Monday Morning Media Roundup: July 31st, 2017

Is it basketball season yet? Please? I'm getting tired of sweating day and night, tired having to pretend like the Milwaukee Brewers are relevant in the 21st Century, and tired of having to apply sunscreen every time I decide to venture out into the brutal Twin Cities sunlight.

The unfortunate reality is that the NBA season is months away and that the Brewers are supposedly in a “pennant race”, whatever that means, so we’re stuck waiting while constantly getting beaten down by the Sun. Through the miracle of modern technology, though, we can follow our favorite players vicariously as they venture around the globe enjoying the off-season. We'll be spending a bit of time this week going from Australia to the Philippines and even stopping in China before coming back to Milwaukee to get some local updates.

Let's roundup!

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Bucks' Jabari Parker feels 'great' as he recovers from 2nd ACL tear (ESPN)

The calculus surrounding Jabari Parker's future is... complex, to put it simply. Of course it is wonderful news to hear that he's progressing along schedule with his rehab and everyone hopes he'll come back next season as good as before, but what does it all mean for the months and years ahead for him in Milwaukee?

We're only a short ways away from the team having to decide how to approach Parker as he comes off his rookie contract. Do you let him hit the restricted free agent market where another team with nothing to lose may throw a max his way? Do you try and get ahead of the curve with a “reasonable” extension and pray he stays healthy? Is he someone you look to move to bring a more sure-thing to Milwaukee?

For now it is a matter of waiting to see how he looks once he returns to the floor, but it is never too early to keep an open mind towards Jabari as a Buck.

Whatever Happened to O.J. Mayo? Not Even Some of His Closest Friends Know (Bleacher Report)

We're a little over a year removed from the announcement that OJ Mayo had been dismissed from the NBA for unspecified violations of the league's drug program. Mayo, who spent the three previous seasons as a Buck averaging 10.6 points per game and otherwise not really standing out, hasn't caught on overseas with another team and has only shown up here or there on social media since 2016. Bleacher Report's Ryan Jones then documented his attempt to track down where exactly OJ Mayo ended up.

Sit down and prepare for the retelling of the saga of a basketball prodigy turned eventual league washout and all the highs and lows it entails.

Matthew Dellavedova tips deep playoffs campaign for Bucks (ESPN)

Matthew Dellavedova, international superstar and man of mystery, has spent much of his offseason back home in Australia. Between fishing, getting hitched and pushing obscure Australian breakfast items, he had enough time to talk a bit about the Bucks and his take on the upcoming season.

Most of his comments were directed at praising Giannis Antetokounmpo and fellow Aussie Thon Maker which is all you can ask for from your largely nondescript point guard.

It’s Not Premature for Bucks Fans to Worry About a Giannis Departure (The Ringer)

The Summer of Doom for the Milwaukee Bucks continues on, at least according to the Ringer.

The genesis point for Haley O’Shaughnessy’s latest warning about the future were comments made by Giannis during a trip to the Philippines. By now you've probably seen the quote thrown about across social media as just another sign that Giannis is preparing himself to apparently leave Milwaukee.

There's not much being mentioned of the fact that four seasons can bring radical change to an organization, but hey, accept that you'll be heartbroken now and it'll make the (seemingly hoped for by national media) eventuality that much easier to handle.

'Greek Freak' delights in brief Manila visit (ABS CBN News)

Leap-frogging off the above, take a second to peruse some pictures from Giannis’s trip. I'm not sure where those in attendance got the “Greek Freak” branded jerseys, but here's hoping eBay is flooded with them for sale in a few months.

First look: Bucks practice facility includes Gee's Clippers barber shop (Milwaukee Business Journal)

Coaching and administrative staff are already moving into their new digs with the completion of Milwaukee's new training facility and damn the place looks nice.

From an attached barber shop to underground heated parking, from a rest and rehab center to the Fear The Deer signage on nearly every surface in the building, it certainly looks the part of a modern practice building for an NBA team.

D'Amato: Peter Feigin presides over Bucks' transformation (Journal Sentinel)

Since joining the organization during the ownership change a few years ago, team president Peter Feigin has been the public face of the franchise. Whether around Milwaukee, in Madison during hearings regarding funding for the new arena, or at league-wide events, he's been everywhere and done a seemingly admirable job transforming the Bucks’s reputation.

So what makes the man tick? Where's he from and where does he seem himself and the team going? The Journal Sentinel's Gary D’Amato gave Feigin free reign to answer just those questions in a recent profile of the man now nearly ubiquitous with Milwaukee basketball.

New Bucks arena halfway finished; team talking partnership with Foxconn (FOX6)

There was a flurry of news at the end of last week about the future operation of Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn coming to southeast Wisconsin to build products in the USA. While much of the focus was on Washington D.C. and the politics/economics of the move, there's a chance it may have some relevance for the Milwaukee Bucks.

How does Foxconn Arena sound to you? If you're not into that, perhaps a nod to the company's fame as a mainstay Apple parts supplier with Apple Store Stadium is appropriate? Both of those fall a little flat, but don't be shocked if Wisconsin's newest business invests in some name recognition via the new arena with the team and company officials discussing possible naming rights.

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The only other real relevant news worth discussing that I saw while exploring the internet was the word that former-Buck Brandon Jennings is set to go to China and that recent-Buck Michael Beasley might not be too far behind him (Note: I have no idea who Coral Lu is or whether they're anyone of repute; however, we haven't heard a lick about Beasley and his future with the Bucks, so why not speculate?).

If this is indeed an break in both guys’ NBA careers, then I wish them well. I'll savor fond memories of Brandon's time here in Milwaukee, and who could forget the sheer number of tweets featuring animated bees whenever ‘Beas’ would nail another unnecessarily tough 17-footer?

Take heart, however, knowing that if they do end up in China, we'll have plenty of ridiculous box score stats to look at as they compete against one another for CBA MVP honors.

So go out this week and dominate whatever you do as thoroughly as Michael Beasley does against no-name players in Shandong. And of course:

Happy Monday!