Over the course of the last few seasons, more than a few National Basketball Association franchises looking to rebuild their teams tried to entice John Hammond to take the job.

Even Sen. Herb Kohl, whose Bucks have reverted to their perennially-underachieving ways of the 1990s, tried to lure Hammond away from his position as the Detroit Pistons' vice president of basketball operations.

So why, then, did the 53-year-old leave a Detroit organization that has annually been on of the Eastern Conference's best teams to come to Milwaukee, where ping-pong balls have outnumbered playoff victories for the past seven years?

"(It was) the right time and the right place for me," Hammond said. "I also think this team can win."

It will be Hammonds task to provide leadership to a franchise that's made the playoffs just twice since George Karl was fired following the 2003 season (losing both times to Detroit, 4-1).

When Harris and the Bucks parted ways last month, names like Donnie Walsh and Doug Collins were among the first to surface as candidates. Walsh left his post with the Indiana Pacers to take over the woeful New York Knicks while Collins has a fairly good deal as an analyst with TNT.

The Bucks then set their sights on Hammond, who had spent seven years working with Pistons' general manager Joe Dumars. Their Detroit teams have won 50 games or more for seven straight seasons, a stretch which also includes two trips to the NBA Finals, a world championship in 2004, and four consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The weight of those credentials wasn't lost on Desmond Mason, who earlier in the week said that the organization was in need of stability after a tumultuous period in which the Bucks went through three coaches in five years and saw regular turnover in the locker room.

"For us, the main thing is getting the players here that you want to build chemistry with for the long-term," Mason said. "It's been an ongoing recycling process with coaches and players. The Senator is bringing someone that comes from an organization that's known for their stability and known for their winning.

"That's the key to getting us in the right direction."

In the end, it was Hammond who possessed the qualities that Kohl thought are essential to restoring luster to the franchise. The Bucks moved quickly with Hammond; he had his first interview last Tuesday and officials met with him a second time on Thursday before reaching agreement Friday.

"We cast our net somewhat far and wide because we wanted to make the best decision we could," Kohl said. "When we met John Hammond and conversed with him, there was a quick feeling on the part of myself, John Steinmiller, Ron Walter and Mike Burr that this was the man for us."

His first order of business, though, will be to decide what to do with head coach Larry Krystkowiak. Hammond will have three more opportunities to watch him work in game situations before sitting down and making a thorough evaluation.

No sooner did word leak out that Hammond took the job did speculation build about the possibility of hiring former Detroit and Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle. Hammond, for now, didn't tip his hand.

"I know Larry, I know a lot of people who know Larry," Hammond said. "There aren't better people than Larry Krystkowiak."

Krystkowiak has one year left on his contract, but Hammond isn't ready to make any decisions.

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