Bucks set to close out season

Plagued by injuries and the firing of head coach Terry Stotts, the Bucks have two games left on the schedule. They will host the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night at the Bradley Center before wrapping up the campaign on Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.

Milwaukee owns a 17-23 record as the host this season, and has lost four straight and eight of the last nine games at the Bradley Center. The last time the Bucks dropped 23 games at home was when they ended the 1995-96 season with a 14-27 record as the host.

The only NBA teams with fewer victories at home this season are the Boston Celtics (12) and Memphis Grizzlies (13).

New head coach Larry Krystkowiak took over in mid March after Stotts compiled a 23-41 mark. Krystkowiak is 4-12 since, but will have more success next season when some of his go-to players return.

Center Andrew Bogut, forwards Bobby Simmons and Charlie Villanueva and guard Michael Redd were all hampered by injury this season, and should be back at full strength at the start of next season. Redd averaged 26.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 53 games this season despite being slowed by a knee problem. The team is 5-22 without him in the lineup this season.

Since being inserted into the starting lineup earlier this month, center Dan Gadzuric is averaging 10.3 points and 10.4 boards over his last seven games (all starts). Gadzuric has also recorded three double-doubles in a row, including 14 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday’s loss to Charlotte.

Bucks guard Lynn Greer is averaging 11.3 points over his last four games.

Milwaukee can only hope it has the same luck in this year’s lottery draft as it did in 2005. That year the Bucks won the lottery and selected Bogut with the first overall pick.

The Bucks are in desperate need of a point guard and power forward for the 2007-08 season. The upcoming draft may serve as the bridge to that goal unless general manager Larry Harris finds a way to mess up the selection.

Harris may not even be with the team by the time the NBA Draft rolls around, but it all depends on owner and Sen. Herb Kohl.