The Milwaukee Bucks signed free-agent center Jelani McCoy to add depth to their frontcourt.

McCoy, 6-foot-10 and 245 pounds, has averaged 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 244 career games. He played in two games with Cleveland last season before the Cavaliers waived him.

He was drafted by Seattle in the second round of the 1998 NBA Draft, out of UCLA. He played three seasons with the SuperSonics and then signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Milwaukee Bucks guard T.J. Ford was having a very successful rookie campaign until he suffered a seriously bruised spinal cord, which kept him out of the remainder of the season.  

Ford had surgery in May and he has done conditioning work during rehabilitation. He will attend all training sessions but won't play.

This year the Milwaukee Bucks will have four big bodies to throw at the Shaquille O?Neal, the newest, and perhaps, most feared member added to the Eastern Conference.  Dan Gadzuric, Daniel Santiago, Zendon Hamilton, and Zaza Pachulia will all be competing for the starting spot for the 2004/2005 season.

With that much mass in the middle, perhaps the Bucks can re-master the only three-headed center routine used by Chicago back in the championship 90?s, only this time with an added head.

League sources have recently discounted the trade rumor originally reported by The Oregonian that had budding power forward Zach Randolph, Derek Anderson, and a 2005 draft pick going to Milwaukee for prolific scorer Michael Redd, Desmond Mason, and Marcus Haislip.  

The Bucks have made it a policy not to discuss trade rumors, and Portland GM John Nash was of no help either saying, ?we don?t discuss trade talks.?