BUCKS SET TO HIRE DREW AS COACH

Milwaukee: Four days after Larry Drew was replaced in Atlanta, the Bucks have swooped in to scoop him up. The Bucks announced Friday that they have reached an agreement to hire Drew as their next head coach. GM John Hammond said Drew’s track record in Atlanta and experience as an assistant coach and former player made him the right choice.

“We look forward to what he will bring to this franchise and we welcome him and his family to Milwaukee,” Hammond said.

Drew will replace interim coach Jim Boylan, who stepped in after the Bucks and Scott Skiles parted ways Jan. 8. Drew was 128-102 in Atlanta, and the Hawks reached the postseason in each of his three seasons. Toronto: Masai Ujiri is leaving Denver to take over the basketball operations for the Raptors. Toronto announced on Friday that the NBA’s Executive of the Year has agreed to a deal with the Raptors.

The 42-year-old Ujiri has been hailed as one of the rising stars among NBA executives thanks to his deft handling of the Carmelo Anthony trade to New York and his ability to assemble a relatively starless roster that still managed to be a formidable contender in the Western Conference. Blaylock critical: Former NBA All-Star G Daron “Mookie” Blaylock was on life support at a hospital Friday after his SUV crossed the center line and crashed head-on into a van in suburban Atlanta, police said.

Blaylock was driving in Jonesboro Friday when he crashed and was airlifted to the Atlanta Medical Center in critical condition, said Clayton County police spokesman Clarence Cox. The 46year-old Blaylock was a first-round draft pick by the New Jersey Nets out of Oklahoma in 1989.