Monday, June 27, 2005
The Hawks want the tall center but may settle for a point guard.
MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
MILWAUKEE -- Just one day before the NBA draft, plenty of rumors are flying.
Will the Milwaukee Bucks do the expected and grab 7-foot-1 center Andrew Bogut with the No. 1 overall pick?
And if the Bucks take Bogut, what will Atlanta do?
The Hawks would definitely grab Bogut if the Bucks take a pass on the big man, but Atlanta desperately needs a point guard. That has led to reports they may try to trade down or would grab Illinois guard Deron Williams with the second overall pick.
Marvin Williams, the freshman forward from North Carolina, could still go No. 1 to the Bucks, but he might also drop down to No. 3 and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Of course, the Blazers are said to be shopping their pick, with the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz and Charlotte Bobcats as prime candidates to make a deal.
Confused yet?
Trades are likely
It will only get crazier on draft night Tuesday, when an unpredictable first round will play out and a few major trades are expected. The Lakers, with Phil Jackson back as coach, could be quite active. They hold the 10th, 37th and 39th picks in the 60-player draft.
One hot rumor has the Lakers sending Caron Butler, Vlade Divac and the No. 10 pick to Portland for the No. 3 pick and Ruben Patterson.
The Jazz, drafting sixth, needs a point guard and could trade up in order to land Deron Williams or Wake Forest sophomore Chris Paul. Utah could be an active dealer on draft night because it has two first-round picks (Nos. 6 and 27) and three in the second round.
There will be plenty of intrigue among the later lottery picks, with Syracuse's Hakim Warrick, Arizona's Channing Frye and New Mexico's Danny Granger drawing plenty of interest.
Also in the mix are Spanish forward Fran Vazquez, Connecticut forward Charlie Villanueva and the North Carolina trio of Sean May, Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants.
No one seems to know where 7-foot, 300-pound prep star Andrew Bynum of New Jersey will go in the draft. He could be a lottery pick or fall lower in the first round.
Texas high schooler Gerald Green, a 6-7 shooting guard, likely will be the top prep player chosen, perhaps as high as No. 3 by Portland.
More for Milwaukee
In addition to the top overall pick, the Bucks have the sixth pick in the second round (the 36th overall choice).
Among the players they have worked out are Missouri forward Linas Kleiza, Arizona guard Salim Stoudamire, Marquette guard Travis Diener, Florida guard Matt Walsh, Providence forward Ryan Gomes, Oakland (Mich.) forward Rawle Marshall and Tennessee-Chattanooga forward Mindaugas Katelynas.
Bucks general manager Larry Harris has said he hopes to use the second-round pick to acquire a player that can be the eighth or ninth player on the Milwaukee roster next season.
Among the players who are expected to go late in the first round are Illinois guard Luther Head, who had a great showing at the Chicago pre-draft camp; Georgia Tech point guard Jarrett Jack; Croatian point guard Roko Ukic; Florida forward David Lee; and Kansas forward Wayne Simien.