Mobley to be focus of attention over summer

The Journal Sentinel staff

Rookie Eric Mobley will be a center of attention during the Milwaukee Bucks' summer program.

Coach Mike Dunleavy said the Bucks would enter a team in the New York summer league once again. He also would like to conduct a series of defensive and conditioning camps over the summer in Milwaukee. A number of the veteran players will be encouraged to participate in that.

The Bucks have participated in the New York league the last couple of years, primarily to work with their young players and help their new players get acclimated to the system.

Dunleavy said he wanted Mobley to work on his offense over the summer.

"He needs to get a go-to move where he doesn't become a liability in any way," Dunleavy said. "Now we've been using him primarily against the other team's big center. But we'd like to use him with a smaller group, too, where he could use his size and strength and quickness against those players.

"Now, it's a bigger advantage to use a smaller team in those situations. It's a better team . . . with Marty (Conlon) at five, and maybe Glenn (Robinson) at four. We'd like the luxury of going big, too."

Mobley's biggest contribution to the team so far has been as a rebounder (2.9 a game) and a shot-blocker (0.61 a game). Offensively, he's averaging 3.8 points and is shooting 57.8%, but is shooting only 47.4% from the free-throw line.

The New York league runs about a week to 10 days during the summer. Six NBA teams enter summer teams made up of their younger players, free agents and draft choices.

With the Bucks being one of the worst defensive teams in the league, Dunleavy would like to run three defensive and conditioning minicamps over the summer in town: one in late May or early June, another in July and one more in September, just beforetraining camp.

"I'd be interested in our main guys," Dunleavy said. "Vin (Baker), Mobley, Glenn (Robinson), Todd (Day) . . . guys who are under contract. I'd like to bring them all in for a couple days. Anybody who wants to go. I'm not going to turn anybody down.

"I'd like to get going early, show them the work and give it to them to work on. In July, see what kind of progress they've made and then bring them back full-swing in September."

Title contenders: New Jersey veteran center Rick Mahorn, a member of the Detroit Pistons' championship teams, sees San Antonio as a team to beat in the Western Conference playoffs. But for a curious reason.

"They've got that walk," he said. "Just like we had in Detroit. They've got that walk."

He sees the Spurs or Utah winning the West but doesn't see a clear-cut favorite in the East.

Early start: The Bucks' game against the Atlanta Hawks Sunday at the Bradley Center will begin at noon. The game was scheduled early because it had been under consideration as a national TV game. It will not be televised, however.

Injury free: The Bucks continue to lead the league with the fewest player-games lost to injury with nine. Eric Murdock missed the first seven games with an eye injury, Robinson missed one with a hip-pointer and Alton Lister missed one with illness.

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