Sunday Bucks Notes

Bogut vs. Yi: Snapped by RealGMer PP25

• Andrew Bogut was the star of the Bucks' annual open scrimmage, scoring 24 along with nine rebounds in only 23 minutes of his Black squad's 77-64 victory over Mike Redd's White team. Bogut benefited from the fact that fellow center Dan Gadzuric was also on his team, allowing him to bully the smaller White squad (including Yi) down low. Mo Williams had a very nice line, scoring 13 while adding 11 assists and seven boards, while Yi Jianlian got his bearings as the game went on, scoring 10 to go with five rebounds. Chinese television highlights of Yi's day can be seen here. Redd struggled from the field, scoring 17 to lead the White. The word from RealGMers is that Charlie Villanueva's performance was the only notable negative. Maybe I was overestimating CV's motivation coming into camp, as I've been expecting him to bounce back strongly after a tough sophomore season. But it's also possible he's still getting back into the flow of things after only recently recovering from shoulder surgery. Either way Yi may have a better shot at starting than I previously thought.
  
• Gery Woelfel likes what he sees in Desmond Mason, Yi and Ramon Sessions.
  

  Granted, the real games have yet to begin, but you can’t help but be impressed by Yi Jianlian, the Bucks’ top draft pick. His skills are obvious and he possesses an almost unflappable demeanor.

  The only time Yi showed any emotion was after he made a shot from half-court as part of a contest with some fans. Yi broke out into a sheepish grin before being engulfed by his almost-giddy teammates.

• It's easy to get excited about guys before the games begin, but Bogut does seem like a man on a mission this year. While Bogut's post work could be refined, his struggles from the line and inconsistency from 12-15 feet have been major barriers to his offensive effectiveness.
  

  "My trainer strongly believes I didn't do things the right way in that off-season [2006], and I didn't have a good rest," Bogut said.

  In the past few months, Bogut worked diligently on his jump shot and his free throw shooting.

  "I'm just trying to be a basketball player instead of a one-dimensional robot," he said.

• Charles Gardner writes Charlie Bell is still trying to get into shape. We heard going into the offseason that the Bucks asked Bell to work on his PG skills this summer, but apparently the uncertainty over his contract may have gotten in his way.

  "I really didn't play much basketball in the summertime because I didn't have a contract and I didn't want to take a chance of getting hurt. So this is the first time I've played since probably last season. It's been tough on me. I've been getting winded pretty quick. But it's getting better."

• Big congratulations to Jim Paschke and MACC Fund Executive Director John Cary for their induction into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches' Association Hall of Fame. Also being inducted are Dick Bennett and former Marquette star Tony Smith.