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Off and running Impressive rookie gives Bucks reason to cheer
By Marty Burns, Sports Illustrated MILWAUKEE -- It was about as nice a birthday present as Bucks rookie center Joel Przybilla could have hoped for. At the end of Tuesday's practice session at the Cousins Center, Przybilla was serenaded by teammates with a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday." "He's 21 years old now, so I guess we'll have to take him for his first legal beer," quips veteran forward Scott Williams. Przybilla might be young, but he's quickly proving he belongs. Bucks coach George Karl says the 7-foot-1 Minnesota product has opened eyes with his ability to run the floor, rebound and block shots -- and could be in the rotation this season. "He has been very impressive," Karl says, adding that Przybilla held his own defensively against Shawn Kemp in one workout he witnessed over the summer. Since arriving in Milwaukee as the No. 9 overall pick in the first round of last June's NBA Draft (he was drafted by the Rockets, then traded to the Bucks on draft night) Przybilla has given the Bucks hope that their long search for a true center might be over. One Bucks assistant said Przybilla, though still very raw offensively, even threw down a nasty dunk on Williams in practice one day. "A lot of people are going to be shocked by what he can do," Williams
said with a
chuckle.
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