Standing at 6’6″, Caldwell-Pope should immediately make Bucks fans intrigued because of his rather large height advantage over Monta Ellis, who stands at 6’3″. With that said, comparing the two players is completely ridiculous because their playing styles couldn’t be any more different. For example, Monta Ellis worked best when he was penetrating his way to the rim while Kentavious is more of a perimeter threat. Could the differences between the two players help the Bucks move past the Ellis/Jennings era? Well, let’s take a look.

Out of all the NCAA players who are projected to be a top-20 pick in next month’s draft, Caldwell-Pope probably played on the weakest team — the Georgia Bulldogs. They finished the season with a 15-16 record that put them near the bottom of the SEC but those issues shouldn’t rest fully on the shoulders of Kentavious. The reason for that is because of the huge progression that he made between his freshman and sophomore seasons. Compared to the 2011-12 season, Kentavious increased his PPG (13.2 in ’11-’12 compared to  18.5 in ’12-’13), RPG (5.2 to 7.1), FG% (39% to 43%), 3p% (30% to 37%) and FT% (65% to 80%). Those numbers and percentages are definitely promising because it shows the progression he’s made through his first two years but also the fact that he can continue improving as he grows as a player.

The above statement begs the question of what Kentavious needs to improve on as he makes his transition to the NBA. While he’s an extremely solid perimeter player, there are noticeable issues when it comes to his ball-handling ability. Caldwell-Pope is a very athletic but he fails to use that ability while penetrating to the basket because he struggles to pull together the moves capable of getting past a defender. He’s going to need to develop that skillset to make him into a better all-around player because he seems like a one-dimensional player at the moment. Of course, that could change if he does progress as a player or finds a complementary point guard who works well with his skill set.

Kentavious could work well in a pick-and-roll system with the likes of Sanders, Henson and Ilyasova because of his ability to shoot off the dribble. While that skill-set could work to perfection when paired with a multitude of front-court players, he’s shown that he can rely on that trait a little bit too much, ultimately resulting in some very questionable shot attempts. Now that could change when he surrounds himself with a more talented group of players or if he just matures as a player.

Defensively, Kentavious is a an above-average defender who uses his athleticism very well. He’s actually extremely aggressive as a man-to-man defender which is could be good or bad depending on your point of view. While he’s a solid on-ball defender, he does struggle working through screens but he should improve as he grows as a player.

Overall, I think Kentavious is an extremely solid prospect that could do well in the Bucks system. However he does need a good distributing point guard by his side so he can work more off the ball — something he rarely did while he was a member of the Bulldogs. With that said, he’s probably going to have a good NBA career ahead of him because of his skills around the perimeter and his ability to crash the defensive boards (8.7 defensive rebounds per 40 minutes).

Mar 7, 2013; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (1) drives the ball up the court against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia defeated Kentucky 72-62. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Dec. 29, 2012; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; From left Utah Jazz former assistant coach Phil Johnson , former Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan and current Jazz vice president Kevin O

NBA.com:  Former Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan was at the NBA’s scouting combine in Chicago yesterday, but he was there  with the Jazz, not the Bucks.  Sloan will not be filling the head coaching vacancy for the Bucks.

“The bottom line is, Jerry doesn’t really feel it’s the right fit for him right now,” (agent Keith) Glass said Thursday. “He’s interested (in coaching again). He’s in Chicago now watching the Pre-Draft. And his name keeps popping up with every job, and he hasn’t applied for anything. He had a real nice meeting with them. They came to see him on his farm (in downstate Illinois). They had a great meeting just in terms of liking each other. (Bucks general manager) John Hammond said ‘I wish I could have stayed and watched the game with him.’ It’s just not the right fit for Jerry, from Jerry’s point of view. That’s not a negative thing; that’s just the reality.”

Actually, it is a negative thing.  Sloan is 71, took a look at the Bucks and the project facing them and decided, “No, thank you.” Is it good to be giddy over a rejection?

Bucks GM John Hammond says Milwaukee was “honored” that Sloan even met with the team: “He’s Jerry Sloan.”

— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) May 17, 2013

Glass also used to the opportunity to stick a few jabs in on behalf of ex-Bucks coach Scott Skiles, essentially saying that both Skiles and Sloan wanted no part of Milwaukee because they aren’t aren’t a team that is “ready to compete”.

Racine Journal Times: In a profile on Vander Blue and his chances and getting picked in the upcoming NBA draft, Gery Woelfel included a few interesting tidbits of scuttlebutt.

The Bucks are expected to draft a guard with their first pick, the 15th overall selection. But they have shown interest in three big men: Rudy Gobert of France, Gorgui Dieng of Louisville and Mason Plumlee of Duke. They have interviewed all of those players and are expected work them out before the draft as well.

Hammond has indicated in the past that he believes the best strategy is to draft for talent and to sign free agents and make trades for need.  Even though the Bucks have one guard (and it’s Ish Smith) under contract for next season, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise for the Bucks to pick a big.  But if they do aim smaller,

The Bucks also interviewed shooting guards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope of Georgia and Jamaal Franklin of San Diego State.

On Jeff Weltman losing out on the Suns’ GM spot:

Some NBA officials were shocked Weltman didn’t get the Suns general manager’s job, saying they felt he had a verbal agreement with Suns president Lon Babby and that Suns managing partner Robert Sarver nixed the deal.

Judging by his unhappiness with the Bucks at the end of the season, a glumness which deeply contrasted the fawning praise that he heaped on Orlando weeks before, here’s an understatement.

There is growing sentiment Bucks backup guard J.J. Redick, who is an unrestricted free agent, will sign with another team in July.

And did Stan Van Gundy seriously consider the Bucks before opting to pass?

Sources continue to insist former Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was in Milwaukee last week. Van Gundy is among numerous coaches the Bucks have expressed interest in for their vacant head coaching position.

The Business Journal:  The arena issue continues to linger in the shadows.  Since his May 2012 statements indicating Milwaukee’s need to implement a new downtown arena, Senator Herb Kohl has kept mum on the issue.  If it turns out that he is willing to spend his own money to partially, approximately how much would he put forth?

The only expert I interviewed who was willing to predict a dollar figure on Kohl’s contribution is Milwaukee attorney Marty Greenberg, whose specialties include sports-related development. Greenberg believes the number is $100 million.

The NBA and the Bucks have targeted 2017 as the date when a new arena would need to replace the BMO Harris Bradley center.

Sacramento Bee:  Speaking of lurking in the shadows, the Sacramento deal is all but official.  The NBA nixed Seattle’s bid to relocate the Kings, and the current owners of the Kings, the Maloof family, have agreed to the terms of a deal to sell the Kings to a group interested in keeping the team in place.

Ranadive added, “We just need to sign some papers and finalize everything.” If the NBA approves the deal, a source told The Bee, escrow is expected to close at the end of May.

The source, a stakeholder close to the deal, said the Maloof family was eager to “turn the page” and was pleased it was able to sell to a group that will keep the team in Sacramento.

The deal would set the team’s overall value at $535 million, an NBA record.