Re-signing John Salmons could be key to Bucks' playoff hopes

Now that the National Basketball Association draft is over, the real drama begins as LeBron James and an elite group of free agents will decide their NBA futures.

But the Milwaukee Bucks have their own concerns as the free agency negotiation period begins on Thursday.

Can they re-sign shooting guard John Salmons and point guard Luke Ridnour?

The 6-foot-6 Salmons played such a key role in their drive to the playoffs, while Ridnour worked well in tandem with rookie Brandon Jennings and also as a veteran backup.

General manager John Hammond already has been a busy man, trading for wing help by obtaining Corey Maggette from Golden State and Chris Douglas-Roberts from New Jersey.

And the Bucks moved to bolster their frontcourt by drafting 6-11 power forward Larry Sanders with the 15th overall pick and 6-7 point forward Darington Hobson and 6-9 Keith "Tiny" Gallon in the second round.

"We want to have a young, energetic, athletic team," Hammond said. "But we also know we need veteran help. There's no question that what helped us last season were guys such as Jerry Stackhouse and Kurt Thomas and John Salmons.

"Those guys have been around the block before. We know that it's a lot of pressure on those young guys to perform every night, especially those guys that haven't been there. The more veteran help you can have, that's important for any team."

Salmons played 30 regular-season games with the Bucks after joining them in a deal with Chicago at the trade deadline, and Milwaukee went 22-8 after his arrival to clinch the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference.

He averaged 19.9 points during that stretch and scored in double figures in 27 of those 30 games, while leading the Bucks in scoring 16 times. Salmons proved the perfect complement to Jennings in the backcourt and lifted some of the scoring burden off the rookie.

The Bucks have expressed their desire to sign Salmons to a long-term deal, expecting he will officially opt out of the final year of his contract ($5.8 million option) before the Wednesday deadline.

Milwaukee did offer a four-year, $27 million extension following the end of the season, showing their strong interest in retaining Salmons.
But other teams also could have serious interest in the 30-year-old. AOL Fanhouse has reported the Atlanta Hawks are considering their options in case shooting guard Joe Johnson leaves in free agency and Salmons may be a target.

The Hawks were able to get a close-up look at Salmons in the seven-game playoff series between the teams, when the Bucks guard averaged 17 points but struggled to 40.4% shooting.



(jsonline.com)

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