Monday Morning Media Roundup: April 3rd, 2017

This “win three straight and then drop the Sunday home matinee” trend the Bucks have been on these past two weeks is getting a bit tiring, isn’t it? Milwaukee survived another couple of close misses going into yesterday afternoon’s game against the lottery-bound Dallas Mavericks, and decided to fall relatively on their face.

Well, a game a season does not make, and with only two weeks left in the season, the only path available is to move forward by rounding up some of the stories around the franchise in this edition of the roundup. And this time around, we’re going to be talking quite a bit about the arenas going up across Wisconsin as the Bucks and their Oshkosh affiliate make progress on new homes.

Of course, that’s not everything, and we’ll get a postmortem report on the success of Milwaukee after mid-season doldrums, bask in the glory of Giannis, and look back on a Bucks great in Bob Dandridge.

Let’s roundup!

The Giannis Antetokounmpo Dream Becomes Reality (SB Nation)

Giannis happened to take center stage on SB Nation’s “Sunday Shootaround” column yesterday morning, and it was a proper payment of homage to the 22-year old star. The mix of his youthful bouts of, well, goofiness, combined with his quite mature understanding of a game he’s still “relatively” new to it is indeed a spectacle worth watching.

His experience so far in the playoffs have been stuck in the first round. Perhaps this is the year, then, that Milwaukee’s savior continues to take his next steps into the second round.

How the Bucks emerged from Jabari Parker’s injury as the East’s sleeping giant (Yahoo)

A prognosis for success is all that this piece can really be summarized as. Yahoo’s Ball Don’t Lie site often has some poignant analysis of the NBA, and that continues on as the Milwaukee Bucks go under the microscope thanks to their hot play in March.

And really, the takeaway is that everything has come together in the best way possible simultaneously. Whereas earlier this year Giannis’s performances, while All-Star level, weren’t being buoyed by wins and consistent help from others, the entire team appears to be gelling to bring about success. Whether it can hold heading into the postseason remains to be seen, but it is certainly a good sign for the road ahead.

No HOF? Dandridge scored most points in NBA Finals in 1970s (ESPN)

With Hall of Fame announcements coming out last weekend, ESPN took the time to take a look back on a snubbed great in former-Buck Bobby Dandridge. Dandridge, a member of Milwaukee’s 1971 championship team and a key component to the team’s overall success in that era, was hailed for his two-way versatility as a player.

His success across franchises and decades made him a rare talent, and he was often at his best as the third piece to complement prolific duos. While Dandridge didn’t get the nod to the HoF this year, it may only be a matter of time until another member of Milwaukee’s sole championship-winning team is recognized as one of basketball’s all-time greats.

Oshkosh christens Milwaukee Bucks arena (Oshkosh Northwestern)

I admit that the headline of this article is a bit confusing, but what’s really important is noting that the Bucks and their future Oshkosh D-League affiliate broke ground on the site of a future arena.

What is most impressive is the speed with which the arena planners expect the building to be constructed at. If everything works out, work should be wrapped up by November with the team ready to participate in their inaugural season this Fall.

There will be plenty of updates as the off-season comes along, but with the recent signing of Gary Payton Jr. as a potential addition to that D-League roster, keeping an eye on the team will become a regular feature around these parts!

Johnson Controls signs as first major sponsor for new Bucks arena (Milwaukee Business Journal)

The first domino has finally fallen, and Glendale-based Johnson Controls is the first official sponsor affiliated with the new Milwaukee arena. This deal is two-pronged with the marketing aspects, and the integration of Johnson Controls in the design of equipment in the arena meant to help it reduce its resource consumption and environmental impact on the area.

An interesting note? The Bucks expect six to eight more announcements like this to come out in the coming months, and naming rights for the new arena are going at ~$6 million/year. Speculate as to which of your favorite company/arena name combos for the new building will make the final list in the comments below.

2017 NBA management rankings, from top to bottom (ESPN)

I’ll be honest, this one is just a discussion starter for all you readers out there. Every year ESPN comes out with a ranking of NBA GMs, coaches, and owners with each category receiving a score from 0 to 10 (worst to best).

This year, Milwaukee comes in at 15, aka perfectly average. John Hammond gets a 5.69, Jason Kidd a 6.15, and our ownership a 6.25.

Give us your hot takes regarding this slap in the face of our honor in the comments section!

And with that, folks, we shut the book on this week’s roundup. But first, a drop in on the playoff picture and my prediction for this week:

The Bucks still outright hold the fifth seed, and if the season closed today, they’d face the Washington Wizards in the first round. It is so tight at the top and bottom halves of the playoff picture in the East, so nothing is set in stone, though movement in seeds 5-8 is more than possible with so many teams vying for the eight spot. In my eyes, the most likely scenario is a five or six seed, and so the Wiz or Toronto Raptors in the first round. Essentially, everything is up in the air.

Finally, this morning we come in with yet another perfect set of predictions with Milwaukee having gone 3-1 last week. This week, Milwaukee goes on national TV Tuesday at the Oklahoma City Thunder, then head northeast to visit the Indiana Pacers on Thursday evening, and finish their road trip Saturday in Philadelphia to face the 76ers. I’m going to keep the faith and peg them for a perfect 3-0 run. How’s that for homerism?

We thank you once more for your continued readership of the weekly roundup, and Brew Hoop as a whole! We wish you nothing but the best in the coming week, and lets all keep our fingers crossed as the playoffs near, eh?

Happy Monday!