Monday Morning Media Roundup: June 4th, 2018

My compatriot Rachael said it best via the Brew Hoop Twitter account a few days ago: I'm boooooooooooooooooooooored.

I won't complain about the Finals being another meeting between the Cavaliers and Warriors (though a little variety would be appreciated). I'm bored because there just isn't much else going on in the world.

There's baseball, but I mean, it's baseball.

So we're forced to grind the weeks out between now and when the league's premier offseason events grace us once again with their presence. It helps that both have such crucial implication for the Bucks, but it almost makes the waiting even worse.

To pass the time, we've got Aussie basketball, Khris Middleton contract talk, and whatever it is John Henson is wearing this week.

Let's roundup!

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Bucks ready to take next step behind Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Budenholzer (The Athletic)

Yes, I know it is The Athletic and so unless you have a subscription you can't read the whole thing, but one of the more important parts to come out of this article is the increased emphasis the organization has made on making Khris Middleton a core part of the future moving forward.

That's an interesting pivot with two years left on his current contract, the second of which is a player option for $13 million. Odds are he'll opt out in search of more years, higher annual pay, or both. His time in Milwaukee has been nothing short of astounding given the low starting point he began his NBA career at, and he has the type of game that should translate well even with age. The thinking internally seems to be that Khris's best years should be spent with the Bucks; now the team just has to find a price point they can digest.

Jabari Parker and the PFs Most Likely to Be Traded During NBA Offseason (Bleacher Report)

Note: You'll need to scroll to the bottom to find Jabari's section.

He's the biggest unknown still looming for Milwaukee's offseason. There are no indications as yet of how GM Jon Horst plans on addressing Parker's pending restricted free agency, but he's shown a preference for hammering out an in-house deal like the one offered to Tony Snell. It takes two to tango towards that type of resolution, though, and it is equally unclear what Jabari Parker's preferred solution is.

Perhaps a trade out of Milwaukee would prove the best option for both sides: It would grant Parker a new start (presumably with an acceptable contract) and could grant the Bucks some flexibility to pursue other talent to better fill out coach Budenholzer's system.

NBA’s Thon Maker to earn Boomers debut (ESPN)

International basketball will be reeling from the loss of Giannis Antetokounmpo with the Greek national team, but it'll surely get a rebound now that Thon Maker is on his way to play with the Australian men's team at the end of June and early July.

I'll cop to having next to zero clue about the dynamics that dominate Aussie basketball (i.e. who's in/who's out, what the depth chart looks like, what the hell an “Adelaide 36ers” is, etc.) but it surely can't be a bad thing for Thon to at least mix it up with players experienced on the international circuit.

How Mike Budenholzer’s hiring will impact Aussie duo Dellavedova and Maker (The Pick and Roll)

Of higher importance for Milwaukee will be just how coach Mike Budenholzer plans on making the most of Dellavedova and Maker. Both had productive stretches under former coach Jason Kidd, but those positive runs were often matched by tepid contributions or all-out disappointment in other moments.

Budenholzer's arrival comes at a propitious moment for Maker. After flashing brightly in his playoff debut two seasons ago, Thon struggled to translate his initial success into nightly production. He more than doubled his minute load, but there were slumps across the board in points, rebounds, blocks, and shooting percentages. If Bud can find a way to radically shift Maker's growth projection for the better the hire may justify itself on that alone.

From the Social Media Realm

Leaving this with absolutely no comment:

Who is, uh, going to confront John about this outfit?

Just imagine you're Malcolm Brogdon in this picture and your week gets that much better:

I do not lift weights all that often, and I have no clue how good their form is here, but those circle things sure do look heavy!

#TeamWorld:

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How about those first two Finals games, huh? Game 1 was a tight affair capped off by one of the most memorable gaffes in NBA history and Game 2 featured a number of traded haymakers before seeing the Warriors come out on top. I'm sure I speak for most basketball fans when I say I couldn't have been more upset with the way what could have been a classic start to a series was fumbled away by Cleveland down the stretch. LeBron James is still an otherwordly talent, but it just seems so unlikely that the Cavs have enough available to win this series.

But I'm just some guy on the internet who is a fan of a team who stopped playing meaningful basketball months ago. What do I know?

What I do know is that we've got plenty of content lined up for you over the coming weeks leading up to the draft and the start of NBA free agency. The Bucks might be on the sidelines of game-action at the moment, but they'll surely be in the thick of things soon. Until then...

Happy Monday!