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NBA Draft: Evaluating Every Milwaukee Bucks 1st-Round Pick

By Phil Watson

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Ernie Grunfeld ultimately spent more time in Milwaukee as a general manager than he did as a player after he was taken 11th overall in 1977.

They Had Their Moments (Part 1)

The next group of 10 players wasn’t horrible. As the title of the section reads, they had their moments. Just not a lot of them.

1983, No. 18 overall: Randy Breuer, C, Minnesota
The 7-foot-3 Breuer had a solid career for the Golden Gophers and his size was intriguing. With another late selection in the first round, the Bucks took a shot on the big man from Lake City, Minn.

He averaged in double figures once in his six-plus seasons in Milwaukee, tossing in 12 points a game in 1987-88, when he played 81 games and started 73 of them.

That was the highlight. In all, Breuer averaged 7.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and a block in 18 minutes a game, shooting .481/.000/.653.

In January 1990, Breuer and a 1992 second-round pick were sent to the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for forward Brad Lohaus and a second-rounder in 1992. Breuer also played with the Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings in an 11-year NBA career.

Season Tm G MP FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1983-84 MIL 57 472 68 177 0 0 32 46 109 17 11 38 35 98 168
1984-85 MIL 78 1083 162 317 0 0 89 127 256 40 21 82 63 179 413
1985-86 MIL 82 1792 272 570 0 1 141 198 458 114 50 116 122 214 685
1986-87 MIL 76 1467 241 497 0 0 118 202 350 47 56 61 100 229 600
1987-88 MIL 81 2258 390 788 0 0 188 286 551 103 46 107 107 198 968
1988-89 MIL 48 513 86 179 0 0 28 51 135 22 9 37 29 59 200
1989-90 TOT 81 1879 298 696 0 1 126 193 417 97 42 108 96 196 722
1989-90 MIL 30 554 86 186 0 0 32 51 127 13 9 33 28 63 204
1989-90 MIN 51 1325 212 510 0 1 94 142 290 84 33 75 68 133 518
1990-91 MIN 73 1505 197 435 0 0 35 79 345 73 35 80 69 132 429
1991-92 MIN 67 1176 161 344 0 1 41 77 281 89 27 99 41 117 363
1992-93 ATL 12 107 15 31 0 0 2 5 28 6 2 3 5 12 32
1993-94 SAC 26 247 8 26 0 1 3 14 56 8 6 19 9 30 19
Career 681 12499 1898 4060 0 4 803 1278 2986 616 305 750 676 1464 4599
7 seasons MIL 452 8139 1305 2714 0 1 628 961 1986 356 202 474 484 1040 3238

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/13/2014.

1992, No. 8 overall: Todd Day, G, Arkansas
The Bucks later took Day’s Arkansas teammate, Lee Mayberry, in the first round in 1992, but their first selection was spent on Day, an All-American as a junior and a senior.

Day was a full-time starter for Milwaukee in 1994-95, averaging 16 points a game, and was a top-of-the-rotation player the rest of his time with the Bucks. In parts of four seasons, Day averaged 14.1 points, four rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals in 29.3 minutes, shooting .421/.329/.729. He made 157 starts in 237 games in Milwaukee.

In November 1995, the Bucks traded Day and center Alton Lister to the Boston Celtics for guard Sherman Douglas.

Day also played with the Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves in eight NBA seasons, and also played in the CBA, the new American Basketball Association, and internationally in Italy, Cyprus and Argentina before retiring in 2007.

Season Tm G MP FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1992-93 MIL 71 1931 358 828 54 184 213 297 291 117 75 48 118 222 983
1993-94 MIL 76 2127 351 845 33 148 231 331 310 138 103 52 129 221 966
1994-95 MIL 82 2717 445 1049 163 418 257 341 322 134 104 63 157 283 1310
1995-96 TOT 79 1807 299 817 100 302 224 287 224 107 81 51 109 225 922
1995-96 MIL 8 171 22 71 5 25 24 26 22 5 4 3 11 27 73
1995-96 BOS 71 1636 277 746 95 277 200 261 202 102 77 48 98 198 849
1996-97 BOS 81 2277 398 999 126 348 256 331 330 117 108 48 127 208 1178
1997-98 MIA 5 69 11 31 2 12 6 9 6 7 7 0 3 10 30
1998-99 Did Not Play (other pro league—CBA)
1999-00 PHO 58 941 130 330 64 165 72 108 129 65 44 22 50 127 396
2000-01 MIN 31 345 44 118 26 69 18 23 37 28 10 7 24 52 132
Career 483 12214 2036 5017 568 1646 1277 1727 1649 713 532 291 717 1348 5917
4 seasons MIL 237 6946 1176 2793 255 775 725 995 945 394 286 166 415 753 3332

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/13/2014.

1970, No. 16 overall: Gary Freeman, F, Oregon State
The Bucks took a shot on Freeman late in the first round and he was serviceable as a rookie, but had trouble finding playing time.

He played part of one season in Milwaukee, averaging 3.7 points and 2.4 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per game. He was a 50.8 percent shooter overall and hit 73.7 percent of his free throws.

In February 1971, the rookie was dealt with a 1971 second-round pick to the expansion Cleveland Cavaliers for forward McCoy McLemore.

His rookie year was also his last in the NBA, but he played in Europe for eight years for teams in the Netherlands and Belgium before retiring in 1981.

Season Tm G MP FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1970-71 TOT 52 382 69 134 29 40 106 35 67 167
1970-71 MIL 41 335 62 122 28 38 98 31 63 152
1970-71 CLE 11 47 7 12 1 2 8 4 4 15
Career 52 382 69 134 29 40 106 35 67 167
1 season MIL 41 335 62 122 28 38 98 31 63 152

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/13/2014.

1978, No. 12 overall: George Johnson, F, St. John’s
Johnson came out of Brooklyn via St. John’s and was in the rotation for most of his rookie year, which was also his one and only season in Milwaukee.

He averaged 6.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 17.3 minutes, shooting 48.2 percent overall and 71.8 percent from the foul line.

But in training camp in 1979, Johnson’s contract was sold to the Denver Nuggets. He returned to the Bucks briefly, on paper, as he was sold back from Denver in May 1980, but then swapped with a 1982 second-round choice to the Indiana Pacers for forward Mickey Johnson in September of the same year.

Johnson also played for the Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Bullets in eight NBA seasons. He went on to play in Spain and Italy as well as in the USBL before retiring in 1992.

Season Tm G MP FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1978-79 MIL 67 1157 165 342 84 117 360 81 75 49 100 187 414
1979-80 DEN 75 1938 309 649 2 9 148 189 584 157 84 67 148 260 768
1980-81 IND 43 930 182 394 0 5 93 122 278 86 47 23 85 120 457
1981-82 IND 59 720 120 291 0 2 60 80 217 40 36 25 68 147 300
1982-83 IND 82 2297 409 858 7 38 126 172 545 220 77 53 242 279 951
1983-84 IND 81 2073 411 884 11 47 223 270 460 195 82 49 186 256 1056
1984-85 PHI 55 756 107 263 1 10 49 56 164 38 31 16 49 99 264
1985-86 WSB 2 7 1 3 0 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 1 1 4
Career 464 9878 1704 3684 21 111 785 1008 2610 817 432 282 879 1349 4214
1 season MIL 67 1157 165 342 84 117 360 81 75 49 100 187 414

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/13/2014.

1977, No. 11 overall: Ernie Grunfeld, F-G, Tennessee
The third of three first-round picks by the Bucks in 1977, Grunfeld came to Milwaukee after starring in the “Bernie & Ernie” show at Tennessee with Bernard King, earning All-American honors as a senior.

Grunfeld spent two years in the Bucks rotation, averaging 8.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 19.6 minutes per game and shooting 47.2 percent overall and 72.3 percent from the foul line.

In October 1979, the Bucks shipped Grunfeld and a 1980 second-round pick to the Kansas City Kings for forward Richard Washington. Grunfeld also played for the New York Knicks in nine NBA seasons.

Since ending his playing career, Grunfeld worked as a broadcaster in New York before briefly working as an assistant coach with the Knicks. He was general manager of the Knicks from 1991-99 and was general manager in Milwaukee from 1999-2003.

He has been the general manager of the Washington Wizards since 2003.

Season Tm G MP FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1977-78 MIL 73 1261 204 461 94 143 194 145 54 19 98 150 502
1978-79 MIL 82 1778 326 661 191 251 360 216 58 15 141 220 843
1979-80 KCK 80 1397 186 420 1 2 101 131 232 109 56 9 81 151 474
1980-81 KCK 79 1584 260 486 0 0 75 101 206 205 60 15 88 155 595
1981-82 KCK 81 1892 420 822 2 14 188 229 182 276 72 39 148 191 1030
1982-83 NYK 77 1422 167 377 0 4 81 98 163 136 40 10 84 172 415
1983-84 NYK 76 1119 166 362 2 9 64 83 121 108 43 7 71 151 398
1984-85 NYK 69 1061 188 384 2 8 77 104 151 105 50 7 40 129 455
1985-86 NYK 76 1402 148 355 26 61 90 108 206 119 39 13 50 192 412
Career 693 12916 2065 4328 33 98 961 1248 1815 1419 472 134 801 1511 5124
2 seasons MIL 155 3039 530 1122 285 394 554 361 112 34 239 370 1345

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/13/2014.

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