July 4
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Restricted free agent Josh Childress met with Milwaukee Bucks officials on Thursday for a getting-to-know-you session. Childress and agent Jim Tanner were in Milwaukee for discussions with Bucks general manager John Hammond and other team officials. Childress played last season with Olympiakos in Greece and has until July 15 to decide if he wants to opt out and return to the National Basketball Association. The Atlanta Hawks still hold his league rights and could match any offer made by another team. The 26-year-old Childress left Atlanta on difficult terms last summer, however, when he signed a three-year, $20 million deal with Olympiakos. It is possible he could sign an offer sheet with ..."
July 3
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Restricted free agent Josh Childress met with Milwaukee Bucks officials on Thursday for a getting-to-know-you session. Childress and agent Jim Tanner were in Milwaukee for discussions with Bucks general manager John Hammond and other team officials. Childress played last season with Olympiakos in Greece and has until July 15 to decide if he wants to opt out and return to the National Basketball Association. The Atlanta Hawks still hold his league rights and could match any offer made by another team. The 26-year-old Childress left Atlanta on difficult terms last summer, however, when he signed a three-year, $20 million deal with Olympiakos. It is possible he could sign an offer sheet with ..."
July 2
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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From Athens to Milwaukee and back to Atlanta, the name Josh Childress is being tossed around in every direction these days. Childress is in Milwaukee today visiting the Bucks with his agent, Jim Tanner. What that means for the Hawks is that they might get a do-over with Childress, a restricted free agent again this summer as he was last summer. Last summer they lost him as an asset when he chose to sign with Greek power Olympiakos (for $20 million post taxes). What the Hawks didn't lose was the right of first refusal on Childress if he decided to return to the NBA this summer. And two of my spies have made it clear that were Childress to receive any sort of "reasonable" NBA offer (the $5.8 ..."
July 2
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond reached out with a phone call to point guard Ramon Sessions immediately when the free agency period opened late Tuesday night (11:01 p.m. Milwaukee time). It appears the Bucks are seriously interested in retaining Sessions, although Hammond did not reveal if he made a multiyear offer in excess of the $1 million qualifying offer made earlier by the team. Free agents are now eligible to negotiate with National Basketball Association teams but cannot sign contracts until Wednesday. The 6-foot-3 Sessions is a restricted free agent, and the Bucks will have the right to match offers made by other teams. He appeared in 79 games last season and averaged ..."
July 1
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
columnist Bob Wolfley
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However the taped phone conversation between Milwaukee Bucks draft pick Brandon Jennings and rapper Joe Budden came to be posted on the Web, it's not the kind of hello world moment you would choose to begin your National Basketball Association career. In the exchange, Jennings repeatedly uses the n-word, says the Bucks will not re-sign Ramon Sessions, asserts that Luke Ridnour will be his backup (but later says he doesn't know), believes ESPN's Jay Bilas was "hatin' on" him on draft night, thinks he made the best draft night appearance and was the best dressed of all players who made it to the stage at Madison Square Garden, contends Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio is overrated and wishes ..."
June 30
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The Milwaukee Bucks bid goodbye to Charlie Villanueva on Monday, keeping their fiscal options open while continuing to rebuild the team during the off-season. General manager John Hammond said no qualifying offer would be tendered to Villanueva, who played the last three seasons with Milwaukee after arriving in a June 2006 trade. Hammond did not want to elaborate on the reasons for the decision. The Bucks had to make a $4.6 million qualifying offer by the Tuesday deadline if they wished to retain the 6-foot-11 forward's rights. The 24-year-old Villanueva will become an unrestricted free agent Wednesday and will be able to sign a contract with any NBA team, beginning July 8. Hammond said ..."
June 29
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Bucks general manager John Hammond confirmed Monday that Charlie Villanueva would not receive a $4.6 million qualifying offer by the Tuesday deadline. The Bucks' decision means Villanueva will be an unrestricted free agent, able to sign with any NBA team beginning July 8. Teams may begin negotiating with free agents on Wednesday. Hammond said the team has made qualifying offers to restricted free agents Ramon Sessions and Ersan Ilyasova. That allows the Bucks to match any offers made to them by other NBA clubs. The Bucks were part of a three-team trade last week that helped the team's precarious luxury tax situation, as Richard Jefferson was sent to San Antonio in return for expiring ..."
June 29
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Finding a power forward in the draft would have been delightful for the Milwaukee Bucks. Instead, the Bucks filled a big need at point guard with Brandon Jennings at the No. 10 pick and grabbed shooting guard Jodie Meeks from Kentucky in the second round. But Bucks general manager John Hammond did snare a promising power forward last week, when he acquired 22-year-old Amir Johnson from Detroit as part of the three-team deal that sent Richard Jefferson to San Antonio. Johnson has one year and $3.66 million left on the three-year, $10.8 million contract he signed in the summer of 2007. "It's a new start for me," Johnson said. "I felt like I got drafted coming here. I'm ready to get out there ..."
June 28
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The Milwaukee Bucks are back in the game. In a manner of speaking, anyway. In a busy week centering around the NBA draft, the Bucks began to reshape their roster by adding five players, established some much-needed financial flexibility and found that their phones are ringing once again. That's a good thing, since it means they have created options they can explore to further mold their team for next season. "The key word is 'options,' " said coach Scott Skiles. "We have options and opportunities. Any options that we have, we'll look at them now. When you gain the ability to have some options, the phone starts ringing a little bit." Said general manager John Hammond, "People know that we ..."
June 27
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Brandon Jennings wants to make a splash in the National Basketball Association. And he thinks he has found a point guard to emulate, somebody who has already won an NBA championship and just finished his third season in the league. That's Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo, a player with a similar build to that of the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Jennings. "I like what he did in the playoffs this year," Jennings said. "I think he proved to people he can really play, and the way he was running the team was awesome." Of course, the guy Rondo matched up against in the first round of the playoffs wouldn't be a bad one to emulate, either. That was NBA rookie of the year Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls. ..."
June 26
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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At the ripe young age of 19, guard Brandon Jennings has already been around the block a few times. Has he ever. The trail-blazing Jennings toured Europe playing professional basketball last season, eventually found his way to the Madison Square Garden stage Thursday for the National Basketball Association's college draft, and now has Milwaukee, and possibly Green Bay, written in as the next stops on his itinerary. Jennings, a 6-foot-1 guard from Compton, Calif., and a former national high school player of the year, was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 10th overall pick in the draft and immediately becomes one of the major building blocks on which coach Scott Skiles and general ..."
June 25
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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It appeared all along the Bucks had zeroed in on a point guard in the NBA draft. And it proved true tonight when Milwaukee chose 19-year-old Brandon Jennings with the 10th overall pick. Jennings, who skipped a freshman year in college to play professionally in Italy, saw his gamble pay off when the Bucks made the move to select him. Jonny Flynn went sixth overall to Minnesota, and point guards Ricky Rubio and Stephen Curry also were selected ahead of Jennings. The Bucks liked the athletic ability of the 6-foot-1 Jennings and also were impressed with his decision to play for Lottomatica Roma, even though he didn't receive consistent playing time. Jennings averaged 5.5 points and 2.3 assists ..."
June 25
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Keep an eye on swingman Jerry Stackhouse of the Dallas Mavericks as the hours tick down to Thursday night's college draft. The Mavericks are talking up Stackhouse and his favorable contract as trade bait and the Bucks are said to be one of the teams that are listening. Stackhouse's contract is worth $7 million next season but it can be bought out for $2 million which mean a considerable savings for any team that might want to trade for him and go that route. It's very similar to the contract of Bruce Bowen who was obtained by the Bucks in the trade for Richard Jefferson. Bowen is to make $4 million next season but only half of that deal is guaranteed. If the Bucks are confident that they ..."
June 25
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles contends that Tuesday's three-team trade that sent forward Richard Jefferson to San Antonio will not affect the team's approach or strategy in Thursday's night's NBA draft. Even so, the deal that brought forwards Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Amir Johnson to Milwaukee has altered the Bucks' needs for next season and could have some bearing on how the team uses its first-round pick (10th overall) and second-round selection (41st overall). Skiles' view on how the trade will affect the Bucks in the draft? "I don't think it does," he said. "We're going to try and get a very good player, the best player we can at 10, and the best player we can at 41, and see ..."
June 24
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The newest makeover of the Milwaukee Bucks began in earnest on Tuesday when general manager John Hammond dealt 29-year-old forward Richard Jefferson to the San Antonio Spurs as part of a three-team deal to achieve some needed financial flexibility for the franchise. Jefferson, acquired in a draft-day deal by Hammond last June, was sent to the Spurs in exchange for 38-year-old forward Bruce Bowen and veteran forward Kurt Thomas, and the Bucks also obtained forward Amir Johnson from Detroit while the Spurs sent forward-center Fabricio Oberto to the Pistons. The deal took nearly all day to complete, finally becoming official around 9 p.m. The move will result in some financial flexibility for ..."
June 23
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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A few observers have the Milwaukee Bucks taking Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn when it comes their turn at No. 10 overall Thursday night during the National Basketball Association draft. One of those observers is Bucks forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who chose for his team in a mock draft conducted by ESPN the Magazine. "He's a very good point guard with athleticism, toughness and leadership qualities. Remember the Big East tournament?" Mbah a Moute told the magazine, referring to Flynn. But ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said during a telephone conference call Monday that Flynn wouldn't be available to the Bucks. "I think he will be gone by 10 when Milwaukee picks," Bilas said. "Although he ..."
June 20
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Jordan Hill figures his best basketball is yet to come. At age 21, he's a relative neophyte to the sport, after concentrating on baseball in his youth. But the dreadlocked power forward made up for lost time in his last two years at Arizona, when his talent on the basketball court became quite evident. On Thursday night, the 6-foot-10 Hill will see just how high his uncharted path has taken him when he is selected in the National Basketball Association draft. It could land him a spot with the Milwaukee Bucks, who have the 10th overall pick, but many draft experts think he won't still be on the board. "Milwaukee definitely is a good fit for me, and I think I could come in and make a huge ..."
June 19
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
columnist Michael Hunt
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The debate over whether the Milwaukee Bucks should draft a point guard or a power forward is entertaining, but it misses the point on what the franchise must do. Beginning Thursday night and for however long it takes the Bucks to dig out from under their untenable payroll, they've got to get into the asset allocation business. That means acquiring young talent, regardless of position, with manageable contracts that will be valuable to the Bucks or to someone else. That's the only way to move up in the NBA. Want to take a practical lesson from the Los Angeles Lakers? Their path to greatness began in 1996, when on draft night they had an asset (a young Vlade Divac) they could send to ..."
June 19
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Take the "best player available." It's a cliché, yes, but one that best applies to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2009 National Basketball Association draft next week. The Bucks' biggest needs for next season will be at point guard and power forward. Even so, general manager John Hammond emphasized that - barring a trade - when it came time for the team to exercise its 10th pick in the first round on Thursday, the Bucks would choose the player rated highest on their draft board regardless of position. "We'll take the best player, in our eyes," Hammond said at a draft-related news conference Thursday at the team's Cousins Center practice facility. "We're not married to a position to that ..."
June 17
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
columnist Tom Enlund
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It was a long and arduous road to the National Basketball Association championship for the Los Angeles Lakers. Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles hopes his players noticed. After winding their way through the regular season and finishing with the best record in the Western Conference at 65-17, the Lakers had to fend off challenges in the playoffs from Utah, Houston - in seven games - and Denver before dispatching the Orlando Magic in five games in the Finals to be crowned champions. To Skiles, watching the playoffs from the sideline offered a reminder of just how hard it is to win in the postseason, which is something he wants his players to keep in mind as the team's building process ..."
June 16
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
columnist Tom Enlund
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The National Basketball Association college draft is only a week and a half away so the order of selection in the first round should be coming a bit more into focus. That, however, does not appear to be the case. The only thing that seems certain is that on June 25, Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin will be taken with the first pick that is currently held by the Los Angeles Clippers. The Memphis Grizzlies have the second pick and that's where the uncertainty begins that carries all the way down to the Milwaukee Bucks at No. 10 and beyond. "It's a hodgepodge from two until after us," said Dave Babcock, the Bucks' director of player personnel. "I don't know. It could go a lot of different ways. ..."
June 12
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Point guard or power forward? "That is one of the great decisions we have to make," Milwaukee Bucks scouting director Billy McKinney said Thursday. The Bucks have plenty of questions to sort through in the days leading up to the National Basketball Association draft on June 25 and the most prominent might be whether to bolster their roster at the point-guard position or at power forward. And unless the answers become clear in the next couple of weeks, that could turn out to be a difficult decision. "Your first rule of thumb is (you take the) best player on the board," said Dave Babcock, the Bucks' director of player personnel. "The next step is, if you view two or three players equally, ..."
June 12
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Fragile. Handle with care. That tag could be applied to Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut, at least for the moment. It's a label he hopes to shed, but first he has to be cautious about his recovery from a stress fracture in his lower back. The 7-foot Bogut returned to Milwaukee earlier this week after a 20-hour flight from Singapore via Japan, and he made an appearance Thursday at a Bucks season-ticket holders event outside Miller Park. "A month from this week should be the goal," Bogut said of returning to the basketball court and running again. "I'm doing some light shooting, no moving or real jumping, just some technique stuff. "You don't want to overdo it now; it's only June. I want ..."
June 10
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Jerel McNeal is making a whirlwind tour of National Basketball Association cities, showing his skills in one workout after another. On Tuesday, the former Marquette University star was in familiar territory as he returned to Milwaukee as part of a six-player workout held by the Bucks. It was the 6-foot-3 guard's ninth workout, and although reviews from Bucks officials were highly favorable, he admitted his anxiety level remained high. That's because he still has no idea where he will end up in the June 25 NBA draft. "I wish I had an answer for people," McNeal said after the morning session at the Cousins Center. "It's somewhat of a stressful time, especially for guys in my position. You ..."
June 7
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
columnist Bob Wolfley
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The Milwaukee Bucks rank 17th among 30 National Basketball Association teams in the effectiveness of their drafts over the last 20 years, according to a statistical study done by ESPN Insider. The Bucks are one of three teams assigned a letter grade of C-minus for their drafts. Orlando and Minnesota also received C-minus grades. Key to the evaluation is a metric called estimated wins added, which compares the production of a team's pick with what that pick typically generates. For example, center Andrew Bogut has a career EWA of 5.4, a solid number in this system, but No. 1 overall picks have expected EWAs of 7.8, so Milwaukee's number suffers as a result. San Antonio is deemed the best ..."
June 6
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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It's not the kind of shot that UCLA swingman Josh Shipp, or any basketball player for that matter, would forget easily. Shipp, teammate Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and the rest of the Bruins were trailing by one point in the closing seconds of a game against California in 2008 and were inbounding the ball from under their own basket. The ball went on the wing to the 6-foot-5 Shipp, who drove baseline and found himself behind the backboard. He hoisted a rainbow shot that went up over the backboard and fell through with 1.5 seconds left, giving UCLA an 81-80 victory. Shipp, who averaged 14.5 points as a senior last season, reminisced about the shot after going through a pre-draft workout with ..."
June 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva made the rounds at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., on Wednesday, taking part in the morning First Take program, doing a chat with ESPN Deportes and also speaking with interviewer Freddie Coleman on the Tirico & Van Pelt Show on ESPN Radio. It's clear that Villanueva is well aware of the Bucks' difficulties in trying to re-sign him this summer, when he will be a restricted free agent. It's possible the Bucks won't even be able to make a one-year qualifying offer of $4.6 million, which they are required to do by June 30 if they want to retain the right to match offers by other clubs. Bucks general manager John Hammond has stated the team will not exceed ..."
June 3
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Del Harris wasn't sure about this coaching thing. He wanted to be a minister, or so he thought. But Harris started out coaching the seventh- and eighth-grade boys and girls at King Springs Elementary School in Johnson City, Tenn., in 1959. That's where he caught the coaching bug, and he caught it good. "We scored over 100 points four times, playing 6-minute quarters," Harris recalled. "I said, 'Maybe this is a better plan for me.' After 50 years, it probably was the right thing." Harris, former head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, officially announced his retirement Tuesday to complete 50 years of coaching at all levels, including the National ..."
May 29
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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DeJuan Blair believes it's his time to play in the pros. So the Pittsburgh sophomore tossed aside his fast-food habits and lost 40 pounds in the last three weeks - 40 pounds - and weighed in at 275 on Thursday at the National Basketball Association draft combine. He also measured 6-foot-6½, which could cause teams some concern about playing him as an undersized power forward. But he has a 7-foot, 2-inch wingspan and a work ethic that league scouts and general managers love. So it's no surprise the Milwaukee Bucks have more than a passing interest in Blair, who could fill a major need at the power forward spot and might be available when the Bucks' No. 10 slot comes up June 25. It seems ..."