained a concussion the second game of the season at Minnesota and has missed 18 games.

“No one’s going to feel sorry for us,” Hammond said. “We still have a job to do, that’s win every game that we take floor.”