Saturday Bucks Notes

• Everyone has an opinion about who should make the cut for Team USA, and it's looking increasingly likely that Michael Redd will squeeze into the final 12-man roster. Lonnie White writes that both Mike Miller and Redd are likely to make the cut as of now.
  
• Steve Ashburner at SI provides a nice overview of the many unsigned restricted free agents still out there, including Charlie Bell.

  "Restricted free agency is designed to give the teams a lot of leverage, and it works,'' said Mark Bartelstein, who lists Bell among his clients. "Free agency is such a fast-moving business that a team that's going to make the offer sheet is nervous to get its money tied up for a week. How many players might you lose out on in the meantime? So unless you're a team that is using cap room to sign a player, teams feel their chances of getting anyone are very slim.''

• Bell scored 42 points in a summer pro-am game a couple weeks ago in his hometown of Flint, Michigan.
  
• Alex Boeder reports on Michael Redd's first experience playing for Team USA.
  
• Yi Jianlian and China were routed 88-55 by Dirk Nowitzki's Germany on Friday in Hamburg. China will play the Germans again on Sunday before heading to Turkey to play in an eight team invitational that will include Ersan Ilyasova's Turkish team. Yi led China with 14 points and 8 rebounds on 4/14 shooting, while Nowitzki scored 16 despite playing sparingly. Yi spoke about the challenge of playing Nowitzki earlier this week:

  "We've kept non-stop training since the Stankovic Cup last month, and I feel good now on the court," said Yi, who topped the statistic rankings in points, rebounds and blocks at the Stankovic Cup continental event.

  Foreseeing the games against the German team led by NBA star center Dirk Nowitzki, the 20-year-old said he's prepared well.

  "I'd better press him more on defence and give him no chance to score," said the 2.12-meter center, who will likely start his first NBA season this summer.

• Mo Williams and Monta Ellis are co-hosting the Mississippi Celebrity Basketball Game today in Jackson. A bunch of current NBA players are slated to participate, including Ruben Patterson, Chauncey Billups, and Al Jefferson.