Bucks have a big star, GMs agree

MILWAUKEE — The annual NBA general managers’ survey was released Wednesday, and to no one’s surprise, the Bucks’ Giannis

Antetokounmpo received the most votes for the one player a GM could start a franchise with.

“He’s a special player,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg was all in on that assessment, and sees only better things coming from Antetokounmpo this season. He got an in-person look Wednesday night in the Bulls’ 116-82 loss to the Bucks in preseason action. Antetokounmpo scored a gamehigh 19 points with 13 rebounds.

“I went out there earlier and looked down at the other end to watch them warm up a little bit, and Giannis looked like he grew three inches and put on about 20 pounds,” Hoiberg said.

As for Bulls players mentioned in the survey, Lauri Markkanen finished tied for fourth for breakout player, and Wendell

Carter was tied for second in the rookie of the year prediction.

Parker’s unhappy return

Wednesday wasn’t exactly the homecoming Jabari Parker was looking for after he admitted having “bitter” feelings about how he left Milwaukee in the offseason. While he did get some applause from Bucks fans at the new Fiserv Forum when he was introduced, his former team held him to just two points on 1-for-12 shooting.

Hoiberg was angry enough to make Thursday’s scheduled light practice “a hard, physical practice.”

“[A light practice] isn’t going to happen,” he said.

Scary moment

Zach LaVine had to leave in the third quarter when he appeared to bang his right leg going to the hoop. He has a bruised thigh.