Hammond gets his (big) men, but are Bucks better? - Examiner.com

In his tenure as general manager of the Bucks, John Hammond has earned the moniker “Trader John” for his ability to make bad pieces go away as well as having the uncommon guts to quickly erase his own mistakes. Were he judged solely on his trading acumen, he’d be entrenched in his job with a five-year contract right now.

Instead, the erstwhile Executive of the Year has lame-duck status in large measure because of his draft picks. Joe Alexander was a strikeout, Brandon Jennings a home run, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute a double, while Larry Sanders and Tobias Harris are, to switch to a basketball metaphor, still the subjects of a timeout huddle. It’s almost as if Hammond has two reputations.

So now that the GM has once again struck on both fronts, what is one to make of the Bucks’ roster? This fan is inclined to say that the latest round of moves firmly upholds both of Hammond’s aforementioned dueling images.

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The acquisition of veteran 7-footer Samuel Dalembert to be the team’s starting center is much easier to assess. Dalembert gives Milwaukee an experienced defender and shot-blocker whose pedestrian offensive skills will be masked on a squad that can already fill it up. If he doesn’t pan out, his $7 million deal comes off the books in a year. Though it’s unfortunate Jon Leuer had to go, there’s little risk in the trade.

Shooting guard Doron Lamb of Kentucky was a solid second-round choice, but the drafting of North Carolina power forward John Henson generated a plethora of opinions.The ESPN telecasters praised his shot-blocking and swooned over his Freddie Krueger-like wingspan. We were told he has an improved face-up game and can make the jump hook with either hand. Hammond was ecstatic his guy dropped to 14 and didn't question why.

I won’t either, because once Detroit grabbed (perhaps stupidly) Andre Drummond ninth, Milwaukee was the next good fit for Henson. Team brass had lamented during the vetting process that Henson would be off the board for them, and that was when they were picking 12th. So when he was still there at 14, the selection was no surprise for the defensively-challenged Bucks. And at least on paper, Henson figures to help fill that pressing need.

Still, the pick didn’t excite me. He’s 216 pounds and generally viewed as quite weak. It’s a valid criticism that he could be overmatched by established power forwards 30 pounds heavier. His offensive skills in college never struck me as polished, and he never really produced a moment that screamed, “Wow, this guy’s gonna be a force at the next level.” My first reaction as the pick was announced was that Henson is Ekpe Udoh with a higher ceiling.

I previously endorsed Henson’s UNC teammate, Tyler Zeller, as the best choice, a perspective I stand by. Like Henson, Zeller needs a ton of work in the weight room and certainly has significant room for improvement. But drafting Zeller would have given the Bucks a natural replacement for Dalembert (after a season of on-the-job training) and a back-to-the-basket center for years to come.

At present, the roster features a glut of power forwards: Projected starter Drew Gooden, Udoh, Sanders, and Henson. That’s if Hammond doesn’t re-sign Ersan Ilyasova, a player the GM has always said he wants back. Has Ilyasova’s agent given indications his client won’t return? We’ll find out soon enough.

I still believe Ilyasova will remain a Buck, but if he doesn’t, Milwaukee will be missing a “stretch 4” (Gooden may fancy himself one, but he isn’t), a vital component in an up-tempo offense. The nagging suspicion here is that Henson, who clearly isn’t a chess piece for another trade, is too similar to the others to become one. That makes it hard to envision the entire group being here when training camp opens.

All that said, the draft process is an inexact science of identifying potential; instant analysis is very often a fool’s errand. Henson has already stated Milwaukee was his favorite stop on his workout tour. He seems like a solid character guy, and Scott Skiles is no doubt delirious to have another defensive-minded player in his stable.

So while this looks like a curious dice roll in a deep draft by a management team that can’t afford to gamble, I’d be more than happy to have to play the fool. If Henson thrives and the team heads to the postseason, Hammond will emerge looking like a genius.

A genius with a contract extension, to be exact.