The Journal Times Online - Racine, Wisconsin

BY GERY WOELFEL

CHICAGO -- The Milwaukee Bucks would be wise in selecting Jonny Flynn with their first-round pick in next month's NBA draft.

At least, that's the opinion of Tyreke Evans.

Evans, the gifted combo guard from Memphis who is regarded as one of the prized players in this year's draft, has a lofty opinion of Flynn, the stellar point guard from Syracuse University.

When asked Friday at the NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago to pick the best rookie prospect he had played against, Evans barely hesitated in responding.

"Probably Jonny Flynn,'' Evans said. "He can shoot the 3-pointer, he's got a mid-range game and he can finish on big guys.

"And he makes his teammates better. He's got the whole package.''

Evans said he became a big Flynn fan after the latter's outstanding game against Memphis on Dec. 20 at Memphis, Tenn.

In that game, Flynn scored 24 points and had six assists in leading the Orange to a 72-65 victory.

"He's the reason they won that game,'' Evans said. "He's a great player.''

* There is growing sentiment among some NBA officials that the Bucks covet Flynn with the 10th overall pick.

The Bucks have done an extensive amount of research on him and spent the allotted 30 minutes interviewing him Thursday at the Westin Hotel.

Flynn said he immediately connected with Bucks coach Scott Skiles, a former point guard himself.

"The meeting went smooth,'' Flynn said. "Scott Skiles told me what they thought of me and how they were high on me and how they needed someone at that position.''

"He said he liked my toughness. Scott Skiles on the basketball court was tough, too, tough as nails. He said he sees a lot of that in me.''

Flynn, who was measured at 5-11 1/4 without shoes and 6-3/4 with shoes, believes he would fit in nicely with the Bucks.

"I think that would be a good situation for me there,'' said Flynn, who averaged 17.4 points and 6.7 assists as a sophomore last season.

"They got Richard Jefferson and they got Michael Redd, who would make my job a lot easier, Andrew Bogut, Ramon Sessions ...

"They got a good core, a good nucleus of players and they have a great coach in Scott Skiles. He was a point guard and he could really help me elevate my game.

"I think I could do really well there.''

* While Davidson's Stephen Curry, UCLA's Jrue Holiday, North Carolina's Ty Lawson and Flynn are the more highly-touted point guards who'll work out for the Bucks before the June 25 draft, two other point guards will also audition for the Bucks.

They are Virginia Commonwealth's Eric Maynor, who interviewed with Bucks officials Friday, and Darren Collison of UCLA.

Maynor is generally considered to be a mid first-round selection, and Collison is projected to go late in the first round or early second.

Last year, the Bucks took Collison's teammate, Luc Mbah a Moute, in the second round. He became a part-time starter and was perhaps the biggest steal of the draft.

Collison said he and Mbah a Moute are best of friends.

"He's like a big brother to me,'' Collison said of Mbah a Moute. "He helped me a lot when he was at UCLA and he's helped me a lot in preparing for the draft.''

* UConn center Hasheem Thabeet has been diligently working on his game under the watchful eye of Scott Roth, the former University of Wisconsin forward and ex-Bucks scout.

The 7-2 1/2 Thabeet and Roth have been working together almost on a daily basis in recent weeks in Los Angeles, and Roth accompanied him to Chicago as well.

Thabeet is expected to be one of the top five players chosen.

"He's shown me a lot of new stuff,'' Thabeet said of Roth. "So far, so good.''

Added Roth: "He's going to be a very good player.''

* While the lobby of the Westin Hotel was a "Who's Who'' of pro prospects and officials, there were some other celebs on the premises as well.

One was Tommy Lasorda, the former Los Angeles Dodgers manager, and another was Larry King, the talk show host extraordinaire.

I chatted with the 75-year-old King for about 10 minutes on an array of topics from politics to sports and, after he told me that he's conducted approximately 50,000 interviews during his illustrious career, I asked him who were his favorites.

"Sinatra ... He seemed to have everything,'' King said. "And Martin Luther King.''

Bonus shots

There are whispers the Memphis Grizzlies, who have the second overall pick, could take Memphis guard Tyreke Evans. ... Darren Collison on Jrue Holiday, his teammate at UCLA: "He has so much potential, it's scary.'' Someone close to the L.A. Clippers' scene said rumors of the team possibly trading the No. 1 pick -- Blake Griffin of Oklahoma -- were absurd. ... Former Bucks head coach Larry Krystkowiak may be returning to the NBA next season as an assistant coach. ... Of the 52 players at the pre-draft camp, only one was from the Big Ten Conference: Byron "Don't call me B.J. anymore'' Mullens of Ohio State. ... North Carolina forward Tyler Hansbrough is considered a late first-round prospect, although Detroit, picking at 15, and New Orleans, picking at 21, will bring him in for a workout. ... Add Gonzaga center Josh Heytvelt to your list of players the Bucks will work out. He'll audition for the Bucks on June 5. ... The last word goes to Gonzaga forward Austin Daye, whose dad, Darren, played five seasons in the NBA before going overseas: 'We have one of the strongest relationships of anybody in the world. We have a very, very, very, very unique relationship.''