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Joe Alexander's development at the NBA level has been hindered by a hamstring injury this season, while his future with the Milwaukee Bucks -- and greater prospects with the NBA -- have turned cloudy after an announcement Monday by the Bucks general manager. John Hammond said he's decided not to pick up a $2.76 million option on the forward's first contract -- an uncommon move among NBA lottery picks that often become a franchise cornerstone. With the decision, Alexander will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. Alexander, a Linganore High School graduate and standout at West Virginia University, was the eighth overall pick of the 2008 draft and Hammond's first pick as general manager after replacing Larry Harris. Hammond selected forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute in the second round of that draft and Mbah a Moute has turned out to be a key contributor. Alexander, however, hasn't adjusted as quickly after appearing in just 59 games off the bench his rookie season. He averaged 4.7 points and 1.9 rebounds last year and opened this season on the inactive list after re-aggravating a right hamstring strain. The injury will keep him out of play for at least eight weeks. Hammond said it was a difficult decision to let Alexander go to free agency after this season. "We believe Joe can be a good NBA player, but his latest injury had hampered our ability to further assess his progress," Hammond said in a statement. "Joe has missed valuable on-court development opportunities due to injury." History, though, portends that Alexander may need a little more time to adapt to this high level of play. At Linganore , he was a skinny bench player as a junior. Then, he led the Lancers to the state tournament during his senior year, but never drew Division I interest. He ended up at Hargrave Military Academy for a year, further enhancing his skills and garnering a scholarship with the Mountaineers. At WVU, Alexander was an afterthought in his first two seasons, but a driven work-ethic helped him bloom in his junior year as he became a hot NBA prospect before the Bucks selected him.
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