The Journal Times Online - Racine, Wisconsin

BY GERY WOELFEL

Some news and views on the playoff-bound Milwaukee Bucks:

* It isn't often an assistant coach leaves a professional sports team in the middle of the season to take a head coaching position with another team.

But that apparently could happen with Lionel Hollins.

According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Hollins, who was an assistant for Bucks head coach Scott Skiles, is leaving the Bucks to become head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Hollins would replace Marc Iavaroni, who was fired Thursday.

Interestingly, the Bucks and Grizzlies have been rumored as possible trade partners. The scuttlebutt is the Bucks are considering trading point guard Ramon Sessions and forward Joe Alexander to the Grizzlies for point guard Mike Conley and a draft choice.

 * If the playoffs were held today, the Bucks would be in them. They have the seventh-best record in the Eastern Conference and, barring a devastating injury, it’s only going to get better.

Why?

Because the Bucks will have a rather favorable schedule the rest of the way. After a brutal preseason trip to China and then an absurd number of road games in November and December, the Bucks will get to sleep in their own beds fairly often now.

Starting Saturday night, the Bucks will play nine of their next 13 games at the Bradley Center. Playing at home is a distinct advantage for most teams, especially the Bucks. They seem to have found a comfort zone in the BC and its reflective in their record there.

In the 12 games the Bucks played in December and this month at home, they have won nine of them.

* The uniformed observer believes NBA games are determined in the final two minutes.

Not with the Bucks.

One has a fairly good idea whether the Bucks are going to win after just one quarter. In the 21 games where the Bucks have led their opponents after the first quarter, they have a 16-5 record.

* The trade rumors surrounding Charlie Villanueva haven’t subsided.

Yet, that hasn’t deterred Villanueva from playing the best basketball of his career. In the last four games, Villanueva is averaging 22 points and nine rebounds.

* Speaking of players on a roll, Luke Ridnour is doing a terrific job of protecting the basketball. The veteran point guard, whom the Bucks acquired in an offseason trade, has recorded 28 assists in the last four games -- and committed just four turnovers.

* Yet another Bucks player who is playing at a high level is Michael Redd.

Redd has had some blockbuster scoring performances lately, including a 44-point barrage.  Redd has averaged 26 points in the last four games, which is impressive, but he also shot the ball well in that stretch: a red-hot 55 percent.

* The good news for the Bucks is that Andrew Bogut’s back is better.

The bad news for the Bucks is that he isn’t likely to play major minutes once he returns to action.

Bogut, who has missed the last four games, said his minutes will likely be monitored and he definitely won’t be playing around 40 minutes a game like he had before being sidelined.

“It’s going to be a slow process,’’ Bogut said.

* With Bogut sidelined with back spasms, Dan Gadzuric has had a chance to step up.

He hasn’t.

Gadzuric misfired on all five of his shots in the first quarter -- yes, the first quarter -- against the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday night. He’s connected on just five of his last 24 field-goal attempts.

* The rap on rookie Luc Mbah a Moute has always been his suspect shooting.

That’s why the former UCLA forward was a second-round draft pick.

But Mbah is showing concrete signs of becoming a decent shooter. Mbah a Moute has made 14 of his last 23 shots from the field -- a sizzling 61 percent.