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**DHarris34Phan** · 06-11-2005, 12:30 AM

from jsonline.com:

Quote:

Chicago - Andrew Bogut will not waste his time worrying about being "a big great white stiff," a term he tossed out in a free-flowing conversation Friday afternoon at a downtown Chicago hotel.

The 7-foot sophomore center from Utah isn't even too concerned about whether he will be picked No. 1 in the upcoming National Basketball Association draft.

Bogut admitted that the Milwaukee Bucks faced a difficult choice as they ponder whether to select him or 6-9 freshman Marvin Williams of North Carolina with the top overall pick in the June 28 draft.

But the 20-year-old post player knows he can't fall past the second spot in the draft, because the Atlanta Hawks already have assured him they will choose him at No. 2 if the Bucks pass on him.

"They're loving the whole thing about Milwaukee, all the rumors floating around, they're loving it," Bogut said of the Hawks. "They're rolling on the floor.

"It's out of my control. Both teams would be good for me, good for the way I play. I'll leave it up to the GMs (general managers) to make the right decision. I'm not going to pressure nobody. If people want to say things about my game, they can pull tapes from the Olympics and from the last year of college basketball I played.

"I definitely know I'm going top two, and I'm definitely happy with that. There's no pressure of going with either pick."

Instead, the pressure rests squarely on Bucks general manager Larry Harris, who faces a critical choice in the franchise's history. Does he jump at a chance to take a legitimate center, or does he go with Williams, who might evolve into a superstar along the lines of Minnesota power forward Kevin Garnett?

Williams, who turns 19 later this month, said he actually preferred playing power forward, although he can play either the power or small forward spots. He came off the bench at North Carolina, but Tar Heels teammate Sean May said the freshman still was the best player on the team and called him "scary."

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**kamego** · 06-11-2005, 12:50 AM

This is the kind of pressure every team wishs they had on them

I don't think they should feel any pressure though because they won't go wrong no matter who they decide to pick.

KB21 · 06-11-2005, 07:37 PM

That's the truth. Milwaukee really can't go wrong with either player. The question that will weigh in the back of their mind is the same question that will be presented to the Hawks if Marvin Williams is there? Are we passing on a guy that will eventually be an elite superstar in the league? He certainly has the elite level athleticism, the all around skills, and the basketball IQ to be an elite player in the NBA. Many people want to criticize him for playing his role on that loaded North Carolina team, but I think it shows how coachable and how much of a team player Marvin is that he accepted his role off the bench. He could have started and starred at most other schools.

Bogut gives you guys a center that will allow you guys to compete for the playoffs next season if you keep Redd and Ford comes back healthy. Much like Marvin Williams, Bogut is very skillful, yet his skill set is on a big man. Andrew also has a very high basketball IQ. Despite talk that he has a degenerative eye condition, Bogut has tremendous court vision. He's a very good passer in the Vlade Divac/Arvydas Sabonis mold, but he's much more of a low post presence than either of those two. He's got great footwork in the post and unlike most European big men, he plays very well with his back to the basket. I think he plays good positional defense, but he may be a bit slow in help defense. All in all, this is a guy who played very well against Tim Duncan in the Olympics last summer. He would be a very solid pick for the Bucks, or the Hawks for that matter.

What will you pass on if you pass on Marvin Williams though? That's the question that will weigh in the mind of Larry Harris with that first pick, and it will weigh in the mind of Billy Knight with the second pick if Larry takes Andrew. Atlanta has a big need for a point guard, so Deron Williams and Chris Paul make sense for them while Marvin Williams seems like a duplication of Josh Smith and Al Harrington. Do you go with need, or do you go with the guy who may be the best player out of this draft in 3-4 years time? I won't be surprised to see Milwaukee take Marvin for that reason.

hirschmanz · 06-11-2005, 08:44 PM

The question on my mind if we pass on marvin is not "are we passing on a potential superstar?"

Because we are, plain and simple. Williams has the potential to change the way his team plays the game for the much better.

The question I ask is "is it possible that williams could have stayed in milwaukee?"

Because I am guessing that he will follow the JO path, developing and then bolting.

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