The future, at least as it pertained to big men, seemed locked in place for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Center Andrew Bogut and power forward Yi Jianlian, two 7-foot lottery picks who would grow into their bodies and their roles over time and give the Bucks twin towers at the power positions.

That changed on draft day last week when the Bucks traded Yi to New Jersey for small forward Richard Jefferson and used their first-round pick on West Virginia's Joe Alexander, who at 6-foot-8 was projected by many to be a small forward in the NBA.

The Yi trade left the Bucks perilously thin at power forward, with only 6-11 Charlie Villanueva remaining at the position. And Villanueva, a shooter who doesn't mix it up much underneath, is a typical four man (NBA-ese for power forward) in height only.

Although general manager John Hammond and coach Scott Skiles, the Bucks' new braintrust, hinted at more moves this offseason, the lack of a true power forward won't hurt the Bucks as much as it might have a few years ago. The ever-changing nature of the NBA means the Bucks should be able to get away with playing Villanueva and Alexander at the four spot, which appears to be the plan.

"The game's become so versatile," Skiles said. "Teams are putting small lineups out there. Some teams are putting three 6-7 guys, a point guard and a 7-footer. ... If you look just at the (NBA) finals, you could make an argument that both teams played their best basketball (with small lineups). So many teams are playing a style of basketball now that makes it very difficult to have to big guys out there."

That's because NBA teams are playing more unconventionally than ever. Besides playing small lineups extensively, teams increasingly are using two point guards (or no point guards) on the floor and are allowing big men to face-up and shoot from the outside.

Basically, coaches are more willing to adapt to their talent than waiting until they've assembled the perfect team. After running his first draft, Hammond said there is no question the Bucks think Alexander, a "freakish athlete" who played power forward in college, can play the position in the NBA.

"We do think that maybe his best position out of the gate might be the power forward position," Hammond said. "And you say, 'We're a little undersized if we do that,' but that's OK. Right now in the NBA there are a lot of people that are playing small like that. I think we can do that."

Given the state of the NBA, it's entirely possible. In fact, a more pressing issue for the Bucks' new regime is what to do at point guard.

With the addition of Jefferson, the Bucks have assembled a team with scary firepower. With two 22-point scorers in Jefferson and Michael Redd on the wings and the improving Bogut in the middle, the Bucks are flush with shooters.

What they don't have is someone to get them the ball consistently. Incumbent point guard Mo Williams is a good player, but he's more of a scorer than a passer and that won't do in Milwaukee anymore.

Indeed, more than opening up a hole at power forward, last week's moves had the effect of increasing the Bucks' need for a pass-first point guard.