 |
 |
 |
|
But his old boss Dumars believes Hammond is equipped to handlethe pressure.
"I told him, 'Now you're in the No. 1 seat and have to bear someof the brunt of that,' " Dumars said. "But he's very well-preparedfor it. He's lived around it and within it for the last seven years.He felt whatever I felt.
"I felt he was ready, without a doubt. And I felt this (Bucksjob) was right more than anything that had come down the pike."
Dumars said the two will remains close friends, despite theCentral Division battles between the Bucks and Pistons.
"The core of who he is, that's what makes him great," Dumarssaid. "I told him, 'Go Bucks, baby,' until you play the Pistons,because I want him to succeed."
Hammond said he has learned from all the great basketball mindshe has encountered, including Brown, Collins and Dumars.
"Joe always said we complement each other well, because 'youcoach-think and I player-think,'" Hammond said. "But the great thingis over the years, he learned to think more like a coach and Ilearned to think more like a player.
"When you become a hall of fame player, it tells how hard you'veworked to become that. If you can carry that over to your nextopportunity, that's what Joe did."
Traveling time
Hammond's wife, Marsha, and daughter Lauryn Shay will stay in theDetroit area next season while Lauryn finishes her senior year atNotre Dame Prep in Pontiac, Mich.
There will be some trips back and forth, and Hammond joked abouttaking the Lake Express across Lake Michigan.
But he knows he's in for a busy first summer on the job, with thedraft in late June, free agency and trades in July and the Olympicsin August.
Hammond said he and newly hired coach Scott Skiles are planning atrip to Beijing to support Bucks players Andrew Bogut, Yi Jianlianand Michael Redd in the Olympic competition.
"It's been a whirlwind," Hammond said. "A lot of things havehappened in a very short amount of time, and it's not going to stopfor a while."
Copyright 2008, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved. (Note:This notice does not apply to those news items already copyrightedand received through wire services or other media.)
(C) 2008 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved
rocco 
