Woelfel: Kohl's interest in selling Bucks growing
Gery Woelfel passes along word that Herb Kohl may be actively seeking a buyer for the Milwaukee Bucks irrespective of the outcome of the ongoing CBA negotiation.
The scuttlebutt is that unless radical changes are made to the NBA system, Kohl will likely sell the team. But there are also some other observers who insist Kohl will sell the team regardless of the CBA outcome.
Of course, Kohl has always maintained that he will only sell the team to someone committed to keeping the Bucks in Milwaukee, so it's never really been about his willingness to sell--the better question is if anyone is going to be willing to buy. Any takers? Buehler?
Getting a more favorable CBA--with enhanced revenue sharing, greater spending balance among teams, etc--is critical no matter what Kohl wants to do, and the good news is that the new CBA will almost certainly be a major upgrade from the current system. But even a shiny new CBA won't solve the Bucks' arena issues, at least not by itself. Until a workable solution is found on that front, it's likely that the only people interested in buying will be those looking to move the team. Which is probably a major reason why the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce announced a renewed drive to support the Bucks last week, though their goal of $2.2 million in sponsorships, ticket and suite sales is necessarily just a first step. Hey, baby steps are better than no steps, and with the lockout leaving the Bucks in limbo it's probably the best we can hope for in the short term.
Woelfel also passes along an interesting wrinkle in the new amnesty clause: rather than waived players being free to sign anywhere, they could be subject to a bidding between other interested teams, with their original team only required to pay the difference between the old and (presumably cheaper) new contract. I haven't seen this possibility mentioned anywhere else, but it would certainly be an interesting twist, and could save a few teams a lot of money while making the amnesty option more attractive (read: more teams would use their amnesty card in the short term). It would certainly make waiving Drew Gooden more palatable, though I'm not sure the Bucks would bite even with the more favorable rules. Either way you can bet the players would fight it since a) most players don't really want to be waived in the first place and b) if they do get waived they would much rather have their choice of next destination rather than rely on an auction.
The Age: Bogut bounced back from boyhood bullying
Interesting read from Australia on how Andrew Bogut's childhood shaped who he became as an adult.
''I got picked on a lot by older kids. In year seven I was picked on by year 10s and 11s because I was so tall, so lanky and skinny. I copped a lot of flak, but that's just a part of growing up.''
As for the here and now: Bogut spent this past weekend checking out the roughly 1,400 hot rods on display at Bright.
Beko BBL: Jon Leuer's 17 pts (7/17 fg, 3/3 ft) and 14 boards not enough for Frankfurt
A double-double from Jon Leuer (still not making shots) didn't make much of a difference for Fraport Skyliners, who suffered their fourth loss in a row in lopsided fashion against Brose.
Turkey: Ersan Ilyasova helps Anadolu Efes stay perfect
Ersan Ilyasova scored 21 points on 13 shots in an 84-76 win over Banvit.
SLAM: UA ‘Are You From Here?’ Tour Hitting Baltimore and NYC This Week
Brandon Jennings will be teaming up with fellow Under Armour endorsers Derrick Williams, Kemba Walker and Greivis Vazquez for a series of exhibition games in Baltimore and New York this Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And in case you're having Jennings video withdrawal, he just did an interview with Kevin Burke from The Hoop Doctors below.
Woelfel: Bucks expected to "seriously court" Caron Butler?
Racine native Caron Butler was forced to watch the Mavericks win their first title from the sidelines after a season-ending knee injury at the Bradley Center in January, but Woelfel writes that the Bucks could make a play for the 31-year-old once free agency begins. The Bucks are still short of wing scorers, so it's certainly plausible the Bucks could make some sort of MLE play for Butler. I'm not sure it'd be the Bucks' best move in the grand scheme of things, but it makes a fair bit of sense superficially.
InsideMilwaukee.com: NBA lockout has peripheral impact on Milwaukee music
Tyler Maas explores what the Bucks' missed home games could have meant for the Milwaukee music scene. On a positive note, Bon Iver might get some more time at the Cousins Center?