On the Stove Top: 5/29

Prospect Profile pages have been added to Hoops Marinara for several Wisconsin recruits. The goal is to track some of the links, press and stats of those future Badgers who have verballed, but have not yet signed a LOI. For instance, the first two pages up are for the Class of 2009: Mike Bruesewitz and Diamond Taylor. Class of 2010 is on its way shortly. Reader comments are encouraged and the posts will be constantly revised to hold the most up-to-date material.

NBA trade talk heats up as draft approaches
The Michael Redd trade rumors are swirling. I have been saying for a year and a half that it would be in Milwaukee's best interests to get some value for Redd in a trade and it looks like now might be the time.

With Milwaukee GM John Hammond clearly open to any possibilities that will improve the Bucks and the Cavaliers still in dire need of a move to capitalize on LeBron James while he's around, Cleveland fans are clamoring for Redd, just as they did three years ago. The Bob Boozer Jinx blog at the Sports Bubbler is all over the Bucks fans' perspectives.

Now that Scott Skiles is at the helm, you can almost see the end of the road appearing on the horizon for one of the great pure shooters of the decade. I don't think the new coach/GM will tolerate Redd's inability to either make those around him better or play consistent defense. He is a great scorer and a reliable free throw shooter, but had a surprising knack for ill-advised shot attempts. Maybe Redd will throw some Joni Mitchell in our face when he does leave, but Milwaukee is going nowhere with Redd on the roster and that's the bottom line.

The Bratwurst speculated on recent comments by Charlie Villanueva indicating he might be the one moved this off-season. Brett Boyer discusses a wide range of trade options, some far more likely than others. In any event, the Bucks could easily decide to move it's upcoming first-round draft pick (#8) or swap with a trading partner. Since Brook Lopez' stock is plummeting, Boyer and others now see Russell Westbrook as a logical #8 pick due to his athleticism and defensive potential. But Boyer has advocated Alabama' junior Richard Hendrix as a big-time sleeper in this year's crop, someone the Bucks could target if they moved down in the June 26 draft.

The 6'8" Hendrix, who has not hired an agent, can rebound, block shots and shot a high percentage last season. He was one of several players who has impressed onlookers already at the Orlando pre-draft camp. No mention of Brian Butch, which could be a positive or a negative depending on your personal bias. It surprised a few people that Butch was invited to the camp, but the Polar Bear has at least continued to rebound.

Thoughts on the Maymon press conference
After all that has been said during the recruitment of Jeronne Maymon, it was refreshing to be able to watch video of him making his announcement and draw my own conclusions. A few things stood out:

- EDITED: Apparently my hearing was pretty bad last week. I listened to the audio several times before I posted and still couldn't figure out whether Maymon said he had been text messaging Wesley Matthews and Bob Gibbons for info on Buzz Williams. When I listened again, he was pretty clearly just talking about Matthews (see comments), which is a relief. In true NCAA fashion, I have applied a self-imposed slap on the wrist as punishment for my error.

- "If I stay my whole four years ..." Ugh. That's the antithesis of a Bo Ryan mantra in a nutshell. The posse, the family, the person--something--has made Maymon a big believer in himself. Thinking positively, that attitude probably has helped his game develop, knowing he the people around him have faith in his ability. But you certainly get the idea that he and his father feel spurned by Wisconsin and cannot wait to play against the Badgers.

- I honestly got the impression that Maymon put a lot of thought into this decision, but still really had no idea what to do. Maybe even as late as the morning of the announcement. Since this is a 17-year-old kid we are talking about, I am a big believer in Freudian-slip type statements and how Maymon spoke of text messaging Vander Blue was telling.

That uncertainty probably grips a lot of youngsters, so setting an arbitrary deadline might keep them from wasting more time agonizing over the decision that in many cases is win-win. Marquette expressed desperate interest and offered a location close to home and that was enough.

- The dad is ridiculous and holding up that "Jeronne + Marquette" sign was hilarious. Jeronne knows it too.

Elsewhere:
- Speaking of Bob Gibbons, his All Star Report website reports that Evan Anderson was named to the 16-U All-Tournament team at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions this past weekend. They agree with me that Anderson could be a combination of some very recent UW big men:

"... Anderson (Eau Claire North, Eau Claire, Wis.) has a bit of Brian Butch’s skill set mixed in with Greg Stiemsma’s raw physicality. The end result could be the best big man to come out of Wisconsin in quite some time. Anderson did a great job finishing strong around the basket, controlling the glass, and knocking his opponents around defensively."