PODCAST: The Bucks made a trade for Michael Beasley.

I’m getting real sick of recording Emergency Podcasts, Bucks. Cut it out. Stop doing stuff for just a goshdarn second. (As Frank noted in the podcast, our standards for an Emergency Podcast are probably a little low and we really need to consider re-working our podcast classification system.)

Yesterday, the Bucks traded bench player Tyler Ennis for a bench player from the Houston Rockets, Michael Beasley. Beasley obviously comes with quite a bit of fanfare as the second overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft and, well, for being Michael Beasley.

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During the podcast, we discussed a number of things about the Beasley acquisition, but it’s likely that your feelings on the move come down to a few different things:

• Do the Bucks view Michael Beasley as the “stopgap” for Khris Middleton? - The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski termed the acquisition “a stop-gap move to soften the loss of leading scorer Khris Middleton” in his short writeup of the move. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Charles Gardner suggested that the move was already in the works before the Middleton injury occurred on Tuesday. Neither explanation should really sway your opinion of the move all that much, but it is likely a major part of your perception of the move.
• Is Michael Beasley actually going to play significant minutes in Milwaukee? - This may seem silly to ask since Middleton played 2,852 minutes last season and there is now a major hole in the Bucks lineups/rotations; even if Beasley doesn’t see a minute at shooting guard, losing Middleton will undoubtedly create a trickle-down effect of minutes for all of the Bucks’ forwards and guards. Still, Beasley’s past makes it unclear just how much the Bucks will wind up relying on him. Despite his scoring ability and pedigree as a former #2 overall pick, Beasley has played fewer than 24 minutes per game in each of his last five NBA seasons, making stops in Minnesota, Phoenix, Miami, and Houston in that time. He has also played only partial seasons in a majority of spots, either because coaches decided not to play him or participation in other basketball leagues.
• How did the Bucks view Tyler Ennis? - After the All-Star Break, Tyler Ennis was...relevant. He appeared in 22 games for a total of 446 minutes after the break and averaged just over six points, two rebounds, and three assists while shooting 36% from deep in those roughly 20 minutes per game. Describing his play as good might be overly optimistic, but he did appear to be capable of staying out of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s way as the nominal point guard when they shared the floor. Ennis is still just 22 years old and could eventually be a competent (but most likely backup) NBA point guard at some point in his career. By moving Ennis for Beasley, it appears as though the Bucks are suggesting 1) they don’t think much of Ennis’ future and/or 2) they have a lot of trust in Malcolm Brogdon as the team’s third (nominal) point guard.

Take a listen. Let us know what you think in the comments. And enjoy a relaxing weekend!

(Or sit by your computer and obsessively update Twitter since both Frank and I think it is more likely than not that the Bucks have another move to make before the start of the season! **cue maniacal laughter**)