Wednesday Bucks Notes

• Mike Redd didn't have his three point touch for the second straight game, but the US throttled its favorite self-governing unincorporated territory (read: Puerto Rico) 117-78. Redd had 15 points (6/14 fg, 1/8 3fg, 2/2 ft) in 20 minutes (box score). The US plays Uruguay tonight.
  
• JS has some video (in English) from the press conference in China. FYI, "Ah Lian" is a common nickname for Yi, so Kohl isn't replicating his performance during the Terry Stotts press conference two years ago--when he continually referred to his new head coach as "Stott."
  
• Marty Burns at SI gives the Bucks' offseason a B. I've always liked Burns' work a great deal and unlike many at ESPN (cough, Chris Sheridan, cough) he seemed to "get" the Yi situation from the start. Giving the Bucks a "B" might be slightly generous given they probably overpaid Mo, Mason isn't an impact player, and agreeing to pay Jake Voskuhl $3 million is just odd. Assuming Bell is back their key guys are back in the fold and they added a potential star player in the draft despite the odds being stacked against them.
• Gery Woelfel reported on WSSP this afternoon that Mark Bartelstein told him the Bucks appeared to have no interest in re-signing Charlie Bell. But don't worry Bucks fans, Bartelstein is being dramatic. Larry Harris and Larry Krystkowiak both re-stated the Bucks desire to bring Bell back today, and the lack of action is primarily an artifact of Bell's status as a restricted free agent. No team is willing to give Bell an offer sheet because they expect the Bucks to match, and the Bucks as a result see no reason to up their offer (unfortunately I don't have any info on what that might be). Keep in mind Bell could just take the Bucks' required tender and play for about $1 million next year and then be unrestricted in '08. But at 28 years old and coming off a career season that he's unlikely to match, you can bet Bell wants to sign a long-term deal and secure his financial future while his stock is reasonably high.
  
• Ruben Patterson has signed a one-year deal with the Clippers. In spite of playing well amid the Bucks' injury chaos last year, Ruben was rumored to have worn out his welcome in Milwaukee for undisclosed reasons and as of last week seemed desperate to sign with anyone. Good luck Ruben, keep your nose clean in Hollywood.