Watch NBA TV's Team Preview

In the days after the 2007 Draft, billions of hoops fans watched the drama develop between the Bucks and the No. 6 overall pick Yi Jianlian. But somewhere after the Draft and before the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, the story morphed -- at least for this Bucks fan -- from one of international intrigue into romantic comedy.

Maybe I came to this conclusion shortly after I saw this headline in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Harris hopes trip to Las Vegas will lead him to Yi

Then it hit me: Say Anything...

You see, the word "hopes" made me think of Bucks GM Larry Harris as NBA's version of Lloyd Dobler, where Harris would stand outside under Yi's hotel room, boom box held high with Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" blasting.

While some may think I'm poking fun at Harris, that's not the case. If anything, Lloyd Dobler is a symbol of persistence and patience. In the end, Lloyd ultimately gets what he wants.

Alas, Harris didn't convince his Draft choice to sign on the dotted line in Vegas in July, but Dobler's, er, Harris' steadfast pursuit yielded Yi in August.

Speaking of yielding, that's something the Bucks didn't do this summer and people are taking notice of the Bucks' new-found toughness. Kelly Dwyer noted as much on True Hoop after the Bucks matched Miami's offer sheet for reserve guard Charlie Bell: "They didn't wait out the full seven days before matching, but it's become obvious that the Bucks aren't letting anyone push them around this summer." Earlier in the Summer, Miami also made a strong push for point guard Mo Williams, but the Bucks kept Williams in the fold.

The Bucks thought they were a playoff team last season. If everyone stays healthy, if swingmen Bobby Simmons and Desmond Mason contribute and Yi is the player Harris thinks he is, the Bucks could be in the thick of things in the improved East.
--Rob Peterson

Michael Redd, fresh off helping Team USA grab a gold medal in Vegas and Williams will form one of the East's more explosive backcourts. Redd, who posted a career-high 26.7 points per game, missed a total of 29 games because of knee tendonitis, crushing the Bucks' postseason hopes in the process. Williams, averaged career-highs in points (17.3) and assists (6.1), but also missed 14 games last season because of various injuries. Redd and Williams need to stay healthy for the Bucks to have serious postseason hopes.

Matching Miami's offer sheet for restricted free agent Charlie Bell will help with the backcourt depth. That, and Bell, who can play point and the two, was the only Buck to appear in all 82 games last season. The rest of the backcourt -- Royal Ivey and rookie Ramon Sessions -- is as green as the Bucks' road unis.


With Andrew Bogut, Charlie Villanueva and Yi, the Bucks have one of the taller and more skilled front lines in the East. But Bogut missed the final month with a foot injury, Villanueva played in only 39 games because of chronic shoulder problems that required surgery and Yi is a rookie.

Add to that Simmons missed all of last season after having surgery on his heel, Mason coming of a desultory two years with the Hornets, and the Bucks have many questions about their last line of defense. Dan Gadzuric signed a big contract two years ago, but he wasn't much of a factor last season as he too missed a significant chunk of time because of a shoulder injury.

The Bucks also added Jake Voskuhl, Michael Ruffin and Awvee Story to the frontcourt this offseason.
-- Rob Peterson

Yi

Uh, could it be anyone else but Yi? From the initial refusal to honor tradition and visit the city in which he would be playing to playing in Vegas for the Chinese National Team while the Bucks played in the same league to his signing with the Bucks in late August with the report that he has been guaranteed playing time.

Considering the Bucks have an All-Star caliber gunner at the two, a shoot-first point guard, a slick passing five and another four who can shoot from the perimeter, it'll be interesting to see how Krystkowiak fits Yi into the offense. Yi may get time, but will he get touches? And if he doesn't, how will he handle it? Will it matter to him? How will he handle guys who are as tall and as fast as he is? Can he play defense? Right now, everything about Yi is a question. The Bucks will hope to see positive answers right away.
-- Rob Peterson

LARRY KRYSTKOWIAK

Krystkowiak

Second Season
Career Record: 5-13 (.278)
Playoff Record: None

Krystkowiak is one tough mug. Besides mixing it up with some of the harder cases in NBA history as a player in the late '80s and early '90s, Kystkowiak's most memorable moment as a Buck came when he blew out his knee in the 1989 Conference Semis against the Pistons. As he was being wheeled off the floor, Krystkowiak gave the Bradley Center crowd the thumbs up sign. See, tough and full of heart.

But can Krystkowiak transfer his toughness to a team thought to be softer than a Wisconsin State Fair cream puff? That's yet to be seen, as Kystkowiak has a mere 18 games under his belt and he coached most of those games with four-fifths of his starting lineup on the shelf.

He'll get his chance to see how tough his charges are, and how tough it is to be an NBA head coach when training camp opens on Oct. 2.
-- Rob Peterson

Yi should help them. Charlie Villanueva is coming off of surgery. Bobby Simmons is coming off surgery. Andrew Bogut, look for him. He has had two good first years, but everyone will agree that he could have done better. I think this is the year that you will see the better Andrew Bogut.

Maurice Williams and Michael Redd, both those guys can go for 25 any night. Then you have Bogut, Villanueva and Yi on the front line. All three can pass, all three can face up and shoot it and all three can put on the floor and take it to the hole. That will be their strength. They will be tough to match up with.

Weaknesses, last two years they were very poor defensively. The focus of Krystkowiak this year is team defense. I am sure teams looked at the Bucks as of last year and said we have got to do these things, we can score easy. We got to really attack them. So hopefully they can change that.
-- Eastern Conference Scout

PG - Mo Williams: He'll look to build upon a breakout year last season.
SG - Michael Redd: The outstanding shooter should have another great season.
SF - Desmond Mason: He’ll likely come off of the bench at both small forward and shooting guard.
PF - Charlie Villanueva: Rookie Yi Jianlian will battle him for playing time.
C - Andrew Bogut: He'll need to stay healthy and find his niche in a talented Bucks lineup.
Bucks Fantasy Preview | Fantasy Home

Record: 40-42, 8th in Eastern Conf.
Playoffs: Lost in 1st Round to Boston, 4-1
Scoring Leader: M. Redd, 26.4 PPG
Rebounding Leader: A. Bogut, 9.7 RPG
Assist Leader: M. Williams, 6.3 APG
Simulated Season Details

NBA Seasons: 39
Playoff Appearances: 25
NBA Finals Appearances: 1
Championships: 1 | Last Title: 1970-71
Best Season: 1970-71, 66-16

Season Opener:
Oct. 31 @ Orlando (7:00 p.m. ET)
Home Opener:
Nov. 3 vs. Chicago (8:30 p.m. ET)
Longest Road Trip(s):
5 games in 7 days: December 4-10
@ LAC, @ GSW, @ SEA, @ POR, @ SAC
Longest Home Stand(s):
4 games in 12 days: February 9-20
NYK, LAC, NOH, DET
4 games in 11 days: March 12-22
UTA, BOS, MIA, CLE
Buy tickets | Full Bucks schedule

TV: FSN Wisconsin
Radio: WTMJ 620
Web: Official site
Local Coverage: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel