I’m sure he was just as happy with his friend Keith “Tiny” Gallon falling to the Bucks at number 47.

Don’t get caught up in the name though, Gallon is no more a “Tiny” than Glen Davis is a “Baby”. At 6-foot-9, 302 pounds, Gallon certainly meets the power part of the power forward requirement and then some. But that isn’t why Gallon may soon be a fan favorite in the Bradley Center. The colorful, backboard breaking 19-year-old could sweep Milwaukee off it’s feet. After all, who doesn’t love to see a giant shooting 3-pointers?

“You talk about him, you talk about imagination,” said John Hammond when asked to delve deeper into Gallon. “He’s a guy who likes to do all kinds of things on the floor. He thinks he can shoot an NBA three. And the problem is, he really can.”

Half the Bucks fans that read that last sentence probably got a little sick, but the other half probably got a little giddy. Having equal parts doubters and supporters has been par for the course for the big man with the word “Misunderstood” tatooed on himself. The “misunderstanding” of Tiny Gallon is what left him available for the Bucks at 47 and they wasted no time in scooping him up, but not before talking to his ex-high school teammate Brandon Jennings.

“We talked to Brandon as the pick was getting near,” said Coach Scott Skiles. “I talked to Brandon right after, they have a relationship and that’s great. Tiny can learn a lot from Brandon. Brandon’s in the gym every day, he’s serious about the game, he loves the game and he’s got a great approach. It’ll be good that there’s somebody here that Tiny can look to and good for Brandon to start to take on more of a leadership role.”

Hammond said that Gallon’s skills were too much to pass on as they came up to their 47th pick with him on the board.

“He’s capable of posting, he’s an excellent passer. As far as rating players, we had him rated so much higher than where we picked him. We had options at 47. Do we keep the pick? Do we move it for the future, something like that? But we thought, if he’s getting close to 47, there’s no way we can move it. He’s way way too talented.”

Gallon’s freshman season at Oklahoma was at times turbulent. The kind of turbulence a plane suffers minutes before it crashes and is never found again that is. Clashes with the coaching staff, a late season suspension and ultimately the tale of the money that suddenly appeared in his mother’s hands that was the John Hancock on his declaration to go pro all dogged him. But when Gallon was playing, his numbers actually weren’t all that bad.

He was 25th nationally in defensive rebound percentage, grabbing 25.2% of available defensive boards. In just 24 minutes per game, Gallon averaged 10.3 points on 54.7% shooting while grabbing 7.9 rebounds per game. As a freshman. The indication from his numbers is that he actually used his size fairly effectively, Hammond’s earlier comment about his love for the jump-shot not withstanding. As far as upside picks go, the Bucks could have done a lot worse at 47 than the “Misunderstood” Gallon. And hey, he’s trying to make nice already. So maybe drafting him will suffice just fine.

Oh, and when a team can make their star player happy at the same time, well, that’s just all the better.

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Enter Larry Sanders.

The 15th pick in the 2010 NBA draft needn’t be a savior for the Bucks franchise, but that doesn’t mean the Bucks think they got some ordinary run of the mill player on their hands.

“I would really classify him as something different than we have on our team right now,” said Bucks GM John Hammond Thursday night after the NBA draft concluded.

Milwaukee was impressed with the 6-foot-10-inch Sanders and his near 7-foot-6-inch wingspan. They envision him a help on the defensive end at power forward who should be able to contribute offensively in the future. Sanders made 53.4% of his shots last season and averaged 14.4 points and 9.1 rebounds. Many feel Sanders best days lie ahead of him, as he’s only been playing basketball for six years and played at a small college. Hammond acknowledged that Sanders is “still a little bit raw”, but didn’t want to label him a project by any means.

“This is coach’s call, but I do think you can put on the floor immediately just because of what he can do on the defensive end and how he can rebound. When you think about first round picks, for the most part, people will say, ‘is he a project, is he ready to play’ those sort of things,” Hammond said. “It all comes down to opportunity. If a guy gets an opportunity and performs, people don’t call him a project, they say he can play. The key is for a guy though is to deserve the right and earn the right to play. No gifts.”

As far as Sanders is concerned, he knows how he’ll handle things offensively on the next level, “definitely face up and attack the rim more,” said Sanders over the phone after his selection. But easy buckets may come for Sanders in transition. Hammond was very complimentary of the Bucks new power forward’s speed.

“He is easily I think, the fastest big in the draft and maybe one of the fastest players flat out in the draft,” said Hammond. “His speed from endline to endline is absolutely amazing for a guy his size. And he runs so easy.”

DraftExpress worries about what has happened to Sanders on the defensive end over his last few years in college.

His awareness and fundamentals leave something to be desired, as does his intensity level, as he isn’t always as physical as he needs to be, not really using his body very well and appearing to lack a degree of toughness in his play. His shot-blocking production has fallen off each season, from 7.4 per-40p to 4.2 to 3.7 this year as well.

For a guy with a wingspan like Sanders, it’s puzzling why his shot-blocking production has fallen off so significantly after each season. His block percentage as a freshman was 19%, an incredible Hassan Whitesideesque number, but it fell to just 9% last season. Still, that 9% left Sanders ranked 30th nationally in blocked shots percentage. For what it’s worth, the Bucks aren’t considered about the dip in shot blocking production.

“I think maybe as much as anything, players started to realize that, why drive the ball if you’re not going to get it to the basket,” said Hammond.

Sanders was asked what he felt was most ready for the NBA about his game.

“I think my energy, the way I run the court and use my athleticism,” said Sanders. “The way I defend, although I have to get stronger. Those are things I definitely think are NBA ready.”

He could be the running mate so many fans have desired for Brandon Jennings, who lost his last two lob partners in Hakim Warrick and Amir Johnson. Unlike those two, Sanders appears to be sticking around for a while. He won’t be relied upon for big minutes out of the gate, but he could fill a defensive role for 15-20 minutes a night alongside Ersan Ilyasova and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute at the power forward spot for Milwaukee. Sanders was excited about getting to play with Jennings.

“He’s an exciting player, a young player,” said Sanders. “Every time I get a chance to watch him I do, because he’s very entertaining to watch. He’s exciting, explosive, I’m very very very excited to play with him.”

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So imagine how he must be feeling after getting drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round Thursday night.

The junior small forward was deemed too talented and too versatile to pass up on by the Bucks when their first pick of the second round rolled around, despite what seemed to be more pressing needs elsewhere. Even if others may have been weary of his many stops along the way.

Hobson played at five different high schools and paperwork problems prevented him from enrolling in a division one school out of high school. After two years at Eastern Utah, Hobson enrolled at New Mexico last season and became the leader of the team from the get-go. And when I say leader, I mean he virtually led them in every important category.

Minutes, points, rebounds, assists and steals were all saw Hobson on top. The 6-foot-7, 210 pound swingman was Mr. Everything for the Lobo’s last season, and that made a believer out of John Hammond, who seemed to be struggling to hold in his delight when speaking of Hobson.

“The guy loves the game, a real gym rat,” said Hammond of Hobson. “A guy like Darington Hobson knows how to play. He’s a very unselfish player and he plays the game. A very good passer, has great vision.”

My immediate thoughts when looking over scouting reports and physical specs on Hobson is that he’s a bit similar to Carlos Delfino, at least in terms of versatility. Hobson probably won’t be looking at many minutes until Delfino’s contract expires or used in a trade. However, Hobson may be able to avoid the D-League by acting as the Bucks emergency third point guard if he’s able to prove himself in Summer League as a ball handler and defender.

Further intrigue surrounds Hobson.

He ranked 20th in John Hollinger’s draft rater out pacing first round picks like Larry Sanders, Ekpe Udoh and Ed Davis. Since John Hammond has taken over as Bucks GM, he’s picked up a number of players who fared well in statistical measures like Hollinger’s, including Joe Alexander and Darnell Jackson. Hobson’s stellar rebounding numbers, assist numbers and decent shooting percentage (44%) all likely contributed to his faring well in Hollinger’s rater.

When the subject of what position Hammond saw fit for Hobson, he did not hesitate to throw out some lofty possibilities for the Bucks new second round pick.

“He definitely is a combo guy,” said Hammond. “When people say a 6′6 guy can play point guard, most of the time you kind of roll your eyes and say, ‘yeah right’. But I think he can play a little point, because he has good enough feet defensively. The old theory is you can’t play it unless you can guard it. And I think that he might be able to guard the position.”

Hammond kept on about his thoughts on Hobson as a point guard and more.

“Basically that’s the way New Mexico played him, they basically played him as a point guard,” said Hammond. “He was a facilitator and he loved doing that. He’s big enough obviously to guard two guards and he can play some small forward. That’s a pretty tall order for a guy who’s never played the NBA game to say he can play three positions. Hopefully he can be successful at one.”

Thriving at three positions, as a second round pick? It sounds like the expectations for Hobson are high, but the man they call “Butta”, has overcome more.

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Everyone has their preferences and theories about how things will go down later this evening, and I’m no different. Personally, I think Milwaukee will finish the day with three draft picks and net Patrick Patterson, Lance Stephenson and Tiny Gallon. If that’ how things went down, it’d be tough to complain about the Bucks haul. Balancing the needs of a team, the fit of players available and overall talent of players available isn’t an easy task, but if Milwaukee acquired these three I think they’d be succeeding in those areas. The biggest question with my wish list is whether or not Patterson will fall to 15. Various mocks have Patterson landing anywhere from 12 to 14, so it may just take one bizarre pick to drop Patterson into the laps of the Bucks. Is that so difficult to rule out?

Patterson can stretch the floor a little the way Kurt Thomas did when he played center. Having a power forward with Thomas’ skills offensively would be a coup for the Bucks. Defensively Patterson probably isn’t quite ready for the big show, but if he’s willing to work at it, and all indications are that he is, he could be in a position to thrive as someone whose main focus is defense next to Andrew Bogut.

Stephenson and Gallon were both highly touted high school players who struggled to various degrees with their transition to college basketball, but remain promising prospects. Stephenson would probably be further away from contributing to the team, if only because of the log jam at the wing positions thanks to the recent trade spree Milwaukee embarked on. Gallon though, could be in line to earn up to 10 minutes nightly if he shows the ability to use his immense size productively when rebounding and can finish around the hoop. One thing the Bucks really lack in their power forwards is, well, power. Few players in this draft are more powerful than Gallon.

So Bucks fans, who do you want to see end up in a Milwaukee uniform when things are all said and done Thursday night? Leave some comments with your best case scenarios.

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Travel back in time seven months and four days to November 18th, 2009. The Bucks are waxing the New Jersey Nets and I can’t take my off Chris Douglas Roberts.

The second half was so bad, I thought CDR was going to snap.  He appeared to have gotten in a bit of a shouting match with assistant coach Doug Overton about what was going on on the court.  I couldn’t hear Overton, but my colleague Alex from BrewHoop suggested it had something to do with a stretch where CDR got blocked, turned it over, got it back and missed a lay-up.  CDR shouted at his bench, “we’re losing, what am I supposed to do?!”

I felt for CDR.  He was working hard, he was trying to make plays and he was saddled with some teammates who’ve been injured and/or unable to get the job done to get this team a win.  The whole team had that, “here we go again” look as soon as things started going South in the third quarter.  CDR seemed like he didn’t want to let it happen again.

Later, CDR was seen exchanging words with Brandon Jennings while he was at the free throw line finishing the game off.

Bucksketball: I saw CDR barking at you at the line.  Was that him talking trash to try and get in your head?
Jennings: Oh yeah, just a little trash talk.  On that play where I got fouled, I got fouled pretty hard, so you know, some words exchanged.  It is what it is.
Bucksketball: You just brushing it off?
Jennings: Yeah, just brushing it off.  They’re the one’s 0-12 not us.

Fast forward back to today and this Chad Ford report (below) coupled with some curious tweets from CDR and a report from Yahoo! that future considerations will go to the Nets for Douglas-Roberts.

Finally, it looks like the Bucks aren’t done dealing. This afternoon they traded Dan Gadzuric and Charlie Bell to the Warriors for Corey Maggette. Now sources say that the Bucks and Nets are in serious negotiations on a deal that would send Chris Douglas-Roberts to the Bucks for a second round pick. With the addition of Maggette and Douglas-Roberts, you have to wonder if the Bucks may look at something other than a wing with the No. 15 pick in the draft.

I’ll say this, CDR seemed like a competitor and someone who was dying to win that night in November. I’m not sure what happened with CDR after that, I’ve heard he dealt with a benching and balked at getting the ball inside to Yi Jianlian and Brook Lopez, but wouldn’t you balk at getting the ball to Yi too? Milwaukee just generally balked at everything having to do with Yi in his time here, so this city will likely be sympathetic to that feeling. When you’re a passionate player, one has to imagine losing takes more of a toll. CDR was coming from a winning program in Memphis then spent one mediocre year in New Jersey before everything caved in last year in his sophomore season.

CDR’s numbers aren’t among the best in the league or anything like that, but he seems more than capable of filling the role previously occupied by the Jerry Stackhouse, Charlie Bell duo. I’ll have more on CDR once the trade officially goes through, assuming it does.

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It may remain just a memory if things play out a certain way in the coming days.

First, Lance Stephenson is reportedly in the mix at the 15th pick for the Bucks and would be even more realistic if the Bucks were to trade for a lower pick (that’s what I call trading down if I haven’t been clear on that) in the first round. Stephenson, um, wasn’t a great passer in his one season at Cincinnati. In fact, he wasn’t much of a passer at all, finishing 11th in the conference in shot percentage and possession percentage. That wouldn’t be all that striking, if not for the fact that Stephenson was a largely average offensive player last season, finishing 75th in the Big East in offensive rating and turning the ball over on nearly 20% of his possessions.

But Stephenson has been one of the most sought after prospect in the United States since he was a 15-year-old. Attitude and criminal concerns have been real problems for him and leave him staring the life of a second round pick in the eye. In the NBA though, talent generally wins out over everything. It’s possible that the Bucks have become enamored enough with Stephenson that they’d be willing to take a chance on an incredibly talented prospect. Chad Ford has this to say in his most recent mock draft:

It’s a long shot but Cincinnati’s Lance Stephenson has impressed in workouts and the Bucks have had their eye on him for a while. It seems like that’s a bit of a reach at 15, but John Hammond rolled the dice on a former high school phenom with a bad rep last year and it paid off. Will he do it again this year?

And now, from one suspected future jacker to a certifiable shot machine, the Bucks have reportedly been kicking the tires on Corey Maggette says Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. The deal that the Bucks would reportedly like to offer would include Dan Gadzuric and Charlie Bell for Maggette. Here’s the quick salary breakdowns of the three:

Maggette’s strengths? Getting to the free throw line and looking mean come to mind. Maggette’s averaged 7.1 free throws to 11.2 shots per game in his career. He’s one of the league’s best a finishing with contact and annually has a true shooting percentage hovering around or above 58%. Maggette would give the Bucks a lot of what they’d be missing if John Salmons does not return and does it for only $15 million more dollars over the next three seasons than it’s costing Milwaukee to keep Gadzuric and Bell. Maggette’s age, he turns 31 in November, is a concern, but as I’ve earlier said about Salmons, three years seems a reasonable commitment for a player of that age.

But with strengths come weaknesses. Maggette’s primary weakness being his inability to operate much without the ball. Maggette, a player who’s only been on one playoff team and has never made an all-star team, is 51st in the HISTORY of the NBA in usage percentage. Maggette will be shooting or he will be getting to the line, there’s a high probability those things will happen. Milwaukee has to think hard about whether or not they can live with that kind of player at the three. There’s no question he can score effectively, but at what price? Will he alienate teammates with his constant shooting? Even if the other players accept his offensive outputs, will is cause them to unintentionally lose interest on defense if they aren’t involved enough on offense? Maggette is the kind of player that can drive a wedge into a team without even being a locker room problem. Offenses are generally best when teams have a number of productive players that can score and move the ball. The Bucks had players that could move the ball last season, but lacked players who could score.

They may be sacrificing the latter to get the former if these two moves go down and that could just result in a sideways step for a team that seemed on the right track last season.

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Each of the power forwards that the Bucks may be most interested in come draft day, Patrick Patterson, Ed Davis and Ekpe Udoh could be off the board, at least according to the TrueHoop Network Mock Draft. But the Bucks seem to have themselves well prepared for that possibility. In working out swingmen, Paul George, Gordon Hayward, Luke Babbitt and Xavier Henry the Bucks have been knee deep in guard/forwards for weeks. And in a fairly even and moderately deep pool of prospects that will be available to them at the 15th pick something will need to stand out.

That something appears as likely to be the vast skill set of Gordon Hayward as it is anything else. Hayward is rumored to go as high as number eight to the Los Angeles Clippers, but in our mock draft, he’s fallen here to the Bucks who are reportedly very high on him.

Hayward has good size for a two guard if the Bucks eventually feel that is his position, but he’s probably more likely to be an averaged sized small forward. On the plus side, Hayward was a very good rebounder from the three and four in college and rebounding historically translates well. When I spoke with Rob Jeter last week, he was very high on Hayward’s ability off the ball, something not always associated with number one scoring options in college. But something else may help separate Hayward from his peers in the eyes of Milwaukee.

Hayward’s abilities as a ball-handler and decision maker seem a perfect fit for the small forward position in Milwaukee. Bucks fans are fresh off a season in which Carlos Delfino played the bulk of the small forward minutes for Milwaukee and enjoyed his finest season in the NBA. It was Delfino’s defense and versatility that earned him the heavy minutes he was enjoying by season’s end. While he was often the definition of inconsistent, Delfino’s ability to step out and hit a three in one instant and drive to the basket for a reverse layup in another was what made him such a good fit for Milwaukee. Bucks wing players are relied heavily upon to handle the ball and make decisions.

Gordon Hayward’s entire draft stock rests largely on his ability to make basketball decisions and from what information has been made available, the Bucks appear to be sold that he’s as strong as anyone in this draft class in that area.

For the next pick in the mock draft, check out A Wolf Among Wolves.

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The Kings, Pacers, Hornets and Bucks would like to trade down, while the Pistons, Grizzlies, Raptors, Rockets, Spurs, Thunder, Blazers and Nuggets would like to move up.  In what order will they go? It’s way too early to say. If I were to handicap it right now, the Clippers are slightly leaning toward Hayward. The Jazz prefer Babbitt, while the Pacers and Grizzlies like George and the Hornets and Bucks favor Hayward.

Arising from this news out of Ford, is the question of who the Bucks would be interested in were they to trade down. In sifting through workouts the Bucks have had with later round prospects, a few names pop out.

Larry Sanders doesn’t just stand out, he practically jumps off the page.Word got out that Sanders supposedly had a promise with the Bucks, something they refuted publicly and immediately. But Sanders is a power forward, he has the athleticism and length the Bucks have spoken about leading up to this draft (though that’s often something teams just say for the sake of saying it) and of players likely to be available later in the first round, has as much upside as anyone. Sanders will very likely be in the picture if the Bucks are trading down.

Recent workoutee Kevin Seraphin of France is an intriguing prospect with very good size and reputed physicality. He could be one of the more talented power forwards in this class when it’s all said and done, but he’s still very raw. Seraphin’s stock may be even higher had he not suffered an injury not long before teams were working prospects out and the cherry on top of the Kevin Seraphin ice cream is his ability to stay in France longer to further develop his skills and prepare himself for the NBA.

Tiny Gallon is still someone that could end up in a Bucks uniform. Recently he received the support of Brandon Jennings at the 15th spot, a reach for Gallon, but something worth noting. Jennings quickly formed chemistry with all of his teammates last season, so I’m not sure how significant the head start in knowing Jennings would give Gallon, but it can’t hurt to have a team’s franchise cornerstone in your corner if your Gallon.

Terrico White may be in the picture depending on where the Bucks trade down to if they do. If the Grizzlies were able to swing a deal to land Milwaukee’s 15th pick while surrendering the 28th pick, White would likely be in play. After playing point guard in college, White will likely have to shift to the two guard spot on the next level as he was something of a ball-hogging turnover machine, but he is a very good athlete and has ball-handling skills. I’m certain the Bucks prefer two guards that can handle the ball and create for others over twos that simply serve as spot-up shooters.

Jordan Crawford shouldn’t be ruled out either. Crawford worked out with the Bucks twice and is a noted scoring machine. Crawford is a potential fit in the John Salmons role if the Bucks are looking for insurance for Salmons bolting.

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(My questions are in bold and Coach Jeter’s responses follow each.)

After working out with the U-19 team last summer in Colorado in preparation for the World’s Championships team you were an assistant on you said Gordon Hayward would end up a lottery pick. That’s a prediction many were still unsure of by the time the Final Four rolled around. What did you see in him last summer that had you feeling so confident in his skills?

I was really impressed with Hayward. He’s got a terrific skill set for his size. He’s 6′7″, 6′8″, whatever he is and he’s a basketball player. He can pass, he can shoot, he can defend, he has a great feel for the game of basketball. He’s got a great basketball IQ. He’s really the whole package. The main thing he has to do, is get a little stronger. Coming into high school he was 6’1-6’3. And he’s grown to his 6’8 now.

People have questions about his athleticism and have compared him to NCAA star and NBA flop Adam Morrison. Where do you see a difference?

I think they’re different. The difference between the two is that Gordon Hayward can affect a basketball game without scoring. Morrison was a scorer, he put the ball in the basket. I think Gordon Hayward can play just as well without the ball as he can with it in his hands. In our league he was guarding players from the two to the five. I think he’ll be able to contribute at the next level.

Athleticism is harped on time and again this time of year and testing numbers gain extra scrutiny. Where does being a basketball player become more important than being an athlete?

We think we can teach an athlete to make basketball decisions. We make that mistake at every level and sometimes it’s very difficult. Ultimately, athleticism doesn’t win games for you, what wins games for you more often than not is basketball decisions.

Another player you had on that World’s Championships team was Craig Brackins. The Bucks have brought him in for a workout and are said to be interested in him if he falls to round two. How do you feel about his game and where do you see him settling in on the court as a pro?

Craig Brackins is very talented, very talented. He’s a four man, he can shoot it, more of a finesse big than a power player. Right now he’s definitely a four. Sometimes guys can develop the ball handling skills necessary to slide down to the three, but at this point in time, he’s definitely a four.

James Anderson was on your roster too and he’s a player who was a terrific scorer in college. Is that a more difficult skill to translate over to the pros?

Well, I think it still comes down to playing defense. James Anderson is one heck of an offensive player, but you have to remember at the guard position you’ll have to guard another terrific offensive player. So it comes down to, you have to defend your position too.

Like you were saying about teaching athletes to become basketball players before, how difficult is it to get players who exert so much energy on offense to become terrific defensive players?

Well, everyone wants to play, but you can’t shoot the ball if you can’t get on the court. Playing defense will get you on the court. You got specialty guys in the league that are out there because they can play defense. Take a guy like Ron Artest, he’s a specialty guy, he’s out there because he’s playing defense. Tony Allen is another guy. But you can teach offensive players to play defense, you can’t teach a guy who is unathletic to be athletic.

Speaking of “specialty guys”, another player the Bucks brought in this week was Jarvis Varnado, and you’ve spent time with him as well. He’s a terrific shot-blocker, is that something that will get him time on the next level? Does he have enough offensively to stick around?

Well he’s a terrific shot-blocker and that’s why we’re talking about him, that’s what’s gotten him where he is. So right away, he’s got a skill that gets him noticed. There is a place for a player like that in the league. But he’s going to have to develop some more strength, he’s going to have to be playing bigs like Dwight Howard and taking a pounding every night and that’s going to take a year or two. He’s not the five man you want to run your offense through, but he can finish around the rim and hit a little jump hook here and there. You often see teams who have their five man that can score some points and has that good offensive game and then they have another who can defend and block shots. He can be that second guy.

A local player that played on the US team was Lazar Hayward who’s said he’ll workout for the Bucks before the draft. You’ve seen him a lot over the past four years, what do you think about him? Would he be well served to go the Wes Matthews route and go undrafted so he has the ability to pick and choose what situation is right for him?

If you ask me what I think about Lazar Hayward, I love the kid. He definitely has the toughness, the athleticism, he’s just one of those guys who’s always been, for whatever reason, underestimated. But, you can win games with Lazar Hayward. When you talk about the Wes Matthews route that’s not a bad idea. The thing about Lazar is, evaluators have never really gotten the chance to see him playing where he’ll be playing on the next level. He was always at the four and the five when he’s more of a three in the league. And that gave him some added toughness. But you can put him in that corner and he can make shots and then defend on the other end.

Another guy you’ve had experience with is Alando Tucker. He hasn’t found a consistent spot in the league yet, but he’s on the Bucks summer roster. What do you think he needs to work on to stick around in the league and land some consistent minutes?

Well he’s been in the league what? Three, four years? (Three.) A lot of guys would love to have a career like that already. He’s so athletic and he’s so tough that he’s already made it this far. But we’ll see what happens for Alando. If he could just be a little more refined from the perimeter offensively, then he’ll have a much longer career in the NBA. But if that doesn’t work out, he’ll still end up playing somewhere and be very successful.

I’d like to thank Coach Jeter again for taking the time to discuss these players with me.

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Kentucky forward Patrick Patterson, who has been a high-riser in the draft workout process, canceled his workout with the team. Bucks director of scouting Billy McKinney said the team still hoped to bring in Patterson before the NBA draft on June 24. Patterson recently worked out for the Utah Jazz, which holds the No. 9 pick in the draft. And the 6-foot-9, 240-pound power forward took part in a workout session with the Indiana Pacers on Monday – Indiana has the No. 10 overall selection.

“It’s an indication he might be going before us in the draft,” McKinney said of Patterson’s decision to cancel his appointment with the Bucks, who have the No. 15 pick. “We’ve watched his body of work for the last several years, and we had a chance to interview him while we were in Chicago (for the draft combine in May).

In the last few weeks, Patterson has been gaining some steam as a player who will be able to come in and contribute to a team that drafts him right away. His last season at Kentucky boosted his stock as it showcased his ability to step away from the basket and face up. The Bucks are said to have thought highly of him and did have an interview with him in Chicago at the draft combine. Whether or not this will affect their decision if he falls to them is unclear. Milwaukee did draft Yi Jianlian under the last regime despite his refusal to workout in Milwaukee back in 2006.

Patterson has worked out with the Indiana Pacers who hold the 10th pick in the draft and a few teams holding picks lower (lower meaning a pick closer to the first pick) than theirs. His refusal to workout for the Bucks probably says more about his agent feeling good about his chances of being drafted by one of the other teams he’s worked out for rather than bad about Milwaukee. Patterson certainly has his sights set on the lottery according to this post by Mike Wells at the Indy Star:

“I would like to be a lottery pick,” said the former Kentucky Wildcat, who has been working out at St. Vincent Sports Performance since early last month. “A lot of teams aren’t really sure what I’m capable of. I’m a ‘4′ man. I can post up, but they’re not really as informed about my perimeter game.”

A list of all the teams Patterson has worked out for:

Houston Rockets (14th pick)
Golden State Warriors (6th pick)
Utah Jazz (9th pick)
Los Angeles Clippers (8th pick)
Indiana Pacers (10th pick)

It’s possible Patterson just wants to keep it in the lottery or that he learned something from Los Angeles or Indiana that resulted in him canceling his trip to Milwaukee.

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