And now for my review of the season...in Haiku form.
I'll throw a few of these up a day until I've covered the whole team. Just to keep you coming back and to keep myself going while I cry myself to sleep during the marathon known as the NBA playoffs.
Joe Alexander
Joe Alexander
A gazelle runs from lions;
he runs from Lebron.
In short, Alexander looked terrified often this year, but he's athletic as anything on Earth, I really think the kid has a bright future.
Damon Jones
Damon Jones on bench.
Excitement, like lightening,
can not be bottled.
We all know I'm in love with Jones' bench demeanor. I'm just sad it's not something you can buy at the store and give to next years scrubs. I hope he took Salim under his wing and the Bucks can bring him back as next years shooter de jour who gets excited.
Andrew Bogut
Meant to shine this year,
Bogut's star was put on hold,
but next year'll be bright.
Bogut was off to a great start this year when he was healthy. He was a walking double double, the problem was that he wasn't walking very often. Next year will be terrific, I can feel it for the Aussie.
Showing posts with label Joe Alexander. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joe Alexander. Show all posts
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Off-Season Part Two
The more I think about this off-season the more I think it’s going to be pretty unimportant. Every off-season is a big deal, but really the Bucks have a year or two before their regular or off-seasons really matter. They don’t have any important expiring contracts, the market is so bad that they shouldn’t face too much competition for resigning either of their (basically) restricted free agents, and they have what they likely believe is a solid core when healthy locked up for two more seasons together.
This summer screams of them finding ways to cut costs by auctioning their pick and/or Joe Alexander as Frank at Brewhoop has been pointing out lately. Regardless, I feel like these are some interesting questions they’ll be facing.
What We Aren’t Sure Of
Michael Redd and Richard Jefferson, where do they go from here?
At the most Redd and Jefferson will be the featured scorers on a resurgent Bucks team next year that makes a significant push for the sixth spot in the East. At the very least, one or both of them will be shipped off this summer for roughly half of their actual value. Their value is something that is up for debate though.
Both of them are still productive players at or just passed their primes. The obvious problem with both players is that they have contracts that are inflated and extensive. Both come up after the supposed glorious Summer of 2010, but given the extent that the ever worsening economy has affected the NBA who knows if that will even be as big of a deal as it was supposed to be. Nevertheless their contracts make them close to nuclear with regard to the trade market. The Bucks will likely have to take back pretty crappy players with abrasive contracts and/or attitude problems.
Of the two, Redd would likely have been more appealing this summer had his knee not exploded in January. Yes, he’ll be fine by the time the season starts, and yes he was never all that reliant on his explosion to begin with, but any time an aging shooting guard blows out his knee it’s never a good sign. When the Celtics acquired Ray Allen some people (Bill Simmons) were afraid of his ankles giving out, since he was an aging guard with bad ankles; a valid concern. The thing about Redd though, is that he has always been more of an arm shooter. He slings the ball up like an early Bart Simpson with a rock. This may keep his value at least at an acceptable level.
Jefferson lacks the one skill to make him all that attractive, but teams like the Blazers and Jazz who still need another piece may have renewed interest in him after likely playoff flame outs. Jefferson is even more overpaid than Redd, but he does make a little bit less. It’s likely that the Bucks will have to sweeten any deal with either of them with a young player or draft pick.
Who Is Joe Alexander?
What is this guy really capable of? Alexander reminds me of a baby tiger. He’s young and doesn’t really know what he’s doing yet. He has all this athleticism and speed but he’s usually running too fast for his own good and ends up stumbling over himself (so many silly turnovers). He picks on animals bigger than him and needs help defending himself (over matched on the defensive end). He can be a valuable member of the pack when coming over to help more established members during their battles (shot-blocking help from the weak side).
But near the end of the year Alexander has shown real signs of development. He’s not as hesitant to shoot when with the first team and isn’t rushing himself as often. He must be working hard in practice; otherwise Skiles would not have rewarded him with playing time over the past month.
Alexander compared this season to his freshman year in college. It has been all about adjusting and learning a whole new game. We often forget how different and intensified things are on the professional level. No one out there is a weak link and smaller things are so much more important due to the talent level. Missing a defensive rotation will result in a lay-up or easy basketball almost every time. There is no swinging to the crappy over matched freshman in the NBA, it’s swinging to another guy who can hit almost any shot and convert around the hoop.
Alexander certainly has a sweet looking stroke and upside. At this point I’d much rather have him than Yi Jianlian, so that means something right? Plus the more I look at him the more I feel like I’m watching Paul Reiser and Mad About You had good ratings and led to a successful career for Helen Hunt, so that’s a plus. I’m still hoping we have a Kerry Kittles after a growth spurt and some weight lifting on our hands.
Also, baby tigers grow into full grown killing machines eventually, keep that in mind.
What do you do with the 10/11 pick in a crappy draft?
This one I’ll handle separately as we get closer to draft day, but it boils down to a few choices. Keep the pick and hope the guy you get turns out, trade the pick alone or in a package, or trade Joe Alexander alone or in a package because what you’re getting with this pick will be better.
At this point I’d advocate trading this pick before jumping ship on Joey Dunks because he has a year under his belt and pretty good looking potential. Again, I’ll look back at this question throughout May and June, but it’s probably the key question in what may be a bland off-season.
This summer screams of them finding ways to cut costs by auctioning their pick and/or Joe Alexander as Frank at Brewhoop has been pointing out lately. Regardless, I feel like these are some interesting questions they’ll be facing.
What We Aren’t Sure Of
Michael Redd and Richard Jefferson, where do they go from here?
At the most Redd and Jefferson will be the featured scorers on a resurgent Bucks team next year that makes a significant push for the sixth spot in the East. At the very least, one or both of them will be shipped off this summer for roughly half of their actual value. Their value is something that is up for debate though.
Both of them are still productive players at or just passed their primes. The obvious problem with both players is that they have contracts that are inflated and extensive. Both come up after the supposed glorious Summer of 2010, but given the extent that the ever worsening economy has affected the NBA who knows if that will even be as big of a deal as it was supposed to be. Nevertheless their contracts make them close to nuclear with regard to the trade market. The Bucks will likely have to take back pretty crappy players with abrasive contracts and/or attitude problems.
Of the two, Redd would likely have been more appealing this summer had his knee not exploded in January. Yes, he’ll be fine by the time the season starts, and yes he was never all that reliant on his explosion to begin with, but any time an aging shooting guard blows out his knee it’s never a good sign. When the Celtics acquired Ray Allen some people (Bill Simmons) were afraid of his ankles giving out, since he was an aging guard with bad ankles; a valid concern. The thing about Redd though, is that he has always been more of an arm shooter. He slings the ball up like an early Bart Simpson with a rock. This may keep his value at least at an acceptable level.
Jefferson lacks the one skill to make him all that attractive, but teams like the Blazers and Jazz who still need another piece may have renewed interest in him after likely playoff flame outs. Jefferson is even more overpaid than Redd, but he does make a little bit less. It’s likely that the Bucks will have to sweeten any deal with either of them with a young player or draft pick.
Who Is Joe Alexander?
What is this guy really capable of? Alexander reminds me of a baby tiger. He’s young and doesn’t really know what he’s doing yet. He has all this athleticism and speed but he’s usually running too fast for his own good and ends up stumbling over himself (so many silly turnovers). He picks on animals bigger than him and needs help defending himself (over matched on the defensive end). He can be a valuable member of the pack when coming over to help more established members during their battles (shot-blocking help from the weak side).
But near the end of the year Alexander has shown real signs of development. He’s not as hesitant to shoot when with the first team and isn’t rushing himself as often. He must be working hard in practice; otherwise Skiles would not have rewarded him with playing time over the past month.
Alexander compared this season to his freshman year in college. It has been all about adjusting and learning a whole new game. We often forget how different and intensified things are on the professional level. No one out there is a weak link and smaller things are so much more important due to the talent level. Missing a defensive rotation will result in a lay-up or easy basketball almost every time. There is no swinging to the crappy over matched freshman in the NBA, it’s swinging to another guy who can hit almost any shot and convert around the hoop.
Alexander certainly has a sweet looking stroke and upside. At this point I’d much rather have him than Yi Jianlian, so that means something right? Plus the more I look at him the more I feel like I’m watching Paul Reiser and Mad About You had good ratings and led to a successful career for Helen Hunt, so that’s a plus. I’m still hoping we have a Kerry Kittles after a growth spurt and some weight lifting on our hands.
Also, baby tigers grow into full grown killing machines eventually, keep that in mind.
What do you do with the 10/11 pick in a crappy draft?
This one I’ll handle separately as we get closer to draft day, but it boils down to a few choices. Keep the pick and hope the guy you get turns out, trade the pick alone or in a package, or trade Joe Alexander alone or in a package because what you’re getting with this pick will be better.
At this point I’d advocate trading this pick before jumping ship on Joey Dunks because he has a year under his belt and pretty good looking potential. Again, I’ll look back at this question throughout May and June, but it’s probably the key question in what may be a bland off-season.
Labels:
Joe Alexander,
Michael Redd,
Richard Jefferson
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Thoughts During the Joe Alexander Revenge Tour
The Joe Alexander Tour is what I've dubbed the rest of the season.
What is going on right now? I missed the start of the game and I tune in to see the Bucks up 11. It’s probably due to Joe Alexander. (Correction: It is not due to Alexander, but he just put in a nice dunk. RJ and the centers look like they’ve done well early.)
Pau Gasol’s beard makes me scratch my face. He looks like he smokes a pack of cigarettes while he’s at the club listening to techno. Not every European player has this feel, but he does. I love watching him play though, he has a Kukocian ability to make passing look fun.
Alexander is carrying himself with so much more certainty these days and it is paying off. He’s already hit a jumper and took it strong for a dunk.
DJ Mbenga has the biggest head in the NBA and if you don’t believe me get NBA 2K9 and look at his picture.
So far Milwaukee has had as much energy as they’ve had at any point in the last month. I have a hard time believing that they weren’t bringing it because they weren’t playing the Lakers or Celtics every night, I mean they’ve been in the thick of a playoff race all month. What is responsible for the sudden burst in energy the last two games?
Whatever it is that’s gotten into the Bucks it has gotten into them in a major way. Case in point: Charlie Villanueva just took a charge.
Kobe Bryant just held Luc Mbah a Moute’s arm blatantly in front of a ref – to the point both of them were looking at the ref wondering who would get the call – then caught the ball, traveled and hit a fall away jump shot. Fun.
It feels like the wheels are loosening. Seven straight from Odom and Kobe have the Lake show within three. It seems like the Bucks don’t have the necessary tools to get easy shots to continue to drop all game. Today they got off to a good start and were finishing but here we are in quarter two and some of the bunnies aren’t going down. Another question to think about: Is it a lack of talent or fatigue with a lack of depth that keeps them from consistency on the easy shots?
RJ just got fouled and they didn’t call it a shooting foul – despite the fact that it obviously was – and Skiles dropped two or three non-muffled F bombs for the cameras. He’s not afraid to voice his opinion.
57-55 in favor of the Green Guys after one half. I’ll take it. Kobe hasn’t missed yet by the way, 7-7.
Alexander with 11 first half minutes is especially pleasing. I haven’t seen anything out of him lately that makes me think he won’t be a serviceable plus NBA player; I’m thinking a Kerry Kittles type career. With that I’d be okay.
Gadz just picked up his first foul by walking onto the court at the 12:00 mark of the third quarter. He has four. Energy has been the theme in the past two games and Gadz plays a big role in the Bucks energy game. If he misses most of the second half it’ll be all bad for the Bucks.
Kobe finally misses and Gadz gets another dunk on the other end. I’m surprised Skiles has Gadz in there with four fouls. He’s usually an ardent subscriber to the foul trouble removal theory. I guess with Gadzuric he figures let him stay in there and foul out. After Gadz hits a jumper he attempts some sort of spinorama move and makes everyone cringe. To his credit he then runs the floor and gets a lay-up. That’s three straight shots out of Gadzilla.
Bucks pull back out to a six point lead after a breakaway lay-up for Ramon Sessions. Opening back up a mini-lead like that is nice after a battle right before halftime.
The Bucks aren’t giving away this lead easily; every time the Lakers crawl back the Bucks extend things back out to five or six. And I just realized Charlie Bell does not have a knee brace on today. Like no brace at all. Nada. How is that possible? He was wearing a bionic leg earlier this year! He does seem frisky on Kobe, maybe he’s feeling his best. By the time I finished typing that mini-paragraph the Lakers turned a three point deficit into a one point lead.
Elson went down off camera and no one can really say why he went down or what is wrong. Let’s hope the big man is okay.
Bucks are back ahead after a great cut and finish by Sessions and pass by Bell after Alexander did some bumbling. Sessions grabs a rebound before the quarter ends and he’s sitting at 14 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds. Bucks up 81-80 at the end of three.
Alexander starts the fourth with a three as I look up Kerry Kittles stats. Before I finish typing Kittles at basketballreference.com he puts up a near air ball on his next three point attempt. Oh well.
Kittles: 14 points and four rebounds per game. That seems about right, give or take a few points and rebounds. I think Alexander will be more active as a shot blocker and perhaps less with regard to steals.
Another charge taken by Charlie V. Milwaukee is fired up. Unfortunately Elson has been escorted to the locker room with what Jim is calling a knee injury. Gadz is in serious foul trouble and so is Charlie V., this could be trouble in the making.
Case in point: Mbah a Moute gets absolutely DUSTED on a spin by Gasol and then fouls him on his dunk. The Lake show is up one after the throw. Gasol takes it back in on the next possession this time against Villanueva resulting in another basket.
Ugh. Kobe gets a lay-up on an inbounds play and gets fouled for the three point play, Lakers are now up six.
Gasol is abusing everyone the Bucks put on him. Gadz came back in and stopped him once but he can only do so much against Gasol. Gasol has got a plethora of post moves and is trying to foul out Gadzuric ASAP.
Kobe takes care of it on a plus one to put the Lakers up 10 with just under four minutes to go. The Lakers have noticeably turned it up on the defensive end and look like they’ve got this one wrapped up.
John and Jim are ecstatic about Sessions triple double. As they should be.
No complaints here. The Bucks played their asses off and had a lead into the fourth quarter. Against a team as good as the Lakers that is all you can ask for at this point. Alexander looked good and bad at the same time usually. Sessions popped his triple double cherry and seems to have found at least some sort of happy medium between shooting jumpers and penetrating.
What is going on right now? I missed the start of the game and I tune in to see the Bucks up 11. It’s probably due to Joe Alexander. (Correction: It is not due to Alexander, but he just put in a nice dunk. RJ and the centers look like they’ve done well early.)
Pau Gasol’s beard makes me scratch my face. He looks like he smokes a pack of cigarettes while he’s at the club listening to techno. Not every European player has this feel, but he does. I love watching him play though, he has a Kukocian ability to make passing look fun.
Alexander is carrying himself with so much more certainty these days and it is paying off. He’s already hit a jumper and took it strong for a dunk.
DJ Mbenga has the biggest head in the NBA and if you don’t believe me get NBA 2K9 and look at his picture.
So far Milwaukee has had as much energy as they’ve had at any point in the last month. I have a hard time believing that they weren’t bringing it because they weren’t playing the Lakers or Celtics every night, I mean they’ve been in the thick of a playoff race all month. What is responsible for the sudden burst in energy the last two games?
Whatever it is that’s gotten into the Bucks it has gotten into them in a major way. Case in point: Charlie Villanueva just took a charge.
Kobe Bryant just held Luc Mbah a Moute’s arm blatantly in front of a ref – to the point both of them were looking at the ref wondering who would get the call – then caught the ball, traveled and hit a fall away jump shot. Fun.
It feels like the wheels are loosening. Seven straight from Odom and Kobe have the Lake show within three. It seems like the Bucks don’t have the necessary tools to get easy shots to continue to drop all game. Today they got off to a good start and were finishing but here we are in quarter two and some of the bunnies aren’t going down. Another question to think about: Is it a lack of talent or fatigue with a lack of depth that keeps them from consistency on the easy shots?
RJ just got fouled and they didn’t call it a shooting foul – despite the fact that it obviously was – and Skiles dropped two or three non-muffled F bombs for the cameras. He’s not afraid to voice his opinion.
57-55 in favor of the Green Guys after one half. I’ll take it. Kobe hasn’t missed yet by the way, 7-7.
Alexander with 11 first half minutes is especially pleasing. I haven’t seen anything out of him lately that makes me think he won’t be a serviceable plus NBA player; I’m thinking a Kerry Kittles type career. With that I’d be okay.
Gadz just picked up his first foul by walking onto the court at the 12:00 mark of the third quarter. He has four. Energy has been the theme in the past two games and Gadz plays a big role in the Bucks energy game. If he misses most of the second half it’ll be all bad for the Bucks.
Kobe finally misses and Gadz gets another dunk on the other end. I’m surprised Skiles has Gadz in there with four fouls. He’s usually an ardent subscriber to the foul trouble removal theory. I guess with Gadzuric he figures let him stay in there and foul out. After Gadz hits a jumper he attempts some sort of spinorama move and makes everyone cringe. To his credit he then runs the floor and gets a lay-up. That’s three straight shots out of Gadzilla.
Bucks pull back out to a six point lead after a breakaway lay-up for Ramon Sessions. Opening back up a mini-lead like that is nice after a battle right before halftime.
The Bucks aren’t giving away this lead easily; every time the Lakers crawl back the Bucks extend things back out to five or six. And I just realized Charlie Bell does not have a knee brace on today. Like no brace at all. Nada. How is that possible? He was wearing a bionic leg earlier this year! He does seem frisky on Kobe, maybe he’s feeling his best. By the time I finished typing that mini-paragraph the Lakers turned a three point deficit into a one point lead.
Elson went down off camera and no one can really say why he went down or what is wrong. Let’s hope the big man is okay.
Bucks are back ahead after a great cut and finish by Sessions and pass by Bell after Alexander did some bumbling. Sessions grabs a rebound before the quarter ends and he’s sitting at 14 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds. Bucks up 81-80 at the end of three.
Alexander starts the fourth with a three as I look up Kerry Kittles stats. Before I finish typing Kittles at basketballreference.com he puts up a near air ball on his next three point attempt. Oh well.
Kittles: 14 points and four rebounds per game. That seems about right, give or take a few points and rebounds. I think Alexander will be more active as a shot blocker and perhaps less with regard to steals.
Another charge taken by Charlie V. Milwaukee is fired up. Unfortunately Elson has been escorted to the locker room with what Jim is calling a knee injury. Gadz is in serious foul trouble and so is Charlie V., this could be trouble in the making.
Case in point: Mbah a Moute gets absolutely DUSTED on a spin by Gasol and then fouls him on his dunk. The Lake show is up one after the throw. Gasol takes it back in on the next possession this time against Villanueva resulting in another basket.
Ugh. Kobe gets a lay-up on an inbounds play and gets fouled for the three point play, Lakers are now up six.
Gasol is abusing everyone the Bucks put on him. Gadz came back in and stopped him once but he can only do so much against Gasol. Gasol has got a plethora of post moves and is trying to foul out Gadzuric ASAP.
Kobe takes care of it on a plus one to put the Lakers up 10 with just under four minutes to go. The Lakers have noticeably turned it up on the defensive end and look like they’ve got this one wrapped up.
John and Jim are ecstatic about Sessions triple double. As they should be.
No complaints here. The Bucks played their asses off and had a lead into the fourth quarter. Against a team as good as the Lakers that is all you can ask for at this point. Alexander looked good and bad at the same time usually. Sessions popped his triple double cherry and seems to have found at least some sort of happy medium between shooting jumpers and penetrating.
Monday, January 19, 2009
More Thoughts on Conley
Not everyone thinks that the Bucks would be on the losing end in the proposed Mike Conley deal.
"It's wrong," the 7-foot Spaniard continued. "I wouldn't trade Mike. You're looking and you're trying to do something to fix this, but that isn't the right thing. There's more to what's going on."
In an article by Memphis Commercial Appeal Grizzlies beat writer Ronald Tillery Marc Gasol passionately insists that giving up on Conley would be a mistake.
"There are many reasons. First you're starting, and then you're out of the lineup," Gasol said. "And sometimes you're not playing as well. The important thing is how you are inside. What are you trying to accomplish on the court? Are you working? Are you doing what coach is asking you to do? Are you helping your teammates? Mike is always trying to do the right thing."
Tillery compares Conley's early stats to that of other point guards who flourished later in their careers such as Steve Nash, Tony Parker, and Devin Harris, saying that the system he currently is in does not allow for his full potential to shine through.
But would Milwaukee be any better?
The Bucks have a lot of success in an up-tempo offense, but only average 2 more possesions per game than Memphis. They usually like to feed Andrew Bogut early in games and then have a tendency to get stagnant with Michael Redd and Richard Jefferson in the half court offense. They certainly have the tools to be an effective running team, but Scott Skiles has a tendency to be a bit overbearing. He has hesitated to let the younger Sessions take control of his team. He is a very defensively demanding coach, which could cause a problem for Conley whose Memphis team performs 8 points better every 100 possesions with him off the court than with him on the court defensively.
Oddly enough it's the point guard he battles for minutes for currently, Kyle Lowry, who would seem to be more of a fit with Skiles defense first philosophy. Lowry is regarded as one of the better defenders on the point in the league, and it seems like Memphis is recognizing that more, as his minutes have increased to almost 30 a game in January. Lowry is an affordable 2 million next year with RFA the year after.
Rumblings have quieted on the deal in the past few days since it was reported to be on Senator Kohl's desk, so this might be all for not, but the passion Gasol has for Conley is at least one bright side to the proposed deal. If there is one thing the Gasol brothers know, its that Memphis has made some bad trades.
"It's wrong," the 7-foot Spaniard continued. "I wouldn't trade Mike. You're looking and you're trying to do something to fix this, but that isn't the right thing. There's more to what's going on."
In an article by Memphis Commercial Appeal Grizzlies beat writer Ronald Tillery Marc Gasol passionately insists that giving up on Conley would be a mistake.
"There are many reasons. First you're starting, and then you're out of the lineup," Gasol said. "And sometimes you're not playing as well. The important thing is how you are inside. What are you trying to accomplish on the court? Are you working? Are you doing what coach is asking you to do? Are you helping your teammates? Mike is always trying to do the right thing."
Tillery compares Conley's early stats to that of other point guards who flourished later in their careers such as Steve Nash, Tony Parker, and Devin Harris, saying that the system he currently is in does not allow for his full potential to shine through.
But would Milwaukee be any better?
The Bucks have a lot of success in an up-tempo offense, but only average 2 more possesions per game than Memphis. They usually like to feed Andrew Bogut early in games and then have a tendency to get stagnant with Michael Redd and Richard Jefferson in the half court offense. They certainly have the tools to be an effective running team, but Scott Skiles has a tendency to be a bit overbearing. He has hesitated to let the younger Sessions take control of his team. He is a very defensively demanding coach, which could cause a problem for Conley whose Memphis team performs 8 points better every 100 possesions with him off the court than with him on the court defensively.
Oddly enough it's the point guard he battles for minutes for currently, Kyle Lowry, who would seem to be more of a fit with Skiles defense first philosophy. Lowry is regarded as one of the better defenders on the point in the league, and it seems like Memphis is recognizing that more, as his minutes have increased to almost 30 a game in January. Lowry is an affordable 2 million next year with RFA the year after.
Rumblings have quieted on the deal in the past few days since it was reported to be on Senator Kohl's desk, so this might be all for not, but the passion Gasol has for Conley is at least one bright side to the proposed deal. If there is one thing the Gasol brothers know, its that Memphis has made some bad trades.
Labels:
Joe Alexander,
Marc Gasol,
Mike Conley,
Ramon Sessions
Friday, January 16, 2009
"Business Decisions"
As everyone and their mother knows by now, the Bucks could be on the verge of a major trade. This is from ESPN.com via the Memphis Commercial-Appeal.
The Grizzlies want to deal second-year point guard Mike Conley to the Milwaukee Bucks, and receive guard Ramon Sessions and swingman Joe Alexander in return, but the ball doesn't appear to be in their court. Milwaukee is apparently weighing the proposal as talks are ongoing, based on conversations with people knowledgeable about the trade discussions.
A team insider said the Griz wouldn't be devastated if the deal didn't come to fruition because no one mentioned in the transaction is established. Plus, Conley has already shown an ability to bounce back from a string of poor performances. -- Memphis Commercial-Appeal
Much has been said about this trade and it's recapped quite well at Brewhoop and The Bratwurst, but I have some different questions about it.
Everyone acknowledges that this trade is a largely a salary cap deal. (I'll say however that if the Bucks also land the Grizzlies first round pick from this season in this supposed deal it would make it more acceptable. There will be a pretty healthy class of point guards this year.) Sessions will be a RFA this off season and Alexander will get a bump in year 2 of his rookie deal. If we dump them we should be able to remain under a luxury tax, even with the league expecting the cap to decrease from last year. So this is more a "business decision" than basketball decision. Okay, it's Herb Kohl's team and he can do whatever he wants with it. If he doesn't want to pay luxury taxes I understand, the economy sucks. I'm left with one troubling question though...how will this serve to better the business? In any business scenario in Kohl's life has he ever acquired lesser talent to do the jobs he needed done because they were cheaper? If the Bucks insist on dealing Sessions due to his impending semi-free agency, why don't the Bucks work out a deal where Redd can be taken too?
For a long time I've felt like the best move the Bucks could make is dumping Redd on Cleveland for Wally Sczerbiak, JJ Hickson, and a pick. If Cleveland is willing to give up anyone right now I'm not sure, because their chemistry this year has been terrific. I can't imagine a team KEEPING Wally Sczerbiak for chemistry reasons though, because from all accounts he is one of the worst teammates in the league. Listen to Bill Simmons podcast with Marc Stein and Rick Bucher for further info on that. The fact that I haven't heard even a whisper about Redd or Richard Jefferson being moved is a bit hard to take, considering how productive it would be to swap them for a power forward. Wouldn't Toronto immediately take Redd and Gadzuric for Jermaine O'Neal at this point? Doesn't that give Bosh incentive to stick around past 2010? The Craptors have been without a swing man since Vince Carter left, this gives them a scoring threat who can create. O'Neal is not the same guy he used to be, but he can be used as a trade chip, or just fill a hole at power forward while allowing some of the Bucks younger guys minutes at the swing positions. I have created a three way deal where the Bucks also get the best tattoo in basketball...Stephon Marbury’s head! I would gladly put up with Marbury for a few months to be rid of the huge contract Redd has. I think it would work subbing Jefferson in for him also, there pretty close. Plus the Bucks get David Lee! Think of the potential!! These next two seasons need to be about growth and development, not holding on to false hope that Redd and Jefferson will get a team anywhere. Parting with them will be tough and likely hurt the Bucks chances to make the playoffs this year, but it is for the greater good.
If recent league history is an indicator, putting salary cap before basketball can be costly. Could the Suns use a reliable back up point guard right now? Absolutely. Unfortunately for them they sold their draft picks instead of using them on Sergio Rodriguez or Rajon Rando. Not to mention they gave away Kurt Thomas AND 2 first round picks for a second round pick, so they could get under the salary cap. Think the Bulls could use an athletic young guard who can shoot the lights out and dunk from any where? Too bad they traded J.R. Smith for Howard Eisley’s retiring contract and 2 second round picks. I know they had a log jam, but that was a free up cap space move if I ever saw one. Acquiring him was just a way to get out from under Tyson Chandler’s contract. Basketball trades need to be about basketball first. When the Sonics moved out of Seattle much was made about them losing money and fans being apathetic to the team. They claimed all kinds of losses and noted how poor attendance figures were, but lead city attorney Paul Lawrence made a great point
“The key to whether the team is going to make money or not, regardless of whether they’re in Seattle or Oklahoma City is how well the team does,” Lawrence said. “If the team has a turnaround like the Boston Celtics...I assure you they’ll make money no matter where they are.”
And that really is what it all comes down to. To run a successful business, you need a successful product. In the coming weeks Bucks fans will know whether or not the Bucks leaders grasp that idea.
The Grizzlies want to deal second-year point guard Mike Conley to the Milwaukee Bucks, and receive guard Ramon Sessions and swingman Joe Alexander in return, but the ball doesn't appear to be in their court. Milwaukee is apparently weighing the proposal as talks are ongoing, based on conversations with people knowledgeable about the trade discussions.
A team insider said the Griz wouldn't be devastated if the deal didn't come to fruition because no one mentioned in the transaction is established. Plus, Conley has already shown an ability to bounce back from a string of poor performances. -- Memphis Commercial-Appeal
Much has been said about this trade and it's recapped quite well at Brewhoop and The Bratwurst, but I have some different questions about it.
Everyone acknowledges that this trade is a largely a salary cap deal. (I'll say however that if the Bucks also land the Grizzlies first round pick from this season in this supposed deal it would make it more acceptable. There will be a pretty healthy class of point guards this year.) Sessions will be a RFA this off season and Alexander will get a bump in year 2 of his rookie deal. If we dump them we should be able to remain under a luxury tax, even with the league expecting the cap to decrease from last year. So this is more a "business decision" than basketball decision. Okay, it's Herb Kohl's team and he can do whatever he wants with it. If he doesn't want to pay luxury taxes I understand, the economy sucks. I'm left with one troubling question though...how will this serve to better the business? In any business scenario in Kohl's life has he ever acquired lesser talent to do the jobs he needed done because they were cheaper? If the Bucks insist on dealing Sessions due to his impending semi-free agency, why don't the Bucks work out a deal where Redd can be taken too?
For a long time I've felt like the best move the Bucks could make is dumping Redd on Cleveland for Wally Sczerbiak, JJ Hickson, and a pick. If Cleveland is willing to give up anyone right now I'm not sure, because their chemistry this year has been terrific. I can't imagine a team KEEPING Wally Sczerbiak for chemistry reasons though, because from all accounts he is one of the worst teammates in the league. Listen to Bill Simmons podcast with Marc Stein and Rick Bucher for further info on that. The fact that I haven't heard even a whisper about Redd or Richard Jefferson being moved is a bit hard to take, considering how productive it would be to swap them for a power forward. Wouldn't Toronto immediately take Redd and Gadzuric for Jermaine O'Neal at this point? Doesn't that give Bosh incentive to stick around past 2010? The Craptors have been without a swing man since Vince Carter left, this gives them a scoring threat who can create. O'Neal is not the same guy he used to be, but he can be used as a trade chip, or just fill a hole at power forward while allowing some of the Bucks younger guys minutes at the swing positions. I have created a three way deal where the Bucks also get the best tattoo in basketball...Stephon Marbury’s head! I would gladly put up with Marbury for a few months to be rid of the huge contract Redd has. I think it would work subbing Jefferson in for him also, there pretty close. Plus the Bucks get David Lee! Think of the potential!! These next two seasons need to be about growth and development, not holding on to false hope that Redd and Jefferson will get a team anywhere. Parting with them will be tough and likely hurt the Bucks chances to make the playoffs this year, but it is for the greater good.
If recent league history is an indicator, putting salary cap before basketball can be costly. Could the Suns use a reliable back up point guard right now? Absolutely. Unfortunately for them they sold their draft picks instead of using them on Sergio Rodriguez or Rajon Rando. Not to mention they gave away Kurt Thomas AND 2 first round picks for a second round pick, so they could get under the salary cap. Think the Bulls could use an athletic young guard who can shoot the lights out and dunk from any where? Too bad they traded J.R. Smith for Howard Eisley’s retiring contract and 2 second round picks. I know they had a log jam, but that was a free up cap space move if I ever saw one. Acquiring him was just a way to get out from under Tyson Chandler’s contract. Basketball trades need to be about basketball first. When the Sonics moved out of Seattle much was made about them losing money and fans being apathetic to the team. They claimed all kinds of losses and noted how poor attendance figures were, but lead city attorney Paul Lawrence made a great point
“The key to whether the team is going to make money or not, regardless of whether they’re in Seattle or Oklahoma City is how well the team does,” Lawrence said. “If the team has a turnaround like the Boston Celtics...I assure you they’ll make money no matter where they are.”
And that really is what it all comes down to. To run a successful business, you need a successful product. In the coming weeks Bucks fans will know whether or not the Bucks leaders grasp that idea.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Big Bro Joe
Sibling rivalry is a powerful thing in a man’s life. The younger brother always wants to show he can hang with the older brother. If the older brother does 10 push ups, the younger one wants to do 15. The younger brother can end up spending his whole life attempting to escape the shadow of a successful older brother. Or sometimes things can get mixed up. The older brother can not turn out as expected and little brother can take hold of the role of family favorite. Don’t look now, but younger brother has stole older brothers spotlight thus far for this season’s Milwaukee Bucks.
Joe Alexander was anointed older brother status when he was drafted with the 8th pick in the draft this year. Younger brother’s name was called 29 picks later, when the Bucks took Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Please do not misinterpret me here though; I realize that the African Prince Mbah a Moute and Chinese native Alexander are not blood relatives. In fact I’d be willing to bet that the two had never even met before this season, but that is all beside the point. Alexander and Mbah are brothers of the 2008 Bucks draft class and that is what is important for the time being. Almost from the start the rivalry favored Mbah.
As soon as the two were drafted fans were rejoicing with the steal of a productive, experienced college player in round 2. Mbah had been on multiple final four teams at UCLA and staked his reputation as a tough defensive player. On the other hand, Alexander only had one truly productive year at West Virginia, and was seen as more of a project. Looking like an athlete first and basketball player second, Alexander struggled in summer league play. David Thorpe from ESPN.com gave a rather blunt critique:
"Simply put, the worst performance of a first-round pick I've seen thus far in Vegas. He rushed his movements and his shots, and looked totally lost most of the time."
Mbah a Moute continued to draw praise throughout the summer and exhibition seasons as Alexander struggled. It seemed then and seems now Alexander’s biggest flaw appears to be his head. Alexander is a smart basketball player, but by no means is he controlled When Alexander gets into games, he has what I call "Little Brother Syndrome". Alexander plays every game like he is trying to justify his selection. He comes into each game trying to dunk from everywhere, rain threes, and send opposing players shots into the upper deck. It’s great to be an energy guy, and if done right can be quite lucrative, just ask Dan Gadzuric, but it has to be done with smarts. Even Gadzuric, as out of control as he can be, usually lets the game come to him. He does not force the action and do things outside of his skill set too often. (Although this season he has shot more jumpshots than at any point in his whole career, but that’s a story for another day.)
What makes Mbah a Moute so special is he has a complete veteran presence. It’s not an easy thing to explain, but when someone has been at their job for a long time there is a certain comfort they develop. Mbah a Moute has blown away a typical rookie adjustment period and immediately developed into a productive defensive clog in the Bucks attack. Guarding everyone from Chris Bosh to Manu Ginobili, Mbah a Moute has done great work. On the offensive end Mbah a Moute takes all the shots he should and none of the shots he shouldn’t.
Add this all up and it has the makings of a first round bust of massive proportions. But it is too early to close the book on the Chinaman. He does have the athletic ability of a star and relatively little experience. As he continues to play and develop he should round his game out to match his incredible talents and turn out to be quite the player. He just needs to ignore his little brother and focus on himself.
Joe Alexander was anointed older brother status when he was drafted with the 8th pick in the draft this year. Younger brother’s name was called 29 picks later, when the Bucks took Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Please do not misinterpret me here though; I realize that the African Prince Mbah a Moute and Chinese native Alexander are not blood relatives. In fact I’d be willing to bet that the two had never even met before this season, but that is all beside the point. Alexander and Mbah are brothers of the 2008 Bucks draft class and that is what is important for the time being. Almost from the start the rivalry favored Mbah.
As soon as the two were drafted fans were rejoicing with the steal of a productive, experienced college player in round 2. Mbah had been on multiple final four teams at UCLA and staked his reputation as a tough defensive player. On the other hand, Alexander only had one truly productive year at West Virginia, and was seen as more of a project. Looking like an athlete first and basketball player second, Alexander struggled in summer league play. David Thorpe from ESPN.com gave a rather blunt critique:
"Simply put, the worst performance of a first-round pick I've seen thus far in Vegas. He rushed his movements and his shots, and looked totally lost most of the time."
Mbah a Moute continued to draw praise throughout the summer and exhibition seasons as Alexander struggled. It seemed then and seems now Alexander’s biggest flaw appears to be his head. Alexander is a smart basketball player, but by no means is he controlled When Alexander gets into games, he has what I call "Little Brother Syndrome". Alexander plays every game like he is trying to justify his selection. He comes into each game trying to dunk from everywhere, rain threes, and send opposing players shots into the upper deck. It’s great to be an energy guy, and if done right can be quite lucrative, just ask Dan Gadzuric, but it has to be done with smarts. Even Gadzuric, as out of control as he can be, usually lets the game come to him. He does not force the action and do things outside of his skill set too often. (Although this season he has shot more jumpshots than at any point in his whole career, but that’s a story for another day.)
What makes Mbah a Moute so special is he has a complete veteran presence. It’s not an easy thing to explain, but when someone has been at their job for a long time there is a certain comfort they develop. Mbah a Moute has blown away a typical rookie adjustment period and immediately developed into a productive defensive clog in the Bucks attack. Guarding everyone from Chris Bosh to Manu Ginobili, Mbah a Moute has done great work. On the offensive end Mbah a Moute takes all the shots he should and none of the shots he shouldn’t.
Add this all up and it has the makings of a first round bust of massive proportions. But it is too early to close the book on the Chinaman. He does have the athletic ability of a star and relatively little experience. As he continues to play and develop he should round his game out to match his incredible talents and turn out to be quite the player. He just needs to ignore his little brother and focus on himself.
Labels:
Joe Alexander,
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
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