BY GERY WOELFEL
ORLANDO, Fla. - At last year’s NBA pre-draft camp, I asked Joakim Noah if he was going to work out for the Milwaukee Bucks.
No sooner had I finished my question, a pained look came over Noah’s face. The former University of Florida star, whom the Bucks had on their short list with the sixth overall pick at the time, then brusquely responded, “I’m not going there.’’
And he didn’t.
The Bucks passed on drafting Noah and chose another forward instead, Yi Jianlian. Noah wound up being taken three picks later by the Chicago Bulls.
At Thursday’s pre-draft camp, I posed the same question to UCLA power forward Kevin Love as I did Noah and asked him if had any apprehensions about playing for the Bucks, who have the eighth overall pick and who definitely have him on their radar screen.
After all, Love has lived his entire life on the West Coast, attending Lake Oswego (Ore.) High School and then UCLA.
But unlike Noah, who fairly bristled at the mere suggestion of playing in Milwaukee, the 6-foot-10, 252-pound Love smiled and said, “I’ll come to Milwaukee. I love Milwaukee.
“Any city that I’m going to will be my new favorite city and I’m going to try and embrace it as best as possible.’’
So Love wouldn’t have any problems relocating to Milwaukee?
“What’s wrong with Milwaukee?’’ Love shot back defiantly. “I’d love it there. It would be great.’’
Love said he's not only receptive to residing in Milwaukee, but he believes he would fit in quite nicely with the Bucks’ other young frontcourt players.
“I used to watch (Andrew) Bogut in college and I know Yi (Jianlian) is there, too,’’ Love said. “I feel like I could play alongside them as well.
“I think Milwaukee would be a great place for me.’’
Bucks will work out Taylor
Having grown up in Milwaukee and having attended Marshall High School, Mike Taylor said it would be a “dream come true’’ if the Bucks chose him in the June 26th draft.
Taylor, a 6-foot-2 combo guard, certainly didn’t hurt his chances of that occurring with his second straight stellar performance at the pre-draft camp.
After scoring 17 points in a game Wednesday, Taylor totaled a game-high 24 points, connecting on 8-of-12 field-goal attempts, in a game Thursday night.
Taylor, who is ultra quick and highly athletic – he said he has a 40-inch vertical jump – said he will work out for approximately 12 teams during the next two weeks. One of them is the Bucks.
Besides being a Bucks fan, Taylor said there’s another significant reason why he wants to play for his hometown NBA team.
“It would be great for my mother,’’ Taylor said of Carolyn Taylor. “I don’t think she’s seen me play in person since I was in high school.’’
Porter in hunt for Suns’ job
Former Bucks head coach and current Detroit Pistons assistant coach Terry Porter is seriously being considered for the vacant Phoenix Suns head coaching position.
“I talked to him once already and he was impressive,’’ Suns GM Steve Kerr told me. “I plan to talk to him again when they (the Pistons) have a break in the playoffs. I don’t want to be a distraction for them.’’
Dynamic duo
Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless figures to be one of the top seven players taken in the draft, but he isn’t offended by those who claim forward Michael Beasley of Kansas State and point guard Derrick Rose of Memphis are a cut above the rest of the 2008 draft class.
“Derrick is exceptional,’’ Bayless said. “Michael? I don’t know what to say about him. He’s a freak out there on the court.’’
Big Dick Bennett fan
While Dean Demopoulos is now the lead assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers, he was an assistant coach for John Chaney at Temple University from 1983-1999.
During that span, Temple played Wisconsin on several occasions and Demopoulos was, to say the least, duly impressed with then Badgers coach Dick Bennett.
“He is one of the best defensive coaches of all time,’’ Demopoulos said. “His concepts and attention to detail would transfer into any level, into any place, into any era.
“In my opinion, Dick Bennett is a Hall of Fame coach.’’
Bucks reunion
Bucks coach Scott Skiles and his former Bucks teammate, Jerry “Ice’’ Reynolds, exchanged pleasantries at the pre-draft camp.
Skiles and Reynolds, who spent the 1986 season together in Milwaukee, also were teammates with the Orlando Magic.
On Dec. 30, 1990, in a game against Denver, Skiles set an NBA record with 30 assists, thanks to Reynolds.
“I scored the basket that gave Scott his 30th assist,’’ said Reynolds, who laughed and added, “so he owes me.’’
Reynolds is the associate head coach at Webber International University -- an NAIA Division II school in Lake Wales, Fla. – but is hoping to land an NBA job as a coach or scout.
Bonus shots
Asked whether the Bucks would re-sign forward Ersan Ilyasova, who spent this season playing for FC Barcelona in Spain, Bucks general manager John Hammond said, “It’s a consideration.’’ … Former Wisconsin standout power forward Brian Butch had a game not too remember Thursday night. Generally a good shooter, Butch made only 3-of-12 field-goal attempts. … There isn’t a draft prospect with a better grasp of NBA history than Love. In fact, Love said he chose to wear No. 42 at UCLA because of Connie Hawkins. … Louisiana State forward Anthony Randolph is the only player among the top 10 projected picks who said with certainty that he had a workout scheduled with the Bucks. Randolph, by the way, is just 18 years old. He was told by an NBA official that he is the youngest player in the draft. … Indiana University guard Eric Gordon doesn’t expect to be donning a Bucks’ uni next season, believing he will be drafted in the fourth-through-seventh pick range.
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