Brandon Jennings' comments about some teammates not having a winning mindset raised eyebrows a few weeks back--and it sure seems like Chris Douglas-Roberts took notice. As Jacob noted today, CD-R didn't mince words earlier this week when he tweeted about his disdain for the public airing of dirty laundry, and it's hard to blame him. There was no mention of Jennings or even the Bucks specifically, but it doesn't take a big leap of faith to think CD-R's comments were a response to Jennings' very public frustrations.
I read a lot of post game interviews around the league. Especially after a loss. The top teams never point fingers or blame. Bad teams do.
Pointing fingers and blaming teammates thru the media is the weakest s*** you can do as a pro. It creates so much tension on a team.
Say what you will about CD-R the player, but it's tough to argue with his logic--even if just by saying it he's sort of contradicting himself. Jennings is still young and prone to venting his frustrations after tough games, but there's simply nothing good that comes from publicly questioning teammates' will to win in the middle of a playoff race. CD-R understandably doesn't expect to be back next year, so let's hope his veiled comments bring all of this to a close. Can we move on to next season already?
Scott Skiles also alluded to the Bucks' dysfunctional locker room yesterday, though from the outside it's rather difficult to pinpoint what the problems were and how you fix them (not that we don't all have our theories).
"One of the reasons it's been such an odd season when you look at it," said Skiles. "Is the way that the guys hung in there defensively almost every single night which is a reason to be encouraged and say, ‘OK, the guys really bought in on that end of the floor, played hard on that end of the floor, defended some of the better players in the league as well as anyone'...all those things. You kind of feel, 'OK we got that established here'. But the other end of the floor is pretty baffling. Our inability to make some of the simply plays. And then we had some chemistry issues that some we've got to get taken care of."
Twitter: Bogut's elbow surgery a success
There were no surprises during Andrew Bogut's arthroscopic elbow surgery on Tuesday, which means the Aussie will now begin a month or two of rehab before getting back to working on his game (and getting full range of motion back in his arm). Andrew's reports via Twitter:
Surgery done! Back in Milwaukee. Got a nice souvenir of some of my bone. Its in a jar, ill bring it to show and tell one day.
In all seriousness Id like to thank Senator Kohl for helping me get this done so quick. Also Bucks staff who chipped in to help as well.
Our Team Doc Dr.Gordon accompanied me, big thanks. Lastly Dr.Andrews and the Andrews Institute.World class surgeon and facility!
JS: Skiles takes blame for Bucks' wretched season
We've had a few discussions in the comments about whether Skiles has unfairly distanced himself from the team's offensive struggles (ie the "we" vs. "they" issue), but Charles Gardner reports that Skiles was making no excuses for the Bucks' struggles following their final game in OKC. Sure, talk is cheap, but give credit to Skiles for saying all the right things--and not simply leaning on the injury excuse.
"Look, I'm responsible for this. I understand that. I would never run from that. It's my responsibility to get the team to play at the highest level they can play at, and obviously I failed at that. This has been a very difficult season and it's going to stay with me for a long time. We're going to try and get better. Do our best to get better. For all of us, that's not a good feeling."
WSSP: Woelfel on season's end
Gery Woelfel offers his take on the end of the Bucks' season, including the important decision facing the Bucks about Brandon Jennings. I know we've beaten this topic to death of late, but for good reason: in addition to Bogut's health, nothing is as important to the Bucks' future as the development of Brandon Jennings.
SBNation.com: Lottery Odds
The Bucks are long shots to hit the jackpot on lottery night, but hey...there's a chance. Just like two years ago, the Bucks will have 11 out of the 1000 possible lottery combinations, which means they have just a 1.1% chance of getting the first pick (tough math) and 4.0% chance of landing in the top three. There's an 87% chance they stand pat at #10 and roughly a 9% chance they slip one spot to #11. It's also possible the Bucks could slide to #12 or #13, but that would require multiple teams behind them jumping up into the lottery--which isn't going to happen.