Bucks Team Report

GETTING INSIDE

It looks as if Joe Alexander(notes) won’t be returning to action anytime soon.

Alexander, the Bucks’ first-round draft pick in 2008, has been sidelined since the start of training camp with a hamstring injury. Bucks management and coaches have said Alexander has a strained hamstring, although sources in the organization said Alexander’s hamstring is actually torn.

In any event, Bucks officials and Alexander both agree that he won’t be ready to play until at least the end of December.

Alexander’s future with the team is shaky, at best. Bucks general manager John Hammond recently decided not to pick up the third-year option on Alexander’s contract, thus making him an unrestricted free agent in July.

Alexander, who played well in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and then at Tim Grgurich’s camp, was expected to compete for a starting spot at one of the forward positions this season.

Alexander, whom the Bucks drafted instead of New Jersey’s Brook Lopez(notes) and Sacramento’s Jason Thompson(notes), has been jogging in practice but has yet to do any sprinting or cutting.

Bucks 103, Grizzlies 98:   Milwaukee’s starting backcourt, Brandon Jennings(notes) and Charlie Bell(notes), played well Saturday night, especially in crunch time. Bell, who had a season-high 19 points, hit a clutch 3-pointer to give the Bucks a 93-90 advantage. Jennings, who finished with 26 points, then added two free throws to keep the Grizzlies at bay. Jennings had 24 of his points after halftime.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Bobcats managing member of basketball operations Michael Jordan attended the Bobcats-Bucks game at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee on Friday night and watched the Bucks’ sensational rookie point guard Brandon Jennings score 29 points. Afterward, Jordan told the Racine Journal Times he wasn’t ready to make any quick observations of Jennings. “I haven’t seen enough of him to make any comment,” Jordan said.

• Saturday night’s game against the Grizzlies was the first of four consecutive road games for the Bucks. They will play at San Antonio on Monday, at New Orleans on Wednesday and at Oklahoma City on Friday.

• The Bucks have been a different team after halftime in recent games. Against the Grizzlies on Saturday night, the Bucks outscored their opponents 31-22 in the third quarter. In the previous three games, the Bucks outscored their opponents 122-72—or 30.5 to 18.

Quote To Note:   “It’s cool, but at the end of the day, when I’m done playing, I want to be the next Brandon Jennings. I’m my own person. Allen Iverson(notes) and I are two different players. I’m more of a true point guard; he’s more of a scorer. I’m not saying he doesn’t like to get his teammates involved, but the dude can score for being 6 foot.”—Rookie PG Brandon Jennings, on being compared to his hero.

ROSTER REPORT

Rotation:   Starters—Point guard Brandon Jennings, Shooting guard Charlie Bell, Small forward Carlos Delfino(notes), Power forward Ersan Ilyasova(notes), Center—Dan Gadzuric(notes). Bench—Point guard Roko Ukic(notes), Power forward Hakim Warrick(notes), Point guard Luke Ridnour(notes), Center Kurt Thomas(notes), Shooting guard Jodie Meeks(notes).

Player Notes:  

• F Hakim Warrick came off the bench against the Grizzlies, his former team, and scored eight and grabbed three rebounds in 18 minutes Saturday night. Warrick was the Grizzlies’ first-round pick in the 2005 NBA draft—the 19th overall pick - and played four seasons with the Grizzlies before signing a one-year contract with the Bucks over the summer.

• G Jodie Meeks’ shooting woes continue. The Bucks’ second-round draft pick went 1-for-5 against the Grizzlies. In his previous five games, Meeks connected on just eight of 34 shots from the field, a feeble 23.5 percent.

• G Roko Ukic finally got some playing time Saturday night against the Grizzlies. The veteran point guard, who had back-to-back DNP-CDs, played 9:33. He had two points and an assist.

Medical Watch:  

• G Michael Redd(notes) (strained patellar tendon) missed his ninth consecutive game on Nov. 21. Redd is hoping to return to action Nov. 25 when the Bucks play at New Orleans.

• F Luc Richard Mbah a Moute(notes) (sprained left foot) traveled with the team to Memphis but didn’t play in the Nov. 21 game. He is listed as day-to-day.

• C Andrew Bogut(notes) (left leg sprain and contusion) will be sidelined for about four weeks after getting injured in the Nov. 18 game.