The Journal Times Online - Racine, Wisconsin

By Gery Woelfel

Nobody on the Milwaukee Bucks’ roster has a better handle on their head coach than Malik Allen.

The veteran power forward played two seasons for Scott Skiles while the latter was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls.

To Allen, Skiles doesn’t care if you’re a starter or scrub. He doesn’t believe in preferential treatment.

"He holds guys accountable,’’ Allen said, "no matter who you are.’’

Andrew Bogut will attest to that. In a preseason game against the Golden State Warriors last week in China, Bogut, the Bucks’ starting center and former No. 1 overall draft choice, treated the game like an exhibition.

By his own admission, Bogut simply didn’t come to play. And Skiles didn’t tolerate it.

"I didn’t come out of the gates that well against Golden State,’’ Bogut said after Monday’s practice at the Cousins Center in St. Francis. "I missed a couple of easy shots and I made a couple of defensive mistakes on things that we talked about before the game.

"I was out of the game in 2 1/2 minutes.’’

Bogut, who signed a lucrative guaranteed $60 million contract with an additional $12 million in incentives over the summer, acknowledged he deserved to be yanked from the game.

Bogut realized he was, as Allen noted, held accountable. Bogut said accountability was something that was lacking at times in his previous three years with the Bucks.

"I think what he did was great,’’ Bogut said of Skiles. "I was held accountable, and that was the first time I’ve been held accountable as a Milwaukee Buck.

"I’m not taking anything away from anybody else (past coaches), but I definitely respected what he (Skiles) did. It was a wake-up call, that no matter who you are or what position you play, nobody’s spot is certain.’’

Bonus shots:

— Veteran reserve guard Charlie Bell worked out with the team after recovering from off-season ankle surgery.

Skiles was encouraged by Bell’s showing and knows Bell couldn’t be a key piece to the Bucks’ puzzle this season, especially if he plays to the same level he did two seasons ago.

That’s when Bell played in all 82 games and averaged 13.5 points while shooting 44 percent from the field.

Bell wasn’t nearly as good last season, averaging 7.6 points in 68 games while shooting 38 percent from the field.

"If it’s the Charlie Bell from two seasons ago, he can help us an awful lot," Skiles said. "Charlie last year, by his own admission, didn’t have a very good year, on a team that didn’t have a very good year.

"We need the things he can do. He can shoot the ball; he has a good head about him out there. He can do some ball handling for you. Historically, he’s been a very good defender and a very good guard rebounder.

"Those are all valuable things."

— Scott Williams, who was a television analyst for Bucks’ games last season, has taken a similar job with the Phoenix Suns.

Tony Smith, a former Marquette University standout who played with the Bucks and later became a scout for them, appears to be the front-runner to replace Williams.

— Skiles on the Bucks’ mental makeup: "Our mental toughness needs to improve greatly.’’

— Guard Damon Jones, whom the Bucks acquired in a trade with Cleveland over the summer, is still looking for a new home.

With little playing time available for Jones, the Bucks and Jones reached an agreement where Jones will try to latch on with another team with the Bucks paying a portion of his $4.4 million salary.

— It’s a rare occurrence to be thrown out of an exhibition game — much less in the first quarter. But that’s what happened to former Bucks and current Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams in a game against Philadelphia Saturday night.

Williams, who was part of that multi-player, multi-team trade involving Jones, drew two quick technicals following a skirmish with 76ers guard Andre Miller. Williams departed with 6:06 left in the first quarter.