MILWAUKEE — Larry Krystkowiak showed up at the Milwaukee Bucks' practice facility early Thursday morning, sweating through his T-shirt during a rigorous workout as Neil Young music blared in the background.
A few hours later, he was gone for good.
Krystkowiak might indeed have a heart of gold, as his choice of workout music would suggest. But as new Bucks general manager John Hammond attempts to make a championship contender out of an organization seemingly happy just to sneak into the playoffs every few years, that wasn't enough.
"The bottom line on this decision is that this is a results-driven league," Hammond said. "Sometimes it comes down to wins and losses. Once again, the man that Larry was and the effort he put forth had little to do with the decision."
The Bucks fired Krystkowiak a day after completing his first full season as an NBA head coach. The move didn't come as a surprise. It was widely assumed that Hammond would bring in his own coach after Bucks owner and U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl hired him to replace ousted general manager Larry Harris last week.
Kohl then signed off on Hammond's first major decision, and Krystkowiak was out.
Touted as a potential playoff contender going into the season, the Bucks finished a dismal 26-56 and were one of the league's worst defensive teams.
Hammond praised Krystkowiak's hard work and character, and was careful not to go into detail on the characteristics he would be looking for in a new coach because he didn't want it to be interpreted as an indictment of Krystkowiak's shortcomings.
LOVE HEADED TO NBA: UCLA's Kevin Love is NBA-bound. Less than two weeks after leading the Bruins to the Final Four, the All-American freshman announced Thursday that he'll skip his final three college seasons and enter the NBA draft. "I feel like I'm in the right spot to take my game to the next level," Love said Thursday. "Since I was 5 years old this has been a dream of mine." Love made his announcement at a news conference while sitting between his father, former NBA player Stan Love, and UCLA coach Ben Howland. The 6-foot-10 Love said he did not immediately plan to hire an agent, which would temporarily allow to keep playing for UCLA.
OTHERS NBA-BOUND: Brandon Rush is headed to the NBA for sure this time. Darrell Arthur may be going with him. Mario Chalmers? He hasn't made up his mind. Two of Kansas' three biggest stars declared themselves eligible for the draft on Thursday, less than two weeks after helping lead the Jayhawks to their first national title in 20 years. Rush, who lost his college eligibility by declaring for the NBA draft a second time, is shopping for an agent and likely will start working out for NBA teams in about a month. Arthur has yet to hire an agent, leaving open the possibility of returning to Kansas if it appears he isn't going to be drafted high enough. Chalmers, who hit the shot that got Kansas into overtime in the national title game, is still debating whether to declare for the draft or come back for his senior season.
UNC TRIO UNDECIDED: North Carolina coach Roy Williams says underclassmen Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington remain undecided about the NBA draft. Williams says he's still gathering information about where the trio would likely be picked if they enter the draft. Hansbrough, selected the national player of the year by The Associated Press, is a junior. Lawson and Ellington are sophomores.
SONICS' SENE HAS SURGERY: SuperSonics center Mouhamed Sene had microfracture surgery on his right knee earlier this week, another setback for Seattle and its glut of underperforming centers. Sene was originally injured on April 4 playing in an NBA Development League game for the Idaho Stampede. The injury was diagnosed as a lateral meniscus tear, but during surgery doctors discovered a chondral defect and microfracture surgery was required. The team says Sene will be on crutches for six weeks and be continually evaluated.
WIZARDS CLOSE TO FULL STRENGTH: The Washington Wizards, who lost 225 man-games due to injuries this season, had a full contingent on the floor Thursday for their first practice in preparation for the opening-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Those taking part included Caron Butler, who sat out the final three games of the regular season with a bruised right knee, DeShawn Stevenson, who has been bothered by a sore back, and Gilbert Arenas, who has been coming off the bench since returning from knee surgery. Coach Eddie Jordan said only Arenas will be limited for Game 1 in Cleveland on Saturday. Coach Mike Brown gave the Cavaliers the day off Thursday.