Basketball News

Bucks likely to tap Aussie Bogut as overall top pick

Jun 28, 2005, 21:48 GMT

Los Angeles - The Milwaukee Bucks are expected to make Australian centre Andrew Bogut the top overall pick on Tuesday night when the annual NBA Draft tips off.

The Bucks, who finished the season with a dismal 30-52 record will pick first in the two-round selection of top college, high school and international players at The Theatre at famed Madison Square Garden.

The draft lottery was designed in 1984 to make the league's worst teams more competitive with the rest of the league, which has grown to its current 30 teams.

The Atlanta Hawks will pick second, followed by the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Hornets, Charlotte Bobcats and Utah Jazz.

Toronto, New York, Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers round out the top 10. Orlando, the L.A. Clippers, Charlotte and Minnesota will select 11 through 14, respectively, rounding out the lottery teams that failed to make the playoffs.

Bogut, 20, received nearly every major college award in his second season at the University of Utah. He averaged 20.4 points and 12.4 rebounds per game to lead the Utes to a 29-6 record before opting for early entry in the NBA Draft.

The Bucks could still surprise the pundits and take forward Marvin Williams, who decided to leave National Collegiate Athletic Association champion University of North Carolina after one season.