FanPost

A Tip of the Hat to Coach Kidd and a Year in Review

Coming into the 2013-14 season the Bucks had expectations of contending for the 8th seed in the east and once again finishing with a recored in the mid thirties (according to Yahoo Sports and ESPN). After coming off a 38 win season and appearing to be stuck on the escalator of mediocrity with a yearly goal to just reach the playoffs, not necessarily to succeed in the playoffs. The departure of Skiles and Boylan lead to the hiring of former Hawks head coach Larry Drew. Drew was supposed to implement a new fast paced transition offensive and had high aspirations for the team. In terms of the roster, Larry Sanders was suppose to be the anchor of the Bucks defense for years to come, and Giannis was expected to develop exponentially. However as we all know last season became one we all want to forget. The 2013-14 Bucks squad never seemed to have strong chemistry and lacked discipline while playing without passion. Larry Drew's passive defensive scheme lead to the Bucks having the second worst Defensive Efficiency ranking, and Drew's new "high scoring offense" produced an Offensive Efficiency ranking that was the fourth worst in the league. The team however was not free from injuries, with OJ "the juice man" Mayo only playing 52 games and Larry Sanders missed a large chunk of the season. Drew though never seemed to be able to successfully conquer the adversity that his team faced. As a result the team only tallied together 15 wins, a franchise worse, and lead to the firing of Drew.

Now enter second year coach Jason Kidd. After leading the Nets to the playoffs in his first season, his standing within the Nets organization was not healthy. Kidd and the Nets front office did not see eye to eye on how much say Kidd should have dealing with player personnel. This catechism lead to Kidd's departure from the Nets. The new Bucks ownership decided to bring in Kidd in exchange for two second round picks. The Bucks also gave Kidd his desired power surrounding management. Even with a new coach, the drafting of Parker, and the development of Giannis into a potential star, expectations were still low with a best case scenario being a mediocre team. According to Yahoo Sports our projected record for the 2014-15 season was 20 wins. Well as we all know, things turned out a little better than that.

The Bucks for years had no identity. Prior to Kidd, the closet identity of the team was two inefficient shooters who only cared about themselves. The biggest accomplishment of Kidd in my opinion was the establishment of an identity for the team. When compared to Larry Drew's abysmal defense of scheme, Kidd's turn around achieved a Defensive Efficiency ranking of second within the entire NBA. Kidd's emphasis on defense became the catalyst for this years successful season.

The 2014-15 season started off much better than anyone expected. Jabari was averaging 12pts and shooting almost 50%, Brandon Knight developed into the teams go to scorer, and Giannis was finally starting to show glimpses of becoming the teams super star. Kidd was also able to format a rotation that allowed the bench to become one of the most efficient units in the league, holding a top five rank for most of the season but finished ranked 7th. Even though the team was off to an amazing start, this years team like last years, was soon faced with adversity. The key events were Parker's ACL tear, Larry Sanders retirement, and the Brandon Knight trade. Unlike Drew, Kidd stared adversity in the face and rather submitting to it, he decided to confront and conquer it. When the issues surrounding Parker and Sanders became headlines in the media, Kidd was able to keep the team focused on playing and winning. Going into the all star break the team boasted a 30-23 record, playing at an extremely high level with a top ranked defense and a very efficient bench. The Bucks appeared to be a lock for the playoffs and some believed they could even make it to the second round.

Then the trade deadline came around. Out of nowhere the Bucks were part of a three team deal that sent leading scorer Brandon Knight to the Suns, and landed MCW, Ennis, and Plumlee to the Bucks. There were a mix of emotions surrounding the trade. Like why would the Bucks ship away their most efficient and valuable offensive player? Knight is scheduled to become a free agent this summer. The looming free agency appeared to be the main reason for the trade, and that the Bucks weren't ready to offer Knight a large contract. In the long run I believe it to be a smart move. At least the Bucks were able to get something in return for Knight, avoiding a situation like Monte Ellis, where he walked away without the Bucks getting anything in return for him. Besides loosing the teams top offensive producer, the team lost the flow that had carried them to their current success. Reigning ROY MCW brought Milwaukee a young athletic player, but a player that lacked any substantial shooting game. Since the trade, the Bucks have had to endure MCW poor shooting. Towards the end of the season however, there has been some light on his offensive game by utilizing his size in the post. One of the most promising traits MCW possess, is the faith and hope that Kidd has in him. Kidd, early in his career, was a poor shooter, but he later fine tuned his shot, allowing him to become the Jason Kidd we all know and remember. That being said, we have to believe that Kidd know's what he is doing, and after an offseason of working with MCW, MCW can transform his mechanics into an efficient shooter. Even though MCW play has derived fans with polarizing opinions, it is to early to agree on a final verdict of his future with the franchise.

Now here we are today, the NBA regular season has ended and we await the first round playoff game against the Bulls saturday. Even though the franchise does not get much media coverage, the Bucks are still the most intriguing Cinderella story of the year. Contrary to the past years, Bucks fans now have something more to hope for than mediocrity. We have one of the youngest teams in the league and one full of massive potential. We have a potential all star in Giannas, and Middleton developing much faster and greater than expected. We have players such as MCW, Ennis, and Henson who are young but possess the tools that can transform them into key players. We have a new ownership that is not willing to settle for mediocrity but one that aspires to challenge for conference championships. And Finally, we have a Coach who has quietly changed the identity of the franchise into a defensive minded team who plays with passion and ferocity with a single objective to win.

Now it is time for me to rant about the direction I see the franchise going. I would say this is the first time in years that I can honestly believe that within the next 5 years there is the potential for the Bucks make it to and possibly win the eastern conference championship. It may sound like an extremely bold statement, but if the players stay on the trajectory of improvement along with smart FO moves this dream could become a reality. I don't see why it's foolish to compare us to small market dominate teams like the Pacers or Trail Blazers. Also one of the things needed when having an extremely young team, is veterans who can walk along side and nurture young players. The roster does contain some veterans (even though Zaza is the only one over 30) who can help lead the youngsters, but now during playoff time when inexperience can flower the most, the Bucks only have Bayless, Dudely (both with 23 playoff appearances) and Zaza (40 playoff appearances) who have any substantial playoff experience. The Bucks need to continue building a young team, but must not forget role players to help lead the team. Another path the franchise should take is to continue developing players out of the draft. You can look at OKC and see the success they have derived from utilizing the draft, this is something the FO should try to mimic.

Next year the potential starting five could be MWC, Middleton, Parker, Giannis, and whoever we find to fill the center role. The center position should be the number one issue the team should address this offseason. One option would be to look to the draft to fill the center position, however with a mid first round pick, there does not appear to be any player who could instantly fill the starter role. There is also the temptation to attempt to lure a player like Jordan, Green, or Cousins with a max contract to fill the need for center. With all this said I do not think the Bucks should look to the draft or a high profile player. Signing a center like Omar Asik who is relatively young and could contribute immediately while not taking a large slice out of our cap space.

I think it is fair to say that at this exact time last year, no one one saw the successes of this year coming. Jason Kidd has done a incredible job for the team and think it's terrible he isn't even mentioned in the COY discussion. But to sum all of this up I would just like to say "Thank you Jason Kidd for what you have done for this team, and a tip of the hat to you"

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