Brew Hoop: FanPosts

Long time reader, first time writer...

2010-03-09T18:03:51Z

As stated above, I've been in and out of the brewhoop reading posts from passionate fans and have finally decided to get in on the fun. As many have already read, I am one of the BIG BUCKS FANS from KC who will be participating in the second trip to Milwaukee later this month (MARCH 26-28). I am very excited to be doing this, and have not regretted the decision to become a Bucks fan.

I find it interesting that we are one win away from matching last years win total. This makes me both happy and cautious. Let me elaborate.

I'm happy because we're obviously improving. Two years ago we were 26-56, and last year we were 34-48. As a fan, this is the steady improvement I want to see. Also, we have the 5th spot in the playoffs to date, which gives us some breathing room. It's nice to finally have a professional team in the playoff hunt, because the Chiefs and Royals just aren't getting it done.

However, I'm cautious because this is new territory for most of our players. How are they going to react to these pressure games now that they actually mean something (each win gets you closer to a playoff spot; each loss brings the 6th, 7th, and 8th teams closer to you). Can we expect a rookie, who is having a sensational year, carry us to the playoffs? Can we anticipate our injury-prone center (who I love by the way) to continue to stay healthy and crash the boards? Can this team handle a little success in the right ways? These are what makes me cautious.

OR maybe I should just enjoy the ride and whatever happens happens. Part of being a sports fans is knowing that you will have success and failures, and sticking with your team through thick and thin.

I am certain of this, no matter what happens I will enjoy the next 20 games, and if we make the playoffs GREAT! If we don't...there's always next year, right?

The NBA vs divisional opponents

2010-03-08T22:16:13Z

So staring at the Bucks schedule the other day I noticed something. It appears we play every single team in the East twice, both home and away. Now this is probably common knowledge to you seasoned fans, but it came as a bit of a surprise to me. So I looked a little more into it.

Comparisons:

		Games against	Total games	%
MLB1	Vs. division	72	162	.444
	Interleague	18	162	.111

NFL2	Vs. division	6	16	.375
	Interleague	4	16	.250

NHL3	Vs. division	32	82	.390
	Interleague	10	82	.122

NBA4	Vs. division	16	82	.195
	Interleague	30	82	.366

NCAA BB5	Vs. division	10	31	.323
	Non-conference	15	31	.484

1 Based on the Kansas City Royals 2009 schedule

2 Based on the Kansas City Chiefs 2009 schedule

3 Based on Wikianswers

4 Based on the Milwaukee Bucks 2009/2010 schedule

5 Based on the University of Missouri 2009/2010 schedule

Just looking at the percentages, the NBA really stands out for having an extremely low number of games within its own division and, perhaps a disproportionate number of interleague games. In fact, correct me if I’m wrong, I believe the NBA is the only league that guarantees a game against every team.

What do you guys think? Are you okay with it? Would you like to see more games against divisional opponents? Does this promote divisional rivalry’s as much as other sports? I’m also accepting answers of, “That’s just the way it is, let it go.”

Dude

2010-03-06T21:37:23Z

The Prognosticators have been wrong so far. I had read countless reports and viewed many chat rooms regarding the Bucks chances this season. The reports were all the same--"A lot of what if's. 28-44, 5th place Central Division"

Scott Skiles deserved commendation, as does GM Hammond. The product is pleasurable this season, and it is notable they bought instead of sold at the trade deadline. BJenn is exciting, Bogut is performing, the players are gym rats who play defense. Plus they go to the hoop instead of shooting jumpers. They've regularly shot more free throws than their opponents over the last 24 games. Hopefully the Ray Allen/Michael Redd jumpshooting days of the past are over, because I think focusing your offense on that type of player is a recipe for losing. Rebounding, free throws, defense, strong coaching, young and hungry players--it is a recipe for success, and the product hasn't been as good since the George Karl/Sam Cassell days, with the all time low remaining Larry Krystowiak

I might be high, but did the first round just get interesting?

2010-03-01T17:37:27Z

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4956242

Shaquille O'Neal just had surgery on his thumb and he will be out 6-8 weeks. There is the possibility that he wont be back for the first round of the playoffs. Does anyone think this could help the Bucks? Look at what the Chicago Bulls did to the Celtics w/o Kevin Garnett.

I am not saying that this makes them a shoe-in, but if Shaq is out, do you think The Bucks could make it interesting? If the Bucks stay in position and don't fade at the end, they will be a low seed. Would playing a Shaq-less Cavs team be better than playing Orlando Magic or the Hawks? What do you think?

Poll

Who would you rather see The Bucks go against in the playoffs?

Respect for Hammonds

2010-02-25T23:23:10Z

Just thought I'd point out all the dap that Hammonds has been getting from the media as of late, with his trade deadline moves already being praised for there subtle brilliance. Bill Simmons (for my money one of the best NBA writers in the business, if not the sharpest) includes Hammonds among his top 3 GM's (along with Morey in Houston and Presti in OKC) for they shrewd business sense:

"Just in the past three years, we've seen general managers Sam Presti (Zombie Sonics), Daryl Morey (Rockets) and John Hammond (Bucks) build competitive teams by prudently watching their cap, searching for bargains, building around young talent and picks, and/or carving out enough cap space to take advantage of desperate suitors who will pay with draft picks or young players just to dump an unsavory contract. There's a method to their madness. They are the minority, not the majority. Most of their competitors sabotaged themselves and inadvertently reduced the value of franchises as a whole."

There's also a great write up on the cover of SI.com's NBA page today, highlighting how the Bucks moves have not only set the team up for a play-off run this season or next, but also the endless possibilities that are now available in 2011:

"One All-Star ought to do it because several key pieces are already in place. The Bucks have a budding star in point guard Brandon Jennings and a stud center in Bogut. They have a highly skilled forward in Ersan Ilyasova and a strong wing defender in Luc Mbah a Moute. And they have three picks -- one first- and two second-rounders -- in each of the next three drafts."

The entire article is a good read, especially for any Bucks fan excited about not only this season, but the chance for an even greater rise next season.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100224

Shortened season.

2010-02-25T22:20:55Z

by upnorthfan on Thu Feb 25, 2010 8:28 am

After falling as far as seven games below .500 earlier this season, Milwaukee (28-28) has finally caught up to their elusive break even point with last nights 115-95 win against the New Orleans Hornets (30-28).

Center Andrew Bogut recorded his 27th double-double of the season with 26 points and 13 rebounds. At present Milwaukee finds itself as the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference, 1.5 games behind Chicago for the 6th seed and 3 games behind Toronto for the 5th seed.

So going forward, Miami, Toronto, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Charlotte all are within four games of each other for the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th spot in the NBA (Eastern Conference) post season.

Milwaukee has positioned them selves to be in the thick of it, at least for a while. When I did my Bucks mid season report card, they were two games in to the way they are playing now. I mentioned it then saying the Bucks are going to get on a roll here, and they did.

They have gone 10-3 over their most recent 13 games stretch, including winning four in a row on the road. A victory tonight against the host Pacers would put Milwaukee up above .500 for the first time since December.

Besides the All Star snubbed Bogut, the Bucks have relied on Luc Mbah A Moute, Carlos Delfino, Jerry Stackhouse, Luke Ridnour, Charlie Bell, Ersan Ilyasova, and Kurt Thomas, in addition to the Bucks new found backcourt of Brandon Jennings and John Salmons.

With the acquisition of Salmons and the subtraction of PF Hakim Warrick, Milwaukee has added a very good set of hands (Salmons) in to the rotation and have taken out a very bad set of hands (Warrick) out of the rotation. As a result, the Bucks are playing even faster and getting even better shots.

Offensively they are clicking. Defensively they will fight for almost forty three minutes a game and growing. Don’t look now but the Milwaukee Bucks look NBA organized, There is a lot of basketball yet to be played, but important basketball is the biggest difference this time of year.

It’s all been a dress rehearsal up until now. Now, for players like Ersan and especially Jennings, it’s time to put what you have learned into practice, and see how many games you can win in a shortened college schedule. The work Jennings has done at the PG position is phenomenal. His numbers may be dropping but he leads this team when he is out there.

He has blended in, defers to team mates, yet still plays with an edge and will take and hit the big shot. This kid is a gamer, and the job Skiles and staff has done with him has flown under the radar. Jennings is all about team. He has his team in the playoff hunt, playing important games every night. A team he has started for every game while playing 33 minutes a night, leading his team in scoring and sharing the ball so his team mates stay involved.

He and Bogut have improved by leaps and bounds their playing together chemistry.

Everyone else is just continuing to play together, share the ball, work when on the court, play smart, play tough, and see what happens.

It should be fun. Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee Bucks schedule Milwaukee Bucks roster Milwaukee Bucks stats Bucks vs Pacers coverage Bucks vs Pacers preview Indy Cornrows Hornets vs Bucks coverage

Larry Hughes

2010-02-24T15:41:56Z

The Kings just bought out Larry Hughes...

With the Bucks making their playoff push hould we add another big veteran wing to our rotation?

If we didn't already have Salmons, Stack, and Bell I would probably be for this but I don't know where he would get his minutes. He is 6'5'' and was quite the defender back in the day. I'd rather give a guy like this minutes than Royal Ivey.

Even Stevens.

2010-02-24T13:42:39Z

A very big game looms tonight for the ( 27-28) Milwaukee Bucks. A win tonight against the visiting New Orleans Hornets (30-27) and the Bucks will be back to even record wise, with 26 games to go after tonight.

Milwaukee just recaptured the 8th seed in the East. They are 8-2 at home in 2010, and have won four in a row on the road. They lead the league in FG attempts per game, meaning they play fast. They are fifth in the league in rebounding, and their bench leads the Eastern Conference in bench scoring.

They inserted newly acquired John Salmons into the starting SG spot againainst New York, replacing the incumbent Charlie Bell, making them instantly more athletic. Salmons, along with rookie PG Brandon Jennings makes for an exciting new Milwaukee backcourt.

Gone is big man Hakim Warrick, traded to Chicago as part of the trade that bought us Salmons. His departure leaves the PF position to be manned by two Milwaukee young guys, Ersan Ilyasova and Luc Richard Mbah A Moute.

Add another somewhat newcomer in Jerry Stackhouse, whom the Bucks just picked up as a free agent just under a month go, and they Bucks have gotten more athletic on the fly.

Add Carlos Delfino into the mix of Salmons and Stackhouse at the SG and SF positions, that is a nice trio of wing guys that can cause matchup problems on both sides of the ball.

Anchored in the middle of it all is center Andrew Bogut, coming off his most recent outing of 24 points, 20 rebounds and 5 blocks. Bogut currently holds the leagues longest streak of blocking a shot at now 20 consecutive games. Bogut is second overall in blocked shots and climbing, having blocked 5 shots in each of his last three games.

Then this leaves us with the PG position where another young buck in Brandon Jennings (with the same nickname), leads the team at the controls.

For the amount of work he does for his team, most importantly running the whole dam show, I think although his shot and scoring has dropped off, he has done an outstanding job with all the responsibility he has in running things for a team in the playoff chase.

Having Salmons will help him because he is much more talented than Bell, giving Jennings what he has always needed this year, a talented running mate out top. He has that now and it should take some of the pressure off of young Jennings, and now he can be a third scoring option behind Bogut and Salmons as opposed to the first scoring option he had become.

The less workload should drive Jennings and the team back to success.

Check em out. Not only are they fun to watch, they will give you an honest days work.

Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee Bucks schedule Milwaukee Bucks roster Milwaukee Bucks stats At The Hive Hornets vs Bucks coverage Bucks vs Knicks coverage

Who you got?

2010-02-21T21:01:55Z

I saw this post on mavsmoneyball and I am going around sbnation to see who sbnation thinks is better.

http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2010/2/20/1319763/who-you-got

"We have all heard this question before LeBron or Kobe. Obviously both are great and I think the general public is split on who is better, similar to Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. But we are not the general public, since we know more about the NBA. I want to see which side the hard core fans are on. Which hall of fame player do you want on your team, King James or The Black Mamba?"

Cast your vote.

Evans vs. Jennings is a Pitbull vs. a Puppy

2010-02-13T04:22:52Z

Not a Bucks fan, just an NBA fan and Bleacherreport writer looking for a little bit more exposure...

Over the first half of the season, the Sacramento Kings’ Tyreke Evans and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Brandon Jennings have established themselves as the two best rookie point guards in the league.

But which one is better, and how good can each of them be?

In two separate games—Sacramento’s 118-114 victory over the New York Knicks, and Milwaukee’s 97-77 victory over the New Jersey Nets, I set out to answer that question.

Here’s the stat line of each player’s performance:

Evans: 11-26 FG, 0-1 3FG, 5-7 FT, 10 REB, 6 AST, 3 TO, 1 STL, 27 PTS
Jennings: 3-8 FG, 0-0 3FT, 1-2 FT, 3 REB, 3 AST, 5 TO, 2 STL, 7 PTS

Evans Offense

Evans has a wealth of natural talent, which he used to lead Sacramento back from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit.

He almost always operates from the top of the key where he looks to either feed a wing down screen for one of Sacramento’s perimeter shooters, or receive a screen and go from there. If the down screen doesn’t open up, Evans will stay at the top of the key, get the ball back, and either reverse the ball or go into the screen/roll. Late in the shot clock, Evans will forgo the screen and simply isolate at the top.

Whether he’s isolating or using a screen, Evans gets to the rim an incredible amount of times. Of his 26 shot attempts, 18 came in the immediate basket area, and one was a short floater. While he missed the floater and seven layups, the majority came early in the game or on indecisiveness on which hand to finish with at the rim.

Evans only finishes with his left hand when his attempts are uncontested. In traffic, he has little confidence with his left and makes shot attempts more difficult by attempting to finish with his right on the left side of the rim.

When Evans sees an opening, he covers an enormous amount of ground with his natural speed, explosive first step, and his lengthy strides. He also lulls opponents to sleep because he doesn’t play at full throttle on simple plays. His ability to change gears and play at different speeds overwhelms opponents.

Over the first three quarters, Evans played at three-quarter speed, gliding through the game, setting up teammates, and only attacking when he saw a seam to the basket or a defensive mistake.

All that changed in the second half.

Going one-on-one at the top, left-to-right spin moves straight into Jared Jeffries sent him sprawling backwards while Evans had all the space in the world to finish a layup.

A right-to-left spin left Jeffries frozen in space while Evans found himself uncontested at the basket to sink a layup.

Another drive forced a double team, where a drop off pass to Jason Thompson led to an uncontested dunk and a tied game.

The combination of terrific speed, raw strength, hang time, and creativity puts Evans on an approximate talent level as last season’s version of Derrick Rose. The natural abilities are all there.

However, Evans has major work to do on his jump shot. He still releases the ball over his head (though not as dramatically as early in the season) and doesn’t get enough extension with his elbow. As a result he has little control over where his jumpers will land, and he only connected on one of his seven attempts outside the paint.

He has good court vision and is a creative passer. Three of his assists came on good decisions in transition, two came on accurate passes on down screens, and the sixth was the game-tying dime to Thompson.

However, he failed to read the Knicks overplaying a high post entry pass and the pass was deflected. He also threw a bad pass off the dribble that was deflected out of bounds, and an attempted drive and drop was deflected by David Lee when Evans threw a chest pass that should’ve been a bounce pass.

Evans’ other two turnovers came on a palm early in the game, and a pass straight to Omri Casspi that Casspi failed to attempt to catch. Meaning that despite several bad passes and several turnovers, only once was Evans responsible for a bad pass turnover.

Despite this, Evans has a habit of putting his head down on his drives. This keeps him from inspecting the entire court and seeing events unfurling. At least twice Evans had his head away from the action when a shooter was all alone in the corner and a cutter was wide open under the basket.

Also, Evans literally does nothing on offense without the ball in his hands. Part of this is his responsibility to balance the court, but he never receives the ball with any kind of off-ball action, which limits the possibilities he has to attack. He doesn’t cut, he doesn’t fill, he doesn’t screen away, he simply stands around watching.

The only time Evans made any meaningful basketball move without the ball was on the final play of regulation where Evans was asked to inbound and make a backdoor cut, but he was defended well and the backdoor pass was easily broken up.

For Evans to continue his ascent as an elite point guard, he’ll need to dramatically improve his understanding of how to be a factor without the ball in his hands and how to attack from various parts of the court.

He also has major work to do on his jump shot, and needs to further develop his ability to finish with his left hand.

Based on raw athleticism alone though, Evans is as good as it gets at the point guard spot.

Jennings Offense

Because Milwaukee’s offense features more ball movement, player movement, and general complexity, Jennings’ has a lot more responsibility as a facilitator than a scorer in Milwaukee’s offense.

As so, Jennings’ main attack opportunities come in transition or around screen/rolls going to his left, his dominant hand.

Jennings is fairly quick, but not much quicker than the stable of ultra-quick point guards already employed in the NBA. If Jennings was quick enough to turn the corner on screens, he wasn’t quick enough to beat New Jersey’s contesting helpers converging at the rim.

Jennings shot attempts were equally distributed inside and outside the paint. In the paint, he missed three of his four layups, both his right handed attempts, and a left-handed reverse layup which was swatted by Brook Lopez.

Both of Jennings’ made jumpers were wide open. A short banker after his blocked layup bounced back to him, and an open jumper going left off a screen. A step back jumper going left, and a jumper going right were missed.

If Jennings didn’t force any shots, he forced a pair of passes.

A forced chest pass in traffic needed to be a bounce pass to reach its destination. Instead, Yi Jianlian picked up a steal. Also, an entry pass to a post player being overplayed was knocked away.

Jennings drove parallel to the foul line going right after a screen on the left side, couldn’t turn the corner against a wall of Nets, didn‘t take the jump shot that the Nets gave him, picked up his dribble in able to throw the ball back to the weak side wing, found the angle cut off, and took an extra step to find a passing lane.

His other two turnovers came when he tried to catch a pass with one hand and it rolled out of bounds, and when he didn’t meet the ball, and had it stolen by Courtney Lee, hinting at a lack of focus.

Jennings is far too small to be a reliable finisher, and his overall field goal percentage is actually lower than his three point percentage. His puny size also allows defenses to push him where they want him to go, and he’s not quick enough to compensate. While he has decent vision, he’s prone to stretches where he loses focus, and therefore isn’t adept at running an offense yet.

While Jennings is certainly okay, he’s not the difference maker Evans is.

Evans Defense

Evans’ defense was almost as bad as his off-ball offense. On the weak-side he does nothing but ball gaze, allowing Jared Jeffries to beat him back door once, though the Knicks never took advantage.

When Evans’ teammates get beat off the dribble, Evans ends up in no-man’s land, neither throwing his body in the way of the penetration, nor being in a position to contest his own man should a pass make its way to him. Worse, Evans’ closeouts are atrocious, and any quick move can either get a player past Evans, or get Evans sprawling in the air.

Evans is tentative defending screens, usually needing the screen defender to take a step back so he can go under the screen without giving up too much room for a jump shot. Even with this strategy, Evans had difficulty recovering after reading the screen.

On-ball Evans’ defense of choice is to reach around the ball handler to try and poke away the ball from behind as the ball handler beats him off the bounce.

Indeed, the only player Evans defended with success was Chris Duhon who Evans was able to stay on par with and use his long wingspan to discourage a shot over him.

Otherwise, Evans’ hands are at his sides, he doesn’t contest dribbles, and plays with no aggression whatsoever.

In other words, as talented as Evans is offensively, is as poor as he is defensively.

Jennings Defense

Due to Scott Skiles’ philosophy, Jennings is by default a better defender than Evans simply because Milwaukee’s point guards will pressure the ball up the floor.

While Jennings doesn’t make a major impact on wrecking an opponent’s philosophy, the extra second or two to get an offense set up is an intrinsic help.

Jennings is more willing to move his feet and raise his hands on defense, and he’s slightly more alert in his weak-side defense.

Jennings’ main problem is because of how tiny he is, he gets wiped out by every single screen, and on one play, even fell to the floor after getting nailed by a Brook Lopez pick.

Indeed Devin Harris screen/rolls found great success for the Nets due to Jennings’ diminutive stature. When Jennings did stay within the vicinity of Harris, as he did on one particular drive, Harris just drove to a spot 12 feet away from the hoop and shot over Jennings—something most average-sized point guard can do with regularity against Jennings.

If Jennings has some speed and quickness to play adequate defense, he needs to put on weight or he’ll be at the opposition’s mercy.

Scoreboard

Speed/Quickness

Jennings may be quick, but Evans can get to the basket at will thanks to his natural speed and his long strides. He can also shake and bake with the best of them. If Jennings may be able to beat Evans in a 40-meter dash, Evans beats Jennings to the basket.

Edge: Evans by a little.

Strength

Evans is made of steel while Jennings is a runt.

Edge: Evans by a lot.

Scoring At The Rim

Jennings is one of the worst finishers in basketball right now, while Evans has the body type and body control to be a terrific finisher. Each is uncomfortable with his off-hand, but Evans is stronger with his dominant hand.

Edge: Evans by a lot.

Jump Shooting

Evans’ form still needs major reconstructing. Jennings isn’t a terrific shooter either, but has more range.

Edge: Jennings by a fair amount.

Classic Point Guard Skills

Evans plays in a simpler offense and has somewhat less responsibility than Jennings. Both have good vision, though Jennings sometimes loses focus and Evans plays with his head down. Evans is much more of an attack guard, while Jennings is more of a distributor.

Edge: Jennings by a little.

Defense

Jennings is slightly less awful than Evans, though if Evans learns to take more pride in his defense he has more upside to become a good defender.

Edge: Jennings by a little.

Intangibles

Evans can take over games by his lonesome, as he essentially did against the Knicks. He lives in the paint, has more explosive moves, and his strength and size allow him to be dominant down low. He was given the responsibility of carrying his team back in order to win on the road and succeeded with flying colors.

However, with Evans’ attacking mindset and raw strength, it’s a wonder if he’ll eventually become a playmaking combo guard or if he’s really set in stone as Sacramento’s point guard?

Jennings isn’t even the best point guard on his own team, as Luke Ridnour’s vision, unselfishness, smarts, and tricky mid-range shooting has him on the floor in crunch time and relegates Jennings to the bench much more often than an elite point guard would be.

One caveat—Evans is given maximum playing time because he can play both guard positions, while Jennings really isn’t a two-guard at all. Also, Jennings hasn’t been given full reign to play and make mistakes with the Bucks in contention for a playoff spot.

Edge: Evans by a lot.

Final Score

Jennings has the potential to develop into an above average NBA point guard. Evans has the potential to be mentioned with the best point guards in the NBA.

Edge: Evans, and it’s not even close.

Troy Murphy

2010-02-10T20:20:24Z

The tradewinds blow to the tune of Troy Murphy. Here's one scenario I throw on the table:

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yjolvdc

Does it/could it happen? Doubtfully. I don't see Indy really wanting KT, although the speed of Ridnour/Warrick might be reason enough. Add to the fact that they cut $4 Million in salary, get all expiring contracts and rid themselves of Troy Murphy's contract for next year and it COULD happen.

What does it do for the Bucks? Well it gives them meat at the 4, someone that would be a good compliment to Bogut, someone not afraid to rebound. Even better, the man can shoot. TJ Ford would return to the Bucks and this is where it becomes a problem. TJ has a player option in 2010 and would undoubtedly use it. He doesn't hate Milwaukee that much to walk away from that salary. And as a backup? Not sure that would be worth it to the Bucks. Please provide your thoughts below.

Thinking Value Going Forward

2010-02-07T08:25:30Z

Evaluating the forward position, I realize the bucks are a high quality starter away from being a consistent playoff threat. What strikes me though is the incredible bang for the buck (no pun intended) the team is getting out of their current forward crop. The combined salaries of Delfino, Warrick, Ilyasova, and Mbah a Moute is $9.3 million. Meanwhile their combined production per game is 37 points, 20 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.8 steals. I realize that I am not using any of the advanced stats for this argument, but consider the salaries and production of some forwards in the league:

Caron Butler ($9.8 Million) 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.5 steals

Luol Deng ($10.3 M) 18 PTS, 7 RBS, 2 AST, 1 STL

Andre Iguodala ($12.2 M) 17 PTS, 7 RBS, 6 AST, 2 STL

Tayshawn Prince ($10.3 M) 10 PTS, 4 RBS, 2 AST, .6 STL

Josh Smith ($10.8 M) 15 PTS, 9 RBS, 4 AST, 2 STL

Comparing the per game numbers of four players to one makes little sense. I merely wanted to emphasize the bargains that these players are providing for the Bucks in light of their production. Hammond has done a great job of plugging in a diverse group of forwards at an incredible value. Given the league's concerns over salary caps and luxury taxes, it is important to get role players at a reasonable price. After the Harris era of bench players getting starting salaries, it is good to see the direction the team is headed. My hope is that Hammonds will continue to show talent for getting role players cheap so that if a star caliber player in that $9-$12 million level becomes available in the future, the Bucks will be in a financial position to make a deal.

Realistic Ways to Improve the Bucks

2010-02-02T18:17:37Z

It is no surprise to anyone that the Bucks aren't really a contender at this point in time and will need to make a couple moves in order to insure they become one in the near future. As I see it the Bucks have some really good bench players on their team and really just need to add two things in order to become a contender.

1) An athletic frontcourt player - a guy who can alter shots, rebound the ball, atheltically finish at the rim, and is a good post defender

2) A scoring wing - a guy who can get his own shot late in the shot clock, get to the free throw line consistantly, collapse the defense

Realistic Options for Need #1

Through the Draft: SG Evan Turner and SF Wesley Johnson(probably only if we start losing more or their stock drops), SG Xavier Henry, SG Willie Warren, SF Al-Farouq Aminu and SG Avery Bradley

Through FA: None

Through Trade: SG Leandro Barbosa(alot of talk on their forums to get rid of him)... obviously there are more that we could trade for but alot of them would be too expensive financially or trade wise

-Also could hope that Meeks develops into this type of player

Realistic Options for Need #2

Through the Draft: Patrick Pattersen, Ed Davis, Derrick Favors, Larry Sanders...Jarvis Varnardo(2nd round)

Through FA: Marcus Camby, Tyson Chandler, Joel Pryzbilla(yes a 5, but can defend and rebound well), Amir Johnson

Through Trade: ???

Realistically What Could/Should Happen:

I like a lot of the wing players in this draft and think they have the potential to be really good players in this league so since you always should draft for the best player available instead of need I would draft one of them. Say we can get Xavier Henry(http://www.nbadraft.net/players/xavier-henry) in the first, Varnardo in the 2nd.

Or you could think Meeks is going to develop into that scorer and go for one of the bigs in the 1st.

Discuss...

Home and Away

2010-02-01T19:12:10Z

The Bucks are 15-7 at home and 5-18 on the road. That’s a pretty stark contrast. I’m pretty new to the NBA but is home court advantage that strong?

I took a look at our 7 home losses.

Mavs (lost by 2)

Magic (lost by 2)

Cavs

Lakers (lost by 1)

Kings (lost by 1)

Wizards

Spurs

The 2 bad losses obviously being the Kings and Wizards but for the other 5 we played 3 of them very close.

If we played all our games at the Fortress we could very well be considered an elite team in the league. But when we go on the road it all comes apart. Take a glance at our 5 road wins.

Not exactly a list of who’s who in the NBA.

So what’s the deal? Are we particular vulnerable to jet lag? Does Hammond have the refs paid off at home? Does Jennings not play are well if he doesn't have his mommy there to tuck him in at night?

Quality Wins and Bad Losses

2010-02-01T18:51:28Z

I'll be the first to admit this is completely subjective but based mostly on their current record, I split up the teams as such;

Quality Opponents

Cavs

Mavs

Trailblazers

Medium Opponents

Poor Opponents

Then I established the following criteria for a quality win;

Any win over a Quality Opponent.

Any win over a Medium Opponent on the road.

For a Poor Loss;

Any loss to a Poor Opponent.

Any loss to a Medium Opponent at home.

From this I found we have 2 Quality wins:

Nuggets

@ Grizzlies

And

5 Poor Losses

@76ers

@Wizards

@Pistons

Kings

Wizards

Incidentally, if you follow the formula and assume losses to the quality opponents and wins against the poor opponents, and splitting the medium opponents, the bucks would project to a 42-40 record. Calculate in the 2 quality wins and the 5 poor losses and we’re looking at 39-43.

So what does the future look like?

Well February looks promising. Of our 14 games this month we have only 2 against Quality Opponents and 5 against Medium Opponents. And of those 5 Mediums only 2 are on the road. So is 10-4 realistic for February? Probably not considering we only have 5 home games this month, but with the slew of low quality opponents there’s a great opportunity to make up some games.

March also looks good. While there are 6 Quality opponents there are only 3 Medium opponents and all three will be played in Milwaukee, combine that with 10 home games for the month and that’s plenty of chances to steal some wins.

That being said, I think the most important thing for the Bucks to do is win the games they're supposed to win. Maybe we can steal a quality win from someone but I believe avoiding those bad losses and taking care of business against those lower quality opponents will be the key to getting us back in the hunt.

Stupid horns / fans using them should be ejected.

2010-01-31T02:36:33Z

Hate to say it but that stupid horn is so flipping anonying. How can you watch these games? I understand the clackers blah blah ect.. But thoughs horns are god damn anonying. Its almost as bad as air horns which I belive are not allowed in any nba arena....mm why are the horns? anyone care to explain how this is legit please because watching the game tonight is making me insane and no im not an wade/miami fan just wanted to watch jennings play some ball kids great.

Now is the Time to Make a Move

2010-01-29T16:03:27Z

Each year there are a few teams which, due to chemistry issues or cheap owners or trade demands, end up in a position of vulnerability. The savvy GM exploits these situations, sometimes resulting in a championship (Pau Gasol to Lakers, Kevin Garnett to Celtics). This year is no exception and there are a few teams and situations ready to be used to the Bucks' advantage.

Washington Wizards: Who knew the impulsive and stupid, but hardly newsworthy Arenas situation would lead to this? Two Wizards suspended for the season, and the team willing to trade everyone else? Whoa. There's value to be had, for the right G.M. While Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison are the obvious jewels, Nick Young is a diamond in the rough with loads of star potential.

Phoenix Suns: Obviously the Amar'e situation is the most obvious point of attack, but the Suns are always ripe for a lopsided money saving deal. That is because the Suns owner, Sarver, is amongst the cheapest, lousiest owners in the game. To think of what the Suns might have done this decade with a competent owner, ah well. Maybe the Bucks can get something from the NBA's yard sale.

New York Knicks: The Knicks are a perpetual mess. This year's edition features an entire roster that seems to be keeping the Garden warm for next year's pipedream. With no point guard, no go to guy, and arguably no center the Knicks have plenty of needs. Nate Robinson made trade demands after a year in D'Antoni's doghouse, but he's of no use to the Bucks. The Knicks have to want something for David Lee, maybe we could try to swing a deal. Much of the roster is unappealing though.

Philadelphia 76ers: Recently GM Ed Stefanski has said that no players are untouchable. Reportedly, they are looking for value for Iguodala, Brand, Dalembert essentially anyone that they might be able to move. This looks like a rebuild folks, they're blowing it up.

Golden State Warriors: Anthony Randolph has shown flashes of absolute dominance, but he'll never show his true potential until he gets off of Don Nelson's bench. With his minor injury his value to the Warriors is at an all time low. We should try a trade with a Warrick-Alexander package.

Bucks mid season report card.

2010-01-23T17:53:41Z

Milwaukee Bucks (17-24) Mid Season report.

The Bucks shot out of the gate the first 11 games of the season, going 8-3 and setting the NBA on alert that this franchise was becoming “relevant” once again. Benefitting from a six game home stand, several available practice days, and a red hot rookie in PG Brandon Jennings, the early buzz league wide was all about Milwaukee.

Since that surprising start, the Bucks have fallen on hard times, going 9-21 the remainder of the first half of the season, and wondering “what if” their situation would be if only they would have won any number of the ten games they lost by 3 points or less.

Below is a synopsis of their most major contributors thus far.

Andrew Bogut (15/10) is having a solid, yet inconsistent season. The former number one over all pick has picked up his game defensively, leading the league in offensive fouls drawn (31) and sixth in the league in blocked shots at 2.14 per game.

Offensively, he is getting more shot attempts per game (13.4 shots per game compared to 9,8 career average). He is more comfortable down low, but still seems however to want to defer to team mates than take the shot himself.

He has trouble with bigger heavier opponents, while having learned to dominate smaller 4/5’s in the league, He is not an all star player yet, but could be in the near future.

Brandon Jennings (18/6) the rookie PG certainly had his share of ups and downs the first 41 games (all starts) of his career. Early returns had him head and shoulders above the rest of his rookie class, but since the beginning of the New Year he has steadily fallen back with the pack.

Slight of frame and never lacking in confidence, Jennings has been putting up shots at an alarming rate while shooting just 38% from the field. His shot just is not dropping from ten feet and closer, the same shots that netted him 55 points against Golden State in game seven of his career.

He is open mostly when he does take the shots; they have just stopped falling for him. Once he can learn from his successes and failures of his rookie season, Jennings will become an elite PG in this league. For now, it is this writer’s opinion he needs to go to the bench for awhile and watch as veteran PG Luke Ridnour is having his best season.

Luke Ridnour (12/4) is shooting 50% from the filed, and is the most consistent player on the team. His toughness, defense and PG skills (4 to 1.4 assist to TO ratio) is what a team needs from their PG.

As team the Bucks went through a stretch where it seemed they had given up, teams were shooting over 50% from the field on them, they were getting behind by 20 points or more in several games, and the chemistry was non existent.

Milwaukee did lose SG Michael Redd to injury, but Redd wasn’t totally healthy this season when he was on the court, still recovering from a left knee patellar tendon injury sustained last January.

The Bucks short comings this season overall can be traced to two things, and both are intertwined with each other,

Number 1, Milwaukee as a team has not been able to knock down open jump shots, and secondly, they lack NBA talent. They have players such as Charlie Bell, Kurt Thomas and Hakim Warrick playing major roles, but who should not be major contributors on a viable playoff team.

The Bucks are still in the playoff hunt, but that speaks more about the weakness of the watered down Eastern Conference than it does about the quality of team Milwaukee is.

Going forward, there are some noticeable things taking place, they seem to have the effort back on defense, they are once again sharing the ball (but not making shots), and Bogut seems to be coming around more consistently.

Milwaukee in the future needs to target a talented big man to play alongside Bogut, because as it stands now he is all alone in trying to handle other teams two and sometimes three big men.

For now though it seems they may stick around awhile longer fighting for the 7th or 8th seed in the EC, but I don’t think they will there at seasons end. On this board prior to season starting I predicted 34 wins, and with 17 wins now, they are on pace for just that.

Chicago, Charlotte and Toronto are all better than they are IMO, and the Knicks and Pistons seem to want their say in how it all plays out as well.

Timberwolves vs Bucks coverage Timberwolves vs Bucks preview Canis Hoopus Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee Bucks schedule Milwaukee Bucks stats

Eastern Conference All-Stars...

2010-01-22T17:56:57Z

All Star starting lineups have been announced...

http://espn.go.com/nba/allstargame

Does anyone else find it ridiculous that Iverson made the starting squad?

Iverson in '09:

19 games, 14.4 ppg, 4.4 apg (2.6 TO) - zero double-doubles

Other non-All Star starting PG's in the East:

Rose: 40 games, 19.1 ppg, 6 apg (2.9 TO) - 2 double double's

Jennings: 40 games, 18 ppg, 6.2 apg (2.8 TO) - 1 double double

Rondo: 40 games, 14 ppg, 9.6 apg (2.9 TO) - 18 double-double's

Poll

Should fan votes count for 100% of All Star balloting?

Yes

2 votes

No

24 votes

26 votes | Poll has closed

The Bucks High Five

2010-01-20T17:11:29Z

How do you do a Bucks High Five?

*Bucks High Five*

Begin by standing about arms length away from your fellow Bucks fan.

Now, start with your standard two-handed fist bump.

From there execute the more rare blow-it-up. But here’s the twist; make sure your shrapnel from the blow-it-up goes flying up to your head to form, you guessed it, antlers.

Now this explosion-to-antlers should cause both parties to lean back, just make sure your feet stay in the same spot. It is also usually accompanied with a crescendo from both fans. And your noise grows both people swing their upper bodies back toward each other like they’re going to head butt each other. At the last minute the antlers go flying off your head and execute an emphatic double-high-five.

This should coincide with the peak of your yell and usually finished off with a mutual grunt.

This is not a move for the uncoordinated and it takes some practice. As with most of these moves they are usually much easy to do if both participants are drunk.

I'm not sure if my pictures came in, it keeps crashing on me when I try to preview.