"It certainly opens up opportunities with other teams that would like to get the first pick," Bucks general manager Larry Harris said. "I don't want to come out and say that the Milwaukee Bucks are trading the pick but it certainly creates a lot of buzz for the Milwaukee Bucks. We are in position now where we control the draft."

Harris got plenty of luck from a fishing lure and a bracelet provided by Bucks' fans.

It helped Milwaukee jump over five teams to win its first lottery since 1994, the year they took Glenn Robinson.

"I don't know if I'll sleep tonight," Harris said. "Being a math major, with a 6.3 percent chance to win, I didn't think we had much of a chance at it."

Redd, an unrestricted free agent, has told Harris he wants to return, but only if the team is able to contend.

"I told him we would do whatever we can," Harris said. "Phase one is done. So now we have to make sure we make the right decision."

Atlanta, which won a league-low 13 games and had the best chance of securing the No. 1 pick, will instead have the second choice.

"Now we have a clear picture of where we're going and what we're going to do," Hawks general manager Billy Knight said. "We're comfortable with it."

Portland made the other big move in the lottery, jumping from No. 5 to third.

"I was just coming in hoping we could hold our place because I liked what I felt would be available at No. 5," Portland general manager John Nash said. "Now that we are at three, we have improved our chance of getting a good player."

The big losers were New Orleans, Charlotte and Utah, which all dropped two spots in the order. The Hornets had the second best chance to win the lottery but they slipped to No. 4. The Bobcats, who also had the rights to Cleveland's pick in the lottery, went from No. 3 to No. 5. Utah, which had the fourth worst record, fell to No. 6.

76ers

Iverson happy with hiring of Cheeks

Maurice Cheeks got his dream job. Allen Iverson has the coach he always wanted.

Cheeks and Iverson were reunited in Philadelphia yesterday, a day after the 76ers fired Jim O'Brien and replaced him with Cheeks, one of the most popular players in franchise history.

"I'm excited about being here. It's a place I've always loved," Cheeks said at a news conference held in the Wachovia Spectrum, where he starred for 11 seasons with the Sixers from 1978 to 1989. "It's a special feeling. It's something I almost can't believe."

Iverson, the perennial All-Star guard, joked he was so elated Cheeks was hired he wanted to kiss him on the mouth. The two formed a close relationship when Cheeks was an assistant coach with the Sixers.

"A lot of times, you think things like this are too good to be true," Iverson said.

A four-time All-Star point guard during 15 seasons in the NBA, Cheeks was a fan favorite on Philly teams that also included Julius "Dr. J" Erving and Moses Malone. Cheeks helped lead the Sixers to the NBA title in 1983, the last time any of Philadelphia's four major pro teams won a championship.

Cheeks was an assistant under three coaches from 1994 to 2001, and was part of Larry Brown's staff when the Sixers went to the NBA Finals in 2001.

"If you got a problem with Mo Cheeks, there must be something wrong with you," said Iverson, known for feuding with coaches.

Cheeks was fired March 2 after nearly four seasons as coach of the Trail Blazers. He had a 162-139 record in Portland.

MAGIC

Coach Hill hopes to revive glory days

Orlando reached back to its successful past and hired Brian Hill as its new coach.

Hill, an assistant with the New Jersey Nets the past two seasons, took the Magic to their only NBA Finals appearance in 1995. In three-plus seasons with Orlando, he won a franchise-leading 191 games against 104 losses, and his .647 winning percentage also is the best in team history.

Introduced at a news conference to the "Welcome Back, Kotter" theme song, the 57-year-old Hill said he often thought of returning to Orlando despite an ugly parting in 1997.

"It's always kind of been in the back of my heart to get back to the Magic organization," said Hill, an assistant with Orlando for three years before being promoted to head coach. "When you have something good and you leave it, and then you have substitutes, things to compare it to, you realize, 'That thing was pretty darn good.' "