After agreeing on a five-year contract extension with the Bucks, Andrew Bogut could very simply have asked the team or his agent to have a copy of the deal faxed or express-mailed to him in Australia.

There was no need for Bogut to fly 17 hours to Milwaukee, sign the deal, meet with the media, spend a night or two in his home and return Down Under two days later. But doing things the easy way isn't Bogut's style.

For Bogut, showing up at a news conference Friday to announce the deal was a matter of respect.

That kind of respect is one of the reasons the franchise -- and its owner, Sen. Herb Kohl -- were so drawn to the 7-foot Aussie when trying to decide whether or not use the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. Prior to the draft, Bogut showed up for a meeting with Kohl and then-general manager Larry Harris in a suit and brought along a copy of his resume. He said, at the time, that he was treating the meeting like a professional job interview.

Three years later, Bogut continues to bring a sense of professionalism to his job. It was one of the first things John Hammond, the Bucks' new general manager, noticed. It's also one of the reasons Hammond, along with newly-hired head coach Scott Skiles, was so happy to get a deal done.

"The reason you can be excited about it is because you can depend on him," Hammond said. "He brings it every night; he works."

The Bucks and Bogut agreed last week on a five-year extension, worth $60 million dollars. Bogut could earn up $12 million more through a package of incentives and bonuses for performance and awards.

As the nightmare that was the Bucks' 2007-'08 campaign wore on, Bogut let it be known that he was interested in an extension. He still had one year remaining on his original rookie contract, signed in 2005. But he made it clear that Milwaukee was the place he wanted to be.

"I bought a house here," he said. "I love the people and have brought my family here numerous times and they only have glowing things to say about Milwaukee as a city. Basketball-wise, the last two years have been a bit of a struggle, but I look forward to things going in an upward direction."

The biggest question now is how Skiles plans to use Bogut. Bogut has played for two coaches in his first three seasons. Terry Stotts wasn't inclined to use Bogut much, offensively. Larry Krystkowiak began to incorporate Bogut more into the game-plan, but with Michael Redd and Mo Williams taking a majority of the team's shots, touches were hard to come by.

Skiles wants to get the most out of Bogut, and plans to use him in a number of roles. He would especially like to take advantage of Bogut's ability to run the court. He didn't seem pleased with the number of times an open Bogut was ignored in favor of a three-point attempt.

"In watching almost every minute of every game (on film), I got a little tired of seeing when Andrew did run the floor and seal his man under the basket, a three-point shot going up," Skiles said. "It's not brain surgery. If you have big guys that run the floor and cover their man up right by the basket, they ought to get the ball."

Bogut set a career-high last season by averaging 14.3 points a game and just less than 10 rebounds per game. In three seasons, Bogut has averaged 11.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 blocked shot in 226 career games.

True to his nature, Bogut said signing such a lucrative contract was a humbling experience.

"I don't feel comfortable talking about $60 million," Bogut said. "At the end of the day, you're putting a ball in the hoop and making a very good living for it."

The money, he admits, is nice. And aside from dealing with previously-unheard of "relatives" popping up and asking for loans, he doesn't plan to let it affect him too much. Aside from maybe buying some property in Croatia and sending his parents to visit their native land, he plans to put most of his new-found fortune in the bank.

What matters to him now, with a deal done and his future guaranteed, is getting the Bucks back to the playoffs on a regular basis.

"I think the most important thing, and I've said it from Day One, is to make the playoffs. This city deserves a team that is battling every year for the playoffs," Bogut said. "If we can do that, it's really going to help get the franchise back to where it belongs."