Yahoo! Sports: Moncrief returning to Bucks as assistant coach
Sidney Moncrief, a veritable legend in Milwaukee, is prepared to sign an agreement to return to the Bucks as an assistant coach, replacing the recently departed Kelvin Sampson. According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, Moncrief will have significant responsibilities on the defensive end, a fitting role for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Moncrief is one of Milwaukee's greatest player success stories, a top-5 draft pick who remained with the Bucks for nearly his entire career and brought a decade of sustained success to the team. He arrived early in the tenure of coach Don Nelson, and for the first eight years of his career the Bucks never failed to at least reach the second round of the playoffs. The Bucks of the 80s achieved the 3rd-best overall winning percentage of the decade, but their legacy is marred by their failure to truly "break through"--such is the stigma left hanging on a team that reached--but lost--in the Conference Finals three out of four years from 1983 to 1986.
Moncrief has bounced around basketball since his playing days finished, including coaching stints in the NCAA, NBA D-League, and as shooting coach for Nelson's Warriors. He also lent his voice to the occasional Bucks television broadcast, though I doubt many will miss his contributions in that department.
Ball Don't Lie: Brandon Jennings knows kung-fu, may not go overseas
Jennings has been getting a lot of face-time this summer, if only because he's been one of the most visible players during the lockout. To his credit, it's been almost entirely positive press: we see exciting videos of him throwing alley-oops off backboards, we hear about his intensive training regimens to improve his finishing and playmaking, and now he's apparently strapped on the boxing gloves to build strength.
SBNation: Chivalry In Basketball: Why Being An Impure Point Guard Isn't A Bad Thing
If you haven't been reading Tom Ziller's new daily column The Hook with at least semi-regularity, you certainly should be. A few days ago, Tom ranked the starting point guards using his own "Purity Scale," which simply compares assists to shot attempts in order to gauge which PGs are best adhering to their traditional duties. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Brandon Jennings ranked dead-last on this scale. I can explain what this means for the Milwaukee offense, but I'm guessing you already know.
NBC15.com: Monday Morning Wisconsin Sports Report
Bucks assistant coach Joe Wolf will be participating in the Basketball Without Borders program for a second consecutive year, this time heading to Slovenia.
HoopsHype: Grading the coaches
Charley Rosen grades all the coaches in the NBA, giving Scott Skiles a B-minus:
Has toned down his over-the-top intensity and pushed his guys into overachieving.
Seems fair, though another year like the last one could make Skiles' seat very toasty.
CBSSports.com: 2011 NBA Roster Rankings
Another team ranking post, this time examining the rosters of every team and ranking them based on "assets" and "anchors." The Bucks....uh....don't do so well...
Basketball-Reference.com Blog: Who Rules the Top Defenses in 2011?
In the third installment of the series, Basketball Reference brings us the data identifying who played best--and worst--against above- and below-average defenses last season, as rated by Offensive Statistical Plus-Minus. Two notable Bucks feature in the rankings: Beno Udrih was an efficient scorer in general last year, but he actually performed better against above-average defenses. Brandon Jennings, meanwhile, has a pretty sad offensive rating against above-average defenses, but improves greatly against below-average ones.
The Big Lead: Wisconsin Says Latrell Sprewell and Anthony Mason Are Delinquent Taxpayers
Have you seen these men?
Half Hollow Hills NY Patch: Getting 'Schooled' By Tobias Harris
Brand new Buck Tobias Harris has apparently created a camp where he totally shows up a bunch of kids.
And finally, Elliot Perry in a Tub Full of Socks. Because we've all wondered what it would feel like and thought it would make a good portrait.