Poll: Who's the best Buck?

by Alex Boeder on Sep 9, 2008 2:35 PM CDT in Polls

Garnett/Pierce/Allen. Duncan/Ginobii/Parker. Paul/West/Chandler. They are big threes; elite trios who complement each other, and have propelled their respective clubs to deep playoff runs.

Redd/Jefferson/Bogut? That's two top ten scorers and a young center improving on both sides of the ball, but still more of a medium three. Each is clearly an above-average starter, but none played a single playoff game last year.

So, where exactly do the Bucks' best fit in among the league's top players? And how do they ranks against each other?

Well, Michael Redd placed 43rd in SLAMOnline's top 50 NBA player rankings.

Players like Redd are better suited as being the man next to the man, but if your team is bereft of talent, then it often gets trapped in the middle. If you follow the planetary sciences, you know planets revolve around stars (Earth revolves around the star known as Sol. Think of the name we call it, the Sun, as something like a nickname) and under them are dwarf stars – great in size and power but nothing compared to their superior counterpart. In NBA terms, Redd is a dwarf star (as are all of the names you’ll find at this point in the Top 50).

Meanwhile, Tom Ziller pegs Redd 46th, at Fanhouse.

Bogut's unlikely to show up on any preseason top 50 radar, and Jefferson is one among many very good small forwards, so that's a matter of taste.

Who do you think will be Milwaukee's most valuable this season? Do the Bucks have any top 50 players?

Poll

Who will be Milwaukee's top overall player in 2008-09?

Andrew Bogut

163 votes

Richard Jefferson

103 votes

Michael Redd

78 votes

Other

18 votes

362 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

11 people think Redd is better then Jefferson? Really?

by Nowak on Sep 10, 2008 12:16 AM CDT reply actions

I guess those are people that love shooting and hate solid contribution on both sides of the ball.

And it seems to have leveled out now, as RJ trails Redd by one vote.

Apparently, 7 people think Ramon Sessions is going to be big. I hope they’re right.

-- "I do know that I plead the fizzif."

by Mitchell Maurer on Sep 10, 2008 2:05 PM CDT up reply actions

I’d like to see the ‘other’ voters specify in the comments, though Sessions is a pretty good assumption…

BrewHoop.com

by Alex Boeder on Sep 10, 2008 3:14 PM CDT reply actions

I bet there are a few Charlie V die-hards in there, too. And who knows, maybe the Ridnour family reads Brew Hoop :)

www.BrewHoop.com

by Frank Madden on Sep 13, 2008 3:15 PM CDT up reply actions

Redd having 23 votes is nothing short of insanity. Do people here actually watch the Bucks?? I’d love to hear an argument how he is better then both Bogut and Jefferson.

by Nowak on Sep 11, 2008 1:12 AM CDT reply actions

here it is

the reason Redd “is better than” Bogut and Jefferson is because he’s a dynamic scorer. He can easily put up 24+ per game, and his shooting is a game-changer. Bogut isn’t consistent enough in the low post, and the jump shot he displayed in college and in international competition hasn’t translated to the NBA. Jefferson, on the other hand, hasn’t put up consistently high scoring numbers like Redd has (save for last season) and was generally seen as Kidd and Carter’s third wheel (even though he was probably the glue that held that team together).

That is AN argument. It is not my argument. I voted for Bogut, because I think he’s finally starting to become the player that the Bucks took first overall way back when. RJ’s a close second because of his experience and his skill set, not to mention his defense.

Devil’s advocate is fun sometimes!

-- "I do know that I plead the fizzif."

by Mitchell Maurer on Sep 11, 2008 11:34 AM CDT up reply actions

If Bogut can improve even marginally on where he was the last few months of the season then I think he can make a pretty good case for best overall. He put up 16.3 ppg and 11.6 rpg after the all-star break so we know he can be productive for an extended stretch, though it wasn’t exactly a high-pressure situation and they weren’t winning games. But if he can improve on where he was then he’ll be pretty good. I don’t expect a quantum leap, but he doesn’t need one.

I’d feel better about RJ if he had been better all-around the last couple years but that’s a question mark…he needs to get back to where he was before his injuries. I’m guessing that Skiles helps him become more of a two-way player again. And I think Mitchell summed up the Redd argument pretty well.

Overall I don’t think there’s a huge difference in terms of overall ability between the big three, it’s really how you value the skills and how they adapt to their roles. I wouldn’t be surprised if any of them became the “best” player for the 08/09 Bucks.

www.BrewHoop.com

by Frank Madden on Sep 13, 2008 3:24 PM CDT reply actions