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Tom Enlund of JS Online writes about the Bucks’ defensive goals and the terminology coaches have used to get the points across. So far, so good, as the Bucks have looked much-improved on defense this year, with a few exceptions of course.
As a visual aid and constant reminder for the players, a diagram has been on display on a large board that sits courtside at the team's practice facility.
The drawing illustrates one half of the basketball court. The lane area is colored in and is called the "house." The three-point line is labeled the "fence." In the area between the house and the fence, the word "yard" is written. - Charlie Villanueva has a new blog post at NBA.com. Like the last one, it’s pretty detailed. He seems pretty down about the season so far, especially his performance and role on the team. And I must agree with him on both accounts. He’s been inconsistent, but when he’s feeling it, like against the Grizzlies, he needs more than 14 minutes.
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Charles Gardner of JS Online adds his thoughts on the Villanueva situation, even referencing Charlie's blog post. I don't know if what Villanueva is saying will make it back to the coaching staff, but let's hope there is some open communication forthcoming.
Villanueva said the game Wednesday revealed to him more about his role.
"I know now," he said. "Memphis definitely told me regardless of how good I'm playing, I'm going to be playing 15 or 20 minutes.
"I'm a little bit confused. But we won the game. I don't want to be a cancer on the team or anything like that."
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Gardner also writes that Yi Jianlian isn't fretting about his exclusion from the All-Star ballot. And that's a good thing, because this is pretty close to a non-issue. And Yi is treating it as such, handling it well, which is characteristic of how he's handled everything since arriving here.
"For me, the most important thing is the games (with the Bucks)," Yi said after practice today, as the team prepared for Saturday night's home game against Atlanta. "Not the All-Star Game. The rookie year is for me to enjoy, and maybe I can be in the All-Star Game next year or later.
- Non-Yi Rookie Watch: We might have to hold out on crowning Yi as Rookie of the Year. Last night, some other rookies came out to play. Juan Carlos Navarro scored 28 points, including 8-9 from downtown off the bench for the Grizzlies. Kevin Durant scored 21 points and hit a game-winning three at the buzzer in double-overtime for the Sonics. Sean Williams scored nine points on 3-4 shooting, grabbed three rebounds, and blocked three shots in 18 minutes for the Nets. Luis Scola shot 10-11 from the field, adding 20 points for the Rockets off the bench.
Filed under:
Saturday Bucks Notes
By
Alex Boeder
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