The Bucks are a team that could become a powerhouse real soon and this is a very important draft for them. Their net GM is: Adam Kickwho used the 11th pick to select: Damon Stoudamire, 5-10 PG, Arizona =========================================================================== I. Team needs/history: A. General comments Here is the list of protected players for the expansion draft (with Lister, Hinson, and Newman UFA's): Robinson Baker Day Murdock Mayberry Mobely Barry Conlon That left Pinkney and Tate George unprotected. George was taken. How easy it was to make the protected list (Oh my god, should I protect Marty Conlon or Ed Pinkney!) seems to suggest what a shallow team the Bucks are. The fact that they only have the 9th worst record in the league is a testament to the coaching of Mike Dunleavy. There are at most 5 players on this team with any value at all. B. Center Alton Lister is a free agent. He is old not not particularly effective anyway. Mobely is young and atheletic, but no where close to being an NBA center. He is a project, and I would be very surprised if he were ready in the next two years. He does have potential, but will likely never be much more than a decent role player or back up. Even that is being optimistic, I think. Vin Baker plays some center, and is probably the Bucks best player at that position. He is an all-star power forward, though, and if the Bucks have to play him at center, the hole at PF becomes almost as deep as the one at center. This is clearly the teams greatest need. C. Forward Vin Baker is one of the best young players in the NBA. He made the all-star team in his second season, and looks like a better player than many drafted ahead of him two seasons ago. He has a great all around game. He passes. He rebounds. He blocks shots. Unless the Bucks have changed his contract, he doesn't make much money. He is probably the best player for the money in the NBA, besides maybe Latrell Sprewell. The other forward is Glenn Robinson. Robinson isn't as consistent or as versatile as Baker, yet. He started a bit slow last year, and had some pretty poor shooting nights, but improved as the season went on. He is not the rebounder some may have expected, but will improve there, too. He was consistently scoring in the twentys by the end of last season, and I don't think anyone would be surprised if he were in the top five or ten in scoring in the next year or two. I don't think there is a more exciting young player in the NBA, with all due respect to Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, etc. Backing up Baker is Marty Conlon. He is a journeyman, but works hard, and seems surprisingly effective. johnny Newman is an UFA. He is a decent scorer, but that is about it. Pinkney was a very good defensive player and good rebounder before he got injured. He hasn't played much since then. D. Guards Todd Day has improved considerably since his rookie season, but he still seems like mostly a three point specialist. He has had a few big games, but doesn't use much of his considerable atheletic ability. He was considered a great defensive player coming out of college. If he keeps improving, the bucks will be set at this position, but if not, he will still be a good role player. The point guard spot seems to be shared by Murdock and Mayberry. Murdock is the better scorer, but may look to score *too* much for this position. He would be great as a third guard, backing up both positions. Mayberry would be a good back up, and has more of a point guard mentality, but really isn't a starting quality guard. Jon Barry didn't get much time last year. The Bucks drafted Voshon Lenard last year, and he chose to return to Minnesota for his senior season. Barry and Lenard will probably fight for minutes as the fourth guard, depending on who the Bucks take with their pick this year. If either one shows promise, that will be a bonus. Point guard is probably the Bucks 2nd biggest need. The bucks are still in a position where they should take the best player available. If that happens to be at point guard or center, all the better. II. My selection: Damon Stoudamire, 5-10 PG, Arizona Sure, he is short, and that worries me, but small PG's have had a resurgence lately. Look at Avery Johnson and Nick Van Exel. There are no guarantees left, though, and while some other players may have been rated a little higher (trent, childress), those players seem to be tweeners, and would have had the added difficulty of making an adjustment to the NBA. Stoudamire averaged over 7 assists per game on a team with not a whole lot of talent. He is a good shooter, and is quick enough to penetrate. He may have trouble on defense, but after seeing the NBA all-defensive first team point guard get lit up in the playoffs for the second year in a row, I am inclined not to worry. III. Others considered: Randolph Childress, 6-2 PG, Wake Forest I like Childress, but I was influenced by people who suggested that he is really a shooting guard, and may have trouble leading an NBA team. In this regard, he reminded me of Murdock, and I didn't want to duplicate. It was suggested that Childress might not have the footspead to cover other point guards, and while I said above that I don't care so much about defense, I guess I was still worried that he would be unable to penetrate in the NBA. I hate point guards that can't penetrate. Gary Trent, 6-7 F, Ohio I have never seen this guy play. A lot of people have said he is a lottery pick, and I came very close to picking him, but I was scared off by the fact that he supposedly has a pretty weak game facing tha basket. If he were two or three inches taller, I would probably have picked him, but I didn't want to draft at a position the Bucks are so strong at unless I was pretty sure he could help. I may regret this. Rashard Griffith, 6-11 C, Wisconsin Well, center is the Bucks weakest position, so I had to consider him. Again, I may regret this, but a whole lot of people have suggested that Griffith may be a bust. I'm not sure what I think. The one time I saw him this year, I remember thinking he was not as plodding as I would have thought, and had a decent touch around the basket. I don't know, though. He just made me nervous and I didn't want the Bucks to end up with two center projects. I guess what it came down to was the fact that Wisconsin had two players that are certain first round draft picks and even lottery picks according to some people, and yet they didn't even finish in the top half of a very weak big ten. There's something wrong with that. Michael Finley, 6-6 SG, Wisconsin A year ago I thought this guy was amazing, and I probably would have picked him. What a difference a year makes. I don't know what happened to him, but it scared me off. Bob Sura, 6-5 SG, Fla. St. I loved this guy way back when he was a freshman. I think he will be a good NBA player, but I didn't want to give up on Todd Day yet. This is another one I may regret. IV. Who the team will probably take: I have no idea. I wouldn't be surprised to see them take a big man if one of the better ones is still around. I was going to take Reeves or Parks if they were still around, despite my bias against big white guys, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Bucks take one of them if they are there. Other than that, I expect them to take the best player available. V. Other moves: Well, I said there were only about five guys on this team with any value, and that may be an overstatement. I'm not sure what they would trade. I think Baker and Robinson ought to be untouchable, and I doubt there is much interest in the rest of the team. If they decide to draft a SG or a PG, they might consider trying to move Day or Murdock (RFA?) or even Mayberry if they can get anything for them. ========================================================================