The Journal Times Online - Racine, Wisconsin

GERY WOELFEL

They were all on the same page.

Going into the 2008 NBA draft, everyone involved in determining who

Milwaukee Bucks should select with the eighth overall pick was in

agreement.

Bucks general manager John Hammond, his assistant Jeff Weltman,

player personnel director Dave Babcock and head coach Scott Skiles

all felt Joe Alexander of West Virginia was the player who could

significantly impact the franchise.

Each of those individuals was duly impressed with Alexander’s

steady improvement through college and intrigued with his seemingly

unlimited upside. They were blown away by his athleticism . He

possessed exceptional leaping ability and baseline-to-baseline

speed.

While believing the 6-foot-8 Alexander was a gem, the Bucks brass

was also acutely aware that he needed some polishing. They knew it

would take more than one season before they reaped the dividends on

their investment.

The Bucks’ assessment of Alexander was shared by most NBA teams.

Most pro scouts had projected Alexander in the eight to 14 range.

The New Jersey Nets, picking 10th, coveted Alexander. So did the

Sacrmaneto Kings, who picked 12th.

There was even one team picking before the Bucks who strongly

considered taking Alexander. That was the New York Knicks, who had

the sixth pick, wound up drafting another forward, Danilo

Gallinari.

So, it wasn’t like the Bucks were taking a wild flyer on Alexander. For a team that craved a forward and desperately

needed to become more athletic, Alexander seemed like a perfect fit

for the Bucks.

Wrong.

Almost from the start of training camp, the writing was on the wall

that Alexander wasn’t in Skiles’ good graces. That became even more

evident at the outset of the regular season when Skiles opted to

give major minutes to Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, another forward who

was chosen in the second round, instead of the highly-touted

Alexander.

By the middle of the season, whispers were circulating the NBA that

Skiles didn’t like Alexander’s game. According to some NBA

officials, Skiles, a stickler for details, was annoyed by

Alexander’s lack of understanding of the pro game and his supposed

inability to follow assignments.

In the weeks leading up to the trading deadline in February, rumors

spread the Bucks had already soured on Alexander and were

attempting to trade him, with Memphis being a prominently-mentioned

destination.

But a trade for Alexander never materialized, and Alexander’s playing

time virtually became non-existent. In a nine-game stretch from Feb. 27 to March 21, he played only four games. The most minutes he

received in that span was 8:20.

While Alexander was practically a fixture on the bench, his Lottery

colleagues were fixtures on the court, especially all seven players

drafted before him -- Chicago’s Derrick Rose, Miami’s Michael

Beasley, Memphis’ O.J. Mayo, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook,

Minnesota’s Kevin Love, Gallinari and the Los Angeles Clippers’

Eric Gordon.

Each of those aforementioned players wound up playing in at least

78 of the 82 regular-season games --with the exception of

Gallinari, who was hurt.

Each those rookies also averaged at least 25 minutes

a game. Gordon, picked one spot in front of Alexander, averaged

34.3 minutes for the season.

And Alexander?

He wound up playing in just 59 games. He averaged a paltry 12.1

minutes a game. It wasn’t exactly the scenario Alexander envisioned

while almost pleading with a reporter at an NBA pre-draft camp in

Orlando to tell Skiles to pick him.

Yet, while Alexander seldom played extensive minutes, he performed

reasonably well when he was allowed to stay on the court.

In the six games in which he played at least 24 minutes but not

more than 29 last season -- essentially half a game -- Alexander

averaged 11.6 points. He shot a highly-respectable 49 percent from

the field.

Perhaps the most telling sign of what Skiles and Co. thought of

Alexander occurred in the last several weeks of the season when it

was amply apparent the Bucks weren’t going to make the playoffs.

Alexander played 25 or more minutes just three times in the last 12

games. In the season finale, Alexander barely got off the bench,

totaling just 13 minutes.

Conversely, Golden State coach Don Nelson used the final weeks of

the season to guage the potential of the Warriors’ top pick,

Anthony Randolph, the 14th overall draft pick.

Randolph, whom the Bucks gave serious consideration to drafting

before opting for Alexander, played 25 minutes or more in 11 of the

final 12 games.

In his last eight games, Randolph was outstanding. He not only

averaged 15.1 points but grabbed 10.6 rebounds a game and had 12

steals.

The Warriors have picked up Randolph’s option, and this season, he

has already started a game. He appears headed for a long and

productive NBA career.

Meanwhile, Alexander’s future looks murky. After turning in a

highly-encouraging summer league showing --16.6 points a game --

and following that with what some observers said was an excellent

showing at Tim Grgrich’s camp, Alexander partially tore a hamstring

before training camp and hasn’t played since.

Furthermore, the Bucks brass decided last week not to pick up the

third-year option on his contract. Both Hammond and Skiles said the

principal reason for not picking up Alexander’s option was that

they haven’t had enough time to evaluate him.

Asked if he regretted not playing Alexander more last season,

especially down the stretch, to get a better evaluation of

Alexander, who is just 23, Skiles said, "No. No. Young players have to learn how to

play winning basketball. That’s the most important lesson they have

to learn.

"Just to put him out there, just to get minutes and say we’re going

to live with anything that they do ...

"In my experience, and I’ve had a lot of experience with young

players that have had success, I just don’t look at that as a valid

way.

"They have to earn their way onto the floor like everybody else and

be productive when they are on the floor.’’

Skiles also defends the Bucks’ selection of Alexander, insisting it

wasn’t a mistake.

"I would never say that,’’ Skiles said.

Suffice to say, there are many observers who disagree, including

some within the Bucks organization. By not picking up Alexander’s

option, he becomes an unrestricted free agent in July.

If he signs with another team, the Bucks wouldn’t receive any

compensation. If that occurs, the Alexander selection may go down

as one of the biggest draft blunders in Bucks’ history.

So, why didn’t the Bucks exhibit the patience they requested of

their fans on draft night when they chose Alexander and pick up

Alexander’s option year which, in the big picture of the NBA, is

only $2.7 million?

"We can’t get caught up in necessarily where Joe was picked,’’

Skiles said. "He’s not a pick anymore. He’s Joe Alexander. That’s

who he is. He’s a player on our team.

"We’re making the best decisions that we can for the long-range

future of the Milwaukee Bucks.’’

And Hammond and Skiles made that decision even though Skiles

contends Alexander can become a good player.

"Sure. Absolutely,’’ Skiles said. "Yeah, he’s got a chance.’’

And the talent-challenged Bucks should have been the ones to give

him that chance.