Charlie Villanueva
Charlie V.; sleek, smooth
moves about like leaves in wind.
Resting, yet he floats.
Charlie V. took steps to remove the tags chucker and inconsistent from his name and succeeded - to a degree. He's still shooting an awful lot of threes for someone his size. From January on he was a pretty consistent shooter and player. When he got consistent minutes he looked like a 20 point per night guy and was usually grabbing around ten rebounds. Ultimately, he still had lapses on defense and doesn't seem like the prototypical inside tough guy. Whether he can add that dimension to his game, like Dirk had to, is yet to be known. He definitely took steps this year though.
Charlie Bell
Bell drags along slow.
Father time has come calling.
Braces constrict knees.
Poor Charlie Bell. All he wanted to do a few years ago was go to Miami and play backup backup point and spend a little time along Dwyane Wade. Now he's stuck in what may be the coldest NBA town in all the land with two bad wheels and a crappy team. If he's in the league in three years I'd be shocked. Bell's biggest asset is his great character and leadership abilities (he was the Bucks player rep last year). I could see him coaching some day.
Michael Redd
The lefty will heal soon.
With time our hearts will too.
And we will love him.
It's very in style these days to not appreciate what Michael Redd has done as a Milwaukee Buck. I'm as guilty as anyone of taking him for granted these last few years. Redd can be a great player, and had his contract been about ten million dollars less he may be one of the more popular Bucks of all time. But it is what it is, and he'll likely have a hard time reclaiming the minds of Bucks fans for the duration of his stay here. But in ten years we will remember the better times and the sweet stroke and he'll be welcomed back with open arms and a jersey in the rafters.
Showing posts with label Michael Redd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Redd. Show all posts
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Saturday, May 2, 2009
The Off Season Part Three
(My apologies for the lack of updates recently. I was battling some internet problems and some NBA playoff addiction. Here is the long awaited third part of my off-season preview.)
What We Hope For
What we hope for is really a funny question. Watching the playoffs each and every year has reminded me what I’ve been hoping for ever since 2001. I can’t honestly say that I’m hoping the Bucks can ever have a series like the Bulls and Celtics are having right now, because it’s just too special. And I can’t say that I’m hoping the Bucks get blown out and embarrassed by 58 points like the Hornets. I guess what I’m looking for lies somewhere in the middle.
I’d like for the Bucks to get in the playoffs and make noise next year, but to have an eye towards the future too. I don’t want to sell off the future while looking only toward the present like the Suns have been doing these last few years.
So what will accomplish those goals?
Get Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd Healthy
If these two are healthy the Bucks are a playoff team. Bogut is one of the better centers in the East and Redd is still one of the top shooters. The Bucks were done in by their lack of rebounding, defense and shooting at the end of last season, but they have in house solutions for those matters. Their role players can play minor roles with success, but for that to happen these guys need to be healthy.
The word is that Redd is making significant progress with his knee rehab and should definitely be ready for opening night. Bogut can look to the same people who healed Tracy Mcgrady’s back to heal his…or not. On his blog he says he’ll be getting an MRI in another two weeks to make sure he’s fully healed before he begins working out. It’s a positive sign that he’ll be healed with so much time left in the off-season, but you never know what’s going to happen with back injuries like this.
Keep Ramon Sessions and Draft Tyreke Evans
That I want the Bucks to keep Ramon Sessions is a statement that explains itself. Sessions was the best player on the Bucks for large parts of the season after not even playing in the first two games. He took a strong hold on the starting point guard position and showed the ability to be a real legitimate starter for years to come. Are there some guys in this year’s draft that could be better than him? Yes. Johnny Flynn in particular looks like he could be a real dynamo, but drafting young point guards screams four or five year wait.
By the time most of these guys get to be any good they’d already be off on another team. Chauncey Billups was drafted by Boston. Steve Nash was drafted by Phoenix and blossomed for Dallas before returning. Baron Davis was drafted by the Hornets before taking over the Bay Area. I know that there are Deron Williams’ and Chris Pauls, but there is not one of those guys in this draft at the ten spot -- even if NBADraft.net says Johnny Flynn is falling to the Bucks.
Evans has as much clear potential as anyone in this draft. He looked like a stud for damn near the entire season at Memphis and even played point guard for most of the year. I’m not saying he’s a future NBA point, but that shows he has some versatility and is more willing to help a team than going to Memphis and being a supposed street tough would indicate. The way Evans played in the NCAA tournament screamed future star. He got out there and put on a show when he needed to. Sometimes we put too much stake in stepping up in big moments, but I don’t think people are putting enough into him shining in Memphis last game against Missouri.
In the crapshoot known as a weak draft the only rule is to take the most talented player available.
Sorry Charlie
Charlie Villanueva really cannot return. I know the Bucks are going to be shopping Richard Jefferson, but that is not enough. They need a forceful defender at the four spot and Chuckie B. Shooting just isn’t going to cut it.
Someone please pay attention to the playoffs. Al Horford, Kendrick Perkins, Tyrus Thomas, Udonis Haslem, Kenyon Martin…notice a theme? Tough guy power forwards who are willing to play hard defense and grab big rebounds are pretty important to winning games. Martin and bench buddy Chris Anderson destroyed the Hornets. Thomas has been running around pushing people like a crazy man and making big plays. Horford plays like he’s 33.
The closest thing to any of these guys in the draft is Dejuan Blair, and I don’t think he’s going to be a better player than Ty Evans. The Bucks are better off trying to dump Villanueva and plug a random in at the four while they continue to search for the future at that spot.
What We Hope For
What we hope for is really a funny question. Watching the playoffs each and every year has reminded me what I’ve been hoping for ever since 2001. I can’t honestly say that I’m hoping the Bucks can ever have a series like the Bulls and Celtics are having right now, because it’s just too special. And I can’t say that I’m hoping the Bucks get blown out and embarrassed by 58 points like the Hornets. I guess what I’m looking for lies somewhere in the middle.
I’d like for the Bucks to get in the playoffs and make noise next year, but to have an eye towards the future too. I don’t want to sell off the future while looking only toward the present like the Suns have been doing these last few years.
So what will accomplish those goals?
Get Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd Healthy
If these two are healthy the Bucks are a playoff team. Bogut is one of the better centers in the East and Redd is still one of the top shooters. The Bucks were done in by their lack of rebounding, defense and shooting at the end of last season, but they have in house solutions for those matters. Their role players can play minor roles with success, but for that to happen these guys need to be healthy.
The word is that Redd is making significant progress with his knee rehab and should definitely be ready for opening night. Bogut can look to the same people who healed Tracy Mcgrady’s back to heal his…or not. On his blog he says he’ll be getting an MRI in another two weeks to make sure he’s fully healed before he begins working out. It’s a positive sign that he’ll be healed with so much time left in the off-season, but you never know what’s going to happen with back injuries like this.
Keep Ramon Sessions and Draft Tyreke Evans
That I want the Bucks to keep Ramon Sessions is a statement that explains itself. Sessions was the best player on the Bucks for large parts of the season after not even playing in the first two games. He took a strong hold on the starting point guard position and showed the ability to be a real legitimate starter for years to come. Are there some guys in this year’s draft that could be better than him? Yes. Johnny Flynn in particular looks like he could be a real dynamo, but drafting young point guards screams four or five year wait.
By the time most of these guys get to be any good they’d already be off on another team. Chauncey Billups was drafted by Boston. Steve Nash was drafted by Phoenix and blossomed for Dallas before returning. Baron Davis was drafted by the Hornets before taking over the Bay Area. I know that there are Deron Williams’ and Chris Pauls, but there is not one of those guys in this draft at the ten spot -- even if NBADraft.net says Johnny Flynn is falling to the Bucks.
Evans has as much clear potential as anyone in this draft. He looked like a stud for damn near the entire season at Memphis and even played point guard for most of the year. I’m not saying he’s a future NBA point, but that shows he has some versatility and is more willing to help a team than going to Memphis and being a supposed street tough would indicate. The way Evans played in the NCAA tournament screamed future star. He got out there and put on a show when he needed to. Sometimes we put too much stake in stepping up in big moments, but I don’t think people are putting enough into him shining in Memphis last game against Missouri.
In the crapshoot known as a weak draft the only rule is to take the most talented player available.
Sorry Charlie
Charlie Villanueva really cannot return. I know the Bucks are going to be shopping Richard Jefferson, but that is not enough. They need a forceful defender at the four spot and Chuckie B. Shooting just isn’t going to cut it.
Someone please pay attention to the playoffs. Al Horford, Kendrick Perkins, Tyrus Thomas, Udonis Haslem, Kenyon Martin…notice a theme? Tough guy power forwards who are willing to play hard defense and grab big rebounds are pretty important to winning games. Martin and bench buddy Chris Anderson destroyed the Hornets. Thomas has been running around pushing people like a crazy man and making big plays. Horford plays like he’s 33.
The closest thing to any of these guys in the draft is Dejuan Blair, and I don’t think he’s going to be a better player than Ty Evans. The Bucks are better off trying to dump Villanueva and plug a random in at the four while they continue to search for the future at that spot.
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.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
2008-09 Bucks Obituary
(If you don't think this is an attempt to reverse jinx the Bucks then you just don't know me very well.)
The 2008-09 Milwaukee Bucks were a plucky group that made us remember why we love basketball in Milwaukee. They took the cue from their new defensive minded leader Scott Skiles and scrapped and clawed their way through each game. When the injury bug continuously reared its ugly head they refused to make excuses, they just worked harder.
The Bucks were unable to channel a consistency to their newfound defensive prowess however, which provided us with high highs (wins over the Celtics and Spurs) and low lows (losses at home to the Knicks and T’Wolves).
Unfortunately the hard work would not be enough as the Bucks playoff hopes were laid to rest Saturday March 21st in Milwaukee. The cause of death was believed to be related to a past lack of fiscal responsibility and draft talent deficiency. The combination of the two is commonly known as LarrHarrasia.
Injuries wasted no time with the Bucks this year, claiming Michael Redd for a 14 game stretch in November and Andrew Bogut for three more at the end of the same month.
The Bucks stumbled to a 3-5 record out of the gate, but showed promise in losses to the Raptors and Cavaliers. By game 10 they would crawl up to .500 behind emerging point guard Ramon Sessions. Sessions was a mysterious DNP-CD in the Bucks first two games after a scorching finish to the season before. He wasted no time when reinserted into the rotation averaging over 17 points and eight assists in his first three games.
More surprising than the solid play of Sessions was the quickly blossoming second round pick Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Coming out of UCLA Mbah a Moute was thought of as a pretty strong defensive player, but no one in their wildest dreams thought he would instantly be the Bucks best defender. Injuries played a role in Mbah a Moute becoming a starter in mid-November, but no matter who was healthy it was clear that he needed to be playing 25 minutes plus already.
The Bucks finished November 6-11 against a very difficult schedule. A healthy Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd tandem provided the fans with some hope in December as they rolled to an 8-6 month. Things turned frustrating beginning on December 23rd as they went through a 14 game stretch where no two games resulted in consecutive wins or losses. It’s likely that this was the result of Bogut being benched again by a bad back for the early part of the new year.
It was around this time that Milwaukee fans realized just how important the Aussie was. Seeing the team struggle so much defensively and on the boards gave us all an appreciation of just how far Andrew Bogut had come as a starting center in the NBA. Either that or it shows us just how bad things can be when your backup big men are Dan Gadzuric and Francisco Elson.
You’ll notice that I have yet to mention key off-season acquisition Richard Jefferson. Well, that is because Jefferson did not do a whole lot to earn that key before off-season acquisition for the first few months of the season. Sure he’d occasionally lead them in scoring, but it seemed like when the Bucks needed a big hoop or stop RJ was nowhere to be found. That changed in February.
With the Bucks season quickly spiraling out of control after a 2-5 stretch near the end of January RJ got it going. He averaged over 23 points a game in February and shot 50 percent from long range. Between he, Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions, it seemed like the Bucks might just pull this thing out after all.
Villanueva saw a minute increase when Michael Redd went down for the season near the end of January and rewarded the Bucks with the most consistent offensive stretch of his career, averaging over 20 points in February. Sessions took the reigns as the starting point guard thanks to an injury to Luke Ridnour (even though we all know he should have been there from day one) and the three of them led the Bucks to over 106 points per game in February.
The Bucks lack of talented depth and difficult March schedule left them for dead as the cold Wisconsin winter began to defrost. After making it through most of the season in the eighth and final playoff spot the Bucks began to lose their footing starting with losses to the Nets and Bulls in the opening week of March and continued that trend through most of the month. A surprising victory over the defending champion Celtics allowed for a brief ray of hope, but subsequent losses to Orlando and Portland left them two games back against a very difficult remaining schedule.
These Bucks have little to apologize for though. They fought through injuries, rumors and inexperience to make for the most successful season in three years. They gave the fans a taste of the playoff race and provided the youngsters an experience of what the chase feels like. For guys like Sessions, Mbah a Moute and Villanueva, this was their first experience with any modicum of success.
A few days back in the Journal Sentinel, columnist Michael Hunt had this to say about these Bucks and their season:
In addition to coach Skiles, the Bucks will be survived by Michael Redd, Andrew Bogut, Dan Gadzuric, Francisco Elson, Luke Ridnour, Charlie Bell, Joe Alexander, Malik Allen, possibly Richard Jefferson (I hear more trade rumors already) and maybe Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions (it’ll be an interesting off-season).
Memorial services will be held at Fourth and State on April 1st, 4th, 8th, 11th, and 13th.
The 2008-09 Milwaukee Bucks were a plucky group that made us remember why we love basketball in Milwaukee. They took the cue from their new defensive minded leader Scott Skiles and scrapped and clawed their way through each game. When the injury bug continuously reared its ugly head they refused to make excuses, they just worked harder.
The Bucks were unable to channel a consistency to their newfound defensive prowess however, which provided us with high highs (wins over the Celtics and Spurs) and low lows (losses at home to the Knicks and T’Wolves).
Unfortunately the hard work would not be enough as the Bucks playoff hopes were laid to rest Saturday March 21st in Milwaukee. The cause of death was believed to be related to a past lack of fiscal responsibility and draft talent deficiency. The combination of the two is commonly known as LarrHarrasia.
Injuries wasted no time with the Bucks this year, claiming Michael Redd for a 14 game stretch in November and Andrew Bogut for three more at the end of the same month.
The Bucks stumbled to a 3-5 record out of the gate, but showed promise in losses to the Raptors and Cavaliers. By game 10 they would crawl up to .500 behind emerging point guard Ramon Sessions. Sessions was a mysterious DNP-CD in the Bucks first two games after a scorching finish to the season before. He wasted no time when reinserted into the rotation averaging over 17 points and eight assists in his first three games.
More surprising than the solid play of Sessions was the quickly blossoming second round pick Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Coming out of UCLA Mbah a Moute was thought of as a pretty strong defensive player, but no one in their wildest dreams thought he would instantly be the Bucks best defender. Injuries played a role in Mbah a Moute becoming a starter in mid-November, but no matter who was healthy it was clear that he needed to be playing 25 minutes plus already.
The Bucks finished November 6-11 against a very difficult schedule. A healthy Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd tandem provided the fans with some hope in December as they rolled to an 8-6 month. Things turned frustrating beginning on December 23rd as they went through a 14 game stretch where no two games resulted in consecutive wins or losses. It’s likely that this was the result of Bogut being benched again by a bad back for the early part of the new year.
It was around this time that Milwaukee fans realized just how important the Aussie was. Seeing the team struggle so much defensively and on the boards gave us all an appreciation of just how far Andrew Bogut had come as a starting center in the NBA. Either that or it shows us just how bad things can be when your backup big men are Dan Gadzuric and Francisco Elson.
You’ll notice that I have yet to mention key off-season acquisition Richard Jefferson. Well, that is because Jefferson did not do a whole lot to earn that key before off-season acquisition for the first few months of the season. Sure he’d occasionally lead them in scoring, but it seemed like when the Bucks needed a big hoop or stop RJ was nowhere to be found. That changed in February.
With the Bucks season quickly spiraling out of control after a 2-5 stretch near the end of January RJ got it going. He averaged over 23 points a game in February and shot 50 percent from long range. Between he, Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions, it seemed like the Bucks might just pull this thing out after all.
Villanueva saw a minute increase when Michael Redd went down for the season near the end of January and rewarded the Bucks with the most consistent offensive stretch of his career, averaging over 20 points in February. Sessions took the reigns as the starting point guard thanks to an injury to Luke Ridnour (even though we all know he should have been there from day one) and the three of them led the Bucks to over 106 points per game in February.
The Bucks lack of talented depth and difficult March schedule left them for dead as the cold Wisconsin winter began to defrost. After making it through most of the season in the eighth and final playoff spot the Bucks began to lose their footing starting with losses to the Nets and Bulls in the opening week of March and continued that trend through most of the month. A surprising victory over the defending champion Celtics allowed for a brief ray of hope, but subsequent losses to Orlando and Portland left them two games back against a very difficult remaining schedule.
These Bucks have little to apologize for though. They fought through injuries, rumors and inexperience to make for the most successful season in three years. They gave the fans a taste of the playoff race and provided the youngsters an experience of what the chase feels like. For guys like Sessions, Mbah a Moute and Villanueva, this was their first experience with any modicum of success.
A few days back in the Journal Sentinel, columnist Michael Hunt had this to say about these Bucks and their season:
But then came 1999, when the Bucks just squeezed in. Indiana swept them. The next year, they pushed the Pacers to the max in the first round. With all that postseason experience behind them, the Bucks came within 48 minutes of the Finals the following season.I agree wholeheartedly with his sentiments. I can only hope that some of the lessons learned through the process of the race will be applied next year.
There's no substitute for going through the process, Skiles said.
There is no better way, then, for the Bucks to expunge these last few miserable seasons than by exposing their long-term players to it right now. That first step gets you that much closer to changing the culture. You do it right now because deferring anything to an uncertain future by means of the lottery or any other rationale is a defeatist approach for a franchise that cannot afford to put off anything approaching progress.
In addition to coach Skiles, the Bucks will be survived by Michael Redd, Andrew Bogut, Dan Gadzuric, Francisco Elson, Luke Ridnour, Charlie Bell, Joe Alexander, Malik Allen, possibly Richard Jefferson (I hear more trade rumors already) and maybe Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions (it’ll be an interesting off-season).
Memorial services will be held at Fourth and State on April 1st, 4th, 8th, 11th, and 13th.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Legacy of Michael Redd
Begrudgingly or not most sports fans admit that they feel like other forces are sometimes at work in their favorite sports. Be it the legendary “Curse of the Bambino” in Boston or “The ball don’t lie ref” after a player shoots a free throw on a questionable call in basketball. I’ve heard announcers over the years admonish players for excessive celebration and refer to the gods of sport as keepers of the game. The John McGlocklin’s and Bob Uecker’s have often times said stuff like, “the basketball/baseball gods will take care of him for that”. And it’s those kinds of lines that have me thinking right now. Do the gods of sport really keep track of legacies? Do they know what records could be forever tarnished? The timing and ensuing circumstance of Michael Redd’s injury seem very important to me. Have the basketball gods intervened to make sure Michael Redd does not become too prominent a figure in Milwaukee Bucks lore?
Currently Redd sits at 11,295 points. That sits him 5th in Bucks history between Bob Dandridge and Marques Johnson. He would have needed only 716 points the rest of the season (roughly 21 points per game) to leapfrog Glenn Robinson for the number 2 spot in franchise history. With 2 years left on a difficult to move contract, and only 2200 more points needed after netting the second spot on the all time list, it’s easy to think had he not have gotten hurt this year Michael Redd had a very good chance at becoming the all time leading scorer in Milwaukee Bucks history. That means two hundred years from now when someone from a planet far away from here finds a Milwaukee Bucks media guide from 2012 it very easily could have listed Kareem Abdul-Jabar’s name AFTER Michael Redd on the scoring list.
I just don’t think the basketball gods would have been okay with that. The Michael Redds of the world should not be celebrated. Scoring like gangbusters on a crappy team should not elevate you unto elite status. Had Redd eclipsed the hallowed scoring record he almost certainly would have needed his number retired. No way could Brian Winters and Johnny Mac be sitting up in the rafters while the all-time leading scorer wonders when his time will come. I mean, if Glenn Robinson is even in the conversation, which would have to be solely based on his contributions as a scorer and the team’s success during his years, Redd would have been guaranteed a spot in the rafters.
Given the Bucks current salary cap situation, Redd’s penchant for injury over the past few years, and my expectation of a playoff surge sans him, Redd will likely be shopped with great fury this offseason and into next season provided he can show that he has recovered from his injury. Sources had said that other teams were inquiring on the availability of Redd this season, but I feel like the Bucks thought they would need him to make what they deemed a necessary playoff run. Now that they will know they can be competitive without the man who was once thought to be their cornerstone, Redd will likely be gone long before his contract in Milwaukee is up.
Oddly enough Redd is probably a much more accurate figure to represent the Bucks than Kareem. The Bucks being as forgettable a franchise as Milwaukee is a city Kareem was a star far too big for Milwaukee, he was made for Los Angeles or his hometown New York.
"Live in Milwaukee? No, I guess you could say I exist in Milwaukee," Abdul-Jabbar said in an early magazine interview. "I am a soldier hired for service and I will perform that service well. Basketball has given me a good life, but this town has nothing to do with my roots. There's no common ground."
Redd is a small town workhorse guy, the underdog who rose from second round wannabe to Olympian. Unless you’re a certifiable NBA fan or Milwaukeean, Kareem is, was and always will be a Laker. Even when the Bucks get it right they can’t win. Yes, Redd seems to fit the city right, a star with limitations. Milwaukee is an okay city, but it is not a Chicago or New York. Nothing in Milwaukee is "larger than life". Milwaukee will forever be associated with the Michael Redd's and Ray Allen's who never could be the centerpiece of a great team. Milwaukee is home to the Sidney Moncriefs who get the most of their abilities and never say die. Milwaukee had the Mecca, but that didn't mean it was destined to be the epicenter of the NBA. But the basketball gods don’t care about all that. They don’t care about player preferences or how large a city is, they just care about keeping things in order. And now that order will likely never be:
1. Redd
2. Abdul-Jabar
Redd will likely go down years from now as a productive scorer on crappy teams, and a forgotten Olympian on a team of shining stars. Just as the basketball gods planned.
Currently Redd sits at 11,295 points. That sits him 5th in Bucks history between Bob Dandridge and Marques Johnson. He would have needed only 716 points the rest of the season (roughly 21 points per game) to leapfrog Glenn Robinson for the number 2 spot in franchise history. With 2 years left on a difficult to move contract, and only 2200 more points needed after netting the second spot on the all time list, it’s easy to think had he not have gotten hurt this year Michael Redd had a very good chance at becoming the all time leading scorer in Milwaukee Bucks history. That means two hundred years from now when someone from a planet far away from here finds a Milwaukee Bucks media guide from 2012 it very easily could have listed Kareem Abdul-Jabar’s name AFTER Michael Redd on the scoring list.
I just don’t think the basketball gods would have been okay with that. The Michael Redds of the world should not be celebrated. Scoring like gangbusters on a crappy team should not elevate you unto elite status. Had Redd eclipsed the hallowed scoring record he almost certainly would have needed his number retired. No way could Brian Winters and Johnny Mac be sitting up in the rafters while the all-time leading scorer wonders when his time will come. I mean, if Glenn Robinson is even in the conversation, which would have to be solely based on his contributions as a scorer and the team’s success during his years, Redd would have been guaranteed a spot in the rafters.
Given the Bucks current salary cap situation, Redd’s penchant for injury over the past few years, and my expectation of a playoff surge sans him, Redd will likely be shopped with great fury this offseason and into next season provided he can show that he has recovered from his injury. Sources had said that other teams were inquiring on the availability of Redd this season, but I feel like the Bucks thought they would need him to make what they deemed a necessary playoff run. Now that they will know they can be competitive without the man who was once thought to be their cornerstone, Redd will likely be gone long before his contract in Milwaukee is up.
Oddly enough Redd is probably a much more accurate figure to represent the Bucks than Kareem. The Bucks being as forgettable a franchise as Milwaukee is a city Kareem was a star far too big for Milwaukee, he was made for Los Angeles or his hometown New York.
"Live in Milwaukee? No, I guess you could say I exist in Milwaukee," Abdul-Jabbar said in an early magazine interview. "I am a soldier hired for service and I will perform that service well. Basketball has given me a good life, but this town has nothing to do with my roots. There's no common ground."
Redd is a small town workhorse guy, the underdog who rose from second round wannabe to Olympian. Unless you’re a certifiable NBA fan or Milwaukeean, Kareem is, was and always will be a Laker. Even when the Bucks get it right they can’t win. Yes, Redd seems to fit the city right, a star with limitations. Milwaukee is an okay city, but it is not a Chicago or New York. Nothing in Milwaukee is "larger than life". Milwaukee will forever be associated with the Michael Redd's and Ray Allen's who never could be the centerpiece of a great team. Milwaukee is home to the Sidney Moncriefs who get the most of their abilities and never say die. Milwaukee had the Mecca, but that didn't mean it was destined to be the epicenter of the NBA. But the basketball gods don’t care about all that. They don’t care about player preferences or how large a city is, they just care about keeping things in order. And now that order will likely never be:
1. Redd
2. Abdul-Jabar
Redd will likely go down years from now as a productive scorer on crappy teams, and a forgotten Olympian on a team of shining stars. Just as the basketball gods planned.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Reverse Rebuilding
Last Friday I felt like things were lining up for a terrific run for the Bucks. The schedule was softening, Redd was rounding into form and Bogut was due back any day. Yes, the clouds were parting and sunshine was visible. There would be something to look forward to here during this glum Milwaukee winter. Now . . . I'm not sure what is a more pressing feeling right now, the bad feeling I'm getting from the Bucks losing 6 of 9 and being without Redd the rest of the year, or the Bogut back injury possibly destroying the rest of the season. Honestly Bucks fans, the Bucks can survive the Redd injury, but tonight it was never more clear how much Andrew Bogut means to the Bucks.
TJ FORD HAD 34 POINTS!!
The same TJ Ford who left Milwaukee 3 years ago sans a jump shot still does not have one folks. Everything he was getting was the result of the gaping hole Andrew Bogut has left in the lane for the Bucks. Charlie V. is doing his best to keep the Bucks offense afloat, but when he is the crunch time center, it will almost always result in a loss. The question for seven games now has been the same; When will Andrew Bogut return? Well I'm not getting my hopes up for soon.
From JSonline:
“Who knows how long it’ll be?” said Bogut after Tuesday’s practice. “It’s day to day. Hopefully it’ll feel better tomorrow and maybe I can play Friday ... The problem is that I still have a problem changing direction…sliding and that type of stuff. I don’t have a problem running. I can run in a straight line all day, I just can’t change direction too well. It starts tightening up when I do that.”
I'm not a professional player, but at every level of basketball I ever played, changing directions was instrumental to defense. In his absence the Netherlands have provided fans with some unsightly replacements in Dan Gadzuric and Francisco Elson. Gadzuric lacks the size to hold up to much and is often left hacking away at the man he is guarding in an effort to show that he does play defense. While Elson falls down like his shoes are permanently tied together. With no Bogut or Redd on offense the Bucks have been forced to rely on Richard Jefferson to "step his game up" and pick up the slack.
This has not happened.
At all.
Not even a little bit.
In the two games that have been played since Redd's injury Jefferson has scored 29 points. Total. If my math is correct that averages out to 14.5 points per game. Which is almost 3 points lower than his season average. 13.2 million just doesn't go as far as it used to. I hate to pick on RJ because he seems like a class act, but the comedy of errors that has left the Bucks in the position at which they are currently in has been frustrating to experience as a fan. How many times are we going to get this kind of performance out of Richard Jeffersons, or Anthony Masons, or Tim Thomases or Gary Paytons? How many pretend stars can one team go through?
It's almost as if karma has descended upon this team to punish them for never taking the proper steps to rebuilding. Making foolish signings and overvaluing their own players perhaps seemed like shortcuts to the NBA gods. I don't know, I'm just baffled that a franchise can appear this snake bit. If Bogut is unable to consistently be in the lineup the rest of the year that may just be a bit too much to take. I'd be just fine with a rebuilding project, but the trigger has never been completely pulled. I know that the team will think that injuries just got the best of them again this year and basically come back with the same squad next year. The big difference would likely be that it would be sans Charlie V. and/or Ramon Sessions due to the salary cap and luxury tax. Those are two of the three young assets the Bucks have. This is like reverse rebuilding.
Something needs to change between now and the trade deadline. I can already see those clouds circling back up, it's looking like it's going to get a little rough.
TJ FORD HAD 34 POINTS!!
The same TJ Ford who left Milwaukee 3 years ago sans a jump shot still does not have one folks. Everything he was getting was the result of the gaping hole Andrew Bogut has left in the lane for the Bucks. Charlie V. is doing his best to keep the Bucks offense afloat, but when he is the crunch time center, it will almost always result in a loss. The question for seven games now has been the same; When will Andrew Bogut return? Well I'm not getting my hopes up for soon.
From JSonline:
“Who knows how long it’ll be?” said Bogut after Tuesday’s practice. “It’s day to day. Hopefully it’ll feel better tomorrow and maybe I can play Friday ... The problem is that I still have a problem changing direction…sliding and that type of stuff. I don’t have a problem running. I can run in a straight line all day, I just can’t change direction too well. It starts tightening up when I do that.”
I'm not a professional player, but at every level of basketball I ever played, changing directions was instrumental to defense. In his absence the Netherlands have provided fans with some unsightly replacements in Dan Gadzuric and Francisco Elson. Gadzuric lacks the size to hold up to much and is often left hacking away at the man he is guarding in an effort to show that he does play defense. While Elson falls down like his shoes are permanently tied together. With no Bogut or Redd on offense the Bucks have been forced to rely on Richard Jefferson to "step his game up" and pick up the slack.
This has not happened.
At all.
Not even a little bit.
In the two games that have been played since Redd's injury Jefferson has scored 29 points. Total. If my math is correct that averages out to 14.5 points per game. Which is almost 3 points lower than his season average. 13.2 million just doesn't go as far as it used to. I hate to pick on RJ because he seems like a class act, but the comedy of errors that has left the Bucks in the position at which they are currently in has been frustrating to experience as a fan. How many times are we going to get this kind of performance out of Richard Jeffersons, or Anthony Masons, or Tim Thomases or Gary Paytons? How many pretend stars can one team go through?
It's almost as if karma has descended upon this team to punish them for never taking the proper steps to rebuilding. Making foolish signings and overvaluing their own players perhaps seemed like shortcuts to the NBA gods. I don't know, I'm just baffled that a franchise can appear this snake bit. If Bogut is unable to consistently be in the lineup the rest of the year that may just be a bit too much to take. I'd be just fine with a rebuilding project, but the trigger has never been completely pulled. I know that the team will think that injuries just got the best of them again this year and basically come back with the same squad next year. The big difference would likely be that it would be sans Charlie V. and/or Ramon Sessions due to the salary cap and luxury tax. Those are two of the three young assets the Bucks have. This is like reverse rebuilding.
Something needs to change between now and the trade deadline. I can already see those clouds circling back up, it's looking like it's going to get a little rough.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
"Are You Going To Be Ok?"
I never like to wake up to a message like that. "Are you going to be ok?" was the message that awoke me today. The first thing that went through my mind was that Ramon Sessions had been traded. No that rumor has been dead for a week or two now. The second thing was that Larry Harris had been rehired. No no, this is not a nightmare, it's real life. I asked why, but tossed my phone aside. I would have to look this up myself. It buzzed again but I was determined. I went to espn.com, nothing on the homepage though. That meant little possibility of a trade. Then I remembered last night's game. JSonline will have my answers. And then there it was....
Redd out for the season?
Emotions are conflicting inside of me.
Michael Redd is the premier scorer on this Bucks team, like it or not. That fact was never more obvious than in the first month of the season when Redd was hurt. The team had little from behind the arc and didn't have what I call an "offensive stopper". Every team that is worth anything has someone who can get them a bucket when they need one. When momentum is shifting teams need a guy who can hit the "SHUT UP" shot. Redd was that guy for the Bucks. He's the most viable threat from behind the arc they have. After him it's probably Charlie Bell, but he is not someone you want in there for more than 20 minutes a game. This month Redd's been filling it up to the tune of 24 a game on 45% shooting. He's even rejecting shots like Mutombo (2 this month alone!). Redd is THE guy on the Bucks.
But what has that meant?
Redd has been THE guy for for the last 5 years. The Bucks have made the playoffs once in that time frame. They have had some of the worst seasons in Bucks history. This has not all been Michael Redd's fault by any means. By now everyone knows Redd's shortcomings, he's not a great defender, he doesn't do a lot of other things besides score, and he holds the ball a lot on offense. To put it simply, Redd is a star portraying a superstar.
I personally have been advocating a Redd or Richard Jefferson trade for some time, due largely to the cap relief it would provide and picks/prospects the Bucks could net in return. Obviously that will be rather difficult now that Redd is apparently going to miss a lot of time. But I do see this as a perfect opportunity to start over. If Redd is going out the same time that Andrew Bogut is returning to the lineup, it's time to hand the keys to 'Drew. He got the large contract this off season and he's been the most important defensive player and rebounder on the team all year. And when I say he's been the most important defensive player I mean that in the most vivid way. For this season's Bucks playing defense without Bogut has been akin to trying to lock a door, only without the luxury of a lock. They have been trying to keep the door closed, but it's hard to hold back opposing offenses with Dan Gadzuric manning that door. This is the chance for the Bucks to turn the team over to Bogut offensively and see what he can do.
Earlier this year when Redd was out, Bogut was not overly assertive. Scott Skiles even had a talk earlier this year with Bogut about being aggressive. This may be because Bogut still felt like this was Michael Redd's team, and with him out it became Richard Jefferson's team. The Bucks have been perimeter oriented since Kareem walked out that door Bucks fans. Someone needs to let Bogut know it is time for a change. If that message gets across to him and the big man gets fed...then I'll be ok.
Redd out for the season?
Emotions are conflicting inside of me.
Michael Redd is the premier scorer on this Bucks team, like it or not. That fact was never more obvious than in the first month of the season when Redd was hurt. The team had little from behind the arc and didn't have what I call an "offensive stopper". Every team that is worth anything has someone who can get them a bucket when they need one. When momentum is shifting teams need a guy who can hit the "SHUT UP" shot. Redd was that guy for the Bucks. He's the most viable threat from behind the arc they have. After him it's probably Charlie Bell, but he is not someone you want in there for more than 20 minutes a game. This month Redd's been filling it up to the tune of 24 a game on 45% shooting. He's even rejecting shots like Mutombo (2 this month alone!). Redd is THE guy on the Bucks.
But what has that meant?
Redd has been THE guy for for the last 5 years. The Bucks have made the playoffs once in that time frame. They have had some of the worst seasons in Bucks history. This has not all been Michael Redd's fault by any means. By now everyone knows Redd's shortcomings, he's not a great defender, he doesn't do a lot of other things besides score, and he holds the ball a lot on offense. To put it simply, Redd is a star portraying a superstar.
I personally have been advocating a Redd or Richard Jefferson trade for some time, due largely to the cap relief it would provide and picks/prospects the Bucks could net in return. Obviously that will be rather difficult now that Redd is apparently going to miss a lot of time. But I do see this as a perfect opportunity to start over. If Redd is going out the same time that Andrew Bogut is returning to the lineup, it's time to hand the keys to 'Drew. He got the large contract this off season and he's been the most important defensive player and rebounder on the team all year. And when I say he's been the most important defensive player I mean that in the most vivid way. For this season's Bucks playing defense without Bogut has been akin to trying to lock a door, only without the luxury of a lock. They have been trying to keep the door closed, but it's hard to hold back opposing offenses with Dan Gadzuric manning that door. This is the chance for the Bucks to turn the team over to Bogut offensively and see what he can do.
Earlier this year when Redd was out, Bogut was not overly assertive. Scott Skiles even had a talk earlier this year with Bogut about being aggressive. This may be because Bogut still felt like this was Michael Redd's team, and with him out it became Richard Jefferson's team. The Bucks have been perimeter oriented since Kareem walked out that door Bucks fans. Someone needs to let Bogut know it is time for a change. If that message gets across to him and the big man gets fed...then I'll be ok.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Redd Rumors
From the New York Post:
An entrenched Bucks source does not believe Michael Redd will be traded this season.
"We need to make the playoffs this season to regain our fan base," the source informed.
Yet the vultures continue to circle.
"Everyone is interested [Portland, San Antonio and Dallas, etc.], but their offers are pure [garbage]," said Deep Dish.
Well, it looks like Redd isn't going anywhere. If that source is credible I would like to punch them in the face. We don't want playoffs! We want CHAMPIONSHIPS!! Portland is probably making offers based around Serge Rodriguez and Travis Outlaw, and they suck. I'm curious what the other offers are though. Keeping Redd to get in the playoffs is silly, but trading him just to trade him would be worse. I have to think somewhere someone is willing to give us young talent and cap relief right?
An entrenched Bucks source does not believe Michael Redd will be traded this season.
"We need to make the playoffs this season to regain our fan base," the source informed.
Yet the vultures continue to circle.
"Everyone is interested [Portland, San Antonio and Dallas, etc.], but their offers are pure [garbage]," said Deep Dish.
Well, it looks like Redd isn't going anywhere. If that source is credible I would like to punch them in the face. We don't want playoffs! We want CHAMPIONSHIPS!! Portland is probably making offers based around Serge Rodriguez and Travis Outlaw, and they suck. I'm curious what the other offers are though. Keeping Redd to get in the playoffs is silly, but trading him just to trade him would be worse. I have to think somewhere someone is willing to give us young talent and cap relief right?
Friday, January 16, 2009
A Bogutless Breakthrough
Thoughts While Watching Michael Redd Explode
-Michael Redd is completely locked in. What’s nice about it is that he is getting a lot of his points in transition and off good looks. He hasn’t forced much.
-If the Bucks are going to win games without Bogut this is how they’ll have to do it, the pace will need to be furious.
-Everyone on the Bucks team had to yell to Fransisco Elson to shoot the ball at the end of the first half before he realized he had to put it up...so naturally he canned it.
-Johnny Mac is in rare form tonight, from the lack of calls for the Bucks, to his admonishing of the Bucks for the FT’s they are allowing, he is full of fire tonight. Actual quote after easy dunk by Charlie V., "Now that’s just stupid...you can’t find your man, DON’T LOOK AT SOMEONE ELSE GO FIND HIM! They have NO DEFENSE!"
-Luke Ridnour does have quite a knack for sticking threes when the Bucks look like they are going to flounder. He must have Sam Cassell’s old locker.
-Kevin Martin is deadly if he gets an inch.
-I feel a lot better about Charlie V.’s three point shooting when it comes from the top of the key or right near there.
-Damon Jones had three terrific bench moments. First was on a layup by Alexander when Jones did the "grab the guy next to me like I’m going to collapse because I’m so shocked/excited" move. Then when Ridnour came to the bench later he and Jones bumped fists and "blew it up" which was great. How long have they been working on that? In the fourth when no one on the Bucks realized that Jason Thompson was completely unguarded under the hoop Jones jumped out of his chair and started screaming at everyone that he was there. He almost took the initiative to get on the court and guard him himself.
-Brad Miller took a hard spill near the end trying to block Charlie V.’s shot, he’ll need to find a way to get his mind off of that one.
-Almost a huge blown game, turns into a huge relief. Hopefully the Bucks can unlock a formula for success without Bogut from this game. Yes the Kings suck, I've noted that before, but when the Bucks were forcing turnovers and getting into the offense quick they looked really good. When they are missing their inside presence they need to run on everything; misses, steals, turnovers, and makes. Getting into the offense quick allows for better looks. They don’t necessarily need to shoot right away, but getting into things quickly will be a key to success without Bogut.
"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.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Game Phlog Heat
In the words of R. Kelly, "Now usually I don't do this but uh..." I'm going to try my hand at a game recap, but hopefully in a different way. As I said before I attended last night's Bucks Heat game but don't think that this is my first game of the year. I've gone to a respectable 8 games thus far. Anyway I thought I'd get pictures because these were the best seats I was able to secure thus far this season. Plus this way people can get a cool look at the BC through a blurry camera. See my preview of this weeks games to see why I usually don't have great seats. My big regret is that I was unable to secure a photo of a rare opportunity to "See Joe Dunk". I was mid hot dog at the time. I put down a Bradley Center hot dog for no one because they have the best buns on the planet, it's wild. So here is my Game Photo Log.
It's not the best shot here, but this is the Bucks after yet another three by Dequan Cook. Again the Bucks struggled with defending the three. Sort of. The Heat opened up 8-8 which had a lot to do with luck and a lot to do with Dwyane Wade. Part of the problem a guy as great as Wade presents is that he is such a superior decision maker. He knows when to give it up, and he knows when to fall down to draw a foul...I mean shoot. His ability to draw defenders was giving great looks to Dequan Cook, who was eating it up. I told a friend of mine after the game that if we were playing in a video game and Dequan Cook hit 6 straight threes I would be checking the difficulty level and throwing a fit. Cook was "Rookie Level Hot". Throw in a couple other lucky shots and the Heat were on fire (what a pun).
The loss was especially frustrating because of the defense played on Wade. For all the bad things people have to say about Michael Redd (myself included), he has really brought it in the two games against Miami this year on the defensive end. I don't know if Wade gave him fits in practice during the Olympic runs or what, but he gets AMPED when he sees that guy on the other side. The Bucks need him to channel his inner Bobby Bousche and see Wade's face on everyone. Wade is without a doubt a top 5 guy right now, and has some of the sickest body control in the league. It would seem as though that is the reason behind his addiction to jump passes. Wade is constantly jumping in the air, hanging for a minute and then finding a guy in stride. That probably would account for the high turnover total though. The one problem I really have with Wade is the royal treatment he gets. Does anyone in the league get as many calls as Wade? Even when LeBron goes truckstick on everyone in his way he at least gets the travel called once in a while. If anyone looks at Wade funny its practically a technical foul.
Over at Brewhoop they said that RJ's performance tonight would likely push him the in lead for "Guys the Bucks Need to Trade" in the eyes of many fans. Not only did it push him in the lead, but I think I just saw him lap Charlie V. Although I can't be sure because I haven't seen Charlie V. in a while. Why haven't I seen him? Because Richard Jefferson makes too much money that's why. RJ played 38 minutes and logged reasonable numbers, but he makes terrible decisions and seems to hate basketball. He is a Tim Duncan all star complainer when a call does not go his way, and lets it effect his play on the other end, as evidenced by the technical he picked up a possession after a supposed bad call. Jefferson and Redd both create stagnation with the ball, but I'm not sure I've seen Jefferson more than one time pass after putting his head down and going to the rack on one of his patented, "Wow that's a tough shot" drives. Alexander played the best game of his young career and numerous times made nice finds underneath to Bogut for easy buckets, something Jefferson rarely does. He capped off a game of poor decisions with a terrible shot Marion quickly snuffed out with the Bucks down 2.
On the plus side another home game meant more Damon Jones bench antics. It's hard to see him on this picture, but he is at center court bartering with the refs for a few more tenths of a second on the clock. The way Jones talks to teammates and stays involved with the game even on the inactive list just SCREAMS future coach. He usually takes a seat next to Ramon Sessions, which can likely lead to good things for the youngster.
It's not the best shot here, but this is the Bucks after yet another three by Dequan Cook. Again the Bucks struggled with defending the three. Sort of. The Heat opened up 8-8 which had a lot to do with luck and a lot to do with Dwyane Wade. Part of the problem a guy as great as Wade presents is that he is such a superior decision maker. He knows when to give it up, and he knows when to fall down to draw a foul...I mean shoot. His ability to draw defenders was giving great looks to Dequan Cook, who was eating it up. I told a friend of mine after the game that if we were playing in a video game and Dequan Cook hit 6 straight threes I would be checking the difficulty level and throwing a fit. Cook was "Rookie Level Hot". Throw in a couple other lucky shots and the Heat were on fire (what a pun).
The loss was especially frustrating because of the defense played on Wade. For all the bad things people have to say about Michael Redd (myself included), he has really brought it in the two games against Miami this year on the defensive end. I don't know if Wade gave him fits in practice during the Olympic runs or what, but he gets AMPED when he sees that guy on the other side. The Bucks need him to channel his inner Bobby Bousche and see Wade's face on everyone. Wade is without a doubt a top 5 guy right now, and has some of the sickest body control in the league. It would seem as though that is the reason behind his addiction to jump passes. Wade is constantly jumping in the air, hanging for a minute and then finding a guy in stride. That probably would account for the high turnover total though. The one problem I really have with Wade is the royal treatment he gets. Does anyone in the league get as many calls as Wade? Even when LeBron goes truckstick on everyone in his way he at least gets the travel called once in a while. If anyone looks at Wade funny its practically a technical foul.
Over at Brewhoop they said that RJ's performance tonight would likely push him the in lead for "Guys the Bucks Need to Trade" in the eyes of many fans. Not only did it push him in the lead, but I think I just saw him lap Charlie V. Although I can't be sure because I haven't seen Charlie V. in a while. Why haven't I seen him? Because Richard Jefferson makes too much money that's why. RJ played 38 minutes and logged reasonable numbers, but he makes terrible decisions and seems to hate basketball. He is a Tim Duncan all star complainer when a call does not go his way, and lets it effect his play on the other end, as evidenced by the technical he picked up a possession after a supposed bad call. Jefferson and Redd both create stagnation with the ball, but I'm not sure I've seen Jefferson more than one time pass after putting his head down and going to the rack on one of his patented, "Wow that's a tough shot" drives. Alexander played the best game of his young career and numerous times made nice finds underneath to Bogut for easy buckets, something Jefferson rarely does. He capped off a game of poor decisions with a terrible shot Marion quickly snuffed out with the Bucks down 2.
On the plus side another home game meant more Damon Jones bench antics. It's hard to see him on this picture, but he is at center court bartering with the refs for a few more tenths of a second on the clock. The way Jones talks to teammates and stays involved with the game even on the inactive list just SCREAMS future coach. He usually takes a seat next to Ramon Sessions, which can likely lead to good things for the youngster.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
The Week Ahead (January 11th-17th)
Well things did not go exactly as planned for the Bucks this week. The injury bug reared its creepy little head again claiming Bogut for all but one game. This led to extended stretches of Gadz and Fransisco Elson manning the middle. Giving those two playing time in the middle is like giving a 5 year old a can of gas and some matches, and telling him to watch your house while your gone. When you get back, the house is going to be up in flames. Fortunately Bogut returned before the whole house had gone up, but the kids were still pouring gas everywhere. Redd rounded back into form this week going on a scoring tear, averaging almost 28 points per game this week. Alas the Bucks rounded back into the defensive form that has kept them at the cellar of the Central Division the last few years, as they allowed an average of 103.25 points per game this week. Were it not for late game heroics twice by Luke Ridnour they could have finished the week without a win. On the other hand were it not for a MIRACULOUS three by Andre Miller on Wednesday they could have went 3-1, so whatever. (I can’t stress enough how lucky that shot was by Miller. I recognize that he took it just like any other shot, but anytime a guy like that hits a three at any point, its an act of god. And while I’m thinking of it, how were him and Royal Ivey canning everything they shot on Wednesday? I almost wanted to walk out of the BC and into traffic after that madness.) Add it all up and the Bucks remain at 18-21 three games under .500.
January 12th @ Washington (7-29)
Looks can be deceiving. It’s easy to look at a Washington team at 22 games under .500 and think the Bucks should win in a laugher, but upon analyzing who the Wizards have beat, things get confusing. With wins over Utah, Houston, Detroit, and Cleveland, the Wizards have shown they can at time be frisky. There really is no reason that this team should be as bad as their record. Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler are two physical, tough players that should alone be worth 20 wins. The rest of the cast is playing horrible basketball, led by the reliable underachiever Andray Blatche. When your trading FOR Mike James you know things are bad. Mike James and Damon Jones should have plenty to talk about after the game though, between them they have been on 19 teams (I’m considering each season a different team for each franchise) in 19 seasons. Speaking of James...he was on Supernanny! Watch at the 45 second mark, you will not regret it. He knows his math. If the Bucks can contain Butler and Jamison, they should be able to come away with one here, having already beat Washington once at home using that plan. Much like Homer Simpson, the Bucks will be trying to leave those two saying "Can’t someone else do it!?"
January 14th vs. Miami (19-16)
Sure to be one of the Bucks chief competitors for a back end playoff spot, the Dwyane Wades come to town on Wednesday. The Marquette alum is sure to draw a larger crowd than usual for the home team, which will hopefully work out in Milwaukee’s favor. Hell, even I have broken my 5 dollar rule for this game and bought lower level seats. (The 5 dollar Rule is basically my plan on getting cheap tickets. Every game arrive minutes before the game starts and negotiate with scalpers from a position of power. The most I’ve paid is 5 dollars. The best I’ve done this year is 3 tickets for 10 dollars, I implore all of you to do the same). Wade has been incredible this year, but is doing everything practically by himself. Shawn Marion was a product of SSOL in Phoenix and former college double double machine Mike Beasley has been underwhelming, averaging just 13 points and 5 rebounds per game. There isn’t a center on the roster, unless you count Joel Anthony or Jamal Magloire, and personally I don’t count either. Obviously stopping Wade will be the priority, but the Bucks need to do a better job of defending the three when a guy like him drives. Why do Charlie Bell, Michael Redd, and Richard Jefferson insist on helping out off their man? Your not really helping guys. Your not stopping the drive, your not defending the post, and your giving up an open three. Pretty soon I think Skiles will pop off the bench and show them what he wants, like one of those high school scrimmages between teams where coaches could manipulate the action.
January16th @ Sacramento (8-29)
The stretch of winnable games continues with a trip toward the left coast to face the worst they have to offer. Sacramento has Beno Udrih starting at point guard. Another classic case of a team over valuing a player because he is there player and they’ve had good times together. Udrih got 8 million a year this off season after not getting 8 minutes when he was in San Antonio. If a guy is given up on by San Antonio, doesn’t that mean he probably isn’t very good? Isn’t it clear that they have a pretty good idea what they are doing there? Regardless, Sacramento has perpetually underrated Kevin Martin and his disgusting jump shot. Speaking of Martin, is he the worst player to play with in a video game? He’s so good and it’s so tempting to shoot with him, but you know it’s going to get blocked because it looks like he shoots from his knees. His shot is the exact opposite of Redd’s slingshot. Anyway, the Kings suck.
January 17th @ Los Angeles Clippers (8-29)
The Clip show is a show no one wants to watch. They made moves this off season that many people thought would make them competitive. Why they thought that I’ll never know. I might be the biggest Baron Davis fan on the planet, but he was surrounded with guys who simply aren’t a good fit. Not to mention he has played like garbage, to be kind. Zach Randolph brought a spark for a couple weeks, but the Clips continue to lose games like its their job. They did that job very well when Milwaukee laughed them off the court near the end of December. The noose around Mike Dunleavy’s neck continues to tighten.
It’s always tough to go out west, but these are the kinds of games that playoff teams win. This is the second week of a two week stretch where the Bucks had a good chance to make up some ground on the .500 mark and put themselves in good position for the playoffs. Week one did not go great, week two awaits.
January 12th @ Washington (7-29)
Looks can be deceiving. It’s easy to look at a Washington team at 22 games under .500 and think the Bucks should win in a laugher, but upon analyzing who the Wizards have beat, things get confusing. With wins over Utah, Houston, Detroit, and Cleveland, the Wizards have shown they can at time be frisky. There really is no reason that this team should be as bad as their record. Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler are two physical, tough players that should alone be worth 20 wins. The rest of the cast is playing horrible basketball, led by the reliable underachiever Andray Blatche. When your trading FOR Mike James you know things are bad. Mike James and Damon Jones should have plenty to talk about after the game though, between them they have been on 19 teams (I’m considering each season a different team for each franchise) in 19 seasons. Speaking of James...he was on Supernanny! Watch at the 45 second mark, you will not regret it. He knows his math. If the Bucks can contain Butler and Jamison, they should be able to come away with one here, having already beat Washington once at home using that plan. Much like Homer Simpson, the Bucks will be trying to leave those two saying "Can’t someone else do it!?"
January 14th vs. Miami (19-16)
Sure to be one of the Bucks chief competitors for a back end playoff spot, the Dwyane Wades come to town on Wednesday. The Marquette alum is sure to draw a larger crowd than usual for the home team, which will hopefully work out in Milwaukee’s favor. Hell, even I have broken my 5 dollar rule for this game and bought lower level seats. (The 5 dollar Rule is basically my plan on getting cheap tickets. Every game arrive minutes before the game starts and negotiate with scalpers from a position of power. The most I’ve paid is 5 dollars. The best I’ve done this year is 3 tickets for 10 dollars, I implore all of you to do the same). Wade has been incredible this year, but is doing everything practically by himself. Shawn Marion was a product of SSOL in Phoenix and former college double double machine Mike Beasley has been underwhelming, averaging just 13 points and 5 rebounds per game. There isn’t a center on the roster, unless you count Joel Anthony or Jamal Magloire, and personally I don’t count either. Obviously stopping Wade will be the priority, but the Bucks need to do a better job of defending the three when a guy like him drives. Why do Charlie Bell, Michael Redd, and Richard Jefferson insist on helping out off their man? Your not really helping guys. Your not stopping the drive, your not defending the post, and your giving up an open three. Pretty soon I think Skiles will pop off the bench and show them what he wants, like one of those high school scrimmages between teams where coaches could manipulate the action.
January16th @ Sacramento (8-29)
The stretch of winnable games continues with a trip toward the left coast to face the worst they have to offer. Sacramento has Beno Udrih starting at point guard. Another classic case of a team over valuing a player because he is there player and they’ve had good times together. Udrih got 8 million a year this off season after not getting 8 minutes when he was in San Antonio. If a guy is given up on by San Antonio, doesn’t that mean he probably isn’t very good? Isn’t it clear that they have a pretty good idea what they are doing there? Regardless, Sacramento has perpetually underrated Kevin Martin and his disgusting jump shot. Speaking of Martin, is he the worst player to play with in a video game? He’s so good and it’s so tempting to shoot with him, but you know it’s going to get blocked because it looks like he shoots from his knees. His shot is the exact opposite of Redd’s slingshot. Anyway, the Kings suck.
January 17th @ Los Angeles Clippers (8-29)
The Clip show is a show no one wants to watch. They made moves this off season that many people thought would make them competitive. Why they thought that I’ll never know. I might be the biggest Baron Davis fan on the planet, but he was surrounded with guys who simply aren’t a good fit. Not to mention he has played like garbage, to be kind. Zach Randolph brought a spark for a couple weeks, but the Clips continue to lose games like its their job. They did that job very well when Milwaukee laughed them off the court near the end of December. The noose around Mike Dunleavy’s neck continues to tighten.
It’s always tough to go out west, but these are the kinds of games that playoff teams win. This is the second week of a two week stretch where the Bucks had a good chance to make up some ground on the .500 mark and put themselves in good position for the playoffs. Week one did not go great, week two awaits.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Vision Is Not Just for Guards
The best laid plans take time and patience. In the sports world however there are two things that are usually not allotted to those running the teams; time and patience. And when the time and patience of their fan bases and owners are running thin, trades for players like Stephon Marbury or Steve Francis happen. The NBA: Where Panic Happens. It is not always negativity that causes teams to stray from their plan though. If a team is further along than thought, its easy to think adding a piece here or there will propel them to that next level. Suddenly the Milwaukee Bucks have become le chic in the NBA. Hard to beat at home and scrappy on the road, the Bucks have become playoff sleeper team de jour. It would be easy for a casual fan to think they could make some noise in the playoffs this year. But my message to John Hammond is urgent and clear...
DO NOT STRAY FROM THE PLAN!
Rebuilding is the name of the game in Milwaukee. Michael Redd will be remembered as a great scorer and awesome guy, but by all means Redd needs to continue to be dangled, especially as he begins to heat up. Between Redd and Richard Jefferson the Bucks have commited 28.9, 31.24, and 33.3 million dollars in the next three years. That represents nearly 50% of the payroll over that time period. When half of an NBA teams payroll is invested in two players who are neither 1's or 2's on championship teams, something needs to change. The problem is not only that these two are not even top 10 players at their positions, it’s the positions that they play. Very few shooting guards or small forwards are even worth elite money. For the things that Redd and Jefferson do at 30 million, wouldn’t the Bucks be just as well off with say, Roger Mason and Josh Howard for 15 million?
Giving giant contracts to wing men is seriously illogical. The positions that require big money are point guard and center, with center becoming less important as the game evolves into more of a point guard game. Going forward point guard seems to become more important with each passing year. Shouldn’t the Bucks be doing everything in their power to get in position to make a play for Brandon Jennings or Ricky Rubio this year? Even if they are not able to move up, stock piling draft picks can never hurt. The biggest problem the last regime had was their apparent disregard for drafts. The only way to successfully build toward a brighter tomorrow is the draft! Free agency has proven time and time again it is not the answer. Look at the most high profile signings from this off season:
Elton Brand
Baron Davis
Corey Maggette
How well are those guys working out? Development is better than instant solutions. Oklahoma City looks like they are pathetically run, but they are just following the blueprint for a future that Portland laid out.
I am just as excited as anyone to see the Bucks winning again. The games this week against the Raptors and Nets were thrilling contests that the Bucks did a lot of things right in. Winning games against competitive Eastern Conference opponents without their most important player was a significant sign of development in the 2008-09 Milwaukee Bucks. The thought of returning to the playoffs is an inviting one, after the atrocities of the last two seasons. The recent string of consistency from Charlie Villanueva has been another plus. It would be very easy to get sucked into a line of thinking that says the Bucks could be a pretty strong team if he has finally figured out how to bring the same game every night. But even if the Bucks roll out a top lineup of Bogut, Charlie V., Jefferson, Redd, and Ridnour, where will that get them after this season? After Bogut and Charlie V., none of those guys are going to get any better than they already are. This is not Major League Baseball in the late 90's, guys don’t suddenly become superstars after age 30.
It’s a lot of fun to see a team competing hard at the defensive end, hitting big shots, and winning games against good teams. I recognize that Redd and Jefferson don’t necessarily need to be dealt tomorrow. Their contracts extend long enough that the brain trust can take their time and wait for the right deal, whether that comes this week, next month, or next season. If I say that they need to have patience, then Bucks fans need to do the same in waiting for the right moves to come along. But this is not the season for the Bucks to tool up with bad contracts or silly trades. Any trades they do must be based on acquiring future assets, not players for this season. Hammond and Skiles are doing a great job, and I’ll enjoy the ride that the Bucks are on for now and hope that they are able to avoid any of those big trees that block their vision of the forest.
DO NOT STRAY FROM THE PLAN!
Rebuilding is the name of the game in Milwaukee. Michael Redd will be remembered as a great scorer and awesome guy, but by all means Redd needs to continue to be dangled, especially as he begins to heat up. Between Redd and Richard Jefferson the Bucks have commited 28.9, 31.24, and 33.3 million dollars in the next three years. That represents nearly 50% of the payroll over that time period. When half of an NBA teams payroll is invested in two players who are neither 1's or 2's on championship teams, something needs to change. The problem is not only that these two are not even top 10 players at their positions, it’s the positions that they play. Very few shooting guards or small forwards are even worth elite money. For the things that Redd and Jefferson do at 30 million, wouldn’t the Bucks be just as well off with say, Roger Mason and Josh Howard for 15 million?
Giving giant contracts to wing men is seriously illogical. The positions that require big money are point guard and center, with center becoming less important as the game evolves into more of a point guard game. Going forward point guard seems to become more important with each passing year. Shouldn’t the Bucks be doing everything in their power to get in position to make a play for Brandon Jennings or Ricky Rubio this year? Even if they are not able to move up, stock piling draft picks can never hurt. The biggest problem the last regime had was their apparent disregard for drafts. The only way to successfully build toward a brighter tomorrow is the draft! Free agency has proven time and time again it is not the answer. Look at the most high profile signings from this off season:
Elton Brand
Baron Davis
Corey Maggette
How well are those guys working out? Development is better than instant solutions. Oklahoma City looks like they are pathetically run, but they are just following the blueprint for a future that Portland laid out.
I am just as excited as anyone to see the Bucks winning again. The games this week against the Raptors and Nets were thrilling contests that the Bucks did a lot of things right in. Winning games against competitive Eastern Conference opponents without their most important player was a significant sign of development in the 2008-09 Milwaukee Bucks. The thought of returning to the playoffs is an inviting one, after the atrocities of the last two seasons. The recent string of consistency from Charlie Villanueva has been another plus. It would be very easy to get sucked into a line of thinking that says the Bucks could be a pretty strong team if he has finally figured out how to bring the same game every night. But even if the Bucks roll out a top lineup of Bogut, Charlie V., Jefferson, Redd, and Ridnour, where will that get them after this season? After Bogut and Charlie V., none of those guys are going to get any better than they already are. This is not Major League Baseball in the late 90's, guys don’t suddenly become superstars after age 30.
It’s a lot of fun to see a team competing hard at the defensive end, hitting big shots, and winning games against good teams. I recognize that Redd and Jefferson don’t necessarily need to be dealt tomorrow. Their contracts extend long enough that the brain trust can take their time and wait for the right deal, whether that comes this week, next month, or next season. If I say that they need to have patience, then Bucks fans need to do the same in waiting for the right moves to come along. But this is not the season for the Bucks to tool up with bad contracts or silly trades. Any trades they do must be based on acquiring future assets, not players for this season. Hammond and Skiles are doing a great job, and I’ll enjoy the ride that the Bucks are on for now and hope that they are able to avoid any of those big trees that block their vision of the forest.
Monday, January 5, 2009
How the Bucks Came to Be Irrelevant...A Two Part Series
Part 2
The Summer of 2005
When I was younger one of my favorite cartoons was Scooby Doo. The music wasn’t bad, the characters were funny, and Daphne was kind of hot. I remind you these are the thoughts of a 7 year old. What may have been most appealing about the show was how the guy who would end up being the villain in the end was going to show up pretty early in the show, so there was always the opportunity to figure it all out right away. When I was able to pick out that creepy janitor, or owner of the company trying to drive the price down by being a ghost, I always felt pretty smart. It was set up to be the last person you expected. Last year the Bucks finally took the mask off the ghost, and it was the person you’d least expect...Larry Harris. Granted Likable Larry did not have a mask on, or pretend to be a ghost, but when his reign began, he was the last person I’d thought would set the Bucks back years. He had grown up with the franchise, his dad assuming coaching duties in 1987 after time as an assistant. Larry himself came on as scout and video coordinator in 1990 before working his way up to GM in 2003. This is a guy who truly was a Milwaukee Buck. And it all came crashing down with the Summer of 2005.
Harris made some shrewd moves early in his tenure, signing Mo Williams, trading a useless pick for Zaza Pachulia. Mike James and Damon Jones put in serviceable time in Milwaukee. Dumping Tim Thomas for Keith Van Horn...who pretty much was Tim Thomas also. All minor moves but nothing damaging, and in the cases of Williams and Pachulia he acquired 2 young guys who were up and coming. In 2005 the Bucks one year removed from a playoff appearance where they were destroyed in round 1 by Detroit. With their point guard out all year and a rash of other injuries the Bucks fell to 30-52. This 2005 was a crucial summer for them. After landing the #1 pick in the draft the Bucks had to make decisions on their own free agents. Michael Redd was coming off a career high 23 points per game, Dan Gadzuric and Zaza Pachulia were both restricted free agents, and the Bucks had enough cap room to make plays at multiple other free agents. Every move they made would have to follow the philosophy that they were good enough to compete and just needed to add pieces, or this team wasn’t built to contend and they needed to make significant changes.
With a team that hadn’t been over .500 in either of the previous two seasons and finished last the season before, Larry Harris believed they just needed a piece or two and would be a factor. What caused him to think this no one will ever know. There was no evidence to suggest the Bucks were any good at all, but Harris had cap room to play with and made the assumption that he had a good team on his hands.
August 6th Bucks decline to match Hawks offer sheet for Zaza Pachulia.
August 12th Bucks resign Dan Gadzuric 6 years 36 million.
Pachulia was 20 years old at the time, and coming off a decent season for the Bucks. He had served as the backup to Gadz in the 2004-2005 season and appeared to have some serious potential, not to mention he was 6 years younger than Gadz. The Hawks offered him 16 million over 4 seasons running through this year. The Bucks declined to match and then signed Gadzuric for 2 more years and 20 more million...to be their backup. They knew they had drafted Bogut, they knew he’d be their starter, so why in the world would anyone throw that much more money at a guy who was too undersized to be an NBA center and was 6 years older than a guy they could have had for 20 million less!! This is the shining moment of awful in the Larry Harris era. When it comes down to it, Gadz was a crowd favorite at the time and this was probably one of those "Hey maybe we’ll sell more tickets because people like this guy" moves. The only real way to sell tickets is to win, not waste money on crappy players. Ironically Gadz ended up be the most hated player on the Bucks because of this contract. This contract pays Gadz until he is 32. Pachulia will be a free agent this off season, at age 24. Sigh.
August 8th Bucks sign Bobby Simmons to 5 years 47 million.
Any time Milwaukee gets a free agent they have to overpay, I know this. Milwaukee is cold as hell, snowy, the nightlife is lame, and the women are big. I know all of this I’ve lived here my whole life. But why overpay a guy with no track record when you have someone who already plays his position as well as him. The Bucks had Desmond Mason, who by all means is not a solution to any problems, but is as good a player as Bobby Simmons. He was then, he is now. All along this was clear, but the Bucks insisted on spending their money just because they had it. Simmons was a flashy signing who had just come off a Most Improved Player year, and made the Bucks name show up in a lot of places. To this day I still don’t know what Bobby Simmons does well, if anyone else does, please fill me in.
August 13th Bucks sign Michael Redd 6 years 91 million.
It’s easy to look at this signing today and say what were they thinking. Everyone gripes about how Redd doesn’t pass or play defense. These are logical concerns and hindsight is 20/20. The problem is that if you’re giving Michael Redd a maximum deal to lead your team, then you probably aren’t getting what a superstar is. Redd is a great scorer and a great guy, but he had appeared to have maxed out his potential before this signing. Granted he did improve even further as a scorer in the years coming, but did little to get better at everything else. This falls right in line with the thinking that Larry Harris demonstrated through this whole summer, that the Bucks were about to explode. They imploded starting the next season, and are only now cleaning up the rubbish.
October 26th Bucks trade Desmond Mason and 2006 first round pick for Jamal Magloire
With Bogut and Gadz already manning the center position the Bucks felt like they needed to address it further by acquiring a "former all star" in Magloire. They had overbought at the wing positions with Simmons, Mason, Bell, Redd and Kukoc and knew they wouldn’t have enough playing time to go around. So to solve the bumblefuck they created a new one at the center position...and gave away a pick for good measure. Magloire sulked through the season and was later traded for more crap.
That summer led to three long hard years of suffering for Bucks fans, with probably 2 more on the horizon. Harris never wanted to blow it all up and start over. Few general managers ever do. Fans don’t always have the patience to sit through something like that. People get antsy and complain how the team sucks. Larry Harris attempted to put together a team that would, at best, be a first round exit playoff team. Playoffs are suppose to make cities happy. To win a championship sometimes bold steps are required, like a destruction of a team that sucks. Larry Harris could not push that button and he paid for it with his job last summer. And he could have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for us pesky fans. Hopefully John Hammond was paying attention.
The Summer of 2005
When I was younger one of my favorite cartoons was Scooby Doo. The music wasn’t bad, the characters were funny, and Daphne was kind of hot. I remind you these are the thoughts of a 7 year old. What may have been most appealing about the show was how the guy who would end up being the villain in the end was going to show up pretty early in the show, so there was always the opportunity to figure it all out right away. When I was able to pick out that creepy janitor, or owner of the company trying to drive the price down by being a ghost, I always felt pretty smart. It was set up to be the last person you expected. Last year the Bucks finally took the mask off the ghost, and it was the person you’d least expect...Larry Harris. Granted Likable Larry did not have a mask on, or pretend to be a ghost, but when his reign began, he was the last person I’d thought would set the Bucks back years. He had grown up with the franchise, his dad assuming coaching duties in 1987 after time as an assistant. Larry himself came on as scout and video coordinator in 1990 before working his way up to GM in 2003. This is a guy who truly was a Milwaukee Buck. And it all came crashing down with the Summer of 2005.
Harris made some shrewd moves early in his tenure, signing Mo Williams, trading a useless pick for Zaza Pachulia. Mike James and Damon Jones put in serviceable time in Milwaukee. Dumping Tim Thomas for Keith Van Horn...who pretty much was Tim Thomas also. All minor moves but nothing damaging, and in the cases of Williams and Pachulia he acquired 2 young guys who were up and coming. In 2005 the Bucks one year removed from a playoff appearance where they were destroyed in round 1 by Detroit. With their point guard out all year and a rash of other injuries the Bucks fell to 30-52. This 2005 was a crucial summer for them. After landing the #1 pick in the draft the Bucks had to make decisions on their own free agents. Michael Redd was coming off a career high 23 points per game, Dan Gadzuric and Zaza Pachulia were both restricted free agents, and the Bucks had enough cap room to make plays at multiple other free agents. Every move they made would have to follow the philosophy that they were good enough to compete and just needed to add pieces, or this team wasn’t built to contend and they needed to make significant changes.
With a team that hadn’t been over .500 in either of the previous two seasons and finished last the season before, Larry Harris believed they just needed a piece or two and would be a factor. What caused him to think this no one will ever know. There was no evidence to suggest the Bucks were any good at all, but Harris had cap room to play with and made the assumption that he had a good team on his hands.
August 6th Bucks decline to match Hawks offer sheet for Zaza Pachulia.
August 12th Bucks resign Dan Gadzuric 6 years 36 million.
Pachulia was 20 years old at the time, and coming off a decent season for the Bucks. He had served as the backup to Gadz in the 2004-2005 season and appeared to have some serious potential, not to mention he was 6 years younger than Gadz. The Hawks offered him 16 million over 4 seasons running through this year. The Bucks declined to match and then signed Gadzuric for 2 more years and 20 more million...to be their backup. They knew they had drafted Bogut, they knew he’d be their starter, so why in the world would anyone throw that much more money at a guy who was too undersized to be an NBA center and was 6 years older than a guy they could have had for 20 million less!! This is the shining moment of awful in the Larry Harris era. When it comes down to it, Gadz was a crowd favorite at the time and this was probably one of those "Hey maybe we’ll sell more tickets because people like this guy" moves. The only real way to sell tickets is to win, not waste money on crappy players. Ironically Gadz ended up be the most hated player on the Bucks because of this contract. This contract pays Gadz until he is 32. Pachulia will be a free agent this off season, at age 24. Sigh.
August 8th Bucks sign Bobby Simmons to 5 years 47 million.
Any time Milwaukee gets a free agent they have to overpay, I know this. Milwaukee is cold as hell, snowy, the nightlife is lame, and the women are big. I know all of this I’ve lived here my whole life. But why overpay a guy with no track record when you have someone who already plays his position as well as him. The Bucks had Desmond Mason, who by all means is not a solution to any problems, but is as good a player as Bobby Simmons. He was then, he is now. All along this was clear, but the Bucks insisted on spending their money just because they had it. Simmons was a flashy signing who had just come off a Most Improved Player year, and made the Bucks name show up in a lot of places. To this day I still don’t know what Bobby Simmons does well, if anyone else does, please fill me in.
August 13th Bucks sign Michael Redd 6 years 91 million.
It’s easy to look at this signing today and say what were they thinking. Everyone gripes about how Redd doesn’t pass or play defense. These are logical concerns and hindsight is 20/20. The problem is that if you’re giving Michael Redd a maximum deal to lead your team, then you probably aren’t getting what a superstar is. Redd is a great scorer and a great guy, but he had appeared to have maxed out his potential before this signing. Granted he did improve even further as a scorer in the years coming, but did little to get better at everything else. This falls right in line with the thinking that Larry Harris demonstrated through this whole summer, that the Bucks were about to explode. They imploded starting the next season, and are only now cleaning up the rubbish.
October 26th Bucks trade Desmond Mason and 2006 first round pick for Jamal Magloire
With Bogut and Gadz already manning the center position the Bucks felt like they needed to address it further by acquiring a "former all star" in Magloire. They had overbought at the wing positions with Simmons, Mason, Bell, Redd and Kukoc and knew they wouldn’t have enough playing time to go around. So to solve the bumblefuck they created a new one at the center position...and gave away a pick for good measure. Magloire sulked through the season and was later traded for more crap.
That summer led to three long hard years of suffering for Bucks fans, with probably 2 more on the horizon. Harris never wanted to blow it all up and start over. Few general managers ever do. Fans don’t always have the patience to sit through something like that. People get antsy and complain how the team sucks. Larry Harris attempted to put together a team that would, at best, be a first round exit playoff team. Playoffs are suppose to make cities happy. To win a championship sometimes bold steps are required, like a destruction of a team that sucks. Larry Harris could not push that button and he paid for it with his job last summer. And he could have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for us pesky fans. Hopefully John Hammond was paying attention.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
How the Bucks Came to Be Irrelevant...A Two Part Series
Part 1
The Inexact Science of the NBA Draft
Oldest Teams in the NBA (As of Opening Day)
1. Spurs
2. New Orleans
3. Denver
4. Dallas
5. Houston
6. Milwaukee
This is a very telling statistic. With the exception of Dallas, who traded Devin Harris I remind you, every team ahead of Milwaukee will make noise in the playoffs this year. They have been building their teams for years, using wise draft decisions and smart free agent pickups to bolster their respective lineups. The Bucks are out of place in this group. They are a team rebuilding and trying to change their style. While they have made great strides this year on both sides of the ball, they have another year or two of smart decision making before they will be ready to reenter the atmosphere of playoff success. With no success achieved in the past 6 years, how have the Bucks become one of the oldest teams in the league?
Answer: Dismal draft picks. And it is those picks, not their ill advised free agent spending sprees that have left the Bucks on the outside looking in over the past 6 years. First round draft mistakes, by both Ernie Grunfeld and Larry Harris, have proven to be difficult for a team that will never be a major player for free agents to overcome. Since 2003, the Bucks have not been a better than average basketball team, ideally leaving them with a plethora of draft picks to increase their depth and re-energize the franchise. Let’s take a look at what exactly the Bucks have done with their draft picks since 2003.
2003 Draft
8. TJ Ford
Sadly, TJ Ford was probably the best selection that the Bucks have made in the past 10 years. I rank him higher than Bogut only because they showed courage and home run capability with this pick. Ford had a huge upside coming out of college after being named Naismith Player of the Year. The knock on Ford was that his slight stature would lead to injuries and word of a possible spinal cord problem...which all came to fruition on February 25th of his rookie year when he bruised his spinal cord. Ford continued to struggle with health problems, and he now appears to have a severe mental problem; he thinks he is a man with a jump shot. Reggie Miller he is not.
2004 Draft
No Picks
Surely the Bucks gave up 2 picks in this draft with good reason right? Right??? Not so much. Shortly before the 2001-2002 season, also known as The Anthony Mason Debacle, to make room for everyone’s favorite point forward, the Bucks shipped off lovable forward Scott Williams and a conditional first round pick which ended up being this one. In return, the Bucks got legendary Ohio State center Aleksander Radojevic and a 2002 second round pick which resulted in Dan Gadzuric. This obviously could not have worked out any worse as Anthony Mason proved to be a more destructive force than 90% of the natural disasters I have ever heard of. To make things a little bit worse, this pick was used on Josh Smith. Whoops. They were able to pry away promising big man Zaza Pachulia with their second round pick via the Bobcats. But he was allowed to walk during the legendary week in August of 2005 when the Larry Harris did everything he could to ruin their future cap flexibility...and then was given an extention and raise. Yikes.
2005 Draft
1. Andrew Bogut
Bogut was the safe choice. For everything Chris Paul and to a lesser extent Deron Williams have gone on to do since this draft, the choice was really between Andrew Bogut and Marvin Williams. TJ Ford was still seen as the point guard of the future and Mo Williams had proven to be a more than capable backup. Marvin Williams had tantalizing potential, but it seemed that he was a few years away from being the player they needed. The theory at the time (and maybe still??) Is that a player as talented as Bogut with that much size cannot be passed on. Bogut has gone on to a solid and still promising career. As a pick at the time it did not have the ceiling of the other players although would provide much quicker results, and with the ship sinking a little more each year, that was what appealed to the Bucks in the end.
2006 Draft
No First Round Pick
This pick was dumped along with Desmond Mason for Jamal Magloire so the Bucks could clear up the logjam they had mysteriously created at small forward. Of course this came weeks after Larry Harris had assured Mason he was not being shopped and months after telling coach Terry Porter, "We’re going to sink or swim together on this." Porter was of course fired less than a month later. But hey, when a Terry Stotts becomes available, moves need to be made. This pick can be chalked up as another casualty of the Summer of 2005.
2007 Draft
6. Yi Jianlian
Can we just forget this whole thing happened? The Bucks left at least 3 future all stars on the board to take a guy who did not want to play here, whose agents did not want him here, whose family did not want him here, whose WHOLE COUNTRY DID NOT WANT HIM HERE!! This was an act of complete arrogance. Picking Yi was like throwing a middle finger up at all Bucks fans, and that is before even discussing that he was 3 years older than he claimed to be. Sorry Bucks fans, no Brandon Wright, no Thaddeus Young, no Rodney Stuckey, just Easy Yi. The only thing Yi will be remembered for, aside from making the whole Bucks delegation fly to China to beg him to show up and not embarrass them, will be that he was the vehicle which took away the awfulness known as Bobby Simmons.
2008 Draft
8. Joe Alexander
"Joey" doesn’t look so promising as of yet, but judgment must be withheld on him. It takes at least a season to see what a team really has with someone they drafted, although it does appear that Luc Richard Mbah ah Moute has kept alive the Bucks tradition of finding gems in round 2, as he has already become the Bucks primary defensive stopper. I do realize that the Bucks have had unusual success in the second round of many of these drafts, appearing to target players who have the work ethic to succeed in unlikely scenarios. Michael Redd, Dan Gadzuric, Flip Murray, and now Ramon Sessions, all were great finds in round 2. But for a team to truly pull themselves out of the depths of the league, they have to hit home runs in round 1. Portland landed Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, Martell Webster, Travis Outlaw and famously Greg Oden in either draft day deals or smart early round choices. These are the kinds of guys the Bucks have not been securing.
John Hammond has a very strong track record going back to strong drafts when he worked with the Clippers of the early 2000s. The Bucks have a track record just as strong against drafting anyone with superstar potential, so something will have to give.Part Two will focus largely on the Summer of 2005, why the Bucks are where they are now, and what they can do to regain credibility in the NBA again.
The Inexact Science of the NBA Draft
Oldest Teams in the NBA (As of Opening Day)
1. Spurs
2. New Orleans
3. Denver
4. Dallas
5. Houston
6. Milwaukee
This is a very telling statistic. With the exception of Dallas, who traded Devin Harris I remind you, every team ahead of Milwaukee will make noise in the playoffs this year. They have been building their teams for years, using wise draft decisions and smart free agent pickups to bolster their respective lineups. The Bucks are out of place in this group. They are a team rebuilding and trying to change their style. While they have made great strides this year on both sides of the ball, they have another year or two of smart decision making before they will be ready to reenter the atmosphere of playoff success. With no success achieved in the past 6 years, how have the Bucks become one of the oldest teams in the league?
Answer: Dismal draft picks. And it is those picks, not their ill advised free agent spending sprees that have left the Bucks on the outside looking in over the past 6 years. First round draft mistakes, by both Ernie Grunfeld and Larry Harris, have proven to be difficult for a team that will never be a major player for free agents to overcome. Since 2003, the Bucks have not been a better than average basketball team, ideally leaving them with a plethora of draft picks to increase their depth and re-energize the franchise. Let’s take a look at what exactly the Bucks have done with their draft picks since 2003.
2003 Draft
8. TJ Ford
Sadly, TJ Ford was probably the best selection that the Bucks have made in the past 10 years. I rank him higher than Bogut only because they showed courage and home run capability with this pick. Ford had a huge upside coming out of college after being named Naismith Player of the Year. The knock on Ford was that his slight stature would lead to injuries and word of a possible spinal cord problem...which all came to fruition on February 25th of his rookie year when he bruised his spinal cord. Ford continued to struggle with health problems, and he now appears to have a severe mental problem; he thinks he is a man with a jump shot. Reggie Miller he is not.
2004 Draft
No Picks
Surely the Bucks gave up 2 picks in this draft with good reason right? Right??? Not so much. Shortly before the 2001-2002 season, also known as The Anthony Mason Debacle, to make room for everyone’s favorite point forward, the Bucks shipped off lovable forward Scott Williams and a conditional first round pick which ended up being this one. In return, the Bucks got legendary Ohio State center Aleksander Radojevic and a 2002 second round pick which resulted in Dan Gadzuric. This obviously could not have worked out any worse as Anthony Mason proved to be a more destructive force than 90% of the natural disasters I have ever heard of. To make things a little bit worse, this pick was used on Josh Smith. Whoops. They were able to pry away promising big man Zaza Pachulia with their second round pick via the Bobcats. But he was allowed to walk during the legendary week in August of 2005 when the Larry Harris did everything he could to ruin their future cap flexibility...and then was given an extention and raise. Yikes.
2005 Draft
1. Andrew Bogut
Bogut was the safe choice. For everything Chris Paul and to a lesser extent Deron Williams have gone on to do since this draft, the choice was really between Andrew Bogut and Marvin Williams. TJ Ford was still seen as the point guard of the future and Mo Williams had proven to be a more than capable backup. Marvin Williams had tantalizing potential, but it seemed that he was a few years away from being the player they needed. The theory at the time (and maybe still??) Is that a player as talented as Bogut with that much size cannot be passed on. Bogut has gone on to a solid and still promising career. As a pick at the time it did not have the ceiling of the other players although would provide much quicker results, and with the ship sinking a little more each year, that was what appealed to the Bucks in the end.
2006 Draft
No First Round Pick
This pick was dumped along with Desmond Mason for Jamal Magloire so the Bucks could clear up the logjam they had mysteriously created at small forward. Of course this came weeks after Larry Harris had assured Mason he was not being shopped and months after telling coach Terry Porter, "We’re going to sink or swim together on this." Porter was of course fired less than a month later. But hey, when a Terry Stotts becomes available, moves need to be made. This pick can be chalked up as another casualty of the Summer of 2005.
2007 Draft
6. Yi Jianlian
Can we just forget this whole thing happened? The Bucks left at least 3 future all stars on the board to take a guy who did not want to play here, whose agents did not want him here, whose family did not want him here, whose WHOLE COUNTRY DID NOT WANT HIM HERE!! This was an act of complete arrogance. Picking Yi was like throwing a middle finger up at all Bucks fans, and that is before even discussing that he was 3 years older than he claimed to be. Sorry Bucks fans, no Brandon Wright, no Thaddeus Young, no Rodney Stuckey, just Easy Yi. The only thing Yi will be remembered for, aside from making the whole Bucks delegation fly to China to beg him to show up and not embarrass them, will be that he was the vehicle which took away the awfulness known as Bobby Simmons.
2008 Draft
8. Joe Alexander
"Joey" doesn’t look so promising as of yet, but judgment must be withheld on him. It takes at least a season to see what a team really has with someone they drafted, although it does appear that Luc Richard Mbah ah Moute has kept alive the Bucks tradition of finding gems in round 2, as he has already become the Bucks primary defensive stopper. I do realize that the Bucks have had unusual success in the second round of many of these drafts, appearing to target players who have the work ethic to succeed in unlikely scenarios. Michael Redd, Dan Gadzuric, Flip Murray, and now Ramon Sessions, all were great finds in round 2. But for a team to truly pull themselves out of the depths of the league, they have to hit home runs in round 1. Portland landed Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, Martell Webster, Travis Outlaw and famously Greg Oden in either draft day deals or smart early round choices. These are the kinds of guys the Bucks have not been securing.
John Hammond has a very strong track record going back to strong drafts when he worked with the Clippers of the early 2000s. The Bucks have a track record just as strong against drafting anyone with superstar potential, so something will have to give.Part Two will focus largely on the Summer of 2005, why the Bucks are where they are now, and what they can do to regain credibility in the NBA again.
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