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Bucks' first-round pick a 'freakish athlete'
ST. FRANCIS -- New Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond never hid his interest in West Virginia forward Joe Alexander so it was no surprise when the Bucks selected him with the No. 8 pick of the first round of the National Basketball Association draft Thursday night.
"He was our guy and he ended up being there. It worked out for us,'' said Hammond, who made Alexander his first pick of his first draft with the Bucks. "We're happy to have him.''
The 6-8, 230-pound Alexander, who entered the draft after completing his junior year at West Virginia, averaged 16.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists for the Mountaineers last season. He also made 46.2 percent of his shots overall but just 26.8 percent of his 3-pointers.
"I'm going to bring toughness, I'm going to bring someone who is committed to the game and wants to win. Hopefully I'm going to bring a lot more wins to the Bucks. I can't wait to get there,'' Alexander told ESPN immediately after he was drafted.
The Bucks also selected UCLA junior forward Luc Richard Mbah A Moute with their pick in the second round, which was the 37th overall. The 6-8, 221-pound Mbah A Moute, a native of Cameroon who is considered a strong rebounder and defender, averaged 9.1 points and 8.2 rebounds last season for the Bruins.
Alexander is considered one of the best athletes in the draft. Quick, strong and a great leaper, Alexander loves to play above the rim as well as post-up smaller defenders.
"He's a freakish athlete,'' said Hammond, who accepted the Bucks' position in April after working as an assistant general manager in the Detroit Pistons organization. "He plays extremely hard. He's very, very dedicated. He loves the game, he wants to get better and I think he'll do whatever it takes to get better. He'll do whatever it takes to help our team win games.''
Added new Bucks coach Scott Skiles: "Whatever his ceiling is, he's going to reach it.''
Weaknesses in Alexander's game include a lack of defensive skills and a poor outside shot. But Hammond said Alexander has an excellent stroke out to 18 feet and that his tremendous lift affects his range.
"His stroke is good. He just has to change his footwork a little bit to increase his range. He can do that,'' Hammond said.
Although the Bucks didn't hide their interest in Alexander, his selection was a head-scratcher for some because, earlier in the day, the team traded last year's first-round pick, Yi Jianlian, and reserve Bobby Simmons to the New Jersey Nets for all-star Richard Jefferson. Jefferson is a small forward, which is where Alexander was expected to play.
But Hammond said Alexander's best position might be at power forward, which is where he played in college. He also played some center for the Mountaineers.
"We might be a little undersized if we do that, but that's OK,'' added Hammond. "Right now, in the NBA, there are a lot of people playing small like that. So I think we can do that.''
Alexander was born in Taiwan and lived there and China until he was 16 because his parents worked abroad for Nestle. He is fluent in Mandarin and will be the first Taiwanese-born player in the NBA.
Since he was late picking up the game, Alexander is considered to be just scratching the surface of his potential. That explained why Alexander, who was a relative unknown coming into college, suddenly grabbed everybody's attention late last season.
He had a tremendous five-game stretch that included scoring 32 points against Connecticut, 32 against Pitt, 29 against St. John's, 22 against Providence and 34 in the rematch with Connecticut.
Alexander, who went on to lead the Mountaineers to the Sweet 16 of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, was a first-team All-Big East selection and was named an honorable mention All-American by The Associated Press.
"This season he kind of blew up and had some great games,'' said Hammond. "But defensively, and even offensively, he's still a little bit raw. I think that's one of the real exciting things about him. I think he has tremendous upside.''
File photo
Joe Alexander, a forward from West Virginia, was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the NBA Draft.
