Thanks Waiter

Journal Sentinel is thinking what I previously thought: Toni Kukoc is not coming back to the Bucks next year:

"[Bucks GM] Larry [Harris] and I have definitely talked about him coming back," Rudoy said of [Kukoc], who lives in Highland Park, Ill., and has enjoyed the close commute to Milwaukee. "I'm less than optimistic. I'd say it's unlikely, but it's not totally closed.

"He really was happy in Milwaukee, and he was hoping to come back."

"The [Bobby] Simmons [signing] changed the dynamics about what Larry can do," Rudoy said. "It's a long shot (to sign Kukoc) right now."

Well, thank you, Toni. We all appreciated your efforts over the last 3 years, and you definitely made the Bucks a much more competitive team in 2002-03, and 2003-04. Unfortunately, you were hurt a lot last year, and couldn't get us out of the funk.

But alas, word is that your hometown team, Chicago, is interested. Maybe you can provide some guidance to that young team.

The Bucks, on the other hand, need to get focused on resigning Pachulia. No news on that front, other than:

The Bucks also are attempting to re-sign restricted free agent center Zaza Pachulia. If Pachulia signs an offer sheet with another National Basketball Association team when the league moratorium is lifted, the Bucks would have seven days to match it or let him go.

We better not let him go.