The Journal Times Online - Racine, Wisconsin

BY GERY WOELFEL

ST. FRANCIS - Could Jordan Hill be this year's NBA draft version of Caron Butler and Paul Pierce?

The Milwaukee Bucks probably hope that's the case.

Butler and Pierce are two classic examples of players who were considered top five talents going into the 2002 and 1998 drafts, respectively.

But both Butler and Pierce both slid and wound up being the 10th overall selection -- the same spot the Bucks will be drafting in on June 25.

Leading into the 2002 draft, Butler was expected to be chosen by Denver, which had the fifth pick. Instead, the Nuggets selected Georgian forward Nikoloz Tskitishvili.

It was then assumed Butler would be selected by Cleveland, which has the sixth pick, but the Cavs chose Memphis guard Dajuan Wagner instead.

Both Tskitishivili and Wagner turned out to be busts. Butler, the former Park High School star, has gone on to become a two-time All-Star.

In the 1998 draft, Pierce was expected to be a top five selection as well. But he wound up falling to Boston at 10, only after Denver had picked Raef LaFrentz at No. 2 and the Bucks, in a pre-draft deal with Dallas, had picked Robert Traylor at No. 6.

While Traylor and LaFrentz went on to have non-descript pro careers, Piece flourished and is now one of the premier players in the game.

Heading into next Thursday's draft, Hill is generally regarded as a top-six talent. In fact, at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament last month, Hill was one of only five players to be unanimously selected in a poll I conducted of NBA GMs and player personnel people to be a top 10 selection.

The others were Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin, who is a lock to be the No. 1 overall pick of the Los Angeles Clippers, DKV Joventut guard Ricky Rubio, Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet and shooting guard James Harden of Arizona State.

But with a glut of intriguing point guards and with several teams set at the power forward position, including Washington (5), Minnesota (No.6), Golden State (7), New York (8) and Toronto (9), the 6-foot-10, 232-pound Hill could conceivably slip to the Bucks.

The Bucks are obviously aware of that possibility, and that's why they worked him out Friday at their training facility.

Hill didn't disappoint.

Some Bucks officials who witnessed Hill's workout -- the media was banned from watching -- raved about Hill's showing. One of them was Dave Babcock, the Bucks player personnel director.

"He's a very talented guy,'' Babcock said of Hill. "He's a very smooth athlete. He has loads of talent.''

Hill not only has the physical tools to be a quality pro player, he would fill what inevitably will be a glaring hole for the Bucks at power forward.

Incumbent power forward Charlie Villanueva becomes a restricted free agent this summer and it's almost a foregone conclusion he'll be joining another team.

Hill, a late bloomer, showed impressive growth at the University of Arizona.

As a freshman, he averaged 4.7 points and 4.1 rebounds. In his sophomore season, he bumped those numbers up to 13.2 and 7.9.

Last season, Hill took his game to another level again. He registered a double-double -- 18.3 points and 11 rebounds -- something that hadn't been done in the tradition-rich Wildcats program in three decades.

Hill, who has a pleasant out-going personality, believes he'd be more than a nice complement to center Andrew Bogut on the Bucks frontline.

Said Hill: "I think I could come in and make a huge impact.''

* While center Byron Mullens of Ohio State put on a good show for Bucks officials Friday, and reiterated his desire to be a teammate of Michael Redd -- who was his neighbor while growing up in Columbus, Ohio -- he isn't likely to get his wish.

Considered the second-best center in the draft behind Thabeet, Mullens will more likely be chosen in the middle of the first round.

Chicago, which plans to bring him back for a second visit, and Detroit have shown more than a passing interest in him.

"I don't think he'd be a strong consideration for us at 10,'' Babcock said.

* Former University of Wisconsin standout Brian Butch has been diligently working out at the Cousins Center.

Butch, who went undrafted last year and played overseas, has been working out with Bucks forward Joe Alexander under the watchful eyes of coaches Bill Peterson and Adrian Griffin.

With the Bucks' summer league team already filled, Butch is hoping to latch on with another team.

* The Bucks don't take their draft prospects out for dinner unless they are seriously considering picking them. Thursday night, Hill said Bucks general manager John Hammond and Babcock took him to dinner at the Pfister in downtown Milwaukee. Hill took full advantage of the freebie, ordering ribeye steak. ... The Phil Jackson retirement rumors haven't ceased but increased. The scuttlebutt is the Lakers brass -- and Kobe Bryant, in particular -- wants Mike Krzyzewski to be Jackson's successor once the latter steps down. An NBA Western Conference coach chimed in Thursday, saying Byron Scott could be in the Lakers mix as well -- if Coach K decides to stay at Duke. ... Speaking of coaches, why did Bill Laimbeer so abruptly quit his gig as the WNBA's Detroit Shock GM and head coach? One NBA executive claims Laimbeer bolted so he could become an assistant coach for Mike Fratello, if the latter lands the Minnesota TWolves' head job. ... The reports on Mike Redd's rehab from ACL surgery have been highly encouraging. Redd has been working with a trainer in his hometown of Columbus and seems almost obsessed about having his best season ever. ... Here's how one NBA player personnel director, whose team is picking in the same vicinity as the Bucks, ranks his top 10 players: Blake Griffin, Hasheem Thabeet, Ricky Rubio, Jordan Hill, Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan, James Harden, Jonny Flynn and Brandon Jennings.

The last word goes to Indiana Pacers All-Star forward Danny Granger, telling ESPN The Magazine why the Pacers should draft Hill:

"We need an athletic big man. Even though he's raw, I think he can help us right away. Sometimes you have guys who are polished but they lack size or athleticism. He's got both of those gifts, so it's just a matter of matter of time. He's got a lot of potential.''