http://www.jsonline.com/sports/buck/may05/328523.asp Lucky Bucks: Team goes first in draft Most likely choices include center, forward and point guard By CHARLES F. GARDNER [email protected] Posted: May 24, 2005 Talk about bucking the odds. The Milwaukee Bucks, with a paltry 6.3% chance of claiming the top overall pick in the 2005 National Basketball Association draft, did just that Tuesday night in the league's annual draft lottery. Andrew Bogut? Marvin Williams? Chris Paul? The Bucks and general manager Larry Harris will have their pick of the top draft prospects, after the pingpong balls bounced Milwaukee's way in Secaucus, N.J. When it was clear the Bucks had moved up from their expected No. 6 slot, the ESPN cameras caught Harris biting his lip and glancing around the room. Who you? You bet. Just a few moments later, a smiling Harris, who was dressed in a charcoal pinstriped suit, watched as NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik pulled the Portland Trail Blazers' card at No. 3 and the Atlanta Hawks at No. 2, meaning the Bucks had the top overall choice for the fourth time in franchise history. The Bucks could use the pick to draft 7-foot center Andrew Bogut of Utah, the national player of the year. Or they could go for 6-9 freshman forward Marvin Williams of national champion North Carolina, a player with a nice outside shot and the ability to play small forward or power forward. The third player in the conversation regarding the No. 1 pick is Wake Forest point guard Chris Paul, although the Bucks' interest in him might depend on the health of point guard T.J. Ford, who missed all of last season after spinal surgery. Ford has returned to non-contact workouts, and the Bucks will know more about his progress this summer. Whatever the eventual choice with the No. 1 pick, the Bucks have renewed optimism not long after enduring a highly disappointing 30-52 season and missing out on the playoffs, in coach Terry Porter's second year with the franchise. "The loud roar you heard was all the way from Milwaukee, Wisconsin," Harris said in a call with reporters after the lottery. "I can't really explain the joy and anticipation when the sixth pick was turned up, and it was not us. "At that point I thought, 'We'll shift seats here, we'll go to No. 3 and maybe we'll end up there.' But then once three got turned up and it wasn't us, I got a little greedy, I have to say. "I figured, might as well go for the whole enchilada." Harris said he initially had focused on players who would be available at the No. 6 pick, where the Bucks expected they would draft, and had concentrated primarily on power forwards and point guards. Instead, the Utah Jazz will be picking sixth, the Charlotte Bobcats will pick fifth and the New Orleans Hornets, fourth. New Orleans dropped from the second spot and Charlotte from the third position at the start of the night. Atlanta, which had the NBA's worst record and a 25% chance of landing the top pick, settled for No. 2. "Because you've got the No. 1 pick, it brings in the big, young kid in Andrew Bogut," Harris said. "As we look at our roster moving forward, we certainly need a low-post presence. A guy who has legitimate size, very skilled, good hands, good feet, can pass, knows how to play. Obviously a consensus All-American." Harris also had high praise for Williams and Paul. "Then you've got a younger player in Marvin Williams, certainly a tremendous talent," he said. "A guy who was coming off the bench for them but had an incredible run in the NCAA tournament. Then Chris Paul, arguably the best point guard out there. "Those are three players we certainly will take a long, hard look at, and all three bring something different to the table for us." Harris said the excitement in Milwaukee would be turned up this summer with the Bucks claiming the draft's No. 1 pick, as they did in 1969, 1977 and 1994. Those selections yielded UCLA's Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Indiana's Kent Benson and Purdue's Glenn Robinson. Harris indicated that the Bucks' chances of re-signing free agent Michael Redd also would be improved because of their lottery fortune. "Still the priority is Michael Redd in free agency," Harris said. "I felt all along that Michael was going to come back. I think this helps solidify that. The excitement with adding him back to the roster, as well as the No. 1 pick, that's a buzz that he's not going to get from any other team." Harris repeated that he hoped to re-sign restricted free agents Zaza Pachulia and Dan Gadzuric for the Bucks' frontcourt. "It puts us in a great position to be back in the playoffs where we were two years ago," Harris said. There is not a consensus No. 1 pick in this draft, as occurred in 2003 when Cleveland took LeBron James out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. And Harris knows he must beware of avoiding a wasted No. 1 pick, such as Washington's choice of Kwame Brown in 2001 or the Los Angeles Clippers' grab of Michael Olowokandi in 1998. "I think you always take the best player," Harris said. "Anytime you take the best player, regardless of position, it's another asset to your organization. Sometimes when you look for a need, you get a little skewed in that and you let the best talent slip by. "I don't think you can make those mistakes." Harris said he just wanted to soak in the Bucks' good fortune on Tuesday before focusing on hiring two new assistant coaches and plotting draft strategy. The Bucks will have the first and 36th overall picks in the June 28 draft. "It's a great evening," Harris said. "I can't wait for the next six weeks. I'm sure we're going to be on a high here for about the next week or so. "Anytime you get the No. 1 pick, there's just a buzz. People are excited about it. They're excited about who you're going to pick, they're excited about the shape of your team, it helps with season tickets. "I will say this, for the people that want to get a hold of me over the next week, I'll be in Vegas. I'm hot right now. It's working for me. I'm taking these three (charms) down, and I think I'm throwing it all on Redd." --

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