Sam Smith: Bucks the "champions of draft night"

[Mags FTW]

Draft Grades: A
Milwaukee Bucks. It was a big night for the Bucks, making them the champions of draft night. The biggest move was the trade for Richard Jefferson in exchange for slug Bobby Simmons and not-ready-for-prime-NBA-time Yi Jianlian. First-round pick Joe Alexander is Scott Skiles' kind of player. He will hustle and attack the basket. If Skiles can get his backcourt guys to give up the ball occasionally, the team could be in for a big jump. The team's second-round pick, UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is, in the best description I've ever heard from a scout, "Ron Artest without the crazy."

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/vi ... p?t=428492

[EastSideBucksFan]

LOVE the Artest comparison on Mbah Moute, hopefully he's ready to play this year.


Good to see someone acknowledge that the Bucks were the big winners on draft night.

In plenty of the draft recap articles all I see is

WINNER: Chicago Bulls selecting Derrick Rose....


O RLY?

[Mags FTW]

Other grades

CNNSI-Marty Burns

A- Milwaukee Bucks
Joe Alexander (8); Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (37)
New GM John Hammond and coach Scott Skiles added two tough defenders in Alexander and Mbah a Moute to go with newly acquired forward Richard Jefferson. Suddenly the Bucks are a lot better defensively than they were yesterday.

ESPN-Chad Ford

Milwaukee Bucks Grade: B

Round 1: Joe Alexander (8)

Round 2: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (37)

Analysis: I loved the idea of Alexander in Milwaukee before the Bucks traded for Richard Jefferson. After they made the trade, drafting Alexander didn't get me as excited.

The Bucks should've looked to shore up holes on their team. Alexander is a special talent with great upside, but if he's buried behind Jefferson, what's the point?

I like Mbah a Moute as a Bruce Bowen-like defender -- but he's a small forward, too. Where are they all going to play?

[cam2win]

I'll be honest, I'm not sure how to feel with having management that has an apparent plan.

I'm not worried about the 3 SFs we got, that will play itself out and all 3 can play multiple positions. I hate drafting for a spot and taking a guy even if he doesn't fit the system, if only just to fill a need.

[Lippo]

I'll be honest, I'm not sure how to feel with having management that has an apparent plan.

I'm not worried about the 3 SFs we got, that will play itself out and all 3 can play multiple positions. I hate drafting for a spot and taking a guy even if he doesn't fit the system, if only just to fill a need.

5 SF's
Jefferson/Alexander/Mouta/Illyasova/Mason

[EastSideBucksFan]

I'll be honest, I'm not sure how to feel with having management that has an apparent plan.

I'm not worried about the 3 SFs we got, that will play itself out and all 3 can play multiple positions. I hate drafting for a spot and taking a guy even if he doesn't fit the system, if only just to fill a need.

5 SF's
Jefferson/Alexander/Mouta/Illyasova/Mason

Ilyasova is a power forward who may or may not be with this team come October.

[Baddy Chuck]

Drafting by just players I'll give our draft a B. We got 2 solid players.

Drafting by our roster I'll give our draft a D+. Bayless would have given us so many options to trade Mo.

[JoeHova]

Mason is irrelevant except as an expiring contract..

[vtime]

LOVE the Artest comparison on Mbah Moute, hopefully he's ready to play this year.


Good to see someone acknowledge that the Bucks were the big winners on draft night.

In plenty of the draft recap articles all I see is

WINNER: Chicago Bulls selecting Derrick Rose....


O RLY?

Except that Artest can score and has always been a scorer in college and the pros. He averaged 20ppg last season. Mbah a Moute never averaged double figures period in college. He's likely the worst offensive player in the draft.

[rilamann]

Hell yea the Bucks are the champs now!!

Take that Boston!!



In all seriousness though I have faith in John Hammond.So much so that im willing to give every move. FA signing,trade,draft choice ect that Hammond makes the benifit of the doubt no matter how foolish it may look at the time.

Im the same way with TT when it comes to the Packers and I was the same way with Ron Wolf.

You might think WTF at the time but stand back and watch 9 times out of 10 the move will pan out and be a positive.Thats how it works out when you have a solid front office that has a plan know what they are doing.

We saw that with the Packers under Ron Wolf and now under TT.And we are going to see the same thing with the Bucks now with John Hammond.

For example I can sum up my mentality about Hammond like this.

When LH was GM and he drafted a guy and I didnt agree with the pick i'd say it was typical stupid Milw Bucks and LH doesnt know what the hell he is doing.

If Hammond drafts a guy I dont agree with I figure ''the guy must be good or have some sort of potential if Hammond likes him''.

[ReasonablySober]

LOVE the Artest comparison on Mbah Moute, hopefully he's ready to play this year.


Good to see someone acknowledge that the Bucks were the big winners on draft night.

In plenty of the draft recap articles all I see is

WINNER: Chicago Bulls selecting Derrick Rose....


O RLY?

Except that Artest can score and has always been a scorer in college and the pros. He averaged 20ppg last season. Mbah a Moute never averaged double figures period in college. He's likely the worst offensive player in the draft.

In 2005-2006 the Clippers won 47 games. Quinton Ross appeared in 67 of them, playing 22 minutes a night as a second year player (he played 21 minutes as a rookie). He averaged 4.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and shot 42% from the floor, and didn't make a single of his seven three point attempts on the season.

With numbers as bad as that you'd think he wouldn't even see 10 minutes on the court a night, much less 22. But that year he was about as tough a man defender as you'd come across.

If you can really defend they'll find a spot on the court for you.

[RamonSessions]

With the kind of offense our team has right now, I don't see why anyone would have problems at all with this draft pick, and sure we've got 4 players whose natural positions are SF but this is the arguably the best lock-down defender of the draft. That's EXACTLY what this team needs, and he's good for defending 3 positions, I'll take the worst offensive player in the draft since he's said to be the best defender. And on having 4 players at the SF slot, Mbah a Moute can play the 2/3/4 when his defense is needed, Alexander will play some 4, whose to say RJ doesn't become our 2 if Redd is moved, and whose to say Des Mason is even here at the start of the year w/ his lucrative trade friendly expiring contract?

Wait and see... that's about it


[*] Welcome to Milwaukee though

[paulpressey25]

He's Renaldo Balkman......hustle defender who like Epi said can provide a "defensive spike" for a few minutes.

We just have to hope he can play since Noel was brought in for a similar purpose but he didn't have it.

[BobbyLight]

He's Renaldo Balkman......hustle defender who like Epi said can provide a "defensive spike" for a few minutes.

We just have to hope he can play since Noel was brought in for a similar purpose but he didn't have it.

Noel was brought in because Harris wanted atheletes. And Noel was the best tested athelete in that years draft. This year's 2nd rounder was brought in because he actually proved he could play excellent defense in a very good college basketball conference. There is a big difference between a nice atletic test and 3 years of actual college basketball experience as an elite defender.

[Chuck Diesel]

The Noel pick was made in large part because of Terry Stotts. Stotts watched Noel work out, really liked him and wanted the Bucks to draft him.

[Profound23]

He's Renaldo Balkman......hustle defender who like Epi said can provide a "defensive spike" for a few minutes.

We just have to hope he can play since Noel was brought in for a similar purpose but he didn't have it.

Noel was brought in because Harris wanted atheletes. And Noel was the best tested athelete in that years draft. This year's 2nd rounder was brought in because he actually proved he could play excellent defense in a very good college basketball conference. There is a big difference between a nice atletic test and 3 years of actual college basketball experience as an elite defender.

I can provide a offensive spike for a few minutes, just ask my wife.

[LUKE23]

I liked the draft outside of I thought CDR should have been drafted in the second.

Williams/Sessions/Bell
Redd/CDR
Jefferson/Mason/Ilyasova
Villanueva/Alexander
Bogut/Gadzuric

Drafting CDR gives a guy to take Mason's minutes as the 2/3 backup, and you can use his expiring in a deal with CV or MO to improve frontcourt depth.

[xTitan]

I liked the draft outside of I thought CDR should have been drafted in the second.

Williams/Sessions/Bell
Redd/CDR
Jefferson/Mason/Ilyasova
Villanueva/Alexander
Bogut/Gadzuric

Drafting CDR gives a guy to take Mason's minutes as the 2/3 backup, and you can use his expiring in a deal with CV or MO to improve frontcourt depth.

I liked CDR and Hendrix in the second but understand why they did what they did.............I am not really seeing the rotation the way you are...my guess is the RJ starts at 3 and rotates in at 2 to spell Redd while JA is the primary back-up at the 3 and 4........I just get the feeling that JA is going to be very tough to keep off the floor. I think CV will definitely be gone, some blue collar vet will be brought in to defend, rebound and preferrably block some shots.....I am just not seeing the Redd/Williams backcourt either, if that is the case my enthusiasm will be greatly tempered toward everyone involved with this team.

[unklchuk]

I'm one of those who thinks he's caught the enticing aroma of A Plan.

I like all the moves so far, and will continue to applaud all moves to add hustling, team-oriented, thinking, tough, defensive-minded players.

Maybe The Plan won't work. But the hints we have of it are refreshing and exciting.

It gets my benefit of the doubt for at least the next 9 months.

[paulpressey25]

Noel was brought in because Harris wanted atheletes. And Noel was the best tested athelete in that years draft. .

Yes, but I think that athleticism was supposed to translate to defense. I remember these boards after the pick was made all talking about getting our "Bruce Bowen"

The bigger point is that most second round picks bust. So I guess the question is do you pass on a guy like CDR who many feel would have at least been a 8-10th man contributor type.