By: Chris Terlop

Draft day is upon us and the Bucks are once again in draft purgatory, reserved for those either just good enough to make the playoffs, but not good enough to win a series.  Monte Ellis is gone, who knows what new head coach Larry Drew’s plans are for restricted free agent Brandon Jennings, so the backcourt is very much in flux.  Picking at 15 you can expect the Bucks to go after a guard, as the front court is very solid with Larry Sanders, Ersan Ilysova, John Henson, Ekpe Udoh, Mike Dunleavy, and even Gustavo Ayon.

Here are what the experts are predicting the Bucks do tonight.

Gary Parrish: SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia

Chad Ford, ESPN: PG Shane Larkin, Miami

Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated: SG CJ McCollum, Lehigh

Steve Kyler, USA Today: SG/SF Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA

Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report: PG Dennis Schroeder, Germany

Scott Howard-Cooper, NBA.com: C Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga

Jonathan Givony Draft Express.com/Yahoo: SG/SF Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA

Joe Kotoch, Probasketballdraft.com: SG/SF Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA

Alex Hooper, Hoopsonhoops.com: PG Shane Larkin, Miami

From all of the “experts” picks, Shabazz Muhammad out of UCLA is the most likely in their opinion getting three votes.  Muhammad is an intriguing prospect; highly touted out of high school showed off his ability to score once he got comfortable at the college level.  He ended up being shorter than expected, measuring in 6-6 making him a tweener for shooting guard and small forward.  There have been talks about his lack of motor and defense, but his scoring ability is near the top of the draft.  If Milwaukee goes with ‘Bazz, it is because the rewards outweighed the risks that he will be a bust.

My pick for the Bucks is point guard Shane Larkin.  Earlier in the process it was highly likely that Larkin would be there at 15, now that is an unknown.  According to a source the Bucks made a promise to the Miami guard that they would take him if he was there at 15 at his pre-draft workout.  Larkin brings an amazing passing ability, the best pick and roll skills in the draft, NBA range and maturity beyond his years.  He is a true leader.  Only thing working against him is his below average height and wingspan for the position.

Update 9:26 am: Adrian Wojnarwoski of Yahoo! reporting that the Bucks are trying to move up to take Russian small forward Sergey Karasev.

You can listen to Chris M-F on Sportsline and Saturday Mornings at 8 am.  Follow him on Twitter @ChrisTerlop