FanPost

Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh My!!

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Yes, I am concerned about this season, and I think there's danger around the corner. All this talk of 50 win teams and a home-court seed are premature in my opinion, and this afternoon when Eric B. was talking about the 2010 season on Twitter, I thought of the parallels between that season and this upcoming season.

In 2010, the Bucks were coming off a surprising 46-win season with an incredible second half. On January 19th after losing to the Houston Rockets, the Bucks were 16-23. So from that point on, the Bucks went 30-13, finished 6th, and -- even without the injured Andrew Bogut -- took the 3rd place Atlanta Hawks to seven games before bowing out.

Moving forward to the off-season, the Bucks let a few veterans go (Luke Ridnour, Jerry Stackhouse, Kurt Thomas and Royal Ivey) and traded Dan Gadzuric and Charlie Bell for Corey Maggette as the Bucks didn't really have a useful slasher on their roster and Maggette was brought in to fill that role. We also traded for Chris Douglas-Roberts and then in free agency re-signed John Salmons, got the true PF we lacked in Drew Gooden, replaced Ridnour with Keyon Dooling and then acquired Jon Brockman and Earl Boykins. We also drafted Larry Sanders and were ready to compete in the Eastern Conference.

Preseason expectations were high..

From CBS Sports:

The Bucks I think are one of the most underrated teams in the entire league. I don't think they have any chance at beating any of the top 3 teams in the East, but they are the next best.

And the Big Lead:

6 Milwaukee Bucks – Remember how awful this team looked last summer? The front office has made a slew of smart moves to make up for drafting Joe Alexander in the 2008 lottery. Andrew Bogut has help at PF (Gooden, Brockman, Gallon, Sanders), Corey Maggette can score, CDR could be a valuable reserve, and if John Salmons can play like he did late in the season … 45-50 wins is entirely possible

And Brew Hoop:

Predicted Record: 50-32. Cracking 50 wins for the second time in 20 years is no guarantee, but the Bucks are a more talented bunch than they were six months ago--let's hope the chemistry is still there, too.

I remember being a part of that hope and excitement, and how quickly it went South.

So how did that season unfold? The Bucks struggled early, going 1-4, but after winning four of five including a big win in Atlanta, the Bucks were 5-5 and poised to make a run. Well, they lost the next five and eight of the next 10, and from there never got closer than three games under .500 for the rest of the season before finishing 35-47 and out of the playoffs. The biggest problem with that team was offense; they finished 3rd in opposition PPG but were 30th on the other end. The Bucks lacked shooting mostly, 24th in 3P% and 30th in 2P% and 30th in FG% 0-3 feet. Brandon Jennings missed 19 games with a broken foot, Bogut's offense never fully recovered after his horrific arm injury, Salmons' prior magic was gone, and Maggette was a disappointment off the bench.

Now will that happen this season? Doubtful, but I do think 50 wins is really, really optimistic. I do see some similarities between the two teams and believe this season will be much tougher than many fans predict. I do think we'll get to the point of being a contender in the East, but not this season and maybe not even next season will we see that. Let's just hope for player improvement and some good basketball to watch. If the Bucks don't win 50 games, let's not be disappointed. We are probably a couple years away from contending, and Jabari and Giannis are going to have to get better first. Growth and progression are what's important this year, not wins.

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