Milwaukee Bucks Blog – Page 46 – NBA Blog

Bucks suspend Stephen Jackson for unexcused absence

Guard Stephen Jackson has been suspended for an “unexcused absence” and will not play when the Bucks meet the New York Knicks on Friday night at Madison Square Garden, according to coach Scott Skiles.

A source said Jackson missed the bus to the team’s morning shootaround.

Skiles said Shaun Livingston will start at the shooting guard position in Jackson’s place.

The Bucks will have nearly a full complement of players – minus Jackson – with the return of guard Mike Dunleavy Jr. and forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Dunleavy has missed the last 10 games with a groin injury, while Mbah a Moute has been sidelined for 11 of the team’s 13 games due to right patella tendinitis.

“He (Dunleavy) went the last couple days and got through it fine,” Skiles said after the shootaround at the remodeled Garden. “Luc as well went the last two days, and he’s OK today. Both guys will play.”

— Reported by Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Blog

Milwaukee Bucks assign guard Darington Hobson to D-League

The Milwaukee Bucks have assigned rookie guard Darington Hobson (6-7, 210) to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Hobson, 24, has appeared in five games for the Bucks this season and averaged 1.2 assists and 0.8 points in 7.8 minutes per contest.

Originally assigned to the Mad Ants on December 29, Hobson averaged 11.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in three games for Fort Wayne earlier this season. He was recalled back to Milwaukee on January 4.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar named global cultural ambassador

The NBA’s all-time scoring leader is now a global cultural ambassador.

The State Department announced Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s appointment Wednesday.

Ann Stock, assistant secretary of state for education and cultural affairs, says Abdul-Jabbar will travel the world to engage a generation of young people to help promote diplomacy.

Stock says the appointment is part of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s vision of “Smart Power” that combines diplomacy, defense and development to “bridge the gap in a tense world through young people.”

— Reported by John Carucci of the Associated Press

Bucks swingman Mike Dunleavy out 2-4 weeks

Milwaukee Bucks General Manager John Hammond announced the following medical update on guard/forward Mike Dunleavy (6-9, 230):

After consulting with Bucks team physicians, Mike Dunleavy (groin pain) should be participating in full basketball activity in approximately two-to-four weeks.

Including tonight’s game vs. San Antonio, Dunleavy has missed the last six games due to the condition.

In three games this season, Dunleavy has averaged 10.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steal in 30.3 minutes per game.

Bucks center Andrew Bogut returns from overseas family issue

After missing the past four games while dealing with a family emergency in his native Australia, Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut will make his return tonight against the Spurs.

Bogut addressed his teammates before the Bucks’ morning shootaround at the Bradley Center. Afterward, he declined to specify the nature of his emergency, except to say it involved an illness and the hospitalization of a family member.

“When things like this happen, you realize I don’t care about my job or my sport or my profession at that crucial moment,” Bogut said. “Like most people, you let go of all that, go and address what you need to address and come back.”

— Reported by Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News Blog

Andrew Bogut likely back Tuesday for Bucks

Bucks center Andrew Bogut will return in time for Tuesday’s home game against the San Antonio Spurs, his agent David Bauman said Sunday.

In an e-mail sent Sunday, Bauman said: “Andrew is returning to the U.S. in a few hours. Given the time difference and the length of the flight back to the U.S. (from Australia), it is unlikely he will be able to make it back in time for the Bucks’ game in Phoenix. Andrew will be back in Milwaukee Monday and is expected to start and be ready to play in the Bucks’ home game Tuesday night against the San Antonio Spurs.

“Andrew feels badly that he ended up missing four games and he will be ready to play Tuesday without limitations or restrictions.

“We do not expect to comment further, but Andrew appreciates the support and understanding during this difficult time that he has received from his teammates, Bucks management and the Bucks’ fans.”

— Reported by Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Phoenix Suns sign guard Michael Redd

The Phoenix Suns have signed former All-Star guard Michael Redd, the team announced today. According to the Associated Press, it is “a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum of about $1.3 million.”

“Michael Redd has a proven pedigree as a first-rate NBA scorer,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “He will work with our renowned training staff to get into basketball shape. When he is ready to play, Michael will be a welcome addition to our team.”

An 11-year NBA veteran, Redd developed from an undervalued second-round pick into one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA over the last decade. A 6-6, 220-pound guard, he was originally the 43rd overall pick (second round) of the 2000 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, with whom he spent all 11 of his professional seasons. Redd joins the Suns with career averages of 20.0 points, one of only 12 active players averaging 20 or more, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 578 games (427 starts). Redd is a career 44.9-percent shooter overall, including 38.3 percent from three-point range, and owns 1,003 career threes, one of just nine players in NBA history to make 1,000 three-pointers with a single team.

Injuries have destroyed Redd’s career in recent years. He played just 53 games for the Bucks in 2006-07, 72 games the following season, but just 33 games in 2008-09, 18 games in 2009-10, and just 10 games in 2010-11.

An All-Star and All-NBA Third Team selection in 2004, Redd has ranked in the top-11 in the NBA in scoring on five different occasions (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008), and averaged 20 or more points in six-straight seasons from 2003-09. In fact, only 10 NBA players scored more total points in that span, a list that includes Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Carmelo Anthony, Paul Pierce, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Garnett and Joe Johnson. A former Eastern Conference Player of the Month (January 2004) and two-time Player of the Week (Dec. 3, 2006; Dec. 31, 2006) Redd increased his scoring average in each of his first seven NBA campaigns, including a career-high 26.7-point average in 2006-07, fifth-best in the league overall.

A highly-regarded outside shooter, Redd was selected as a member of the “Redeem Team,” the gold-medal winning U.S. Men’s National Team at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Redd played in a total of 61 games over the last three seasons after tearing the ACL and MCL in his left knee on two separate occasions in both 2008-09 and 2009-10. He returned to play the final 10 games of the 2010-11 season, averaging 4.4 points in 13.4 minutes with Milwaukee.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Redd was a three-year standout at Ohio State University where he averaged 19.6 points and 6.2 rebounds and was named Honorable Mention All-America as a sophomore and a junior.

Drew Gooden suspended for foul on Gerald Henderson

Drew Gooden of the Milwaukee Bucks has been suspended one game without pay for his Flagrant Foul Two against Gerald Henderson of the Charlotte Bobcats, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

The incident, in which Gooden made excessive contact with the head of Henderson, occurred with 27.3 seconds remaining in the third quarter of the Bucks 96-95 loss to the Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. on December 26.

Gooden will serve his suspension tonight when the Bucks host the Minnesota Timberwolves in their home opener.

Milwaukee Bucks sign second round rookie forward Jon Leuer

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed rookie forward Jon Leuer (6-10, 228) to a contract, General Manager John Hammond announced today. Leuer was the 40th overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Prior to signing with Milwaukee, Leuer appeared in 10 games for the Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt team in the German Bundesliga where he averaged 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists, while shooting 49.5 percent from the field. He also played in three EuroCup games where he tallied 12.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest.

Leuer played four seasons at the University of Wisconsin – Madison with career averages of 11.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 48.2 percent from the field. As a senior, Leuer had career-highs in points (18.3 ppg) and rebounds (7.2 rpg) while shooting 47.0 percent from the field. He finished his Badger career ranked 12th in school history in career points (1,376) and was a First-Team All-Big Ten selection as a senior.

Bucks match Nuggets offer to forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute

The Milwaukee Bucks have matched the Denver Nuggets offer sheet to restricted free agent Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (6-8, 230) and re-signed the fourth-year forward to a multi-year contract, General Manager John Hammond announced today. We’ll post details of the contract later today on this page.

Under NBA rules, the Bucks had three days to match Denver’s offer sheet to Mbah a Moute or he would have become a member of the Nuggets.

Mbah a Moute, 25, appeared in 79 games (52 starts) for the Bucks last season and averaged 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. He was second on the team in rebounds (420 total) and recorded a career-high eight point/rebound double-doubles and 25 games with double figure scoring.

Entering his fourth NBA season, Mbah a Moute has appeared in 234 games (166 starts) and averaged 6.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. He was the 37th overall pick by Milwaukee in the 2008 NBA Draft out of UCLA, where he earned Honorable Mention All-Pac 10 and Honorable Mention All-Defensive Team honors as a junior.