http://www.sportsnipe.com Milwaukee Bucks, Team News, Updates, and Stats from all sports sources, updated continually. http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2933456/ilyasova-leads-turkey-to-semis-bogut-visits-doctors.html FIBA: Ilyasova's 19 helps Turkey past SloveniaWhen did Turkey turn into the '96 Bulls?  The host nation steamrolled the Primoz Brezec-led Slovenians 95-68 to advance to the FIBA World Championship semis against Serbia, their seventh win in as many attempts. Ersan Ilyasova was once again feeling it from distance, hitting 3/4 from three and 7/9 overall for 19 points and five boards in 27 minutes. Aside from the threes, Ersan also got out in transition for a couple of dunks and even led a fast break give-and-go for a layup. Turkey have now won their last three games by an average of over 31 points. The video above has every point scored from the game, and you can also check out a postgame interview with Ersan at FIBA.com. Carlos Delfino can help Argentina book a place in the semis tomorrow afternoon against Lithuania, with the winner likely getting a matchup with Team USA. Both semifinals will take place on Saturday, followed by the gold and bronze medal games on Sunday. For all you Americans, Ty has a terrific preview of tomorrow's USA-Russia game.  Twitter: Bogut getting his checkups, Tiny coming to town?I'm totally stepping on Speedy's Twitter-documenting toes here, but I figured it was worth mentioning that Andrew Bogut's self-reported Wednesday agenda included both a trip to the hand specialist and an MRI. Let's hope Drew gets some encouraging news this week...lord knows we all need it.  The other interesting bit of info is that Tiny Gallon says he's expecting to be in Milwaukee this week, suggesting that he may be joining the Bucks in camp after all. Or maybe he heard me raving about Kopps and Rocky Rococo's and just wants to check it out for himself. Either way, hunting through Tiny's Twitter feed for real news is the NBA blogging equivalent of Andy Dufresne's escape from Shawshank, so I won't bother trying to go any deeper than I've already gone. Presumably the Bucks have offered him a non-guaranteed deal for the rookie minimum in order to retain his rights, but they'd have to clear a roster spot by the end of camp in order to keep him for the regular season. Maybe Tiny's agent is just trying to force the Bucks' hand so that his client can become a free agent, but at the very least it would appear Tiny's not desperate to go to Europe (or Europe's not desperate to have him).   And on the same day that Darington Hobson sounded excited for his first workout at the Cousins Center,  Jonathan Givony was raising fresh doubts about Hobson's health. So in summary: the Bucks' second rounders continue to confuse the hell out of me.   SportsBank: Planning for Andrew Bogut’s worst case scenarioSpeaking of Bogut's health, Jake McCormick examines that which we don't want to imagine. A couple months ago, John Hammond had overstocked the front court and could afford to dangle a power forward for trade bait, should he so desire. Now, that collection of stereotypical fours and tweeners may be expected to shoulder an increased workload under the basket. Stein: NBA Jam rosters revealedBack in January, Alex had some fun with the Bucks possibilities of a new version of NBA Jam, and now we see the real roster: Bogut, Jennings, Maggette, and...yep, Mr. Redd.  Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932795/more-lamar-odom-news-team-usas-cocaptain-talks-los-angeles-times-blog.html More Lamar Odom news: Team USA's co-captain talksLos Angeles Times (blog)By MIKE O'BRIEN forward to another shot at the Milwaukee Bucks?in the playoffs. fourth-quarter spurt fueled by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to snap the Lakers' ...and more » Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932794/few-new-pieces-in-place-bucks-could-ascend-east-usa-today.html Newsradio 620With a few new pieces in place, Bucks could ascend in the EastUSA Today... games and was a sixth seed, the Milwaukee Bucks quietly retooled this offseason and could make the greatest ascent in the NBA's Eastern Conference. ...NBA AM: Could Andrew Bogut Miss Camp?HoopsWorldSettling in: Port St. Lucie's Larry Sanders adjusting to NBA lifeTCPalmBogut the Flying Dump Truck is BackSports Features Communications (press release)Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (blog) -Dime Magazineall 16 news articles » Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932793/adrian-griffin-returns-to-chicago-espn.html ChicagoNow (blog)Adrian Griffin returns to ChicagoESPNBlog Griffin spent the past two seasons working as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks. He had two different stints with the Bulls as a player (2004-05, ...Bulls planning to hire Adrian Griffin as assistant coachChicago Daily Herald2010 NBA SEASON: The 5 Scariest Teams In The NBA And WhyBleacher ReportBUCKS BEAT: Bucks assistant coach Griffin heads to Windy CityJournal TimesChicagoNow (blog)all 10 news articles » Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932792/former-gm-harris-ergul-was-agent-for-ilyasova-in-2007-milwaukee-journal-sentinel.html Washington PostFormer GM Harris: Ergul was not agent for Ilyasova in 2007Milwaukee Journal Sentinel... surrounding the recruitment of Turkish center Enes Kanter, played a role as a confidant and adviser to Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova. ...Turkey, Serbia advance at basketball worldsToronto SunBasketball: Turkey into semi-finals after romp over SloveniaChannel News Asiaall 160 news articles » Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932791/turkey-serbia-move-into-semifinals-at-worlds.html Ersan Ilyasova poured in 19 points and grabbed five rebounds to lead Turkey to a comfortable 95-68 win over Slovenia in the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932790/fiba-basketball-betting-preview-usa-vs-russia.html Russia has appeared strong in this tournament despite being without versatile forwardA Andrei Kirilenko. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932789/2010-nba-season-five-scariest-teams-in.html These are teams who, no matter the circumstances, will not let you take a night off. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2927317/pistons-coach-john-kuester-will-teach-at-detroit-mercy-camp-free-press.html Pistons coach John Kuester will teach at Detroit Mercy campDetroit Free PressUDM coach Ray McCallum, ESPN analyst and former Division I coach Fran Fraschilla, Milwaukee Bucks assistant Kelvin Sampson and current Miami (Ohio) and ... Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2927316/adrian-griffin-to-become-bulls-assistant.html Per Gery Woelfel's : But Bucks coach Scott Skiles, who also had coached Griffin as a player in Chicago, was impressed with Griffin's work ethic and conscientiousness and hired him as a behind-the-bench coach. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2927315/workouts-beginning-delfino-advances-to-fiba-quarters-griffin-heading-chicago.html JS: Bucks newcomers getting to workTraining camp is three weeks away, but we're happy to report that there's already a group of players getting some early work in at the Cousins Center, including Brandon Jennings, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Larry Sanders and Jon Brockman. Assistant coach and player development guru Bill Peterson spends the most time working with the Bucks' young players, so it's no surprise that he's keeping a particularly watchful eye on Sanders. Charles Gardner reports: "Larry has such great potential," Peterson said. "He's going to have a really good jump hook some day. He has great length; he has a soft touch. He's got to be comfortable doing it (the hook shot). He just hasn't shot it that much." Sanders' huge hands and ridiculous length are the kinds of physical tools which can make a baby hook shot fairly unstoppable, but in Vegas he showed a strong preference for the midrange finesse game over bulling for buckets around the hoop. Sanders has the soft touch to get away with it much of the time, but it's difficult to see him ever becoming a reliable post presence unless he develops some more classical big man moves--not to mention a thicker base and a more physical, aggressive mentality.   Speaking of aggressive, Chris Douglas-Roberts reports that he got the business end of an inadvertent Jon Brockman elbow, though much to his relief he did not lose either of his front teeth. Andrew Bogut is also back and tweeted he was going to see the doctor Tuesday afternoon.  Fingers crossed...     FIBA: Delfino's 20 help Argentina edge BrazilErsan Ilyasova isn't the only Buck moving to the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Championships. Argentina once again rode a dominant Luis Scola (37 points) past their South American neighbors (but as Palomba informed me, not legitimate rivals) from Brazil 93-89. Delfino had his three ball going for the first time in the tournament, hitting 4/7 from range on his way to 20 points (6/12 fg, 4/4 ft). On Thursday Argentina face off next against the Lithuanians, who downed China 78-67 earlier in the day. The winner of that game faces a potential semifinal against the US (assuming they beat Russia), while Turkey faces off against Slovenia and Spain plays Serbia on Wednesday in the other half of the bracket  Woelfel: Griffin joining Bulls' benchGery Woelfel reports that Bucks assistant Adrian Griffin is headed to the Bulls, joining Tom Thibodeau's new staff after two years with the Bucks. Griffin was acquired from OKC as part of the Mo Williams deal in 2008, joining Skiles' staff following his release/retirement at the end of camp. Sitting behind the bench most nights, Griffin was the Bucks' most junior assistant, leaving them with four remaining: Jim Boylan, Kelvin Sampson (who was also linked with a number of head coaching jobs and the Bulls' bench), Joe Wolf and the aforementioned Peterson. "I am very fortunate,'' Griffin said. "I was just a player two years ago and now I'm a coach. It's very competitive to make an NBA team as a player, but it's even more competitive to become an NBA coach. There are only a few of them (usually five) on each team. HoopsHype: Ilyasova interviewFairly canned interview with Ilyasova from the WCs. Bucksketball: Grading the Bucks' D-League (non-)usageJeremy weighs in on the Bucks' lack of interest in the D-League. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926072/photo-lady-gaga-covered-in-meat-for-vogue-hommes-japan-styleite.html PHOTO: Lady Gaga, Covered In Meat, For Vogue Hommes JapanStyleite... watching this video of Milwaukee Bucks player Brandon Jennings dancing to Love Game earlier today) but a new photo of her has thrown us for a loop. ...and more » Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926071/luis-scola-leads-argentina-to-9389-win-over-brazil-reach-quarterfinals-canadian-press.html msnbc.comLuis Scola leads Argentina to 93-89 win over Brazil to reach quarter-finalsThe Canadian PressCarlos Delfino of the Milwaukee Bucks added 20 points and Hernan Jasen scored eight of his 15 in the fourth quarter for Argentina. Marcelo Huertas scored 32 ...Scola leads Argentina past Brazil to gain FIBA quartersMiamiHerald.comLuis Scola Powers Argentina vs Brazil At FIBA World Championship 2010Sports Newscaster (blog)Argentina edge Brazil in South American thrillerAFPall 144 news articles » Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926070/suicide-lines-blatche-healing-monty-williams-dealing-yahoo-sports-blog.html Suicide lines: Blatche healing; Monty Williams dealingYahoo! Sports (blog)Charles F. Gardner, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brandon Jennings, Andrew Bogut(notes) and most of the other Milwaukee Bucks players will be returning ... Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926069/bucks-beat-assistant-coach-griffin-heads-to-windy-city-journal-times.html ChicagoNow (blog)BUCKS BEAT: Bucks assistant coach Griffin heads to Windy CityJournal TimesHe then spent nearly a decade in the NBA before being released by the Milwaukee Bucks in October of 2008. Most players in Griffin's situation would have ...Adrian Griffin to become Bulls assistant?ChicagoNow (blog)all 2 news articles » Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926068/bucks-newcomers-get-jump-on-training-camp-milwaukee-journal-sentinel.html Bucks newcomers get a jump on training campMilwaukee Journal SentinelSt. Francis ? Brandon Jennings, Andrew Bogut and most of the other Milwaukee Bucks players will be returning ...and more » Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926065/nike-real-run-championship-game-highlights.html Teams led by Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks and Nick Young of the Washington Wizards battled in the Nike Real Run Championship game at HAX in LA. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926064/turkey-mauls-china-at-worlds.html China's Su Wei goes up against Turkey's Ender Arslan during their FIBA world basketball championship game in Ankara on Thursday. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926063/boomers-shift-focus-to-london.html Dumped ... Boomers centre David Andersen was to play a key role, but illness hurt his productivity. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926062/kevin-durant-10-best-small-market-players-in-nba.html Kevin Durant is one of the NBA's premier players. Although the team that drafted him changed area codes, Durant managed to become one of the NBA's polarizing figures while playing for a "small-market" team. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926061/bucks-newcomers-get-jump-on-training-camp.html "I've been working on everything, from my ball handling to touch around the basket." - Larry Sanders . Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926060/bosh-raptors-lack-patience-in-blowout-loss.html This Toronto Raptors' season has been slipping away for quite awhile now. But if Chris Bosh starts getting down on himself, they might as well not play the final 33 games. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926059/turkish-national-basketball-team-ready-for-quarter-final-game.html Turkish national basketball team "12 Giant Men" got prepared to face Slovenia in a quarter final game in FIBA 2010 World Basketball Championship. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926058/argentina-beats-brazil-reaches-worlds-quarters.html Linas Kleiza scored 30 points Tuesday to help send Lithuania into the quarterfinals of the basketball world championship with a 78-67 win over China. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926057/bucks-buzz-jennings-goes-gaga-brockman-dines-at-bombers.html Behind the scenes with Bartolotta Spotlight: 100 coolest Milwaukeeans Jeff Sherman loves Milwaukee. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926056/ap-source-bucks-to-send-jefferson-spurs.html usac/dzelio fasst371MILWAUKEE (AP) -- A Bucks official with knowledge of the deal said Tuesday t... Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926055/glass-ceiling-will-bucks-be-better-rebounders-in-1011.html More photos » Rich Pedroncelli - AP Gooden and Brockman give the Bucks two more rebounders up front Browse more photos » Both the Bucks and Bulls got noticeable help on the boards this summer, which got me wondering how the Bucks' rebounding may help or hinder their goal of improving on the 46-win 09/10 season. For starters, it's worth clarifying the Bucks' performance on the glass a year ago. While they were a decidedly mediocre 17th in both raw rebounding differential (+.16 rpg) and total rebound rate (the Bucks grabbed 50.2% of all available rebounds), those numbers obscure the very different stories that took place on the offensive and defensive ends. Offensively, the Bucks grabbed 26.2% of their own misses, good for just 18th in the league. Combine the Bucks' inability to get second chances with a general inability to make shots (25th in eFG% and 26th in TS%) and you have a nice little recipe for ineffective offense (23rd in the league).  Should we be really worried? Everyone agrees rebounding is important, so you'd guess that offensive rebounding would be a good indicator of team success. There's a reason it's one of Dean Oliver's famous "four factors," right? But looking at last season's stats suggest offensive rebounds may not be as important as you'd think. Exhibit A: by far the two best offensive rebounding teams in the league were Memphis (31.3%) and Detroit (30.3%)--teams that missed the playoffs and won just 40 and 27 games, respectively. Meanwhile, the Cavs, Magic, Celtics and Mavs were all among the ten worst teams in the league at collecting their own misses.  What's also interesting is that for all those extra possessions they generated, the Grizzlies and Pistons weren't even decently efficient offensive teams--Memphis ranked 17th in offensive efficiency while the Pistons were 22nd.  In contrast, the top ten teams in defensive rebound rate (often expressed as opponent offensive rebound rate) were all playoff teams. Orlando (77.4%) edged Cleveland (77.2%) for the top spot, with the Bucks checking in an impressive third (76.4%). It's also no coincidence that the top ten in DRR closely mirror the top ten in overall defensive efficiency. Give the other team less chances to shoot and they'll score less.  Rocket science, eh? As we harped on a fair bit last season, the Bucks were excellent in terms of limiting opportunities (4th in opponent turnover rate, 3rd in defensive rebounding) but less impressive stopping opponents when they did get chances. The Bucks had the second worst opponent free throw rate in the league and were a good-but-not-great eighth in eFG% allowed. Still, it's hard to argue with the end result: the Bucks ranked second in defensive efficiency, and their work on the defensive glass was a huge reason why they were so difficult to score on. Defense first Overall, the lack of correlation between offensive and defensive rebounding shouldn't be too surprising given the Bucks' defensive orientation. Do you think Scott Skiles (or any defensive-minded coach) wants his guys relentlessly crashing the offensive glass, or do you think he wants them getting back on defense?  So even though offensive and defensive rebound rate are symmetrical in terms of their theoretical value, I'd guess that in practicality there's higher correlation between winning and defensive rebound rate than offensive rebound rate (if anyone has seen corroborating/refuting evidence, let me know). That also squares with the commonly-held belief that great defense is more important than great offense. And no, I have no long-term data to prove that, but I'll run with it anyway. The defense-first philosophy is also reflected in most of the Bucks' individual numbers. Among PGs, Brandon Jennings was 12th in defensive rebound rate and 25th in offensive rebound rate. Carlos Delfino was 6th in DRR and 52nd in ORR--spotting up in the corners for threes clearly doesn't help your rebounding either. Ersan Ilyasova was 16th among PFs in DRR and 33rd in ORR. And among centers, Andrew Bogut was 9th in DRR and 26th in ORR.   The major exception was Luc Mbah a Moute, who led all small forwards in ORR but was just 25th in DRR. But that's less surprising when you consider that a) Luc's a garbageman on offense who often has little responsibility but to scrounge around in the paint for loose balls and b) he generally draws tough assignments on defense.  Either he's guarding the opponent's best wing player or he's battling with a PF who's bigger than him, neither of which lend themselves to getting a ton of defensive boards. But what's especially fascinating is how much better the Bucks were on the glass with Luc in the game. Despite often playing as an undersized four, Mbah a Moute had by far the best on/off rebounding differential on the club--the Bucks grabbed over 3% more offensive rebounds and 2.9% more defensive boards with him on the court vs. off. That's pretty amazing given that Ilyasova is a better rebounder at PF and Delfino isn't too much worse at SF.  So it's not like Luc was competing for minutes with terrible rebounders who made him look good. Does Luc's defense make his teammates better defensive rebounders? Quite possibly. Looking ahead to 2011 So will the Bucks be better on the offensive or defensive glass in 10/11?  At the very least they shouldn't be worse, and they obviously have some room to improve on the offensive glass. But much of it will come down to how Skiles distributes his minutes and whether Bogut is around to anchor the middle. The first thing to consider is whether the new faces are better or worse than the guys they replace. In the backcourt, Keyon Dooling is a shockingly terrible rebounder for a guy with good size for his position, but Ridnour was also below average last season. Corey Maggette has always been a good rebounding SF, though his numbers the past two seasons may have been inflated by playing as a smallball PF.  He's also not bad on the offensive glass considering he's usually the guy launching the initial shot.  Chris Douglas-Roberts was a poor rebounder on both ends last year, but Jerry Stackhouse was just as bad.  Up front, Drew Gooden was marginally better than both Kurt Thomas and Dan Gadzuric a year ago and particularly good on the offensive boards. Among PFs, Gooden was 8th in ORR and 25th in DRR, ranking 11th in total rebound rate. Those numbers are clearly better than either Ilyasova or Mbah a Moute, so unless Gooden's forced to fill in for Bogut for a long period, the Bucks should be better on the boards no matter where they end up playing him. I'm not sure if he can actually defend centers, but at least he's shown he can rebound like one. Jon Brockman might be the big x-factor, since it's not clear how exactly the Bucks will use him.  Is he an undersized four or a really undersized five?  Will he get 15-20 mpg every night or will he be a fringe guy?  The one thing we know is that he'll rebound.  Last year he led the league in ORR (18.2%) and was fifth in overall rebound rate (18.7%), though it will be interesting to see if he maintains that level on the offensive glass in a more defensive-oriented system.  Given that the guards are usually the ones responsible for defending against leak-outs, I would guess guys like Brockman and Gooden don't see their numbers affected too drastically. And in case you're curious, Brockman's on/off effect was downright absurd last year.  Though the Kings were actually worse on the defensive boards by 3%, their ORR ballooned by 12% when Brockman played. Lastly there's Larry Sanders, who was an above-average rebounder on both ends in college.  After watching him in Vegas, I'm not sure he'll immediately be a good NBA rebounder simply because he seemed to struggle holding position against NBA bigs. He also showed a preference for floating around the perimeter on offense rather than mixing it up underneath, so that might also limit his impact on the offensive glass. He's also active and hard-working, so he should be fine once he adds a few pounds to his long frame, but for now I'm hesitant to expect big rebounding numbers off the bat.    The other issue is distribution of playing time. The Bucks were a good defensive rebounding team in large part because they worked hard and had good rebounders at virtually every position. With the exception of Salmons, Ridnour, and Warrick, virtually all of the Bucks' regulars held their own on the defensive glass. Their best chance of improving on the offensive glass is if Brockman gets more time, though having Gooden in the rotation should also help. Still, it may not be worth improving on the offensive boards if it comes at a cost on the other end. And while the Bucks will no doubt be looking to improve offensively this year, the most obvious routes will be relying on Maggette and Salmons (for a full season) to draw more fouls and score more efficiently. There's room to improve on offense--and the offensive boards--but at the end of the day we shouldn't kid ourselves. Every Scott Skiles team will be based on defense, and to maintain their high standards they'll also have to maintain their excellent work on the defensive glass. Fortunately they have the roster to do it and then some--now they just need to stay healthy. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926054/jennings-playing-ball-ilyasova-delfino-ready-for-world-openers.html Brandon's still ballin' Slam: Brandon to Wall at the Boost Mobile Elite 24Brandon Jennings, John Wall and Tyreke Evans were among the notable names playing late night pickup at the Boost Mobile high school all-star game...with predictably awesome results.  JS: Delfino, Ilyasova ready for WorldsThe JS reports (albeit second hand) that Ersan Ilyasova did in fact break his nose last weekend against Lebanon, though there's no suggestion that he'll be missing this weekend's opening games for Turkey. For John Hammond, it's all part of the double-edged sword of your players representing their countries. "What could Ersan be doing any better than this to improve his overall skill set?" Hammond said. "But there is a factor with him, with a young player like Ersan and the pressure on the Turkish national team as the host team for the world championships. There can be a fatigue factor." Things get started on Saturday with Turkey playing Cote D'Ivoire at 1 pm central while Argentina opens against Germany a half hour later. At least that's what my time zone math tells me (Istanbul is eight ours ahead of Milwaukee). Both teams play again exactly 24 hours later, Turkey against Russia and Argentina vs. the Bogut-less Aussies, with all games broadcast live on ESPN3.com. Time for some game threads, people. Amico: Sampson considering move to Chicago?Via Sam Amico: Just learned current Bucks asst Kelvin Sampson is 3rd guy in running for Bulls asst job, along with Terry Porter, Eric Musselman. Jim Boylan has been Scott Skiles' top assistant since they were in Chicago, so presumably Sampson is looking at more money should he get the offer of becoming Tom Thibodeau's top deputy with the Bulls.  Complex Mag: Brandon Jennings Talks “Black Ice” Signature ShoeJennings' interview with Complex Magazine (h/t Nick Monroe) is mostly about his new shoe, but there's also a little bit about basketball. On what he's been working on this summer: I think it’s just been consistency. Being a consistent shooter, I’ve been working on my legs a lot more, so that’s been getting me through. When game 50 comes, I want to be able to keep on finishing and lasting through the last 30 games. So, I’ve put a lot into my leg strength and conditioning this offseason. Wyn Douglas: NBA roster flow chartsYou may know Wyn as the proprietor of the best T'Wolves site on the interwebs (SBN, woot), but he's also the man behind these sweet flow charts showing the evolution of every NBA roster. ESPN: Bucks 13th in NBAJohn Hollinger and Chris Broussard are ranking the NBA 1-30. Bucksketball: Will new acquisitions improve Bucks' finishing?Good read from Jeremy on how the Bucks' summer should help them around the cup. On a related note, my favorite Corey Maggette stat: he averaged 12.8 free throw attempts per 48 minutes last year, while the Bucks as a team averaged 20.4.  Courtside Analyst: Bucks' glory yearsI had a good time reading up on the Bucks of the '70s for the SBN Wisconsin HOF nominations, but Ty has taken it to another level with a series of great analysis posts.   Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926053/fiba-day-1-delfino-ilyasova-among-first-stars.html Turkey and Argentina came away winners on the first day of group play at the FIBA World Championships, with their respective Bucks playing starring roles.   Turkey 86, Cote d'Ivoire 47 /  Box ScoreErsan Ilyasova: 21 min, 4/8 fg, 3/4 threes, 6/8 ft, 8 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 3 pf, 1 to This looked like a laugher from the opening tip, as Turkey jumped out to a 14-0 lead before the Ivorians managed to claw their way back into the game a bit in the second quarter. The African team looked completely unprepared for Turkey's pressuring defense, turning it over 21 times and shooting just 28%. Overall, Turkey's balanced attack was just too much and by halftime they were cruising 40-22. Wearing a clear mask to guard his busted nose, Ersan started the game with a fast break slam before sinking an open triple a minute later. It was for the most part typical Ersan, as he spent most of his time setting screens and looking to get open on the perimeter before crashing the offensive boards once a shot went up. Defensively he wasn't challenged much as Turkey alternated between full-court pressure, zone, and man-to-man defense, but his usual hustling style was still evident.  He ended up diving on the floor a few times as well, showing little concern for the busted beak he picked up last weekend. Same old Ersan. Physically, Ersan had spoken of trying to bulk up at the end of the regular season, and he looked in good shape but not overly bulky either. He also tried to get things going to the hoop on a handful of occasions, helping earn himself eight free throw attempts, but he missed all three of his two point shots after that early dunk and nobody will confuse him for a point forward anytime soon. Ersan added a couple of late threes with the game in hand to finish with 17 points and eight boards in just 21 minutes.  He was still playing in the final minute when I switched over to the Argentina game, which I found a bit surprising given the hectic group schedule. Fortunately he didn't play much in the middle periods, though I was still surprised he only totaled 21 minutes. Argentina 78, Germany 74 / Box ScoreCarlos Delfino: 38 min, 7/18 fg, 3/9 threes, 10/13 ft, 8 rebs, 2 ast, 0 to, 1 stl, 1 blk, 0 pf The first half was a back-and-forth affair before Argentina went on a 14-0 run to lead by as many as 14 in third, including an 11-point edge heading into the final quarter. But the Germans kept fighting back and both teams were sloppy in the closing minutes. Young German big man Tibor Pleiss got the better of Argentina's veteran big men in the early going, but Luis Scola's influence grew as the game went on.  Delfino and backcourt mate Pablo Prigioni shared ballhandling duties for much of the game, though it was Delfino and Scola who not surprisingly were Argentina's bread-and-butter time and again. We're used to seeing Delfino casually launch threes from well beyond the NBA three point line, and it doesn't seem like Carlos is alterring his approach too much with the shorter international line. He scored 10 in the first half and added another 11 in the third as Argentina made their run, relying mostly on his jumper. He also had a couple of opportunistic buckets off turnovers, but he mostly tried to keep things simple as Argentina looked to play their deliberate, half-court game. Obviously Delfino's not a true point, but he played within himself while embracing the challenge of leading Argentina in Manu Ginobili's absence. It's different from his role as a complementary player with the Bucks, but it's encouraging to see him rise to the challenge in his country's colors. Though his jumper stopped falling a bit late, Carlitos neither turned the ball over nor committed a single foul. He also attacked the hoop to draw fouls twice in the waning minutes, first off a cut and then off a drive, while adding 3/4 freebies in the final 10 seconds to seal the game.      Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926052/fiba-day-6-turkey-cruises-argentina-loses.html Turkey and Argentina both entered the final day of group play undefeated and atop their respective divisions, but only Turkey could say the same after the games were over. The host Turks won their fifth straight game despite resting Ersan Ilyasova and three other starters, dismantling the Yi Jianlian-less Chinese 87-40 in Ankara. Carlos Delfino and his Argentine mates weren't as lucky in their final group game, losing by a narrow 84-82 margin to Serbia (4-1), which claimed the Group A title on the tiebreaker.  After the jump we review the Bucks' performances in the tournament thus far and look ahead to what awaits them in the elimination rounds. Ersan Ilyasova: 4 games, 29.8 mpg, 16.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.8 to, 1 stl, 0.5 bpg, .477/.600/.750 Ilyasova's final group game came in Turkey's 79-77 win over Puerto Rico on Wednesday, struggling from the field (5/15 fg) but still managing a tidy 13 points and 13 rebounds. And while Hedo Turkoglu has struggled to find his shot (9.8 ppg on 32% shooting), Ersan has flourished under the spotlight of playing in front of Turkey's basketball-crazy home fans. He's been deadly from three point range (12/20) while giving his usual terrific effort on the boards, giving him a clear claim to the title of Turkey's most indispensable player thus far.  Still, from a developmental standpoint we're also not seeing a brand new Ersan. He looks perhaps a bit thicker than he was at the end of last season, but that's not surprising given it can be difficult for many guys to keep weight on through 82 games plus the playoffs. He's still not the kind of guy who can consistently take anyone off the dribble, and when he has put it on the floor it usually ends in something off-balance from mid-range (though he's also drawn a few fouls that way) rather than a strong take to the cup. And he still looks as bad as ever in the post, preferring to shoot tough fadeaways rather than trying to back his man down or make an actual move. Fortunately he mostly knows his limitations, splitting his time between drifting around the perimeter looking for three pointers and crashing the boards when a shot goes up. I don't see Ersan being a huge upside guy in the NBA, so to me the key issue is consistency. --at his peak I think he's probably no more than a very nice 14-16 ppg, 8-9 rpg guy--but he could be an exceptional rotation player or even solid starter if he was a bit more consistent offensively and held his ground a bit better on defense. Heck, he's already a very solid 6th or 7th man, so it's not like he needs to grow by leaps and bounds to become a worthwhile NBA player. He's been fairly consistent so far in this tournament, but generally speaking Ersan's been a very good international player for a few years now, dating back to his time at the European junior championships in 2006.   The Turkish team next plays France (3-2) on Sunday, which should match Ersan up against Boris Diaw a fair bit. Turkey has the benefit of being on the opposite side of the bracket as the US, and would face the winner of Slovenia/New Zealand in the quarters. However, they're likely to face either Greece, Spain or Serbia in the semis should they get that far. Overall I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see them reach the finals given the home crowd and strong play we've seen from them thus far, though we'll also need to see more from Hedo.  Carlos Delfino: 5 g, 35.6 min, 17.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.2 stl, 0.4 blk, 1.6 to  Delfino is five years older than Ilyasova, but I think there's a similar story in terms of consistency. At 28, Delfino largely is who he is at this point: a streaky shooter who can do a bit of everything at the 2/3. That makes him an ideal complementary player in the NBA, but he's been asked to do more for an Argentina squad missing Manu Ginobili, Andres Nocioni and (for much of the tournament) Fabricio Oberto. He's been a capable deputy to the nearly-unstoppable Luis Scola so far, but he's so reliant on his jump shot that you never know exactly what you're going to get from him offensively.  He's handled it a bit more than usual given Argentina's lack of pure playmaking PG, and he's generally been unselfish and good at knowing when and where to get Scola the ball, even if it's not always reflected in his assist totals. He really hasn't caught fire from three in any of his games, shooting 33% or worse in each one, but it's probably just a matter of time given he's proven to be a very solid shooter from the longer NBA three point line. Argentina next faces their nemeses from Brazil (3-2) on Tuesday, so both teams will have time recharge their batteries after the hectic group schedule. Should Argentina win, they would get the winner of China/Lithuania (almost certainly the Lithuanians) in the quarters and would have to go through the US in the semis.  Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926051/milwaukee-bucks-20092010-season-via-google-searches.html Enjoy! It’s a lot easier to watch when it’s full screen, for what it’s worth. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926050/bango-dunk-competition.html By now you’ve seen the infamous, “Bango on the stairs dunk”, but have you seen Kenny, Charles, and Ernie try to do it themselves? Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926049/kurz-3pointer-at-buzzer-edges-bucks.html Charlie Villanueva and Michael Redd sparked an aggressive effort by the Bucks, but they fell to the Golden State Warriors, 109-108, on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by reserve Rob Kurz at the Olympic basketball venue in Beijing. The Bucks had grabbed a 108-106 lead with 1.4 seconds to go on a running shot in the lane by reserve forward Matt Freije. Villanueva scored a game-high 26 points and Redd added 23 in his return to the Wukesong Arena, where he played for the U.S. team which claimed the gold medal in the Beijing Olympics in August. Stephen Jackson paced the Warriors with 24 points, and Corey Maggette, C.J. Watson and Brandan Wright each had 14. The teams concluded play in the NBA China Games, after the Bucks had won the opener in Guangzhou on Wednesday, 98-94. Bucks coach Scott Skiles said the game only proved how much work his team still needed to do. "We made so many mistakes," Skiles said. "A lot of the mistakes were well-intentioned. But we have to respect how hard we have to play all the time. "We gave up more than 30 points (32) in the first quarter and allowed them to shoot over 50% on field goals (52.7% for the game). We have practiced very well, and this is common. We're having difficulty translating it onto the game floor. Each night we have a couple or three guys who haven't been at a high level." Rookie forward Joe Alexander, who was born in Taiwan and lived nearly six years in Beijing, gave a second straight strong effort for the Bucks, finishing with 14 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Forward Richard Jefferson added 13 points and seven assists. The Bucks trailed in the fourth quarter but rallied from a six-point deficit with an 11-0 run to grab a 104-99 lead. Point guard Luke Ridnour hit a three-pointer from the corner to pull the Bucks within one point, and Villanueva followed with a shot in the lane for his final basket of the game. Alexander dunked on the break, on an assist from Jefferson, but Bucks coach Scott Skiles pulled his starters off the floor at that point, with Milwaukee leading, 102-99. Point guard Ramon Sessions added a basket to complete the Bucks' run, but the Warriors rallied in the final minutes with four points by Wright and a pair of three-pointers by Kurz, an undrafted rookie from Notre Dame. Redd scored 15 points in the first half as the Bucks grabbed a 60-56 lead at intermission. He scored his 23 points in 28 minutes, on 8-of-14 shooting, including 5 of 8 from three-point distance. "Michael has been very good," Skiles said. "He's tried to do everything we've asked of him, and he's worked to defend. Everybody knows Michael can score. I thought he stood out." Center Andris Biedrins had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors, and Kurz added 11 points while hitting all four of his field goal attempts, including three from beyond the arc. The Bucks headed for the airport immediately after the game to catch a charter flight home to Milwaukee. They are scheduled to arrive around 5 p.m. Saturday. "We'll have Sunday off and come back and regroup Monday," Skiles said. "We have a lot of work to do to get ready for the regular season and that schedule we have." The Bucks have a road-heavy schedule in November and December, playing 20 of their first 33 games as the visiting team. Milwaukee has exhibition games left at Minnesota on Thursday and at Chicago on Friday, before opening against the Bulls at the United Center on Oct. 28. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926048/howard-kruger-released.html This morning the Bucks announced they had released guards Ron Howard and Kevin Kruger. Both had played sparingly during the exhibition schedule. The team's roster was reduced to 16 players, including veteran guard Damon Jones, who did not report to camp by mutual agreement. The Bucks can carry 15 players on the regular-season roster. The team returned to practice at the Cousins Center in St. Francis today, following its week-long trip to China. The Bucks split a pair of games with the Golden State Warriors, winning the opener, 98-94, in Guangzhou, and losing, 109-108, at the Olympic venue in Beijing. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926047/bell-returns-to-practice-bogut-sits-out.html St. Francis - Charlie Bell had to stay home while his teammates traveled to China last week. But it appears the veteran guard made the most of his time as he worked to rehabilitate from off-season surgery on his left ankle. The former Michigan State star was back at practice today for the first time since the opening week of training camp, and he looked good during the full-court scrimmage session. "It felt like night and day," Bell said after practice. "I was able to run down the court full speed. I've still got some little soreness, but at the same time, it felt great. "I think I was able to keep guys in front of me fairly well. I haven't played for a while, and my wind kind of went away. I'm looking forward to playing Thursday and Friday and getting a couple games in before the season starts." The Bucks will play at Minnesota on Thursday and at Chicago on Friday to end their exhibition schedule, before returning to Chicago to open the regular season against the Bulls on Oct. 28. "He was moving better today than he did when we left," Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. "He's a guy if you're putting in things, he can do them one time and remember them right away. It's just a matter of getting him healthy. It was a good move for that week to have him stay back and rehab." Skiles hinted that Bell's role will depend on his ability to regain his form of two years ago, when he played in all 82 games and averaged a career-best 13.5 points. Contractual issues put a damper on Bell's start to last season, and he battled injuries. He suffered a medial collateral ligament tear in his right knee in late March and underwent ankle surgery in May. "If it's the Charlie Bell from two seasons ago, he can help us an awful lot," Skiles said. "Charlie last year, by his own admission, didn't have a very good year, on a team that didn't have a very good year. "We need the things he can do. He can shoot the ball; he has a good head about him out there. He can do some ball handling for you. Historically, he's been a very good defender and a very good guard rebounder. Those are all valuable things." Bogut held out: Center Andrew Bogut was kept out of practice due to to a sore left ankle. Bogut twisted the ankle in the Bucks' second game in China, their 109-108 loss to Golden State on Saturday in Beijing. "I came in yesterday and got treatment ... and today," Bogut said. "We thought it was best not to go today and just try to stay off it. The funny thing is it's one of those injuries where it's not really sore to walk on or run in a straight line. It's more just changing direction (that hurts). "I don't think it's anything major. I think it should be all right. Maybe I can practice tomorrow or the day after." Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926046/much-work-to-do.html The Bucks have much work to do and little time to do it. The Bucks conducted their first practice since returning from their China trip Monday at their training facility and while the players and coaches were still feeling the effects of their long return flight, the workout went pretty well. Just in case the players were too sluggish from their journey and were not responsive to a normal practice, coach Scott Skiles had an alternate practice "Plan B" in his pocket, but he did not have to refer to it. "We went pretty hard," said Skiles. "We have a lot to work on in a short period of time. We can't waste any days right now. We kind of had a regular practice plan and then a little bit of a backup in case we felt the guys were really dragging. But they worked so we went ahead with (the regular plan)." Said center Dan Gadzuric, "It was a little bit of a slow start but other than that it felt good. Once we got going, we got going. After that long flight, it was kind of expected to be a little bit rough but once we got the rough edges smoothed out, we did pretty well. People would expect us to be a little more sluggish but the way we practiced today was pretty good." Or, as center Andrew Bogut said, "It was intense. I really wanted to be out there. The guys were really into it. It was a pretty good session." Bogut said out the practice because of a left-ankle injury that is not considered to be serious. The Bucks will be able to get in two more days of practice before they close out their exhibition schedule with games at Minnesota on Thursday and Chicago on Friday. After that, they will have three days to practice before opening the regular season at Chicago on Oct. 28. Skiles has generally been satisfied with the way his team has practiced. But a common theme of the exhibition season has been that the practice habits have not carried over to games as the Bucks have won one of six exhibition games so far.   "In our games, we haven't been competitive enough," said Skiles. "We haven't played good enough defense yet. Our transition defense hasn't been good enough. We feel like we're moving in a positive direction but it's not where we need to be." Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926045/legs-still-wobbly.html Looking to strengthen their defense and their legs, the Bucks went through a 2 ½ hour workout Tuesday at their training facility. The players are still feeling the effects of last week's trip to China although the hope is that things will be getting back to normal soon. Coach Scott Skiles called it an "OK" practice. "On both days, yesterday and today, guys were dragging just a little bit, but not too much," said Skiles. "Not as much as I thought they might be. They did a pretty good job of fighting through it. So hopefully, today or tomorrow or some point we can shake the whole thing off. "It's undeniable that your body clock can get a little bit screwed up. There's no doubt about that. But, depending on how you look at it, we're on the second day back, and I would imagine by tomorrow  they should be feeling pretty good again." The Bucks arrived back home at about 5 p.m. on Saturday and then went about the business of trying to get their bodies acclimated to being back in Milwaukee. The team was given Sunday off but put in full practices on both Monday and Tuesday. They have one more workout scheduled for Wednesday before closing out the exhibition schedule with games at Minnesota Thursday and Chicago Friday.   "Most of the guys did what I did (after arriving back home)," said Skiles after today's practice. "They treated Saturday night like Saturday night...had dinner and tried to go to bed at the normal time and woke up a little bit earlier or whatever. But it's different than just traveling over there because it's also the physical element that guys play the game and then flew home. But I don't sense anything lingering. There's a little fatigue from it but not too much." Although they worked on a variety of things in practice, Skiles continues to stress trying to improve the team's inconsistent defense. He said that the team tended to play acceptable defense for only short periods of time. "Our defense isn't good enough yet," he said. "We've got a lot of improvements to make in a short period of time. We're not contesting shots with enough authority. Our close outs aren't good enough. We're giving up way too much middle penetration. And when our help gets there our second and third guys involved are sometimes asleep. It's just a lot of things that we don't have down yet. We don't have our habits firmed up yet." Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926044/feuding-starts-mo-andre.html Former Bucks guard Mo Williams didn't wait for the regular season to get his first ejection as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Williams got tossed in an exhibition game against Philadelphia on Saturday night after a first-quarter altercation with point guard Andre Miller of the 76ers. The Cavaliers won, 100-93, at Quicken Loans Arena. After the Cavaliers' practice session on Monday, Williams told the Cleveland Plain Dealer, "Would I say I put it behind me? No. But am I going to play basketball and never hurt my team again? Yes.  ... We need wins. Everybody on this team contributes to win. If I'm not in the game, I can't contribute. It won't happen again." The teams played again tonight in Philadelphia, and Williams contributed 13 points and four assists in 32 minutes, as the Cavaliers grabbed a 91-83 victory. Miller had 12 points and 10 assists in 35 minutes. Bucks fans will recall Williams' third-quarter ejection in the team's 96-94 loss to the San Antonio Spurs last season at the Bradley Center. Williams was thrown out that night (March 1) for arguing with an official. He also was ejected the previous year at home against the Spurs, in Larry Krystkowiak's first game as coach, after arguing a foul call. In October 2007, Williams was ejected in an exhibition game in Denver after being issued two technicals. The Bucks traded Williams to Cleveland on Aug. 13 as part of a three-team deal that brought Luke Ridnour and Adrian Griffin to Milwaukee. Williams will face the Bucks for the first time since the trade on Nov. 11 at Cleveland. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926043/backup-point-role-up-for-grabs.html Bucks coach Scott Skiles made it clear in his comments after practice on Tuesday. Luke Ridnour will be the starting point guard, barring injury, when the regular season opens next week in Chicago. The backup spot? There's no clear leader between veteran Tyronn Lue and second-year pro Ramon Sessions, and Charlie Bell also could be thrown in the mix at the point. "Luke does a nice job running the offense," Skiles said. "We need more out of the two primary backups, there's no doubt about that. It's nice to have Charlie Bell back; it's a role he also can play. "I'm not real concerned about that position. We're asking an awful lot out of Ramon; we're asking him to learn a lot in a short period of time. Basically, he's a rookie." Lue was hampered by an injury early in training camp but said he is starting to feel better. "My body is coming around now, and I'm getting in better shape," Lue said. "My weight is down, and I'm starting to get my legs. My shot has been short lately. As long as I can get in shape, that's all I'm really worried about and I know my game will be ready to go." Bell has not played in any exhibition games while he continues to recover from off-season surgery on his left ankle. But he was able to practice the last few days, since the team's return from its China trip. The former Michigan State star did not travel to China but stayed back to continue treatment and rehabilitation of his ankle. "It's still up in the air right now," Skiles said of the backup point role. "Charlie will play in these games (Thursday at Minnesota and Friday at Chicago). We'll get a good look at him out there and play the other two guys, too, and see where we want to go. "Hopefully by opening night at least we'll have one guy we think is the main backup. It doesn't mean we won't play three (at point guard) in a game, though, either. We might." Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926042/bogut-stays-home-due-to-injured-ankle.html Andrew Bogut reluctantly headed home rather than going to Minnesota with his teammates this afternoon. The 7-foot center had packed for the trip, but ultimately it was decided he needed to stay home due to a sprained left ankle. He suffered the injury in the second half of the Bucks' second game in China, then aggravated it in practice on Tuesday. Bogut still hopes to be able to play in the Bucks' regular-season opener on Tuesday in Chicago. He will miss the team's final two exhibition games, scheduled Thursday at Minnesota and Friday at Chicago. "Tuesday obviously is the goal, but it's a matter of how it responds in the next three or four days," Bogut said following the Bucks' annual season preview luncheon held today at the Hyatt Regency. "If it responds well, I think we'll be OK. "I just stepped on someone's foot (in Beijing), and it totally gave out on me. I got it all taped up (Tuesday) and had a good start at practice, then re-sprained it." Bogut and the rest of his teammates were introduced one-by-one at the luncheon, and each had a few words for the audience. The lunch was sponsored by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. Here are a few highlights from the players: Bogut - "It was no secret we were one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA and had a lot of work to do. I think coach (Scott) Skiles' principles are spot on. It's only going to be hard work to get to where we need to be. I think a (personal) goal would be to try to get 10 rebounds a game. As far as setting points and all that, I don't think that's realistic. I think rebounding's a thing you want to do, and to be there for my teammates. Guys like me, Charlie V., Danny G., the big guys, we're the back line of the defense. If we can talk and communicate to our teammates, we can really help the structure of our defense." Adrian Griffin - Asked what he brings to the team, the 34-year-old swingman joked, "A lot of youth and athleticism." After a pause and some laughter, he said, "I go one speed, slow and steady. I'll get there eventually." Joe Alexander - The rookie was asked if he would like to take part in the NBA's slam dunk contest this season. "I wouldn't mind being in the dunk contest," he said. "I'll jump over the Fonz statue." Charlie Villanueva - "I want to be known as a double-double guy, and I think I'm capable of doing it." Malik Allen - Asked about playing for Scott Skiles, the former Chicago forward said, "It's hard. But coach Skiles is great; I have a lot of respect for him. That's why I came back. He gives everybody a shot. That's one of the good things about him. With a lot of coaches in this league, you don't get the same opportunity he gives guys on his teams." Tyronn Lue - In the points for honesty department, the veteran guard was asked if he would rather shoot or pass. "I'd rather shoot it," he said.    Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926041/skiles-outlines-fivepoint-plan.html Scott Skiles said he wasn't sure what to think when Bucks general manager John Hammond called him about the team's head coaching position last spring. But Skiles eventually warmed up to the idea. The Bucks coach drew laughter at the team's tip-off luncheon on Wednesday when he said: "I must say I was a little indecisive when John first called me about this job, because I hated the Pistons so much. I didn't know if I wanted to work with anybody from Detroit." Now Hammond, the former Pistons executive, and Skiles are teaming up to reshape the Bucks and make them a player in the NBA's Central Division. The day after he was named the Bucks coach, Skiles jotted down five points, his vision for getting the Bucks back on track. Here they are, in his words: 1) "The first thing is to get a group of hard-working guys that play unselfishly. If you saw the China Games at all, we're attempting to move the ball, hit the open man, play unselfishly. 2) "A team that individually doesn't care who gets the credit, and as result they all get the credit." 3) "A team that plays physical, tough, aggressive defense. We're not there yet, but we're moving in that direction. This is as good a practice team as I've been around, and I've been 22 years in the NBA, so I've been on a lot of teams as a player and coach. They're bringing it, every day. Right now, it might not seem like it's paying dividends. But I've never been with a team that practiced that well that ultimately it didn't pay huge dividends." 4) "A team that competes at a high level every night. We haven't done that here. We haven't felt the team is competitive the last couple years, every single night, and we want to get there." 5) "Lastly, just to never leave any building feeling like we got outworked. That we lost because we got outworked. If we lose, hey, we lose. But we outworked 'em. They made a bunch of threes that night, or whatever it is. That's a feeling we want to have every night when we leave." The Bucks will continue to work on Skiles' plan in their final two exhibition games, scheduled tonight in Minnesota and Friday night in Chicago. Tonight's game will be televised on Fox Sports Net, beginning at 7. The game against the Bulls will be a radio broadcast only on WTMJ (AM-620), starting at 7:30. That will leave the Bucks a few practice days before returning to the United Center to open the regular season on Tuesday night, followed by a Wednesday night game in Oklahoma City (the official debut of the Oklahoma City Thunder, formerly the Seattle SuperSonics). The Bucks will open their home season on Nov. 1 against the Toronto Raptors. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926040/star-power-lacking-china-daily-says.html According to a report in China Daily, Chinese basketball fans were less than thrilled with having a matchup between the Bucks and Golden State Warriors last week in Guangzhou and Beijing. Apparently, the Bucks' high-scoring duo of Michael Redd and Richard Jefferson did little to excite the fans, and the same could be said for Golden State's Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette. Last year, the NBA China Games featured Cleveland's LeBron James and Orlando's Dwight Howard. This year's event was supposed to feature the Bucks' Yi Jianlian, and planning was well under way before he was traded in June to the New Jersey Nets. Instead of having a homecoming in Guangzhou, Yi traveled to Europe with the Nets, who played exhibitions in London and Paris. And is it possible that Chinese fans are getting a little spoiled after seeing the U.S. Redeem Team in the Olympic Games? Perhaps. After all, it is exhibition season for NBA players. Maybe the solution is to have some regular-season games in China at some point, as major-league baseball did last season when the Boston Red Sox and Oakland A's opened the season in Tokyo. In defense of the Bucks and Warriors, both games were close, and regulars played extended minutes for both teams. Redd was held out of the game in Guangzhou, and the Warriors' Al Harrington didn't play in Beijing. Hey, not every game in the NBA is Lakers-Celtics. Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926039/bell-set-to-play.html Minneapolis - Guard Charlie Bell is expected to get his first playing time of the exhibition season when the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight at the Target Center. Bell missed the first six games because of an Achilles injury but coach Scott Skiles said before the game that he expected to give Bell some limited playing time. "They want me to keep him under 15 minutes so I'll probably give him 6 or 7 in the first half and 6 or 7 in the second and see how he does," said Skiles. "He's looked good in practice. He's not 100% but he's getting there." Bell did not make the recent trip to China to stay home and working on re-habbing his injury and that time proved to be beneficial to him. When Bell gets back to full health, the Bucks are  hoping he will be able to provide a spark on both ends of the floor. "He does what he does," said Skiles. "He can defend a couple of different positions. Offensively, he can play a couple of different positions. Obviously, he can play (shooting guard and point guard) and maybe even a little (small forward) if you want to play small. He makes open shots and he's been a good guard-rebounder. So there's a lot of things he can do." Milwaukee Bucks - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926038/bucks-lose-in-minnesota.html Minneapolis - The Minnesota Timberwolves overcame a 13-point, second-quarter deficit, dominated the second half, and defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, 95-76, Thursday night at the Target Center. The Bucks are 1-6 in the exhibition season. Center Andrew Bogut was not with the team because of an ankle injury and Dan Gadzuric started in his place. Gadzuric finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds while point guard Luke Ridnour had 12 points and seven assists for Milwaukee. But it wasn't a good overall performance by the Bucks mentally or physically. "We've been pretty poor out of the locker room in the third quarter in every game so far," said coach Scott Skiles. "There's a huge mental aspect to all sports, but in the pro game, it's integral. There's enough evidence right now that we're not as mentally ready as we need to be." Skiles was asked if his team was still feeling the effects of the China trip. "When will our statue of limitations be up on being back long enough?" said Skiles. "I don't know the answer to that. I think that's something that if you want to use it as an excuse, you can. And if you don't..." Bucks guard Charlie Bell, who missed the first six exhibition games with an Achilles injury, saw his first game action and entered the game for the first time with 4:35 minutes left in the first quarter and Minnesota leading, 13-12. Bell made his first shot, a three-pointer, to give Milwaukee a 20-15 lead with 2 minutes left. With point guard Ridnour scoring eight points and handing out five assists, the Bucks led after one quarter, 25-18. Bell, who ended up playing 13 minutes, assisted on a fast-break layup by Francisco Elson early in the second quarter to give Milwaukee a 27-18 lead. Bell departed with 9:57 left in the second quarter and the Bucks ahead, 27-25.  The Bucks extended their lead to 40-29 on a three-pointer by Richard Jefferson midway through the second period, and were ahead by 13 with 1:46 left, but Minnesota then scored the final seven points of the half to trim Milwaukee's lead to 46-40. Gadzuric had nine points and six rebounds in the first half while Ridnour had eight points and six assists. Minnesota rallied back early in the third quarter to take a 52-51 lead on a three-pointer by Mike Miller. The lead changed hands several times before Minnesota pushed its lead to 68-61 after three quarters. The Timberwolves outscored the Bucks, 10-4, in the final 4 ½ minutes. Minnesota extended its lead to 79-65 midway through the fourth quarter and led the rest of the way. The Bucks will play their final exhibition game Friday night in Chicago. 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