HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

In 2009-2010 the Milwaukee Bucks were the plucky upstarts of the NBA. Andrew Bogut evolved into an elite center; rookie point guard Brandon Jennings electrified audiences; and the team embraced coach Scott Skiles’ defensive enthusiasm, eventually ranking third in defensive efficiency by season’s end.

But despite the additions of Corey Maggette and Drew Gooden, the Bucks didn’t build on their own momentum this year. Bogut and Jennings battled injuries, the offense slowed to a crawl and wing players like John Salmons struggled to hit shots.

So which team was the real Milwaukee Bucks? Was it the gritty, defensive unit from ’09-’10, or the offensively inept group that toiled through 82 games?

“We do think that we are capable of winning,” Bucks GM and 2010 NBA Executive of the Year John Hammond told HOOPSWORLD at last Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery. “We thought that we were capable of winning last year. We had high expectations to do so. We missed the opportunity, but the opportunity will be there again and I think that we can add a good player through the draft and we’re hoping to do that.”

The Bucks should be able to add a nice piece with the 10th overall selection in this year’s draft, but even Hammond admits that it’s going to take more than one draft pick to improve Milwaukee’s situation.

“We’re probably going to go best player rather than need, because we feel we have multiple needs,” he said. “That’s probably why we’re here—because we have multiple needs. We could add some shooting to our team. Who doesn’t need that? We also feel that we need to be more athletic—the old Jimmy Johnson rule, ‘Speed Kills.’ I think speed and quickness would be good for us. We do have multiple needs and we’ll see what we can address through this process.”

The shooting deficiencies speak for themselves. Milwaukee finished the season tied for 23rd in 3-point percentage (34.2%), 20th in free throw percentage (75.7%) and dead last in field goal percentage (43%).

Hammond’s concerns about the team’s athleticism are harder to convey, but hampered the team throughout the season just the same. The Bucks finished last in possessions per game, which means they were the slowest team in the NBA last season. That in itself isn’t a condemnation of the offense, but it does seem juxtaposed to Jennings’ style of play.

How can the team take advantage of its point guard’s hummingbird speed if he doesn’t have any teammates who can keep pace?

Not only do some question how Jennings fits in Skiles’ scheme, but, as Steve Kyler mentioned in the NBA AM, there are also some concerns about his leadership qualities as well.

However, Hammond isn’t troubled with Jennings’ stature as a team leader or his perceived sophomore slump. Instead the Bucks GM just wants his point guard to focus on staying healthy and adding more elements to his game.

“For me it’s so hard to put that on Brandon at 21 years old,” Hammond said. “I’m not worried about Brandon as a leader right now. I’m worried about Brandon becoming a better player and him just continuing to develop as a person. The leadership will take care of itself. I’m more of that mode, let Brandon worry about himself, concentrate on making himself better and I think make us a better team.

“Brandon started the season extremely well,” Hammond continued. “He missed almost 20 games and then came back and had to adjust to coming back from the [foot] injury. You can kind of look at it and chart it and he started out on a very high note making progress, I think becoming a better player. He came back from the injury, had a real struggling point, went down, and then the last 20 games or so as he got confidence back in his foot, he started playing well again.”

Jennings even had a 37-point performance at Madison Square Garden in late March, but it’s hard to deny that at 6-1 and 21-year-old, he lacked the size and savvy to effectively defend his position. Fortunately, the Bucks will get more season out of last summer’s veteran addition—Keyon Dooling.

“Keyon did a great job for us,” Hammond said. “One thing he does for us is he competes every night he plays. I really respect how he did such a good job for us defensively whether he was guarding the point guard spot or the two guard spot. Guys that compete and play that hard, they’re always going to help.”

But alas, Hammond isn’t thinking about veterans at the moment. As he said, the Bucks are in need of shooting and athleticism, and he’s hoping to find either quality with the 10th overall pick.

Names like Colorado shooting guard Alec Burks and San Diego State forward Kawhi Leonard have been mentioned in connection with the Buck’s need for athleticism, but it’s hard for anyone to guess whether those players could really be an answer for Milwaukee. Hammond says that drafts are still unpredictable even years after they’ve taken place.

“It’s hard for me to kind of walk into a draft and say this is a weak draft—or even to say it’s an extremely strong draft,” Hammond said. “Drafts prove out in time. We’ll look back in two or three years and maybe we’re sitting here, hopefully not together here, but maybe somewhere else, two or three years from now and we’ll say this draft was better than what people thought. Guys surprise, even sometimes they surprise the teams that draft them. It’s an inexact science in the so-called ‘extremely strong draft’ and I think in the so-called ‘weak drafts.’

“That’s why we’re in the game of analytics as every team is nowadays,” he continued. “I think you can look at what guys have done over the course of their playing careers. Maybe for some of them you have to go back to high school. If a guy has a baseline of college numbers to examine you can say, for the most part, if a guy is making shots in college, I think that converts, for the most part, to the NBA. Same thing is true if a guy is rebounding a ball in college, you can say, for the most part, he’s going to be able to rebound in the league. What you hope is he comes back a better player every year of his career. Maybe a guy is a good shooter, but he’s got to become a better shooter throughout his career and continue to add to his game.”

And then once in awhile you land a player like Bogut.

Even while battling a number of nagging injuries, Bogut is still a game-changer for the Bucks. His scoring average fell from nearly 16 PPG last season to just over 12 PPG this year, but his defensive contribution remains the same. He averaged more rebounds and blocks in 2011-2012 and if Bogut is healthier this season he could regain his form at the offensive end.

“Andrew, he was struggling all year physically,” Hammond said. “I just appreciate so much what he did for us. To go out and put out the effort he did every single night, to be one of the best interior defenders in the NBA, one of the best shot blockers, one of the best rebounders, he did everything he possibly could do, plus help us win games. And I think he’ll come back as a much better player on the offensive end last year and we need that.

“There are so few good bigs in this league,” he continued. “I think Andrew Bogut’s in a position where he’s a Top-5 player at his position and that’s great to have.”

There are very few certainties for Hammond and the Bucks going forward. There are the trade rumors involving Jennings, which Steve Kyler mentioned in the NBA AM, a wildly unpredictable draft and a possible work stoppage which could put the business of basketball on hold. But no matter what, Skiles and Hammond will live to fight another day as owner Sen. Herb Krohl refused to make any shakeups within the organization.

“Everybody appreciates kind words and good words and I can tell you we feel the same way about the senator,” Hammond concluded. “Number one, we’re working for a good man, a good person. And just as important, we’re working for a man that’s committed to winning.”

{AUTHOR_BOX}Could Singler Land With Bulls?

Does this sound familiar?: Key four-year player at national powerhouse is projected as a late-first, early second-round pick despite his status as one of the country’s most-productive collegiate talents.

This year’s edition is Duke’s Kyler Singler, and even though he proved he could shoot (39.9% from 3-point range as a junior), rebound (7.7 RPG as a sophomore), score (17.7 PPG as a junior) and win (national championship as a junior), the NBA isn’t quite salivating over the 6-8 forward.  There’s questions about his athleticism and upside, so Singler has studied other players that have overcome similar criticisms.

“I’ve always liked trying to be my own player but guys I watch for my own game are Kyle Korver, Mike Dunleavy, Matt Harpring and players like that, that are tough guys,” Singler told HOOPSWORLD.

Fortunately for Singer, the team’s drafting at the end of the first round (i.e. the good teams), aren’t looking for long-term upside. They need a polished player who could contribute right away, which is why a franchise like Chicago could be a good fit.

“There’s definitely a couple of teams that would be a good fit for me,” he said. “Chicago kinda would be a good fit, I think. They’re a winning program, and I, you know, come from a kinda winning program, too. So I think a team like that, a team that needs a type of glue guy, that would be a good fit for me.”

Singler might have a few franchises in mind, but it’s obviously not his choice to make. Anyway, his mere presence in this draft is an important mile marker to his career.

“It means a lot,” he said. “A lot of hard work has been put in to be at this point. I’m really excited about it, but I still have a lot of work to do.”

Is Kanter Another Malone?

Jerry Tipton of The Lexington Herald-Leader caught up with Wildcats coach John Calipari, who said that center Enes Kanter is worth of the top pick.

“Yeah, he is," Calipari said. "And, I’m telling you, people are looking at him right now and saying, ‘Oh my gosh! How can I pass on this?’ He’s a beast. He’s skill and all of 6-11. And I’m not talking about an undersized 6-7. You’re talking about real size. They’ll see athleticism they haven’t seen.”

Calipari went on to describe Kanter as a “Karl Malone-ish guy.”

Kanter played professionally overseas, which prevented him from ever suiting up with the Wildcats.

Need More Draft News?:  Draft Express president Jonathan Givony will be hosting a few NBA Draft Chats for us again this year starting with his first chat on Wednesday at Noon EST. No one covers the NBA Draft better than Jonathan and his team at Draft Express, so be sure to drop in your questions now.

NBA Chats: HOOPSWORLD editor Jason Fleming will host his weekly chat tonight at 8pm EST. The chats fill up fast so getting in early always helps your odds. You can always find the next NBA Chat here: Upcoming HOOPSWORLD Chats.