The Journal Times Online - Racine, Wisconsin

BY GERY WOELFEL

CHICAGO -- While growing up, Byron James Mullens wanted to be just like Mike.

No, not like Michael Jordan but rather like Michael Redd.

Mullens grew up on the tumultuous West side of Columbus, Ohio -- just like Redd did -- and he watched with admiration at how Redd overcame some adverse conditions to become a star first at Ohio State University and then with the Milwaukee Bucks.

To Mullens, Redd was truly a role model.

"We're from the same neighborhood,'' Mullens said. "He lived right down the street and he and my brother (Gabriel) went to school together.

"I looked up to Michael Redd. I saw how he made it out of the same neighborhood I was in, a rough neighborhood. When I saw what he did, I thought I had a chance to do the same thing.''

So far, Mullen's basketball career has almost mirrored Redd's.

After having a stellar prep career, Mullens, like Redd, opted to attend Ohio State University.

Then, just like Redd, the 6-foot-11 Mullens decided to leave Ohio State early for a chance to play in the NBA.

Mullen's decision, like Redd's, raised some eyebrows, especially after he had a non-descript freshman season.

Mullens played in 33 games for the Buckeyes but started only twice. He averaged 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds a game.

Yet, despite those ho-hum numbers, there are several NBA teams keenly interested in Mullens. At last month's Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, two NBA executives ranked Mullens among the top 10 prospects in the draft.

Mullen's supporters are intrigued by his seemingly enormous upside, saying he has barely scratched his potential.

Certainly, he has the measurables: He's 7-1 in shoes and 6-11 without them. He carries 258 pounds on a taut frame. His wing span is 7-1. His body fat is a paltry 8 percent.

Mullens also possesses excellent speed and quickness for someone his size, along with exceptional leaping ability. Mullens said his standing vertical is 36 inches; his running vertical is 40.

His combination of size and athleticism, along with the fact he can play both center and power forward, are major reasons the Bucks have more than a passing interest in him.

The Bucks should have an even better understanding of Mullens as a player and person in the next couple of weeks when they work him out at their training center in St. Francis.

Mullens said he would welcome the opportunity to play for the Bucks and with his former neighbor.

"The Bucks have some good, talented players like Michael Redd,'' Mullens said. "I would love to play with him.''

* While the Bucks have the 10th overall pick, they are doing their homework in case they decide to move up or down in the draft.

Wednesday night, Bucks officials, including general manager John Hammond and coach Scott Skiles, had a private, 30-minute interview with Jordan Hill of Arizona.

Hill is projected as the second-best power forward in the draft and is expected to be a top six pick.

"My first interview here (at the pre-draft camp) was with the Bucks,'' said Hill, who was measured at 6-9 1/4 without shoes and tipped the scales at 235 pounds "I think I made a very good first impression. Things went very well.

"I think the Bucks are a team on the rise, and they want players who go out there and play hard all the time. I do that.''

Interestingly, another team that interviewed Hill was the Los Angeles Clippers, who have the No. 1 overall pick and are expected to take power forward Blake Griffin of Oklahoma.

* It's hardly a secret Pittsburgh power forward DeJuan Blair is on the Bucks' radar for their first pick.

The Bucks are looking to shore up their front court and crave a rebounding machine like the powerfully-built, 276-pound Blair.

But some NBA officials are concerned about Blair's lack of height. Those concerns weren't dispelled at the pre-draft camp.

Blair said he was measured at 6-6 1/2 in shoes.

On the plus side, Blair's wing span is an impossing 7-2.

* The Bucks have already worked out two Marquette University guards: Wesley Matthews and Dominic James.

They'll be working out a third one in about a week.

Golden Eagles shooting guard Jerel McNeal said he's scheduled to meet with Bucks officials on June 5.

McNeal, considered a late-first or early second-round selection, doesn't hide his desire to continue playing basketball in Milwaukee with the Bucks.

"That would be sort of a homecoming for me,'' said McNeal, who was measured at 6-3 with shoes and 6-1 3/4 without shoes. "Having been in Milwaukee the last four years ... it would be nice staying there.''

Of course, McNeal wouldn't mind playing for the Miami Heat, either. He would then join another former Marquette standout, Dwyane Wade.

When McNeal recently worked out for the Heat, Wade was on hand to encourage him.

"It would, most definitely, be exciting to play with him,'' Mcneal said of Wade.

Besides the Bucks and Heat, other teams that have worked out McNeal or intend to are Houston, Memphis, Minnesota, Golden State and Detroit.

* North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson was pleased to hear that he is apparently on the Bucks' short list of candidates for their 10th overall pick.

"I'd love to play for them,'' Lawson said. "I talked to them yesterday and they want to play fast. That's my game.

"I could see playing with Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson, Andrew Bogut ... They got a lot of options on that team.''

The 6-foot Lawson, who led the Tar Heels to the national championship, will work out for the Bucks on June 22 -- or just three days before the draft.

* To stay or not to stay, that's the $64,000 question for Jodie Meeks and Austin Daye.

Meeks, a shooting guard from Kentucky, said he wants an assurance he'll be a first-round pick.

Meeks hasn't had any direct contact with the Bucks but added some Bucks officials have talked to his father, Orestes.

As for Daye, who interviewed with the Bucks Thursday, he wants a guarantee that he'll be an early to mid-first round pick.

"If I'm not drafted in a certain range, probably from 9 to 18, somewhere around there, I'll opt to go back to school,'' Daye said.

While Daye has a willowy, 194-pound frame, he is quite skilled and a terrific shooter. In a recent workout with the Phoenix Suns, he drained 19-of-25 3-point attempts .

* Louisville forward Earl Clark said he'll be working out for the Bucks in the near future.

Clark (6-10 shoes, 6-8 1/2 without) said Bucks assistant general manager Jeff Weltman had recently traveled to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., to watch him work out.

Another player Weltman observed at the same workouts was UCLA point guard Jrue Holiday, who'll arrive in Milwaukee June 10 for a workout.

Holiday has one distinct advantage over most of the point guards in this draft: his height. He is 6-3 1/2 without shoes and 6-4 1/2 with them.

* The Bucks' pre-draft contingent consisted of Hammond, Weltman, Skiles, player personnel director Dave Babcock and scouting director Billy McKinney. ... While the media was excluded from pre-draft drills, several executives and coaches raved about one player in particular: Davidson guard Stephen Curry, who put on a dazzling shooting display. It's believed the New York Knicks will snap up Curry with the eighth pick, if he's still on the board. If he isn't, the Knicks will seriously look at Wake Forest forward James Johnson. ... Xavier forward Derrick Brown isn't only a good basketball player, but he's smart one. Brown just finished his junior year at Xavier with a degree in marketing. ... Syracuse point guard Johnny Flynn expects to work out for the Bucks but doesn't know when. ... Wake Forest sophomore guard Jeff Teague said "I'm 100 percent in the draft.'' ... There are still two head coaching vacancies in the NBA: Philadelphia and Sacramento. Eddie Jordan and Dwane Casey are the finalists for the Philly opening, although there are rumors that Philly ownership might reach out to Jeff Van Gundy but not Doug Collins. As for the Kings job, don't be surprised if Kurt Rambis emerges as a serious candidate. ... Yet, another power forward drawing interest from the Bucks is Jeff Pendergraph of Arizona State, a projected early second-round pick. ... The last word goes to Louisville Terrance Williams who, when asked what his natural position was, said: "I think like a point guard, but I have the size like a 3. So I guess I'm a 2.''