Milwaukee Bucks’ Drew Gooden Out, Irsan Ilyasova To Start

Published: 17^th Feb 12 1:50 pm

by Michael Terrill
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Milwaukee Bucks’ Drew Gooden Out, Irsan Ilyasova To Start

Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

Center Drew Gooden of the Milwaukee Bucks will miss Friday night’s game against the Orlando Magic due to a sprained right wrist and knee soreness.

Irsan Ilyasova, possibly the best player on the entire team, will start at center for Gooden while rookie Jon Leuer will start at power forward in place of Luc Richard Mbah a Moute who will come off the bench. Gooden will stay in Milwaukee to rest while the team begins their road trip.

“It’s not impossible that he (Gooden) would meet us in [New] Jersey,” head coach Scott Skiles said, when the Bucks play the Nets on Sunday. “But we left him home to get multiple treatments and see how he responds.”

Ilyasova will have his hands full with All-Star Dwight Howard, who went 5-for-15 in a win against the Bucks last Saturday.

“One of our goals is to eliminate his easy baskets, his lob dunks, and we did a nice job of that,” Skiles said, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Those type of players, that’s about all you can do, body them up, try to eliminate their easy baskets, and if they make them, they make them.”

Ilyasova has been outstanding for Milwaukee this season as he is averaging 9.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in 23.8 minutes off the bench. He plays with the most energy and intensity then anyone on the team. Every time there is a loose ball Ilyasova can be seen diving after it and more times than not he comes up with it. Against the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday he had 23 points and 7 rebounds in 35 minutes.

“Ers historically for us has played better off the bench than he has in the lineup, so I’m a little hesitant to do it,” Skiles said. “I don’t want to bust his rhythm up, the way he’s been playing. But we need to do something; we need to change something up.”

That might be why Skiles has elected to start Leuer in place of Mbah a Moute. Leuer has been very good in the short amount of time he has been given to play. He has already started six games this season so he will not be out of his comfort zone. In 27 games this season, Leuer is averaging 17.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in 13.4 minutes off the bench.

The Bucks will have to do everything they can to slow down Howard and even then it is not a guarantee they will win. However, shaking things up could provide a confidence boost the team desperately needs right now.

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