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As a new NBA season approaches, we kick off our podcast preview series by asking a simple question: Are the 2015-16 Milwaukee Bucks objectively better than the 2014-15 team? Despite the offseason fireworks, this is a difficult question to answer. Maybe the Bucks got a bit lucky last season and are due for regression. The additions of Greg Monroe, Greivis Vasquez and Chris Copeland are meant to offset the losses of Zaza Pachulia, Jared Dudley and Ersan Ilyasova, but maybe this roster churn puts the defensive identity of the team at risk. Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo represent true wildcards this year, but maybe it's too early to count on them for game-changing production.
In many ways, this simple question serves as a bridge to more complicated discussions about the present and future of the Bucks. Eric Nehm and Frank Madden joined me to chat about many of these things, including the defense, offense, scouting reports, Giannis shooting threes, Rashad Vaughn, Damien Inglis, and much more. For now, take a listen to Part 1 of our discussion and let us know what you think in the comments below.