Randolph, not Alexander has had the Bucks inside track in the draft

re: Randolph, not Alexander has had the Bucks inside track in the draft

J.D. Mo — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:47:37 GMT

I wonder if the Bucks didn't play to the buzz. It was strong for Alexander on draft day. He didn't seem anything like the guy they worked out and his voice had dropped a couple of octaves. Selling tickets is a concern and, in either case, we're talking about backups and trade bait, not starting NBA players. So they drafted the hardnosed, hardworking Joe - a very Milwaukee choice.

Meanwhile, Nellie gets Randolph in Golden State, probably the guy he wanted all along at the #14 pick. Seems like somebody might have wanted to be in the Bay Area. We may never know.

re: Randolph, not Alexander has had the Bucks inside track in the draft

Frank M — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:27:22 GMT

I'm not just talking about Ford though...are there any recent mocks that have him at better than 10th? I'm sure a lot of that is herd mentality, but the SI and DX guys aren't just talking to agents either. It's a shame the national media doesn't give a rip about Milwaukee, otherwise we might have more people actually digging around for information.

This is one of those funny times of year with the media...you've got someone like Hunt who doesn't follow the draft buzz nearly as closely as Ford, Givony, etc. Yet it's very possible he's dropping Randolph's name because someone credible with the Bucks mentioned it to him. Or he could just be fairly misinformed (like that suggestion of Bogut for Billups a couple weeks ago).

Based on some of the talk at RealGM I"m just going to expect a horribly disappointing trade of the pick...expect little and you'll never be disappointed, right?

re: Randolph, not Alexander has had the Bucks inside track in the draft

J.D. Mo — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:40:29 GMT

Randolph dropping? One week Ford is listening to Armstrong, the next week he's got other agents in his ear. I don't think Ford's rolodex is filled with team sources, with the exception of the rep from Golden State who called to demand corrections over Ford's Brandan Wright trades.

Hammond and the Bucks are still very high on Randolph, judging from his comments, so what Randolph did at the Bucks workout still stands.

As Hunt wrote, I think there is concern Randolph could be gone by #8 - and a concern too that Alexander could be gone by #8 - so the Bucks are covering their bases. There's a chance Randolph or Alexander will be available. There's a chance a trade is in the works, too ...

I'm expecting surprises Thursday!

re: Randolph, not Alexander has had the Bucks inside track in the draft

Frank M — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:10:02 GMT

I can see the Bucks' liking Randolph over Alexander three weeks ago, but what do you make of everything that's happening now? Do you really think the Knicks pick Randolph 6th? Even aside from Ford, I don't think anyone has him going higher than our pick. I know there's a lot of BS out there, but when everyone has a guy falling it's usually not a good thing.

And I'm not clear how the Armstrong/Ford connection fits in with Randolph sliding in mocks. That could be teams that like him trying to get him to slip...though Hammond was very complimentary of him yesterday. But Armstrong isn't going to spread negative rumors about his client.

At this point it wouldn't shock me if we went either way--I think the more interesting thing is that we'll probably have a shot at Love, Bayless, Westbrook or Gordon (maybe two of those guys), and I'm not sure if that changes the Bucks' calculus much. Certainly trading the pick seems very possible, but I'm not sure what we might get back.

re: Randolph, not Alexander has had the Bucks inside track in the draft

J.D. Mo — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:08:10 GMT

Frank, I think I nailed it on the head. I did some more research and learned that B.J. Armstrong is the agent for Randolph and Rose, which means we can assume he's one of Ford's main sources. I added it into the post above in bold. The Chad Ford Principle works.

Here's an interview with Armstrong on Rose:

www.insidehoops.com/.../showthread.php

Also, I recalled also that Skiles and Randolph were seen Downtown eating together after the workout, and made that addition up top.

- finis